by John Creasey
“A nice thought,” said the Toff, and his voice was amiable. “I wish I could think you were just being kind-hearted, Irma.”
“That’s enough from you,” said Irma. “You didn’t lose much time working.”
“I started on the stroke of twelve,” said the Toff, and he selected a cigarette from the table. Kohn was going through Renway’s pockets for his keys. He found them, and stepped to the safe behind the desk. As he opened the safe, the Toff struck a match to light his cigarette. Irma watched him closely, knowing that what danger there was would come from Rollison, and wondering whether she would get away in time.
Kohn was taking bundles of notes out of the safe.
The Toff saw them, and knew that Renway had been preparing against the failure of his coup, for there were several thousands of pounds there, all in small wads of banknotes. Kohn stuffed them into his pocket, and turned to Irma.
“That’s the lot.”
“Yes,” said Irma, and she laughed. “Renway, you poor fool, you’re going out.”
She fired towards the man.
Renway reared up, and then slumped down. The bullet went well above his head, and the Toff thought that she had intended to fire high; but he doubted whether a bullet through the heart would have been of more effect, for there was an ominous rattle in the old man’s throat. He himself was stiff with tension, for he expected the next bullet to come his way.
“Going out of black?” he asked, and there was a challenge in his voice.
“Yes,” said Irma. “But for some reason I don’t want to kill you, Rollison. You’ve played by the rules, and …”
Kohn snapped: “Put him out, now!”
“Leo, this is my game. I …”
Kohn swore, and fired from his pocket. He sent Irma’s gun flying from her hand, and he swung round on the Toff, beside him. A split second more, and the Toff could have won; but as it was he saw only murder in Kohn’s hands.
And then:
Crack!
The first shot had been barely audible, for Kohn’s gun was fitted with a silencer. The second was loud and clear, and did not come from Kohn. It came from the door, and the bullet hit Kohn in the chest. A second followed, and a hole leapt into his temple. He lurched forward, dead before he touched the ground, while in the doorway stood Ritzy Martin. Ritzy’s lips were twisted; a heavy revolver was smoking in his hand.
“That’s one of you,” he sneered. “Now you, Irma …”
And then the Toff fired.
Ritzy reared up, a strained surprised expression on his handsome face. His gun dropped, and did not fire again. For a few seconds it was like a tableau, with Irma standing and nursing one wrist, Kohn and Renway dead on the floor, and Ritzy Martin dying. He tried to speak, but he failed, his big body slumping heavily.
The Toff’s eyes met Irma’s.
They were silent for a moment, with her entirely at his mercy. And then he said, in a voice which she hardly recognised: “Make it, my pet. Don’t waste any time in getting out of London. I’m sending for McNab at once. He’ll pull in Wray and Benson, and you’ll be lucky to get out of England before they’ve talked.”
Irma said: “Thanks, Rollison. Is there anything you want to know?”
“Did Minnie know about the job?”
“Yes; Kohn paid her five hundred to keep silent.”
“Was Wrightson involved?”
“No.”
“Why was he kidnapped?”
“Because he would make a nuisance of himself after his girl had gone. Kohn wanted her, to find out what you’d said to Wrightson.”
“Involved,” said Rollison. “Kohn seemed so simple, too, but he made too many mistakes. All right, Irma. But remember, there’s no next time. Not this way.”
“I’ll remember,” she said.
She half-turned, as the Toff called: “What money have you got?”
“A few hundred pound, but not with me.”
“Take some from Kohn; no one will miss it.”
There was a twisted smile on her lips as she took two of the bundles that Kohn had taken from the safe. She looked at Rollison once, and then quickly away.
He waited until she had left the room before he stepped to the telephone. While he was asking for McNab, a scared voice came from the door. A footman was standing there, holding a poker.
“Is—is anything the matter?”
“Sleeping sickness,” said the Toff abruptly. “Get upstairs and stay there.”
The man disappeared, while the Toff lit a cigarette and then stepped to Renway. The man was dead, as were the others.
The affair was over, and to him it seemed that this was the best way. The Sideys had been avenged; only Charlie Wray was free, and he would not be so for long. Irma had a sporting chance of a getaway, and he felt that she had earned it.
He did not tell McNab that, and he kept Irma’s name out of things until the early hours of the morning, after McNab had taken the rest of his story, interviewed Benson, and arrested Charlie Wray.
McNab was on top of the world, for he had solved his case, and even had a victim for trial. The hard words which had been said of him by the Assistant Commissioner would be withdrawn, and McNab’s honesty compelled him to admit that it was due only to the Toff.
“Why didn’t you mention Irma Cardew earlier, Rollison?”
“I forgot,” said the Toff, very gently. “She was trying to marry Renway, so she would hardly have wanted him dead.”
McNab grunted, and composed further questions for Benson and Wray. Within an hour, the call was out for Irma, and the Toff marvelled at himself for hoping that she would get away in time. It transpired that she had caught a night tourist plane. The Toff did not think she would land in McNab’s net, once in Paris.
He felt pleased with life.
So did Wrightson and his Phyllis, despite the scandal.
So did Anthea, when the Toff went along to see her, and gave her the outlines of the story. She was in bed again, for her visit to him had damaged her ankle more than had at first been thought, but she was not complaining.
At her bedside were the five books which Phyllis Bailey had written.
“I’m enjoying them,” said Anthea. “Have a chocolate?”
“Thanks,” said Rollison. He ate one reflectively, eyeing her with amusement. “You certainly take things as they come, my dear, and you don’t realise that you played a bigger part in this than you wot of. I doubt whether I could have forced the issue without you.”
“Good,” said Anthea enthusiastically. “I was worried almost grey, Rolly, but since I’ve known it’s over, I’ve decided that you have so much luck that you’re not worth worrying about. Jamie may be a bit dull and staid, but I rather like a quiet life.”
“Go to it,” said the Toff.
He turned to leave her, but she held his hand, pulled him down towards her, and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, and her eyes were gleaming as she let him go.
“That’s a kind of kiss I can teach you, Rolly.”
“Learned from Jamie?” asked the Toff. “Be advised, my sweet, it’s the best kind. Do you mind if I go?”
“Will you look me up from time to time?”
“I will, when you’re safely married, and no longer a temptation.”
“I think”, said Anthea quietly and seriously, “that that’s the nicest compliment I’ve had, Rolly. Goodbye, for now, and good luck. And be careful.”
“As always,” said the Toff.
He walked back to his flat thoughtfully, thinking a great deal about Anthea.
Long before he reached Gresham Terrace, however, his mind had turned to Irma. He wondered soberly where she was, if he had seen the last of her, and whether he would live to regret the fact that he had let her go. She had
saved his life, and she had played according to the rules of their queer game.
In her own way.
The Toff shrugged, and let himself into his flat. It was pleasant not to have to take precautions as he went in, pleasant to see Jolly framed in the kitchen door, looking gloomy and eyeing a hob-nailed boot with some disfavour.
“May this be thrown away, sir?”
“It may not,” said Rollison firmly, and he glanced towards that wall which was covered with souvenirs. “Find a place of honour for it, Jolly, and dust it zealously every day.”
“As you say, sir,” said Jolly, resignedly.
“And another thing,” said the Toff. “You will recall a wager on the subject of Kohn—his cleverness as against his mistakes?”
“I do, sir.”
“Then remember that you owe me half a crown,” said the Toff.
“I beg leave to differ, sir,” said Jolly. “I placed the coin on your dressing-table just before you came in.”
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)
'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)