‘You’re lucky,’ Gently said, ‘that you’re here.’
‘Thank you for nothing,’ Wanda said.
Gently shrugged, looked at Madsen. ‘What about you, Madsen?’ he said. ‘You aren’t serving the Christ child with a Sten gun in his hand.’
Madsen was trembling. He looked towards Gently. His pale eyes flickered, came to a stare.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Ver’ well, ver’ well.’
‘Filthy traitor!’ Wanda shouted.
Madsen looked at her, twisting his lips. ‘Not a traitor,’ he said. ‘That man is too wicked.’
She spat on his cheek. He kept trying to smile. ‘No, not a traitor,’ he repeated.
Madsen spoke in a low voice so that he had to be listened to with care. The colour in his cheeks came and went, he didn’t know what to do with his eyes. Wanda had turned her back on him. She sat motionless, hands in lap. Freeman had moved up close to her. She paid no attention when he moved up. Felling glared all the while at Madsen, sat saggingly, had his fists on his thighs.
‘Yes, it is right,’ Madsen whispered. ‘Tim didn’ pay Sawney the proper money. This is why they have the row, it is all about the money. Sawney is ver’ angry with Tim, I think they maybe have a fight. But no, not a fight, they begin to say what they are to do to each other. Tim say he will tell the Air Force people if Sawney does not like what he gets. Sawney say, either he get the money or he will fix Tim for good and all. Tim say, what does he mean by that. Sawney laugh at him, sound ver’ nasty, say he will tell a little bird where Tim is living just now. I don’t care about that, Tim say. But yes, you will care, Sawney say. Then he get out his wallet and show Tim a picture that come out of a newspaper.’
‘Did you see that picture?’ Gently asked.
Madsen nodded. ‘Yes. I see it. Is a ver’ old picture, I think, come out of a newspaper during the war. There is Tim in the middle in a ver’ smart suit, and two Totenkopf officers, you know, the SS. They are smiling, ver’ pleased. It say something underneath in Polish. But it is Tim all right, I can see that at a glance.’
‘How did Teodowicz take it?’ Gently asked.
‘Is frightened, I think,’ Madsen said. ‘He look at the picture become ver’ quiet. Then he ask Sawney where he get the picture. Sawney say, from someone who knew Tim, someone who is killed during the war. He was a Jew, Sawney say, he was going to kill Tim after the war. And there is another one, Sawney tell him, and he does not die during the war, he is here, in this country, he would like ver’ much to know about Tim. And all the Poles, Sawney say, they would like to know about Tim too. Or about someone else, he say, pointing to the picture. Then he call Tim by another name.’
‘What other name?’ Gently said.
Madsen touched his forehead. ‘I try to think,’ he said. ‘It is a simple name, ver’ simple. Perhaps it come to me, I don’ know. But Tim look terrible when Sawney say it. That is not so, he say. I am Teodowicz, I have my papers, the British police have checked about me. Sawney say, then that is all right, the Poles don’ care about Teodowicz. So do I get my money, Sawney say. Tim say he’ll think about that, don’ have the money by him. Don’ think too long, Sawney say, no Polish bastard is going to gyp me. And then he go out, and that is all. Is the last time I see Sawney.’
‘But the name?’ Gently said.
‘Is ver’ simple,’ Madsen said. ‘But I am frightened. Tim frighten me. He say he kill me if I remember. When Sawney is gone he get out the gun, keep playing with it, looking at me. I am ver’ scared, you understand? I know he kill me in a minute. It is right, you cannot trust them, they are not men any more. I think he has done some terrible things. I don’ want to know what he has done.’
‘He’ll be caught,’ Gently said. ‘You needn’t be frightened of him any more.’
‘Is silly name,’ Madsen said. ‘Like big, or thick, name like that.’
Empton looked up at the ceiling. ‘Could it be like Slin?’ he asked. ‘Nickolaus Slin?’
‘But yes, that is it,’ Madsen said. ‘That is the name Sawney says — Nickolaus Slin.’
They all looked at Empton. He was smoking one of his cigarettes. He didn’t bother to look at them, slanted smoke towards the ceiling.
‘Well, well,’ he said. ‘Fancy that. And everyone thought he was in South America. This is a blow for Rule Britannia — or will be, when it gets around.’
‘You know who it is?’ Whitaker said.
‘But of course, old man,’ Empton said. ‘Slin was mayor of Grodz during the occupation, one of Heinie’s blue- eyed boys. Not quite a celebrity, by current standards. His score is reckoned at twenty thousand.’
‘Twenty thousand what?’ Whitaker said.
‘Jews,’ Empton said. ‘What else? He set up some ovens at Dolina, outside Grodz, with a top capacity of about five hundred a week. A very moderate performer, I suppose, but his memory is still kept green in Poland. He’d disappeared when the Russians got there. A lot of talent has been questing for Slin.’
‘My God,’ Whitaker said. He repeated it.
‘Now we know the whole story,’ Empton said. ‘Slin did away with a black marketeer called Teodowicz and took his identity, and migrated here. It looks as though little Jan were telling the truth. They would hardly have sent a man to talk to Slin. Sawney must have tipped them without telling them who it was; but of course, the mildest attention would be too much for Slin.’ He puffed some smoke, glanced down at Madsen. ‘You wouldn’t have lived, old fellow,’ he said. ‘Nor would Felling, if he knew about it. Nor would the magnificent Mrs Lane.’
Wanda turned to look at Empton. ‘You’re muck,’ she said. ‘Just muck.’
‘Nicely taken,’ Empton said. ‘What a gift you have for timing.’
You’ll never get Tim,’ Wanda said. ‘The Russians couldn’t. Nobody can. He’s out of the reach of amateurs like you. He’ll go where he wants to. Nobody can stop him.’
‘So he’s going somewhere, is he?’ Empton said.
Wanda snapped her thin lips.
‘Good,’ Empton said. ‘We’ll watch the ports and airfields. Especially the stuff going west. Yet,’ he said, ‘that will scarcely be necessary. I think we can do better than that. I’ll have a little chat with our friend Razek — you know how it is? Set a Pole to catch a Pole.’
‘Muck,’ Wanda said. ‘Just muck.’
Empton chuckled. ‘I like you,’ he said. He looked at his watch. ‘Think I’ll get along,’ he said. ‘I’m sure the legal routine is in good hands.’
He nodded to Gently. Whitaker rose. Campling continued to sit saying nothing.
CHAPTER TWELVE
POLISH GUNMAN’S CAR FOUND WATCH ON DOCK AREA
The car known to have been driven by Timoshenko Teodowicz, the armed Pole wanted by the police in connection with the A1 shooting incident, was discovered yesterday in a cul-de-sac in the Highfield district of Southampton. Police wearing revolvers were today patrolling the dock area of the town and tracker dogs have been used.
SOUTHAMPTON MAN’S CAR AT MARBLE ARCH MR EDWARD STOCKBRIDGE
When Mr Edward Stockbridge of 21, Calcutta Road, went to collect his car after a visit to the Gaumont Cinema last night, he could not find the car. This morning the Town Police contacted Mr Stockbridge to tell him that his car had been found — near the Marble Arch. The Metropolitan Police, not knowing it to be stolen, had towed it away to their ‘pound’. Mr Stockbridge has been assured that he will not be fined on this occasion.
GUNMAN’S WEAPON FOUND STEN GUN IN STREAM CHILDREN PADDLING FIND IT
Two small boys yesterday found the weapon used in the A1 shooting incident, for which the police have been searching since Tuesday. The boys are Eric Blanton, aged 7, and Thomas Seggs, aged 8, of Compton, Hampshire. They found the gun while they were paddling in the River Itchen, near their home. Police think that Teodowicz jettisoned the gun while he was making his way to Southampton.
COSH BANDIT SOUGHT ATTACKS IN DALSTON AREA
Police are searching for a heavily built man of about 50 who they think is responsible for several recent cosh
