The Loss of the Jane Vosper (11 page)

Accordingly he rang up the firm and went out early next morning. He had already decided to put all his cards on the table. These Weaver Bannister people were reasonable and would appreciate the position in which the Land and Sea Company found itself. They would not, he felt sure, object to Sutton’s enquiry. Under the circumstances indeed they should welcome it. If they were innocent they should be glad of anything which would help to remove the unpleasant suspicion of their firm which necessarily existed. On the other hand, if they were guilty they would almost certainly have prepared a demonstration for insurance detectives, and would be glad of the opportunity of making it.

Jeffrey was courteously received by the senior partner, Mr Bannister, a man of about sixty with a pleasant manner and a look of quiet efficiency. It was evident that he was gravely troubled by what had taken place. He spoke with transparent sincerity, and a very short conversation was sufficient to convince Jeffrey that he at least had had no part in anything underhand. He expressed his complete bewilderment as to what had really taken place, and admitted without hesitation the equivocal and unpleasant position in which his firm had been placed.

This gave Jeffrey his opportunity. He admitted that he also was utterly puzzled by the whole affair, going on to point out what a very serious matter it would probably prove for his company. ‘Now, Mr Bannister,’ he went on, ‘I’m going to be quite straight with you. I want you to understand at the outset that we intend to meet our full liabilities. That, I think, should be made clear before I go any further.’

He paused, while Bannister, evidently relieved, murmured politely that with a firm like the Land and Sea, no doubt of this could possibly arise.

‘Presumably,’ went on Jeffrey, ‘no action should be taken on either side until after publication of the Board of Trade findings on the enquiry. I don’t want to go into that, it can be settled later.’ Mr Bannister did not look quite so pleased. ‘What I should like to say now is this. Owing to the very exceptional nature of the circumstances, my directors will naturally require me to take certain obvious steps before any payment can be made. You know as well as I do what those steps are.’ Jeffrey smiled. ‘We are now talking formal business, not touching on our individual relations nor upon our private beliefs, which I imagine are identical.’

Bannister nodded with a certain air of anxiety. ‘Go on, Mr Jeffrey,’ he invited.

‘I think you will agree that as a matter of formal business we should have a report from one of our representatives that he had satisfied himself that all the terms of the contract had been strictly carried out. You will agree also that our requiring this is not intended to, and in point of fact does not, throw any slur whatever on your firm.’

Bannister made a deprecating motion. ‘I hope I am not so foolish as to object to that. What exactly do you want me to do?’

‘I should like you, if you will, to grant our representative, Mr Sutton, facilities to enquire into and report on the sending out of the crates, right from the loading here in your works up till the departure of the
Jane
Vosper
.’

Once again Bannister seemed relieved. ‘I shall not only agree to that,’ he said with some warmth, ‘but I shall welcome his enquiry. I shall give him my authority to go anywhere he likes about the works, to interrogate any of our staff, including myself, and to inspect any documents for which he may ask. I am only anxious that the truth should be demonstrated and am delighted at the prospect of its being done. But,’ he added with a searching look at Jeffrey, ‘you on your part will send a discreet man who will not give unnecessary trouble, and who will keep to himself anything he may see which is irrelevant to the enquiry.’

Jeffrey leaned back in his chair, also with an expression of relief. ‘That’s very satisfactory,’ he declared. ‘I should like to express my appreciation of the way you have met me. As to Sutton, I don’t think you will have any fault to find. He’s a good man, tactful and discreet. He’ll carry out his job with the minimum of annoyance.’

‘I should be glad to have the affair cleared up,’ Bannister said, passing his hand wearily across his forehead. ‘Very glad indeed. Though we are not in any way responsible for what has happened, all this has been a great worry to me. Until the truth is known there is bound to be – well, I needn’t go into that; but it’s unpleasant for all concerned. I confess I was disappointed with the enquiry.’

‘It wasn’t very illuminating, was it?’

Bannister, it appeared, had been present and they began to compare impressions. Jeffrey had taken an instinctive liking to the man, and before he left they had grown almost cordial.

Jeffrey returned to his own office in a rather despondent mood. His interview had made him more certain than ever that the Weaver Bannister people were innocent of the fraud, and he could see no possibility of his company escaping payment. And this would be nothing short of a disaster. It would mean a serious reduction in the dividend, which would have a far-reaching effect on their general prosperity. It would mean a set-back in his own personal finances, a set-back which he could ill afford. Altogether the outlook was far from rosy.

For the next two days Jeffrey was engaged with other work and had not time to give much attention to the Weaver Bannister claim. But at intervals his thoughts slipped back to the subject. Particularly he wondered what Sutton was doing. The one unsatisfactory point about Sutton was that he was extraordinarily secretive. It was hard to get him to make regular reports of his proceedings. He seemed to have a rooted objection to describing his activities – until he had attained a result. Then admittedly he reported it promptly enough. But even then he only gave the result itself, omitting all reference to the steps by which he had reached it. ‘From information received’ was his favourite phrase, though he had never been in the official force. With the object of keeping in touch with what was going on, Jeffrey had instituted a daily report. But Sutton, while religiously sending it in, had filled it with such remarks as, ‘Working on the — case,’ or ‘Visiting Scotland Yard relative to Mr —,’ or ‘Investigating at —’ So Jeffrey found himself but little further on.

On the Tuesday morning, however, he came face to face with Sutton in the office corridor. ‘Come and let’s hear what you’re doing,’ he buttonholed him. ‘Got anything interesting yet?’

With apparent unwillingness Sutton followed him into the office. ‘I’m not quite ready to report yet, sir,’ he answered when he was seated before the great table desk. ‘I hope to be able to do so in a day or two. But I can tell what I’ve done up to the present.’

This was an unexpected concession. Jeffrey glanced keenly at the man. He had a slight air of eagerness, sufficiently foreign to his usual undemonstrative manner to make Jeffrey wonder if he really had discovered more than he had admitted. But his statement was commonplace enough.

He said that the Weaver Bannister people had been sympathetic to his enquiry. They had given him all the facilities for obtaining information that he required, and he had made an exhaustive investigation in their works. He was entirely satisfied that the 350 sets sent were of the standard quality, and also that they really did sell for £350 apiece. Moreover, they were correctly packed in their crates and were dispatched by rail from the works. There was no doubt whatever that the full value of the claim had been sent out.

He had then gone to the London Docks, and he was equally certain that the crates had been correctly received and stowed on the
Jane
Vosper
and that the vessel had sailed with them on board.

When at the works he had seen Mr Dornford, the head of the export department, and Mr Hislop, his chief assistant, who had given evidence at the enquiry. They had supplied him with details of how the stuff had been transported from the works to the ship. He had not yet had time to trace the journey and he would of course do so, but in his opinion it would be a mere matter of form, as during the journey nothing could have been done in the way of tampering with the crates.

Here Jeffrey interrupted him to ask what kind of man Dornford was. It seemed he was old and shortly due, so Sutton had heard, to retire. Hislop seemed to have the real power and it was said he would succeed his chief. Both were exceedingly civil, and Sutton repeated that they had given him every facility he could possibly have wanted.

Then came the explanation of the detective’s eager look. ‘I don’t know if I should mention it, sir,’ he said with some hesitation, ‘but I heard a chance rumour that interested me quite a bit. I heard that the Southern Ocean people were going to break up the
Jane
Vosper
after she had completed this voyage. Of course, I don’t know if it’s true; but, if it is, £20,000 would seem a tidy sum to get for her. I don’t want to say too much about this at present, but I hope to get in touch with a man who may be able to confirm.’

This was worse and worse. If the rumour were well founded, here was undoubtedly a motive. Not perhaps a very adequate motive, but still the first glimmering of a motive that they had come on.

‘What would she be worth for breaking up?’ Jeffrey asked.

‘I don’t know, sir. I should guess about £5000.’ This was the figure Jeffrey had in his own mind, and if it were correct the fraud should bring the Southern Ocean people in about £15,000. Would a shipping company of their standing, particularly with a manager of the calibre of Stewart Clayton, commit so serious and dangerous a fraud for so paltry a sum? Jeffrey couldn’t believe it. No, it was out of the question.

‘Did you get the yarn on good authority?’ he asked presently.

‘No, sir, I didn’t. It was only a couple of stevedores I heard talking. And I couldn’t get from them where they had heard it. It may be only nonsense. But, of course, those sort of fellows do pick up things pretty quickly.’

Jeffrey shrugged. The idle talk of stevedores was not a very convincing source of information. At the same time the idea was supported by more than their talk. It certainly looked as if the Weaver Bannister people were innocent. And, if so, no other alternative than the guilt of the steamer firm seemed possible.

For some time the two men discussed the matter, and it was finally arranged that Sutton should continue his investigations to cover the journey of the crates from Watford to the London Docks. He was not to make a formal investigation into the rumour about the breaking up of the
Jane
Vosper
, but he was to keep his ears open, and if he could pick up any relevant information, so much the better.

That afternoon Jeffrey rang up the four other insurance firms interested to ask if any of them had learnt anything which might help in the general dilemma. None of them, however, had done so, and in the tones of each he recognized the growing belief that they should have to pay.

That night Jeffrey found it hard to sleep. His business had taken a grip of his mind, and, as usually happens at night, it was not its optimistic side that was uppermost. For some reason also Sutton dominated his thoughts. It occurred to him that he had omitted to speak to the man on another claim which, though small, had been giving him a lot of worry. It was the case of a shop fire, and there were reasons to suspect arson. Sutton had been going into the affair, but had been taken off it to attend the
Jane
Vosper
enquiry. Now the negotiations had come to a head, and Sutton’s evidence was required. Jeffrey noted mentally that he would have to get the man back to the office on the following day, so that the claim might be dealt with.

It was with this object that, when Jeffrey had completed his letters and routine business next day, he telephoned to the detective’s home to tell him to drop what he was doing and call for further instructions. But this, as it turned out, was only to learn of a fresh worry.

Mrs Sutton replied. She said that she had just been about to ring up the Land and Sea. Her husband had not returned home on the previous night, and she was rather anxious about him. She wondered if Jeffrey knew where he was.

Jeffrey felt slightly exasperated. However, he was outwardly sympathetic and reassuring. He did not know Sutton’s whereabouts, but he had seen him on the previous day, and everything about him was then normal. He had said that he was going out in the afternoon to the Weaver Bannister works at Watford. If Mrs Sutton liked, he, Jeffrey, would ring up the works and find out if he had done so.

Mrs Sutton said that she would be greatly obliged. It was quite unlike her husband to remain away at night without letting her know.

Jeffrey accordingly got through to Mr Bannister. Bannister knew nothing about Sutton, but he said he would make enquiries as to whether he had been seen on the previous afternoon, and reply as soon as possible.

A few minutes later he did so. Yes, Sutton had called at the works on the previous afternoon. He had seen their Mr Hislop of the export department. It was with this department Sutton had dealt in his enquiries about the sets for South America, and it was on this same business he had called. Hislop stated that Sutton had asked about the transport of the sets from the works to the docks, and he, Hislop, had given him all the information in his power. It happened that Hislop had to go down to the City that afternoon, and the two men left in company. They had gone as far as Baker Street together, and then their ways diverged.

Jeffrey at once repeated this information to Mrs Sutton. But instead of reassuring her, it seemed to make her more apprehensive. She repeated that it was very unlike John and that she didn’t like it at all. Jeffrey didn’t altogether like it, either, though he didn’t say so. Instead he told Mrs Sutton he was sure she would soon have some news and asked her to ring him up again later and let him know if she had heard anything.

Though Jeffrey thought the affair surprising, he did not really believe there could be anything wrong, and in the pressure of other business it slipped from his mind. But after lunch he was reminded of it when Mrs Sutton was shown into his room.