Have you managed to squeeze anything out of them?
Not a thing mainly because they honestly hadnt anything to say. The pipeline seems to be organised on the Communist cell system, the one the Resistance used in France during the war. Each member is concerned only with his own particular task. He may know the next step along the route, but no more than that. It means that if one individual is caught, the organisation as a whole is still safe.
And doesnt anyone know who the Baron is?
The Ghost Squad have been trying to find out for more than a year now. Theyve got nowhere. One things certain he isnt just another crook hes something special. May even be a Continental.
Mallory had a file open on the desk in front of him. He examined it in silence for a moment and shook his head. It looks to me as if your only hope of finding out anything about him at all would be to get a line on one of his future clients which in theory should be impossible. There must be something like sixty thousand men in gaol right now how do you find out which one it is?
A simple process of elimination really. If theres a pattern to his activities its to be found in his choice of clientele. Theyve all been long term prisoners and have had considerable financial resources. Black opened a buff folder, took out a typed sheet of foolscap and a photo and passed them across. Have a look at the last one.
Mallory examined it for a moment and nodded. Ben Hoffa I remember this one. The affair on Dartmoor last month. A gang disguised as Royal Marine Commandos ambushed a prison vehicle during a military exercise and spirited him away. Any news of him since?
Not a word. Hoffa and two confederates, George Saxton and Harry Youngblood were serving sentences of twenty years apiece for the Peterfield Airport robbery. Do you remember it?
I cant say I do.
It was five years ago now. They hi-jacked a Northern Airways Dakota which was carrying just under a million pounds in old notes, a special consignment from the Central Scottish Bank to the Bank of England in London. A beautiful job. I have to admit that. Only the three of them involved and they got clean away.
What went wrong?
Hoffa had the wrong kind of girl friend. She decided shed rather have the £10,000 reward the Central Banks were offering than Ben and his share of the loot plus an uncertain future.
And the money was never recovered?
Not one farthing. Black handed across another photo. Thats George Saxton. He escaped from Grange End last year. It was a carbon copy of the Wilson affair. Half a dozen men broke in under cover of darkness and actually brought him out. Not a word of him since then. As far as were concerned he might as well have ceased to exist.
Which leaves Youngblood presumably?
Only just or I miss my guess, Black said grimly and pushed another file across.
The face that stared up from the photo was full of intelligence and a restless animal vitality, one corner of the mouth lifted in a slight mocking smile. Mallory was immediately interested and quickly read through the details on the attached sheet.
Harry Youngblood was forty-two years of age and had joined the Navy in 1941 at the age of seventeen, finishing the war as a petty officer in motor torpedo boats. After the war he had continued in the same line of work, but on more unorthodox lines and in 1949 was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for smuggling. A charge of conspiracy to rob the mails had been dropped for lack of evidence in 1952. Between then and his final conviction in May 1961 he had served no further terms of imprisonment, but had been questioned by the police on no fewer than thirty-one occasions in connection with indictable offences.
Quite a character, Mallory said. He seems to have tried his hand at just about everything in the book.
To be honest with you, I always had a sneaking regard for him myself and I dont usually have much time for sentimentality where villains are concerned. If hed taken another turning after the war instead of that smuggling caper, things might have been very different.
And now hes doing twenty years?
Thats the theory. Were not too happy about what might happen considering the way his two confederates have gone. Hes at Fridaythorpe now under maximum security, but theres a limit to how harshly he can be treated anyway. He had a slight stroke about three months ago.
Mallory glanced at the photo again. I must say he looks healthy enough to me. Are you sure it was genuine?
An electroencephalograph cant lie, Black said. And it definitely indicated severe disturbance to wave patterns in the brain. Another thing you can apparently simulate a heart attack by using drugs, but not a stroke. He was very thoroughly checked. They had him in Manningham General Infirmary for three days.
Wasnt that dangerous? I should have thought it a perfect situation for someone to break him out.
Black shook his head. He was unconscious most of the time. They had him in the enclosed ward with two prison officers at his side night and day.
Couldnt he be treated at the prison?
They havent the facilities. Like most gaols, Fridaythorpe has a sick bay and a visiting doctor. Anything serious is treated in the enclosed ward of the local hospital. If a prisoner is likely to be ill for an extended period hes transferred to the prison hospital at Wormwood Scrubs. That doesnt apply to Youngblood with a complaint like his. In any case the Home Office would never sanction his transfer. The very fact that its a hospital means that it cant possibly offer maximum security. Theyd be frightened to death that one of the London gangs might seize their opportunity to try to break him out.
Mallory lit another cigarette, got to his feet and walked to the window. All very interesting. Of course the Commissioner sent me a very full report, but I must say your personal account has clarified one or two things. He turned, frowning reflectively. As I see it, it all boils down to one thing. You want us to supply you with an operative. Someone who could be introduced into prison in the normal way and who, at least in theory, might be able to win Youngbloods confidence. Why cant you use one of your own men?
Most crooks can spot a copper a mile away just one of those things and it works both ways, of course. Thats why the Commissioner thought of your organisation, sir. You see the man we need for this job wouldnt last five minutes if there was even a hint that he wasnt a crook himself so his personal attitude and temperament would be of primary importance.
What youre really saying is that my operatives have what might be termed the criminal mind, Superintendent? Black looked slightly put out and Mallory shook his head. Youre quite right. They wouldnt last long in the field if they hadnt.
You think you could find us someone?
Mallory nodded, sat down at his desk and looked at the file again. Oh yes, I think we can manage that. As it happens I have someone available who should be more than suitable. He flicked the switch on the intercom and said sharply, Any sign of Chavasse yet?
Im afraid not, Mr Mallory, Jean Frazer said.
Chavasse? Black said. Sounds foreign.
His father was a French officer killed during the last war. His mother is English. She raised the boy over here. You might say hes traveled extensively since.
His father was a French officer killed during the last war. His mother is English. She raised the boy over here. You might say hes traveled extensively since.
Black hesitated and said carefully, Hell need all his wits about him for this one, Mr Mallory.
As it happens, he has a Ph.D. in Modern Languages, Superintendent, Mallory answered a trifle frostily, and he was once a lecturer at one of our older universities. Is that good enough for you?
Blacks jaw went slack. Then how in the hell did he get into this game?
An old story. The important thing is why does he stay? Mallory shrugged. I suppose you could say he has a flair for our sort of work and, when called upon, he doesnt hesitate to squeeze the trigger. Most human beings do, you know. He smiled thinly. Come to think of it, I dont think you would approve of him at all.
Black looked rather stunned. To be perfectly frank, sir, he sounds as if he should be behind bars to me.
Rather an apt comment under the circumstances.
A moment later the intercom buzzed and Jean Frazer announced Chavasse.
He paused just inside the door. Sorry Im late, sir, he said to Mallory.
Never mind that now. Id like you to meet Detective Chief Superintendent Black of the Special Branch. Hed like you to go to prison for a few months.
Now that sounds interesting, Chavasse said and he moved forward to shake hands.
He was a shade under six feet with good shoulders and moved with the grace of the natural athlete, but it was the face which was the most interesting feature. It was handsome, even aristocratic the kind that could have belonged equally to the professional soldier or scholar and the heritage of his Breton father was plain to see in the high cheek-bones. As he shook hands, his face was illuminated by a smile of great natural charm, but thirty years of police work had taught Charlie Black the importance of eyes. These were dark and strangely remote and remembering what Mallory had said, he shivered slightly, suddenly feeling completely out of his depth. Straightforward police work was one thing, but this
He heard Mallorys next words with an almost audible sigh of relief. I think we can manage from here on in, Superintendent. Many thanks for coming. As I said before, youve clarified several things for me. You can tell the Commissioner Ill be in touch later in the day. Miss Frazer will see you out.
He put on his glasses and started to examine the file in front of him again. Black got to his feet awkwardly, started to put out his hand and thought better of it. He nodded to Chavasse and went out rather quickly.
Chavasse chuckled. God bless the British bobby.
Mallory glanced up at him. Who Black? Oh, hes all right digging in his own patch.
He was like some wretched schoolboy leaving the headmasters study couldnt get out fast enough.
Nonsense. Mallory tossed a file across to him. Ill talk to you when youve read that.
He occupied himself with some other papers while Chavasse worked his way through the typed sheets and the documents from Criminal Records Office at the Yard.
After a while Mallory sat back. Well, what do you think?
Could be interesting, but since when have you been so keen to help the police?
There are one or two things about this affair that the Yard dont know.
Such as?
Remember what a stink there was last year when Henry Galbraith, the nuclear physicist who was serving fifteen years for passing information to the Chinese, escaped from Felversham Gaol?
Chavasse nodded. I must admit I was surprised at the time. Galbraith was hardly my idea of a man of action.
Hes turned up in Peking.
You mean the Baron was behind that? Mallory nodded and Chavasse whistled softly. They must have paid plenty.
On top of that on at least three occasions this year just when weve been about to close in on someone important whos been working for the other side, theyve been spirited away. A Foreign Office type disappeared last month and turned up in Warsaw and I can tell you now, he knew too damned much. The Prime Minister was hopping mad about that one he had to go to Washington the same week.
Which all tells us something interesting about the Baron, Chavasse observed. Whatever else he is, hes no patriot just a hard-headed businessman.
He looked down at the file again and Mallory said, What do you think?
About the general idea, Chavasse shrugged. I am not too sure. Im to go to gaol and share a cell with Harry Youngblood, thats about the size of it. Are you sure it can be arranged?
Mallory nodded. The Home Office could handle that part of it direct with the prison governor. He might not like it, but hed have to do as he was told. Hed be the only one who would know. Well fix you up with a new identity. Something nice and interesting. Ex-officer cashiered for embezzlement recently deported from Brazil as an undesirable and so forth.
It might be just a colossal waste of time, have you considered that? Chavasse said. It may seem logical that Harry Youngblood should be next for shaving, but its far from certain.
Mallory shook his head. I think it is. Take this slight stroke hes had thats as fishy as hell. No previous history and hes always enjoyed perfect health.
According to the report it was a genuine attack.
I know and Black pointed out that a stroke cant be induced artifically by use of a drug.
Is he wrong?
Lets say misinformed officially there is no such drug, but they have been experimenting with one in Holland for a year now. A thing called Mabofine. It disturbs the wave patterns in the brain in the same way as insulin or shock treatment. They hope to use it with mental patients.
What youre really saying is that you suspect that some sort of plot is already in operation to get him out. What am I supposed to do? Find out what I can and stop him or try to go along for the ride?
It could be an interesting trip. It might lead us straight to the man were looking for.
Another thing it might be a year or more before they move.
And you dont fancy spending that long as a guest of Her Majesty?
Chavasse tossed Youngbloods record card across the desk. Its more than that. Look at that face notice the eyes. To hell with those jolly newspaper stories about Harry Youngblood, the smuggler with the good war record the modern Robin Hood with a heart of corn for a tale of woe. In my book hes a man with a mind like a cut-throat razor whod sell his grandmother for cigarette money in the right situation. Hed smell me out as a phoney for sure. I wouldnt last a week and prisons can be dangerous places or hadnt you heard?
But what if he had to accept you? What if he didnt have any choice in the matter?
Chavasse frowned. I dont get it.
All you have to do is pull the right job and get yourself five years. A reasonably spectacular hold-up for preference. Something that will spread your face all over the front page for a day or two.
Youre not asking much, are you?
Actually, Ive already got something lined up, Mallory continued calmly. I got it from one of our contacts at the Yard. Whenever they find a firm that isnt taking adequate security precautions, they step in and offer some sound advice. In this case it might have more effect coming from you. Youll have to let them catch you of course.