“And I don’t much like what it’s illuminating, Commissioner.” Martin got to his feet in alarm. “I’ll tell you straight where I stand! Me, I’d have shut the buggers down years ago!” He held up a hand to deflect argument or criticism. “There’s not many would agree with me, I know. An unfashionable point of view … not modern … not smart … and perhaps I’m talking to someone who knows better?”
He waited for, but did not seem to be surprised to receive, a denying shake of the head from Joe.
“This lot.…” the inspector hesitated to use the name he’d written in his book.
“Let’s call them the ‘ginger-with-a-g’ group, shall we?”
“… go all the way to the top. Untouchable. Society’s darlings. If you go poking a stick into this select anthill, you know who’ll come buzzing out? Churchill, H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Marie Stopes, a Huxley, a bishop or two, a royal or three, practically all the scientific establishment, the Times leader writer, and a dozen peers of the realm. Up? Down? North? South? Where the hell do you go with this?”
The inspector gave a cheerless laugh. “Sandilands DSO v. Britannia Inc. If I were you, I’d put on a false moustache and a tin hat and beat it to the Riviera before they can train their big guns on you.”
“Too late for that,” Joe said. “I’ve heard the creak of the ranging handle. But don’t be concerned, Martin. A bit of fancy footwork will keep me out of their crosshairs.”
Martin looked at him pityingly. “Those were probably old Rapson’s last words.”
“Rapson didn’t have a clear conscience plus a small army of policemen working to save his skin. I can start by getting a full list of members. Then we know who we’re dealing with. Special Branch will have one. How many of them do you suppose there are, Martin? Not just the Southeastern Chapter-over the country as a whole?”
“Fewer than a thousand, probably. Two hundred of those south of the Thames? It’s hardly the Women’s Institute. They’re choosy about who they take on the books, but they don’t hide from public view.”
“No. They rather flaunt themselves-call themselves an ‘Education Society,’ if you please! Still, if they’re in the open, it’ll make our enquiry a bit easier.”
Martin grimaced. “It’s their best defence-their public image, their well-known names. Look, tell me, sir, if you had any sort of a case against a … what shall I call it? A conspiracy? A cabal? A ring of murdering excuses for humanity? Where would you ever find evidence for it? I say ‘you’ not ‘we’ because this is way out of my league.”
“But not your county, Martin. You are the man with the handcuffs. The comfortless answer to your question is: We find our evidence in a hospital graveyard under unmarked stones, as like as not,” said Joe dully.
“Better book the dogs, then,” said Martin.
CHAPTER 21
Joe had asked to see Jackie Drummond in the morning break. Rather than meet him in Rapson’s study, with its bad memories, he elected to walk with him along the corridor to Matron’s office, where he’d arranged for Dorcas to be waiting. Matron was on duty in the tuck shop and not likely to return for half an hour.
The boy seemed perfectly calm and pleased to see them again but, by his slight reticence, Joe recognised that the school was drawing him back again into its routine and ethos.
“Uncle Joe! Dorcas!” he said cheerfully. “I hope you had a good night at The Bells? Mummy and Daddy didn’t care for it much.”
“Now you tell us! Not wonderful, I agree. Though Dorcas had gold taps in her bathroom. And I did enjoy an early-morning swim in their pool.”
Greetings over, Joe told him that the local inspector was certainly not looking for Jackie in connection with the killing.
“No, it didn’t seem like he was when he interviewed me yesterday, sir.”
“Martin interviewed you? Without me being present? Or Dorcas?”
“It was more like a chaps’ chat, sir. I told him everything, just as you said I ought, and he said thank you very much, my uncle must be proud of me, and I was at liberty to go. I’m at liberty, Uncle Joe!” He savoured the words. “Glad that’s all over!”
“Yes, so am I, Jackie.” He managed to avoid catching Dorcas’s eye. “And I am proud of you, my boy! I wish we’d known each other earlier. So much to talk about. But the first thing is-what are we going to do with you now? Your mother will be here in three weeks’ time, and of course she will decide what’s best for you. I have some ideas myself, and I shall put them before her. But you, Jackie, tell me what you’re minded to do with yourself.”
Jackie looked down at his feet. “Honestly, sir, it’s not as bad as I thought it might be. The other boys haven’t ragged me. Not one bit. The dorm prefect, that’s Lloyd 2, moved me up next to him and told the others I was a toff who’d stood up to Rapson, and he’d got no more than he deserved. Not really sure what a ‘toff’ is, but I think it’s not a bad thing to be. Funny though. Didn’t think I would, but I rather miss Spielman. I’d have liked to tell him what I’d been up to. He’d have made a story of it. I suppose that must have made him my friend, do you think? Can you have a friend and not know it?’ ”
To Joe’s alarm, Jackie’s voice quavered and his lips began to tremble. With a small cry of compassion, Dorcas dashed forwards, put her arms about him and hugged him close. Jackie didn’t seem to object. Without releasing him, she whispered in his ear, “Of course you can! A story takes two-one to tell it and one to listen. A pair. He was thrilled when you gave him Treasure Island, and he’ll always keep it-with your name and now his on the inside page. That’s a good link. When people ask, he’ll say, ‘Drummond? Oh, Drummond! My first friend. Remember him well! Tell you a story about him!’ Spielman thought of you as his friend. It’s just taken you a bit longer to catch on, clot! Remember him, Jackie, and what it felt like to know someone you’d smack a bully in the watch chain to protect, and go out and make another one. You can start with Lloyd 2-he sounds a discerning lad.”
After what Joe judged to be a ridiculously long hug, Jackie finally broke away, grinned, and announced, “In that case I think I should like to stay on here at St. Magnus. Just as long as Rappo’s not coming back to get me. It’s a lot better with Mr. Gosling in charge of us. He never whacks!”
Arrangements in place, Jackie dashed off to play indoor hockey, leaving Joe and Dorcas staring at each other.
“Now what was all that about? Was it wise, all that spoiling? Not a good idea for a boy to get dependent on female attention in a place like this.”
“What do you know? Jackie’s from a loving family who show their affection readily. He’s used to being grabbed and hugged. And it’s more than a good idea, it’s essential! It’s a crime against nature to send little squirts like that away from their mothers!”
“He’s nearly ten, Dorcas. A lad that age revels in the company of his fellows. The pack instinct, don’t you know. If he’d been born a Spartan, he’d have killed his first man by now.”
“Look, Joe, I’ve been involved with … witnessed … some pretty groundbreaking experiments. I shouldn’t be telling you because it’s very hush-hush, and the piracy that goes on in the experimental psychology world you wouldn’t believe!”
Joe was alarmed. This was out of character for Dorcas. She loved to gossip, but she was never indiscreet. She had her own secrets and knew how to keep those of others. But he sensed in her an excitement, the troubled excitement of someone who has something unpleasant to convey. He listened.
“Monkeys are the nearest living relative of Man’s-thanks to Darwin everyone knows that. I looked in on some work being done in the laboratory with baby monkeys, work designed to find out what are the essentials in the normal development of human infants, whom they much resemble. Fascinating stuff! Food and physical closeness quite simply are the two most vital things and the greater of these is physical closeness. Hugs, Joe! A monkey infant will forego food in favour of a hug. If you deprive it of its mother, it will seek its comfort from an inanimate piece of fur-or even a bit of old cloth-in preference to food when it’s made to choose. They’re very like humans in their responses.”