Calling Mr. Callaghan by Peter Cheyney

Author:Peter Cheyney [Cheyney, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

It was three o’clock when Callaghan was shown into Chief Detective-Inspector Gringall’s room at Scotland Yard.

Gringall said: “Hello, Slim. I’m glad to see you. What’s the trouble?”

Callaghan said: “It’s about this Giles murder. Miss Allardyce—the woman who was going to marry him—has been to see me. She’s got an idea that you’re after the wrong man. She’s got an idea that you’re going to arrest this fellow Strangeways. She doesn’t like it a bit. She’s certain that Strangeways would never have killed Giles in a million years. She thinks one of his previous lady friends did it.”

Gringall said: “Is that so? I don’t agree. She believes Strangeways killed Giles.” He looked at Callaghan and smiled. “Possibly she hasn’t told you the whole truth,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t, you know.”

Callaghan said: “All right. So she didn’t tell me the whole truth. You tell me—why does she think that Strangeways killed Giles—as you’re so certain on that point?”

Gringall said: “Giles was killed on the afternoon of the day before yesterday—Tuesday afternoon. Apparently, on the day before that—on the Monday—Strangeways got into touch with Miss Allardyce and asked her for Giles’ address. She says she gave it to him, and then was sorry afterwards.”

Callaghan nodded. He said. “That’s right. That’s what she told me.”

“And there’s something else that apparently she didn’t tell you,” said Gringall. “She immediately sat down and wrote Giles a letter. She didn’t like the idea of this interview between these two men at all. In her letter she told Giles that Strangeways was coming to see him the next day. She asked Giles not to see him. She said there would only be trouble, that Strangeways was in a hell of a temper and hated the very mention of Giles’ name.”

Callaghan said: “That’s not so good. You found the letter?”

“That’s right,” said Gringall. “We found it in pieces in the wastepaper basket in Giles’ flat. I had ’em pasted together. Perhaps you’d like to read it.”

He laid the pasted up letter and envelope on the desk in front of Callaghan. He said: “It looks pretty bad for Strangeways, doesn’t it? He was the last person to see Giles alive. I’m sorry about your client, Slim, but I think to-morrow we’ll probably have to pull him in.”

Callaghan said: “Well I can’t stop you.” He glanced at the pasted up envelope in front of him. He said: “I’ve got Giles’ address from this envelope I suppose you’ve no objection to my going and looking round the flat?”

Gringall said: “Certainly not. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t. I’ll call through the porter downstairs and tell him it’s O.K.”

Callaghan said: “Don’t do that—if you don’t mind, Gringall. I want to try something.”

Gringall shrugged his shoulders. “Just as you like, Slim,” he said.

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