Alan Hunter - Gently where the roads go

‘Tell me, Jan,’ Gently said.

‘And I’m not a coward!’ Kasimir sobbed. ‘I was in the Resistance, I fought the Germans, I have been tortured, sentenced to death… I am not a coward, you understand? They broke my leg… I am not a coward.’

‘Tell me what happened,’ Gently said.

‘And I am not a traitor,’ Kasimir sobbed. ‘I leave Poland, but I am not a traitor. I love Poland very much. I am not a traitor to Poland. I think it is good, much that they do there. But me, I have said too many things, I have to leave, I have to come here… and I do not have any illusions about your country, I think only you let me live decent. You understand? I want to live decent, I have all that I can take…’ He broke down again. ‘I am not a traitor…’

‘Go on, Jan,’ Gently said.

‘I love Poland,’ he sobbed. ‘I love my mother and my sister.’

‘They’re still in Poland?’

‘Yes… still in Poland.’

‘And that was the pressure they put on you?’

Kasimir nodded. ‘This man… he knows my mother and sister by name. He does not threaten me, nothing like that. Just ask me how they are getting on…’

‘What had you to do?’ Gently said.

‘To talk to Teodowicz, this is all. To make him see it is right for him to go back, stand trial…’

‘Not to threaten him?’

‘No… this is true! I have to appeal to him to go back. It is good if he do this, you understand? He would not get a heavy sentence.’

‘And you talked to Teodowicz.’

‘Yes, of course. I cannot do anything else.’

‘How did he take it?’

‘He does not like it… is a big shock, I think. All this time he has been forgotten, thinks he has done with all that. Then I talk to him.’ Kasimir gulped. ‘I did not want to do that.’

‘Was he difficult?’

‘No, not difficult… he knows I could not help coming. He is shocked, first of all… doesn’t know what to do about it. He asks me if he is threatened. I tell him no, no threats. What will happen, he says, if I take no notice. I do not know what to tell him. He keeps walking up and down, up and down, like an animal.’

‘Did he make his mind up?’

‘No. He must have time, he says. I must come back in a few days, then he will know what to tell me.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I stop here. I have to go back with an answer. I tell him where he can find me so he can talk to me again.’

‘I see,’ Gently said. He sat some moments frowning at the desk. ‘What were you doing during that time — two or three days, it would be?’

Kasimir gave a little shrug. ‘It is very dull. I visit Cambridge I have a friend there, a college professor, he will tell you it is true. Mathias Lukov, that is his name. He is in the telephone directory.’

‘You were in Cambridge on Monday?’

‘Yes. I am sleeping here, you understand. On Monday we go to the Arts Theatre, a first night, ‘‘The Italian Straw Hat’’. I have a hire car, you see, I come back quite late.’

‘How late?’

‘Oh, after midnight. We had some supper in Lukov’s rooms.’

‘You can prove it?’

‘But yes. There is Lukov, also his friends. It is a small party, six or seven. I am not back here till perhaps two o’clock.’

‘Go on,’ Gently said. ‘How did you learn that Teodowicz was dead?’

‘It is in the news,’ Kasimir said. ‘The BBC, Tuesday morning. I hear it at breakfast where I am staying. I am flabbergasted to hear this. If he had shot himself I could understand, but he could not have shot himself like that. I go back to London straight away and get in touch with this man, he says the British police must have done it to give our government a bad name. He is very surprised too, cannot understand at all. I must return to Offingham, he tells me, try to find out the truth about it.’

‘What did you find out?’ Gently asked.

Kasimir shrugged again. ‘I am a poor detective. I think that woman have something to do with it, the one you talk to at the cafe.’

Gently nodded. ‘But now you think we did it?’

Kasimir said nothing, glanced at Empton’s back.

‘You don’t really believe that,’ Gently said. ‘Just as I don’t believe you did it, either.’

Kasimir looked at him. ‘You know…?’ He hesitated.

‘I’m getting a rough idea,’ Gently said.

‘It is difficult,’ Kasimir said slowly. ‘Very difficult. I think perhaps you are a good detective.’

‘You’ll be seeing this man again — Mr Razek?’

Kasimir glanced at Empton again. ‘Yes. I have appointment.’

‘You’d better tell him you’ve talked to us about it,’ Gently said. ‘And that at the moment it looks to us like a simple criminal job. It may or may not concern some other nationals, but we don’t regard it primarily as a political killing. We’re as anxious as he is, you can tell him, to avoid giving this case a political colouring.’

‘I will tell him,’ Kasimir said. ‘I will return today and tell him.’

Empton turned from the window. ‘How nice,’ he said. ‘How terribly nice. Little Jan and English justice settling their differences like gentlemen. What a pity we haven’t got it on tape to give them a belly laugh in the Kremlin.’ He showed his teeth, came into the room. ‘Sad,’ he said, ‘I must break up the act. But I belong to a different school of thought and suffer from a chronically reluctant gullet. Little Jan isn’t sliding off yet, for all his cultivated wog-pals in Cambridge.’

‘I think he is,’ Gently said.

‘Decent of you, old man,’ Empton said. ‘But I’ve a charge to prefer, don’t you remember? Are you up to charging someone yet, old man?’

‘Oh yes,’ Gently said. ‘Ever since last night.’

‘A parking offence?’ Empton said.

‘No, murder,’ Gently said. ‘This is a murder case. Haven’t you seen the newspapers lately?’

He took a newspaper out of his pocket, uncapped his pen, marked an item. He handed the newspaper to Empton. Empton snatched it. He read the item. He stared at Gently.

‘So?’ he said softly.

‘So we’re ready to charge him,’ Gently said. ‘Just as soon as we can pick him up. I’m afraid you’re wasting your time, old man.’

Empton dropped the newspaper on the desk, walked round the desk, sat down on the edge of it. He took out his cigarette case, took from it a yellow cigarette, looked at the cigarette for a moment, rolled it between his lips, flicked a light for it, sucked. He looked at the angle of the wall and the ceiling.

‘I see,’ he said. ‘Men at work.’

He sucked in air along with the smoke and forced the smoke through his nostrils.

‘And you’ve got it all tied up,’ he said. ‘Ready to hit me over the head with it. You ring for Joe to open the tin, then shunt him off back to stores.’ He sucked hard. ‘Congratulations. Nice timing and all that. Trusting I gave every satisfaction, must hurry away to other clients.’

‘Jan,’ Gently said. ‘You can go.’

‘Yes, you can go, Jan,’ Empton said. ‘We’ll give you a ring if your alibi’s faked. Slide. Shove off. Blow. Fade.’

‘Unless Superintendent Empton has any questions,’ Gently said.

‘Oh, laughable,’ Empton said. ‘Run along Jan. Sling your hook, Jan. Love and kisses to Mr Razek.’

Kasimir rose, hesitated. ‘I will answer the questions,’ he said.

‘Dear boy,’ Empton said. ‘Remind me to send you a card at Christmas.’

Kasimir gave his little shrug, picked up his possessions from the desk. His lips were puffed, his face bruised. He held his back very stiffly. To Gently he said:

‘I have Flat 5 A, 22 Bonser Street, West Hampstead. My alibi is not a fake. You will find me there if you want me again.’