Loe raamatut: «The Thousand Faces of Night»

1

They released Marlowe from Wandsworth shortly after eight o’clock on a wet September morning. When the gate was opened he hesitated for a moment before stepping outside and the man on duty gave him a push forward. ‘See you again,’ he observed, cynically.

‘Like hell, you will,’ Marlowe said over his shoulder.

He walked down towards the main road, a big, dangerous-looking man, massive shoulders swelling under the cheap raincoat they had given him. He stood on the corner watching the early morning traffic and a flurry of wind lifted cold rain into his face. On the opposite side of the road was a snack bar. For a moment he hesitated, fingering the money in his pocket, and then he took advantage of a break in the traffic and crossed over.

When he pushed open the door, a bell tinkled in the stillness. The place was deserted. He sat on one of the high stools at the counter and waited. After a few moments an old, white-haired man emerged from a door at the rear. He peered over the top of steel-rimmed spectacles and a slow smile appeared on his face. ‘What would you like, son?’ he said.

Marlowe’s fingers tightened over the coins. For a moment he was unable to speak and then he managed to say, ‘Give me twenty cigarettes.’

The old man was already reaching for them. For a brief second Marlowe looked at the packet and then he quickly opened it and took out a cigarette. A match flared in the old man’s hands and Marlowe reached forward. He inhaled deeply and blew out the smoke with a great sigh. ‘Christ, but I was waiting for that,’ he said.

The old man chuckled sympathetically and poured strong coffee from a battered metal pot into a mug. He added milk and pushed it across. Marlowe reached for his money and the old man smiled and raised a hand. ‘It’s on the house.’

For a moment they looked at each other steadily and then Marlowe laughed. ‘How can you tell?’ he said.

The old man leaned on the counter and shrugged. ‘I’ve kept this place for twenty years. Nearly every day during that time someone has walked down the street opposite and stood on that corner. Then they see this place and it’s straight in for a packet of cigarettes.’

Marlowe grinned. ‘You can’t blame them can you?’ He drank some of the coffee and sighed with pleasure. ‘That tastes good. After five years of drinking swill I’d forgotten what good coffee was like.’

The old man nodded and said quietly, ‘That’s a long time. Things can change a lot in five years.’

Marlowe looked out of the window. ‘You’re damned right they can. I’ve been watching the cars. They all look different somehow. Even people’s clothes look different.’

‘They are different,’ the old man said. ‘And the people inside them are different too.’

Marlowe laughed bitterly and swallowed the rest of his coffee. ‘Aren’t we all?’ he said. ‘Everything changes. Everything.’

‘More coffee?’ the old man asked gently.

Marlowe shook his head and stood up. ‘No, I’ve got to get moving.’

The old man produced a cloth and carefully wiped the counter. ‘Where are you going, son? The Prisoners’ Aid Society?’

Marlowe laughed briefly and a flash of genuine amusement showed in his cold grey eyes. ‘Now I ask you. Do I look the sort of bloke that would apply to those people?’

The old man sighed and shook his head. ‘No,’ he said sadly. ‘You look like a man who would never ask anybody for anything.’

Marlowe grinned and lit another cigarette. ‘That’s right, Dad. That way you never owe anybody anything.’ He opened the door. ‘Thanks for the cigarettes. I’ll be seeing you.’

The old man shook his head. ‘I hope not.’

Marlowe grinned again. ‘Okay, Dad, I’ll try to oblige.’ He closed the door behind him and began to walk along the pavement.

The rain had increased in force and bounced from the pavement in long solid rods. It soaked through the cheap raincoat within a few seconds and he cursed and hurried towards a bus shelter. The traffic had slackened down to an occasional truck or car and the pavements were deserted. As he approached the shelter a large black saloon turned into the kerb slightly ahead of him.

As he moved alongside the car a voice said, ‘Hallo, Hugh. We’ve been waiting for you. It’s been a long time.’

Marlowe stood quite still. The skin had tightened over his prominent cheekbones, but otherwise he showed no emotion. He approached the car and looked in at the man who sat behind the wheel. ‘Hallo, you bastard!’ he said.

A rough voice snarled from the rear seat. ‘Watch it, Marlowe! You can’t talk to Mr Faulkner like that.’

The man who had spoken was thick set with the coarse, battered features of a prizefighter. Next to him sat a small wiry man whose cold beady eyes were like holes in his white face.

Marlowe’s gaze flickered over them contemptuously. ‘The old firm. It must smell pretty high in there when you have the windows closed.’

The large man made a convulsive movement and Faulkner cried warningly, ‘Butcher!’ He subsided, swearing violently under his breath, and Faulkner said, ‘Yes, the old firm, Hugh, and don’t forget you’re still a partner.’

Marlowe shook his head. ‘You dissolved our partnership a long time ago.’

Faulkner frowned. ‘I think not, my friend. We still have some unfinished business to settle.’

Marlowe smiled coldly. ‘Five years inside has made me greedy, Faulkner. I’m not declaring a dividend this year.’ He laughed harshly. ‘What kind of a mug do you think I am? Go on, get out of it. And keep away from me.’

As he straightened up, the rear door started to open and a hairy paw reached out towards him. He slammed the door shut with all his force, trapping the hand so that blood spurted from beneath the fingernails. Butcher gave a cry of agony, and Marlowe leaned in the window and said, ‘That’s for leaving me in the lurch the night we did the Birmingham job.’ He spat in Butcher’s face and turned away.

He ducked into a narrow alley and began to walk rapidly along the uneven pavement. Behind him car-doors slammed and there was a heavy pounding of footsteps. He threw a hasty glance over his shoulder as the small man rounded the corner, steel glinting in his hand. Behind him lumbered Butcher, cursing freely as he wrapped a handkerchief about his right fist.

At any other time he would have turned and faced them, but not now. He had other things to do. He started running along the alley, splashing in the rain-filled gutter, his feet slipping dangerously on the greasy cobbles.

The small man gave a cry of triumph and Marlowe ground his teeth together with rage. So they thought they had him on the run, did they? They thought the years behind the high wall had made him soft. He resisted the impulse to stop running and increased his pace.

He rounded the corner at the end of the alley into a quiet street of terrace houses. For a brief moment he hesitated and then, as he started forward, he slipped and crashed to the pavement. As he scrambled to his feet a door opened and a woman stepped out with a shopping-basket on one arm. Marlowe lurched towards her and she stepped back quickly with a cry of alarm and slammed the door in his face. There came another shout from behind, and as he started to stumble painfully along the pavement a large black saloon turned into the road and came towards him.

A sudden burning anger rose inside and he clenched his fists as the car swerved into the kerb a few yards away. The rear door opened and a large, heavily built man in a brown raincoat and Homburg hat clambered out and stood, hands in pockets, waiting.

Marlowe came to a sudden halt. Behind him he could hear the sound of his pursuers’ footsteps fading rapidly into the distance. The large man smiled and shook his head, white teeth gleaming beneath a clipped moustache. ‘You haven’t wasted any time, Marlowe.’

Marlowe grinned and walked towards him. ‘I never thought the day would come when I’d be glad to see you, Masters,’ he said.

‘It’s a day for surprises,’ Masters retorted. ‘I never thought I’d live to see you run from a couple of rats like Butcher and Harris.’

Marlowe scowled. ‘I’ve got more important things to do. I can deal with those two any time.’

Masters nodded. ‘I don’t doubt it, but there’s always Faulkner.’ He took out a short pipe and began to fill it from a leather pouch. ‘He saw us coming, by the way, and took off. I’m afraid Butcher and Harris are going to get very wet looking for him.’ He frowned suddenly as if the idea had just occurred to him. ‘Of course, you could always prefer charges.’

Marlowe grinned. ‘What for? We were only having a little exercise.’

The rain increased in volume with a sudden rush, and Masters opened the rear door of the car and said, ‘Let’s continue this conversation in comfort at least.’

For a moment Marlowe hesitated and then he shrugged and climbed in. There was a tall young man in a fawn raincoat behind the wheel. He turned his head and said, ‘Where to, Superintendent?’

Marlowe whistled. ‘A super now, eh? They must be getting hard up.’

Masters ignored the thrust. ‘Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?’ Marlowe raised one eyebrow and took out his cigarettes. Masters smiled faintly and said to the driver, ‘Just take us towards town, Cameron. My friend and I have a lot to talk over.’

Marlowe blew smoke out and leaned back. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you, Masters.’

Masters held a match to his pipe. After a moment he leaned back with a sigh. ‘I wouldn’t say that. There’s a little matter of twenty thousand quid I want from you.’

Marlowe threw back his head and laughed. ‘You’ve got a hope.’ He looked the policeman squarely in the eye. ‘Listen, Masters. I was sent up for seven years. I’ve done five like a good little boy and now I’m out. Nobody can lay a finger on me. I’m clean as a whistle as far as the law is concerned.’

Masters shook his head. ‘There’s nothing very clean about you, Marlowe.’

Marlowe turned towards him, a fist raised, and the driver braked suddenly so that the car skidded a little. Masters smiled calmly. ‘Keep going, Cameron. My friend isn’t going to cause any trouble.’

Marlowe cursed and reached for the door handle. ‘Okay, Masters. I’ve had enough. Stop the car and let me out.’

Masters shook his head. ‘Oh, no, I haven’t finished with you yet.’ He puffed at his pipe reflectively for a moment. ‘I’ve never been able to understand you, Marlowe. Not at your trial and not now. You had a normal enough background, a good education. You were even decorated in Korea, and then you came home and turned yourself into a lousy crook, a cheap hoodlum hanging round the big boys looking for easy pickings.’

Marlowe was calmer now. He said, ‘I never waited around for anyone’s pickings and you know it.’

‘But you were driving for Faulkner and his bunch, weren’t you?’

Marlowe shrugged. ‘Why ask me? You seem to know all the answers.’

Masters shook his head. ‘Not all of them, but I intend to.’ He applied another match to his pipe and continued, ‘It’s just over five years since that Iron Amalgamated job was done in Birmingham. Whoever did it lifted over twenty thousand pounds, the wages for the following day. But they didn’t cosh the night-watchman hard enough. He raised the alarm and the car was chased through the city. It crashed in a side street, and when a patrol car got there you were behind the wheel, half conscious. They dragged you out of the wreck clutching a black case. You wouldn’t let go of it. One of the constables went to the end of the street to guide the other cars in and when he returned, his partner was laid out and you’d disappeared – with the bag, of course.’

Marlowe raised his eyebrows and yawned deliberately. ‘I’m beginning to get bored. This is like seeing a film round twice.’

Masters smiled pleasantly. ‘Wait a minute. It gets more interesting. You were picked up in Paddington Station next day. How the hell you managed to get clear of Birmingham I’ll never know, but the important thing was that the money was gone.’ He held the stem of his pipe against the side of his nose and said, ‘Now I wonder where it got to?’

Marlowe shrugged. ‘I said all I had to say at the trial. They proved I was driving the car. They gave me seven years, and now I’m out. So what?’

Masters nodded. ‘But there’s still the question of the money. You never did got around to telling us what you did with it.’

‘You know, you’ve got a point there.’ Marlowe dropped his voice a tone. ‘Promise you won’t let this go any further, but I gave all the money to a charity that’s very near to my heart. It’s a society that takes care of destitute policemen.’

‘Very funny,’ Masters said. ‘As it happens, I prefer my own version. Faulkner pulled that Birmingham job, though we’ve never been able to prove it because you kept your mouth shut.’

Marlowe shrugged. ‘So where does that get you?’

‘To this,’ Masters said. ‘Faulkner pulled the job, but he never got his hands on the cash.’ Marlowe started to speak but the policeman went on, ‘It’s no use denying it. I’ve got my contacts and I know he’s been keeping pretty close tabs on you while you’ve been inside. The way I see it this is what happened. When your car crashed that night, Faulkner, Butcher and Harris were with you. You were stunned. In a blind panic, they ran for it, leaving you. Maybe they forgot the money in the heat of the moment or perhaps they left it deliberately, hoping the police would think it was a one-man job. By a miracle you got away, because I picked you up myself in Paddington Station next day, but the money had disappeared.’

Marlowe stared out of the window, a frown on his face. ‘What if it’s all true? What if it happened exactly as you say? It still won’t get you anywhere.’ He laughed contemptuously. ‘If you caught me with the money in my pockets you couldn’t touch me. I’ve served my time.’

Masters sighed deeply. ‘You know, I thought you were smart, Marlowe. That’s what used to make you stand out amongst the crowd of mugs that hung around Faulkner’s club in the old days.’ He shook his head. ‘Do you think you’ll ever get to spend that money? Will you hell. I’m after it because to me it’s part of an unfinished case. Faulkner’s after it, and Butcher and Harris and every other cheap crook that knows the story. You’re branded clear to the bone.’

Marlowe swung round and gripped Masters by the right arm. His face had turned to stone and there was a terrible expression in his eyes. ‘Listen to me, Masters,’ he said, ‘and listen good. If anybody gets in my way I’ll stamp him into the ground, and that goes for you, too.’ His fingers dug painfully into the policeman’s arm and his voice trembled slightly. ‘I spent three years in a Chinese prison camp, Masters. Did you know that? I worked in a coal mine in Manchuria for twelve hours a day up to my knees in water. Most of my friends died, but I came home. And do you know what? Nobody seemed to know a war had been going on.’

‘Is that supposed to be an excuse?’ Masters said.

Marlowe ignored him. ‘I took a job as a driver with Faulkner. Good money and no questions asked. He tried to make a monkey out of me, but I ended up making him look pretty stupid.’ He released the policeman’s arm. ‘I’ve spent eight years of my life in prison, Masters, and I’m only thirty.’ He leaned back suddenly. ‘Okay, I’ve got the money. I earned it and now I’m keeping it.’

Masters shook his head slowly, and there was something like pity in his voice. ‘You’ll never get away with it. If Faulkner doesn’t catch up with you, I will.’

Marlowe shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.’

The car slowed as they approached a junction, and as the lights changed it started to pick up speed again. With a sudden movement, Marlowe jerked open the offside door, jumped out into the road, and slammed it behind him. He threaded his way quickly through heavy traffic and dodged down a side street.

Once away from people he started to run. He knew he had only a few minutes’ start at the most. As he approached the end of the street he slowed and turned into another main road. A bus was pulling away from a stop in front of him, and he broke into a run and jumped on to the platform as it gathered speed.

As the bus moved away into the main traffic stream he slumped down into a corner seat. His chest was heaving and there was a slight film of sweat on his brow. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and smiled wryly. Things had moved fast, faster than he had anticipated, but he was still ahead of the game and that was all that counted.

He dropped off the bus at the next stop and went into a hardware store where he purchased a cheap screwdriver. Then he crossed the road and plunged into a maze of back-streets. He walked quickly, head lowered against the driving rain, and finally emerged into another main road where he caught a bus for the City.

A little more than an hour after giving Masters the slip he was in the vicinity of Paddington Station. It was raining harder than ever now and the streets were almost deserted. He crossed the road towards the station and turned into a narrow street that was lined on each side with tall, decaying Victorian houses.

About half-way along the street he paused and looked up at one of the houses. Above the door a grimy glass sign carried the legend ‘Imperial Hotel’ in faded letters. It was typical of a certain type of establishment to be found in the area. Places where a room was usually required for only an hour or two and never longer than a night. He mounted the steps slowly and passed inside.

He found himself in a narrow hall with several doors opening off it. Directly in front of him stairs that were covered with a threadbare carpet lifted to a gloomy landing. On his left a middle-aged woman was sitting in a cubicle reading a newspaper. She looked up and blinked red-rimmed watery eyes, and then carefully folded the paper. She spoke in a light, colourless voice. ‘Yes, sir. What can I do for you?’

Marlowe’s eyes moved quickly over the rows of keys that hung on the board behind her head. ‘I’d like a room,’ he said. ‘Just for three or four hours.’

The woman’s wet eyes flickered briefly over him. She produced a battered register and pen, and said, ‘Sign here, please.’

Marlowe took the pen and hastily scrawled ‘P. Simons – Bristol’. The woman examined the entry and said politely, ‘Any luggage, sir?’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve left it at the station. I’m catching a train for Scotland this afternoon. Thought I could do with some sleep while I’m waiting.’

She nodded. ‘I see, sir. That will be fifteen shillings.’

He gave her a pound note and, when she turned to the board, said, ‘I’ll take number seven if it’s vacant.’ He laughed lightly. ‘My lucky number.’

The woman handed him the key. ‘It’s facing you at the top of the stairs, sir,’ she said. ‘Would you like me to give you a call?’

He shook his head. ‘No thanks. I’ll be all right.’

He mounted the stairs quickly and stood on the landing listening. The hotel was wrapped in quiet. After a moment he unlocked the door of room seven and went in.

Light filtered palely through one dirty window, giving a touch of colour to the faded counterpane that covered the double bed. The only other furniture was an ancient mahogany wardrobe and a plain wooden chair which stood on the far side of the bed. There was a door marked ‘Toilet’ in one corner.

Marlowe wrinkled his nose in disgust. The room smelt musty and damp. Somehow there was an odour of corruption over everything. He went to the window and wrestled with the catch. After a moment it gave, and he lifted the sash as far as it would go and leaned out into the rain.

The hotel backed on to a maze of railway lines and he could see Paddington Station over to the left. Beneath the window a pile of coke reared against the wall, and there was an engine getting up steam not far away. He lit a cigarette and leaned out into the rain. There was a hint of fog in the air and already things were becoming misty and ill-defined. He shivered suddenly as a gust of wind lifted rain in his face, but he did not shake because of the cold. He was afraid. For one brief moment his courage deserted him and he allowed the thought to creep into his mind that perhaps the long years had been wasted. Perhaps what he had come for was no longer here.

With a sudden convulsive movement he tossed his cigarette far out into the rain and crossed to the toilet door. A small rounded oval plate had ‘Toilet’ printed on it in black letters, and was secured by two screws. Marlowe took out his screwdriver and started to unscrew the plate with hands that trembled slightly.

When he had taken one screw completely out, the plate swivelled and the thing which had been concealed behind it fell to the floor. He dropped to one knee and picked it up with trembling fingers. It was a small metal key. He held it in the palm of his hand, staring at it, and a sudden exultation lifted inside him. It was there. After all this time it was there.

He heard nothing and yet some instinct told him that he was not alone. He was conscious of a slight draught on one cheek and knew that the door was open. He turned slowly. Faulkner was standing just inside the door. He held up what was obviously a duplicate key to the room and twirled it gaily round one finger. ‘I’ve got one too, old man, though nothing like as valuable as that one. What’s it open, a safe-deposit box? Very clever of you.’

He came into the room followed by Butcher and Harris, who closed the door and leaned against it. Marlowe slipped the key into his pocket and said, ‘How the hell did you manage to follow me?’

Faulkner sat down on the bed and fitted a cigarette into an elegant holder. ‘We didn’t need to, old man. You see, I knew something the police didn’t. The day you were arrested I had a bit of luck. A pal of Butcher’s happened to see you coming out of this place. I took the room for a couple of days, and we went over it with a fine-tooth comb. Couldn’t find a thing, but I always had a hunch about it. There had to be a connection.’

Marlowe took out a cigarette and lit it carefully. ‘I’m surprised at you, Faulkner,’ he said. ‘You must be slipping.’ He looked quickly towards the two men at the door. Butcher was watching his every move, hate blazing out of his eyes. Harris had produced a flick-knife with which he was quietly cleaning his fingernails.

Faulkner said, ‘Actually it was a damned ingenious hiding place, Hugh. But then you always were a cut above the average.’ He smiled and leaned forward. ‘Now come clean like a good chap and tell me where I can find the lock that key fits.’ His smile became even more charming. ‘I wouldn’t try anything silly if I were you. Butcher and Harris are praying for an excuse to cut you into pieces.’

A quick fierce anger surged in Marlowe, and he grabbed Faulkner by the tie and jerked him up from the bed. ‘You lousy bastard,’ he said coldly. ‘Do you think I’m scared of you and your third-rate toughs?’

Faulkner’s eyes started from his head as he began to choke, and then Marlowe was aware of a movement to his left. He released Faulkner and turned as Harris cut viciously at his face with the knife. He warded off the blow with his right arm and was conscious of pain as the knife ripped his sleeve. He caught the small man by his left wrist and with a sudden pull, jerked him across the room to crash against the wall.

As he turned, Butcher struck at him with a heavy rubber cosh, the blow catching him across the left shoulder and almost paralysing his arm. He chopped Butcher across the right forearm with the edge of his hand and the big man cried out in pain and dropped the cosh. Marlowe turned towards the door and Faulkner pushed out a foot and tripped him so that he fell heavily to the floor. Butcher moved in quickly, kicking at his ribs and face. Marlowe rolled away, avoiding most of the blows and scrambled up. Harris was back on his feet, shaking his head in a dazed fashion. He stumbled across the room and stood beside Butcher. For a moment there was a brief pause as the four men stood looking at each other and then Faulkner pulled an automatic out of his inside breast pocket.

Marlowe moved backwards until he faced them from the other side of the bed, the open window behind him. Faulkner appeared to be having difficulty with his voice. He choked several times before he managed to say, ‘I’ll take that key, Hugh, and you’ll tell me where the money is. I don’t want to use this, but I will if I have to.’

‘I’ll see you in hell first,’ Marlowe said.

Faulkner shrugged and covered him carefully with the automatic. ‘Go and get the key,’ he told Butcher.

The big man started forward. Marlowe waited until he was almost on him and then he grabbed the wooden chair and tossed it straight at Faulkner. In the same moment he turned and vaulted through the open window.

He landed knee-deep in the pile of coke and lost his balance, rolling over and sliding to the bottom. He got to his feet and looked up. Butcher and Faulkner were at the window. For a moment they stared down at him and then they were pulled aside and Harris scrambled on to the windowsill. As he jumped, Marlowe turned and ran across the tracks towards some railway coaches which were standing in a nearby siding.

The fog was thickening rapidly now and visibility was poor. He stumbled across the tracks into the shelter of the coaches and paused for a moment to look back. Harris was running well and the blade of his knife gleamed dully in the rain. Marlowe started to run again. There was a terrible pain in his side where Butcher had kicked him and blood was dripping from his left arm.

As he emerged from the shelter of the coaches he saw a goods train moving slowly along a nearby track, gathering speed as it went. He lurched towards it and ran alongside, pulling at one of the sliding doors until it opened. He grabbed at the iron rail and hauled himself up.

As he leaned against the door Harris appeared, running strongly, his face white with effort. As he grabbed for the handrail, Marlowe summoned up his last reserve of strength and kicked him in the chest with all his force. The small man disappeared and then the train moved forward rapidly, clattering over the points as it travelled away from London towards the North.

For a moment longer Marlowe leaned in the opening and then he pushed the sliding door shut and slid gently down on to the straw-littered floor.