Honourable Intentions: A gripping WWI spy thriller full of intrigue and suspense (Captain Matthew Ranklin Spy Thrillers Book 4) by Gavin Lyall

Author:Gavin Lyall [Lyall, Gavin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silvertail Books
Published: 2023-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

Perhaps Mockford would have found a reply to that, but there was a hideous scraping noise from the hallway. He yanked open the door to see the laden coffin being dragged towards the front door.

One of the constables straightened up and panted: “Too heavy for the two of us, sir, and not room enough to get more.”

As they reached the battered front door, Noah Quinton appeared outside. Seeing the coffin, he took off his hat and let it go by. Then he came in.

“Good evening, Superintendent.”

“Evening, Mr Quinton. Who are you representing this time?”

“Mrs Finn said that Mam’selle Collomb was in trouble again. Is she here?”

Mockford turned away, mouthing “damned vulture” once he got his back turned.

Quinton followed him into the front room, peered through the dim gaslight until he recognised everybody who mattered, and put his briefcase down on the table. It sagged, and he had to stop the case falling off. “Good evening, Mr…er…” He didn’t know who Ranklin was being in this context and didn’t mind his uncertainty showing.

“Berenice Collomb is next door or somewhere,” Ranklin said shortly. “I think we’ve just about reached an understanding here—”

“Have we?” Mockford asked.

“Well, perhaps an impasse, then. You’re obviously going to talk to Sir Basil and he’ll talk to the Home Secretary or my Chief, probably both, and…” He spread his hands.

Quinton looked from one to the other. “Am I allowed to know what happened here?”

Ranklin said: “Berenice Collomb had been kidnapped, we tracked her down to here, a man trying to drag her away took a shot at Mr Gorman, so we shot him.”

There was a short silence. Then Quinton murmured: “Most succinct. However, I can’t say that I would have advised you to say anything like that…”

“Never mind that. Whatever gets said at a coroner’s inquest is going to be arranged at a much higher level than this. It might help if you had a talk to Berenice. She’s got an anarchist view of the police —”

“Not only them,” Quinton reminded him.

“—and the last time she met them, they suspected her of murder. So, if the Superintendent could now say that she is no longer under suspicion, she might tell us something useful.”

Quinton looked at Mockford, who shook his head. “I can’t do that, sir. Not until I know more about the whole matter.” Being kept in the dark as he was, he was sticking doggedly to the rules. Ranklin could hardly blame him but did.

“Talk to her anyway and see what she says about being kidnapped. We’ll think about the rest later.”

Quinton took his briefcase away to the back room. Mockford waited until he was sure both doors were shut, but even then, kept his voice low. “It seems to me, sir, that Mr Quinton knows more about this affair than I do.”

“Possibly.” Ranklin adopted a soothing tone. “He’s been involved in it since before we were: extradition, anarchism… God knows what.” Then he added: “And perhaps only God.”

Mollified or not, Mockford changed the subject. “Before you

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