The Toff and the Stolen Tresses (10 page)

 

A plainclothes man drove Grice's car; Rollison drove the hired Austin, trying not to hurry, intent on learning every fact he could. There were not many, but they filled in several gaps, for instance that Jolly's driver had not realised that they were being followed until they turned into the narrow road. He was sure that at least three cars had been involved in the chase, changing position so that no one could suspect that anyone had an interest in him and Jolly.

‘While they were attacking Jolly, they talked,' Grice went on. ‘A man made it clear that he'd had the approaches to Gresham Terrace watched by men in cars. A motorcyclist had acted as a scout, and sent the cars after Jolly.'

‘As thorough as we'd expect,' Rollison said. ‘Know who they were?'

‘The usual hooligans doing what they're told.'

‘Wallis there himself?'

‘We believe that the man in charge was Wallis, but it's impossible to prove it,' Grice said. ‘It was dark, remember. Jolly's driver, our only witness, couldn't see this man properly and won't swear to his voice. And Wallis has seven so-called witnesses to give him an alibi.'

‘The same old game. What else?'

‘Mrs. Wallis is now back in Dirk Street,' Grice said.

‘Here it comes,' Rollison said, bleakly.

‘Yes, here it comes,' Grice's voice sharpened. ‘Why were you crazy enough to kidnap Stella Wallis? Didn't you realise that it would drive Wallis berserk?'

‘I knew,' said Rollison icily. ‘I also knew that Wallis had been at his foul business for months. That you couldn't stop him, and someone had to. I hoped that losing his wife would drive him into a big mistake. I even hoped I might be able to do a deal with him; his wife back in return for the name of the people employing him.'

‘I thought that was it,' Grice said, more quietly. ‘You under-rated Wallis, of course. A lot of people have done that. A man has to be good to keep clear of us when we're really after him.'

‘Or you have to be bad.'

‘Rolly, take it easy.'

‘Can Jolly take it easy? Can the poor devils whom Wallis beats up, and whose homes he wrecks? Can the girls who lose their hair? Can't you even guess who's behind Wallis?'

‘We guessed Donny, but haven't proved it yet,' Grice said. ‘Human hair is fairly valuable, Donny is undoubtedly behind this competition, and practically every girl who's been shorn had entered for it.'

‘Have you been to Donny's shops? Examined the wigs and toupees?'

‘We'll go the moment you get us a search warrant,' Grice said dryly. ‘I can't, Rolly. I can't prove anything against Wallis, either. You may hate the man, you may think that he's the worst of his type we've ever had to tackle, but it's no use blinking at facts. It's a fact that he is as courageous as a wild beast, and he sticks to his own code. No squealing and no squealers. That's why he's so dangerous. He's never been known to commit any crime except his speciality. We know some of the people who employed him in his early days, but he's learned to cover up perfectly. Obviously he gets paid big money. Probably he gets most of his results by threats—he doesn't have to use violence. Now and again he meets strong opposition, and that causes trouble.'

‘Have you any idea who he's fighting now?'

‘No.'

‘What about these youngsters he uses?'

‘If you mean the Teddy Boy types he works with, don't make any mistake about them,' Grice said. ‘Wavy hair, broad shoulders, a velvet collar and stove-pipe trousers don't make a young brute, but a lot of young brutes are wearing the uniform, and far too many haven't any moral sense. You can't reason with them. I'm not sure you can frighten them. They're dangerous because they're reasonably well educated, they can tell a good tale, they can even impress with party manners. But for a fiver they'll do anything Wallis wants.'

Rollison said bitterly: ‘Does he protect them from the police, too?'

Grice didn't answer.

Rollison put his foot down and the speedometer needle touched eighty along the bypass. Grice stared grimly ahead. As they neared Richmond Park, Rollison slowed down.

‘Sorry if I'm rough,' he said. ‘I blame myself for what happened to Jolly, and it's hard to take.'

‘Don't I know?' Grice asked. ‘We've been after Wallis for months. Every job he does seems my fault.'

A grin forced Rollison's lips apart.

‘If we can't stop him between us, we ought to retire. Bill.' The last word was a sharp interrogation.

‘Yes.'

‘Suspect the Jepsons?'

‘I've only one reason to.'

‘What's that?'

‘Some of Wallis's victims are indirectly associated with Jepsons.'

‘The family or the business?'

‘The business.'

‘Any idea why their place was attacked last night?'

‘I hoped you'd know,' Grice said.

‘I think Ada does, but she hasn't talked, and she isn't friendly with me any more.' Rollison was trying to get himself into a less savage mood. ‘Check her, Bill, and check her brother Reginald, who decided to give himself a holiday in Ibiza. That's about as difficult a place to get to as he could find.'

‘Think he knew this was coming?'

‘I think he might.'

‘Get anything out of the man Jones?' Grice asked abruptly.

‘No. There's a thing I'd like to know more about, all the people who've been victimised, Bill. What's the link?'

‘Association with Jepsons or customers of Jepsons,' Grice said, ‘but as one person in four seems to fit that bill, it doesn't get us anywhere. The victims won't talk, I've tried each one myself.'

‘I can try, too,' Rollison said dryly.

They were at the top of Putney High Street, a quarter of an hour's drive away from Scotland Yard. It was warm enough to drive with both windows down, and Rollison felt sticky round the neck. A big lorry loomed up in the mirror behind him, and there was a small car in front of him, the driver of which seemed to be nervous; his brake light kept going on and off. Rollison changed gear on the steep hill, and the lorry loomed closer behind them, its driver pulling out to pass.

Rollison saw the red light of the little car in front of him go on again as if the driver had jumped on his brakes. Rollison braked sharply, glanced in the mirror, and felt his heart beat violently in fear.

The lorry was just behind him, getting nearer and there was no driver at the wheel. It was out of control, and Rollison couldn't go fast enough to avoid it because of the little car in front.

Grice began: ‘What the devil?' Then turned round, and gasped: ‘My God!'

‘Jump for it,' Rollison said with fierce urgency. ‘Open that door and jump for it.'

He turned his wheel sharply, to pull out beyond the little car. In a split second he could be sandwiched between it and the lorry, and this car could be crushed like a concertina.

There was just room to squeeze through.

The little car turned out, and baulked him.

Grice drew in a sharp, hissing voice.

‘All right,' Rollison said, tautly. ‘Hold tight, we'll have to let it hit us.' The front of the lorry was no more than a yard behind, and the driving wheel without its driver seemed to mock at him.

Then another car drew alongside the lorry, and a man actually
stood
by the open door.

It was Grice's car.

A Yard man was clinging to the door, one arm and hand outstretched and one hand groping for the cabin window of the lorry. If he could get into the cabin and at the brake he might save them from disaster. Below Rollison was the crowded High Street, twenty or thirty cars drawn up at the nearest red stop light, and if he and the lorry crashed into them, there would be death and maiming and horror.

They were only a hundred yards away.

The Yard man leapt.

Rollison thought: ‘He's missed!'

But the man clung to the open cabin's window, then leaned forward and reached for the brake. Praise his cold courage.

The lorry began to jolt to a standstill.

‘All right,' Rollison said to Grice, who couldn't see in the mirror and was twisting round in his seat. ‘A George Medal for that chap, and I hope you promote him, too.' He saw the lorry falling away behind him as the red light changed to green. The little car which had baulked him suddenly shot forward, and merged with the traffic, but was being stopped by a policeman. The driver was probably old or very young. Rollison pulled into the kerb, then took out his handkerchief and dabbed his cold, damp forehead.

‘They mean it, don't they?'

‘I'll find out who's behind Wallis if we have to put every man in the C.I.D. on the job,' Grice said savagely. ‘I've never had the wind up so badly.'

‘Me too.' Rollison opened the driving door, watching the wing mirror carefully; it had suddenly become essential to behave as if everyone else on the road was mad. ‘I want a word with that hero, and I'd like to know what happened to the driver.' He got out, and saw the lorry drawn up, the other police car just in front of it. A crowd gathered, and a little woman was standing on tip-toe and patting the Yard hero on the back. The man looked flushed, flustered and embarrassed.

Then Rollison saw the side of the lorry.

 

JEPSONS

 

it read:

 

Everything for the Needs of the People

 

 

 

‘That may be the van which nearly ran into you before,' Grice suggested. ‘I'll contact Jepsons, and find out all I can.' He was still shaken, but pushed through the crowd to the Yard man who'd jumped and said: ‘Coolest job I've ever seen, Morris. Thank you.'

‘Thank
you,
sir,' Morris was tall, lean, youthful-looking, and smiling nervously.

‘He ought to have the George Medal, at once,' breathed a woman standing by.

Rollison shook Morris's hand.

‘We're going to fix it somehow,' he said. ‘When did you see that the driver had vanished?'

‘Well, sir, I saw him get out of the cabin and climb into the back of the lorry itself—there are glass doors, you can see right through.

There's a hole at the back of the cabin, too. He just hurried to the tail board, swung himself over, dropped down and ran. Must have done it plenty of times before, he was like India rubber. We had to go after him or else try and stop that lorry, and we thought we ought to have a cut at the lorry.'

We!

‘If that lorry had crashed goodness knows how many would have been killed and injured,' the woman said.

Two uniformed police came hurrying.

‘Ah,' said Grice, and smiled at the woman. ‘I wonder if you will make a report and any recommendation you feel wise to one of these officers. Thank you, madam. Morris, get to your radio, will you, and ask Information to flash a call to Division to find out from Jepsons which of their vans is out and unaccounted for. Did you get a good look at the lorry driver?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Give his description and put out a call for him. Then go straight to the Yard, and wait for me. Tell whoever is on duty that I don't want you out on patrol until I've seen you. If you feel a bit shaky, get yourself a nip. Right! I'll be seeing you.'

Grice's crispness and control of the situation worked wonders. The woman began to talk to the uniformed men. The driver of the little car was elderly, in fact, had obviously not realized what had happened. He was allowed to go on, while Morris and his driver went back to Grice's own car.

‘We'd better get on,' Grice said to Rollison. They got back into the car, and started off. ‘That lorry which nearly caught you the other day was dark green, too. Could be that Wallis has a Jepson lorry at his disposal,' Grice said. ‘I know, I know. It could have been stolen. Anyhow, it's time I saw Miss Jepson myself.'

‘You tackle the despatch department or the transport department about the lorries, but leave Ada to me for a while, will you?'

‘Once she knows the Yard is after her—'

‘Remember what you said about Wallis?' Rollison interrupted. ‘Ada is another one who won't talk unless she wants to, and you won't be able to scare her into talking. Leave her to me for a bit.'

‘I may not be able to, I have to take orders,' Grice said dryly.

‘But you'll try,' said Rollison. ‘Thanks.' He sat back by traffic lights on the other side of Putney Bridge, and was surprised that he felt so calm; but it was a false calm. ‘How about standing me breakfast at the canteen when we get to the Yard? Then let me check the names and addresses of Wallis's known victims.'

‘I don't know why I should buy your bacon and eggs,' Grice said, ‘but I suppose I will.'

‘Thanks,' said Rollison, a little more than an hour later.

At eleven o'clock, he was still in Grice's office. Except that all Jepsons' transport was accounted for, and the inescapable indication that the killer-lorry had been painted to look like a Jepson vehicle, nothing new had come in. Rollison had studied the list of the people who had suffered at Wallis's hands in the past few weeks. None was a thief, and none appeared to have been robbed; one or two had squealed on lesser crooks at some time.

‘Have a go at making them talk,' Grice said, ‘but don't blame them if they won't. Wallis is always standing at their shoulder.'

‘Right,' Rollison said, and added very softly: ‘Before it's over, we may have to make Wallis himself talk.'

‘You watch your step,' Grice warned. ‘I should think he hates you enough to kill you.'

‘The feeling could be mutual. Have you a spare photograph of him, and one of Clay?'

‘I can send for them,' Grice said, and had them in the office within five minutes.

Rollison left the Yard with the photographs in his pocket.

A C.I.D. man whom he recognised was sitting at the wheel of a small car near the end of Gresham Terrace. This man nodded to Rollison; and would certainly have called out if there were any reason for alarm. Rollison went up to the flat. He walked slowly, and felt jaded; it had been a night of drugged sleep and he would probably feel heavy-headed all day. He opened the front door of the flat with the caution which was now habitual; but it was empty.

There were several letters on the mat, as well as the newspapers. None of the letters mattered. Each of the newspapers except
The Times
carried the story of the hair thief, and of the attack on Rollison. One had scooped the story of the slashed Rolls-Bentley. A photograph, obviously taken in the garage, showed the damage and the white paint.

Rollison put the papers aside, and telephoned Jepsons.

‘I'll see if Miss Ada is in, Mr. Rollison,' a girl operator said.

Ada might still be annoyed, and this was the way to find out.

There was a long wait, before Ada herself came on the line, and spoke as if coldly.

‘It is no use talking about it any more, Richard. I have nothing to add to what I said last night.'

‘Well, I have,' said Rollison, then warned himself that it wouldn't help to lose his temper. ‘I've some new facts to show.'

‘I don't see how they can affect the matter.'

‘This one for a start,' continued Rollison. ‘I was driving down Putney Hill with Superintendent Grice this morning. A lorry nearly crashed into the back of us, after the driver deserted his cabin. But for a policeman with a lot of guts, Grice and I would be in hospital. So would a lot of other people.'

‘I don't need telling that this is serious business,' Ada said, sarcastically.

‘Someone not only tried to kill Grice and me, but apparently tried to involve Jepsons by using one of their lorries,' Rollison told her, and explained more fully. ‘Here's another fact: Jolly was attacked last night. He will take much longer to recover than Jimmy Jones did.'

Ada drew in her breath sharply.

‘I'm going to drop a note into your office in the next half hour and it will have several names and addresses on it,' Rollison said. ‘I'd like you to have those names and addresses checked, and if there's any direct association between any of them and Jepsons, let me know. They might work for Jepsons, or buy from them. Check every kind of possible association with the firm, too.'

Ada could ask why.

She said in a subdued voice. ‘All right, I'll get it done right away. I'm sorry about—'

She didn't finish.

‘Ada,' Rollison said softly, ‘I don't want to rub anything in. But it's a fact that you asked me to start on this job, and that as a direct result, Jolly is where he is now. I'm going to find out what lies behind it and who is behind it. I don't care who gets hurt. I don't care who gets in my way. You, Reggie, anyone in the world, I'm going to find what it's all about.'

‘I see,' Ada said, soberly.

‘Good-bye,' Rollison said.

He rang off, took the list of Wallis's victims, put a portable typewriter on his desk, and at fair speed typed the list out with three carbon copies. He slipped one copy into an envelope addressed to Ada, sealed it, and put it with the others in his pocket. He was getting up when the telephone bell rang, and he picked the receiver up slowly. He felt as if he was at half pressure, and could not be sure that it was wholly because of the heavy sleep. The fact that he knew so little nagged at him; the fact that he couldn't see the next move clearly seemed to sneer at him. That was the trouble; he had never been so desperately anxious to hit back hard: and he couldn't see how to do it yet.

‘Rollison speaking.'

‘Mr. Ar.' No one could imitate Bill Ebbutt's voice, or the asthmatic way he breathed when he was agitated on the telephone. ‘Mr. Ar, is that right about Jolly? There's a rumour going around that—'

‘It's right, yes.'

‘He's not dead?'

‘He's got a fighting chance.'

‘Well,' said Ebbutt after a pause, ‘if that's the case, my money's on Jolly. If ever there was a fighter, 'e's one. You okay?'

‘So far, Bill.'

‘Mr. Ar, why don't you let me do something to 'elp?' pleaded Ebbutt. ‘I know the argument, and I couldn't agree wiv you more, you don't want to spark off a lot of gang fighting between my chaps and these Teddy Boys or Wallis's chaps, but this is above that kind've fing, Mr. Ar. This is personal. Any attack on Jolly is.'

‘Here's something you can do,' said Rollison, quietly. ‘Send a couple of chaps to my flat, to stay here and take telephone calls and messages, and hand out treatment if any one tries to do what they shouldn't.'

‘I know, the kind wot c'n read and write,' said Ebbutt brightly. ‘That's okay, they'll be on their way in a brace of shakes. Next?'

‘I'm going to see Donny Sampson when I leave here, and I'll have a list of names and addresses with me—Wallis's recent victims. Study it, get your chaps to have a look at it, and try to find out any unusual connection among them—among all or any of them.'

‘Okay,' said Ebbutt. ‘Will you drop the list in?'

‘Have someone to pick it up outside Donny's, will you? I'll put a key of the flat in the same envelope.'

‘We'll pick it up.'

‘Thanks a lot, Bill'

‘I don't mind so long as I c'n do somefink,' Ebbutt said. ‘I don't like sitting back and watching you being pushed arahnd.' Then unexpectedly he chuckled. ‘Mind you, I can't say I'm pessimistic, not after what 'appened to Stella Wallis and Wallis hisself yesterday. That kind've fing's never happened to him before.' Then came the sting in the tale. ‘But 'e'll get you arter this, Mr. Ar. Don't take the slightest chance, will you?'

Rollison said: ‘I'll take every chance that looks as if it might come off, Bill. Did you know that the firm Jepsons was involved in any way?'

‘First I've 'eard of it, except that one of their lorries was used yesterday morning, I meant to tell yer. My chaps saw the name on it. Could've bin stolen or borrowed, though. Watch out, Mr. Ar.'

‘Thanks, Bill,' Rollison said.

Ten minutes later, he delivered the list at Jepson Buildings, and went from there to the barber's where Jimmy Jones had had his hair cut. Two chairs were full, but a bright-faced Italian-looking man was standing idle and hopeful. Rollison saw the
Hair Stylist
and some of the competition entry forms, took several of these from under the barber's nose, then thrust the photographs of Wallis and Clay under the man's nose.

‘Ever cut this man's hair?' he asked, and a pound note appeared as if by magic in his hand.

The barber took one look at the photographs, and backed away.

‘No, I haven't! I have nevair seen heem!' Fear was in his voice, the kind that Wallis always engendered.

The other barbers swore that they had never seen Wallis or Clay, either, but Rollison did not believe them.

They might be made to talk, but that could wait until everything else failed.

A little after one o'clock, Rollison reached Donny's. A tall, elderly man wearing a cap to cover a completely bald head, a grey polo sweater and a pair of old, patched but spotless grey flannels, was waiting outside.

‘You got that note for Bill, Mr. Ar?'

‘Yes, Micky. How are you keeping?'

‘Oh, I don't get no worse,' the man said, wrinkling his big nose, ‘and I don't get no better. I can still walk.' He smiled and turned and hobbled off, a Bill Ebbutt pensioner suffering grievously from rheumatoid arthritis.

Rollison went into the shop.

Obviously it was very busy. Machines hummed, each chair in sight through open doors was occupied, smartly-dressed and well-made-up girls were flitting about. It was equally obvious that there was tension here. The queen of yesterday was not behind the desk; another girl was wearing a turban round her head, almost as if she had just had her hair washed; but Donny would not allow the staff or a customer to sit like that behind the cash desk.

Rollison said: ‘Good morning. Is Mr. Sampson in?'

The girl didn't answer at once, but stared with her eyes narrowed, her lips set tightly; the way that Ada might have looked had he met her this morning; or Stella Wallis, last night. It seemed a long time before she spoke.

‘Why don't you go back to your part of London and forget the slumming?' she asked bitterly.

‘I'd prefer to see Donny,' Rollison said mildly.

‘He doesn't want to see you. None of us wants to see you any more. If you hadn't put your big nose in, this wouldn't have happened.'

‘What wouldn't have happened?' asked Rollison in the same mild voice, but now his heart was beginning to thump again: there seemed no end to the trouble that came without him knowing.

She snatched off the towelling turban and showed her fair hair, cropped close to the scalp. A woman without hair could look more naked than a nude.

‘Now perhaps you're satisfied,' she said viciously. ‘If you hadn't—'

‘I'm not satisfied by a long way,' Rollison told her softly. ‘Are you another of Donny's daughters?'

‘It doesn't matter who I am, and I've talked to you quite long enough.' She twisted the turban back expertly, and became a normal woman again. ‘It's happened to Leah and it's happened to me. Don't tell me you don't know why.'