The Toff In Town

“No deal,” repeated Rollison firmly.

Merino sat for a long time, looking at him. The flat was silent; Merino didn’t move and Rollison did not avoid his challenging gaze. It seemed as if Merino were trying to outstare him, to force him into submission by the sheer strength of his personality. And it wasn’t easy to sit and watch him.

The silence dragged on, but Rollison was determined not to break it

Merino did.

“You’re a very obstinate man,” he declared, “and I’m sorry about it, Mr. Rollison, but I couldn’t talk straighter than I have done. I’ve given you warnings and I’ve made a very generous offer. What I can’t give you is time. I’m in a hurry to concentrate on the main part of my business, and this isn’t it. You’ll go abroad. You won’t see the Aliens again. Or else——”

“You’ll shoot me where I sit,” said Rollison dryly.

“Maybe I could do that,” said Merino, “but first——”

The telephone bell rang.

Merino glanced at his watch, and it seemed to Rollison that he gave a sly grin of satisfaction. Rollison leaned forward and picked up the receiver. His voice was quite casual as he said:

“Rollison speaking.”

“Rollison, it’s Allen here.” He recognised Allen’s voice, even the note of desperation in it. “Rollison, my wife— where’s my wife?”

“I don’t understand you,” said Rollison, very slowly.

“Don’t talk like a fool! She was coming to see you, she ought to have been back an hour ago.”

“She hasn’t been here.” Rollison looked at Merino, who smiled and stroked his beard. “How long has she been gone?”

“Since two o’clock—just after your man called and told her to come. Rollison, if you——”

Merino leaned forward and deliberately put his finger on the receiver rest, cutting Allen off. Rollison kept the receiver in his hand; Merino kept his finger in position.

“You see, Rollison, I have several tricks,” he said, softly, “Mrs. Allen was persuaded to come to see you, but of course she didn’t arrive. She won’t arrive, she won’t return to her husband, she won’t turn up again anywhere unless—well, you might find her on the Riviera. Are you beginning to understand what I say?”

CHAPTER TEN

BLUFF CALLS BLUFF

UNDOUBTEDLY Merino meant what he said. He sat back, com-pletely at ease. Between his beard and moustache his lips showed very red. His eyes were creased at the corners, as if he were really amused and confident that he would get his way. It was obvious that he was used to being obeyed; probable that he would find it difficult to get used to defiance. His confidence was as remarkable as the fact that he was prepared to offer an enormous bribe in order to set both the law and police at naught.

He had expected that call from Allen; the timing had been perfect.

Now, his expression seemed to say: “You haven’t any choice.”

Rollison picked up the hangman’s rope and drew it through his fingers, and for the first time Merino’s eyes flickered towards it His smile disappeared, and he sat more upright in his chair.

“Well, Mr. Rollison? What’s your decision?”

“I think I’ll tell you a story,” said Rollison mildly. “There was once a very clever young man, an intellectual, a man who thought that he could defy Scotland Yard and all the police put together. And he did, for a long time. No one suspected him of crime, of murder— of a dozen-and-one offences against the law of the land and against ordinary human decency. I came to know him slightly. I had a great admiration for his cleverness, Merino— he wasn’t a fool, either. And I think he might have got away with murder and most of his crimes but—he fell in love with a girl. A nice girl. Not his type, not in his set and married. He didn’t worry about that. He always got what he wanted. He began to play on that girl’s nerves. He did so by working on her husband and framing him for crimes he hadn’t committed. He tormented and tortured both of them. He thought the time would come when he would get the girl, but—that was his mistake. This is the result——”

He lifted the rope.

Merino said: “You can’t frighten me.”

“Oh, I didn’t frighten the man this rope hanged,” said Rollison, “but he was hanged. I often wonder whether he would have been, had he let that girl alone. I didn’t get him, nor did the police. We both helped, but the real thing that broke that man’s neck was a thing he hadn’t thought of. Love. Boy-loves-girl. Get a real case of that, and it’s stronger than anything else. Barbara Allen and her husband are a curious parallel.”

“You may think that’s so,” said Merino, but there was a slight huskiness in his voice which hadn’t been there before. “I can do what I like with the Aliens.” He looked at the rope again, as Rollison kept drawing it between his fingers. “And I’ve told you the truth, Rollison, but you’ve lied. That rope didn’t hang anyone, it——”

“Oh, it’s the same rope,” said Rollison. “How I got it won’t interest you, except—people said it was quite impossible to obtain!” He smiled. “I’ve many friends, inside and outside Scotland Yard. You may think you know something about me, that I’m supposed to be a free-lance who sticks his nose into crime and works independently of the police, but—I’ve seldom worked alone, although I’ve sometimes worked without consulting the police.” He turned round suddenly and took a knife from the wall. It was of the stiletto type, with a handle of beautifully worked silver. He balanced it on his fingers as he went on:

“There’s an instance. I took that out of a man’s heart, Merino. The victim had tried to get away with murder and worse, and he was hunted by people he’d victimised—and I helped those people. Not with the intention of letting them kill him, I wanted to see him hanged, but events got ahead of me. I couldn’t have helped by telling the