Alan Hunter: Gently where the roads go

‘That is right,’ Madsen said. ‘I don’ burn them.’

‘You lying bastard,’ Felling said. ‘You bloody know you did burn them.’

‘Why should he have burned them?’ Gently said. ‘Madsen didn’t have any tracks to cover. But Teodowicz did. And his handwriting was part of them. That’s how it was, wasn’t it, Madsen?’

‘The handwriting, I think so,’ Madsen said.

‘Because it wasn’t the handwriting of Teodowicz,’ Gently said. ‘There isn’t any Teodowicz. The real Teodowicz is dead. He disappeared way back in Poland, he never set foot outside that country.’

‘No,’ Madsen said. ‘I can’t say about that.’

‘Yes, but you can,’ Gently said. ‘You heard the threat Sawney made to Teodowicz. Sawney knew Teodowicz’s real identity.’

‘No.’ Madsen said. ‘No. No.’

‘Why don’t you stop getting at him?’ Wanda Lane said. ‘Tim had to burn those papers because they linked him with Sawney.’

Gently shook his head. ‘That’s ruled out,’ he said. ‘Felling saw the papers. He would have burned them himself if they had connected Teodowicz with Sawney.’

‘Felling is dumb.’

‘Shut your trap,’ Felling said.

‘Or he didn’t get a chance to burn them,’ Wanda said. ‘You’re crazy about Tim being somebody else. You’re guessing about it and you’re guessing wrong.’

‘Am I guessing wrong, Madsen?’ Gently said.

‘It’s a hoot, the way you’re kidding yourself,’ Wanda said. ‘So Tim did for that rat Sawney, and you know why. Isn’t that enough for you?’

‘Not when you’re protesting so much,’ Gently said.

‘Oh, you’re too bloody clever,’ Wanda said. ‘But you’re not as clever as Tim, he’s always two jumps ahead of you.’

‘At the moment, about half a jump,’ Gently said.

‘And you had him surrounded,’ Wanda said. ‘Go on being clever. Call in the Navy and the Air Force. You won’t catch Tim in a month of Sundays.’

She folded her thin arms, stared past them out of the window. Felling’s face had a fixed sneer, but his eyes were empty. Madsen kept facing the floor. His lips worked with little smiles. He was wearing thick rough boots, the toes of which were turned together.

‘So Sawney was dead,’ Gently said. ‘And Teodowicz and the gun were at The Raven. And Mrs Lane knew the score, if she didn’t know it earlier. But you, Madsen, knew it earlier, before that handy trip to Glasgow. You had to be intimidated into playing your part, and you had to know what it was when you returned. Isn’t that so?’

Madsen smiled at his boots.

‘So you’re an accessory before the fact,’ Gently said. ‘And it goes without saying that Felling is too. Felling was to be first on the scene, he had to switch the fingerprint cards. He had to make certain that no doubts arose as to the identity of the body. Then he had to steer Madsen through the questioning and deflect interest away from The Raven. Felling was evidently briefed thoroughly, and briefed before the crime took place.’

‘You’ll say I did it in a minute,’ Felling said. ‘It’s all lies, the bloody lot of it.’

‘Felling,’ Gently said, ‘you’d better help us. It’s the only sensible thing you can do.’

‘Yes, I’ll be a mug,’ Felling said. ‘I’ll admit all them lies. Only I don’t bloody think so. You don’t catch me like that.’

‘God, man, how can you be so stupid?’ Whitaker said.

‘Very funny,’ Felling said. ‘Only I’m innocent, that’s what. I’m going to prove it, what’s more, and then I’m going to sue that bastard. I’ll teach him to come here with his slanders. I nearly let fly at him this afternoon.’

‘Yes,’ Gently said, ‘you nearly did that, didn’t you? And you were tempted in the garage yesterday, when I saw the significance of that oil bottle. But you’re not a killer Felling. You’re a treacherous fool, but you’re not a killer. Try a little savvy now. Tell us what you know about Teodowicz.’

‘You go to hell,’ Felling said.

‘You’re going to catch a stiff one,’ Gently said.

‘If I catch it,’ Felling said. ‘You go to hell. There’s no mug here.’

‘All right, Felling,’ Gently said. He looked at Wanda. Wanda looked out of the window. ‘You’re not a killer either,’ Gently said to her. ‘You tried to protect me back there. But the man you’re shielding is a killer: a psychopath and a killer. Don’t fool yourself, Mrs Lane. He’d have killed you too when it suited his purpose.’

‘What do you know about Tim?’ Wanda said.

‘I know a lot about killers,’ Gently said. ‘They’re lonely people, they daren’t trust anyone. And so they’re never to be trusted. Once a man goes through that gate he leaves all common claim behind him. His way back leads by the gallows or by what penalty the law provides. Until then he acts humanity like a wolf in a sheepskin. But he doesn’t have it. He’s an exile. When the wind blows on him, he’ll kill again. If you know where Teodowicz is going, then tell us, Mrs Lane.’

‘You don’t know Tim,’ Wanda said. ‘You think he’s some petty criminal. Some Christie or Haig, those are the killers you know. Because you aren’t big enough to understand him. Because you’re pigmies and think like pigmies. Because you can’t imagine a man who can kill and stay clean. But Tim is that sort of man. He can do what none of you would dare to. He has a right to take life because his soul doesn’t shrink from it. And I’m telling you nothing about him, you can do your own clumsy chasing. Get your dogs and your cordons out and bring him in. If you can.’

‘You’re lucky,’ Gently said, ‘that you’re here.’

‘Thank you for nothing,’ Wanda said.

Gently shrugged, looked at Madsen. ‘What about you, Madsen?’ he said. ‘You aren’t serving the Christ child with a Sten gun in his hand.’

Madsen was trembling. He looked towards Gently. His pale eyes flickered, came to a stare.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Ver’ well, ver’ well.’

‘Filthy traitor!’ Wanda shouted.

Madsen looked at her, twisting his lips. ‘Not a traitor,’ he said. ‘That man is too wicked.’

She spat on his cheek. He kept trying to smile. ‘No, not a traitor,’ he repeated.

Madsen spoke in a low voice so that he had to be listened to with care. The colour in his cheeks came and went, he didn’t know what to do with his eyes. Wanda had turned her back on him. She sat motionless, hands in lap. Freeman had moved up close to her. She paid no attention when he moved up. Felling glared all the while at Madsen, sat saggingly, had his fists on his thighs.

‘Yes, it is right,’ Madsen whispered. ‘Tim didn’ pay Sawney the proper money. This is why they have the row, it is all about the money. Sawney is ver’ angry with Tim, I think they maybe have a fight. But no, not a fight, they begin to say what they are to do to each other. Tim say he will tell the Air Force people if Sawney does not like what he gets. Sawney say, either he get the money or he will fix Tim for good and all. Tim say, what does he mean by that. Sawney laugh at him, sound ver’ nasty, say he will tell a little bird where Tim is living just now. I don’t care about that, Tim say. But yes, you will care, Sawney say. Then he get out his wallet and show Tim a picture that come out of a newspaper.’

‘Did you see that picture?’ Gently asked.

Madsen nodded. ‘Yes. I see it. Is a ver’ old picture, I think, come out of a newspaper during the war. There is Tim in the middle in a ver’ smart suit, and two Totenkopf officers, you know, the SS. They are smiling, ver’ pleased. It say something underneath in Polish. But it is Tim all right, I can see that at a glance.’