isn’t very much,’ Steve said. He looked frantically all over Denny’s face in search of some expression. Not a trace showed. ‘That’s what’s bugging me,’ he said.
‘Disappointed, Steve,’ Denny said at last.
‘Well, it’s a proposition, Denny. Over a year’s work, you know. Night and day. Have to finish with it.’
Denny got up and went to the window, and came back and sat down again. ‘What ploposition?’ he said.
‘I wondered, firstly, if you’d lend it.’
‘Not a money-render,’ Denny said.
‘Alternatively, invest it.’
‘Don’t invest what I don’t know.’
‘Only two hundred quid. Say four hundred dollars. In notes,’ Steve said, pushing it a bit. ‘Not much, is it, Denny?’
Denny stared longer.
‘What dollars?’ he said.
‘Four hundred.’
‘Why dollars?’
‘Two hundred quid.’
After a pause, Denny said, ‘Disappointed, Steve.’
‘Denny, you said you understood. If you understand that I’m stuck in this thing –’
‘Understand,’ Denny said.
Nothing much had happened to his face, but some damned thing had happened. It had switched off.
Steve put in a last effort.
He said, ‘Look, Denny, I don’t understand business. But you weren’t looking for a business brain, were you?’‘No. I business blain,’ Denny said.
‘It needs your sort of brain. Let Artie come and explain the facts and figures to you. He’s got all that stuff. I mean, there is money in it, I’m sure. And we’ve done so much.’
Denny opened a drawer and took out a diary.
‘Wednesday,’ he said.
‘It’s only Friday now, Denny.’
‘Seven o’crock. No, Chen is coming. Seven-thirty. Wednesday .’
Denny didn’t say any more, and he didn’t seem to expect Steve to say any more.
They returned silently to the shop together.
*
They worked late Friday and Steve felt distinctly knackered as he left. He’d brooded all afternoon over his handling of the interview, and he knew he shouldn’t have mentioned dollars. Still, his expectations hadn’t been high.
He bought a Globe in the street.
SCOTLAND YARD BAF fl ED ran the headline, and above it two other racing lines: Is mad genius behind Chelsea Killings ? As coded notes reach police …
Still standing in the street, he read the first bold paragraph.
A deranged genius may be responsible for the recent spate of murders in Chelsea. News exclusive to the Evening Globe indicates that the police have received ‘coded notes’ revealing detailed knowledge of the pattern of murder. Although Scotland Yard would neither confirm nor deny the report, evidence of an ‘extraordinary intelligence’ is believed to be shown by …
Steve read on, all down the column, fascinated.
*
Frank read it, too, similarly fascinated.
So did Artie.
And Mooney.
As was soon obvious, the C.C. had read it, too.
‘Well, Ted,’ he said on the phone. ‘Where did they get it?’
‘Inquiries going on now.’
‘Information Room here is a madhouse at the moment. We need a discussion, Ted.’
‘Ng,’ Warton said.
‘Can’t have you here. They’ll think you’re being carpeted. Are you getting the Press there any more?’
‘A few hanging about at the moment. Waiting for me to leave, I expect.’
‘Do you expect ’em in the morning?’
‘ Tomorrow morning?’
‘I’m prepared to give up a Saturday. Are you?’
‘Well, naturally, sir,’ Warton said slowly.
‘Let’s leave it till noon. They’ll have gone by then. I’ll drive myself, private car.’
‘Fine, sir. And thank you.’
Warton hung up and considered. Coming to Chelsea. Could easily have seen him at some neutral location. Wanted to see the procedure, Incident Room. That was perfectly okay. Wouldn’t find a better one anywhere.
He was uneasy, though.
What he had expected to happen hadn’t happened yet.
16
D ESPITE his strong dislike for the job, Warton was a considerable innovator in it. He had to go about and see bodies, which was offensive enough, but apart
‘Disappointed, Steve,’ Denny said at last.
‘Well, it’s a proposition, Denny. Over a year’s work, you know. Night and day. Have to finish with it.’
Denny got up and went to the window, and came back and sat down again. ‘What ploposition?’ he said.
‘I wondered, firstly, if you’d lend it.’
‘Not a money-render,’ Denny said.
‘Alternatively, invest it.’
‘Don’t invest what I don’t know.’
‘Only two hundred quid. Say four hundred dollars. In notes,’ Steve said, pushing it a bit. ‘Not much, is it, Denny?’
Denny stared longer.
‘What dollars?’ he said.
‘Four hundred.’
‘Why dollars?’
‘Two hundred quid.’
After a pause, Denny said, ‘Disappointed, Steve.’
‘Denny, you said you understood. If you understand that I’m stuck in this thing –’
‘Understand,’ Denny said.
Nothing much had happened to his face, but some damned thing had happened. It had switched off.
Steve put in a last effort.
He said, ‘Look, Denny, I don’t understand business. But you weren’t looking for a business brain, were you?’‘No. I business blain,’ Denny said.
‘It needs your sort of brain. Let Artie come and explain the facts and figures to you. He’s got all that stuff. I mean, there is money in it, I’m sure. And we’ve done so much.’
Denny opened a drawer and took out a diary.
‘Wednesday,’ he said.
‘It’s only Friday now, Denny.’
‘Seven o’crock. No, Chen is coming. Seven-thirty. Wednesday .’
Denny didn’t say any more, and he didn’t seem to expect Steve to say any more.
They returned silently to the shop together.
*
They worked late Friday and Steve felt distinctly knackered as he left. He’d brooded all afternoon over his handling of the interview, and he knew he shouldn’t have mentioned dollars. Still, his expectations hadn’t been high.
He bought a Globe in the street.
SCOTLAND YARD BAF fl ED ran the headline, and above it two other racing lines: Is mad genius behind Chelsea Killings ? As coded notes reach police …
Still standing in the street, he read the first bold paragraph.
A deranged genius may be responsible for the recent spate of murders in Chelsea. News exclusive to the Evening Globe indicates that the police have received ‘coded notes’ revealing detailed knowledge of the pattern of murder. Although Scotland Yard would neither confirm nor deny the report, evidence of an ‘extraordinary intelligence’ is believed to be shown by …
Steve read on, all down the column, fascinated.
*
Frank read it, too, similarly fascinated.
So did Artie.
And Mooney.
As was soon obvious, the C.C. had read it, too.
‘Well, Ted,’ he said on the phone. ‘Where did they get it?’
‘Inquiries going on now.’
‘Information Room here is a madhouse at the moment. We need a discussion, Ted.’
‘Ng,’ Warton said.
‘Can’t have you here. They’ll think you’re being carpeted. Are you getting the Press there any more?’
‘A few hanging about at the moment. Waiting for me to leave, I expect.’
‘Do you expect ’em in the morning?’
‘ Tomorrow morning?’
‘I’m prepared to give up a Saturday. Are you?’
‘Well, naturally, sir,’ Warton said slowly.
‘Let’s leave it till noon. They’ll have gone by then. I’ll drive myself, private car.’
‘Fine, sir. And thank you.’
Warton hung up and considered. Coming to Chelsea. Could easily have seen him at some neutral location. Wanted to see the procedure, Incident Room. That was perfectly okay. Wouldn’t find a better one anywhere.
He was uneasy, though.
What he had expected to happen hadn’t happened yet.
16
D ESPITE his strong dislike for the job, Warton was a considerable innovator in it. He had to go about and see bodies, which was offensive enough, but apart
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