Accuse the Toff by John Creasey Page B

addressed to you here?’
    â€˜It was and it gave me one of the shocks of my life,’ admitted Rollison. ‘On the other hand, it made the CO decide that he could spare me at odd intervals.’ His smile was positively cherubic and most of the effect of his shaking-up at the flat was gone. ‘So hand-in-hand we march, oh Grice, and as always I’m at your service.’
    â€˜When are you going to tell me the full story?’ demanded Grice sceptically. ‘I don’t believe I’ve had anything like all.’
    â€˜You haven’t,’ admitted Rollison frankly. ‘But it’s going to take too much time just now and there should be another bulletin after twelve o’clock. That is zero hour,’ he confided, leaning over the desk and lowering his voice. ‘Ibbetson tells me that he’s going to have the case from me at twelve pip emma or I’m going to die. A forceful man but I don’t take everything he says at its face value.’
    Grice glanced at his watch quickly.
    â€˜Twelve o’clock? If you mean that—’
    â€˜Now, hold it,’ protested the Toff. ‘Every half-word I utter this morning you view with scepticism and I’ve done nothing but tell you the truth. That was his threat. He was so sure I had the case that I admitted it and told him it was at the office. I fixed an appointment outside the flat for twelve sharp.’
    â€˜I’ll get it watched at once,’ said Grice, obviously struggling to retain his equanimity and to accept what the Toff told him as gospel truth. ‘How many men do you think you’ll need?’
    â€˜None,’ said Rollison firmly.
    â€˜Don’t be a fool.’ Grice was nearly irritable.
    â€˜None,’ repeated the Toff more firmly. ‘If I judged Ibbetson aright, he’ll know a Yard man by sight and smell and I don’t propose to take chances with him. I’m going to hand him a case. What’s the time? … nearly eleven; then we’ve three-quarters of an hour to get a black case as like that one as two peas, labelled and gummed up in exactly the same way for me to hand over to Ibbetson or his courier. Can do?’
    â€˜Even if I can, the man needs following,’ said Grice.
    â€˜Oh, no. I know at least one place where he lives. We don’t want him followed; we want him to think that he scared me effectively, at least until he’s opened the case.’ Rollison leaned forward and touched Grice’s hand. There was a note of appeal in his voice and there was no doubt at all that he was in dead earnest. ‘Don’t abide by regulations and upset this chance. You know as well as I do that if we do the wrong thing just now we might really get into a mess. If you’d like a metaphor, the case is like a bud just opening and if we pull the stem we’ll never get the full bloom.’
    Grice scowled at him.
    â€˜That’s a beautiful picture but—’ He paused, shrugged his shoulders and eyed the case, not Rollison. Rollison’s wrist-watch ticked audibly but, apart from that, there was no sound in the office.
    Rollison wondered whether he had tried Grice too far; he knew that, of the men at the Yard, Grice was the only one on whom he could rely to be unorthodox; in consequence, the Toff was more frank with the Superintendent than with any of the others. Until then he had been given no reason to repent his frankness but as he watched the man deliberating he wondered whether Grice would come down heavily with his official foot and insist on watching Rollison and the flat.
    Grice looked up at last, his eyes very wide.
    â€˜All right, I’ll see you this far.’
    â€˜Good man,’ said Rollison gratefully. ‘You had me scared; I was already deciding never again to confide in a policeman! What about a replica of that case? Do you think you can manage it?’
    â€˜It’s got to be done,’ said Grice. He stood up,