A Bespoke Murder

‘Given the chance,’ he said, ‘I’d do the same thing again.’

‘Oh — so you feel proud that you broke the law?’

‘I feel proud that I struck a blow for the downtrodden masses. I belong to them, see?’ He pointed an accusatory finger. ‘Have you ever seen the prices of the suits in that shop?’

‘I have, as a matter of fact,’ said Keedy.

‘They cost more than I earn in a whole year. That’s indecent, Sergeant. Why should anyone pay all that money for a suit when there are people starving in this city?’

‘That’s not the point at issue, sir.’

‘It is for me. I believe that society should have a moral basis. Let me explain what I mean,’ said Emmott, warming to his theme. ‘I started work in this pub last January and I got here very early in the morning on my first day. Do you know what I found?’

‘No,’ said Keedy, ‘what was it?’

‘I found an old man, curled up in the doorway, frozen to death. Imagine it, Sergeant. He’d crawled in there like an unwanted dog and spent his last hours on earth shivering throughout a cold winter’s night. How could that be allowed to happen in a civilised society?’

‘I don’t have the answer to that, sir. What I can tell you is that, unfortunately, the incident is not an isolated case.’

‘He was dressed in rags and wrapped in newspaper,’ said Emmott with vehemence. ‘Compare that poor devil to the overpaid toffs who buy their expensive suits and thick overcoats from people like Jacob Stein. It’s wrong, Sergeant. Why should some prosper while others live and die in absolute penury? It’s all wrong.’

‘I’m inclined to agree with you there.’

‘Then why aren’t you doing something about it?’

‘I don’t accept that looting and destroying someone’s shop is a legitimate way of righting social inequalities,’ said Keedy, forcefully. ‘It’s sheer vandalism and it’s a crime.’

‘Jacob Stein was a symbol of class dominance.’

‘He was a man who made the most of his exceptional abilities. As such, he’s entitled to the respect of the general public and the protection of the law.’

‘Don’t talk to me about the law,’ said Emmott, frothing. ‘It’s been devised by the rich for the benefit of the rich. Our police are nothing but the lackeys of the ruling class. You should be ashamed to be part of them, Sergeant.’

‘We serve people from all ranks of society, Mr Emmott.’

‘That’s rubbish!’

‘We do, sir.’

‘Where were you when that old man froze to death?’

‘Where were you when Jacob Stein was murdered?’ asked Keedy, tiring of the barman’s rant. Emmott was stunned. ‘You didn’t know about that, did you? While you were striking your blow for the downtrodden masses, somebody was stabbing Mr Stein to death.’

The barman paled. ‘Is that true?’

‘That murder was probably hatched in this very pub.’

‘There was no talk of murder when we set out,’ pleaded Emmott. ‘Most people just wanted to show what they thought of Germans, whereas me and Archie were there on behalf of the deserving poor. We got principles, see? We fight against oppression.’

‘I’m sure that you think your motives are laudable,’ said Keedy with an edge, ‘but they won’t stop you being arrested. The same goes for this other person, Archie whatever-his-name-is. We were told that he sells newspapers in Piccadilly Circus. Is that correct?’

‘Yes, he’s my best friend.’

‘And he holds the same political views, by the sound of it.’

‘It’s the only reason we joined that march,’ said Emmott. ‘Me and Archie were not like the others. They wanted to avenge the sinking of the Lusitania, yet only a thousand or so people died as a result of that.’ Drawing himself up to his full height, he struck a pose. ‘We were there on behalf of the millions — yes, millions — of British subjects who are drowning in a sea of destitution.’

‘Who else was part of that mob?’ asked Keedy. ‘Apart from you, Archie and your high moral principles, who else set out to destroy Mr Stein’s shop once they’d come in here for some Dutch courage?’

But there was no reply. Questioned about his own involvement, Emmott was frankness itself but he refused to incriminate anyone else. The information that a murder had taken place in Jermyn Street altered his whole view of the enterprise. He would happily admit that he and his friend stormed the premises of Jacob Stein but he would not identify his companions. Keedy knew instinctively that he would get nothing further out of Douglas Emmott. The barman had clammed up completely. Keedy suspected that the newspaper vendor would react in the same way. Convinced that they were political martyrs, the two friends would endure their own punishment while saying nothing about others who’d been part of the mob.

Keedy arrested the barman and took him off. On their way to Vine Street police station, they picked up a newspaper vendor from Piccadilly Circus. Two more members of the mob would face charges.

When her husband broke the news to her that evening, Ellen Marmion was astounded. It was a possibility that had never crossed her mind.

‘You’re going to France?’ she gasped, staring in disbelief.

‘If it can be arranged, love,’ said Marmion. ‘Then we’ll cross the border into Belgium. It’s where their regiment is heading.’

‘You won’t go near the front, surely.’

‘We’ll go wherever necessary to arrest the two men.’

Hand to her chest, she sat on the arm of the sofa. ‘You’ve taken my breath away, Harvey. I mean, it’s such a long way to go.’

‘Scotland would be much further.’

‘It would be a lot safer as well. So many of our soldiers are being killed in Belgium, I find it hard to read the papers anymore. Well, you saw Paul’s last letter. He’s stationed further south, thank heaven, but he’d heard awful things about the battle raging around Ypres.’

‘Joe and I may not need to get anywhere near the town itself.’

‘All the same,’ she said, nervously, ‘I don’t like it.’

‘We can’t let them get away with it, Ellen.’

‘Well, no …’

‘Think how you’d feel if Alice had been assaulted like that,’ he suggested. ‘You’d want me to pursue them to the ends of the earth.’ Giving her a hug, he kissed the chevron of anxiety on her brow. ‘Don’t worry, love. I did go to France once before in pursuit of a criminal, remember, and I didn’t know a word of French that time. I’ll be a lot better prepared now.’

‘Can’t you send someone else?’

‘It’s my responsibility. The commissioner put me in charge of this case, so this is not something I feel that I can delegate.’

‘Why can’t Joe Keedy go there by himself?’

‘One detective can’t arrest two suspects,’ said Marmion, ‘and he certainly couldn’t bring them back alone. When they realise the sentence they’re facing, they’ll seize any chance to escape.’

‘In that case, you could be in danger.’

‘Stop getting so upset, love. You’ve never been like this before.’

‘You’ve never been to Belgium before.’

He spread his arms. ‘It’s not an ideal situation, I grant you, but I want these two men behind bars. I’ll do whatever it takes to put them there. It’s all part of the inquiry into the looting and burning of Mr Stein’s shop.’

Ellen made no reply. She took a close interest in her husband’s work and — though he kept any unpleasant details to himself — he found it helpful to use her as a sounding board. As a rule, she simply listened and made a few comments on what she’d been told about an investigation. This time, however, she was raising objections.

‘When will you go?’ she asked.