by John Creasey
“It might have worked,” Roger conceded. “Do you know why Withers killed Stephenson?”
“Two reasons,” Caldicott replied. “The first was that Stephenson was asking for too big a share, but the strongest reason was that Stephenson told his Sarah, and Sarah told me! From that moment on Stephenson stopped being reliable. If she’d been his wife it might not have mattered, but he changes his sleeping partners every few months, and this meant he was getting to the stage when he had to boast. He let Sarah think it was his idea, but . . .”
There were a great many more details, but none of them was of vital significance, until Roger asked: “Do you know Withers’ associates in New York?”
“No. But I shouldn’t think they would be too hard to find once you start tracing his movements over there. He visits New York at least once a year.” Caldicott gave a wry smile, and went on: “Do what you can for me, Handsome, won’t you? I’m going to miss cricket like hell!”
“I’ll do what I can,” promised Roger, and he went out.
A few minutes later he was talking to Goodison in New York, and he had never heard a more excited man.
“That’s the greatest news I ever had as a policeman,” he cried. “Oh, boy, I can’t wait to get busy. What’s he like? How much stuff was he hoarding? . . . All right, all right, I’ll wait for an official report later, and let you know the moment I’ve any news. If you can let me know the approximate dates he’s been in New York . . . Thanks for calling.”
Every newspaper carried the story, most used nothing else on the front page. Janet West telephoned to say how wonderful it was. Richard, their younger son, cabled from Malawi, where he was making a film: “Didn’t expect my father to become a national hero.” Martin, their elder son, was waiting when Roger reached home.
“I couldn’t bear to think of you cooking your own dinner tonight, Dad,” he said. “It’s mixed grill. Two sausages, or three?”
“I knew that he was interested in paintings, and I knew he planned a big deal in Salisbury,” Sarah “Stephenson” said. “But I knew no details and had no part in it. I hope you will believe that. And I hope you won’t need me to give evidence, Mr. West. I am practically penniless in England.”
“I doubt if we shall need more than your signed statement,” Roger said.
“I hope very much that you won’t.” Her voice sounded and her expression was aloof, but both warmed suddenly, and she stammered unexpectedly, and then asked in a voice that was scarcely audible: “May I see Frank Caldicott? I can’t claim to be an old friend, we only met last week, but—” She broke off.
“I see no reason why not,” Roger said. “They will all be remanded in custody for a week, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have visitors.”
“They,” she echoed, and closed her eyes. “Yes. Yes, of course. But please not all at one time.”
“No objection at all,” Isherwood said, and then added with a rush: “No chance of her slipping him a dram of poison, I suppose?”
“You could always have her searched if you’re worried,” Roger said dryly.
Coppell sat at his desk and listened, broke in with an occasional question, placed his big fingers on his desk, and began to smile. There was always a semi-sneer about his smile, but it was a physical thing, not born of mood.
“Well, some would say you had the luck of the devil, even if Old Nick didn’t! Anyhow, Handsome, bloody good job. It won’t do you any harm in the other business, either. You should get some official news about that before too long. They wanted to give you precise terms of reference, and I suggested you might be able to help with that!” He was highly amused at his own temerity but the amusement soon faded. “How did you find Kempton? He’s in line for promotion.”
“You won’t find a better man on his day,” Roger answered, “or a steadier one any time.”
“Good,” Coppell said. “Thanks. Well, you’ll tidy things up with Salisbury, won’t you?”
“The truth is I don’t know how things will work out for Linda Prell and Batten,” Jack Isherwood said. “I don’t think he could bring himself to divorce his wife. She must know how things are and will go along with the situation – if he doesn’t break up the home, she won’t break up his affaire. Don’t ask me how long it will last like that, though.”
“I’ll always be interested to hear,” Roger told him.
“And I’ll always pass on anything I learn,” Isherwood replied. “Handsome, there’s one thing I don’t think I’ve ever told you.”
“What’s that?” asked Roger.
“What a treat it has been working with you,” answered Isherwood.
Roger put down the receiver a few minutes afterward, and turned to the letters on his desk. There was one, unopened, with the words Diocese of Salisbury on the envelope, which was addressed in a beautiful hand. He opened it, and read:
Dear Mr. West,
There is no way of thanking you. But we shall all try. We hope – we hope fervently – that you can come to Salisbury two weeks from today, when there will be a special service of thanksgiving for this new salvation.
Yours most sincerely . . .
It was signed by the tall Dean Howe.
Series Information
Published or to be published by
House of Stratus
Dates given are those of first publication
Alternative titles in brackets
'The Baron' (47 titles) (writing as Anthony Morton)
'Department 'Z'' (28 titles)
'Dr. Palfrey Novels' (34 titles)
'Gideon of Scotland Yard' (22 titles)
'Inspector West' (43 titles)
'Sexton Blake' (5 titles)
'The Toff' (59 titles)
along with:
The Masters of Bow Street
This epic novel embraces the story of the Bow Street Runners and the Marine Police, forerunners of the modern police force, who were founded by novelist Henry Fielding in 1748. They were the earliest detective force operating from the courts to enforce the decisions of magistrates. John Creasey's account also gives a fascinating insight into family life of the time and the struggle between crime and justice, and ends with the establishment of the Metropolitan Police after the passing of Peel's Act in 1829.
'The Baron' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Meet the Baron (The Man in the Blue Mask) (1937)
The Baron Returns (The Return of the Blue Mask) (1937)
The Baron Again (Salute Blue Mask) (1938)
The Baron at Bay (Blue Mask at Bay) (1938)
Alias the Baron (Alias Blue Mask) (1939)
The Baron at Large (Challenge Blue Mask!) (1939)
Versus the Baron (Blue Mask Strikes Again) (1940)
Call for the Baron (Blue Mask Victorious) (1940)
The Baron Comes Back (1943)
A Case for the Baron (1945)
Reward for the Baron (1945)
Career for the Baron (1946)
Blood Diamond (The Baron and the Beggar) (1947)
Blame the Baron (1948)
A Rope for the Baron (1948)
Books for the Baron (1949)
Cry for the Baron (1950)
Trap the Baron (1950)
Attack the Baron (1951)
Shadow the Baron (1951)
Warn the Baron (1952)
The Baron Goes East (1953)
The Baron in France (1953)
Danger for the Baron (1953)
The Baron Goes Fast (1954)
Nest-Egg for the Baron (Deaf, Dumb and Blonde) (1954)
Help from the Baron (1955)
Hide the Baron (1956)
The Double Frame (Frame the Baron) (1957)
Blood Red (Red Eye for the Baron) (1958)
If Anything Happens to Hester (Black for the Baron) (1959)
Salute for t
he Baron (1960)
The Baron Branches Out (A Branch for the Baron) (1961)
The Baron and the Stolen Legacy (Bad for the Baron) (1962)
A Sword for the Baron (The Baron and the Mogul Swords) (1963)
The Baron on Board (The Mask of Sumi) (1964)
The Baron and the Chinese Puzzle (1964)
Sport for the Baron (1966)
Affair for the Baron (1967)
The Baron and the Missing Old Masters (1968)
The Baron and the Unfinished Portrait (1969)
Last Laugh for the Baron (1970)
The Baron Goes A-Buying (1971)
The Baron and the Arrogant Artist (1972)
Burgle the Baron (1973)
The Baron - King Maker (1975)
Love for the Baron (1979)
'Department Z' Novels
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
The Death Miser (1932)
Redhead (1934)
First Came a Murder (1934)
Death Round the Corner (1935)
The Mark of the Crescent (1935)
Thunder in Europe (1936)
The Terror Trap (1936)
Carriers of Death (1937)
Days of Danger (1937)
Death Stands By (1938)
Menace! (1938)
Murder Must Wait (1939)
Panic! (1939)
Death by Night (1940)
The Island of Peril (1940)
Sabotage (1941)
Go Away Death (1941)
The Day of Disaster (1942)
Prepare for Action (1942)
No Darker Crime (1943)
Dark Peril (1944)
The Peril Ahead (1946)
The League of Dark Men (1947)
The Department of Death (1949)
The Enemy Within (1950)
Dead or Alive (1951)
A Kind of Prisoner (1954)
The Black Spiders (1957)
Doctor Palfrey Novels
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Traitor's Doom (1942)
The Legion of the Lost (1943)
The Valley of Fear (The Perilous Country) (1943)
Dangerous Quest (1944)
Death in the Rising Sun (1945)
The Hounds of Vengeance (1945)
Shadow of Doom (1946)
The House of the Bears (1946)
Dark Harvest (1947)
The Wings of Peace (1948)
The Sons of Satan (1948)
The Dawn of Darkness (1949)
The League of Light (1949)
The Man Who Shook the World (1950)
The Prophet of Fire (1951)
The Children of Hate (The Killers of Innocence; The Children of Despair) (1952)
The Touch of Death (1954)
The Mists of Fear (1955)
The Flood (1956)
The Plague of Silence (1958)
Dry Spell (The Drought) (1959)
The Terror (1962)
The Depths (1963)
The Sleep (1964)
The Inferno (1965)
The Famine (1967)
The Blight (1968)
The Oasis (1970)
The Smog (1970)
The Unbegotten (1971)
The Insulators (1972)
The Voiceless Ones (1973)
The Thunder-Maker (1976)
The Whirlwind (1979)
Gideon Series
(Writing as JJ Marric)
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Gideon's Day (Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1955)
Seven Days to Death (Gideon's Week) (1956)
Gideon's Night (1957)
A Backwards Jump (Gideon's Month) (1958)
Thugs and Economies (Gideon's Staff) (1959)
Gideon Combats Influence (Gideon's Risk) (1960)
Gideon's Fire (1961)
A Conference for Assassins (Gideon's March) (1962)
Travelling Crimes (Gideon's Ride) (1963)
An Uncivilised Election (Gideon's Vote) (1964)
Criminal Imports (Gideon's Lot) (1965)
To Nail a Serial Killer (Gideon's Badge) (1966)
From Murder to a Cathedral (Gideon's Wrath) (1967)
Gideon's River (1968)
Darkness and Confusion (Gideon's Power) (1969)
Sport, Heat & Scotland Yard (Gideon's Sport) (1970)
Gideon's Art (1971)
No Relaxation at Scotland Yard (Gideon's Men) (1972)
Impartiality Against the Mob (Gideon's Press) (1973)
Not Hidden by the Fog (Gideon's Fog) (1975)
Good and Justice (Gideon's Drive) (1976)
Vigilantes & Biscuits (Gideon's Force) (1978)
Inspector West Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Inspector West Takes Charge (1942)
Go Away to Murder (Inspector West Leaves Town) (1943)
An Apostle of Gloom (Inspector West At Home) (1944)
Inspector West Regrets (1945)
Holiday for Inspector West (1946)
Battle for Inspector West (1948)
The Case Against Paul Raeburn (Triumph for Inspector West) (1948)
Inspector West Kicks Off (Sport for Inspector West) (1949)
Inspector West Alone (1950)
Inspector West Cries Wolf (The Creepers) (1950)
The Figure in the Dusk (A Case for Inspector West) (1951)
The Dissemblers (Puzzle for Inspector West) (1951)
The Case of the Acid Throwers (The Blind Spot; Inspector West at Bay) (1952)
Give a Man a Gun (A Gun for Inspector West) (1953)
Send Inspector West (1953)
So Young, So Cold, So Fair (A Beauty for Inspector West; The Beauty Queen Killer) (1954)
Murder Makes Haste (Inspector West Makes Haste; The Gelignite Gang; Night of the Watchman) (1955)
Murder: One, Two, Three (Two for Inspector West) (1955)
Death of a Postman (Parcels for Inspector West) (1956)
Death of an Assassin (A Prince for Inspector West) (1956)
Hit and Run (Accident for Inspector West) (1957)
The Trouble at Saxby's (Find Inspector West; Doorway to Death) (1957)
Murder, London - New York (1958)
Strike for Death (The Killing Strike) (1958)
Death of a Racehorse (1959)
The Case of the Innocent Victims (1959)
Murder on the Line (1960)
Death in Cold Print (1961)
The Scene of the Crime (1961)
Policeman's Dread (1962)
Hang the Little Man (1963)
Look Three Ways at Murder (1964)
Murder, London - Australia (1965)
Murder, London - South Africa (1966)
The Executioners (1967)
So Young to Burn (1968)
Murder, London - Miami (1969)
A Part for a Policeman (1970)
Alibi for Inspector West (1971)
A Splinter of Glass (1972)
The Theft of Magna Carta (1973)
The Extortioners (1974)
A Sharp Rise in Crime (1978)
'The Toff' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Introducing the Toff (It's the Toff!) (1938)
The Toff Goes On (1939)
The Toff Steps Out (1939)
Here Comes the Toff (1940)
The Toff Breaks In (1940)
Salute the Toff (1941)
The Toff Proceeds (1941)
The Toff Goes to Market (1942)
The Toff Is Back (1942)
The Toff on the Trail (short stories) (1942)
The Toff among the Millions (1943)
Accuse the Toff (1943)
The Toff and the Deadly Priest (The Toff and the Curate) (1944)
The Toff and the Great Illusion (1944)
>
Feathers for the Toff (1945)
The Toff and the Lady (1946)
Poison for the Toff (The Toff on Ice) (1946)
Hammer the Toff (1947)
The Toff in Town (1948)
The Toff Takes Shares (1948)
The Toff and Old Harry (1949)
The Toff on Board (1949)
Fool the Toff (1950)
Kill the Toff (1950)
A Knife for the Toff (1951)
A Mask for the Toff (The Toff Goes Gay) (1951)
Hunt the Toff (1952)
Call the Toff (1953)
The Toff Down Under (Break the Toff) (1953)
Murder Out of the Past (short stories) (1953)
The Toff at Camp (The Toff at Butlins) (1954)
The Toff at the Fair (1954)
A Six for the Toff (A Score for the Toff) (1955)
The Toff and the Deep Blue Sea (1955)
Kiss the Toff (Make-Up for the Toff) (1956)
The Toff in New York (1956)
Model for the Toff (1957)
The Toff on Fire (1957)
The Toff and the Stolen Tresses (1958)
Terror for the Toff (The Toff on the Farm) (1958)
Double for the Toff (1959)
The Toff and the Runaway Bride (1959)
A Rocket for the Toff (1960)
The Toff and the Kidnapped (The Kidnapped Child) (1960)
Follow the Toff (1961)
The Toff and the Toughs (The Toff and the Teds) (1961)
A Doll for the Toff (1963)
Leave It to the Toff (1963)
The Toff and the Spider (1965)
The Toff in Wax (1966)
A Bundle for the Toff (1967)