somebody? That cultivated accent — what was the burr behind it? Now and then, when he was excited, it slipped out tantalizingly. You could be sure of one thing: Pershore wasn’t bred in Northshire…
‘Stanhope got in ahead of me, but he made a bad mistake. The old fool who owned the Natalie wouldn’t take a cheque for the money. Immediately I got in touch-’
‘Don’t you come from the West Country?’
‘What?’
‘Gloucestershire… perhaps Somerset way?’
Pershore froze in the posture he had adopted, his cigar raised to make a point.
‘What has that got to do with it?’
‘Nothing. I was simply curious.’
‘Why should you be curious about that?’
‘It’s a way policemen have.’
Pershore gave him several odd little glances. He seemed thrown out of his stride by this irrelevant enquiry. But finally he flicked the ash from his cigar and went on with his lecture.
‘As I was saying, I got in touch with my bank for a short-notice withdrawal of the requisite sum. In the meantime I sent this Upcher a telegram — unfortunately, he wasn’t on the telephone…’
Was it imagination, or had some of the bounce gone out of him? Occasionally, now, he fumbled for a word.
‘On Thursday I collected the money and sent a further telegram announcing my intention… I was just about to set out for Starmouth when Upcher rang me up.
‘In spite of my telegram he had sold the Natalie! It appears that a third party was interested and took him the money on Wednesday evening.
‘Thus you have your answer, Inspector. You know for what the money was intended and that it has never been out of my hands. Am I wrong in supposing that an apology from you would not be out of place?’
‘Hmn.’ Gently shrugged towards the grate. ‘And the address of this Upcher fellow?’
‘Naturally I will supply you with it. Stanhope, if you intend to persist with this enquiry, you can get in touch with at his offices in Ely Street.’
‘Where’s the money now?’
‘Here in this house. I have a built-in safe.’
‘Shouldn’t we just take a look at it?’
‘If you insist — but under protest.’
To rub in the protest he remained straddling the hearth for a few seconds. Then, without deigning to toss Gently another word, he strode magnificently towards the door.
The safe was in a book-lined study at the other end of the corridor. A false front of books was intended to conceal it, but the facetious titlings on the spines gave away the secret at once to those familiar with such contraptions. A big Chubb’s, the safe lay securely nested in concrete. It required three and a half turns of the key to free its multiple bolts.
‘You see? In this case.’
The door open, Pershore reached familiarly for a red morocco attache case with a gilt monogram which lay on one of the steel shelves. But then, holding it in his hand, his expression changed to one of almost laughable bewilderment.
‘It — it feels empty!’
‘Haven’t you got the key?’
‘Yes, but it’s too light…!’
In a sort of panic he dragged a key ring from his pocket and fumbled at the locks. Inside, the case was lined with scarlet silk. But it contained nothing except the smell of expensive leather.
‘This is fantastic — an outrage!’
The mayor-elect was bubbling with indignation and bafflement. Every cliche of injury came thronging to his lips.
‘In the first place it’s impossible — I shall get in touch with the chief constable! What are things coming to — what are the police being paid for!’
‘Would you mind checking the contents?’
‘I shall write to my M.P.!’
‘At the moment it would help-’
‘This is utterly criminal!’
Shrugging heavily, Gently turned his attention to the safe. Inside, everything seemed to be in scrupulous order. The door was immaculate in its dull green paint. Force had obviously not been used to effect an entry.
‘You are sure that the money was placed in the safe?’
‘Must you be so infernally stupid!’
‘Have you had it open since the money was put in?’
‘I have had no occasion to — the old fool sold over my head!’
‘I would be very greatly obliged if you would check the contents.’
At last Pershore got down to it, still reverberating impotently. He was in such a way that he could scarcely remember what should be there. It was some time before he had established to his own satisfaction that, apart from the money, the contents were intact.
‘Can you describe what you did after you drew the money?’
‘Haven’t I made it clear enough? I put it in the safe!’
‘When you left the bank you drove directly back here?’
‘Yes — I told you. And then I got that telephone call!’
It took time and patience to get information from Pershore. He was raving with the incredible wrong which had been done him. Bit by bit it had to be dragged out, with the chance of an insult at every fresh question.
‘What time did you go to the bank?’
‘How the devil should I know?’
‘On Thursday morning you called in at the mill. Had you the money with you at that time?’
‘I don’t know — ask Fuller. He may have seen me with it!’
‘It’s important that you remember.’
‘For heaven’s sake, talk sense!’
‘Who knew you had it or were going to draw it?’
‘Do you think I’d broadcast a thing like that?’
‘Where else did you go in Lynton that morning?’
‘Nowhere, I tell you.’
‘Did you have a drink at The Roebuck?’
‘No, I did not!’
Slowly but remorselessly the picture was teased into detail. As he put his questions Gently wandered over to the study’s two big windows. Here they were at the back of the house, facing a long stretch of terraced lawn closed by shrubberies. Immediately under the windows were flowerbeds shaped in scallops, but the naked earth, ideal for footprints, was rendered sodden and crumbled by the beating rain.
The windows themselves were wooden sash frames secured by common fingertip catches.
‘When you went to draw the money, where did you park your car?’
‘Honestly, Inspector! Outside the bank.’
‘Were there many people about?’
‘I really didn’t notice.’
‘That attache case is conspicuous. Are you sure you caught nobody eyeing it?’
‘Quite sure.’
‘Who opened the door when you returned here?’
‘Nobody opened it — I let myself in.’
‘Then your servants knew nothing about it?’
‘Not unless they saw me go out with the case.’
‘Would that have been probable?’
