“Please don’t laugh at me.”
“I am not laughing. I am overcome with admiration. It means a lot to you, does it not?”
“A great deal.”
“I think it was so noble of you to come on your pilgrimage of detection. I will do all I can to help.”
“How? Do you think you can?”
“Who knows?”
I said: “I think I should go now.”
“You are disappointed.”
“It was a faint hope. It just occurred to me that she might have said something to you.”
He looked up from his teacup and smiled at me.
“Thank you for the tea,” I said, “and for listening to me.”
“I will settle with Marianna and then we will find a cab and I’ll take you home.” He paused and smiled at me. “Don’t be alarmed. I shall not attempt to oppose the ban and shall make no attempt to darken doors.”
We came into the street and were soon driving along.
“I am afraid you are a little disappointed in me,” he said. “How I should love to be of use.”
“I believe you would if you could,” I told him.
“Then you don’t think I am such a villain after all?”
“No.”
“Blackmail? Seeking betterment in shady ways …”
“I have discovered that many people who may be a little unscrupulous in some ways can be very good in others.”
“What a lovely view of human nature! I should hate to change it.”
We drove in silence for some little way then he went on: “Ah, here is your destination. I will remain in the cab. I think there is just a possibility that you may not wish me to be seen.”
“It is just that …”
He raised a hand. “I understand … perfectly. I’ll make sure that you are safely in the house, then we shall trot discreetly away.”
“You are so kind and thoughtful.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “Au revoir, sweet Rebecca.”
I went into the house.
Two days later I received a note from him. It came by hand and was dropped through the letter box. I was glad that I was alone and no explanation was needed as to who my correspondent was.
He was asking me to meet him at three o’clock that afternoon at The Devil’s Crown.
I was taken aback by the proposed venue, but I subdued my uneasiness, as the prospect of hearing something about Celeste.
I arrived there on time.
I was apprehensive as I stood before the building. It was not very far from The Yellow Canary and The Green Light and bore a resemblance to them … a tall, shabby building on the wall of which was the sign, the Devil with cloven feet and horns, and a crown on his head.
I noticed the big brass knocker with a decoration at the top of it. When I looked closer I saw that it was a crowned devil’s head.
I knocked and in a few moments the door was opened by Oliver Gerson.
“I knew you’d be here promptly,” he said. “Come in.”
I stepped into a small room which was empty of furniture. He opened the door and led the way into another room. Like the first it was empty. I was beginning to feel apprehensive. He realized this and said: “I have a reason for bringing you here. I’m sorry. It is not very attractive, is it? It’s empty actually. We have only recently acquired the premises. Plans are in progress for redesigning the whole place.”
“Why did you ask me to come here?”
“I can explain to you here. I can see you are uneasy. Don’t be. You are perfectly safe with me and I think you are going to be glad I brought you here.”
“It’s … a very strange place.”
“Are you thinking of the devil at the door? That is meant to give people a little shiver as they enter.”
He laid a hand on my arm. Instinctively I drew back. I could not help being reminded of Jean Pascal and wondering if I had been foolish enough to wander into another such trap.
“Could we go somewhere to talk?” I suggested. “That tea-shop?”
He shook his head. “It was necessary that you should come here. You must not be afraid of me. I know I am all sorts of a rogue and an adventurer in a way. I climbed to the position I hold now … and not always by the straight and narrow path. Benedict’s grandfather was interested in me. He recognized my talents and said he would exploit them. I had a position of some responsibility in his day and of course continued in it when Benedict took over.”
“I know all this … and that you jeopardized that position. That was unwise surely.”
“Ah, but he couldn’t turn me out. I was too well entrenched. However, that’s neither here nor there. He’s finished with us now and I am still here. But I am wasting time, aren’t I? You want to know why I brought you here.”
“You are going to tell me something about Celeste, I hope.”
“I want to prepare you … gently. I don’t want to give you too much of a shock. You saw us at The Hanging Judge. Yes, I was meeting her. No … not what you are thinking. It was not a love affair. I was sorry for her. I’m not so bad really. There is a little good in the worst of us, you know. I am capable of feeling sorry for someone in distress, and she was certainly that. She confided in me. She wanted to talk to someone who was sympathetic … and worldly enough to understand the situation. So we talked … and then we used to meet occasionally. Then … Benedict threatened to ruin everything for me. I was furious with him. He would not find it easy to be rid of me. There were others concerned and they knew my value. I recalled that other affair of his … his first election when he lost through the scandal about his wife. I was furious. I wanted above all to make him pay. It became an obsession.”
“Go on.”
“I thought I would spoil his chances. I knew how much he wanted that Cabinet post, and I thought, as it happened before through wife number one, why not do it again through wife number three?”
“So you arranged that …”
“She was to disappear. Not run away openly. That might not have had the desired effect. But suppose she disappeared … taking nothing with her? Suppose it could look like murder?”
I stared at him incredulously.
“You … you’ve hidden her. You know where she is. She’s alive.”
He nodded.
“Where is she?”
“You’ll know soon.”
“What a wicked thing to do!”
“Has he not been wicked? Did he not make his first wife unhappy? He has not cared for his daughter. He has made a little monster of that child. And was he a kind stepfather to you … for all those years?”
“It was largely my fault. He might have been different if I had let him.”
“I can see you are determined to make excuses for him. He should be made to see that there are others in the world beside himself. Oh, I know he has turned over a new leaf. Well, he has been punished. You think he has been punished enough. Perhaps you are right.”
“I wish you would tell me everything … now.”
“You have come at the right moment, Rebecca. You know how fond I am of you. The partnership was not the only reason. I wanted you … and I want to do something for you now. I want to make you happy. I hope your lover comes back to you. I hope you set up that harmonious family atmosphere in Manorleigh and in London. I hope you are able to console your stepfather for the loss of his post. I’ve had my revenge on him, so that score is settled. It was a good one. It harmed him as he tried to harm me. Now I am ready to finish with the business, and you are going to help us out of a rather difficult situation. Celeste is here.”
“Here? In this place?”
He nodded. “She has been here all the time. It was most convenient. You see, the place is empty. At the top is a flat … with kitchen and facilities. It was here when the club was running and was for the manager’s use at those times when he wanted to remain on the premises. It was just what we needed. Celeste had the notion that if she went away … disappeared for a while … Benedict might want her back. She thought it might revive some affection for her. The idea became an obsession. I helped her …”