James Chase - Mission to Siena

Keeping in the shadows and moving silently, Don went after her.

A half an hour later, Don was in a telephone box in Shepherd Market, speaking to Inspector Horrocks.

“This is Micklem,” he was saying. “My chauffeur did spot our man leaving “the house. He followed him to 25, Athens Street. There’s a woman connected with this as well. She’s at Market Mews. I’m watching her place and Mason’s watching the other house.”

“Well, I’ll be hanged,” Horrocks said. “Good work, sir. I’ll have patrol cars sent to you both right away, and I’ll be with you myself in ten minutes.”

“Fine,” Don said, and hung up.

He left the telephone box and returned to where he could watch the flat above a grocer’s shop into which the redheaded girl had disappeared.

She hadn’t been easy to follow. She had taken a taxi from Shaftesbury Avenue, and Don had been lucky enough to pick up another taxi before hers disappeared into Piccadilly. Leaving the taxi at Half Moon Street, the girl had walked along the park side of Piccadilly up Park Lane, looking back continually. Don had somehow managed to hang on to her without being seen, and he had finally spotted her entering the flat above the grocer’s shop, using the side entrance. A moment or so later a light had come up in the upper window. He had waited for twenty minutes or so, and when the light had gone out, he had first checked there was no back exit to the flat, then had hurried to the telephone box that was only a few yards from the grocer’s shop.

He had scarcely got back to the wantage ground where he could watch the flat when out of the darkness came two police officers.

“Mr Micklem?” one of them asked.

“You’ve been quick,” Don said. “She’s in that flat up there.”

“Okay, sir,” the policeman said. “Inspector Horrocks is on his way. He asked us to stick around. Here, Bill, go into Hertford Street and make sure there’s no back way to this place.”

The other policeman nodded and went away.

Don lit a cigarette. He felt a little tired. The shock of Guido’s death had been a stiff one and now the reaction was beginning to set in.

He and the policeman watched the darkened window for the next ten minutes. Then the big figure of Inspector Horrock’s followed by three plain-clothes men’ came out of the darkness.

“Well, sir,” Horrocks said, “this is a bit of luck. What’s been happening?”

Briefly Don told him how Harry had seen the thin man leave Ferenci’s house and had followed him to Athens Street.

“The woman joined him about two or three minutes before I arrived,” he went on. “I broke in. This fellow — he calls himself Ed and the woman Lorelli — was demanding his money for killing Ferenci.” He repeated “the exact conversation he had overheard. “She’s paying him at eight o’clock tomorrow.”

“I doubt it,” Horrocks said. “That’s nice work, Mr Micklem. I’ve sent Hurst and Maddox over to Athens Street. They won’t make a move without my say-so. Now let’s see what she has to say for herself.”

He crossed over to the shabby front door that led to the girl’s flat.

“Stand by,” he said to his men and lifting the knocker, he rapped loudly.

No one answered.

He hammered on the door several times, then stepped back.

“Okay,” he said, “see if you can open the door.”

Two burly plain-clothes men came forward. Two shoulders crashed against the door, and under the third assault the door burst open. The detectives darted up the steep narrow stairs.

Horrocks and Don followed them.

“Unless she is a fresh air fiend, it looks as if she’s skipped,” Don said, pointing to the open skylight at the head of the stairs.

One of the detectives came out of the upper room.

“No one here, sir,” he said.

Horrocks growled under his breath.

“Send out the alarm,” he said. “I want that woman. Mr Micklem will give you a description of her.”

The detectives jotted down Don’s description, then ran downstairs to the telephone box.

“She must have spotted you,” Horrocks said angrily. “Here you,” he went on to the other detective, “get Hurst on the car radio and tell him the girl’s gone. Tell him to watch out: she may try to warn Ed.”

He and Don went into the flat that consisted of a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom.

Horrocks took a quick look round.

“We won’t find much here,” he said. “I’ll have it checked for prints. Let’s get over to Athens Street.”

Leaving the two constables to guard the flat, Horrocks, Don and the three detectives got into the police car and raced down Piccadilly to Old Crompton Street. They found two policemen guarding the entrance to Athens Street. They stiffened to attention when they saw Horrocks.

“Hurst about?” he asked.

“He’s down the alley, sir.”

Horrocks entered the cul-de-sac, followed by Don. They found Harry still at his post, and in the company of Sergeant Hurst and Detective Constable Maddox.

“Our man still in there?” Horrocks asked.

“I think so, sir,” Hurst said. “We haven’t seen or heard anything from the house, but there’s no other way out except this way.”

“Let’s get him,” Horrocks said. “Watch your step, Hurst. He’s dangerous. What is the door like?”

Hurst shook his head.

“Two bolts and a lock. It’d be easier to jump him through that window,” and he pointed to the window Don had used to get into the house.

“Okay, you two, go and get him,” Horrocks said.

Don joined Harry in the archway. He itched to go into action himself, but he knew Horrocks wouldn’f stand for it.

They watched Maddox give Hurst a leg up on to the top of the wall. Hurst began to walk up the tiles as Maddox scrambled up after him.

Watching the dark window, Don suddenly spotted a movement behind the glass.

“Look out!” he called sharply. “He’s seen you!” Hurst was by now half-way up the roof There was no cover. He too had seen the movement. His hand whipped to his pocket for his truncheon. There came a flash and the bang of gun fire. The glass of the window smashed.

Hurst dropped his truncheon, slumped forward and rolled down the roof, nearly taking Maddox with him.

Maddox grabbed at him and managed to check his descent as Don and Harry rushed forward.

“Leave him to us,” Don shouted.

Gun fire crashed again. A bullet smashed a tile within inches of Maddox, who let go of Hurst and swung himself with desperate haste off the wall. Hurst slid limply off the roof. Don and Harry grabbed him and lowered him to the ground.

Harry’s hand went to Hurst’s neck. His finger found the artery.

“He’s had it,” he said in a shocked voice.

Horrocks joined them under the shelter of the wall. He paused only long enough to make sure there was nothing he could do for Hurst, then moving with surprising quickness for a man of his bulk, he ran back down the cul-de-sac.

Maddox joined Don and Harry in the archway where they had carried Hurst’s body. Maddox was breathing heavily and his face was white and set.

“Shall we have a crack at getting in, sir?” Harry asked Don in a low tone, but Maddox heard him".

“You’ll stay right here,” Maddox growled. “You two keep out of this. This is police business.”

Don said hopefully, “I could get that door open, sergeant…”

“You heard what I said, sir. You two keep out of it.” There was a long pause, then Horrocks came back. “We’ll have him in a few minutes,” he said grimly. “He’ll be sorry he started this.” He turned to Don. “You’ve done more than your share in this, Mr Micklem. I’ll be glad now if you’ll go home.”

Don stared at him.