narrative

inspector crome was in his office at scotland yard.

the telephone on his desk gave a discreet buzz and he picked it up.

‘jacobs speaking, sir. there’s a young fellow come in with a story that i think you ought to hear.’

inspector crome sighed. on an average twenty people a day turned up with so-called important information about the a b c case. some of them were harmless lunatics, some of them were well-meaning persons who genuinely believed that their information was of value. it was the duty of sergeant jacobs to act as a human sieve—retaining the grosser matter and passing on the residue to his superior.

‘very well, jacobs,’ said crome. ‘send him along.’

a few minutes later there was a tap on the inspector’s door and sergeant jacobs appeared, ushering in a tall,moderately good-looking young man.

‘this is mr tom hartigan, sir. he’s got something to tell us which may have a possible bearing on the a b c case.’

the inspector rose pleasantly and shook hands.

‘good morning, mr hartigan. sit down, won’t you? smoke? have a cigarette?’

tom hartigan sat down awkwardly and looked with some awe at what he called in his own mind ‘one of the big-wigs.’ the appearance of the inspector vaguely disappointed him. he looked quite an ordinary person!

‘now then,’ said crome. ‘you’ve got something to tell us that you think may have a bearing on the case. fire ahead.’

tom began nervously.

‘of course it may be nothing at all. it’s just an idea of mine. i may be wasting your time.’

again inspector crome sighed imperceptibly. the amount of time he had to waste in reassuring people!

‘we’re the best judge of that. let’s have the facts, mr hartigan.’

‘well, it’s like this, sir. i’ve got a young lady, you see, and her mother lets rooms. up camden town way. their second-floor back has been let for over a year to a man called cust.’

‘cust—eh?’

‘that’s right, sir. a sort of middle-aged bloke what’srather vague and soft—and come down in the world a bit, i should say. sort of creature who wouldn’t hurt a fly you’d say—and i’d never of dreamed of anything being wrong if it hadn’t been for something rather odd.’

in a somewhat confused manner and repeating himself once or twice, tom described his encounter with mr cust at euston station and the incident of the dropped ticket

‘you see, sir, look at it how you will, it’s funny like. lily—that’s my young lady, sir—she was quite positive that it was cheltenham he said, and her mother says the same—says she remembers distinct talking about it the morning he went off. of course, i didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. lily—my young lady—said as how she hoped he wouldn’t cop it from this a b c fellow going to doncaster—and then she says it’s rather a coincidence because he was down churston way at the time of the last crime. laughing like, i asks her whether he was at bexhill the time before, and she says she don’t know where he was, but he was away at the seaside—that she does know. and then i said to her it would be odd if he was the a b c himself and she said poor mr cust wouldn’t hurt a fly—and that was all at the time. we didn’t think no more about it. at least, in a sort of way i did, sir, underneath like. i began wondering about this cust fellow and thinkingthat, after all, harmless as he seemed, he might be a bit batty.’

tom took a breath and then went on. inspector crome was listening intently now.

‘and then after the doncaster murder, sir, it was in all the papers that information was wanted as to the whereabouts of a certain a b case or cash, and it gave a description that fitted well enough. first evening off i had, i went round to lily’s and asked her what her mr cust’s initials were. she couldn’t remember at first, but her mother did. said they were a b right enough. then we got down to it and tried to figure out if cust had been away at the time of the first murder at andover. well, as you know, sir, it isn’t too easy to remember things three months back. we had a job of it, but we got it fixed down in the end, because mrs marbury had a brother come from canada to see her on june 21st. he arrived unexpected like and she wanted to give him a bed, and lily suggested that as mr cust was away bert smith might have his bed. but mrs marbury wouldn’t agree, because she said it wasn’t acting right by her lodger, and she always liked to act fair and square. but we fixed the date all right because of bert smith’s ship docking at southampton that day.’

inspector crome had listened very attentively, jotting down an occasional note.

‘that’s all?’ he asked.

‘that’s all, sir. i hope you don’t think i’m making a lot of nothing.’

tom flushed slightly.

‘not at all. you were quite right to come here. of course, it’s very slight evidence—these dates may be mere coincidence and the likeness of the name, too. but it certainly warrants my having an interview with your mr cust. is he at home now?’

‘yes, sir.’

‘when did he return?’

‘the evening of the doncaster murder, sir.’

‘what’s he been doing since?’

‘he’s stayed in mostly, sir. and he’s been looking very queer, mrs marbury says. he buys a lot of newspapers—goes out early and gets the morning ones, and then after dark he goes out and gets the evening ones. mrs marbury says he talks a lot to himself, too. she thinks he’s getting queerer.’

‘what is this mrs marbury’s address?’

tom gave it to him.

‘thank you. i shall probably be calling round in the course of the day. i need hardly tell you to be careful of your manner if you come across this cust.’

he rose and shook hands.

‘you may be quite satisfied you did the right thing in coming to us. good morning, mr hartigan.’

‘well, sir?’ asked jacobs, re-entering the room a fewminutes later. ‘think it’s the goods?’

‘it’s promising,’ said inspector crome. ‘that is, if the facts are as the boy stated them. we’ve had no luck with the stocking manufacturers yet. it was time we got hold of something. by the way, give me that file of the churston case.’

he spent some minutes looking for what he wanted.

‘ah, here it is. it’s amongst the statements made to the torquay police. young man of the name of hill. deposes he was leaving the torquay palladium after the film not a sparrowand noticed a man behaving queerly. he was talking to himself. hill heard him say “that’s an idea.” not a sparrow—that’s the film that was on at the regal in doncaster?’

‘yes, sir.’

‘there may be something in that. nothing to it at the time—but it’s possible that the idea of the modus operandifor his next crime occurred to our man then. we’ve got hill’s name and address, i see. his description of the man is vague but it links up well enough with the descriptions of mary stroud and this tom hartigan…’

he nodded thoughtfully.

‘we’re getting warm,’ said inspector crome—rather inaccurately, for he himself was always slightly chilly.

‘any instructions, sir?’

‘put on a couple of men to watch this camden townaddress, but i don’t want our bird frightened. i must have a word with the ac. then i think it would be as well if cust was brought along here and asked if he’d like to make a statement. it sounds as though he’s quite ready to get rattled.’

outside tom hartigan had rejoined lily marbury who was waiting for him on the embankment.

‘all right, tom?’

tom nodded.

‘i saw inspector crome himself. the one who’s in charge of the case.’

‘what’s he like?’

‘a bit quiet and lah-di-dah—not my idea of a detective.’

‘that’s lord trenchard’s new kind,’ said lily with respect. ‘some of them are ever so grand. well, what did he say?’

tom gave her a brief résuméof the interview.

‘so they think as it really was him?’

‘they think it might be. anyway, they’ll come along and ask him a question or two.’

‘poor mr cust.’

‘it’s no good saying poor mr cust, my girl. if he’s a b c, he’s committed four terrible murders.’

lily sighed and shook her head.

‘it does seem awful,’ she observed.

‘well, now you’re going to come and have a bite oflunch, my girl. just you think that if we’re right i expect my name will be in the papers!’

‘oh, tom, will it?’

‘rather. and yours, too. andyour mother’s. and i dare say you’ll have your picture in it, too.’

‘oh, tom.’ lily squeezed his arm in an ecstasy.

‘and in the meantime what do you say to a bite at the corner house?’

lily squeezed tighter.

‘come on then!’

‘all right—half a minute. i must just telephone from the station.’

‘who to?’

‘a girl i was going to meet.’

she slipped across the road, and rejoined him three minutes later, looking rather flushed.

‘now then, tom.’

she slipped her arm in his.

‘tell me more about scotland yard. you didn’t see the other one there?’

‘what other one?’

‘the belgian gentleman. the one that a b c writes to always.’

‘no. he wasn’t there.’

‘well, tell me all about it. what happened when you got inside? who did you speak to and what did you say?’

ii

mr cust put the receiver back very gently on the hook.

he turned to where mrs marbury was standing in the doorway of the room, clearly devoured with curiosity.

‘not often you have a telephone call, mr cust?’

‘no—er—no, mrs marbury. it isn’t.’

‘not bad news, i trust?’

‘no—no.’ how persistent the woman was. his eyes caught the legend on the newspaper he was carrying.

births—marriages—deaths…

‘my sister’s just had a little boy,’ he blurted out.

he—who had never had a sister!

‘oh, dear! now—well, that isnice, i am sure. (“and never once mentioned a sister all these years,” was her inward thought. “if that isn’t just like a man!”) i was surprised, i’ll tell you, when the lady asked to speak to mr cust. just at first i fancied it was my lily’s voice—something like hers, it was—but haughtier if you know what i mean—sort of high up in the air. well, mr cust, my congratulations, i’m sure. is it the first one, or have you other little nephews and nieces?’

‘it’s the only one,’ said mr cust. ‘the only one i’ve ever had or likely to have, and—er—i think i must gooff at once. they—they want me to come. i—i think i can just catch a train if i hurry.’

‘will you be away long, mr cust?’ called mrs marbury as he ran up the stairs.

‘oh, no—two or three days—that’s all.’

he disappeared into his bedroom. mrs marbury retired into the kitchen, thinking sentimentally of ‘the dear little mite’.

her conscience gave her a sudden twinge.

last night tom and lily and all the hunting back over dates! trying to make out that mr cust was that dreadful monster, a b c. just because of his initials and because of a few coincidences.

‘i don’t suppose they meant it seriously,’ she thought comfortably. ‘and now i hope they’ll be ashamed of themselves.’

in some obscure way that she could not have explained, mr cust’s statement that his sister had had a baby had effectually removed any doubts mrs marbury might have had of her lodger’s bona fides

‘i hope she didn’t have too hard a time of it, poor dear,’ thought mrs marbury, testing an iron against her cheek before beginning to iron out lily’s silk slip.

her mind ran comfortably on a well-worn obstetric track.

mr cust came quietly down the stairs, a bag in his hand. his eyes rested a minute on the telephone.

that brief conversation re-echoed in his brain.

‘is that you, mr cust? i thought you might like to know there’s an inspector from scotland yard may be coming to see you…’

what had he said? he couldn’t remember.

‘thank you—thank you, my dear…very kind of you…’

something like that.

why had she telephoned to him? could she possibly have guessed? or did she just want to make sure he would stay in for the inspector’s visit?

but how did she know the inspector was coming?

and her voice—she’d disguised her voice from her mother…

it looked—it looked—as though she knew…

but surely if she knew, she wouldn’t…

she might, though. women were very queer. unexpectedly cruel and unexpectedly kind. he’d seen lily once letting a mouse out of a mouse-trap.

a kind girl…

a kind, pretty girl…

he paused by the hall stand with its load of umbrellas and coats.

should he…?

a slight noise from the kitchen decided him…

no, there wasn’t time…

mrs marbury might come out…

he opened the front door, passed through and closed it behind him…

where…?