Morgan didn’t reply and Brady said helpfully, “Maybe Fallon just doesn’t like you anymore. Maybe he decided to lock you and Martin in the strongroom just for kicks and took off. Unfortunately he tripped and fell in the passage, knocking himself unconscious.”
Morgan turned away contemptuously. “You ought to see a psychiatrist.”
“We’ll provide you with one for free,” Miller said. “You’re going to need him badly, Morgan. You’re going to sit for the next ten years staring at the wall, asking yourself the same question over and over again until it drives you out of your mind.”
Morgan snapped, suddenly and completely. “But I don’t know what went wrong. I don’t know.” He hammered on the table with a clenched fist. “Can’t you get that through your thick skull?”
In the silence which followed Grant peered round the door, eyebrows raised. Miller shook his head, nodded to Brady and they joined the superintendent in the corridor.
“Anything?” Grant said.
Miller shook his head. “No more success than we’ve had with the others.”
“He seems genuinely bewildered to me,” Brady put in. “I get the impression he’d like to know what happened as much as anybody.”
“Right,” Grant said briskly. “This is where keeping them separate might have paid off. Put them together in cell 15 and let’s see what happens.”
When the constable pushed Joe Morgan into the cell, Martin was sitting despondently on a bench against the wall. Morgan frowned in bewilderment as the door closed behind him.
“What is this?”
Martin shrugged. “Search me.”
“Maybe the place is wired for sound?”
Morgan looked the walls over carefully and behind him, the door opened again and Jack Fallon was pushed into the cell. He looked a mess. His lips were swollen and gashed, several teeth missing and the front of his shirt was soaked in blood.
He staggered forward, a wild look in his eyes and grabbed Morgan by the lapels. “What happened for Christ’s sake? Who was he?”
Morgan tore himself free with some difficulty. “Who was who?”
“The bloke who came in through the tunnel and locked you and Johnny in the strongroom.”
“What are you talking about?” Morgan demanded.
“I’m trying to tell you. I saw him on the bloody television screen. Big bloke all in black with a stocking over his face. He locked you and Johnny in the strongroom and I jumped him from the stairs.”
“You had a barney?”
“Not for long. Henry Cooper couldn’t have hit me any harder than he did.”
“Maybe it was Harris?” Martin said.
“Do me a favour.” Fallon laughed harshly. “I could break him in two with one hand tied behind my back. It wouldn’t make sense anyway. What would he stand to gain?”
“Then why haven’t they put him in with the rest of us?”
“Search me.”
Morgan turned away, his hands gripped tightly together. “Only one man knew we were pulling this caper,” he said. “The man who organised it.”
“Vernon?” Martin’s eyes widened. “It don’t make sense, Joe.”
“I’ve just got one prayer,” Morgan said. “That one day they put him in the same nick as me. That’s all I ask.”
In the next cell, Grant reached up to switch off the tannoy and nodded to Miller and Brady. “That’ll do me. In we go.”
They went out into the passage and the constable who was standing at the door of cell 15 unlocked it quickly and stood back.
“Did I hear somebody mention Max Vernon’s name?” Grant said as he led the way in.
“Why don’t you take a running jump at yourself,” Morgan told him bitterly.
“Oh, to hell with it.” Jack Fallon cursed savagely. “If you think I’m going to rot while that bastard goes free you can think again. If you don’t tell him, I will.”
“You don’t have much luck with Vernon, do you?” Grant said to Morgan. “Remember that Cable Diamond affair? I suppose he saw you all right when you came out.”
“Five hundred,” Morgan said. “Five hundred quid for five bloody years in the nick.” The anger came pouring out of him in an uncontrollable flood. “All right — Vernon’s your man and much good it’ll do you. We were supposed to be back at his place no later than one-thirty. If he’s still there when you call then I’m Santa Claus.”
It was almost five-thirty when Miller went into Grant’s office. The superintendent was reading through the statements made by Morgan and his cronies and looked up sharply.
“Any luck?”
“Not a sign. Must have cleared out the back way on foot. I’ve put out a general call. We’ve alerted the County and the Regional Crime Squad as well.”
“He’ll probably try for the Irish boat at Liverpool.” Grant said. “He won’t get far.”
“I’m not so sure, sir. What if he’s still in town?”
“Why should he be?”
“There’s always Craig. He has a score to settle there.”
“I shouldn’t think he’d be foolish enough to hang around while he still had time to get out.”
“All the same, sir, I’d like your permission to give Craig a ring. I’d feel happier.”
Grant leaned back in his chair and looked at him reflectively. “You like him, don’t you?”
“I suppose the simple answer to that is yes — a hell of a lot.”
Grant indicated the ’phone on his desk with a sweep of his hand. “Be my guest.”
The ’phone rang for a long time at the other end before it was lifted and Harriet Craig said sleepily, “Yes, who is it?”
“Harriet — is that you? Nick Miller here.”
“Nick?” There was a pause and he had a mental picture of her struggling up onto one elbow, a bewildered frown on her face. “Nick, what time is it?”
“Twenty to six. I was hoping to speak to your father.”
“I’m afraid he’s gone away for a few days.” Suddenly, her voice changed and she came wide awake. “What is it, Nick? Is something wrong?”
There was genuine alarm in her voice and he hastened to reassure her. “Everything’s all right, I promise you. Are you on your own?”
“No, Jenny’s here.”
“Tell you what. How would you like to give me breakfast? I’ll tell you all about it then.”
“That’s fine by me. What time?”
“Seven-thirty too early?”
“Not at all. If you think I could go to sleep again after this you’re mistaken.”
Miller replaced the receiver and turned to Grant. “She’s on her own — her father’s out of town. Mind if I put a car on watch up there? Just in case.”
“Just in case?” Grant said and smiled. “Young love — it’s marvellous. Go on — get out of here.”
It was raining heavily when Miller drove up to the house and the patrol car was parked by the entrance to the drive. He got out of the Cooper and walked across and the driver wound down his window.
“Anything?” Miller asked.
“Not a thing, sarge. Some bird came out of the door about five minutes ago and took a walk in the garden, that’s all. She must be nuts in this weather.”
