‘That’s a good overcoat,’ said Dover, bridling.
‘I’m sure,’ agreed the Chief Constable dryly. ‘Oh well, at least he’s got a move on. He’s coming out already.’
Taylor, looking like something out of an early Chaplin movie, scurried furtively across the pavement and thankfully concealed himself in the car.
‘Well?’ demanded the Chief Constable.
‘He’s not there, sir,’ said Taylor in a hushed voice. ‘He left about half an hour ago. They’ve no idea where he’s gone but he left after taking a telephone call. It was a woman’s voice, the receptionist said.’
Chapter Sixteen
‘The one thing we mustn’t do,’ said Dover, snatching his bowler hat back and examining it for unfair wear and tear, ‘is panic.’
‘On the other hand,’ the Chief Constable pointed out as Dover settled back comfortably in his corner and dosed his eyes, ‘ we don’t want to take it too casually, do we? After all, MacGregor is in considerable danger.’
Dover opened his eyes reluctantly. ‘Not really, sir,’ he said. ‘The doctor told me it’s a pretty simple operation. It must be, mustn’t it, seeing as how this vet woman tackles it without a qualm?’
‘That’s hardly the point, is it?’
‘No,’ said Dover with a grunt, ‘I suppose it isn’t.’ He pulled himself into a more upright position. ‘Well, I suppose we’d better put our thinking caps on Er, you haven’t got a cigarette on you by any chance, have you, sir? I seem to have mislaid mine somewhere.’
‘I don’t smoke,’ snapped the Chief Constable, thus putting himself finally and irrevocably beyond Dover’s pale.
‘I’ve got some, sir,’ volunteered the driver who had at last got himself extricated from the sticky embrace of Dover’s overcoat.
‘Oh, thank you, laddie. Well, now.’ He puffed smoke in the Chief Constable’s face. ‘ What’s our next move, eh? That’s the problem, isn’t it?’ The Chief Constable wound his window down. ‘Well, it’s my considered opinion that our next port of call should be the house of Miss ffiske.’
‘You think that’s where they’ve taken him?’
‘Without a shadow of doubt,’ said Dover confidently. ‘That’s where the operating table is and she’s the one with the know-how. They’ll have taken him there for sure.’
‘And what do you propose doing about it?’
Dover gazed glumly out of the window. As usual, everything was being shoved off on to his shoulders. What a life! ‘Well, we shall have to go and rescue him, shan’t we, sir?’
‘How?’
‘Well, I suppose you got all your men waiting at the police station, have you?’
‘Forty men, four girls, two vans, three police cars and a dog.’ said the Chief Constable heavily. ‘And all of them ringing up the overtime at a rate of knots.’
‘We’ll have the lot of ’em surrounding Miss ffiske’s house. Back and front, covering all exits. When they’re in position, we’ll go in.’
‘Go in? We can’t do that. We haven’t got a warrant.’
Dover sighed. One of these stick-to-the-rules, go-by-the-book nits, on top of everything else! ‘Once they see we’re there in force they’ll realize the game’s up,’ he said. ‘We’ll get in all right.’
None too happily the Chief Constable got on the radio and gave the necessary instructions. Dover yawned. His stomach rumbled. ‘Here,’ he snorted, ‘I haven’t had any dinner! I’m starving.’
‘Perhaps you would like me to postpone the whole operation until you’ve had something to eat?’
The irony rolled off Dover like water off a duck’s back. ‘Oh, I don’t think we should do that, sir. Not with poor MacGregor in the fix he’s in.’
A couple of minutes later the car arrived in Minton Parade and parked unobtrusively a hundred yards or so from Miss ffiske’s house.
A figure moved silently out of a patch of darkness and came across to the car. It was Wallerton’s own police Inspector. He saluted the Chief Constable.
‘We are all in position, sir,’ he reported in a low voice. ‘I’ve kept the dog and her handler by me, in case you need them, sir.’
‘Anything happening?’
‘Quiet as the grave so far, sir.’
‘Any lights on in the house?’
‘No, sir.’
The Chief Constable turned to look inquiringly at Dover.
Dover dutifully assumed an air of quiet confidence. ‘ That’s what you’d expect, isn’t it? They’re not going to hang a neon sign up outside the front door advertising what they’re up to.’
‘No,’ agreed the Chief Constable doubtfully. ‘You’re sure they’re here?’
‘Where else?’ demanded Dover.
‘Well, what’s your next step?’ asked the Chief Constable, consulting his watch. ‘Time’s getting on.’
Dover sighed. ‘Your next step.’ Talk about co-operation! ‘When you’ve checked that all your men are in position and all the exits blocked, I’ll go and knock on the front door. Soon as they open up we’ll go in.’
‘We?’
‘I’ll want half a dozen of your stoutest lads to back me up,’ said Dover hastily. ‘Your authority on the front door step would be a help, too.’
The Chief Constable chewed his lip unhappily. ‘I still don’t like it. It’s all highly irregular. Miss ffiske is a very influential member of the community.’
‘Suit yourself,’ said Dover sinking back in his corner, folding his arms and closing his eyes. ‘I reckon MacGregor’ll understand.’
‘Oh dear!’ said the Chief Constable. ‘Well, I suppose we’ve got no choice. I just hope to goodness they really are castrating MacGregor in there, otherwise we shall all have some very tricky questions to answer.’ He opened the car door. ‘Well, aren’t you coming?’
‘No point in us all getting wet,’ Dover pointed out reasonably. ‘I’ll wait here while you check your men. Be sure to tell ’em they’re to stop anybody leaving that house, whoever they are.’
Rather irately the Chief Constable got out of the car and strode off into the darkness and rain. Dover settled back to wait, wondering idly if perhaps they weren’t already too late. He took it philosophically. A chap couldn’t do more than his best, could he?
‘Excuse me, sir.’ Dover reluctantly opened his eyes. ‘ I wonder if you’d mind if Sukey waited in the car with you?
