Case Without a Corpse (16 page)

“I never said nothink about that,” returned Beef guardedly, “that's for Inspector Stute to say. But I mean, it's an outing, i'n't it?”

It certainly was. With Beef in the most policelike clothes I have ever seen, with even a pair of large boots to conform to precedent, and Stute, as ever, quietly dressed and inconspicuously refined, we made a queer trio.

“Good sailor, Sergeant?” I asked Beef presently, since Stute seemed disinclined to talk.

“Well, I've only done it during the War,” said Beef, “and then—well, you know what it was.”

I could well imagine, and said no more. But as soon as we were on the usual Cross-Channel steamer and out at sea, it was quite obvious that Beef was not a good sailor. His crimson face turned a curious mauvish tint, and he made no further attempt to be talkative.

“I don't 'arf feel queer,” he admitted later; and quite suddenly left us.

Stute had not time to notice the contretemps. His mind was busy with our chances. He told me, frowning, that he believed the fellow Fairfax would talk, at any rate on the drug issue. But what he, Stute, had to do was
to
find out by carefully-framed questions whether Fairfax had any hand in the murder.

“There's just one other chance,” said Stute.
“This fellow we're going to see may not be Fairfax. We know he's got the passport that was issued in the name of Freeman. But a Foreign Office stamp over the photograph can be faked easily enough. Suppose that Fairfax is dead….”

Just then Beef joined us again, looking much better.

“Wonderful wot a drop of brandy'll do for you,” he said.

But after that Stute kept his speculations to himself.

I was delighted when our train steamed into Paris at last, and felt quite important when two very stern and preoccupied men came up to Stute. There were introductions and enquiries about the smoothness or otherwise of the passage, but no smiles.

All five of us got into a smart police car which fought its way out of the station traffic most admirably. Beef was staring about him with wonder in his round eyes. He was sitting next to me, and made little remarks in my ear continually. He hadn't heard this language since the War, he said. It made you feel “funny” to hear it again. He wouldn't like to live in a country where darts was not played. And it would be awkward to be a policeman if you had to wear the uniform used here. He didn't know what they'd say in Braxham if he turned out like that.

I tried to discourage his commentary for I was anxious to hear the more serious matters under discussion between his superiors.

“What seems most odd,” one of the French detectives was saying in excellent English, “is his complete confidence. He does not seem to consider the possibility of his being followed.”

Stute smiled. “He is a clever man, or has a clever man behind him. But for a piece of luck he never would have been followed.” And Stute told them in outline of Fairfax's scheme, and how he had gone to the trouble and expense of building up a new identity in the village of Long Highbury for the sole object of getting a passport under another name ready for an emergency.

The Frenchmen were impressed. “Neat,” they admitted, “but you were thorough. That is how you get your men over there—thoroughness.”

“Method. Order,” murmured Stute mechanically.

“Well, we are having him watched, your friend., Already you have helped us not a little. He has been to a lady's beauty parlour which we have long suspected of selling drugs. But we are making no investigation there until you have seen your man. We did not wish to scare him away.”

“Good. Very considerate of you. Looks as though this case is going to mean quite a roundup of the drugs crowd.”

“What can we want better? Their arrest is always a credit to the police.”

“'Ere!” said Sergeant Beef with a sudden explosiveness across me, “'ave you got any ideas as to 'oo they mean by the big shot in this
drugs game. I see those South American chaps thought there was someone be'ind it all.”

“No,” said the French detective rather coldly, “we have not.”

Stute seemed to think that he was called upon to explain away Beef's outburst.

“The Sergeant,” he said in his passionless voice, “is coming with me to identify Fairfax. He knew the man by sight, and I didn't. The Sergeant is not at Scotland Yard.”

“Understood,” said one of the Frenchmen.

“Perfectly,” nodded the other.

“All the same,” said Beef pensively, “it wouldn't 'arf be a good thing to find out.”

We had passed the statue of Balzac, and seemed to be making for Passy.

“Now, I hope you understand the position so far as we're concerned,” said one of the Frenchmen to Stute. “We have found your man, and we have watched him for you. But we have no reason at present to make an arrest, and there is, of course, no question of extradition for the moment. He is staying with his wife in a highly respectable hotel. We have seen the proprietor, and promised him that there will be no scene or scandal. He will be helpful so far as he can, but he is naturally anxious to protect his other guests from any annoyance. So that all you can do is to interview the man and his wife.”

“That's all I want to do.”

“Good. And if in your interview you fail to get what you want then we will proceed with our investigation at the beauty parlour, and should we get evidence there against this man
Fairfax, or Freeman, or Ferris, as he variously calls himself, we will arrest him, and hope that you complete your case in England while we hold him. Right?”

“Splendid,” said Stute.

“I have read the whole case,” put in the other detective, “I think it was the girl that he murdered. I think that this drug business is interesting, but irrelevant to the main crime.”

“Indeed?” snapped Stute, “you are no doubt better able to follow it from this distance.”

The French detective explained quickly that he had wished to imply nothing of the sort. He was merely theorizing.

“I have never,” said Stute, “known a case which gave such scope for theorizing. It is facts that I want. And if I can't get some out of Fairfax I shall begin to be annoyed. This investigation has gone on long enough.”

“We are nearly there. The proprietor will be expecting us.”

“Good,” said Stute. “Are their rooms in the front of the house?”

“No. At the back. I asked particularly, having regard to our arrival.”

We drew up at a quiet-looking house in the rue Vineuse, with only a small plate to indicate that it was a hotel. Everything about it was neat, discreet, smart. It was the sort of place, I judged, which charged high prices, but gave value for them. No one was in sight as our taxi stopped, and we three got out. One of the two Frenchmen turned quickly to Stute.

“We will await you at the corner,” he said, “Good luck.”

The car moved quietly away and our incongruous trio advanced towards the front door.

T
HE
hotel-proprietor, who was as neat and discreet as the exterior of his hotel, was waiting for us in the entrance.

“It is room Number 39 that you want,” he said. “I have just sent cocktails up, so I think you arrive at a good moment. And please, no disturbance.”

His voice had dropped almost to a whisper, and he had nervously pulled a scented handkerchief from the pocket of his black jacket. He eyed Beef somewhat dubiously, but it was Stute who answered him.

“We only want a little talk,” he said flatly.

There was a small slow lift, and we crossed to it, but found that we were only just able to get in, for the proprietor accompanied us. On the second floor we stepped out, and the proprietor led the way down a thickly carpeted passage. At Room 39 he stopped and motioning us near, tapped sharply.

“Yes?” replied a masculine voice, then added impatiently, “Come in.”

“Some gentlemen to see you,” said the proprietor, and before there was time for a move from the inside, he flung open the door. Instantly, we pushed in.

It was a sitting-room, evidently the outer apartment of a suite. In two arm-chairs, both,
as it happened, facing or half-facing the door, were a man and woman staring up at us in astonishment. The man was dressed in English tweeds, but his heavy-jowled face was pasty and pouchy. At first, looking at that couple, one might have thought them a middle-aged English tourist and his wife, normal, nice, provincial people. But somehow there was something wrong. I could not define it then, I cannot now, but I was aware that something unpleasant distinguished this couple from the type they so nearly resembled. Stute turned quickly to Beef, and whispered “Fairfax?”

The Sergeant nodded, thereby fulfilling his whole purpose in our visit to France.

When the man spoke, his voice had that curious closed ring in it which is noticeable in people who form their speech too far back in their throat.

“What's this?” he said.

“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Freeman. But I would like to ask you a few questions. I'm Detective-Inspector Stute.”

“But….”

“Yes. You're quite right. This is Sergeant Beef of Braxham. An unfortunate combination from your point of view, Mr. Fairfax. But there you are.”

“I don't know….”

“No, of course you don't yet, Mr. Ferris. We all have a lot to explain to one another. And as none of us want to waste time perhaps it would be best if I told you first what
we
know. Then you won't have to waste time giving us a lot
of unnecessary information. In the first place we know that your real name is Ferris, and that you have done time for drug-peddling. In the second place we know that you are identical with that much more respectable Mr. Hugo Freeman who lived for a time in Long Highbury, and thus got a passport ready for any emergency. And thirdly we know that you are also that piscatorial Mr. Fairfax who used to stay at the Riverside Hotel, Braxham. We also know that you were receiving drugs from young Rogers. But there is quite a lot which we don't know, and which you are going to tell us.”

I watched the pair of them. The man had sunk back in his chair and turned a little pale, but was not showing any sign of panic or defiance. He was, I thought, considering, fairly collectedly, just how to treat all this.

The woman deliberately sipped her cocktail. She had a raw hard face, with a large mouth and wide nostrils. She was quite unshaken.

There was a long silence. At last Stute continued.

“To come direct to the point, I will ask you straight away, who was killed by you and Rogers that Wednesday night?”

Fairfax seemed relieved at the question. “Look here,” he said, “what are you really after? Drugs or murder?”

They were almost his first words, and I respected his perception and decision. He did not waste time with a lot of stupid bluff. He did not deny his triple identity. He knew that Stute was not bluffing, on that point, anyway.

“Both,” said Stute.

“Then I can't help you.”

“No?”

“No.”

Another long silence.

“But I'll tell you this much,” said Fairfax at last. “The first I knew of any murder was when I read it in the papers. When I left Braxham to the best of my knowledge young Rogers had no more idea of murdering anyone than I had.”

That, I felt, was true.

“What time did you leave Braxham?”

“On the 2.50.”

“How far did you go?”

“What d'you mean? Oh, I see. Why, to London, of course.”

“Got an alibi?”

Fairfax didn't like that word. “It's got as far as alibis, has it?” he said. “Why should I need an alibi? Who has been murdered, anyway?”

Stute spoke slowly. “I think if you've got an alibi, Ferris, you'd better give it to me.”

At this point the woman broke in.

“Do for goodness' sake sit down, Inspector. You give me the jitters standing up all the time. And your … staff,” she added, with an unfriendly glance at Beef and me.

Stute, without hesitation, accepted, and we followed.

“You'd better have a cocktail,” she went on. “Oh, I can assure you it won't be drugged.”

“No, thanks. And now, Mr. Ferris.”

“Well, if I had known that it would be necessary, I would have arranged an alibi after your own heart for you. As it is, I'm afraid it may be rather sketchy. I had a hair-cut first, in the station saloon.”

Stute never took written notes. Information was stored more securely in his head.

“Then,” said Ferris, “since I had left all our small luggage at Braxham, I went and bought two handbags at a shop called Flexus, in the Strand. I had them sent to our address in Hammersmith, so that the shop will probably have a record of my call. I then had a drink, since it was just opening time, at the Sword on the Gross in Fragrant Street, Govent Garden. I think the bar-maid might remember my call as there was a little altercation with an itinerant vendor of a publication called the
War-Cry
while I was in the bar.”

“Yes?”

“I had a meal in the Brasserie of Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street. I sat, I well remember, at a table near the orchestra, and was attended by a tall young waiter. After that I went to the Flintshire Hotel, just off Russell Square, where I booked a room for the night.”

“In your own name?”

“Er, not actually. I can't think why not. Habit I suppose. Fortescue was the name I chose.”

“Well, go on.”

“I did. I went out and had two drinks at a strange pub whose name I don't remember, and returned soon after ten, to bed. I had
occasion, not long afterwards, to tap on the wall, and admonish a lady and gentleman involved in a somewhat stormy argument.”

“I see. If that all checks up, you seem to be fairly well accounted for. Why didn't you go home that night?”

“Really, Inspector, what a question. Surely you can use your powers of deduction better than that.”