Battle for Inspector West

Battle For Inspector West

 

First published in 1948

© John Creasey Literary Management Ltd.; House of Stratus 1971-2014

 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

 

The right of John Creasey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

 

This edition published in 2014 by House of Stratus, an imprint of

Stratus Books Ltd., Lisandra House, Fore Street, Looe,

Cornwall, PL13 1AD, UK.

 

Typeset by House of Stratus.

 

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress.

 

 

This is a fictional work and all characters are drawn from the author's imagination.

Any resemblance or similarities to persons either living or dead are entirely coincidental.

 

www.houseofstratus.com

 

 

 

John Creasey – Master Storyteller - was born in Surrey, England in 1908 into a poor family in which there were nine children, John Creasey grew up to be a true master story teller and international sensation. His more than 600 crime, mystery and thriller titles have now sold 80 million copies in 25 languages. These include many popular series such as
Gideon of Scotland Yard, The Toff, Dr Palfrey and The Baron
.

Creasey wrote under many pseudonyms, explaining that booksellers had complained he totally dominated the 'C' section in stores. They included:

 

Gordon Ashe, M E Cooke, Norman Deane, Robert Caine Frazer, Patrick Gill, Michael Halliday, Charles Hogarth, Brian Hope, Colin Hughes, Kyle Hunt, Abel Mann, Peter Manton, J J Marric, Richard Martin, Rodney Mattheson, Anthony Morton and Jeremy York.

 

Never one to sit still, Creasey had a strong social conscience, and stood for Parliament several times, along with founding the
One Party Alliance
which promoted the idea of government by a coalition of the best minds from across the political spectrum.

He also founded the
British Crime Writers' Association
, which to this day celebrates outstanding crime writing.
The Mystery Writers of America
bestowed upon him the
Edgar Award
for best novel and then in 1969 the ultimate
Grand Master Award
. John Creasey's stories are as compelling today as ever.

 

 

The bride, a radiant vision in white, had gone into St Margaret's, and her bridesmaids had disappeared after her; all that remained visible was the crowd of sightseers.

A man stood near the door of the church, his eyes lowered, his expression humble. He was poorly but neatly dressed. His head was bare now, although he had worn a hat, pulled low over his eyes, when the bride and bridegroom and their party had gone inside the church.

The man's face was thin and pale, his hair turning grey. He had wrinkles at his eyes and mouth.

Almost immediately opposite him, mixing with the crowd, was an upstanding man with squared shoulders in a neat brown suit. He had a large face with broad features and a pair of shrewd, penetrating eyes. Every now and again he glanced at the grey-haired man, only to look away as soon as the other glanced towards him.

He was Detective-Sergeant Jameson, of Scotland Yard, and he was puzzled. Then his face cleared suddenly. He looked away from the humble man, and caught the eye of a Detective-Officer who stood in the crowd on the other side of the path.

The DO read the message in Jameson's eyes, pushed his way through the crowd, and joined him. Two or three of the old-stagers in this game of watching weddings nudged one another, recognising these men as detectives. But no one heard what Jameson said except the DO.

‘That little chap, at the front, Peel—see him?'

‘Yes,' said Peel, who was also large and tall and broad-featured; the two might have been brothers.

‘That's Arthur Morely,' Jameson whispered. ‘I just remember him. Sentenced to death for the murder of his wife twelve or thirteen years ago. Sentence commuted—he's only been out a month or two. Keep an eye on him.'

‘Wonder what he's doing here?' said Peel.

Jameson said dryly: ‘Wouldn't you like to see your own daughter married?'

Now the first notes of Mendelssohn's ‘Wedding March' came from the church, there was a stir among the crowd, and the man whom Jameson had recognised put on his hat and pulled it low over his eyes. Jameson, who was always on the look-out for trouble, thought that none was really likely here; if Morely were planning to make a scene, he wouldn't hide his face. It wasn't surprising that he did not want to be recognised. He looked a nice, old chap, although ‘old' was hardly justified; Morely wasn't yet fifty.

Jameson remembered a little about the circumstances of the murder. There had been a quarrel over another man, and Morely had strangled his wife. The trial had been quite short; there had hardly been any defence, except that of extreme provocation. And the prosecution had proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Morely's wife had never had a lover; that the man's jealousy had been unreasoning and unjustified.

A rustle of interest ran through the crowd, as bride and bridegroom appeared. Cameras clicked. Jameson, trying to see everything at once, caught a glimpse of Christine Morely's face – Christine Grant now – and saw a mingling of beauty, excitement and radiance; he had seldom seen a woman look so happy.

Michael Grant's smile faded when he saw the photographer, but it quickly returned.

He was a tall, slim, striking-looking man; the son of a famous father, and in spite of that overshadowing personality he had made a reputation for himself. Eton, Oxford, Big Business, the RAF, test pilot, Big Business again; that summed up Michael Grant's career. He was in the middle-thirties, ten or twelve years older than his wife.

Morely, standing quite still, moved his hat from his forehead as the couple passed, and watched his daughter until she reached the Daimler limousine which had now pulled up. She stepped inside. Morely sighed, and turned away.

 

Even now, it wasn't over. A little crowd of friends gathered round the Rolls Bentley in which the Grants were to travel on the first stage of their honeymoon. They were to spend a week or two in Devon and then go to the Riviera. The first was for sentimental reasons: they had met in Devon, where Sir Mortimer Grant had a beautiful old house, Tivern Lodge. The newly-weds were going there immediately after the ceremony; Michael Grant's manservant, Haydon, had left for Devon with most of the luggage.

Still radiant, Christine made her way laughingly to the car, dressed now in a bottle-green suit by Dior. Grant climbed in beside her, and the car moved off.

 

Christine brushed the confetti from her shoulders and lap, then from Michael's. He glanced at her, smiling, but kept his eyes on the thick traffic ahead.

When they were on the Great West Road, Grant relaxed, and caught Christine's eye.

‘All well, sweet?'

‘All's wonderful!' She had never meant a thing more.

‘I hope to God I always make you feel like that.'

‘Darling, you will! Where are we staying tonight?'

‘You'll find out,' said Grant, solemnly.

‘You're not going to try to reach Tivern, are you?'

‘I am only a fool sometimes, and this isn't jet-propelled. I've selected a delightful little spot,' he assured her. ‘We'll be just in time to have a rest and, if you feel like it, change for dinner.'

‘Somewhere in Dorset, then?'

‘The hilly wilds of North Dorset,' Grant said lightly. ‘Let's see if we can get a bit of speed on, shall we, the road's empty.'

Christine didn't care where they went, hardly knew what she was saying. She was in a daze of happiness, an I-must-touch-him-to-be-sure-he's-real mood. And it showed in her eyes.

‘Nothing over a hundred, darling!'

Grant grinned at her.

The road here was flat, the land on either side uninteresting, but some way ahead were trees and, in the distance, undulating meadowland. After three minutes of exhilarating speed, Grant eased off the accelerator. By the time they reached a patch of beech trees which hid a corner, they were travelling at no more than forty.

He looked at her again; adoringly; newly-wed.

‘Happy?'

‘So happy.'

Then a car, a big green Mercedes, passed them on the bend.

Grant glared, for he abominated road-hogs and jay-walkers. Christine saw the corners of his lips turn down. As the other car shot ahead, a passenger in the back seat looked round, and Christine saw him clearly; a little man with a pale, round face – smiling a set smile, a Chinaman's smile.

The car disappeared round another corner.

Christine began: ‘Why
will
people ask for trouble? I—'

She broke off.

It was as if a dark cloud had fallen over her husband's face. It was set in bleak lines, reminding her of granite, revealing the hard streak which she knew was there, although he had never shown it to her before. The other car was now a hundred yards ahead, travelling very fast. Christine could just make out the head and shoulders of the driver, but not of the passenger.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what had upset Michael, but she stopped herself. He'd tell her, in good time. It was crazy, but they were comparative strangers to each other, and had to learn about each other's moods, learn to dovetail their lives. She mustn't try to hurry it, must fit her mood into his; she owed him that; she felt that she worshipped him.

Then he turned to look at her and his expression was almost frightening, something she had never dreamt could show in him.

He was
afraid.

 

Grant looked at her as if he hardly knew she was sitting beside him. Then gradually his expression changed, his lips curved, and somehow his face became strong and free from fear. He took a hand off the wheel and squeezed her knee.

‘We've made good time; how about a mystery-tour? Care to make a detour?'

‘No! We
might
get a puncture or have some engine trouble, and I'd hate to spend our first night under a haystack.'

He gave a deep, amused chuckle.

‘I don't know that I'd care,' he said, ‘but you're probably right.'

The green Mercedes was out of sight, the road was good, and they were able to make fine speed. Grant seemed to have forgotten whatever had upset him, although Christine couldn't get it out of her mind. She hoped she did not show that.

They reached Salisbury two hours after leaving London, and beneath the archway of a sixteenth-century coaching inn, where ivy clustered at the walls, the windows still had bottle glass, and the oak beams were twisted and gnarled, as if still growing in the walls.

‘Tea, Mrs Grant?'

‘How on earth did you guess I was parched?'

He helped her out of the car, and under the patient eyes of an old porter, brushed a few pieces of confetti from her coat. Then, arm-in-arm, they went towards the back entrance of the hotel. The big lounge was half-empty, and pleasantly cool. A pleasant waitress in a black frock and tiny bonnet cap took their order. They talked idly, foolishly, gaily – and Christine almost forgot the green Mercedes too. But soon after they started off again, Christine felt that he was alert, wary.

They were only a mile or two out, nearing Wilton and still in a built-up district, when the green Mercedes passed them. Her heart missed a beat. But this time the car committed no offence against the Highway Code, and the passenger sat in a corner without looking round. Grant's expression did not change, but Christine saw that his hands tightened on the wheel.

Before long, they turned off the main road into a lane – and he gave her no warning. Then he swung the car off the lane into a little copse, and jolted to a standstill. He drew her towards him until her head was resting on his shoulder and brushed her forehead with his lips.

‘Darling, I have a dark past,' he announced, with a kind of mock solemnity.

‘I've no doubt about that!' He was going to explain, she felt, and it was a reward for waiting.

‘This is not a confession,' he assured her, ‘Just a statement of fact. May I be melodramatic?'

‘
Can
you be?' A little uneasily Christine wondered what was coming.

‘Oh, yes,' said Grant. ‘I can be most melodramatic. None better, sweet. I must tell you the dark secret of my life. I have an
enemy.
'

‘Oh!' cried Christine, and tried to enter into his mood. But her heart lurched. ‘A mortal enemy?'

‘One who would gladly stick his knife into my gizzard,' declaimed Grant, and although his manner was flippant, a spasm of fear shot through her, almost one of dread; but it was quickly gone. ‘A man I wronged, or who imagined that I wronged him,' Grant went on, ‘One who—'

He broke off and smiled.

‘That's about the size of it, sweet! I thought the business with a man I once quarrelled with was all over, but I saw him on the road just now. It shook me, although it was probably coincidence.'

‘The man with the Chinaman's smile?' asked Christine.

‘I thought you'd noticed something, but I couldn't think you'd spotted him so quickly,' Grant said. ‘The man with the Chinaman's smile—
very
apt.'

‘Thank you, sir.'

‘Oh, due praise where praise is due.' He was again completely at ease, smiling – trouble-free. ‘It's a long story, sweet. You might almost call it a family feud. He lost a great deal of money, and swore vengeance, but as he left the country, I thought for good, his threat wasn't likely to make me lose any sleep. Now he's chosen today to show up, damn and blast him.'

‘It can hardly be just coincidence,' said Christine, reluctantly.

‘I take that back,' said Grant. ‘More likely he wants to worry me on this day of great bliss. I'm glad I haven't kept it to myself.'

‘So am I,' said Christine warmly. She wanted to ask a dozen questions, but decided again that it was wiser not to press him, he would explain in his own good time. She still tried to be flippant. ‘We'll have to lock our door tonight.'

‘He can't know where we're staying,' said Grant confidently, ‘and this detour should make sure he isn't able to follow us. We won't touch the main road again for twenty miles.'

They drove through by-lanes for nearly an hour, sometimes silent, sometimes gay. Grant hadn't yet said where they were going, but after they had driven along the main road again for ten minutes, he said: ‘We're there!'

Standing back from the road was a large, one-storeyed building, with a low, thatched roof, warm yellow-red bricks, and a garden which from here looked a picture of gay colours.

Grant pulled up outside the open front door.

‘You get out, my sweet,' he said. ‘I won't be a jiffy putting the car away.'

He leaned across her to open the door as a man wearing a short white coat came from the bungalow. He did not appear to hurry, but reached the car before the door opened.

‘May I take your luggage, sir?'

‘The two cases in the back, please.' Grant waited until the large suitcases had been taken out and Christine stood at the foot of a small flight of steps. ‘Two minutes,' he said, and gave her a smile which was almost fierce as he drove off.

Christine looked over the valley and the hills beyond it, and for a few moments her thoughts were free of uncertainty and fears, but that ecstatic happiness had gone.

The bungalow was built on the side of the valley, and a great sweep of grassland on either side of the drive spread out. Christine waited, without looking into the hotel, until Grant returned, tossing his keys up in the air and catching them.

‘Well?' he asked.

‘Marvellous!'

Grant chuckled.

‘I thought you'd like it. A country hotel which is more like a club. I came across it some years ago, and always wanted to come back. Care for a week or two here?'

‘I'd love it.' She didn't say that she thought they were going to Tivern, or remind him that their main luggage had gone ahead of them, but it was not so easy to ignore his reticence.