Robbery Without Violence by John Russell Fearn

Author:John Russell Fearn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, mystery, crime, sci-fi, sleuth
Publisher: Wildside Press
Published: 2012-02-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAP’I’ER ELEVEN

Nine o’clock found Hargraves and Brice both back in the office, cleanly shaved but red-eyed from a sleepless night. Hargraves made it his first duty to phone Judith Mackinley and tell her of the night’s failure.

“Oh, too bad!” came the girl’s commiserating voice over the wire. “We pinned such hopes to that move, too. What do you propose to do next, inspector? My directors will want to know.”

“I’m not sure,” Hargraves answered guardedly. “As a matter of fact, Miss Mackinley, I’d like a serious talk with you on the subject. Would you make it convenient to call upon me on your way to the bank this morning?”

“Certainly, but how can I possibly help?”

“We’ll see,” Hargraves answered vaguely, and put the phone down.

In about half an hour Judith arrived. She smiled seriously as the inspector greeted her and settled in the chair he pushed forward.

“I am going to be blunt about this, Miss Mac­kinley,” he said calmly. “Why did you think it necessary to tell Mr. Cole that the bank was baited for a second robbery?”

Judith remained silent, her brown eyes staring. Plainly she was surprised—and not a little hurt.

“I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t. After all, he’s my fiancé.”

“Then you did tell him? I wasn’t sure of it, but thanks for the corroboration.”

“Inspector, I don’t like your attitude, and I par­ticularly resent your line of action against me. It is your job to find the thieves, not take me to task for things I happen to say to my fiancé.”

Hargraves thumped a fist on the desk. “Listen to me, Miss Mackinley. Because you told your fiancé what the police were doing there was no robbery at your bank last night. Instead, another bank—Grantham’s to be precise—was robbed of £500,000 in gold in precisely the same manner as yours. If you’d kept quiet it would never have happened and by now we’d have almost finished the case!”

“But how could saying just a few words to Jeff—”

“Unofficially,” Hargraves interrupted, “Jeffrey Cole is the man we’re after. You asked me yes­terday if I considered him guilty and I avoided answering. Now I’m telling you: we have every proof we want, but we can’t get at him. I’m taking a risk in telling you this, but if I don’t say some­thing, we’ll never get anywhere.”

Judith said slowly: “You mean to tell me that Jeff robbed my father’s hank?”

“And Grantham’s. There may even be other charges.”

“Other charges? What other charges?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.... Dropping my role as policeman for a moment, Miss Mackinley, let me warn you that in associating with Cole you’re playing with fire.”

“That’s a matter of opinion!” Judith’s face was strained.

Hargraves shrugged. “Very well; I’m just giving you the hint, that’s all. If you’d help us and trans­fer your affections from Cole we could really make headway. Or is that too much to ask?”

“Far too much!” Judith turned to the door. “I’m sorry, inspector, but whatever opinions you may have about Jeff Cole, I’d prefer definite proof before I believe.

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