The Toff In Town

Talbot. He drove swiftly through the deserted streets, thinking a little about Bill Ebbutt and his boys, more about Barbara Allen, much about Allen himself— and the diamonds. He had no doubt that they existed, but Allen had refused to admit it, saying that he knew nothing about any precious stones, and had maintained that attitude no matter how Rollison had tried to shift him or his wife cajoled.

Rollison put the car away in a garage near Gresham Terrace, slipped the key into his pocket and walked into the street. A clock struck two. Ebbutt had wasted no time, and if the Aliens did get more visitors that night, the visitors would have a rude shock. He hurried up two flights of stairs to his flat, and as he neared the top of the second flight, still thinking about the diamonds, he thought he saw something move.

He missed a step, deliberately.

It was dark up here, but a faint light came from the hall below, where a dim bulb burned all night. He couldn’t be sure whether he had seen the movement, but now, as he went up more quietly, he smelt tobacco smoke. He hummed softly, as if he hadn’t a suspicion, took his key and slipped it into the lock. Deliberately he fumbled with it. He was sure now that someone moved. He opened the door a few inches but stopped to take the key from the lock—and as he did so something hard was jammed into his ribs and a man hissed:

“Don’t make a sound!”

Slowly, Rollison put up his hands.

CHAPTER SIX

WARNING

“KEEP still,” ordered the man behind Rollison. It wasn’t Blane; Rollison would have recognised the voice. “Listen to me, and don’t make any mistake about it. Leave the Aliens alone.”

“The Aliens?” Rollison pretended surprise—in fact, there was not much need to pretend. The “something” was pressed harder into his ribs.

“You know who I mean,” the man said. It was pitch dark. They were half inside the hall of the flat, and there was no glimmer of light here; the radiance from downstairs didn’t spread as far as this. Rollison could feel the man’s breath on the back of his neck, so he was tall.

“Keep out of the Aliens’ affairs, see. You saw Allen tonight, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I saw the wreck.”

“That’s nothing to what will happen to you if you poke your nose in,” growled the unknown. “You won’t know whether you’re coming or going.”

“But I’m,” said Rollison, “I’m staying here.”

“You’d better stick right here,” the man said. “This is something you can’t tackle. It’s too big for you or anyone else. You won’t heip the Aliens by going to the police, and you’ll only get bashed if you try anything yourself. Got me?”

“You’ve made it all very clear,” said Rollison.

The man pushed him forward, sending him staggering into the hall, and slammed the door. Rollison came up against the wall as a light went on in Jolly’s room, and Jolly’s door burst open. Jolly gave the Toff one glance and rushed to the front door, a vision in yellow.

“Careful !” called Rollison.

“I will be, sir.” Jolly opened the door an inch and peered on to the landing “I don’t think——” he began.

The street door slammed.

“You can relax,” said Rollison, moving from the wall and brushing his hair out of his eyes. Dishevelled, there was a ruggedness about him that had not been noticeable before. “I think he had a gun, but it may have been a bit of wood.”

“Shall I——” began Jolly.

“You will not go out the back way and trail him,” said Rollison firmly. “He’s almost certainly haring along the street by now. It’s a night for letting bad men get away, so we may as well keep in the fashion. Sorry you were disturbed, Jolly.”

“I’m sorry you were roughly handled, sir,” said Jolly.

“He could have been much rougher,” Rollison confided. “He was waiting on the landing and had one fixed idea. To put the fear of death into me.”

Then he could not have known you very well,” observed Jolly.

Rollison chuckled.

“Nicely said I On the other hand, he knew me and he knew that I’d been to see the Aliens. The position is this: Mrs. Allen is distressed because her husband is in a spot, and he . . .”

There were few gaps left in the story five minutes later, and Jolly, whose ability to grasp quickly the essentials of such a recital was unrivalled, forbore to ask questions, although he looked very thoughtful. He was lukewarm about Ebbutt’s men but he accepted them philosophically.

Ten minutes after the door had slammed on Rollison, they went to their rooms. Almost immediately afterwards, Rollison came out of his and went to the front door.

He opened the door, as Jolly called:

“Have I forgotten anything, sir?”

“No, I had. A pity the key was in the lock.”

“Was, sir?”

“Was.”