Complete works of peter.., p.314
Complete Works of Peter Cheyney. Illustrated, page 314
NEXT morning, Callaghan, seated at his desk, experienced one of those glows of self-satisfaction which went with the sunlit day. After all, she was a very lovely person. She had her tiara and he, Callaghan, had two hundred and fifty pounds. He concluded the detective business wasn't so bad after all.
And then it happened. Windemere Nikolls came into Callaghan's office, a newspaper in one hand and what was intended to be a dramatic sort of grin about his mouth. Callaghan, looking at him, thought that it was the sort of grin which said as near as a grin could "I told you so!"
Nikolls said: "Well, it looks as if you won it this time, Slim. I always reckoned one of these fine days you was goin' to run yourself into a bundle of trouble with some dame. Well, it's happened all right." He put the newspaper on Callaghan's desk and pointed with a fat forefinger to a news story. Callaghan read it. The news story said in fact that the night before, a valuable tiara—the property of the Countess of Hawyck—had been stolen from her house in Park Lane, that the robbery had been carried out in the most expert manner, that somebody had the combination of the safe and as key to the house and had selected a moment when the family were away and the servants not at home.
Callaghan looked at Nikolls. He said: "It's not quite so good, is it, Windy?"
Windy said: "Nope. It certainly is not. In point of fact it might be goddam bad." He looked at Callaghan wryly. "You know, if Gringall at the Yard got an idea about this," he went on, "I wonder what he wouldn't do to you."
Callaghan said: "Quite! No one of course would believe what really happened. They certainly would not believe it if I told them the truth." A picture flashed through his mind—a picture of the charm of the lady when he had handed over the tiara to her, or her promise to come and see him soon.
He grinned sourly. She'd be coming along soon—like hell she would!
He got up, put on his hat. He said to Nikolls: "I'm going out. I'll be back this afternoon maybe."
Nikolls grinned. He said: "Yeah? You're not feelin' so good, are you, Slim? But it's no good thinkin' about it. If I was you I'd go out an' have a drink."
Callaghan said darkly: "What the hell do you think I'm going to do? I'm going to have a lot of drinks."
He went out of the office. As he closed the outer door, Effie Thompson, her red head bent over her typewriter, heard him mutter something about what he would like to do to that woman.
THE third act in this rather peculiar drama happened at four-fifteen on the same afternoon. Callaghan, seated at his desk and immersed in the details of a case which concerned a Cement Company who were missing quite a lot of petty cash, raised his head. Nikolls came into the office, an expression of the most intense amazement on his face.
He said: "Don't look now, but believe it or not she's here."
Callaghan tensed, sat back in his chair. He said: "What!"
Nikolls said: "She's here—Mrs. Vaile! She wants to see you. What d'you know about that for nerve? I'll say this baby's good. An' is she a looker?" He whistled. "Boy—she has certainly got somethin'."
Callaghan said: "Ask her to come in. And you'd better stay here."
A minute afterwards she came into the room. She was dressed quietly and in the most exquisite taste. She was fresh, smiling, completely adorable. Callaghan looked at her in amazement, then he got up, put a chair for her in front of his desk, went back to his own seat.
He said: "I think you have the most superb nerve in the world and—"
She put up a small gloved hand. She said: "Dear Mr. Callaghan, there isn't any necessity to get excited. Surely my best guarantee of good faith is the fact that I have come back to see you." She threw him a bewitching smile. "I said I'd come back, didn't I? And here I am."
Callaghan said: "So I see. You realize exactly what you've done, don't you? By a very clever trick and by appealing to the better side of my nature—and there's no need for you to grin, Windy, when I talk about the better side of my nature—you persuaded me to be an innocent accessory to stealing the Countess of Hawyck's diamond tiara. In other words, if the police get wise to this what do you think is going to happen to me? Do you think they'd believe my story?"
She shook her head. She said softly: "No, of course they wouldn't. But, dear Mr. Callaghan, there isn't the slightest possibility of anything happening to you. I give you my word. You see I have everything organized. I am taking care of everything—as the Americans say—even Mr. Callaghan."
Callaghan said: "Well, I'll be damned."
"Possibly," she said sweetly, "but not by me. Now listen to me. You have, as you have said, become an innocent accessory to the stealing of the Hawyck tiara. I have it. Well, I think you'll agree with me that to dispose of it would be very difficult. I am informed by a friend of mine who is a great expert that if the tiara were broken up its value would be greatly lessened. As a piece of jewellery it is so well known that it is obviously impossible to get rid of it in the open market, and if one were to try to sell it to a fence one would receive practically nothing for it. And my work, and"—she flashed another delightful smile at him—"your work would have been in vain. I have another and better idea, Mr. Callaghan, and I have come here to ask you to help me again."
Callaghan looked at her, his mouth slightly open. He was speechless. Nikolls, leaning against the wall by the door, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, said quietly to himself: "Jeez...!"
Callaghan recovered his power of speech. He said, enunciating the words carefully and slowly: "So-you'd-like-me-to-help-you-again?"
She nodded. As she smiled, he saw the flash of her perfect teeth.
He said: "What a hope you've got, Mrs.—or Miss—Vaile—or whatever your name is."
She said: "Exactly, Mr. Callaghan—my name is Vaile and my Christian name is Geralda. If you'd like to call me Geralda you may. I like all my friends to call me by my first name."
Callaghan said wearily: "Very well, Geralda. Go on, I like listening to you. So I'm going to help you again, am I?"
She said brightly: "Oh yes. You see you've got to."
Callaghan said: "What the hell do you mean?"
"Now don't get angry," she said in a soothing voice. "First of all listen to my idea. I have told you that it would be very inconvenient at the moment to get rid of the Hawyck tiara by any means legal or illegal, but there is one excellent idea which occurred to me right from the beginning. In point of fact," she went on, "I had it before I waited for you to leave the Green Melon Club so that I could lose my key and you could find it. I had the idea then. I'll tell you what it is.
"I am given to understand that tomorrow the assessors of the Insurance Company who insured the Hawyck tiara will publish the usual notice in The Times. In other words, Mr. Callaghan—or may I call you Slim, I believe all your friends do—the assessors will offer a reward of one-tenth of the value of the tiara to anyone giving information which will lead to its recovery." She smiled demurely at Callaghan.
He sat looking at her. Nikolls made a little hissing noise through his teeth.
"I should also tell you," she went on, "that the Hawyck tiara is insured for one hundred and twenty thousand pounds. So all you have to do is to give the assessors information which will lead to its recovery and you receive twelve thousand pounds. Now what is more normal," she went on, "than that a very clever private detective like Mr. Callaghan should by some odd chance find out who had this tiara? What would be more normal than he should go to the Insurance Company and tell them about it—more especially, Mr. Callaghan, when I tell you that the tiara was insured by the International & Consolidated Insurance Company, for whom I am informed you have done quite a lot of work. In point of fact, it is really an ideal situation, and all you have to do is to collect the twelve thousand pounds, to give me eleven thousand and to keep one thousand for your own services, and everybody will be absolutely happy."
Callaghan said grimly: "I must congratulate you on an extremely clever scheme." His sense of humour was reasserting itself. He looked at her and grinned. He said: "You've certainly got brains in that head of yours, Geralda. There was some very clever planning behind all this."
She said softly: "My friends have always said I was clever, Mr. Callaghan. But," she went on modestly, "I've never really believed them until now."
He said: "And supposing I refuse?"
She looked at him. "Oh, no," she said. "You wouldn't refuse, Mr. Callaghan. You won't refuse. You see you couldn't refuse."
Callaghan said: "No? Why not?"
She said: "I'll tell you. If you don't do what I want you to do I'm going to write an anonymous letter to Scotland Yard and tell them that whilst they were unable to check up the fingerprints on the safe from which the tiara was removed—because those prints were not recorded at Scotland Yard—if they will take Mr. Slim Callaghan's prints they will find they match up and that he was the person who removed the tiara."
She looked at him seriously. She said: "You know it would hurt me very much, Slim, to have to do a thing like that."
Callaghan said nothing. He looked at Nikolls. Nikolls, Callaghan saw, was breathing very heavily. He looked as if he might have a stroke at any moment. Callaghan leaned over, opened the cigarette box on his desk, selected a cigarette, lit it. Then he said brusquely: "Well, there's only one thing to be done. I know when I'm beaten. All right, I'll do it. As you say, it's a perfect set-up. I have worked for the International & Consolidated Insurance Company. It is on the cards that information would come to me as to where a valuable mixing piece of jewellery might be. It is normal that I should go to them. They'll be so glad to get the damned thing back they won't ask any questions. You know that too.
"I'll do it, but," he went on, "I want nothing out of it. They'll pay the ten per cent reward of twelve thousand pounds and that will be handed to you. So there's only one thing to be done."
She said: "Yes, what is that, Slim?"
He said: "You bring the tiara here."
She shook her head. "I couldn't do that, Slim," she said. "I really couldn't. And it isn't because I don't trust you. I do trust you, but," she went on, "I'm not going to hand that tiara over to you until you give me the money. I want my eleven thousand pounds first."
Callaghan looked at her a trifle wearily. He said: "You know all the answers, Geralda, don't you? Very well, I'll see the Insurance people tomorrow. You'd better meet me on the morning of the day afterwards—Thursday—at twelve-thirty. We'll meet in the lounge of the Hotel Splendide. I shall have the money and I want the tiara."
She said: "But of course. It's going to be quite wonderful, isn't it, Slim? The whole thing seems so awfully legal—you know, no risk at all. Well, I must be going now. You are a dear, aren't you, to help me like this?" She got up. "Till Thursday morning," she said, "at twelve-thirty at the Splendide. Good-bye, Slim. Good-bye, dear Mr. Nikolls."
She walked gracefully out of the office. Nikolls heard the outer door close and pushed himself away from the wall. He looked at Callaghan almost miserably.
He said: "Well... for cryin' out loud...!"
WINDEMERE NIKOLLS was pained to observe that Callaghan spent most of Tuesday evening drinking in the company of no less a person than Mr. Blooey Stevens who, being of criminal tendencies, was, thought Nikolls, no proper company for his chief at the moment.
On the Wednesday, Callaghan did not even appear at the office. Nikolls wondered why. Maybe, he thought, the boss was getting a hangover. Maybe he was too burned up to concentrate on business.
Callaghan's assistant considered Mrs. Geralda Vaile with a scowl. Well... he'd always said it would happen one day. If you got mixed up with good-lookin' dames and fell for their stories you just had to pay the bill and grin—if you would. Still, it was very tough.
That Callaghan would go through with the business was obvious. He had to. There was no way out. He was between the devil and the deep sea.
He appeared at the office at half-past eleven on the Thursday morning. Nikolls, who was sitting in the big armchair smoking, got lugubriously to his feet.
He said: "Well, Slim... how is it? Did the Company pay up?"
Callaghan nodded. "They paid up," he said. "I've got the cheque. I've promised to return the tiara to them to-morrow."
Nikolls nodded. "Well," he said glumly. "I hope you get it. I hope she don't try anything else." He stopped talking when he saw the expression on Callaghan's face.
Callaghan looked through his post, lit a cigarette, picked up his hat. He said: "Come on... let's get this business over. You'd better come too."
"Yeah," said Nikolls, "I had. Just in case that snappy number tries to steal your wristwatch!"
When they arrived in the lounge at the Splendide, she was awaiting them. She wore a neat tailored suit, carried a slim handbag. There was no sign of the tiara.
Callaghan said: "Good morning. You're very punctual. I hope you're feeling well."
She flashed a smile at him. "I'm feeling wonderful," she said. "And I hope you are, and you, Mr. Nikolls. By the way, have you got the money, Slim dear?"
Callaghan said: "Yes... I've got a bearer cheque from the International &: Consolidated. I've promised to return the tiara to-morrow. Where is it?"
She looked at him. "Slim dear," she said sadly. "I'm sorry you think I'm so stupid. You really didn't think I was going to take a cheque, did you? Why... supposing I handed you the tiara and took the cheque... well, an order might have been made to stop payment, mightn't it? Or I might be arrested in the Bank whilst I was trying to cash it. No, Slim... I must have cash."
Callaghan said wearily: "Very well, I'll cash the cheque myself—-the International & Consolidated Bank is just along the street. But where's the tiara?"
She smiled at him. "I'll come along with you," she said. "And I'll wait outside the Bank... but on the other side of the street, with Mr. Nikolls. You cash the cheque and I promise you that when you hand me my eleven thousand pounds you shall have the tiara within twenty seconds."
Callaghan said: "You think of everything, don't you!"
They walked down Piccadilly. When they were twenty yards from the Bank she said: "Now Mr. Nikolls and I will cross over here and wait for you, Slim. Please be quick. I've so much to do to-day!"
Callaghan said nothing. She crossed the road escorted by Nikolls. Callaghan went into the Bank. Five minutes later he came out. He crossed the road and joined them. In his hands were several packets of notes. He handed them to her.
She said: "Thank you, Slim. And now for the tiara."
She turned and waved her hand. A sleek car shot out from the pavement fifty yards away and drove slowly towards them. It stopped and a hand holding a small parcel came out through the driving window. She took the parcel, handed it to Callaghan. "You'd better look at it," she said, "just to see you've got the real thing."
Callaghan tore off the paper wrapping at one end. He examined the contents. He said: "O.K."
"Au revoir, Slim," she said. She gave him a sweet smile, the door of the car opened. In a split second she was inside and the car was speeding towards the Park.
Callaghan lit a cigarette. He said to Nikolls: "Let's go back to the office."
Callaghan opened the wrapping and put the Hawyck tiara on the desk. The sunlight reflected on the superb stones. "A lovely piece of work," he said. "Get through to the Intemational & Consolidated, Windy," he went on. "I want to speak to the General Manager."
"O.K.," said Nikolls. A minute afterwards he handed the receiver to Callaghan.
"Good morning, Mr. Varney," said Callaghan. "This is to let you know that I've got the tiara. I'll get into a cab and bring it down to the office right away. I expect you'll feel safer if it's in your own vault."
He hung up. Then he lit a cigarette, put his hand in the breast pocket of his coat, brought out a cheque. He handed it to Nikolls. "That's the International & Consolidated cheque for twelve thousand," he said with a grin. "Take it down to the Bank and cash it and bring the cash straight back here."
Nikolls gazed at the cheque in amazement. He muttered: "What the hell...?"
Callaghan said: "I knew she wouldn't take the cheque—even if it was a 'bearer' cheque. I knew she'd think I'd try and pull something. So I was ready. I went into the Bank and hung around for a few minutes and then came out again. I knew she would think I'd cashed the cheque."
Nikolls looked at him, his jaw dropping. "Well... what the hell did you do?" he asked.
"I didn't do anything," said Callaghan. "I had those banknotes on me when I went into the Bank. I got them from Blooey Stevens. They were very good forgeries. All except the top ones. The top ones were her own five fifty-pound notes—the ones she gave me. She gets her two hundred and fifty pounds back. The Countess gets her tiara, and we get twelve thousand pounds. Well... what's the matter with that?"
Nikolls said nothing. He reached for his hat. As he went out he muttered: "Well... I'll be sugared an' iced. Ain't you the pip... ain't you the complete little pip!"
Callaghan grinned and helped himself to a cigarette.
11. — THE DENCOURT STILETTO
WHEN Effie Thompson showed Mrs. Dencourt into Callaghan's office, Nikolls's face expressed open admiration. Mrs. Dencourt was a very beautiful woman.
Callaghan got up. He said: "Good morning. Won't you sit down? This is Mr. Nikolls, my Canadian assistant." He paused as Nikolls brought a chair forward, noticed the extreme grace with which she seated herself.
Then he said: "Will you tell me what it is you want to see me about, Mrs. Dencourt?"
"Mr. Callaghan, I am in terrible trouble and I want your help." There was an obvious note of agitation in her voice.
Nikolls said: "Don't worry, lady, you're goin' to get it. Nobody who looks like you do is gonna ask my help in vain."
Callaghan said: "Shut up, Windy." He opened the cigarette box on his desk, offered it to Mrs. Dencourt, lit her cigarette.
She said: "I'm Mrs. Herbert Dencourt. You've probably heard the name."
"Of course," said Callaghan. "I remember. You've just started a divorce action against your husband. And your husband, if I remember rightly, is the owner of one of the most valuable collections of jewels in this country."
