Complete works of peter.., p.238
Complete Works of Peter Cheyney. Illustrated, page 238
"Yes," said Effie. "There's a cheque for two hundred and fifty pounds from the Vendayne solicitors. They say it's a retainer and for expenses. They limit any further bill to three hundred and fifty pounds."
"Do they, hell..." muttered Callaghan. "All right. Acknowledge the cheque and pay it into the bank."
She said: "I've already done both things."
Callaghan said: "You're too, too wonderful."
He hung up.
Callaghan went into his office at a quarter-past two. He was wearing a dark blue pinhead suit, a blue silk shirt with a soft collar and a black tie. As he went through the outer office Effie Thompson noticed that the suit was new. She began to wonder about Miss Vendayne.
He sat down at his desk and lit a cigarette. He drew the smoke slowly down into his lungs, sending it out through one nostril. Effie Thompson came in from the outer office with her notebook in her hand.
"I got through to Parvell's," she said. "The Vendayne jewellery was insured by the Sphere & International Assurance Company. Their firm has covered it for the last two hundred and seventy years. They consider it a good risk and if anything under-insured. The jewellery was covered for theft and fire."
Callaghan said: "Thank you, Effie."
A bell sounded as the outer office door opened. She went out. After a moment she returned and said:
"Mr. Ventura."
Gabby reflected the first promise of spring. He was wearing a light grey suit, the exquisite cut of which took at least three inches off his stomach; a cream silk shirt and collar, a crepe-de-chine tie in a nice shade of oyster with a cornelian and diamond pin stuck in the middle of it. A grey soft hat matching the suit swung in his fleshy right hand.
Callaghan said: "Well, Gabby, what's eating you? Sit down." He looked at Ventura's stomach. "You've got too much weight on your feet anyway."
Ventura dropped into the big leather armchair. He took out a silk handkerchief and inserted it with difficulty between the tight silk collar and his neck.
He said: "I think I'll have to go on a diet or something."
Callaghan nodded.
"Did you come round to tell me that, Gabby?" he asked.
Ventura wriggled a little in his chair. He said:
"Look, Slim, I know you and you know me. I suppose we might even go so far as to say that we're friends."
Callaghan lit another cigarette.
"We might," he said. He grinned. "The question is whether anybody would believe us."
Ventura said: "Now, don't be tough, Slim. I suppose you've still got that Randall business sticking in your mind?"
Callaghan was still smiling amiably.
"That and a few other things," he said. "There's a lot of things about some of the clubs that you've run in your time that I don't like, Gabby."
Ventura said softly: "Look, Slim, I got to make my living and my clubs are pretty good these days. Look at the way I run the Ventura."
"I know," said Callaghan. "And what about that other dump of yours, the little place—The Gilded Lily? The last time I was in there it stunk so much of marihuana that I almost needed a gas mask, but still..."
He looked at Ventura inquiringly.
Gabby said: "You're a hard case, Slim, and you're not making things any easier for me. I came round here because I wanted you to do me a favour."
Callaghan said: "That's what I thought. What's the favour?"
"Nothing much," said Gabby. "Look, Slim, here's how it is: I just want you to tell me something without asking me any questions. This is sort of a personal thing, see? Well, it's like this..." He wriggled his chair a little nearer to Callaghan's desk. "You know me, Slim," he said. "You think I'm tough, but maybe I have my soft moments."
Callaghan said: "You're not trying to make me cry, Gabby, are you?"
Ventura wrinkled his nose.
"I wish you wouldn't always take a poke at me," he said.
He flushed.
"All right," said Callaghan, "I won't take a poke at you. You're a soft-hearted feller an' well, where do we go from there?"
Ventura said: "Last night I lent somebody some money—£300 to be exact—no names no packdrill. I lent this certain person six new fifty pound notes. All right. Well, I parted with that dough because I fell for a hard luck story, see? And then do I get a surprise!"
Callaghan said: "Go on, tell me. I can hardly wait."
"Well," said Ventura slowly, "you came in last night to see young Vendayne. You came into that poker game with us, and, so help me God, when we were settling up you pushed one of my notes back at me. When I saw the number on it I nearly had a fit."
Callaghan said: "It would be very tough if you did have a fit, Gabby."
"Well," said Ventura, "I wanted to know if you'd tell me where you got that note from, Slim. Last night when you opened your case I saw there were six new fifty pound notes. You gave me the top one. I had the idea that the other five might have been mine, too."
"What you really mean is," said Callaghan, "that the other five might have been the money that you did this good turn with."
"That's right," said Ventura.
Callaghan looked at the ceiling. After a minute he looked at Gabby. He was smiling. He said:
"I'm afraid I can't help you a lot, Gabby. I got that money from Gortells, the wine merchants that supply the Safety Valve Bottle Party. I needed £500, and when I want money after the bank's closed I always go to Gortells for it. I sent 'em a cheque round and they cashed it. I paid a bill with the other two hundred."
Ventura got up.
"I see," he said.
"You don't sound very satisfied, Gabby," said Callaghan.
Ventura shrugged his shoulders.
"What the hell!" he said. "I was a mug to come round, anyway."
Callaghan said: "You always were a mug, Gabby."
Ventura was at the door. He turned quickly. His eyes were very hard, very cold. He said:
"Maybe I'm not always going to be a sucker. So long, Slim."
" 'Bye, Gabby," said Callaghan.
He walked over to the door and watched Ventura leave through the outer office. He caught the look in Effie's eyes as the night club proprietor passed her.
He said: "You don't like Mr. Ventura, do you, Effie?"
She said: "I do not. I think he looks like a white-slaver, don't you, Mr. Callaghan?"
Callaghan said: "I wouldn't know. I've never been white-slaved. Have you?"
He took his hat off the hat-stand.
"I'm going down to see Gringall, Effie," he said. "Maybe I'll be back, maybe not. I'm going down to Devonshire to-morrow. I don't know how long I'll be there. I'll keep in touch with you."
She said: "Very well, Mr. Callaghan." When he got to the door she added very calmly: "I hope the weather keeps fine for you, sir."
It was five-and-twenty to three when Callaghan went into Gringall's office. Gringall was looking out of the window, smoking his pipe. He said:
"Hallo, Slim, you're looking well. What—another suit! How you private detectives make money!"
Callaghan said: "I've got a patient tailor, Gringall. And congratulations on getting that promotion. Chief Detective-Inspector Gringall sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Gringall went to his desk and sat down. He nodded towards the chair on the other side.
"I gather you're going to ask a favour," he said. "That's why you brought my promotion up. I suppose you're thinking that I got my step up over the Riverton case, and I suppose that you're also thinking that you pulled that out of the bag for me when I couldn't do it."
Callaghan said: "Nothing was farther from my mind, Gringall."
Gringall said: "I'm sure of that."
He looked at the ceiling. Callaghan sat down and lit a cigarette. He said:
"Look, Gringall, I wanted to ask your advice..."
Gringall looked over at Fields, who was grinning at him.
Callaghan said: "What's the joke?"
He looked from one to the other.
"Fields and I were both thinking the same thing. Whenever you come down here and ask my advice there is always a lot of trouble for us all almost immediately afterwards."
Callaghan said: "Well, there's going to be no trouble this time."
He blew a smoke ring, watched it sail across the office.
He said: "I always put my cards on the table and there's one thing I don't like doing... I don't like bucking up against the official police forces."
Gringall said: "Oh, no? If you had to serve one year for every time you've bucked the official police forces as you call it, you'd probably never see daylight again. I nearly brought a charge of 'obstruction of a police officer, etc....' over that last little job of yours."
Callaghan said amiably: "Let's let bygones be bygones."
"We will," said Gringall. "So you've come here to ask some advice because you don't want to go bucking against the official force, and I gather you've been retained in the Vendayne case."
Callaghan nodded.
"That's the trouble," he said. "Here's a case where the police have been working for something like three months, and nothing's happened. Then old man Vendayne decides to put me in. Well, what chance have I got? If you boys down here couldn't get away with anything, what am I going to do?"
Gringall said: "I had the folder sent up this morning when your secretary rang through. Walperton has been handling the case, and as you know he's one of our best officers. Well, the whole thing's so simple that it hurts."
He got up, walked over to the window. He stood with his back to it looking at Callaghan.
"Whoever it was had this jewellery were a pretty fly crowd," he said. "The job was done very nicely. Walperton doesn't know how they got into the Manor House, but he thinks they got in through a french window at the back. The catch had been forced but the funny thing was that there weren't any prints on the window or on the sill or anywhere else, and if they'd made any footmarks on the flower-bed outside they'd covered 'em over before they left. The safe was just opened. It wasn't cracked. Whoever opened the safe knew the combination. There were no prints on the safe. There's the story."
Callaghan shook his head.
"That's not an easy one, is it? I feel a little sorry for Walperton," he went on. "Tell me something, Gringall. What's the matter with the Sphere & International Assurance Company? They're being a little sticky about paying the claim, aren't they?"
Gringall shrugged his shoulders.
"What would you do?" he said.
Callaghan nodded.
"You mean their idea is it's an inside job?"
"That's right," said Gringall. "I should think that was their idea. Yet," he went on, "the servants at Margraud Manor have all been there for donkey's years. There's no reason to suspect any one of them."
Callaghan said: "I suppose it was an old safe?"
"A Climax," said Gringall. "Old, but still very good. Why?"
Callaghan grinned.
"You know as well as I do," he said, "that a smart bunch of crooks could very easily get at somebody who used to work in the Climax factory. Maybe those boys had that safe combination before they ever went down to Devonshire."
Gringall said: "Perhaps you're right." He relit his pipe. "You know, Slim," he said, "I think you've come to the wrong place. You really came here to find out why the Insurance Company are holding up that claim. Well, I don't know, and Walperton doesn't know, but they do know. Why don't you go and ask them?"
Callaghan said: "Tell me something, Gringall. Have they had anybody in on this job?"
Gringall nodded.
"Two of the smartest assessors in this country," he said. "Both hand-picked men who know the history of every jewel thief in this country, and that doesn't seem to have done much good." Gringall looked at the ceiling. "Now if you are as wise as I think you are..."
Callaghan grinned.
"What would you do, Gringall?" he asked.
The police officer said: "Well, it's only an idea, but I should think the Insurance Company might like to put you in themselves on this."
Callaghan said: "You mean, I could investigate this job for them, too."
He was smiling.
"Something like that," said Gringall.
Callaghan got up.
"I'll be getting along," he said. "Thank you for being so nice."
He had reached the door when Gringall said:
"Just a minute, Slim. Maybe I've given you a good tip. If by any chance, in the course of your investigations either for the Vendayne family or the Insurance Company—if they decided it was worth their while to employ you—you become in possession of knowledge of a criminal act or acts having taken place in connection with this steal, I take it you'd let us know about it?"
Callaghan said: "Of course. 'Bye Gringall."
He closed the door quietly behind him.
Fields said: "Like hell he'd let us know, sir."
Gringall looked at his subordinate.
"How do you know?" he said. "He might if it was worth his while."
He took off the telephone receiver and rang Room No. 12. He said:
"Is that you, Walperton? Listen to this. Callaghan's been retained by the family in that Vendayne job. And I've got an idea he's on his way to the Sphere & International Assurance to try and get them to put him in as well. So you can look out for fireworks."
Walperton said: "I will, sir. And if Mister Callaghan gets in the way I'm going to make things hot for him."
"Do," said Gringall. "Only while you're on the job, Walperton, make certain he doesn't make things hot for you instead. Good-bye..."
He hung up. He looked at Fields.
Fields said: "I feel sorry for Walperton."
Gringall nodded.
"Me, too," he said
He began to draw a lemon.
III. — MEET THE GIRLS
CALLAGHAN pulled the Jaguar into the side of the road by the Clock Tower at Newton Abbott. Fifty yards away, standing in the entrance of the Golden Hind, was Nikolls.
He strolled towards the car. He said:
"Hallo, Slim. The women around here have got nice hips. I've never seen so many nice shapes... It must be the cream...."
They went into the bar. Callaghan ordered two double whiskies. They sat at a little table in the corner. When he had finished his drink, Callaghan said:
"We've got to play this easily, Windy. We're working for the Insurance Company as well."
He grinned sardonically.
Nikolls said: "My God... what a set-up. How did you pull that one?"
He picked up the empty glasses and went over to the bar. He returned with the glasses filled.
Callaghan said: "I saw Gringall. A D.I. named Walperton is handling this case. He's just where he started. Gringall suggested that I had a word with the Sphere & International—the Company who covered the insurance. I took the tip. I told them that I was in the case for the Vendayne family. After a lot of flirting with the situation they asked me if I'd come in and represent them too. They said that the Vendayne family's interests were their interests. Clever... that..."
Nikolls said: "You're tellin' me. So the Insurance people don't like it."
Callaghan shrugged his shoulders.
"They're in a jam," he said. "Layne, the Vendayne lawyer, must have written 'em just after he'd seen me. He said that unless they paid up within a month he was going to bring an action. They're hoping that before the month's out I shall have got something that'll help 'em. If I haven't, they've got to pay."
Nikolls nodded.
"Still, it ain't really ethical, Slim, is it?" he asked. "Why, dam' it, you're actin' for everybody."
"Why not?" said Callaghan. He was smiling pleasantly. "If this robbery is all square and above board what have the Vendaynes got to be afraid of? If it's not..."
Nikolls lit a cigarette.
"I think it stinks," he said.
Callaghan's grin broadened.
"You've got a theory, Windy?" he said accusingly.
Nikolls grinned.
"It's stickin' out a foot. Little Audrey is the girl. She's pinched the stuff so that the claim could be put in. She's pinched it an' hidden it in the back garden or somewhere. That's why she paid you that money to keep out of the case. Besides... I know why she pulled the job."
"I'm still listening," said Callaghan.
"I got around plenty yesterday," Nikolls began. "I got out to Kingsbridge an' Gara, an' around Totnes. I been in all the pubs around Prawle and Hallsands. I learned an awful lot."
Callaghan raised his eyebrows.
"Such as... ?" he queried.
Nikolls took a large gulp of whisky. He continued:
"This Vendayne bunch are a sort of institution in this county. Especially around Gara. They been living here since Noah's Ark or somethin'. Everybody knows 'em. The old boy—the Major—is a honey. Nice an' affable an' quiet an' aristocratic—a real guy. He's nutty about the family, an' he's nutty about Margraud Manor, which is a helluva place an' must cost a lot to keep goin'.
"O.K. Well, he ain't got a lot of money. He's got about four thousand a year, an' what's that worth these days to keep up a place like Margraud... sweet Fanny Adams... Well, a year ago the Manor House is practically fallin' to pieces, an' he's mad keen to have it done up. It's goin' to be an expensive job but he wants it done. So does Audrey, an' it looks like Audrey got a scheme to get the Manor repaired. She sold the old man the idea to mortgage the place and get it repaired with the dough he got for the mortgage. Well, he got £20,000, and he did the whole lot on the repair bill.
"Well, that mortgage was the shortest one I've ever heard of. It was a 6½% mortgage for one year. Now how was the Major goin' to pay that mortgage off in a year? Where was the dough comin' from to pay £20,000 plus 6½%?
"But do you know what the joke is, Slim? He's paid it off. I went into Exeter and looked it up. The satisfaction of the mortgage is recorded on the original deed. Well, what's the answer to that one?"
Nikolls drank some more whisky. He went on:
"There's another funny thing. Layne is the family lawyer, ain't he? Well, you'da thought a job like that woulda been handled by the family lawyer. Well, it wasn't. Some lawyer in Exeter put that mortgage through. The name of the firm was endorsed on the deed."
