Red Aces Read online

  ALLEGED MURDERER'S DARING ESCAPE

  Later the girl saw another newspaper poster.

  POLICE OF METROPOLIS SEARCHING FOR MURDERER

  The taxi drove up a side street, and, as he tapped on the window, stopped. There was a garage a little farther along, and, leaving Anna, he went inside and came out in a few moments with a small closed coupé.

  “I keep this here in case of emergency,” he explained to her. “One never knows when one might need a spare car.”

  Exactly why he should need a spare car in Chiswick he did not attempt to explain.

  Avoiding the Great West Road, he took the longer route through Brentford. Rain was falling heavily by the time they reached Hounslow.

  She was so grateful to him for all the services he had rendered, and which, though she was unconscious of the fact, he had particularized, that she did not resist his suggestion that they should go on to Oxford. She wondered why until they were on the outskirts of the town, and then he explained with a little smile that Johnny had been transferred to Oxford Gaol that morning.

  “I kept this as a surprise for you,” he said. “Only about three people in London know, and I was most anxious that you should not tell.”

  They went into a teashop on the other side of the city, and she was puzzled why he should prefer this rather poverty-stricken little café to an hotel, but thought it was an act of consideration on his part – part of the general scheme for avoiding reporters. They lingered over tea until she grew a little restless.

  “We’ll go to the prison and make inquiries,” he told her.

  Actually they did go to the prison, and he descended and rang the bell. When he came back he was grinning ruefully.

  “He was released half an hour ago. My cousin’s car picked him up. We can go on.”

  It was getting dark now and the rain continued to fall steadily. They took another route towards London, passed through a little town which she thought she recognized as Marlow, turned abruptly from the main road, and as abruptly again up a dark and neglected carriage drive. She had a glimpse of the sheen of a stagnant backwater on her left, and then the car drew up before a forbidding looking door, and, stepping down, Clive Desboyne opened the door with his key.

  “Here we are,” he said pleasantly, gave her his hand, and, before she realized what had happened, she was in a gloomy hall smelling of damp and decay.

  The door thundered close behind her.

  “Where are we…this isn’t the place,” she said tremulously, and at that moment all her old suspicions, all her old fears of the man returned.

  “It is quite the place,” he said.

  From the pocket of his mackintosh he took an electric lamp and switched it on. The house was furnished, if rotting carpets and dust-covered chairs meant anything. He held her firmly by the arm, walked her along the passage, then, opening a door, pushed her inside. She thought there was no window, but found afterwards that it was shuttered.

  The room was fairly clean; there was a bed, a table and a small oil stove. On a sideboard were a number of packets of foodstuffs.

  “Keep quiet and don’t make a fuss,” he said.

  Striking a match, he lit a paraffin lamp that stood on the table. “What does this mean?” she asked. Her face was white and haggard.

  He did not answer immediately, and then: “I’m very fond of you – that’s what it means. I shall probably be hanged in about six weeks’ time, and there’s a wise old saying that you might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. You for the moment are the lamb.”

  The bright, shining eyes were fixed on hers. She almost swooned with horror.

  “That doesn’t mean I’m going to murder you or cut your throat or do any of the things I tried to do to Mr Reeder this morning – oh, yes, I was the fantastical gentleman on the Zaira. The whole thing happened a few yards away from where you’re standing. Now, Anna, you’re going to be very sensible, my sweet – there’s nobody within five miles of here who is at all concerned–”

  The hinges of the door were rusty: they squeaked when it was moved. They squeaked now. Clive Desboyne turned in a flash, fumbling under mackintosh and coat.

  “Don’t move,” said Mr Reeder gently.

  It was his conventional admonition.

  “And put up your hands. I shall certainly shoot if you do not. You’re a murderer – I could forgive you that. You’re a liar – that, to a man of my high moral code, is unpardonable.”

  The dozen detectives who had been waiting for three hours in this dank house came crowding into the room, and snapped irons on the wrists of the white-faced man.

  “See that they fit,” said Mr Reeder pleasantly. “I had a pair this morning which were grossly over-size.”

  Series Information

  Dates given are for year of first publication.

  'Lieutenant Bones' Series

  These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. Bones 1915

  2. The Keepers of the King's Peace 1917

  3. Bones in London 1921

  4. Bones of the River 1923

  Refer also to the 'Sanders' Series

  'Educated Evans' Series

  These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. Educated Evans 1924

  2. More Educated Evans 1926

  3. Good Evans Also: 'The Educated Man' 1921

  'The Four Just Men' Series

  These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. The Four Just Men 1905

  2. The Council of Justice 1908

  3. The Just Men of Cordova 1917

  4. The Law of the Four Just Men 1921

  5. The Three Just Men 1926

  6. Again, the Three Just Men Also: 'The Law of the Three Just Men' 1977

  'Mr. J.G. Reeder' Series

  These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. Room 13 1924

  2. The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder Also: 'The Murder Book of Mr. J.G. Reeder' 1925

  3. Terror Keeper 1927

  4. Red Aces 1929

  5. Mr. J.G. Reeder Returns 1932

  'Mr. Commissioner Sanders' Series

  These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. Sanders of the River 1911

  2. The People of the River 1912

  3. The River of Stars 1913

  4. Bosambo of the River 1914

  5. The Keepers of the King's Peace 1917

  6. Sandi the Kingmaker 1922

  5. Sanders Also: 'Mr. Commissioner Sanders' 1926

  5. Again Sanders 1928

  Synopses - All Titles

  Published by House of Stratus

  Admiral Carfew

  Gregory Carfew is ‘an unparalleled master of descriptive’. Felix Carfew ‘writes a vile hand’. There is a new boy on the desk at The Megaphone and it is Felix who is handed the envelope. Finding himself on Ambassador Greishen’s special train, then on a steamer to Ostend, Felix recklessly exploits the opportunity. At 3.00 a.m. Gregory gets an urgent telegram. On the quay at Ostend Felix flees and Gregory steps forward to introduce himself…

  Angel of Terror

  Jack Glover of Rennet, Glover and Simpson does not believe his cousin Meredith killed Bulford. Meredith’s father was an eccentric and unless Meredith is married by the age of thirty his sister inherits everything. She is dead and Meredith, now in prison, is thirty next Monday. Meanwhile Lydia Beale is struggling to pay her dead father’s creditors. When Glover offers her money she is shocked. However, despite the strange conditions attached, it is a proposal she cannot afford to ignore.

  Avenger

  Francis Elmer has vanished, and all that is found is a typed note signed ‘The Head Hunter’. Elmer’s niece Adele Leamington is an extra at the Knebworth Film Corporatio
n. The actress Stella Mendoza keeps the whole set waiting to shoot, in the best Hollywood tradition, but her starring role is given to Adéle. Surprised by Mike Brixan as she is learning her lines, Adele drops the typed script. The ‘v’ letters are blurred and the ‘g’ is indistinct. Mike turns white…

  Barbara On Her Own

  A thrilling tale of commerce and intrigue starring Barbara, god-daughter and Private Secretary to Mr Maber. Unlike the old-fashioned Maber & Maber department store, the modern Atterman’s store is a successful, profitable business. At a take-over meeting Barbara gives Messers Atterman and Minkey a piece of her mind. On the evening before the deal is to be finalised something happens to Mr Maber…the police summon Barbara – now she is on her own!

  Big Foot

  Footprints and a dead woman bring together Superintendent Minton and the amateur sleuth Mr Cardew. Who is the man in the shrubbery? Who is the singer of the haunting Moorish tune? Why is Hannah Shaw so determined to go to Pawsy, ‘a dog lonely place’ she had previously detested? Death lurks in the dark and someone must solve the mystery before BIG FOOT strikes again, in a yet more fiendish manner.

  Black Abbott

  They say the ghost of the Black Abbot has been seen near the old abbey, and Cartwright the grocer claims to have seen it too. Meanwhile Harry Alford, eighteenth Earl of Chelford is engaged to Leslie Gine, sister of Arthur, solicitor and gambler with the family fortune. The Earl had originally asked his secretary Mary Wenner to be his bride, but his half brother Richard intervened to stop the marriage. Plotting revenge, Mary proposes she and Arthur marry. Her dowry, she insists, will be fifteen tons of Spanish gold – the missing Chelford treasure.

  Bones

  It is a time when the major world powers are vying for colonial honours, a time of ju-ju, witch doctors and an uneasy peace with Bosambo, impressive chief of the Ochori. When Commissioner Sanders goes on leave, the trusty Lieutenant Hamilton takes over administration of the African territories. However, yet again, the trouble-prone Bones, while meaning to assist, only manages to spread his own unique style of innocent and endearing mischief.

  Bones in London

  The new Managing Director of Schemes Ltd has an elegant London office and a theatrically dressed assistant – however Bones, as he is better known, is bored. Luckily there is a slump in the shipping market and it is not long before Joe and Fred Pole pay Bones a visit. They are totally unprepared for Bones’ unnerving style of doing business, unprepared for his unique style of innocent and endearing mischief.

  Bones of the River

  ‘Taking the little paper from the pigeon’s leg, Hamilton saw it was from Sanders and marked URGENT.

  Send Bones instantly to Lujamalababa… Arrest and bring to head-quarters the witch doctor.’

  It is a time when the world’s most powerful nations are vying for colonial honour, a time of trading steamers and tribal chiefs. In the mysterious African territories administered by Commissioner Sanders, Bones persistently manages to create his own unique style of innocent and endearing mischief.

  Clue of the New Pin

  Jesse Trasmere is a miser with a deep distrust of the bank. He has made a fortune in China, but keeps it hoarded in his prison-like house. Although his nephew, Rex Lander, receives a generous allowance from his uncle, it is not enough for his extravagant lifestyle. One day Trasmere breaks with routine and informs his valet, Walters, that he is going out of town for a while to avoid an acquaintance from his past. So how does this explain Trasmere’s body later found in a locked vault?

  Clue of the Silver Key

  This thrilling murder mystery features some veritable characters: inventor and heir-at-law Dick Allenby, and banker and speculator Leo Moran. Add Dornford, Hennessey and the actress Mary Lane, and Washington Wirth who gives parties and loves flattery. Hervey Lyne, Binny and the indomitable Surefoot Smith. Of them all only Tickler is innocent. Leaving gala night at the Litigation Club, Dick and Surefoot are discussing guns…but there before them a cab has been left in the middle of the road. The man inside has been shot.

  Clue of the Twisted Candle

  Kara hates candles. He also believes that there is a great criminal lost in John Lexman, the detective-story writer involved in a plot more fantastic than any of his own ingenious mysteries. It is no secret that Kara had hoped to marry the beautiful Grace, but she is now Lexman’s wife. But Lexman owes Vassalaro, the Greek moneylender, and Vassalaro has threatened to kill him. A tense and powerful tale that moves dramatically between London and the Balkans.

  Coat of Arms

  It is a small world and the possibility of old criminal acquaintances meeting at a Surrey roadhouse is by no means remote. Sketchley, where the Coat of Arms roadhouse stands, is a place of strange happenings. There are thefts of valuable gold plate, a suspicious old man, seen but not caught, a burglar who returns stolen valuables. When the local manor burns down the owner and guests move to the roadhouse, old vendettas intensify. Interests clash. Murder is committed.

  Council of Justice

  There are crimes for which no punishment is adequate, offences that the written law cannot efface. Herein lies the justification for The Council of Justice – a meeting of great and passionless intellects. These men are indifferent to world opinion. They relentlessly wage their wits and cunning against powerful underworld organisations, against past masters of villainy and against minds equally astute. To breakers of the unwritten laws they deal death.

  Crimson Circle

  When James Beardmore receives a letter demanding £100,000 he refuses to pay – even though it is his last warning. It is his son Jack who finds him dead. Can the amazing powers of Derrick Yale, combined with the methodical patience of Inspector Parr, discover the secret of the Crimson Circle? Who is its all-powerful head and who is the stranger who lies in wait? Twice in a lifetime a ruthless criminal faces the executioner.

  Daffodil Mystery

  When Mr Thomas Lyne, poet, poseur and owner of Lyne’s Emporium insults a cashier, Odette Rider, she resigns. Having summoned detective Jack Tarling to investigate another employee, Mr Milburgh, Lyne now changes his plans. Tarling and his Chinese companion refuse to become involved. They pay a visit to Odette’s flat. In the hall Tarling meets Sam, convicted felon and protégé of Lyne. Next morning Tarling discovers a body. The hands are crossed on the breast, adorned with a handful of daffodils.

  Dark Eyes of London

  Inspector Holt is enjoying the Café de la Paix and the Boulevard des Italiens. He and his valet Sunny are planning a visit to Monte Carlo when an urgent telegram arrives from the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Mr Gordon Stuart has been found drowned in suspicious circumstances. Holt returns on the same boat as Flash Fred Grogan, continental crook and gambler. Attempting to solve the mystery leads Holt into a string of exciting adventures – including romance.

  Daughters of the Night

  Jim Bartholomew is a young manager of a branch of the South Devon Farmers’ Bank with a love of hunting, horses and a dislike of routine. What does he have in common with Margot, the beautiful Mrs Markham and a handsome American? And what do the Daughters of the Night – the three Roman deities who brought punishment to evil-doers – have to do with this tale?

  Debt Discharged

  Thomas Maple lives on Crystal Palace Road with his niece Verity. He works for a firm of bank note engravers. However, the dollar bills he shows Wentworth Gold are forgeries – perfect except for the missing Treasury sign. When Verity meets her new employer she develops serious misgivings, and arriving back home she can hear a menacing voice. What power do these men hold over her uncle? Who is the mysterious he? She hesitates, then follows them.

  Devil Man

  To whisper the name of Charles Pearce is to incite a hoard of wild imaginings, all that makes the flesh creep. Pearce is physically repulsive, tiny in stature, but a Samson in strength. He is a gifted musician, a terrible braggart – and for some reason women find him irresistible. He is also a burglar. And a mu
rderer. There is a baffling mystery that someone urgently needs to solve…

  Door with Seven Locks

  Dick Martin is leaving Scotland Yard. His final job, investigating a stolen book, takes him via a conversation with the librarian Sybil Lansdown to Gallows Cottage and a meeting with Doctor Stalletti. Tommy Crawler, Bertram Cody’s chauffeur is also there. Arriving home, Martin finds Lew Pheeney being followed by a man for whom he recently worked. ‘Doing what?’ demands Martin. Lew finally confesses. ‘I was trying to open a dead man’s tomb!’ The telephone rings. It is Mr Havelock.

  Duke in the Suburbs

  The Duke de Montvillier and George Hankey, who discovered silver in Los Madges, have moved into Kymott Crescent. Alicia Terrill, widow and relation of Sir Harry Tanner, finds the Duke a distinctly unpleasant neighbour. Sir Harry’s son is sent to intervene. Unannounced, Sir Harry arrives with a stranger. ‘The coming of Big Bill Slewer, ripe for murder and with the hatred he had accumulated during his five years’ imprisonment’, has played splendidly into his hands.

  Face in the Night

  The green face hangs in the Room of Horror and around it grows a living, baffling legend of mystery and murder. At 2.00 a.m. the Embankment fog is thick and black. Men are gathered round a body. The dead man was clubbed and then thrown into the Thames. Dick Shannon races back to Scotland Yard, which is humming with the latest news: the Queen of Finland’s car has been held up in The Mall and her diamond chain has vanished into the fog…

  Feathered Serpent

  Reporter Peter Derwin suspects the card mysteriously left in the handbag of actress Ella Creed is a publicity stunt. But Joe Farmer, the boxing promoter, has received one too. Then, after leaving the house of millionaire philanthropist and African explorer Gregory Beale, Daphne Olroyd is followed: she is at her employers’ offices when Leicester Crewe opens the front door. A dead man falls into the hall. In his hand is the card of The Feathered Serpent.