Salute the Toff by John Creasey Page B

then took his Frazer-Nash from the garage near by and drove to Dring Mansions. There was no reply when he knocked and rang at the door of No. 81.
    A clock from one of the flats was striking ten when he went to the end of the passage, and saw that a fire-escape led close to one of the windows of the Lornes’ flat. He could not break in by the front door, but the window in question was open.
    The back of the flats faced smaller houses, and he saw a few tradesfolk in the streets as he walked along the fire-escape without batting an eye, and saw then that by stretching up on tip-toe he could reach the window, He opened it more widely, and then climbed through.
    He did not know whether he was observed, but hoped that the openness of what he was doing would allay any suspicion. He squeezed through the window and dropped lightly on the other side, finding himself in a small kitchenette, which was beautifully kept. He walked through to the front door, listening intently but hearing no sound in the passage. He waited there for some minutes, satisfied himself that no undue interest had been aroused, and then – all the time moving very softly and making no sound – he approached the doors of the two rooms which he took to be the bedrooms.
    Neither was locked.
    He turned the handle of one very quietly, but found a small bedroom empty, one which had not been slept in – unless the Lornes had been up early, and the flat had been straightened before they had left. He did not think that likely, and he approached the second bedroom with even greater caution. The door opened without a sound.
    The bed had not only been slept in, but was still occupied. A man was sleeping, with the clothes dishevelled, and an eiderdown mostly on the floor. In sleep the man’s homely features were relaxed, yet there was a frown at the lips, as if he were complaining in his dreams.
    The Toff stared at Mr. Edward Harrison.
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Chapter Fourteen
More Of Myra
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    The Toff stood quite still for some seconds, and recovering from the surprise at seeing Harrison there. It was no more than that, for he had had considerable doubts about Ted Harrison.
    The Toff looked down at the key, inside the door.
    He withdrew it, watching the sleeping man all the time, and closed the door quietly. He turned the key in the lock, perched his head on one side and looked at the door as if trying still to see Harrison, then he paid attention to the other bedroom. There was a small wall-safe behind a picture in the lounge. The safe presented little difficulty to the Toff, who was experienced in the ways of most locks. It contained only one thing of surprising interest.
    There was a bundle of shares, some three thousand in all; and a covering letter fastened to them by a rubber band expressed Messrs. Murray and Firth’s gratification that they had been able to obtain the shares for Mr. Lorne.
    And the shares were in the Mid-Provincial Building Society.
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    By then the Toff admitted to himself that he was becoming exasperated with the Draycott affair.
    So many trails started, only to end nowhere. Too many things happened behind his back: too many complications presented new problems, so that they continually increased and none showed any signs of approaching a solution.
    Except for the Lornes there was no one he could try to interview, no one from whom information might be forthcoming – except Harrison. He decided that it would be wiser to let Harrison believe that the Toff thought his interest was a chivalrous one on Fay’s behalf; Harrison would later get a shock.
    He completed his search, and returned to the door of the main bedroom: Harrison was still sleeping, for only the sound of his heavy breathing came from the room. The Toff satisfied himself of that, put the key on the lounge table, then started for the front door. When he was two yards away he heard footsteps, and then he heard a key in the lock.
    He moved swiftly towards the bathroom.
    The