Authors: Colin Forbes
'Check the closets,' Coral urged. 'I should say wardrobes
but you'll see why I used the American term.'
Paula opened one of the two double doors, which had to
be pulled hard to overcome a tendency to stick. She was
surprised. The depth and width of the 'closet' was
spacious. She walked inside, like entering a small room.
Three coats suspended on hangers caught her attention. One a camel hair, another a smart evening coat, the third a smart raincoat. Coral chuckled and gently pushed the
door almost closed. A light came on inside. Coral opened
the door.
'The wiring's set up the wrong way. The light should
come on when you open it. I'm getting it fixed.'
'Nice coats,' Paula remarked as she stepped out.
'Expensive.'
'The new boyfriend?' Paula chaffed her.
'Not yet! My aunt married a rich man a few months ago
and generously sent me a very fat cheque. I blew it on those
coats.'
'You're on top of the world, then.'
'Not entirely.' Coral's expression changed.
'Why? Is anything the matter?'
'I'm bothered about a man who stalks me. I'm walking along a street and I know he's behind me. I look back and he's gone. It's bothersome.'
'Description?'
'I never see him. I just know he's there. Must sound a bit
silly. Maybe I've got too much imagination. Women do
sometimes get this idea in their head.' She laughed. 'It
probably comes down to vanity.'
Paula studied her. The Parrot was an attractive
woman but older. That could upset some women. Coral
was younger and a stunner. About five feet three inches
tall, she was slim and her red hair piled on top of her
head was seductive. Her features were perfectly moulded:
a fine forehead, her eyes large above a perfect nose and a
full mouth. Yes, some older women could come to hate
her.
'Do you know anything about the Parrot's earlier life?'
'She grew up in the Midlands, in some place called Walkhampton. A small industrial town, I
gather. She was
educated in a prep school and then passed into a grammar.
She left Walkhampton when she was twenty, came down
here, whipped through the civil service exam. Her parents
died in a car crash soon after she'd arrived down here. After
passing top in the exam she set to work - she's said this to
me - to push her way up quickly, shoving other people out
of the way.'
'But now she's turned friendly with you?' Paula
suggested.
'She did. I told you about that. Now she's turned really
nasty again. She humiliates me.' Coral mimicked the
Parrot's way of speaking fast. '"Miss Flenton, I gave you these pencils to be sharpened. They've still got thick ends.
I need them with needle points. Try again. Can't you do
even a simple job like that properly? Your problem is you're
lazy. Spend half your time thinking about men, I suspect.
Men are for when you've left the building. That is, if you
can find one. Well, don't just listen to me. Sharpen those damned pencils." She's started finding fault with every
thing,' Coral concluded.
'Goes up and down a bit, doesn't she?'
'A friend of mine in the next department thinks she's
manic. Bit strong, I thought. I suppose she based her idea
on the Parrot's wild mood swings. Sorry to drop all this
stuff on you. Next time we won't mention my job.'
'I'd better go now,' said Paula, standing up. 'Actually,
you are always interesting. I'll come again if it suits you.'
'Please! And don't forget you've got my spare front-door
key so you can come in when you want and wait for me to leave work.'
Outside, hunched down in his car, Tweed watched the
door open. Paula and Coral hugged each other. Then
Paula, head down in thought, walked slowly towards
him.
The moment the two women appeared the Parrot took
off, striding briskly in the opposite direction. Tweed opened
the passenger car door and Paula slipped inside. She
reported every word which had been exchanged, described
the layout of Coral's flat. Tweed waited until she had finished, talking quickly, before he told her about the
Parrot's vigil.
'I can't make head nor tail of that,' Paula commented.
'I can,' Tweed said as he began to drive. 'The fact that
she walked off as soon as the two of you appeared tells me
a lot.'
'Such as?'
'She was expecting a man to come out, a man who'd
spent the night with Coral.'
'Who?'
'I just wish I knew. It doesn't help me to solve those two
murders with these women at each other's throats.' He
frowned. 'Or maybe it does.'
*
The Cabal were assembled round their strange three-sided
table. Nelson kept moving his blotter, rearranging his pens, which showed nervousness unusual for him. The other two
waited until he spoke.
'I think we've got to do something damned quickly to
make those few wobbly Cabinet ministers support our draft
bill to merge the security services.'
'Maybe it's time to frighten them,' Noel suggested. 'If an
explosion - terrorists, of course - took place in London,
that would do it.'
'In London? Where in London?' Nelson's expression was
appalled. 'We must not risk any casualties.'
'In Richmond Park.'
'You must be mad,' sneered Benton, glaring through his
glasses.
'Mad as a hatter,' roared Nelson.
'My intermediary,' Noel began in his soft voice, 'has
found a part of Richmond Park a long way from the river. There is an entrance never used at this time of the year, on
the outskirts. The only casualty, if any, will be a tree or two.
It will be thought by the police the driver was taking it by a
roundabout route to the populous area of the park but the
bomb exploded prematurely. Panic, but no one even
injured.'
'You have complete confidence in this intermediary?'
demanded Nelson.
'Complete.'
It was a tactic of Noel's to invent so-called inter
mediaries, so no one in the room knew he was making the contacts himself.
'What do you think?' Nelson asked.
'We do need something to wake those ministers up now,'
Benton suggested.
'I suppose we do.' Nelson's large fleshy face was a picture
of uncertainty. 'If we all vote in favour we'll do it,' he
decided.
They all lifted a left hand. Noel stood up, careful not to smile. 'Then I'd better go outside and make a phone
call.'
Tweed and Paula arrived at Park Crescent to find the whole
team in the office. Marler was stuffing his flying gear into a
large bag, first trying on his flying helmet to make sure it
fitted comfortably.
'What's going on?' Tweed asked as Monica took his
overcoat.
It was Harry who answered. He wore his camouflage
jacket. He was tucking away grenades, one into each
pocket.
'Marler and I have decided we'd better check up on that truck, make sure it's still there. Marler is flying me down
there. He says you told him there was a landing place on top
of the big hill.'
'Mountain High,' Tweed recalled. 'I want everything
tricky dealt with. And fast.'
'Then if the truck's still there with no one about I could
blow the thing up myself,' Harry offered.
'Do it. Paula and I cleaned up one dangerous aspect in the early morning. I presume you all know there's been
another horrific murder. Another woman. Same beastly
method.'
'It's in the late edition of the Daily Nation,' Newman
said. 'Drew Franklin's column. He really does have a
marvellous network of contacts.'
'And off the record,' Tweed snapped, 'I imagine a chief
inspector's wallet is fat with another two hundred pounds.
Can I see the report?'
'We're off,' Marler said, leaving with Harry as Tweed
read:
SECOND VANDER-BROWNE HORROR
MURDER
Another House of Death now exists in London. The
brutally mutilated body of Marina Vander-Browne was
discovered at her Mayfair address early this morning, similar to how her sister, Viola, was cut to pieces only a week ago. Chief Inspector Hammer said they were
making progress with their investigation.
'Making progress backwards,' Tweed snorted, handing the
newspaper back to Newman.
He stood up, swept his gaze round the remaining
members of his team. From his expression they knew
something grim was coming.
'You should all know that Professor Saafeld believes this
fiend - man or woman - may strike again during the next
few days.' The timbre of his voice was deep. 'Saafeld calls it
blood storm. The killer gets a surge of desire to murder and
as this surge accelerates, the time gap between his slaughters decreases. We have only days to identify who it is. I want to know as much as we can extract from all the members of the Cabal, as one approach. Newman, you will do your best link
up with Noel, to grill him. Nield, your target is Benton.
Paula, you interview the Parrot.'
'Can I wait a few hours to do that?' Paula requested. 'I've
somewhere I want to go before I see her.'
'Agreed,' Tweed said abruptly. 'I will take on Nelson, but
that may have to wait until the end of the day. Howard
wants me to go through the report for the PM with him.
The timing of showing him that document is vital. Marler
and Harry will be given their assignments when they return
from Peckham Mallet. Then I may have to make a quick
trip to interview General Macomber. I will be back late this
afternoon.'
'You're going down there alone?' Paula asked anxiously.
'Yes. No argument. The General is up to something.
Here is a tip which might help you all. We are looking for
someone - again man or woman - who is capable of the
most sadistic cruelty.'
'Who screwed the cat's neck through a hundred and
eighty degrees all those years ago,' Paula suggested.
'Possibly. Remember, we have perhaps only two days to
prevent a third horror.'
In the afternoon Tweed was driving towards Tolhaven and
the ferry to Black Island when Marler and Harry returned
to the office from their trip. But they had flown there
together with Marler as pilot of his light aircraft and Harry
trembling beside him.