Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

22 bariK, Mr. Marlow?" he asked later, when Walmsley had finished. Marlow followed the boy's gaze, and chuckled. "Nice little weapon, isn't it?" he agreed, going over to the spanner and picking it up. "Don't know why on earth I left it there; I must ask the commissionaire to take it away. Queer thing, you know, but it suddenly appeared from nowhere, and we can't get anybody to claim it. Found it down in the A.R.P. shelter this morn- ing, and naturally thought it belonged to the workmen who've been building the place. But they know nothing about it. I'll get the blessed thing taken away." He crossed to his desk and was about to buzz for the commissionaire, when Walmslev said quickly: "Just a minute, old chap." "Eh?" exclaimed Marlow, swinging around, and surprised by the tone of the detective's voice. "I'd like to know more about that spanner," went on .Walmsley, picking it up bv its jaws and looking at the handle carefully. "Do you mind if Flick and I go down and have another look at that base- ment of yours? You needn't bother to come down yourself." "I don't get this at all." said Marlow, looking at Walmsley with a puzzled frown. "Whafs on your mind? ' 'Nothing in particular," Walmsley answered. "But this spanner business comes strangely after one or two thoughts I had when I was down in that basement. Well, if it's O.K., we'll pop down and have a look around. See you later." I "Gee, this puts me right out of my depth, chief," muttered Flick as they went down the stairs; but Walmsley volunteered ho information. He went around the basement, examining it carefully. He paid particular attention to the A.R.P. shelter door, gave an exclamation of satisfaction, and announced that he was satisfied. Marlow looked up from his desk as they returned. "Well?" he smiled. "What's the news? " "The news," replied Walmsley slowly, "is that there's a nice little plot on foot to clean your bank right out of almost every penny'it's got!" ON THE SCENT MARLOW blanched. "Tell me what you know—what you intend to do," he said quickly. Walmsley shook his head. "My investigations aren't complete," he said. "To be honest, I don't quite see now how the job's going to be pulled off yet, but I'm going to have a strong guard put on outside this bank night and day as a precaution. Don't worry. I think I've discovered enough to spike their guns. By the way, there's a tin box in your strong- room marked ' Group A Clearances.' Who handles that box?" "Fellow named Horton." "Been with you long?" "About ten years." "Does he do any A.R.P. duty here?" ' "Yes. He's a member of our Fire Squad." "He doesn't go into the shelter when there's a warning, then?" "No; he stays upstairs. The Fire Squad's job is to patrol the building cTur- ing a raid, and tacKle any fires that might break out." " As far as you know did Horton handle that spanner when it was found?" "No. He was on late duty last night, and hadn't arrived when the spanner was found this morning. He won't be here until twelve. He's doing that duty all this week." "Fine!" said Walmsley grimly. "Well, I'll just phone through to headquarters about those extra police, then I'll leave you." Marlow protested. "Walmsley, surelv there's something I ought to know? What about Horton? What do you suspect?" "Nothing you need worry about. You ran help me best by carrying on exactly as though nothing had happened. But Octohcr 21st. inSD. BOY'S CINEMA there's one thing." He bent over Marlow's scribbling-pad and wrote down a telephone number. "I want you without fail— loithout fail —to ring that number imme- diately you receive an air raid warning by telephone. Ask for me; if I'm not there, someone will take the message and act accordingly. But, apart from that, carry on just as though you were going through ordinary A.R.P. routine. Come on. Flick! ' He tiu-ned to the window through which Flick was peering intently along the street. The boy was so engrossed in what he saw that he did not hear Walmsley's voice until the detective repeated his name. "Sorry, chief," he grinned, turning round and following the detective from the room. Out in the street they crossed to the car, and when they were inside, the detective turned to Flick. "Well, youngster, what's on your mind? What were you watching so intently out of that window?" Flick snorted with indignation. "I like that, chief I" he grunted. "You go humming and hawing around that blinking bank, picking up clues like black- berries off a bush. Now, supposing I ask you what you know? You'll just turn on that inscrutable smile of yours and tell me to wait and see." Walmsley shook his head. "If I thought you needed telling, I'd tell you. But you know what the plan of the robbery is, near enough—eh?" "With one thing unexplained?" mur- mured Flick. "Well, maybe it's a crazy idea I've got, chief, but perhaps the answer to the final point is over there. Look at that joint next door to the bank- see what's going on?" Walmsley took a glance in the direction Flick indicated. Next to the bank was a shop which had once been a photographer's, but now seemed to be selling a varied collection of goods: gas-mask carriers, shields for lights, and all kinds of merchandise con- nected with A.R.P. The whole shop seemed now to have a very temporary look about it, but what caught Walmsley's eye was a pile of bricks and sand on the pavement outside. "Looks as though there's some base- ment-strengthening going on," said Walmsley. "I can't see anything in that Good heavens, you don't mean " "Supposing," grinned Flick—"just sup- posing that they're not building a shelter in the basement at all? Supposing all that work going on is just a blind for—for' something else?" Walmsley jerked out the starter, and the car leapt forward. "Laddie," he said seriously, "your idea may be just plain nonsense. On the other hand, it may not! We'll call in on the borough surveyor and get him to give us a little co-operation!" The interview they had at the town hall with the little red-faced man who filled the post of borough surveyor was a sheer joy to Flick. The little man's eyes nearly popped out of his head as Walmsley ex- plained the details of the case they were on, ending up: "Now, Mr. Burch, I want you to be good enough to visit that shop and make an inspection of their A.R.P. arrangements. You've every right to do that, of course? Good! Whatever you see, express perfect satisfaction with it. Don't just look at things on the surface—try to see what's behind them. If you get a chance to look around on your own. so much the better. And if you get a clue to anything out of the ordinary—anything that might fit in with what I've explained to you—don't show it. But let me know. You may be instrumental in preventing one of the biggest crimes of the district!" The borough surveyor, puffing a little at this prospect, went off in his car while Walmsley and Flick waited in his office. He was back in a quarter of an hour, and as he bustled into his office there was the light of triumph in his eyes. "Well. Mr. Burch? ' queried Walmsley. "Have they done their job efficiently?" Every Tuesday "Depends which job you mean, in- spector," replied Burch. "I went down into that basement, and they have cer- tainly built up some extra brick walls and girders to support the floor above. At first sight it looks as though the new brick wall were built close up against the com- municating wall between the shop and the bank. But as the workmen seemed to have gone to their meal. I sent the young fellow up into the shop on some pretext, and managed to have the basement to myself for about two minutes. "You are right, inspector! There's something afoot. For behind the new brickwork I found that part of the bank wall had been hacked away. Looks to me as though a few blows with a pickaxe would be enough to break it right through." "And on the other side of the wall," murmured Walmsley, "are some sandbags which could be removed and put back into place very easily. So that the police, called in to solve the mystery of how bank robbers could get away without leaving any trace, would for the while be com- pletely baffled. I don't think! Mav I use your 'phone?" he added; and when Burch nodded, he got on to Marlow at the bank. "Just a couple of questions, old chap." he said when the manager answered. "If anybody in the know decided to rob your bank, what day would they choose? " " To-morrow," answered Marlow promptly. "It's the week-end business, you see, and we've got to have plenty of reserve cash. But, I say " "Second question," v%'ent on Walmsley smoothly. "Your Mr. Horton will come on duty at midday to-morrow?" "Yes." "O.K. And, by the way, if you should find that spanner disappearing suddenly from your office, don't say a word. Pretend you hadn't noticed." "But that's what I was going to tell you," said Marlow in agitation. "It has disappeared. I was out of my office for only five mniutes, and when I came back that was tha first thing I saw. Someone had taken it!" Walmsley chuckled. "Now I wonder who could have done that?" he murmured. " Your Mr. Horton? I expect so. It all fits in, old chap, it all fits in! Keep your chin up and carry on, especially during the air-raid to-morrow afternoon! Good-bye!" FOILED! AT one-fifteen on the following after- noon the telephone in Mr. Marlow's room shrilled. The manager removed the receiver with a hand that trembled. "Yes?" he said into the microphone. "A.R.P. report centre here," came the answer. " Air-raid warning—red!" The code word which meant that a raid was expected almost immediately. Was it real or false? Marlow didn't stop to con- sider. He had his instructions from Walmsley, and he was going to carry them out without question. His hand moved over to the button which would sound the electric siren throughout the building. Then he paused. 'Phone Walmsley first—that was the thing to do! He dialled the number the detec- tive had given him, and half a mi;iute later Walmsley's voice came over the telephone. It was at that moment that a knock came at Marlow's door. He started as the door opened—and in came Horton, the man who was under suspicion. Marlow had never been called upon to act in his life, but he acted now. Swiftly he thought—Horton might have heard the telephone-bell ring, but couldn't have heard the receiver being replaced. So Marlow pretended he was still on to the A.R.P. people. Walmsley would guess! "What's that?" said Marlow into the telephone. "Air-raid warning—red? Right —thank vou!" He rung off, stood up, and pressed the button. The rising note of the siren wailed through the buildmg. and was