slight pause as they eyed each other well beyond the eyes. ‘I’ve got a fiver in my pocket if you’ll let me get at it,’ the prisoner said.
‘Have you?’ said Edward, gazing at his victim with implacable denial. ‘You know what an offer of that nature means?’
‘I’ve got six or seven in all,’ the prisoner said. ‘That’s all I’ve got, honest: you can search me.’
‘Who are you?’ said Edward.
‘I’d rather not say my name.’
‘Wouldn’t you! Tell me what’s your job.’
‘Salesman.’
‘Of what?’
‘Vacuum cleaners.’
‘With a suit like that? And that wrist watch?’ Edward gave the man a wrench.
‘All right. Car salesman. And I’ll make it twenty.’
Edward, still holding him, put his face closer and said low, slow, and distinctly, ‘You’ll make it fifty. And you’ll tell me where you work, and at exactly this time tomorrow – exactly , you understand me? – I’ll be calling there with a colleague. And you, you’ll have made arrangements to meet us alone in some room there – I don’t care where – and hand me what I said, singles and not new ones and unmarked please, in a plain envelope, and then I’ll forget about the whole matter and so will you. If you’ve got any ideas of seeing a lawyer or having any sort of reception committee for me, that’s up to you. But don’t forget my story will be – and it’ll be ready for filing by tonight at the station – that I was unable to arrest you because on more important duties, but you attempted to commit an offence and attempted bribery to an officer in the due course of his duties. Is that quite clear?’
‘I haven’t got that money,’ the prisoner said.
‘Then you’ll get it.’
‘Fifty’s a lot,’ he cried.
‘Quietly! So’s a few weeks in the nick. You’re certainly not a first offender …’
‘I’ve never had a conviction …’
‘We’ll soon put that right for you if you don’t do as I say. And one last thing. If you try to cross me over this you may get away with it, and you may not, but believe me, son, whatever embarrassment it might cause me, a lot of my colleagues in the Force won’t like it at all, and once we’ve got the needle into a man that’s shopped an officer, particularly a man like you, we’ll see it goes in deep and hurts you.’
Edward gave the man a sharp twist and abruptly released him. ‘Very well, officer,’ he said. ‘It’ll be as you say.’
Edward looked at him, said nothing for a moment, and then after collecting some particulars briskly (as if at the prisoner’s request), turned and walked away. Like a young soldier in battle who shoots and is shot at the first time, he felt pure elation: far greater than that in distant earlier days, of his first uniformed arrest. Then, as professional prudence descended on him again, he meditated on all the angles he could see so far. The rendezvous at the man’s own office seemed to him the master-stroke. For what officer, suspected of corruption, would ever go to fetch a bribe in so compromising a place? Righteous indignation could greet any such suggestion! The only tricky moment would be leaving the office with the envelope. But he wouldn’t: he’d bring the man out with the envelope, and take it from him somewhere else.
There only remained, so far as he could see, one problem: where to keep the money once he had it. Obviously, it would be imprudent to put even a relatively small lump sum like this in the Post Office savings – his only bankers. And perhaps as time passed, the sums might well get larger. And so? He must try to find out what the precedents in this matter in the Force might be, and even possibly consult his girl about it also.
MR LOVE
Frankie and his woman were well settled in: and hitherto, so far as they could see, had attracted no undue attention. Key money had been duly paid to the janitor of the block of flats they’d chosen – but since this was normal practice, excited no untoward
‘Have you?’ said Edward, gazing at his victim with implacable denial. ‘You know what an offer of that nature means?’
‘I’ve got six or seven in all,’ the prisoner said. ‘That’s all I’ve got, honest: you can search me.’
‘Who are you?’ said Edward.
‘I’d rather not say my name.’
‘Wouldn’t you! Tell me what’s your job.’
‘Salesman.’
‘Of what?’
‘Vacuum cleaners.’
‘With a suit like that? And that wrist watch?’ Edward gave the man a wrench.
‘All right. Car salesman. And I’ll make it twenty.’
Edward, still holding him, put his face closer and said low, slow, and distinctly, ‘You’ll make it fifty. And you’ll tell me where you work, and at exactly this time tomorrow – exactly , you understand me? – I’ll be calling there with a colleague. And you, you’ll have made arrangements to meet us alone in some room there – I don’t care where – and hand me what I said, singles and not new ones and unmarked please, in a plain envelope, and then I’ll forget about the whole matter and so will you. If you’ve got any ideas of seeing a lawyer or having any sort of reception committee for me, that’s up to you. But don’t forget my story will be – and it’ll be ready for filing by tonight at the station – that I was unable to arrest you because on more important duties, but you attempted to commit an offence and attempted bribery to an officer in the due course of his duties. Is that quite clear?’
‘I haven’t got that money,’ the prisoner said.
‘Then you’ll get it.’
‘Fifty’s a lot,’ he cried.
‘Quietly! So’s a few weeks in the nick. You’re certainly not a first offender …’
‘I’ve never had a conviction …’
‘We’ll soon put that right for you if you don’t do as I say. And one last thing. If you try to cross me over this you may get away with it, and you may not, but believe me, son, whatever embarrassment it might cause me, a lot of my colleagues in the Force won’t like it at all, and once we’ve got the needle into a man that’s shopped an officer, particularly a man like you, we’ll see it goes in deep and hurts you.’
Edward gave the man a sharp twist and abruptly released him. ‘Very well, officer,’ he said. ‘It’ll be as you say.’
Edward looked at him, said nothing for a moment, and then after collecting some particulars briskly (as if at the prisoner’s request), turned and walked away. Like a young soldier in battle who shoots and is shot at the first time, he felt pure elation: far greater than that in distant earlier days, of his first uniformed arrest. Then, as professional prudence descended on him again, he meditated on all the angles he could see so far. The rendezvous at the man’s own office seemed to him the master-stroke. For what officer, suspected of corruption, would ever go to fetch a bribe in so compromising a place? Righteous indignation could greet any such suggestion! The only tricky moment would be leaving the office with the envelope. But he wouldn’t: he’d bring the man out with the envelope, and take it from him somewhere else.
There only remained, so far as he could see, one problem: where to keep the money once he had it. Obviously, it would be imprudent to put even a relatively small lump sum like this in the Post Office savings – his only bankers. And perhaps as time passed, the sums might well get larger. And so? He must try to find out what the precedents in this matter in the Force might be, and even possibly consult his girl about it also.
MR LOVE
Frankie and his woman were well settled in: and hitherto, so far as they could see, had attracted no undue attention. Key money had been duly paid to the janitor of the block of flats they’d chosen – but since this was normal practice, excited no untoward
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