Salute The Toff

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21155, 3 July 1940, Page 5

Salute The Toff

OUR SERIAL STORY

BY JOHN CREASEY

. CHAPTER Vll.—(Continued.) He left the flat five minutes afterwards and Irma Cardew watched him from her window, keeping behind the curtain this time, to make sure that he was not followed. As far as she could see no one went after him. Her lips were drawn now, the smile in her eyes held no humour. Meldrum was clever, capable and ruthless, but she believed he was making two mistakes. He was under-estimating her, and he was under-estimating the Toff. Fatal mistakes, both of them. She left the window and went towards the sideboard, poured out another measure of whisky and stood swilling it round the glass. Then sudj denly she hurled it, glass and all, into the fireplace. The glass smashed into a hundred pieces, whisky j ran down the tiled hgarth. And as it dripped, a voice came from the door. “Going to pieces, my pet?” * She stood rigid, without turning her head for a moment, for there was all the mockery in the world in that deep voice. Then she turned, very slowly, and saw the Toff. He was inside the room, although she had not heard the door open. He had given up disguise now, and he stood as lean and handsome and debonair as she had ever known him. For a second time that morning a shiver ran the length of her spine, but her voice was very steady. “Come in, Rollison, I’ve been expecting you.” “As always, a beautiful liar,” murmured the Toff, but he went towards her. “So you’re back again, Irma?” Forbidden Fruit “And someone still lets you go loose,” she flashed. “As busy chasing lepers and charmers as ever, njy sweet,” smiled the Toff. He glanced about the luxuriously furnished room. “And you’re gathering a lot of forbidden fruit, or have you turned an honest woman? You know, Basil Meldrum doesn’t seem quite your colour.” She was staring at him, trying to conceal the hate in her eyes, breathing quickly and on tenterhooks. It was like the Toff to catch her out like this, typical of the Toff to appear from nowhere. If only she could be sure what he knew. “Doesn’t he?” she said. “I didn’t think so,” said the Toff sorrowfully. “A bit on the cold side. If Irma gets in the way, out goes Irma. Not of course that Irma will get in his way. Do you know, my precious, there’s a lack of sparkle in your greeting, almost as if you don’t want to see me.” “Don’t waste words. How much did you hear?” “Enough to know Meldrum was wise not to talk,” said the Toff, his eyes brimming with good humour. “If he’d told you how he proposed to handle Tysart I should have been in clover. Wouldn’t I?” He was smiling, but she was suddenly, terribly afraid. She knew there wasn’t a pin to choose between their hatred for each other, knew that he had sworn to put her behind bars, that one day he would see her strung up. The Toff’s own words. And in his eyes there was a coldness that told her he would be merciless. She was looking desperately past the Toff towards the sideboard, her handbag and her gun. The Toff chuckled. “It wouldn’t help you, my dear. You’re in a spot.” She drew back a pace as he spoke, trying to hide her fear, but suddenly the Toff moved forward. He clamped her wrists with fingers that gripped like steel. She didn’t wince, or try to get away. “You fool,” she said dispassionately. “Do you think Meldrum will let you get away with this? Do you think we didn’t expect you, haven’t planned to receive you? Look behind you!” “So old a bluff I thought you’d never heard of it,” said the Toff judicially. “When Wellward told me you called yourself Guyas, I thought I saw a spark of originality. But to give a real address—my dear girl, it’s not really worthy of you.” The pressure of his fingers was firm but not painful, and his right hand was in his coat pocket. It flashed out in a moment, and the bright steel of handcuffs flashed before her eyes. “All in proper order, you see? Can you guess what I’m going to do?” “I don’t want to!” Her eyes kept on his, her breast was heaving. “Ho?” His voice toned upwards. “I'm slipping on the bracelets and taking you to the Yard. A simple procedure you probably hadn’t reckoned on. You remember the commissionaire at the Selsom Star? He’ll recognise you, my sleek a, beautiful one, he’ll give just evidence enough to send you to the gallows, after Selsom and Wellward have talked about your offer of protection. Neat, you see, even for a blind and dum Prosecuting Council.” The Touch of Steel The handcuffs clicked and the touch of cold steel seemed to shock the woman into a sick realisation of what was happening. The Toff had got her, he would carry out his threat Then something hummed across the room. The Toff heard nothing, saw nothing, but the something crashed into the back of his head. There was a blinding flash of light across his eyes and he staggered towards the woman, crashing into her. Helpless with her wrists fastened, Irma went downwards, and the Toff was on top of her. While by the door stood Charlie the Buck. He came in soft-footed and retrieved a curved piece of ivory, the missile that had k.o.'d the Toff, his while teeth flashing. “Solly, Miss, Baas tole me leave it late. Yuh 0.K., yes?” “I—l’m all right ” Irma was bewildered, relieved, and elated. She had believed the Toff had won, she had almost heard the gates of a police-station cell clang on her, and now thf* devil was stretched out in front of her. "Where—did you come from?”

(To be continued)