The Mind Readers (11 page)

‘She didn't take much persuading! She begged and prayed me to take her.' It was the first openly negative sign towards the Mayos he had shown.

‘Ah, she likes Ferris, does she?' Luke was sharp and the small eyes, laughing again now, met his own.

‘She sees very little of him, sir. It's Mr Mayo she keeps her eye on.'

The piece of information was adroitly delivered and Luke explored another angle.

‘When you found Mr Ferris in his hut, had he a glass by him?'

‘No. He never takes more than two singles before dinner and he had those at the bar. He bought a round and Mr Mayo bought one.'

‘Do you remember what they were?'

‘Mr Mayo drank whisky, Mr Ferris pink gin.'

‘At the bar?'

‘No, they sit at a table near the wall. Always the same one. Mr Ferris fetched the first round, Mr Mayo the second. There's quite a crowd round the bar.'

‘Did Mr Ferris happen to tell you you'd overdone the bitters tonight?'

‘No sir, he didn't, but I did wonder afterwards. When I was trying to bring him round, I smelled something. I expect you did. It was strong in the van.'

Luke regarded him steadily. ‘Are you sure you had nothing to do with that?'

‘Absolutely sure, sir. There'd be no point in it, would there?'

‘I suppose not. And you didn't see anything?'

‘No sir. If I had I should have stopped it. It might redound on me.'

‘As it has.'

‘I hope not. Frankly, that's why I'm talking to you both, sir. Will you be wanting me to wait?'

Mr Campion, who was in the desk chair between them, put the question that was worrying him.

‘How does household gas get on this island?'

‘They make it at Tudwick and pipe it over the Strada, sir.'

‘And it's ordinary gas?'

‘Yes, sir. Tudwick was thought to be going to be a big place at the coming of the railway. The gentleman who lived in our big house at the time was very go-ahead and had everything up-to-date. Then the nineteen fourteen show put paid to all that and the place sank back to nothing until our company took over the whole island estate. The gas and water installation was there so they made use of it. It's cheaper than carting solid fuel.'

‘Is it laid on to all these new bungalows?'

‘That's right. They're built along the old drive and the gas main runs along it. It's just like a town. Each house has it's own main supply-pipe coming from the big one.'

Luke stood with his hands deep in his trousers pocket, the skirts of his jacket bunching out behind him.

‘Are there outside inspection chambers? Little iron traps you'd hardly notice in the flower beds?'

Again the over-intelligent stare met his own.

‘It's all rough salt grass round the prefabs. I believe I have seen some of the manhole covers you mean amongst it but I couldn't tell you off-hand which service they belonged to.'

‘You see what I'm getting at?'

‘I can see the obvious, sir. If the gas supply was turned off for a minute once the fire had been lit, and was then turned on again, it could be very dangerous if a person sitting in the room didn't notice.'

‘Or was not in a condition to notice?'

‘Exactly, sir. But who's to say?'

The story was perfectly clear and the comment summed up the position with disconcerting accuracy.

The ensuing silence had lasted a fraction too long when the door opened abruptly and Helena came into the room like a whirlwind. She was white-faced and appeared unaware of anybody except the man she had come to find.

‘Can you come at once,' she said to Luke. ‘He's awake but something's happened. He won't say he didn't do it!'

‘
I'M SORRY, YOU
fellows. No comment.'

Martin sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. His voice was thick and drunken and his thoughts muddled, but although they had been working on him for some time he had remained adamant. ‘Forgive me, Campion,' he said with an attempt at a smile, ‘but do take this friendly cop away. I can't tell him anything. If he thinks I was committing suicide, right, I was committing suicide.'

‘Martin! You can't behave like this!' Helena had dropped on her knees beside him. ‘You're muzzy and you don't see all the inferences.'

‘Inferences? There are no inferences. Everybody scram, there's dear good people. If you want to help, get hold of the Island and tell Paggen I'm okay.'

As Mr Campion turned away, he came face to face with Fred Arnold, who was standing directly behind him. The man was taken off guard and open alarm showed for a moment in his small eyes. It faded at once but the query remained. Why the discovery that Martin Ferris was not going to defend himself should frighten a man who had spent the last half hour hinting that the youngster had been framed was more than Mr Campion could fathom.

Meanwhile Luke was having a last shot:

‘Did you take the chloral hydrate intentionally, sir?' It was a shock tactic and got results. A flicker of astonishment appeared on the pallid face.

‘I don't remember,' he said with exasperating finality. ‘I don't remember a thing.'

‘Martin!' Helena was frantic. ‘You don't see what's happening. Charley Luke only happens to be here because there was an attempt to kidnap Sam.'

‘Sam?' He sat looking at her dully. ‘Why?'

‘Don't you know? Don't you know about this thing that Sam has got hold of?' She was terrified of saying too much but her anxiety overcame her caution. ‘It's the device,' she whispered. ‘Don't you really know about it?'

Martin closed his eyes with sheer weariness.

‘I think you're all crazy. If I don't lie down I'll drop dead at your feet. Goodnight Helena . . .'

‘Did you know that Paggen Mayo brought you here and is in the house now?' Campion put the question and at his familiar voice the drugged eyes fluttered open once more.

‘You mean
Mrs
Mayo,' the young man murmured. ‘You should learn to dif'rentiate between them. They're not particularly alike.' He heeled over on the bed and began to snore.

Luke took Campion by the arm and led him out in the passage while Fred Arnold returned to Helena. ‘I'll give you a hand,' he said and was at once respectful and familiar and comforting like a family retainer of legend.

The Superintendent paused at the foot of the flight of stairs leading up into the hall and replied to Mr Campion's murmured question.

‘No, I don't think we need a doctor. I'm afraid I don't altogether believe in the sacred discretion of the dear old G.P. any more. If we really want this little dust-up dragged out into the open before we know what the hell has happened, that's the way to get it done. He's all right. You know it as well as I do. He's only had the old original Micky Finn, which is safe, dirty and utterly reliable. There was no real attempt to gas him. It was to look like it, that was all.'

‘You're assuming it was a put-up job between him and Paggen Mayo?'

Luke's very white teeth gleamed in the half light.

‘I'm blowed if I know. He seems to think
Mrs
Mayo brought him, which is just what he would if he wasn't in any picture himself and merely woke up in the van and found her there. These clever people take a bit of handling! . . . I suppose she's clever too?'

‘It doesn't follow,' said Mr Campion. ‘Wait! Did you hear that?'

The noise had come from the study. The door was closed but the shout was unmistakable and both men ran up the staircase and across the hall.

The moment they entered the room the situation was apparent.

Canon Avril was sitting in the visitor's chair, his fine face alight with interest and good humour, while in front of him, his shirt collar undone, his hair wilder than usual and black fury on his deeply scored face, was Paggen Mayo. The top drawer of the desk was open and the flowered saucer stood on the blotter. One piece of plaster, complete with tube, lay where Mayo had just thrown it on a pile of sermon paper. Neither took any notice of the newcomers but Mayo leant over the desk and pointed an angry two fingers at the Canon.

‘All right!' he said, his voice shaking as he struggled to stop it rising again. ‘All right. I don't like hypnotism but I don't deny its existence. I don't have to be made the subject of a demonstration, do I?'

‘Sit down, my dear sir.' Old Avril indicated the chair behind the desk and glanced at the newcomers.

‘I was telling Mr Mayo about the children's little machines,' he explained without a tremor. ‘He said he'd like to see them and I brought him in here to show him how they work. He seems to be as astonished as we were.'

Luke and Campion did not dare to look at each other. The notion that Avril might do anything so uncharacteristically tactless and unwise as to talk about the secrets with which he had been entrusted, and that to the first visitor to arrive and in the first ten minutes, had not occurred to either of them.

Luke held himself to blame for not guessing that the old man might not take any man-made wonder very seriously, but Mr Campion was more disturbed. Ever since he had first encountered Longfox's Instant Gen he had been aware of a sense of inevitability concerning it and he found himself wondering if this most unlikely intervention was part of the pattern of the phenomenon.

Mayo was dressing himself; all his movements were short and angry. He had changed since the morning and now wore a blue suit with a chalk stripe a little too young for him. His pullover was buff and his tie spotted, and he had a matching handkerchief in his breast pocket. All of which had become very noticeable because he himself was almost out of his mind with indecision and bewilderment.

The Canon appeared to understand him completely.

‘Don't worry,' he said placidly. ‘When one can't credit one's senses it's the most natural thing in the world to feel that someone else is tampering with them. These are such extraordinary little devices though, aren't they? Of no use at all, you see, but interesting if you care for that sort of thing.'

Mayo pulled himself together, turned from the Canon whom he seemed to find frightening, and looked fiercely at the others. ‘Who are you?' he demanded.

Luke explained. Listening to him, Mr Campion decided that the Superintendent was assuming, as indeed he did himself, that the devices had sprung from Mayo's own workshop. However, he was being careful not to admit that he thought so; he told the whole story factually and simply and gave his own name and rank before introducing Mr Campion as Edward's guardian. It was a successful move: the expert simmered down and began to think again. That much was evident; they were aware of his intelligence as a swift, hard-working machine starting up again after a particularly bad stall.

He picked up the little bandage and took it under the reading lamp where he stood studying it, his forehead wrinkled.

The Canon, apparently still sublimely unaware of the drama of the situation went on talking.

‘As soon as the machine ceases to be a wonder it will cease to be frightening, I know,' he said. ‘But at the moment I find it most disturbing, especially when children get hold of it. I feel so strongly that they should learn to think for themselves. There are plenty of ways for them to gather stale ideas as it is. You'll have to harness it, of course, you clever people.'

Mayo took out his wallet and tucked the device into an old envelope. Then he put out his hand for the saucer holding the second one. It was obvious that, whatever he knew about the construction of the exhibit or its place of origin, he had made up his mind about the steps to be taken forthwith. As soon as he had stowed them away in his inside pocket, he drew a sheet of paper towards him and felt for a pencil which he seemed to expect to find under his display handkerchief. As it was not there he took up a ball-point pen from the desk and, with a nod of apology to Avril, turned to Luke.

‘I'll give you a receipt for these, Superintendent,' he said. ‘That'll cover us both if there's an enquiry. Will that suit you?'

‘I'll certainly have to have one, sir,' Luke showed his relief and glanced at Campion. ‘Is that all right with you?'

‘Why shouldn't it be?' Mayo turned on the thin man suspiciously. ‘What have you got to do with this?'

Mr Campion did not answer and the Expert hesitated: ‘I was going to add that in my belief everybody in this room is entirely innocent,' he said abruptly. ‘I hope so.'

‘Then it is “truly yours”, is it? My dear fellow, I can't tell you how relieved I am!' The Canon's declaration startled everybody. His sincerity was beyond question and Mayo's colour deepened.

‘It's certainly Government property and should never have got into outside hands,' he said mendaciously. ‘There'll be a row about it, naturally. However, I shall do what I can for everybody concerned. The only warning I can give you now is to hold your tongues. If this gets out, the consequences could be grim.' He paused, and they had time to assess him. He was keyed up, still very angry.

‘Keep those kids quiet,' he said. ‘Don't let them out of your sight until you've trained them to put all they know about this clean out of their minds, and just remember that, at this stage, anybody at all can be damn dangerous. Not all spies work for foreign powers. There you are, Super:
“Received: two experimental E.S.P. Tr. Amp. Suspected N.400 type”
. That should cover us both. Now, the sooner I get to work on these the better.'

‘Don't you want to see the children?' Luke seemed nervous. ‘They're the only ones who know where they got them.'

Mayo put his head on one side. ‘Are they, indeed?' he said derisively. The inference that Martin alone could be the source of supply was obvious and Luke appeared almost to agree with him. Mr Campion managed to look innocently affable.