A Bespoke Murder

by Edward Marston

  ‘I don’t know how I got through today,’ she said. ‘I just couldn’t stop brooding on it.’

  ‘I’ve been doing the same, Dot.’

  ‘What have you decided?’

  ‘Nothing – I can’t make up my mind.’

  ‘You must report him to the police,’ said Dorothy, firmly.

  ‘What if he’s innocent?’

  ‘Then he’ll be released to go his own way.’

  ‘And the first thing he’ll do is to come looking for us,’ said Irene. ‘If we tell the police his whereabouts, Ernie will be very cross with us.’

  ‘He took part in that murder, Irene.’

  ‘That’s not what it said in the Liverpool Echo.’

  ‘He’s a suspect.’

  ‘Not necessarily – he could just be a witness.’

  ‘Go to the police right now. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘It’s not as simple as that, Dot.’

  ‘Please don’t tell me he’s a friend,’ said Dorothy, scornfully. ‘After the way he’s treated the pair of us, you owe him nothing.’

  ‘Yes, I do – I owe him my life.’

  ‘He may have saved your life but he’s taken someone else’s. You read the report. That poor man was beaten senseless, Irene. While he was in hospital, he never even recovered consciousness. He just faded away. That’s what Ernie Gill helped to do to him.’

  ‘We don’t know that for certain.’

  ‘I know,’ asserted Dorothy. ‘If you’re too scared to report him, then I’ll do it myself. What was that address he gave you?’

  Irene broke away from her and paced the room. Her brain seemed on the point of bursting. Arms folded and lips pursed, she walked up and down as she went over the arguments yet again. Eventually, she came to stand in front of Dorothy.

  ‘He’s got to have the chance to defend himself, Dot.’

  ‘Let him do that in front of the police.’

  ‘He needs to be warned beforehand,’ said Irene. ‘I wonder if I should go to the house again and speak to him.’

  ‘That’s the last thing you should do,’ argued Dorothy. ‘If he’s a killer, you’ll be an accessory. In warning him, you’d be aiding his escape. I can’t let you do that, Irene. It’s too dangerous. And there’s something else,’ she added. ‘What if he turned nasty?’

  ‘Ernie would never hurt me.’

  Dorothy was curt. ‘He’d hurt anybody, if he was cornered.’

  Irene was more confused than ever. She didn’t want to return to the house where Gill was lodging but she had a vague feeling that he deserved a chance. Irene had a sense of obligation that her sister would never comprehend. It couldn’t be ignored.

  ‘Well?’ demanded Dorothy, ‘what are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to sleep on it, Dot,’ said Irene. ‘Everything may seem a lot clearer in the morning.’

  Joe Keedy hated the delay. With the chance of some action in the offing, he was eager to get involved but had to kick his heels until Friday. When it finally came, he was in a state of high excitement. He was due to join members of the True British League that evening in what he suspected would be some kind of attack on property. At worst, he might get to arrest the leader of an odious organisation committed to violence against Jews; at best, he might be helping to solve the case that had been taxing them so much. Either way, Keedy stood to gain.

  Harvey Marmion was more circumspect.

  ‘Don’t expect too much, Joe,’ he advised.

  ‘I have a good feeling about this, Inspector.’

  ‘You could be setting yourself up for disappointment. They might have called off today’s little adventure altogether, or you might get to the Lord Nelson to discover that nobody’s there. What if they rumbled you?’

  ‘Then they’d have thrown me out there and then,’ said Keedy.

  ‘It’s a mistake to have high hopes, that’s all I’m saying.’

  ‘Fair enough. I accept that.’

  ‘Thankfully, the commissioner has sanctioned the exercise. It’s always good to have support from the top.’

  ‘What if he didn’t authorise it?’

  Marmion chuckled. ‘If I thought there was any chance of that happening,’ he said, ‘I wouldn’t have told him about it. We’d simply have gone ahead.’

  ‘There’s that devious streak of yours coming out again,’ said Keedy, laughing.

  ‘I’m just being practical. Good results are what matter.’

  ‘We’re supposed to obey orders.’

  ‘So was Nelson,’ said Marmion. ‘Luckily, he didn’t always do so and achieved great victories as a result.’

  Keedy grinned cheekily. ‘Are you telling me I can disobey you whenever I fancy?’

  ‘I’m telling you to exercise discretion, Joe. By the way,’ he went on, picking up a sheet of paper, ‘I had another report from the man I put on David Cohen. He’s discovered something interesting.’

  ‘Let me guess – Howard Fine is Cohen’s illegitimate son.’

  ‘There is a blood relationship between them, as it happens.’

  ‘Really? I was only joking.’

  ‘It’s not that close. It turns out that the firm that Fine joined in Brighton when he left London is run by David Cohen’s cousin.’

  ‘Does that mean Cohen recommended Fine for the job?’

  ‘Something of the kind must have happened.’

  ‘Wheels within wheels, eh?’

  ‘Yes, Joe,’ said Marmion. ‘The problem is that they keep turning faster and faster.’ There was a tap on his door. ‘Come in.’

  The door opened and an attractive young woman entered with a folder. She walked to the desk and offered it to Marmion.

  ‘This has just been sent to us, Inspector,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Handing the file over, she gave a polite smile of farewell and went out again. Keedy had not taken his eyes off her. As the door shut behind her, he gave a whoop of approval.

  ‘That’s one bonus of the war,’ he observed. ‘When I came to Scotland Yard, we only had male clerks. Now that manpower is scarcer, we’ve got something much nicer to look at.’

  Marmion opened the folder and read the brief report inside.

  ‘Forget her,’ he said, standing up. ‘I’ve got something even nicer to look at here.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘During an attack on a house in Liverpool, a man of German origin was beaten to a pulp. He died some days later. The police are searching for a man by the name of Ernest Gill.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Someone walked into her local police station this morning and gave Gill’s address. It’s one that we’ve already come across, Joe.’

  ‘When was that, Inspector?’

  ‘It was when we looked at the criminal record of bald-headed Bradley Thompson. This man must be a friend of his because they live at the same house. He might well be a member of the True British League as well.’ He gave the sheet of paper to Keedy. ‘There’s a description of Gill here. Make a note of it. You may be able to do our colleagues in Liverpool a big favour.’

  Ernie Gill walked jauntily along the street beside his friend. They were both wearing dark clothes and Thompson’s bald head was hidden beneath an oil-stained cap. They turned a corner and saw the sign outside the Lord Nelson swinging creakily in the wind.

  ‘I like the League,’ said Gill. ‘They get things done.’

  ‘That’s why I joined, Ernie. I tried one or two other groups but all they did was talk and shove leaflets through letter boxes. The day after I came here,’ said Thompson, ‘we were painting slogans on the windows of Jewish shops. A week later, we were throwing bricks through them.’

  ‘I enjoyed setting that car alight.’

  His friend sniggered. ‘Pity the owner wasn’t sitting in it.’

  They reached the pub and went in through the swing door. There were several people drinking in the lounge bar but they ignored them and headed for the room at the rear. As t
hey entered, Thompson looked around with a smile of satisfaction.

  ‘He’s not here,’ he said with contempt. ‘I knew he wouldn’t be.’

  ‘Give him time, Brad,’ suggested the man in the dungarees. ‘I don’t think he’ll be frightened off somehow. Ernie wasn’t, was he?’

  Gill cackled. ‘You can say that again. This is just what I want. I feel really at home here.’

  ‘That’s good, because we’ll have plenty of work for you to do.’

  ‘Where are we going this evening?’

  ‘It’s another commission.’

  ‘Somebody must hate Jews as much as we do if he keeps on doling out money like this. What’s his name?’

  ‘I don’t ask,’ said the man. ‘He gets what he pays for and we get some more cash for our coffers. We’ll spend some of it in the bar here tonight.’

  There was a general laugh of approval. As well as the man in the dungarees, there were two other members of the True British League. One was a short, emaciated, sallow individual in his fifties with a fringe beard flecked with grey. The other was a strapping young man with thick eyebrows meeting each other above a bulbous nose. Like Brad Thompson, he had the wild-eyed look of someone who was keen to exercise his muscles. While both men acknowledged the newcomers with a nod, they left the talking to their leader.

  ‘I’ll drive,’ said the man in the dungarees, ‘and Brad can sit beside me. The rest of you can travel in the back of the lorry. That goes for the new man as well.’

  ‘He won’t come,’ said Thompson.

  ‘Oh yes he will – he believes in our cause.’

  ‘Lots of people do but they’re too afraid to show it.’

  ‘I’m not afraid,’ said Gill, stepping forward. ‘We need a group like this in Liverpool. Some parts of it are crawling with Jews, and Manchester’s even worse.’

  ‘The True British League is here to clean up London and drive the Jews out,’ said the leader. ‘One day, we may be able to carry the message to other cities. I’ve got an idea, Ernie,’ he added, snapping his fingers. ‘Perhaps you could start a branch in Liverpool.’

  Thompson smirked. ‘He won’t be going back there in a hurry.’

  ‘No,’ said Ernie, laughing, ‘I sort of outstayed my welcome.’

  ‘The coppers are still looking for him.’

  Without warning, the door was flung open and Joe Keedy stepped in. He was wearing the same rough apparel as before. He identified the man in the dungarees as the one to whom he’d talked on his first visit. Keedy recognised Brad Thompson as well but the other three faces were new to him.

  ‘Here I am,’ said Keedy, rubbing his hands together.

  ‘Brad thought you’d be scared off,’ said the leader. ‘I knew that you wouldn’t let us down.’

  ‘I wasn’t going to miss out on the fun.’

  ‘Right, let’s get on our way. Brad’s in the cab with me. You’re in the back of the lorry with Ernie and the others.’

  ‘Which one’s Ernie?’ asked Keedy.

  ‘I am,’ said Ernie, stepping forward. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I’m someone who doesn’t want the country polluted by Jews.’

  ‘That’s all we need to hear,’ said the leader. ‘Follow me. We’ll go out the back way.’

  He took them through a door in the far wall and out into the courtyard. The lorry was waiting. While the leader climbed into the cab, Thompson went to crank the engine. Keedy clambered into the rear of the lorry and sat down. The others got in after him. After a couple of turns, Thompson started the engine then hauled himself up into the cab. The lorry pulled away with four men, two cardboard boxes and some cans of petrol in the back. As it swung into the street and picked up speed, it shot past a car parked in the shadows. Keedy was the only one aboard who knew that it would follow them.

  The car turned into the drive and came to an abrupt halt. As the engine was switched off, the front door opened and Miriam Stein came out. Her brother-in-law climbed out of the vehicle.

  ‘It’s nice to see it back here again,’ said Miriam, running a hand over the bonnet. ‘I remember the day that Jacob bought it. He was so proud of his car.’

  ‘It’s a lovely smooth drive, Mimi.’

  ‘We should have thought of it before.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Stone, ‘it’s the obvious thing to do. Since my own car was destroyed, I should have reclaimed this one from the garage right away. It just never occurred to me.’

  ‘You’ve had a lot on your mind, Herman.’

  ‘There’s been one crisis after another. Talking of which,’ he said, glancing at the house, ‘how is Ruth?’

  ‘She’s surprisingly well. I still don’t understand why she sneaked out of the house like that but she’s come back almost refreshed. She’s even eaten a proper meal at last.’

  ‘That’s encouraging.’

  ‘And she’s promised not to run off like that again.’

  ‘I’ll want more than an apology from her,’ warned Stone. ‘She put us through hell yesterday. I’ll never forget the shock of seeing her bedroom window wide open.’

  ‘Leave her be for a while,’ advised Miriam. ‘She needs rest.’

  ‘What Ruth needs is to be under restraint.’

  ‘That’s the worst thing we could do to her, Herman. It was being watched all the time that made her want to get away. We took away her freedom. Ruth wanted it back.’

  ‘And what did she do with her freedom?’ he asked, irritably. ‘She went gallivanting off to the West End. Ruth was asking for trouble. What was she trying to do?’ he said, waving an arm. ‘Get herself assaulted all over again?’

  Miriam flared up. ‘That’s a terrible suggestion.’

  ‘We have to be realistic. The streets are full of drunks at that time of night. Anything could have happened to her.’

  ‘Thanks to the police, she got back home safe and sound.’

  ‘Yes, but only after she’d given us a fright. I don’t think you should be so forgiving, Mimi. We need to remonstrate with her. If I hadn’t been so busy all day, I’d have spoken very sternly to Ruth.’

  ‘I’d rather you didn’t do that just now,’ she said. ‘Ruth knows she did wrong. Let’s leave it at that for the time being.’

  Stone saw the determined look in her eye. Miriam was asserting herself. After consideration, he agreed to back off from his niece for a while. About to go into the house, he was reminded of the last time he’d left a car on the drive.

  ‘If you don’t mind,’ he said, ‘I’ll put it away in the garage. For some unknown reason, I’ve obviously become a target for someone.’

  Keedy didn’t need to trawl for information. It was readily supplied by Ernie Gill, who couldn’t stop bragging about the way he’d helped to set fire to a synagogue, then destroy an expensive motor car. What he couldn’t confirm was that he and the others had been instrumental in the attack in Jermyn Street. Quite apart from the man’s activities in Liverpool, Keedy had enough to arrest him. Gill had freely confessed. Seated in the back of the lorry, it was difficult to follow the route they were taking. The vehicle lurched round corners and rattled over uneven roads. Keedy kept one eye on the car following them while trying to divert his companions from doing so.

  At length, the river appeared on their left. The lorry then went through a maze of streets before juddering to a halt. Late evening shadows turned the buildings into massive dark blocks of stone. The area felt deserted. Jumping out of the cab, the leader banged on the side of the lorry. Gill passed the cans of petrol to him. Keedy watched as the other two men lifted boxes of kindling onto the pavement. When he got out of the lorry, Keedy was standing beside Brad Thompson whose tone was condescending.

  ‘Keep your eyes open,’ he said. ‘We’ll show you how it’s done.’

  ‘He wants to join in, Brad,’ said the leader. ‘Right?’

  ‘Right,’ confirmed Keedy. ‘Where are we?’

  ‘We’re very close to a warehouse that needs burning down.’
/>   ‘Who owns it?’

  ‘A man named Herbert Stone – except that his real name is Herman Stein and he’s a Jewish immigrant who ought to be driven out of Britain altogether with the rest of his kind.’

  ‘Why not use the lorry?’ asked Keedy. ‘Why not drive up, start the fire then disappear fast? According to Ernie, that’s what you did at the synagogue.’

  ‘Ernie should learn to button his lip,’ said the leader, shooting a look of reproach at Gill. ‘It didn’t work at the synagogue. The fire brigade got there too soon. We’ll take no chances this time. The place is guarded. Our information is that there are four nightwatchmen on duty. Brad and the others will take care of them while you and me,’ he continued, jabbing Keedy, ‘will get inside and start a blaze.’

  ‘I’d rather light the fire,’ complained Gill.

  ‘You stay with me, Ernie,’ said Thompson. ‘We’ll knock out those nightwatchmen. That’s why I gave you that cosh.’

  The leader beckoned them close. ‘This is how we’re going to get inside the warehouse …’

  Marmion had driven the car himself with a detective beside him and three more crammed into the back seat. They kept the lorry in sight and, when it slowed down to a halt, they turned into a street nearby and parked at the kerb. One man ran to the corner so that he could keep a furtive watch on the occupants of the lorry. Marmion had already guessed where they’d be going because he knew who owned a warehouse nearby. Herbert Stone was under attack yet again. It made their job easier. Instead of having to follow, the detectives could get ahead and prepare an ambush.

  ‘This way,’ said Marmion, gesturing to his men. ‘We can cut through there and beat them to it. Follow me.’

  They trotted down a narrow lane strewn with rubbish.

  Keedy decided to make his move before any of the nightwatchmen got hurt. Thompson and Gill were each carrying a cosh, the older man had an iron bar and the younger one brandished a hammer as if dying to use it. Under his arm was a box of kindling. Keedy was carrying a large petrol can and the other box of kindling. The leader had the other two cans of petrol. Spread out, they moved stealthily and stepped into a doorway when an occasional vehicle went past. The warehouse came into view. They all knew the plan. Gill was to approach the building and distract the nightwatchman on duty in the gatehouse so that the others could move into position. When Gill had persuaded the man to open the door, he would offer him a cigarette, then cosh him when he was off guard. Once inside the building, they’d dispose of the other nightwatchmen while the petrol was splashed about and the kindling set alight. When the fire took hold, Keedy knew, there’d be no hope of stopping it.