“They’re going to tell me, I don’t know yet,” said Selby. “But it’s my sister’s farm, you can’t stop her from doing what she likes with it. It’s no crime to sell what you possess.”
“It’s a crime to conspire with criminals to break the law, Mr. Selby.”
“They won’t be breaking the law by buying the farm ! It’s hers to sell. They broke the law by kidnapping me, but that’s nothing to do with me.”
“They broke the law with two little matters of murder.”
“You can’t prove it. That was probably this American, Brandt,” Selby said angrily. “Why don’t you go and deal with him?”
“Mr. Selby,” said Grice, in a sharper voice, “you seem to have peculiar ideas about the proper way to behave. I have two officers outside. They are going to ask you, your sister and Mr. Mome for detailed statements. When I have studied those statements I can decide whether I should take any action. You yourself may not be involved in this, but both Mr. Mome and your sister appear to have been in a position to murder or to abet one or both of the murders—of Charles Habden and Reginald Lodwin. The statements must be extremely detailed.”
He turned towards the door,
“You’ve no right “ M.M.M. began.
“I know exactly what rights I have and I shall assert them,” Grice said aggressively. He took a paper out of his pocket, “Here is a search warrant for this apartment, consequent upon your statement about the assault this afternoon, and doubts cast upon it by other witnesses.”
He opened the door, and two plain clothes men from the Criminal Investigation Department came in, while a third stayed outside, obviously to be on guard.
Grice turned to look at the trio.
“Your statements will be taken separately, and will be closely scrutinised for inaccuracies and errors of any kind. I don’t need to tell you how serious this matter is.”
Selby said in a quivering voice: “How—how long will it take?”
“I don’t know.” Grice was sharp. “Why?”
“I—I’m supposed to be “ Selby broke off.
“You’re supposed to give yourself up at a certain time, no doubt,” said Grice. “We shan’t stop you, Mr. Selby. In fact we shall help you. We’re very anxious indeed to meet your abductors.”
He went out.
Rollison followed him, and had at least one cause for satisfaction. Grice had affected all three so much that none of them looked at him, Rollison, only at the man from Scotland Yard.
Outside in the passage, Rollison said mildly: “Very impressive, Bill. That’s the first time for years that I really enjoyed playing second fiddle.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed something,” Grice said, “because if you mix with the Lodwins and the Charlie Habdens of this world much more, you’ll be in serious trouble. What made you decide to act as wet-nurse to the American?”
“Thirst for information,” declared Rollison. “He’s a mine of it. Bill, the behaviour of the police has been a bit odd in this show, and it still is. Am I to be kept in suspense and under observation too, or can you tell me what it’s all about?”
They reached the lift.
Grice said: “We’ve known for some days that Lodwin and Habden were on some job. Both have records, and we wanted to find out what they were after, and who they worked for. They were the leaders of a party of four who often hired themselves out. Lodwin was a con-man, Charlie
Habden an all-rounder with a trick of scaring his victims— his chief forte was blackmail—and they used two men to do the rough work. We don’t know who hired them this time. We don’t know who killed Lodwin and Habden, either. We do know that they had been exerting pressure on Selby for some time. There’s no doubt they kidnapped him. The problem is—who and where is the murderer? Could Mome have killed Lodwin?”
“No, he hadn’t time. He’s behaving as if he’d like to kill me, though.”
“Don’t tell me he surprises you,” Grice said. “He’s been suffering pretty badly for a long time after the shock of losing that leg. He and Selby are just about at the end of their tether, and they’ll do anything to get out of danger. I shouldn’t blame them too much.”
“Kind-hearted copper,” murmured Rollison, “I’ll try to be charitable, too. What’s the drill now? Let Selby go, follow him, and grab the people he joins?”
“Yes.”
“What makes you think he’ll lead you to them ?”
“Desperation.”
“I wouldn’t place that bet,” said Rollison. “How long has he been under pressure, do you say ?”
“As far as we can say, three weeks or so.”
“Hmm. Bill,” said Rollison, “I don’t think he’ll lead you to the kidnapping killers. I think you’re going the wrong way about it. You ought to clap him in irons, so to speak— you could find a dozen things to charge him with if you really tried hard. Get him out of the way, and stop him from exerting too much influence on his sister. Do the same with Morne. Charge them with whatever you like, so that the girl will be on her own, and the people who want the farm will have to deal with her direct. Then we really ought to see the sparks fly.”
“The trouble with you is that you’re utterly irresponsible,” Grice complained. “It’s not so easy to make charges as you seem to think, we have to work by rule and regulation. I’ll tell you someone who I am going to charge.”
