The Executioners by John Creasey

Author:John Creasey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: House of Stratus

Chapter Thirteen

Alarm

Roger felt his nerves tensing with excitement. The laboratory man sensed the sensation his news had caused, and twisted round to see Coppell’s hand stretched out for the piece of iron piping. Coppell took it, carefully testing its weight. All three men stared at Roger, as if at an oracle.

“The burned papers, we now know, were drawings, and we have a faked assault,” he said softly. “Rachel del Monde wasn’t struck with that bar. She loosened her hair and sprawled over the desk in an attempt to give the impression of an attack. I didn’t think it very convincing at the time.”

“Better pick her up,” Coppell said.

Kane began to say: “No!” but broke off; no one could doubt that he stopped only because it was Coppell who had spoken.

“If we don’t get a move on, she’ll have flown,” Frisby said. He touched the telephone. “Who do you want to do it?”

“No one yet,” said Roger.

“Have you gone mad?” Coppell demanded. “Once she talks to us—”

“What makes you think she’ll talk?”

“They all do.”

“Not this woman,” Roger said, with absolute conviction. His leg throbbed, his head throbbed, yet his mind still felt crystal clear. “We want her watched and followed without her knowing anything about it. We want her background, history, everything we can find out about her.” He was staring at Frisby. “We want to know the relationship between her and Medlake. We don’t want her to know we suspect her.”

Frisby was disapproving, Kane discreetly delighted, Coppell unconvinced.

“You think she let Mason into the house, don’t you?”

Roger couldn’t sit still any longer, but hoisted himself to his feet and moved towards the window; walking was more painful even than he had feared. He turned back towards his desk.

“I think we should consider the possibility that she arranged for Mason to come to Blenheim Terrace so as to fake the attack on her, and to fake or to make an attack on Medlake while I was there. The purpose would be obvious – to convince me of the menace of men like Mason. The thing could have been laid on after I’d made the appointment. If this is what happened, there’s no way of telling whether Medlake was in the know or not. His manner with me was certainly strained – it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a party to such a plot. But I don’t think it would be any easier to make him talk than to make Rachel del Monde talk. If Joe Mason could sing we’d have a better chance, but he can’t for a while. In any case Medlake has powerful friends. We have to make sure we don’t make any mistakes where he is concerned. I think we should give them all the rope they want, keep them under close surveillance, and start the search for the missing men. We want to trace their disappearance and the drawings back to Medlake and his secretary, not the other way round.” After a pause, Roger went on

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