‘What’s all the mystery about?’ Steve demanded, as he clambered into his seat.
‘Sorry to dash off like that!’ he said a little breathlessly. ‘But there was something I rather wanted to check up on.’
‘And did you?’
‘Yes. I checked up on it—’
Steve began to gurgle with laughter. ‘Of all the tantalizing…’ She stopped. Her face had suddenly become very serious as an idea occurred to her, the idea that had already occurred to Paul Temple. ‘Paul!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ve just thought – They’re—they’re carrier pigeons!’
‘Yes, by Timothy!’ was the reply. ‘They’re carrier pigeons all right!’ Temple paused. ‘And now for Bramley Lodge,’ he said softly, ‘and the Knave of Diamonds!’
Inside ‘The First Penguin’, three people listened to the roar of the engine as it sped away. They heard it with strangely mixed feelings.
CHAPTER XXV
Amelia Victoria Bellman
‘Miss Parchment, listen, if you don’t…’
Dr. Milton had grown purple with rage. Every now and then, he struggled furiously with the bonds that still bound him securely to the chair, and his failure to escape from them only served to increase his anger. Even Diana Thornley smiled at his vain efforts, while Miss Parchment kept an air of good-natured calm. She interrupted him in the sweetest of tones.
‘My dear Dr. Milton!’ she protested. ‘If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a hundred times. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by these, er, primitive outbursts. You’re staying in that chair until Mr. Temple returns, and if there’s any, er, funny business, I shall press this trigger, Dr. Milton. I shall press this trigger!’ she repeated a little more emphatically, waving her automatic at him.
‘My God!’ he shouted with a voice that filled the room. ‘When I get out of this, I’ll—’
‘Shut up, Doc!’ exclaimed Diana. Her eyes, her looks, her tone, all indicated the utter scorn she felt for his raving. She herself had accepted her capture philosophically, and even now, while she was bound to the chair, she maintained a perfect equilibrium. ‘There’s nothing to be gained by kicking up a hell of a row!’ she continued more quietly, now that Dr. Milton was reduced to silence. ‘We’re in a jam and we’ve got to make the best of it.’
‘Ah,’ breathed Miss Parchment, turning to her with a happy smile, ‘you have a philosophical side to your character, Miss Thornley – I congratulate you!’
Silence fell on the room. Dr. Milton was clearly trying to master his feelings. In any case, a look from Miss Parchment was enough to make him desist. She appeared quite capable of making instant use of the automatic, which was all the while firmly clasped in her hand.
Diana was sitting perfectly still with her eyes closed. She might have been asleep, but for an occasional movement. Suddenly she opened her eyes and spoke.
‘Miss Parchment,’ she began, ‘I’ve come up against a great many people in my time, and a great many – shall we say – awkward situations. But, well, you’re sort of different.’ She paused. It was clear that Diana, too, was puzzled by the secret of Miss Parchment’s work and identity. ‘How do you fit into all this?’ she asked at length.
‘So you’re puzzled, Miss Thornley?’
‘Yes…I’m puzzled,’ Diana replied. ‘And so are a great many other people, for that matter. Even Max can’t figure you out,’ she went on more thoughtfully, ‘and the Knave isn’t often puzzled by people or situations.’
‘That, I can well believe, Miss Thornley!’
But since Diana had now started an attempt to solve the problem provided by Miss Parchment, she was not going to stop because of an evasive answer or two. ‘First of all, you turned up at “The Little General”,’ she continued. ‘By some means or other you discovered that it was called “The Green Finger” and that it was the headquarters of our organization. How did you discover that?’
‘I made it my purpose to find out, Miss Thornley,’ was the reply. ‘I became interested in old English inns.’
‘Yes, but…why…?’
‘Because,’ explained Miss Parchment after a moment’s pause, ‘I was pretty certain that the Knave would direct his activities in much the same way as he did in Cape Town – from a group of inns all situated in the same area.’
Both Diana and Dr. Milton looked at her in amazement.
‘How did you know that?’ she asked quickly. ‘How did you know the Knave was ever in Cape Town?’
But Miss Parchment ignored her question. ‘“The Little General” was an obvious choice,’ she explained. ‘It had been for sale quite a little while. And then there was the passage from Ashdown House…I heard about that quite by accident, while trying to gather information about this place.’
‘Miss Parchment!’ Diana Thornley spoke with eagerness, but with the same note of alarm in her voice. ‘You haven’t answered my question. How did you know the Knave was ever in Cape Town?’
Miss Parchment hesitated. ‘Do you remember a man on the Cape Town Constabulary named Bellman, Sydney Bellman…?’ she said.
‘Why…why, yes…’ Diana Thornley’s amazement was so intense that she seemed unable to speak.
‘The Knave,’ interrupted Miss Parchment quietly, ‘…murdered…him—’
Miss Parchment’s face, never very bright in colour, had turned a deathly white. It was as if all life had ebbed out of it.
‘Why…why are you looking like that?’ asked Diana suddenly.
The doctor had been sitting in silence, listening to Miss Parchment with amazement. He now noticed that she was trembling violently, and he was watching with no small alarm the automatic in her hand. Suddenly, he could contain himself no longer.
‘Good God!’ he exclaimed. ‘She’s shaking! Put that gun down or it’ll go off! Put that gun down, or—’
‘Sydney Bellman,’ said Miss Parchment slowly and deliberately, completely ignoring Dr. Milton, ‘was—my brother.’
‘Your…brother…!’ It was Diana Thornley who spoke.
Miss Parchment paused. ‘And now, my dear Miss Thornley, my dear Dr. Milton,’ she said slowly, ‘I am going to give you exactly thirty seconds to tell me – Who is the Knave?’
She had recovered her former calm. Her little smile had returned to her face. She once again seemed to be mocking them as she spoke. But both Milton and Diana recognized her determination.
Again it was Diana Thornley who remained calm. Dr. Milton was watching the automatic and the menacing finger on its trigger.
For some second he stared at it with a fixed expression. Then he could stand the strain no longer.
‘All right! All right!’ he ejaculated, in a voice of abject terror. ‘Put that gun down…my God, it’ll go off! Put—’
It was Diana Thornley who cut short his confession.
‘Keep your mouth shut, you swine!’ she suddenly exclaimed. ‘If you so much as breathe a—’
Suddenly, from the wall behind them, came a strange rustling noise.
‘What’s that?’ demanded Miss Parchment suddenly.
Dr. Milton had turned to Diana with a look of surprise. ‘It’s Horace!’ he exclaimed.
The little innkeeper had been lying in the cupboard where he had been dragged by the doctor and Diana Thornley. It was clear that he was now recovering consciousness and sudden hope came to both Diana and the doctor.
‘If we can get him to untie—’ started Diana, expressing the feelings they both shared. She came to a sudden stop. The cupboard door was slowly opening, and, as it opened, Miss Parchment levelled her automatic towards it. ‘Look out, Horace!’ Diana shrieked. ‘Look out!’
Simultaneously, Miss Parchment fired. The crack echoed and re-echoed through the room. The acrid smoke made the doctor cough.
They saw Horace Daley crawl through into the room and pick himself up. Miss Parchment had missed. The two watched each other closely. Miss Parchment was clearly a little nervous and uncertain what to do. On the other hand, although Horac
e Daley had recovered consciousness, he was still dazed and striving to understand the cause of the strange scene before him.
They were standing a yard or two apart, both motionless. Horace brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it, as if in an effort to clear the daze in which he found himself. For some seconds the two stared at each other without speaking.
Then, quite suddenly, and without warning, Horace fell sideways on to Miss Parchment. At exactly the same moment, she fired. But she fired at the spot where the innkeeper had been an instant before.
Miss Parchment’s struggles were useless. In a moment or two Horace was in command of the situation. He pushed Miss Parchment away from him, and with a broad grin on his face, looked from one to the other.
Then turning round to Miss Parchment again, his face became grim and determined.
‘I don’t know what the ’ell you’re doing ’ere!’ he started. ‘But get in that cupboard! Get in that cupboard!’
Miss Parchment stood still.
‘Mr. Daley,’ she said, ‘I must ask you to—’
But the innkeeper did not intend discussing the situation.
‘Get in that cupboard or—’
He stopped. Miss Parchment was paying not the slightest attention to him. He put the automatic down on the table and walked over to her. Then, gripping her arms from behind, he forced her across the room into the cupboard. She was powerless to resist. Once inside the cupboard, he turned the key so that escape was impossible. Then he walked back to the table, picked up the automatic again, and faced Diana and the doctor.
‘Get this untied, Horace!’ exclaimed Milton suddenly. ‘Quickly!’
But Horace Daley was still too dazed to listen to his plea. ‘’Strewth! My head!’ he groaned, as he sank down into the chair Miss Parchment had recently occupied. ‘It’s like a blasted furnace!’
Neither Diana Thornley nor Dr. Milton were greatly anxious that Horace should fully recover his wits before their joint purpose was carried out.
‘Horace!’ It was Diana who now appealed to him in a tone that was part command, part wistful anxiety. ‘Untie this – quickly—’
The innkeeper laughed. Although confused, Horace nevertheless retained an unpleasantly clear memory of recent events. He had been glancing around the room, and it had not taken him very long to realize that the diamonds were no longer on the table.
‘’Ello!’ he exclaimed. ‘Where’s the stuff?’
But Dr. Milton was far more anxious that he should be speedily released than that Horace should be given a full account of what had happened. ‘Horace!’ he exclaimed. ‘For heaven’s sake don’t stand there! Get this rope untied. We must get out of here—’
‘Quickly, Horace!’ added Diana, with the same suave kindliness that she had used to persuade him to drink his glass of whisky.
‘Listen, you two!’ he burst out, ‘where’s the stuff?’
Dr. Milton made yet another appeal. ‘Cut the rope free, Horace, and then—’
‘I’m asking – who’s got the stuff!’ shouted Horace in a blind fury. ‘Who’s got the diamonds?’
‘Horace!’ exclaimed the doctor in a voice of despair. ‘We’ve got to get out of here…We’ve got to…No, don’t!’
The innkeeper’s patience had been exhausted. With a grip of iron, he had seized Milton’s wrist and was twisting his arm round, through the ropes which still bound him.
‘Horace, for God’s sake!’ he yelled.
‘Now listen, Doc!’ said Horace Daley, relaxing his hold for a moment. ‘If you don’t tell me where the stuff is, I’ll break every bone in your blasted body!’ And, by way of emphasizing his words, he once again twisted the doctor’s arm.
‘No! No!’ Then, suddenly realizing that Horace very definitely meant business, the doctor nodded. ‘All right,’ he gasped. He paused. ‘Temple’s got it. He left about ten minutes ago with the girl—’
In an instant the innkeeper had put the automatic in his pocket and was making for the door.
‘Where are you going?’ called out Diana in alarm.
‘To get the stuff back!’
‘You’ve got to untie us first!’ begged Dr. Milton.
‘That’s your guess, Doc!’
‘Horace, listen!’ began Diana in despair, ‘Temple’s after the Knave – he traced a telephone call – you’ve got to set us free! You’ve got to—’
‘To hell with the Knave!’ interrupted Horace briefly.
Diana Thornley had grown more and more alarmed. She was now pleading with him, begging him to release them. ‘You’ve got to get us out of here.… You’ve got to—’
‘For heaven’s sake, Horace,’ added Dr. Milton, ‘listen…we must…’
‘Temple’s got the diamonds!’ said Horace with satisfaction. ‘Right! That’s all I want to know!’
Ignoring their predicament, even rejoicing in it, Horace bowed sarcastically to Dr. Milton, kissed his hand equally sarcastically to Diana Thornley, and was gone. A few seconds later they heard his car accelerate.
‘The dirty, double-crossing little swine!’ began Dr. Milton furiously as he listened to the car driving off. ‘When I get out of here, I’ll—’
Another noise interrupted him. A hand banging on the door of the cupboard. Miss Parchment was struggling to be released.
‘Let me out of here!’ she shrieked. ‘Let me out of here! Let me out of here, I say!’
But Miss Parchment was perhaps a little too optimistic.
CHAPTER XXVI
Horace and the Bridge
‘Steve…You haven’t told me what happened?’
They were now halfway on their journey to Bramley Lodge. Temple had kept the speedometer needle hovering between the fifty and sixty mark, which was as high a speed as most optimists would have claimed fit for the road. He was far too intent on his driving to devote much attention to conversation, but nevertheless this was the first time they had been able to compare experiences since Steve Trent had been captured.
‘Well, there’s nothing much to tell, really,’ Steve replied. ‘Early this morning, I received a telephone call which was supposed to be from the paper. It sounded quite genuine – but when I got outside the flat, I noticed a saloon car. It was drawn up close to the kerb. A girl got out of the car and came across to me. I forgot now what she said…but before I could do anything, a man came up from behind…took me by the arm…and well, the next thing I knew was that I was sitting in the back of the car.…’
‘Well,’ replied Paul Temple, ‘thank heaven Miss Parchment knew about “The First Penguin”.’
‘Paul!’ exclaimed Steve suddenly. ‘Who is Miss Parchment?’
‘Her name is Bellman,’ he replied. ‘Amelia Bellman. She’s the sister to the man who helped your brother over the Cape Town–Simonstown robberies.’
A look of bewilderment spread over Steve’s face.
‘Sydney Bellman!’ she cried. ‘But—he was murdered – by—Max Lorraine!’
‘Yes,’ replied Paul Temple quietly, ‘and from the very moment he was murdered, Miss Parchment made up her mind to track down the Knave. She knew quite a lot about the way Lorraine worked. In fact, if the Knave had known who Miss Parchment was, then, believe me, he wouldn’t have wasted his time on kidnapping Louise Harvey.’
‘Does Miss Parchment know who the Knave really is?’ inquired Steve, shutting her eyes as a car seemed to rush out of a side road at them, and opening them only a moment or two later after she felt their own car swerve to safety.
‘No. No, she doesn’t. But I think she’s got a pretty shrewd idea. We raided “The Little General” tonight, but the place was deserted.’ He smiled. ‘Except for Miss Parchment!’
Steve showed her surprise. ‘What was she doing there?’
‘Apparently she’d read somewhere or other that there was a passage between Ashdown House and “The Little General”.’ Temple chuckled. ‘And she chose tonight, of all nights, to investigate the fact!’
‘It’s perha
ps a good job she did,’ Steve replied seriously. ‘Or I might still have been at “The First Penguin” – waiting for…Max Lorraine.…’
Paul Temple turned his head for a moment and looked at her, almost as if to reassure himself of her presence beside him. Then his eyes were back on the road again. They were travelling far too fast to take such chances.
‘Steve,’ he said earnestly, ‘you don’t know how glad I felt when I broke into that room and saw you there. All the way down to the inn I was…’
Steve interrupted him with a smile, the same quick, flashing smile that had won so many hearts. ‘Well, believe me, Paul, the relief wasn’t one-sided!’
For a few moments neither of them said anything. A winding stretch of road took up all Paul Temple’s attention, and Steve was giving herself up to a luxurious sense of ease and relief.
‘It’s rather funny about Miss Parchment,’ began Temple, as he straightened the wheel. ‘I guessed her identity after we’d visited Ashdown House. You remember I asked you the name of the man who assisted your brother in Cape Town.… At first, I had a feeling that Miss Parchment might have been his wife.’
‘Does Sir Graham know about Miss Parchment?’ Steve inquired.
‘No, I don’t think so.’ Temple began to laugh. ‘I’m afraid there are one or two surprises on hand for Sir Graham. And you’ll be one of them, Steve, unless I’m very much mistaken!’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Well, when I left “The Little General”, I told him I was taking Miss Parchment back to Bramley Lodge. He’ll get rather a shock to learn we’ve visited an outlandish inn known as “The First Penguin”, captured the doctor and Diana Thornley, recovered the proceeds of the Malvern robbery, and rescued you into the bargain!’
Paul Temple 3-Book Collection Page 20