nearly caught you and me in the act of landing that plane.”
“But it’s a nightmare.”
“I’ve never put the blame on the staff,” he said, “and I’m not going to start now. I’ll keep you out of it.”
I didn’t like the idea of surrender, and I told him so.
“Too many noncombatants about,” he replied, nodding his head towards the uproarious noise that was coming from the living room. “They have no business in this sort of thing.”
“I’m going to give ‘em a better world than this even if I go to gaol for it.”
“Ten minutes of your better world is up,” he said.
“I can’t help feeling Lex is the key.”
“Produce him to the police, you think?”
“It’s bound to rattle Hiart.”
“For a moment, until he can get a word with him. Then all Lex has to say is the truth–ha?–that we did receive him, and that Hiart tried to get him away.”
Sandorski shot out a hand to me for silence. His left eye sparkled with life, showing up the artificial right in fierce contrast that I had never noticed before.
“Lex!” he said. “Quick!”
He did the rope trick into the roof, with me after him.
“Lex, if we can get you away from here, where do you go?”
He used Lex’s real name, which I needn’t repeat. That gave the man confidence.
“Where I go? Why?”
“The police are on to us. But there’s still a chance of delivering your bag. Where were you to go if the plane made a forced landing?”
“Why don’t you know?” Lex replied stolidly.
“Because my orders were to take you here. But it’s bust open, my lad. It’s hot. We’ve got to get out.”
Lex thought it over and decided to trust us.
“Flat 9, 26 Fulham Park Avenue, London.”
“Who do you ask for?”
“I think empty. I have keys.”
“Get a stiff needle and black thread from your missus,” Sandorski ordered me. “And tell her to hop it now with the children.”
“What’s the idea?”
“Bolt. Skip. Now–ha? If we can get Lex to London, we’ll beat ‘em yet.”
I left Sandorski to tidy up the roof space; he hadn’t time to hide all traces of occupation, but he hoped to indicate that only one man had been there, not two.
“Go out now with the children, my darling,” I said to Cecily, “and get them that ice cream. When you come back, we shan’t be here. But Hiart will be, and the police. They are bound to find out that someone was in the roof, but say you knew nothing about it. Say I was certainly behaving oddly, but stick to your story that I never went out last night. When you took the children to the village, I said I would follow you in a minute, and we’d have a quick one at the local. Got it?”
“But where will I be able to find you?” she cried.
“Safe as can be. In the hands of the police. But I don’t want to be caught till we’ve sunk this People’s Union for good and all.”
Our parting wasn’t as sentimental as either of us would have liked, but one gets used to that in a family. The children were exasperating. They were deep in a game and decided that they didn’t want ice cream. They wouldn’t put on their coats. A hat couldn’t be found. And all the time the precious minutes were ticking away. My last view of George was of the little scamp dragging back on Cecily’s firm hand, and howling loudly.
I turned off all the lights, and went out to reconnoiter the garden and the back.
“Careful,” Sandorski suggested.
“What the hell do you think I’m going to be?”
“Right, Colonel, my lad! But I just remembered again that Hiart thinks Lex is dead. If you were too, how convenient for him! Don’t say he will. Doesn’t like violence. But it must occur to him.”
I quietly unlocked the garage door. Lex slipped in, keeping to the shadows, and lay down in the back of the car where we covered him with a rug and his splendid overcoat. Sandorski threw in the briefcase, wrapped up in a brown paper parcel, and told him what it was. At the last moment he dashed back
“But it’s a nightmare.”
“I’ve never put the blame on the staff,” he said, “and I’m not going to start now. I’ll keep you out of it.”
I didn’t like the idea of surrender, and I told him so.
“Too many noncombatants about,” he replied, nodding his head towards the uproarious noise that was coming from the living room. “They have no business in this sort of thing.”
“I’m going to give ‘em a better world than this even if I go to gaol for it.”
“Ten minutes of your better world is up,” he said.
“I can’t help feeling Lex is the key.”
“Produce him to the police, you think?”
“It’s bound to rattle Hiart.”
“For a moment, until he can get a word with him. Then all Lex has to say is the truth–ha?–that we did receive him, and that Hiart tried to get him away.”
Sandorski shot out a hand to me for silence. His left eye sparkled with life, showing up the artificial right in fierce contrast that I had never noticed before.
“Lex!” he said. “Quick!”
He did the rope trick into the roof, with me after him.
“Lex, if we can get you away from here, where do you go?”
He used Lex’s real name, which I needn’t repeat. That gave the man confidence.
“Where I go? Why?”
“The police are on to us. But there’s still a chance of delivering your bag. Where were you to go if the plane made a forced landing?”
“Why don’t you know?” Lex replied stolidly.
“Because my orders were to take you here. But it’s bust open, my lad. It’s hot. We’ve got to get out.”
Lex thought it over and decided to trust us.
“Flat 9, 26 Fulham Park Avenue, London.”
“Who do you ask for?”
“I think empty. I have keys.”
“Get a stiff needle and black thread from your missus,” Sandorski ordered me. “And tell her to hop it now with the children.”
“What’s the idea?”
“Bolt. Skip. Now–ha? If we can get Lex to London, we’ll beat ‘em yet.”
I left Sandorski to tidy up the roof space; he hadn’t time to hide all traces of occupation, but he hoped to indicate that only one man had been there, not two.
“Go out now with the children, my darling,” I said to Cecily, “and get them that ice cream. When you come back, we shan’t be here. But Hiart will be, and the police. They are bound to find out that someone was in the roof, but say you knew nothing about it. Say I was certainly behaving oddly, but stick to your story that I never went out last night. When you took the children to the village, I said I would follow you in a minute, and we’d have a quick one at the local. Got it?”
“But where will I be able to find you?” she cried.
“Safe as can be. In the hands of the police. But I don’t want to be caught till we’ve sunk this People’s Union for good and all.”
Our parting wasn’t as sentimental as either of us would have liked, but one gets used to that in a family. The children were exasperating. They were deep in a game and decided that they didn’t want ice cream. They wouldn’t put on their coats. A hat couldn’t be found. And all the time the precious minutes were ticking away. My last view of George was of the little scamp dragging back on Cecily’s firm hand, and howling loudly.
I turned off all the lights, and went out to reconnoiter the garden and the back.
“Careful,” Sandorski suggested.
“What the hell do you think I’m going to be?”
“Right, Colonel, my lad! But I just remembered again that Hiart thinks Lex is dead. If you were too, how convenient for him! Don’t say he will. Doesn’t like violence. But it must occur to him.”
I quietly unlocked the garage door. Lex slipped in, keeping to the shadows, and lay down in the back of the car where we covered him with a rug and his splendid overcoat. Sandorski threw in the briefcase, wrapped up in a brown paper parcel, and told him what it was. At the last moment he dashed back
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