More Deadly Than the Male
Page 27
“Go now,” Emily said.
George walked unsteadily to the door. He hesitated, then went on out of the flat to the stairs. As he began to walk down the stairs a dreadful cry of terror and despair tore through the door past him into the dimly lit confines of the building. He shivered, the bleakness in his heart frightening him; but he kept on. Then there was a bright flash of blue light from the fuse box at the bottom of the stairs, and the lights went out. He knew that Cora would never worry him again.
For a moment he stood still, trying to see in the suffocating darkness. Thoughts flashed through his mind. Where was he going? What was he going to do? He would be lonely. There was no Leo now. There was no Cora either. He would have nothing. The future loomed before him: dark, empty, ageless.
He reached the front door, opened it and stepped into the rain. Men appeared from out of the darkness and crowded round him He saw the glistening capes and the police helmets.
“What…?” he began, weak with fear.
“I’m Detective Inspector Tuck,” a voice said, and George could just make out a tall man wearing a bowler hat pushing his way through the little crowd of policemen. “I think you are George Fraser. It’s my duty to arrest you and charge you with the robbery of a garage near Kingston.”
George blinked at the detective, then his fear went away and he sighed with relief. In his bones he had felt all along that they would get him in the end. Well, now they had him. It was a good thing that all this ghastly business was ended.
“Oh yes…?” he muttered, aware that two policemen were running their hands over his clothes.
“Stop,” the detective said quickly. “I have also to caution you that anything you say will be written down and may be used in evidence at your trial.”
“I understand,” George said. “Thank you, but I want to tell you everything. You want me for murder too.” He drew himself up feeling a sudden sense of pride. “I killed Crispin and Little Ernie.”
They took hold of his arms, but they were quite gentle with him, and when the detective spoke again he sounded kind.
“Little Ernie? You did that? Hmmm, well, all right; it’s a good thing to get everything off your chest. You come along with me. Who’s this fellow Crispin you’re talking about?”
“Oh, it’s a long story,” George said, suddenly feeling tired. “But the others are up there. They’ve just killed Cora. You’ll find them all up there: Emily, Max and the two Greeks. You mustn’t let them get away.”
Four of the policemen pushed past him and entered the building. He could hear them running up the stairs.
“I don’t know how you found me…” George said, moving towards the car. “I’ve always read how clever you are. I thought somehow…”
“You were identified,” the detective said, getting into the car and sitting beside him. “The fellow at Kingston saw you about an hour ago. He telephoned the Yard, and here we are. We’ve had our eye on you for some time. We didn’t like the company you kept.
Here, have a cigarette.” He offered a crumpled carton.
“I don’t think I’ll smoke,” George said slowly. “I didn’t drink my tea. Do you think I could get a cup where we are going? My mouth is very dry.”
“That’s all right,” the detective assured him. “That’s all we do— drink tea. There’ll be a cup for you all right.”
George nodded. “I suppose they’ll hang me,” he said. “You know, I’m not afraid. I’ve been awfully lonely all my life.”
“Now don’t talk like that,” the detective returned, looking at him sharply. “While there’s life there’s hope, you know. You don’t have to get depressed.”
“Oh, I’m not depressed,” George returned. “I’m really quite happy now.”
A moment later the car took him away to meet his destiny.
The End
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