by John Creasey
Mannering pushed the door wide open. Neither of them saw him, they were by the fireplace, Celia was holding Charles’s hands. Mannering went to the telephone and lifted it; the faint ting! made them both turn sharply.
“What the devil—”
“How did you get in?” gasped Celia.
Mannering said, “I walked.” He dialled the number of Ley’s flat, and waited, while they came towards him slowly.
“Who are you calling?” Charles demanded.
Bristow answered. “Yes, who is that?”
“Is Lady Ley still there, Bill?”
“Yes. Where are you?”
“At Celia Brent’s flat. Did Lady Ley deny it all?”
“What do you expect?”
“So she did. Bill, here’s a question you forgot to ask her. Has she handled a gun today – or recently. A heavy revolver, which—”
“So I didn’t ask her! Yes, she says she handled a gun, yesterday. She says Celia Brent was threatening to kill herself with it, and she took it away and put it in a drawer.”
“Good enough,” Mannering said. “If I were you I’d come round here at once. Not exactly for a confession, but I overheard plenty.” He banged the receiver down and swung round as Celia rushed at him, her face distorted, all beauty gone. He gripped her wrists and held her at arm’s length.
“Mannering—” Charles began.
“Sorry, Charles. But you’re lucky. You found my lady out in time. She planned all this yesterday, prepared a gun with your mother’s prints on it, and took the first chance to use it. Wearing gloves while shooting Shayne and Meyer, she didn’t rub off the prints or superimpose others.”
“It’s a lie!” screeched Celia.
“So it’s a lie. Everyone’s against you.” Mannering pushed her away and went to a bureau, pulled out drawer after drawer, before she could get to him. She clawed at his shoulder, but not before he’d seen several cardboard cylinders.
When the police finished their search, they had plenty of evidence that Celia had worked with O’Malley; that Celia had arranged the smuggling of much cocaine abroad.
Mannering reached Ley’s flat, an hour afterwards, and saw Marion going into the bedroom, Lorna following. He whispered, “Lorna.” She turned quickly, and his fear of bad news faded, for her eyes were bright with relief.
“John!”
“All over.”
“Yes, I know. Bristow telephoned. Bob will be all right. He’s conscious. Marion’s just had permission to see him. John, I was hopelessly wrong about her. In every way. She wasn’t Shayne’s mistress. They—”
“Hush!” warned Mannering.
Marion came out of the bedroom, her eyes swimming with tears, and Graham was saying, “He’ll be all right, don’t worry.”
Next day, Bristow said, “Yes, she’s as guilty as hell, John.” He tapped a thick folder on his desk at Scotland Yard. “Here’s all the evidence, statements, discoveries – everything. She got off to a bad start and it warped her mind. She was bred on hatred of Shayne and of everyone she thought snubbed or insulted her. We’ve a psychiatrist’s report. She isn’t legally insane, just abnormal. She knew what she was doing, whether it was murder or handling stolen jewels or the snow. And her worst crime was the snow. We’ve finally sorted that out, too. O’Malley began it, being paid in Ireland for smuggling the stuff into France. He’d spent years smuggling jewels, he didn’t find it so hard. Then he came across Shayne and the new jewel racket. It didn’t take him long to find Celia and discover how much she hated Shayne. O’Malley saw himself on a good thing, sitting pretty with the jewels and the snow. But he couldn’t make Shayne play ball. He tried threats, blackmail, and violence, but he didn’t plan murder until Shayne discovered what Celia was up to.
“Shayne sent for her today. But Celia guessed why and went prepared. He told her that he’d already told Ley, in a letter which we found at Ley’s flat. So, after killing Shayne and Meyer, she had to get Ley.
“She’d planned to frame Marion Ley for the first crimes, not just revenge. Marion had the money and most of it would have gone to Charles. But since Ley knew the truth, or soon would, she had to go further. She put on a nice act, when you saw her, and as soon as Marion Ley was left alone with her, she put on another, stormed out on Marion, and ostensibly went upstairs at the Fauntleys’ house.
“Actually, she went out. She had a car nearby, drove fast to Ley’s flat, and put on a reconciliation scene. He was feeling like death, sick, miserable. She fussed him, gave him a glass of fruit salts, advised him to go to bed, and then rushed away. She was back at the Fauntleys’ inside an hour, and put on another reconciliation act with Marion Ley.”
Bristow tapped the papers again.
“It’s all there. Ley’s statement, his wife’s, Charles Ley’s – even yours.”
Mannering said, “I had the first clue early but didn’t take it. Celia must have come into my room at the Grange. I wish I knew why Celia lied to me about Lorna. But for that, she might have got away and covered up her traces.”
“She had that all worked out. So had O’Malley. They’d have gone to Spain, for a start. As for lying to you – she wasn’t exactly herself, John. O’Malley had called her up, told her that he’d fixed you, and how. You ought to have been under arrest. When you turned up, her nerve went. She didn’t want you at Ley’s flat and didn’t know how to keep you away, except by lying. Because you were working with Shayne, you might have known something of what she was up to.”
“How did O’Malley know where you were in Winchester?”
Bristow laughed. “He’d a man who watched you for a couple of days, and also watched me. The man who attacked Ferris and didn’t steal money, but jewels. Forget it!”
“The Carley pearls?” asked Mannering.
Bristow shrugged. “We might find them. O’Malley’s men did the Carley job. His first love was jewels – like yours. It’s taking him to the gallows. Be careful where it takes you.”
John and Lorna Mannering stood at the gate of Holly Cottage, listening to a gay and glorious sound: the peal of church bells which had long been silent, reserving their clamour for a warning of enemy invasion. They had never been needed for that. The dread and dangerous years were past; invasion of the Continent had come and gone; armies had been smashed; great cities destroyed – and now there was peace in Europe.
This was V.E. Day.
Behind the Mannerings lay more than memories. They had a deep satisfaction, amounting to contentment, for Shayne’s work had gone on. There had been no pause, no heed of danger; and countless people had lived and hoped for this day, because of them.
Somewhere in Germany, Charles Ley was with his squadron, carrying food and medical supplies, and hope to the defeated and the displaced millions.
In the past lay the trial and hanging of Celia and O’Malley; the horror of drugs which could have made a nation degenerate and foul; the courage of Shayne and all misunderstanding. Ley knew everything, now, had worked in every way to help, had killed the suspicion, never justified, that Shayne and Marion had been lovers. She had let that suspicion gain ground, to explain Shayne’s frequent visits, had been prepared to sacrifice her happiness and her husband for the unseen hosts of despairing people.
“So it’s really over,” Lorna said.
“Is it?” Mannering spoke softly. “I hope to God it is. Can you picture a world without war?”
Lorna said, “I didn’t quite mean that. I meant our job.”
‘We’ll have plenty to do,” said Mannering, and put his arm round her waist, while they listened to the clangour of the bells, and in the distance, heard joyous people cheering as they thronged the roads in need of repair and forgot both past and future.
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 the 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)
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)
Pol
iceman’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)