At the moment the verandah windows commanded a view not of the sea but of the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal and the docks beyond. The liner was still connected to land by the gangway, though all the passengers had been aboard for some time. The public address system had already issued the last warning for all visitors to go ashore.
“We should be sailing in about fifteen minutes,” George Kelburn said. He had not touched his own baggage, knowing that the steward would unpack and put his clothes away. He was wearing a new lightweight suit in anticipation of the warmer climes ahead.
“Don’t you want to go on deck?” Laura said, making it clear that she would prefer to have the suite to herself so that she could get things organised the way she wanted them.
“Not particularly,” he said. He went over to the windows and stood looking down on the quayside below.
“This is a change for you, George, isn’t it?” she said in her carping voice. “No telephone to answer, nobody to boss about, no last-minute instructions, none of your … What are you staring at?”
He did not answer.
‘’ I asked you what you were staring at.”
“I was just — looking out of the window, that’s all.”
He turned back and to her surprise his expression was affectionate.
“Laura, this is supposed to be a pleasure cruise. Let’s try not to get on each other’s nerves.”
“There aren’t enough hangers for my dresses,” she grumbled, rejecting his attempt to be conciliatory.
“All right. Ring for the steward. Or better still, go and have a word with the Purser. Let the poor devil know what he’s in for.”
She ignored that remark, went into the bathroom and turned the key. George Kelburn changed his mind about unpacking. He opened the smallest of his suitcases, found his wallet of toilet accessories and extracted a small medicine bottle with two capsules in it. He closed his fist over them as Laura emerged from the bathroom.
“Well, when I see the Purser I’m going to complain about this bathroom. It’s absurdly small.”
“Very well,” George said wearily. “You do that.”
At the door she paused. “Don’t leave the cabin. I want you here when I come back.”
He smiled. “That you can depend on, Laura.”
When she had closed the door George went to the bedside table where a drinking tumbler had been placed over a carafe of iced water. Thoughtfully, he took the tumbler off, poured a quarter of a glass of water and waited. He seemed to be listening. When there came a knock on the door, he tipped the capsules into his mouth, put the glass to his lips and swallowed. Then he put the glass down, turned to the door and called: “Come in.”
“Good afternoon, Kelburn,” said Paul Temple, entering and closing the door behind him. “I thought you weren’t taking your trip until the end of the month?”
Temple was disappointed at the lack of reaction from the man at his unexpected appearance.
“I changed my mind.”
“A sudden decision?”
“Yes — a sudden decision. Where are the police? I saw them on the quay …”
“They’re talking to your wife.”
Kelburn nodded. He seemed to be taking all this as the most natural thing in the world. “You picked up Langdon, I suppose?”
“We did. Also Dr Benkaray and Larry Cross.”
Temple had not come far into the room. He knew that something was wrong. Kelburn’s behaviour and speech were not in character.
“Langdon talked?” Kelburn asked, without great interest.
“He had to, otherwise the police might have believed he was The Fence — instead of you. He was most anxious that they shouldn’t think that, Mr Kelburn. Still, we’ve got enough evidence against you without Langdon.”
“You mean Mrs Fletcher and the deed box?”
“Yes, and the fact that my wife’s bracelet turned up at your house.”
“Your wife’s …” At last Kelburn showed some interest. “So that was it? You were the burglar?”
“By proxy. You know, you’ve worried me, Kelburn. I should have been on to you earlier — I should have realised what Tony Wyman meant when he said ‘Kelburn — The Fence’. He wasn’t warning you against the electrified fence — he was warning me against you, Kelburn.’’
“That young man overreached himself.”
“I don’t think you can criticise him on that account.”
“He thought he knew all the answers, Temple — just like you do.” Kelburn suddenly lost balance. He put a hand on the back of a chair to steady himself. His eyes had widened. “But … you don’t … know …” His body sagged. He had to support himself on both hands to remain upright.
“What is it, Kelburn?” Temple started towards him.
Kelburn twisted his head round, his mouth distorted by a grimace.
“I — I took something just before — you came in.” Kelburn gasped and put a hand to his throat. “I didn’t intend the police to …” Before he could finish the sentence his eyes glazed and his mouth froze in a rictus. He crashed to the floor, his lifeless arms flailing the carpet.
“Kelburn, you fool! You damn fool!”
Temple rushed forward. He knelt beside the prostrate form, automatically putting a finger in Kelburn’s mouth to make sure the breathing passage was clear. But Temple knew it was hopeless. He was straightening up when Raine, without knocking, walked into the cabin.
“Mr Temple, we’ve taken Mrs …” He stopped short when he saw the body. “What it is? What’s happened to Kelburn?”
Temple slowly got to his feet.
“He’s dead, Raine.”
“What puzzles me,” said Raine, “is why a man in his position should turn to crime.”
Forbes, Raine, Steve and Temple were seated round a table in the Meridian Bar of the liner. It was crowded with merrymaking passengers celebrating the first hours of the cruise to the Caribbean. Twenty minutes had passed since George Kelburn had taken the last escape route open to him. Laura Kelburn, to whom the news had been broken by Sir Graham, was in the sick bay being attended to by the ship’s doctor, under the discreet surveillance of a police officer.
“It’s a fallacy that big businessmen have no time for any other activities, Superintendent.” Temple had knocked back his first Scotch neat and was now drinking a second whisky diluted with soda. “You’ve only to read the gossip columns to appreciate that.”
Raine smiled, taking the point. Forbes, cupping a balloon brandy glass in his hand, said: “Yes, but why crime?”
“I don’t suppose we’ll ever know the full answer to that. There may even be more than one. But you have to admit the idea of a big-time fence operating on an international scale is a tempting one. Carried to its furthermost limits a man like that could become extremely powerful. And there’s no doubt that Kelburn was obsessed with power.”
Steve had felt a faint tremor beneath her feet. Through the windows she could see the quayside cranes slipping past. “Paul! I think the ship’s moving!”
“I agree that’s a fair estimate of the general picture,” Raine said, ignoring her comment. “Now, let’s get down to details. Who exactly was in this organisation?’’
“We may never know the full extent of the organisation. Mike Langdon, Dr Benkaray and Larry Cross were certainly his chief lieutenants, and there were several smaller fry like Ted Angus, Oscar at the pet shop, Mrs Fletcher and Julia Kelburn.”
“His own daughter!” Steve’s surprise had distracted her from the problem of how they were to get ashore.
“Yes, Steve. That’s why he resented her friendship with Tony Wyman. He thought that Wyman might find out that she was working for The Fence — which is exactly what happened, of course. Wyman tried to get in on the easy money and found himself out of his depth.”
“But surely Kelburn’s troubles started when he allowed Benkaray to persuade him that the biggest money lay in smuggling drugs?”
“That’s true, Steve. Hi
s own daughter became an addict. Langdon had been against the drug activities right from the start, and Kelburn turned to him to try and get Julia out of the habit. But by this time Benkaray had realised that Julia was Kelburn’s weak spot.”
Raine finished his drink and signalled the steward for a refill. “You think Benkaray wanted to gain control of the organisation, then?”
“Everything points that way. Kelburn had built up the organisation and of course he resented anybody taking it over. At first, he didn’t oppose her openly; in fact, he gave them a bigger cut in the profits to keep them quiet.”
“Them?” Forbes said. “I take it Larry Cross was on Benkaray’s side?”
“Naturally. However, one condition of the extra cut was that the doctor should stop supplying Julia with heroin. This drove Julia frantic. She made a special visit to Westerton to see the doctor, and on her father’s instructions Mike Langdon went to fetch her back. She became hysterical and threatened to tell all she knew. Langdon guessed she had already talked to Tony Wyman. He was badly rattled and when she openly defied him he lost control of himself and strangled her.”
“And Wyman, of course, was to be the suspect?”
“Yes. Kelburn saw to that.”
“But what was Wyman doing at Breakwater House?”
“He’d been tricked into going there, Sir Graham, just as Steve and I were lured there by that message from the girl, Fiona Scott. Wyman had been told to meet Kelburn at Breakwater House at the same time that Steve and I were due there.”
The beat of the engines quickened. The Wyoming was proceeding majestically down Southampton Water, a floating palace with all its pennants flying. Steve tried again to catch Paul’s eye.
“Then what about the murder of Ted Angus?” Raine persisted.
“That’s harder to account for. But my guess is that after he had failed to kill Tony Wyman, Dr Benkaray decided he was now useless and had served his purpose.”
A steward who had brought Raine a fresh pint of beer glanced enquiringly at Steve, with a murmured, “Madam?” Steve nodded and he took away her empty glass. Through the windows of the bar she could see the lights on the Hampshire coast slipping past.
“Paul, how are we going to —”
But Forbes was still puzzled about the details and overrode her question. “Temple, what did Angus mean when he told you to ask Mrs Fletcher about the coat?”
“He was referring to the coat worn by Julia Kelburn. This coat had the name Margo on it. Julia stole the coat and made arrangements to go to Brighton to see the fortune teller. She was hoping to exchange it for another coat containing a supply of heroin.”
“Do you think Langdon had any design on Kelburn’s position?” asked Forbes.
“No, Sir Graham. I don’t think so. Langdon was a typical executive, not a leader. Kelburn depended on him for the unpleasant jobs.”
“Then that nonsense about you having to watch Laura Kelburn was a sort of diversion,” Steve said angrily, “a deliberate attempt to take you away from the main issue?”
“No, not entirely, Steve. Laura had been seeing Larry Cross and Kelburn was afraid she would tell Cross about his contacts and methods of working. It was Kelburn’s practice to keep all this to himself as much as possible. Even his wife knew very little about it.”
“She’s not the only wife to be kept in the dark,” Steve pointed out briskly. “This ship sailed five minutes ago and here you men are, talking away as if we were in a pub in Southampton! Who’s going to take me home?”
“I’ve arranged for a launch to come out from Gosport and take us off when we reach the end of Southampton Water,’’ Raine explained. “There will be plenty of room for you and Mr Temple — as well as Laura Kelburn.’’
Forbes cleared his throat. “That may not be necessary.”
“What do you mean?” demanded Steve.
Forbes and Temple exchanged a smile. Even the phlegmatic Raine had caught the mood and was grinning.
“I believe you said you very much wanted to visit Jamaica, Steve,” said Forbes. “Well, there’s a verandah cabin on this ship which is now unoccupied. What’s more, it has already been paid for. I’ve spoke to the Purser and he assures me …”
“But we haven’t any …” Steve began. Then she suddenly smiled and, jumping up from her chair, kissed Sir Graham on the cheek. “Sir Graham, you’re a darling! This means Paul will have to buy me a completely new wardrobe!’’
“By Timothy!” exclaimed Temple.
To everyone’s surprise the Superintendent burst out laughing. “That’s one thing even you overlooked, Mr Temple,” said Raine.
Order of ‘Paul Temple’ Series Titles
These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as stand-alone novels
1. Send for Paul Temple 1938
2. Paul Temple & The Front Page Men 1939
3. News of Paul Temple 1940
4. Paul temple Intervenes 1944
5. Send for Paul Temple Again! 1948
6. Paul Temple & The Lawrence Affair 1956
7. East of Algiers 1959
8. Paul Temple & The Harkdale Robbery 1970
9. Paul Temple & The Kelby Affair 1970
10. The Geneva Mystery 1971
11. The Curzon Case 1972
12. Paul Temple & The Margo Mystery 1986
13. Paul Temple & The Madison Case 1988
14. Paul Temple & The Conrad Case 1989
Synopses of Francis Durbridge Titles
Published by House of Stratus
The Curzon Case
An aeroplane crashes on the cliffs of Dulworth Bay, whilst two boys disappear from a public school. Are these events connected? There follows a gripping story of kidnapping, intrigue and death. And just who is Curzon? Another boy disappears and a murder follows - Paul Temple must urgently determine Curzon’s identity and put an end to his terrible deeds.
East of Algiers
Paul Temple is asked to do a simple favour for Steve; deliver a package to David Foster in Tunis. However, the events that follow this are truly out of proportion as a series of mysterious killings, including one where the victim is found in a rubbish bag in Paris, require a solution. The series of strange occurrences are tailor made for Paul Temple’s grit and acumen to reconcile and ensure justice prevails. ‘East of Algiers’ is a novelisation of the original radio drama ‘Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery’.
The Geneva Mystery
Swinging between London and Geneva, Paul Temple and Steve are involved in a case that involves finding the answer to one vital question: is Carl Milbourne, thought to have perished in a car accident, still alive? A Hollywood film producer and a famous actress believe he is, but there are others who are determined to stop the Temples discovering the truth. There are deep mysteries to uncover and plenty of action and suspense which might even involve the death of Paul Temple, unless he can act quickly . . .
News of Paul Temple
Paul Temple agrees to write a play for actress Iris Archer. However, shortly before the play is due to open, she pulls out. Then after telling everyone she is off to France, she turns up at the Temple’s Scottish holiday hotel. The mystery deepens as Temple is asked by a young man to act as postmaster in delivering a letter. Meanwhile someone acting under the codename of Z4 seems to have control of events. Could this be Doctor Steiner and just who is he? It is all up to Temple ….
Paul Temple & The Conrad Case
Betty, the daughter of Dr Conrad, disappears from her finishing school in Bavaria. Unable to solve the mystery, the police invite inveterate investigator Paul Temple to help trace the missing schoolgirl. The only clue to her whereabouts is a cocktail stick found in her bedroom. How on earth can Temple work from just that? The police have faith in him, but does he? All is revealed in yet another of Francis Durbridge’s masterful mystery adventures.
Paul Temple & ‘The Front Page Men’
A detective novel ‘The Front Page Men’ is a best seller. It is a double mystery,
however, as no one knows the true identity of the author, named as Andrea Fortune, and before long the puzzle deepens as cards bearing the title of the book are left at the scene of two robberies. A connection is made between these and certain kidnapping cases, which in turn are linked to murder. Paul Temple must unravel the evidence and find the mastermind behind these crimes, as the police are stalled and in any event Steve’s life is put in danger. Can he succeed before it is too late. . . ?
Paul Temple & The Harkdale Robbery
The bank robbers were caught straight away, but in the bag there was a ‘Concise Oxford Dictionary’ instead of money. Moreover, in Paul Temple’s garage was the body of one of the robbers. So commences one of the strangest cases of Paul temple’s career. Before it is done he comes face to face with deeply hidden underworld figures, including the ‘Master Mind’.
Paul Temple & The Kelby Affair
A senior statesman’s mistress decides to publish a diary she has been keeping. Someone wants the diary and is prepared to kill Kelby in order to get it. What starts out as a seemingly innocuous decision becomes complicated and a highly complex mystery is left for Paul Temple to solve, with many a political skeleton falling out of the cupboard in the meantime.
Paul Temple & The Madison Case
Sam Portland is on board a luxury trans-Atlantic liner, as are Paul Temple and Steve. An innocent introduction involves the Temples in a case in which murder, blackmail and terror feature as the pace quickens, taking the story to an English mansion house, Amsterdam, and a houseboat on the River Thames. The secret is what happened to Sam Portland’s lost years. But who is Madison?
Paul Temple & The Margo Mystery
Expensive Margo ‘designer’ coats; an industrialist; a pop star who is obviously frightened; and a psychiatrist with a very strange secretary all have something in common - they are somehow connected to a mysterious warning received from a fairground, and a terrifying case that Paul Temple and Steve have to solve.
Paul Temple and the Margo Mystery Page 20