Mask of the Verdoy (56 page)

EPILOGUE

Harley took a last drag on his Gold Flake, crushed the butt with his heel, and strode back through the wrought iron gates into the cemetery. Despite the promises of the Met Office Britain was still in the grip of an unseasonal cold snap and the private detective turned his collar up against the damp chill as he made his way downhill to rejoin the entourage now gathering around the freshly-dug grave.

A pool of fog was forming in the hollow of the cemetery drive and Harley slowed his pace a little to gaze at the stonework shrouded in mist on either side of him: the headstones pockmarked with lichen, and the weather-gnawed features of angels watching from the shadows of the yews, lamenting the mortality of Victorian merchants and soldiers of the Empire.

In these gloomy surroundings he found his thoughts turning once more to the day of Cynthia’s funeral almost three years previously; he felt again the creeping sense of desolation, like tendrils of smog seeping into him, imagining it crystallising in his gut, sharp and toxic.

It had been this same feeling of despair that had forced him from the church service earlier, undoubtedly triggered by the sight of little eight-year-old William Chadwick Jnr., whisked back from boarding school to bury his father—one moment the proud son of “The Great Medini”, with all the kudos that brought him in the dormitory, the next standing bravely in his oversized mourning suit, clutching tightly to his mother’s hand as he fought back the tears.

There had been something in that look of terrified helplessness in the eight-year-old’s eyes that had sent Harley pushing his way through the packed pew, out into the graveyard, to lose himself in the fog … and to dwell on memories of Cynthia.

‘
Sod off, Black Dog!
’ murmured Harley, and pulled the hip flask from his pocket. He took a quick slug of scotch and pushed on through the mist.

***

‘Ah! There you are, George!’ said General Swales as Harley joined him at the graveside a few minutes later. ‘I saw you leaving the service—everything all right, old man?’

‘Yeah … it’s just churches; they make me a bit jittery, you know?’

‘Understandable, I suppose—what with that business with Pembroke,’ said Swales, offering a consolatory smile.

‘So, you were saying, earlier,’ said Harley, eager to change the subject, ‘about Boyd?’

‘Ah yes! Well, he’s been a godsend, George—singing like a canary. His statement reads like a novel.’

‘
The Memoirs of a Verdoy Bodyguard
, eh?’

‘Indeed. You see, working as Girardi’s henchman, Boyd was right at the centre of it all. We have names, dates, places—the whole shooting match. Of course, some of those involved are highly influential; it’ll be no easy task securing convictions for every Verdoy member named by Boyd. After all, many of them will have recourse to the finest defence counsel in the land—I can foresee a few tough months ahead of us.’

‘And the Prince of Wales?’ said Harley, lowering his voice.

Swales looked anxiously at the group of mourners standing only a few feet away.

‘Come now, George, you know I couldn’t possibly discuss that here.’

Harley tipped his hat back and gave a sigh.

‘You’ve got enough on Saint Clair, though—right? Please don’t tell me that cowson’s gonna walk away from this!’

‘Oh, I’m almost certain the weight of evidence is too much for even Sir Pelham to wriggle his way out of. And, of course, he’ll never have a career in politics again … He’s become persona non grata in society circles, by all accounts.’

‘My heart bleeds,’ said Harley.

‘No doubt you’ve heard that Box-Hartnell has resigned, as well?’

‘Good riddance to old rubbish, I say … You’ll still be going after him for his Verdoy connections though?’

‘Indubitably!’

Harley contemplated the crowd of mourners for a moment, recognizing a few famous faces amongst the fellow performers that had come to pay their respects to “The Great Medini”.

‘And what about
her
, FW? Old Lady Macbeth herself?’

‘Euphemia Daubeney? Ruled unfit to stand trial at this stage. She’s been detained under a reception order, and will be re-assessed in a few months time. But I must say, it’s looking unlikely that she’ll ever recover sufficiently to go to court.’

‘Or be released?’

‘I’m no expert in these matters, George, but one would imagine the two things go hand in hand … But anyway, the main thing is that we stopped the Verdoy coup, keeping Britain a free and democratic land—surely you’d agree with that?’

‘A kind of democracy, I s’pose … but for how long, eh? You said it yourself—most of these Fascists were highly influential people; how long before someone else has another pop at it? Just look how popular the BBF had become. No, there’ll always be a percentage of the masses that lap that kind of stuff up. And when something like that’s allowed to get big enough … well, there’s a whole load of mugs who just go along with it—either too scared or too stupid to stand up and be counted. Look at Mussolini in Italy … or that little bastard with the Chaplin moustache on the up over in Berlin … “
The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men”
.’

‘That’s very astute, George—yours?’

‘No, FW—that’s Plato.’

‘Ah …’

‘Mine would be more like: “
If you spend all your time buzzing round a cow’s arse, don’t be surprised if you end up eating shit!”
’

‘Well, it has a certain rough poetry to it, I suppose … Ah, here comes Mrs. Chadwick,’ said the General, raising his cap to the demure figure in black making her way towards them across the damp grass. ‘My most sincere condolences, my dear … and may I say what a brave and heartfelt eulogy that was.’

‘Thank you, General,’ said Gladys Chadwick, her voice breaking a little with emotion. ‘Your assistance with organizing the day has been … I mean, I couldn’t have …’ She steeled herself and continued. ‘William would have been very proud.’

‘A grand turn out, Mrs. Chadwick,’ said Harley, indicating the large crowd surrounding the open grave. ‘It’s almost a who’s who of the British theatre—your husband must have been greatly respected.’

‘Yes … yes, he was.’ The widow slipped a lace handkerchief under her veil to dab at her eyes. ‘Now, gentlemen, I really must get on … but I wonder if you’d both do me a favour?’

‘Of course, anything,’ said Swales.

‘It just that I sent a personal message, you see—to the Pearsons. After all, DC Pearson was the one who … who rescued me from … from …’

General Swales laid a reassuring hand on Gladys’ shoulder. She took a moment to compose herself and then continued.

‘But, of course, Mr. Pearson is still in hospital, recovering from his injuries. So Mrs. Pearson is here on her own; she’ll not know anyone … I thought you might keep her company?’

‘Why, of course,’ said Swales, scanning the crowd. ‘Where is she?’

‘Just over there, I’ll introduce you.’

‘No need, my dear—we’ve already met.’

‘Ah, here’s the Reverend—I’m afraid I need to …’

‘Please don’t let us keep you, Mrs. Chadwick—and if there’s anything else I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.’

‘Bless you General, and you Mr. Harley.’

Harley and Swales now made their way over to the policeman’s wife, who was standing under a yew tree, looking a little self-conscious as she clutched her shiny new handbag to her chest with both hands. She relaxed a little when she caught sight of Swales approaching.

‘Oh, General Swales! I am pleased to see you!’

‘June, my dear—how are you?’

‘Just fine, thank you,’ she said, her soft voice coloured with its West Country inflection. ‘Oh, but isn’t it sad? Did you see that little mite in the church—such a brave little soldier.’

‘Indeed, a terrible business … But, tell me—how’s our hero doing? I hear the doctors are still pleased with the pace of his recovery.’

‘Yes, General, it’s all mending nicely, apparently. But when I think about what could have happened … Well, I don’t mind telling you—it gives me nightmares!’

‘Now, there’s no point dwelling on might-have-beens, you’ll only upset yourself. Albert’s on the mend now, that’s the important thing, and he needs you to be strong to help him with the process … Oh, do forgive me, my dear! Do you know George? George Harley?’ Swales turned to the private detective, who raised his hat to the widow with a smile.

Mrs. Pearson took a step closer and lifted her veil, peering at Harley with a pair of blue eyes that had suddenly lost their twinkle.

‘So
you’re
him, are you?’ she said, a hardness entering into her voice, broadening the accent.

‘Mrs. Pearson, it’s good to hear that Albert is—’

But Harley was brought to an abrupt halt as the petite woman went up on tiptoes to deliver a hard slap to his cheek.

A murmur rippled through the group of mourners as he put his hand to his face in surprise.

‘What was that for?’

‘You know damn well what that was for! My Albert was a happy, contented family man until you started filling his head with all of your stuff and nonsense—your politics … and your godlessness … and your … your bawdy house morals and filthy language! I know my Albert better than anyone—there’s no way he would have taken such a stupid risk if he hadn’t been goaded on by the likes of you! Just to think what
could have happened … to think that it might so easily have been my Albert in that box.’

Swales placed a hand on the distraught Mrs. Pearson’s shoulder.

‘June, my dear, I really don’t think that—’

‘No, it’s alright, FW,’ said Harley. ‘I’ll go. These things give me the willies anyway … Your Albert’s a fine bloke, Mrs. Pearson—one of the best. And I know for a fact he loves you and the nipper to bits. I wish you all the luck for the future.’ He lifted his hat once more to the policeman’s wife and strode off uphill, back towards the gates.

‘That’s right!’ she murmured under her breath. ‘Off you go, George Harley! Skulk off back to your villains and your whores!’

June Pearson fished a compact out her handbag to attend to her face … and by the time she looked up to check on Harley the private detective had already disappeared, engulfed in the gathering cloud of fog … on his way back to the black beating heart of the city.

GLOSSARY OF SLANG

I have endeavoured to use authentic 1930s slang in the novel. As well as referring to contemporary fiction of the period, I also found the following dictionaries of slang extremely useful:

Captain Francis Grose,
A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
(London, 1931)

Eric Partridge,
A Dictionary of the Underworld
(London, 1949)

Jonathan Green,
The Cassell Dictionary of Slang
(London, 1998)

Abbreviations

backsl.
-
backslang: a type of slang where the written word is pronounced backwards (e.g. “yob” for “boy”).

Pol.
-
Polari: theatrical cant first used by actors, circus folk and fairground showmen. Later taken up by the gay subculture.

Rom.
-
Romany: the language of the Romany people (Gypsies). An Indo-European language related to Hindustani.

rhy.sl
-
rhyming slang: a variety of slang where a word is replaced by a phrase (usually clipped) which rhymes with it (e.g.
barnet
=
barnet fair
= hair).

Yid.
-
Yiddish: the historical language of Ashkenazi Jews, based on German dialect with added words from Hebrew, Polish, French and English.

anny -
gin [rhy.sl
anne boleyn
= gin]

arris -
the behind [rhy.sl
aristotle
=
bottle = bottle and glass =
arse]

asterbar -
a bastard [semi-backsl.]

bang your kettle -
to look at a watch [the early large pocket watches resembled kettles]

barney -
a pocket [rhy.sl
barney moke
= poke]

batt -
shoes [Pol.]

berk -
a fool, an incompetent [rhy.sl
Berkeley hunt
= cunt]. Since the 1930s this has fallen into common usage; although I would imagine that most people would not use it so readily if they knew its origin

bleat -
to inform on someone to the Police

blue ruin -
gin [“blue” as in miserable; i.e. its effects]

boat -
the face [rhy.sl
boat race
= face]

bogey -
CID detective [
“Old Bogey”
= the Devil]

bold -
daring [Pol.]

bolshie -
a left-winger, socialist or an opponent of the status quo. Also uncooperative, subversive, obstructive [from
Bolshevik
]

bona -
good, pleasant; very [Pol. Italian
buono
, good]

bona nochy -
goodnight [Pol. Italian
buonanotte
, goodnight]

bonaroo -
wonderful, excellent [Pol. Italian
buono
, good]

borarco -
a drunkard [Pol. Spanish
borracho
, drunkard]

brama -
a pretty woman [British Raj -
Brahma
is the supreme God of Hindu mythology]

brass -
a prostitute [rhy.sl
brass nail =
tail; tail was a 19C term for a prostitute]

bright’un -
a gun [from its shiny surface?]

Buck House -
Buckingham Palace, London home of the Royal Family

bunce -
money, profit [perhaps from
bonus
]

burick -
a common, or flashily-dressed woman; prostitute [Rom.
burk
, breast]

butcher’s -
a look [rhy.sl
butcher’s hook
= look]

buvare – a
drink [Pol.]

cabbage
-
cash [US - green banknotes]

cackle -
empty chatter, gossip [the sound made by a hen]

case up -
to live with as if married [Italian
casa
, house]

caught out -
pregnant

charpering omi -
a policeman [Pol. Italian
cecare
, to seek;
uomo
, man]

cheese it! -
shut up! stop it! [a corruption of “cease it!”]

chicken -
a young male homosexual

chife/chiv -
a knife, a razor [Rom.
chiv, chive
, knife]

chiv-man -
a criminal apt to use a knife or razor as a weapon [see
chife/chiv
]

chokey -
prison [British Raj -Hindustani
chauki
, customs house or police station]

chordy gear -
stolen goods [Rom.
cor
, to steal]

claret -
blood [its resemblance to red wine]

cod -
vile [Pol.]

corybungus -
the behind [Pol.]

cowson -
a general insult, similar to
son of a bitch
.

crease -
to kill [from the body creasing at the waist]

cut up didoes -
to play pranks

deadly nevergreen -
the gallows

Dilly, the -
Piccadilly, London

dilly boy -
a teenage male prostitute [Piccadilly was well-known for its prostitution]

dinarly -
money [Pol. Spanish
dinero
, money, Italian
denaro
, money]

dog’s soup -
water

dollar -
five shillings

dorcas -
someone who is caring, generous [The Dorcas Society was a ladies’ charitable church association]

drag -
a motor vehicle [originally a term for a stage coach, which is
dragged
by its team of horses]

eyetie -
an Italian [derogatory; exaggerated pronunciation]

eye-water -
gin

factory -
a police station

finocchio -
a male homosexual [Italian
finocchio
, fennel]

fogus -
tobacco [“Cod Latin” elaboration of
fog
]

gammon -
chatter, nonsense, cheating patter [ perhaps from tying up a ham]

garret -
the head [it is at the top of the house]

gelt -
money [Yid.
gelt
, money]

Corporal Dunlop -
a short rubber truncheon

gentle persuader -
a gun, a hammer

gillflirt -
a vain capricious woman [
gill
, girl, lass]

ginney -
an Italian [derogatory; ? from Italian seaman sailing from the Guinea Coast]

god forbids -
children [rhy.sl
god forbids
= kids]

gold watch -
whisky [rhy.sl
gold watch
= scotch]

goy -
a gentile, a non-Jew [Yid. from the Hebrew
goy
, a nation]

groin/groinage -
ring(s), especially set with gems [from tramp slang
gravney/grawney
, ring]

half-a-bar -
ten shillings [bar = £1 sterling;? from Rom.
bauro
, heavy, big]

hocus -
to incapacitate someone with drugged liquor

homi-poloney -
an effeminate male homosexual [Pol. Italian
uomo
, man;
pollo
, chicken]

ikey-mo -
a Jew [derogatory; from Isaac + Moses]

iron -
a male homosexual [rhy.sl
iron hoof
= poof]

ixnay -
nothing, not at all [backsl.
nix
; from German
nichts
, nothing]

jane -
a prostitute [rhy.sl
jane shore
= whore; Jane Shore - mistress of Edward IV]

jarry -
food [Pol. Italian
mangiare
, to eat]

joe ronce -
a ponce (pimp) [rhy.sl see
ponce
]

judy -
a woman, a girl [from
Punch and Judy
]

kaffies -
trouser [Pol.]

kate and sidney -
steak and kidney [rhy.sl]

keep nix -
to act as a lookout

khazi -
a toilet [ ? British Raj—derogatory allusion to the habits of the Khasi people]

kibbitz -
to offer unwanted advice in a card game [Yid. from German
Kiebitz
, lapwing]

kite -
the stomach [? from British dialect
kyte
, womb, stomach]

knowledge box -
the head

kvetch -
to whine, to complain [Yid.]

lakes -
mad [rhy.sl
lakes of Killarney
= barmy]

lamp -
a black eye

lavender boy -
a male homosexual [? from the lavender water that they used]

lilly/lilly law -
a policeman/the police [Pol.]

lit up -
drunk

lumbered -
arrested

madam, a load of old -
nonsense, rubbish, flattery [? from shopkeepers’ patter:
‘Of course it will, madam’
]

mamzer -
a bastard—though used as a term of endearment [Yid.
mamzer
, bastard]

manor -
a police district; a policeman’s beat; a wide-boy’s patch [from “Lord of the manor”]

meshugaas -
craziness [Yid.]

meshuggener –
crazy, a crazy person [Yid.]

milky -
cowardly, scared

mooey -
the mouth [Rom.
mooi
, mouth]

mort -
a woman, especially a prostitute [? from Old Dutch
mot
, whore]

mott -
see
mort

mott shop -
a brothel

mush -
a man, a “chap” [Rom.
moosh
, a man]

muzzler -
a male homosexual [from the muzzle - mouth, hence to fellate]

myrna loy -
a saveloy [rhy.sl
Myrna Loy
= saveloy; Myrna Loy - movie star]

nanti -
not, nothing, none [Pol. Italian
niente
, nothing]

nark -
a police informer [Rom.
nak
, nose]

nebbish -
a nobody, a loser [Yid.
nebech
, an inept pitiable man]

nix -
nothing [from German
nichts
, nothing]

nymph of the pave -
a prostitute

off-the-cob -
corny, unfashionable [US from
corncob
—an implication of rustic poverty]

oil of angels -
a bribe [an
angel
was an old English coin]

oily -
a cigarette [rhy.sl
oily rag
= fag]

old slithery, the -
sex

on the bash -
to work as a prostitute [from
bash, bang, bonk
etc.]

on the ribs -
to be without any visible means of subsistence [so starved the ribs are showing]

on velvet -
to be well off, living in clover

oncer -
£1 sterling

ones-and-twos -
shoes [rhy.sl
ones-and-twos
= shoes]

pen and ink -
stink [rhy.sl
pen and ink =
stink]

pen yen -
opium [? from the Cantonese
nga pun-yin
, opium]

people -
trustworthy, loyal, safe; able to keep secrets [see
staunch
]

pester up -
to pay, to pay up [Rom.
pesser
, pay]

pinch -
to arrest

plates -
feet [rhy.sl
plates of meat
= feet]

ponce -
a pimp, a man “living off immoral earnings” [? from French
Alphonse
, or possibly
pont
or
pontonnière
, a prostitute who works from the arches of a bridge]

pooter -
a prostitute [? from British Raj—Hindustani
poot
, shilling]

pouch -
to carry a weapon

pound-noteish -
pompous, affected [seen as characteristics of the rich]

pronterino -
quickly

put the buff in downy -
to go to bed [
buff
= skin,
downy
= feather bed]

put the kibosh on -
to spoil, to ruin [? Yid.
kabas
, to suppress]

put the oliver on -
to scam [from Oliver Twist - a dishonest twist]

put the squeak in -
to inform on

put up the fanny -
to tell a false story

queanie -
a male homosexual [from Old English
cwene
, woman]

rod -
an overcoat [? a connection to 19C
rockalow
, from the French
roquelaure
, a type of cloak]

rosie -
tea [rhy.sl
rosie lee
= tea; Gypsy Rose Lee - American stripper]

schlemiel -
a fool, a clumsy person, a misfit [Yid.]

schlep -
to travel an inconvenient distance [Yid.
schlep
, to drag]

schmendrik -
a clueless mama’s boy [Yid.]

schmundie -
the vagina [Yid.]

schmutter -
clothes [Yid.
shmatte
, rags]

schtuk -
trouble, bother [despite its appearance not a Yiddish word; ?
stuck
adapted to a Yiddish model]

schtum -
quiet, silent [Yid.
shtum
, dumb, voiceless]

screever -
a pavement artist who draws in coloured chalk [Italian
scrivere
, to write]

screwsman -
a skilled house-beaker [
screw
is criminal slang for a skeleton key]

shant of bivvy -
a pot or pint of beer [
bivvy
from Latin
bibere
, to drink]

shant of wallop -
a pot or pint of beer [“wallop” as in its effects on the drinker]

sharper -
to steal, to cheat [Pol. as in card sharp]

sharpy -
a policeman [Pol. from
charpering omi
– see above]

sheeny -
a Jew [derogatory; from Yid.
shayner Yid
, a beautiful-faced Jew - i.e. a description of an old-fashioned traditional European Jew]

schlemozzle -
disturbance, uproar, noise [Yid.]

shice -
nothing, no good [Yid.
scheisse
, shit]

shicer -
a lowlife, good-for-nothing [see
shice
]

skimish -
beer/alcohol [from Shelta (travellers’ language)]