Chapter five
The Assistant Commissioner visits Sir Ethelred
The Assistant Commissioner turned to Heat. ‘Do you have
proof that Michaelis knows about this business?’
‘Proof, sir? Yes, sir. Trust me.’ Heat laughed as if he had
a special secret.
‘What did you find out at Greenwich?’ asked the Assistant
Commissioner.
Heat decided to be honest. ‘I have an address, sir.’ He
showed his boss the piece of blue cloth that he had taken from among the
remains of the body. ‘This is from the coat worn by the man who blew himself
up.’ The Assistant Commissioner saw that there was an address hand-written on
the cloth in ink.
'32 Brett Street. What’s that?’
‘lt’s a shop, sir.’ Heat explained about Verloc.
‘Does anyone else know about Verloc?’
‘No. sir. A personal friend in the French police told me he
was an Embassy spy. It was private information.’
‘And how long have you known this spy?’
‘I first saw him seven years ago, when some important foreign
visitors were on a visit here. Baron Stott-Wartenhein was Ambassador then. He
sent for me and he told me that a man had come from Paris with some important
information. He showed me into another room where a large man was waiting. The
light
was not good and I could not see him well. We talked and he
gave me some news that probably saved us from some serious problems on the day
of the important visit.
‘I saw the large man, Verloc, again some time later in the
street. One of our detectives watched him for a few days and he told me that
the man had married his landlady’s daughter. They had gone on holiday and he
had seen some old Paris labels on their bags.
When I went to Paris for work I spoke to my friend in the
police there. He told me that the man worked with an international group of
revolutionaries. He said that he was now a secret agent of one of the foreign
Embassies in London. At last I had proof that he was the man whom I had seen at
Baron Stott-Wartenheim’s.
‘One night, I went to his shop and I spoke to him. I said
that the police would leave him alone if he did nothing too bad. This was
useful to him because some of the things that he sells have to go through
Customs at Dover.’
‘And what do you get from him in return for not speaking to
Customs?’
'Our men take careful notice of anybody that they see with
him. I can always get an address from him. I usually write him a note,
unsigned, and he answers me in the same way with an unsigned note sent to my
private address. If I think something is going to happen, he can usually tell
me something about it.’
'He didn't tell you anything this time.’
'I didn't ask. He isn’t one of our men. We don’t pay him.’
‘No. He's a spy paid by a foreign country!’
'I must be free to work in my own way. sir. There are things
that not everyone should know.’
‘Not even me?’ said the Assistant Commissioner angrily. Heat
said nothing, so he continued. ‘Is the house watched by the police?'
'Not all the time. l don’t think that Verloc knows anything
about this Greenwich business.’
'No? Then how do you explain this?’ The Assistant
Commissioner looked at the piece of blue cloth lying on the table.
'I can't it, sir. I think that the man who knows the most
about all this is probably Michaelis.'
'What about the other man who escaped from the park?’
'I think he will be far away by now.’
Suddenly the Assistant Commissioner was in a hurry to end
the conversation and he told the Chief Inspector to meet him early the
next morning. Soon after Heat had gone, his boss put on his
hat and left the building. He had decided to speak about what he knew to a very
important politician — Sir Ethelred. the Home Secretary. He hurried towards the
Parliament buildings.
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The Home Secretary was a big, white-faced man. Next to him,
the Assistant Commissioner looked small and dark and even more foreign-looking.
Sir Ethelred spoke in a loud voice.
‘Now don’t give me any details. I don’t have time for that.
But I would like to know if this is the beginning of more problems from the
anarchists.’
‘I don’t think so, sir.’
’Hah! Less than a month ago, I was told that nothing like
this was even possible.’
‘I’m sorry, sir, but it wasn't me who told you that.’
‘That’s true. It was Heat. You haven’t been in the new job
long, have you? How are things?’
‘I believe I'm learning something new every day, Sir
Ethelred. I want to talk to you about the Greenwich bombing.’
‘Very well. Go ahead.’
The Assistant Commissioner talked for some minutes and Sir
Ethelred listened carefully.
‘So you see, sir,’ finished the Assistant Commissioner, ‘this
is special.’
‘You are right. To think that the Ambassador of a foreign
country is doing things like that! Really, these people are impossible! What
should we do, do you think?’
‘We shouldn’t accept these secret agents, sir. They are
dangerous. And perhaps we should take Heat off the job . . .’
‘What! Heat? Not very clever, eh?’ said Sir Ethelred who did
not like the Chief Inspector.
‘I couldn’t say that. sir. He’s the best in his department.
All my information is from him. But I’ve discovered that Heat has been using
Verloc privately and I don't agree with that. It’s a good idea to stop \/erloc,
but Heat may see this as a personal attack. I believe that I can find out what
is behind the Greenwich business if I go myself to the shop in Brett Street.’
'Why can't Heat go?’
'Because I want to know the real story behind the bombing
and he just wants to arrest as many well-known anarchists as possible. Verloc
will help. It won’t be difficult to frighten him; Can I tell him that he will be
safe if he helps us?’
Of course. Question him and find out as much as you can. Come
to Parliament later tonight and tell us what you know.’
Happily the Assistant Commissioner returned to his office
where he changed from his normal clothes and put on a short coat and a low,
round hat. Then he went into the street.
It was dark and raining. He took a cab to a small Italian
restaurant where he sat alone at one of the side tables. When he saw himself in
one of the mirrors, he pulled up the collar of his coat so that it partly
covered his thin. dark face. ‘That’s better,’ he thought.
Brett Street was not far, and the Assistant Commissioner was
soon walking towards Mr Verloc’s shop.
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