“Never mind these cretins,” Ullman said. “Go on, for God’s sake.”
“Jacobi was an expert jewel thief and was planning to steal
Allenby’s anti-invasion nest-egg, worth fifty thousand pounds,” I said,
scowling at Crystal, who made faces at me. “But Jacobi knew he
couldn’t handle a job as big as that on his own. . . .”
“The weak sister!” Bix said in disgust. “If it’d been half that
amount I’d’ve done it.”
“So would I,” Crystal chimed in. “I’d’ve done it for a quarter the
amount.”
“And he suggested Bradley should come in on it with him,” I went
on, ignoring the interruption. “Bradley thought it’d be an idea to get
the police on his side, and he put the proposition to Corridan, offering
him a third of the spoils if he acted as inside man after the robbery,
steering suspicion from Jacobi.”
“That was smart,” Ullman said approvingly. “I suppose you got all
this from Netta?”
“Yeah. She talked. Boy! How she talked. Well, Corridan was after
as much money as he could get his claws on, so he agreed to play.
Netta now comes on the scene. Nine months ago, she and Bradley
married. Bradley couldn’t get her any other way, but he kept the
marriage quiet. This arrangement suited Netta as she could continue
to live on her own supported by Bradley, and if Bradley ever got tired
of her she would be taken care of in the divorce settlement. Bradley
bought the cottage at Lakeham for his robbery headquarters and as a
love nest for Netta and himself.
“The gang consisted of Bradley, Mrs. Brambee, Jacobi, Julius Cole
and Corridan. The robbery was successful, but Bradley and Jacobi
quarrelled over the split. Bradley killed Jacobi. Netta was present at
the shooting.”
“This is improving,” Bix said, brightening. “Don’t rush over the
gory details.”
“Jacobi was killed with a Luger pistol which Bradley had brought
back as a souvenir of the First World War. His name was engraved on
the pistol butt, and although the name had been erased, Bradley
knew the police would be able to read it under ultra-violet rays. If the
gun was ever found, he’d swing for the killing. Netta was by now tired
of Bradley and had fallen for Corridan. She took the Luger while
Bradley was dumping Jacobi’s body in a Soho street, and decided to
make capital out of it.”
“What some women will do for money,” Crystal exclaimed,
shocked. “Why is it I never have a chance to show how unscrupulous I
could be?”
“Netta was scared to approach Bradley direct,” I went on, “so she
suggested to Corridan that he should blackmail Bradley, and the two
of them share the proceeds. Corridan agreed, but he wanted the gun.
He was using Netta for his own profit, and he didn’t trust her. Netta
wouldn’t let him have the gun. It was her security in case Corridan
tried to gyp her.”
“I’d trust you with everything of mine, precious,” Crystal said,
fondling my hand.
“I’ll have that down in black and white when there’s a spare
moment,” I said, patting her. “But keep quiet and let me get on. Eat
up your nice chicken, and don’t spill any down your pretty dress.”
“When you two have stopped drooling over each other,” Ullman
said in disgust, “you might get on.”
“Corridan put the screws on Bradley, who paid up,” I continued..
“As Corridan didn’t dare show his face at the Club in case he was seen,
and as Netta wasn’t supposed to be in this blackmailing racket, Mrs.
Brambee was detailed to collect the money each week.
“Well, that was the set-up until Selma Jacobi discovered that
Bradley killed her husband. Cole told her this because he wanted to
get even for not receiving a cut from the money Corridan was getting
from Bradley. But Cole didn’t tell Selma that Corridan was hooked up
with Bradley. He was scared of Corridan. Selma went to Corridan,
knowing he was in charge of the Jacobi investigation, and told him
what Cole had told her. Imagine Corridan’s feelings. If he took action,
he’d dry up his own source of income, and Bradley would squeal on
him. If he didn’t, then Selma would go to a higher authority at the
Yard, and he’d get caught that way. His only way out was to get rid of
Selma. He took her along to Netta’s flat, drugged her, and between
the two of them they set the stage for suicide.”
By this time we had reached the coffee stage of the meal.
“For the love of Mike let’s have some whisky with this,” Bix
implored. “Listening to you gives me a thirst.”
I ordered whiskies, and a brandy for Crystal.
“Before Selma was murdered,” I went on, after the drinks had
arrived, “Bradley had\ found out that Netta and Corridan were lovers.
Bradley told Netta he had given orders to Frankie to lay for her and
splash her with vitriol. Whether this was Bradley’s idea of getting
even, or whether Frankie was really going to do it, I don’t know. Netta
swears he would have done it, and knowing Frankie I think it’s likely.
Anyway, Netta was terrified and she decided it’d be safer to drop out
of sight. Selma’s body offered the opportunity. Corridan agreed to
help, and they dyed Selma’s hair the same shade as Netta’s, bribed
Cole to identify her as Netta, passed the news on to Bradley that
Netta had killed herself. Do you follow all that up to now?” I asked,
looking around.
“Keep going,” Bix sighed. “My brain’s numbed, but the sound of
your voice has a soothing effect on it.”
“Now I turn up,” I continued. “Bradley was going to the mortuary
to identify the body, so was I. Corridan had to work fast. He arranged
for one of his men to move the body from the mortuary to the
cottage at Lakeham. This was for my benefit as I had found the
envelope addressed to Anne Scott, and had jumped to the conclusion
that Anne was Netta’s sister. I was allowed a glimpse of the body,
then it was taken to the Horsham mortuary and destroyed by fire
before Bradley could see it. Got all that?”
“Complicated, but smart,” Ullman said, nodding his head. “Then
what?”
Bix groaned. “You’re a whale for punishment,” he said, sneaking
my whisky and drinking it before I could stop him. “Me—I’ve had
about enough.”
“The next bit’s interesting,” I promised. “It shows how clever I
am.”
“We’d better stay for that,” Bix said to Crystal, “otherwise he’ll
stick us for the check.”
“Bradley had given Netta five thousand pounds’ worth of bonds as
a wedding present,” I went on. “He was anxious to get the money
back. Frankie had been into the flat and had hunted for the bonds but
had failed to find them. I found them, and suspecting that I had them,
Frankie attacked me, but I beat him off.”
“You can imagine how pleased Corridan was when I presented
him not only with the bonds but also with the Luger,” I continued. “He
cooked up a yarn about the bonds being forgeries, and that the Luger
belonged to a guy called Peter Utterly. Fred checked all this, found
there was no such person as Utterly, and more important still that
there was no such person as Anne Scott, although Corridan had told