Case Without a Corpse (25 page)

“It's nearly ten,” I said.

Beef sighed. “Ah well,” he said, “duty first. I'll tell you the rest of it now I've begun. Young Rogers comes 'ome. But that foreign-looking chap's been a shaddering of 'im day and night….”

“Day and night?” said Stute.

“You know wot I mean, sir. They meant to find out wot 'e was up to. They're artful, those foreign police. They wanted all the credit for the job. They weren't going to let on to us that they knew about young Rogers. Not them. They sends a man 'ome on his boat to see wot 'e gets up to in England. And I for one aren't sorry that the man nearly got froze to death. 'Owever, young Rogers 'ad noticed 'im, and mentions it to 'is young lady.

“Then there's another thing. This 'ere Smythe's letter's waiting for 'im. One way and another it don't look like being much of a leave for 'im. But wot does 'e care? 'E's got a young lady and that's all 'e worries about. 'E tells 'er about this Smythe and decides to go over there on the Wednesday to settle 'er.

“Meanwhile Fairfax, 'oo young Rogers only knows as a gent wot comes down for the fishing, asks 'im to lunch at that private 'otel, and 'e can't do nothing but accept. So 'e sets out early for Chopley to see this 'ere Smythe, and when 'e gets there 'e's told she's not up yet. So 'e says 'e'll come back in the afternoon, after 'e's 'ad lunch with Fairfax and before 'e sees 'is young lady at seven o'clock. So far so good.

“Then this Fairfax gets on to 'im to leave 'is job. Old Rogers 'as already done all 'e can, but it won't work. Young Rogers is an independent sort of chap, and wants to get married. So 'e won't take no notice of either of 'em. 'E's earning good money, and 'e'll save enough to be able to tell 'is young lady's mother where she gets off. And 'e won't fall for no persuasion.

“After lunch 'e and Fairfax walk round to the Mitre for a drink, the ole person wot keeps the Riverside not even 'aving applied for a licence. While they're in there 'oo should come in but that foreign detective snooping about after Rogers. But when Fairfax sees 'im 'e knows the game's up. 'E clears off on the 2.50 train, and decides to 'op it for abroad with 'is wife next morning.

“Meanwhile, as we know, young Rogers 'as gone over to Chopley and seen Smythe. 'E pays 'er over what they arrange and she gives 'im 'is letters back. 'E wants 'er out of the districk as soon as possible, and offers to take 'er over for the six o'clock, to which she agrees. On the way he thinks 'e better not come 'ome with those letters, and 'e stops to burn 'em, which 'e does so careful that only that little bit of one was found by that Smith, of Chopley. But 'e doesn't want to be seen careering about Braxham with Smythe on the back of 'is bike, nor yet to 'ave to pass twenty minutes with her while they're waiting for the train. So 'e stops just outside, an' when 'e sees Meadows coming along 'e asks the
exact time of the train. Then when it's just on time 'e runs 'er up to the station an off she goes.

“Well, there's nearly an hour before 'e 'as to meet his young lady, so 'e stops at the Dragon for a drink, leaving 'is bike in the alley at the side. Then when 'e sees it's time for 'im to go 'ome and get ready, 'e's off again, and gets back to the shop between 'arf past six and ten to seven.

“Meanwhile 'is benevolent ole uncle 'as got everythink ready. 'E's seen it's no good trying to persuade young Rogers not to go back, so 'e's decided wot 'e'll do. In the first place 'e's arranged for 'is wife to be out of the way. And 'ere we come to somethink on which I can't see the truth for certain. Did those Fairfaxes know 'e had plotted to do in young Rogers or didn't they? I don't know. P'raps it'll come out later. Anyway, Mrs. Fairfax 'ad 'ad 'er instructions to keep ole Mrs. Rogers out of the way. She may not 'ave known why she 'ad to do it—or she may 'ave. But she succeeded. The poor lady never 'ad much fun, and when this Mrs. Fairfax suggested they should go to a music-'all she was on. So she was out of the way all right.

“When young Rogers gets round to the shop 'e found ole Rogers waiting for 'im. ‘Your young lady's just been in,' 'e says, lying, as we
very
well know, ‘to say she can't meet you tonight. 'Er mother won't let 'er out of the 'ouse.' And perhaps 'e goes on to say she'll meet 'im at a certain time to-morrow, or some
think of the sort. 'E doesn't want his nephew to go out looking for 'er, see, so 'e 'as to make it nice an' definite.

“Young Rogers is disappointed. More'n that 'e's bored. It's a rainy evening, and 'ere 'e is, stuck in with nothink to do. That's just wot ole Rogers wants. 'E starts up on a subject wot's 'e been ‘ammering it for a long time. “Ere,' 'e says, ‘d'you want to get your own back on that Sergeant Beef?' he asks. ‘I don't mind if I do,' says young Rogers, ‘oo, as
we
know from others, 'as that very idea on 'is mind. ‘I'll tell you just 'ow you can do it,' says ole Rogers, and they 'ave a drink together.

“‘Is idea wasn't harf a clever one. ‘Go an' tell 'im you've committed a murder,' 'e says. ‘Committed a murder?' asks young Rogers. ‘That's it. 'E thinks 'isself clever at murders ever since 'e found out about that last one. And 'e'll be off after this like lightening. Before you know where you are 'e'll 'ave Scotland Yard on it. Then see wot 'appens to 'im when they find 'e's brought them down on a wild goose chase.' Young Rogers likes the idea but doesn't see 'ow 'e's going to pull it off. ‘But suppose 'e asks 'oo I've murdered?' 'e says to 'is uncle, an' a natural enough question when you comes to think of it. ‘You won't be there to answer,' says 'is uncle, ‘because when you've told 'im you've committed a murder you're going to pretend to commit suicide.' 'Ow's that?' asks young Rogers. ‘Why,' says the ole man, ‘we'll put some of my sleeping mixture in a bottle marked poison, and you'll swaller
it quick, and pretend to go out. Then you'll go orf to sleep and they'll think you're drugged, with wot you've took, and Beef'll be on the 'phone to Scotland Yard in no time.'

“Young Rogers liked the idea of making a fool of me. 'E never could get over my 'aving run 'im in last time 'e was 'ome. And it sounded easy enough. 'E knew I thought 'e was a bit of a wrong ‘un, and 'e thort I'd fall for the idea of 'im ‘aving done someone in as quick as any-think. So 'e agrees.”

There was no doubt about Stute's interest now. He was leaning forward, listening to every word.

“I don't know where the ole man got the idea from, but it was clever. See, it was safe as 'ouses. 'Oo was going to think young Rogers 'ad been murdered when 'arf a dozen people 'ad actually seen 'im committing suicide? It couldn't 'ave been plainer. Then they rigs up 'is sleeve with a drop of blood which ole Rogers gets from cutting 'is finger or somethink, and sticks a knife in 'is pocket, and there you are. Only when they comes to fill the bottle marked poison, wot Rogers 'as probably washed out elaborate in front of 'is nephew, the ole chap pours in a solution of the cyanide of potassium instead.

“Round comes young Rogers to the Mitre where I 'appened to be for a few minutes, as you know. And 'e carries out 'is part of thet plot so convincing that both you an' me, Inspector, spent a week or two looking for 'oo
'e'd murdered before I tumbled to it that 'e 'adn't murdered no one, poor fellow, but 'e'd been done in 'isself by 'is wicked uncle. It was a good idea though, because anyone might easily never 'ave suspected nothink but plain suicide.”

S
TUTE
said, very quietly, “And now your proofs, Sergeant?”

“I'll soon tell you them,” he said, “an' I'll tell you 'ow I got on to the idea. It was that poison. See, I didn't know much about it, either. Ignorance was bliss, as you might say, for I went round to the Public Library like old Rogers 'ad very likely done, and read up about it. And when I saw it was used for electroplating it 'itched up in my mind with wot 'ad been puzzling me all along—them overalls. It came over me all of a sudden, like you said things never did come, Inspector, that the ole man 'ad bought them overalls not for 'is nephew but for 'isself, to get that poison with, and that give me the 'ole idea.

“But of course I shouldn't never 'ave been able to get the details in without you 'adn't followed up all those people the masterly way you did. Finding that Fairfax, for instance, through them moving-van people an' wot that parson told you—that was clever if you like. And 'ow would I ever 'ave known wot motive 'e could 'ave 'ad if you 'adn't got on to them foreign police and found out about the game 'e was up to with drugs an' that? And then you 'aving all the resources of Scotland Yard to set on the finding of that Smythe—it all 'elped.
No, I couldn't 'ave got nowhere without the scientific side of it all.

“But you was wanting proof. As soon as you came- back to London, sir, I thought I'd give my idea a chance. So I slipped over to Claydown and 'ad a look at the chemists' shops. And sure enough the one nearest that metal workshop remembered 'is going there in 'is overalls arfter the poison. So there and then I rings up the metal works, and just as I thought they'd never so much as thought of sending out for anythink of that. They got it in big quantities from an 'olesale firm. It would 'ave been out of the question for one of their men to go round. Of course, the chemist's in a fine old state. Well, I suppose 'e will get into trouble. I mean 'e ought never to 'ave served 'im without knowing 'oo 'e was. Still, you can understand it, with those overalls and that.

“Besides, I showed the chemist a photograph of old Rogers wot my h'excellent young constable, Galsworthy, 'ad taken. One of 'is ‘obbies is photography, and 'e likes to 'ave a snap of anyone in the place wot we've got our eyes on. And ole Rogers being a teetotaller and a 'eavy church goer, we'd kept 'im under observation for a long time. So I 'ad his picture ‘andy, and the chemist recognized it at once.

“Then I 'unted up the shop where he'd bought the overalls, and they remembered 'im, too. It was a dingy little place, and I should think they'd remember any customer as came in.
They certainly remembered 'im, an' I've got a note of their name in my book.

“Course, there's a lot more proof we shall get. There's 'is ‘andwriting where 'e signed the poison book which I suppose some of your experts'll be able to swear was 'is, 'owever much 'e disguised it. And there'll be the Fairfaxes' word that the old man was in the drugs game, wot we'll be able to get out of them, easy enough, once they know we've got 'im. And there'll be Mrs. Fairfax's evidence that she was told to keep the old lady in London that night. And you'll soon 'ave all the details of 'is drug-selling.

“Then there's 'is running off. While I was waiting to see you just now, sir, I took the liberty of ringing up Galsworthy to see if 'e 'ad anythink to report. It appears that that chemist 'as been on the phone this afternoon. 'E says that about two o'clock someone rung 'im up at 'is'chemist's shop and pretended to be talking from Braxham Police Station. Asked if Sergeant Beef was there, or 'ad been in. The chemist, not thinking, said yes, this morning. Then afterwards when 'e'd gone over it in 'is mind, 'e thought it was funny anyone ringing 'im up like that, so 'e got on to Galsworthy to tell 'im. It was ole Rogers, of course. 'E'd 'eard I'd gone over to Claydown….”

“I'm afraid that was my fault,” I admitted. To tell the truth, I had been dreading the moment in which I should have to own to my indiscretion. “I mentioned to him where you had gone.”

“That accounts for it then. 'E'd rung up, see, to find out whether I was on to 'im or not. If I wasn't—well, the chemist wouldn't think nothink of being asked polite whether I'd 'appened to've been in there. If I was on to 'im—well, 'e knew where 'e stood. So when the chemist said I 'ad been in, 'e pockets 'is 'undred quid, wot 'e always kept ‘andy for an emergency, and 'eads off for the continent. But that's where we was too quick for 'im—Mr. Townsend and me. And 'e's safely in charge, and a good thing too.”

The Sergeant stopped, and passed a large handkerchief over his forehead. He was beaming with pride and pleasure.

Stute was silent for thirty seconds or more.

“Well, Beef,” he said at last, “I think you've hit it. In fact, in view of your chemist's evidence, I don't see that there can be much doubt. It's been a topsy-turvy case all through. It seems a bit absurd that your ignorance about cyanide of potassium should have put you on to something which I, with all the facts of the case at my disposal, missed. But I won't deny you followed it up well, and you're to be congratulated.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“The only thing is—I doubt if we could ever get a conviction for murder against old Rogers on the strength of this evidence, and I don't see how it can be improved in the necessary respect. We can prove that old Rogers bought the poison. But how are we to prove that he ever gave it to his nephew, or if he did so,
that he made him think it wasn't poison? I'm afraid that if we were to bring such a charge the Judge would direct the Prosecution to reduce it to one of Being an Accessory Before the Fact of Felo de Se and for Aiding and Abetting Felo de Se.”

“Oh no 'e wouldn't,” said Beef, growing quite excited again, “I knew I was forgetting somethink! I've got a bit of evidence as 'ud put a stop to any of that wot you said, and show it was right down murder.”

“Really? What is that?” The scepticism had quite gone out of Stute's voice, and he treated the Sergeant almost with respect.