As I went over all the incidents, I asked if everything was yet lost. I had failed to hoodwink Ivery, but I had found out his post office, and if he only believed I hadn’t recognised him for the miscreant of the Black Stone he would go on in his old ways and play into Blenkiron’s hands. Yes, but I had seen him in undress, so to speak, and he knew that I had so seen him. The only thing now was to collar him before he left the country, for there was ample evidence to hang him on. The law must stretch out its long arm and collect him and Gresson and the Portuguese Jew, try them by court martial, and put them decently underground.
But he had now had more than an hour’s warning, and I was entangled with red-tape in this damned A.P.M.”s office. The thought drove me frantic, and I got up and paced the floor. I saw the orderly with rather a scared face making ready to press the bell, and I noticed that the fat sergeant had gone to lunch.
“Say, mate,” I said, “don’t you feel inclined to do a poor fellow a good turn? I know I’m for it all right, and I’ll take my medicine like a lamb. But I want badly to put a telephone call through.”
“It ain’t allowed,” was the answer. “I’d get ’ell from the old man.”
“But he’s gone out,” I urged. “I don’t want you to do anything wrong, mate, I leave you to do the talkin’ if you’ll only send my message. I’m flush of money, and I don’t mind handin’ you a quid for the job.”
He was a pinched little man with a weak chin, and he obviously wavered.
“’Oo d’ye want to talk to?” he asked.
“Scotland Yard,” I said, “the home of the police. Lord bless you, there can’t be no harm in that. Ye’ve only got to ring up Scotland Yard—I’ll give you the number—and give the message to Mr Macgillivray. He’s the head bummer of all the bobbies.”
“That sounds a bit of all right,” he said. “The old man ’e won’t be back for ’alf an hour, nor the sergeant neither. Let’s see your quid though.”
I laid a pound note on the form beside me. “It’s yours, mate, if you get through to Scotland Yard and speak the piece I’m goin’ to give you.”