Mr. Love and Justice (18 page)

‘Just about what we think of you. Isn’t that crazy?’

‘I suppose so …’

‘Well, let me tell you one thing, copper. We may be that, but there’s one thing we’re not which you are, and that’s hypocrites puffed up with spiritual pride.’

‘I don’t see you’ve got much to be proud of anyway.’

‘I said
spiritual
pride. We’re free from that, most of us easy-money boys. And I wouldn’t change that freedom for your prim self-righteousness!’

Edward said nothing: as matter of fact he was (being
very tired) getting a bit bored with Frankie and had decided to bring the interview – already somewhat excessively unconventional – to a close.

‘Although,’ Frankie continued with the passion for conversation induced by even a short stay between four closed walls, ‘I dare say you
could
maintain we have one thing in common, you and I: in the upside-down world we both live in we’ve got a certain kind of freedom that none of the mugs outside will ever know. Neither of us conforms to the accepted pattern: so that we boys are free in spite of all our heart-beats, as I dare say you are in spite of all your discipline.’

Preparing for his departure, Edward had introduced a more formal note in his demeanour. Frankie noticed this and his tone altered. ‘Just one thing, officer,’ he said. ‘You’ve not told me how you knew I was at Stepney.’

‘No.’

‘Well, aren’t you going to?’

‘No.’

‘It wasn’t my girl?’

‘No.’

‘Then the only other person I can think of who did know is the Bengali, who it can’t be, or … yes! My fellow ponce! Is that it?’

‘I’m not telling you.’

‘So it is. Thanks, I’ll remember! And one more thing.’ Frankie came close to Edward and said to him, ‘I promise you – if I lie, I die – I’ll keep your name out of it if you do all you can to free my girl.’

Edward paused and said, ‘You’ve changed your mind about her, then?’

‘Not about
her
but about her position. I got her in this mess by making her give me the box, and I ought to get her out if I possibly can. So I want the charge to be put on me and only me. You’ll do what you can?’

‘I’ll try,’ said Edward. ‘But you’ll realise I can’t promise.’

Edward, who with an instinct similar to Frankie’s could no longer bear the thought of the Kilburn flat, and who’d decided after his late night up on duty to play truant from the section-house, had camped with the older man’s permission at the house of his girl’s dad in Kensal Green. And when he awoke it was to the most delicious of situations – his girl bending over him holding a brimming cuppa, and looking down at him with love and a total preoccupation with their joint well-being. He reached up and hugged her and upset most of the tea.

‘I love you, Ted,’ she said, reaching an arm backward with the crockery and slops in search of an invisible piece of furniture.

‘Me, too. Even more. Listen, dearest. I’m going to have it out with the Detective-Sergeant.’

‘How, Ted? How can you?’

‘Reverse the process: turn the tables on him: go over to the attack. Either he helps me fix our marriage, or all right I resign and he loses a good man.’

‘And you think that’ll work, dear?’

‘It might do. I’m sick of caution and of secrets anyway. What about your dad? Is he all set to go?’

‘Any time now. He says it’s up to us to send him the balance he needs as soon as ever we can. If not – well, he says he’ll come back.’

‘He won’t! I’ll see to that.’

She’d sat down on the bed. ‘I wish, Ted,’ she said, ‘that just at this moment I felt better.’

‘You’re not ill are you, dear?’ said Edward, gently pressing his hand upon her body.

‘A bit: you know how it is for me just now: and today I do feel queer.’

‘Step up to the pre-natal clinic, darling. See what they have to say.’

‘I mean to.’

He kissed her all over.

‘You know, dear,’ he said, ‘that ponce was most impressed with you making up your mind to keep the baby.’

‘He was? I thought they didn’t like kids, those people.’

‘Well – he’s all for female children being born, I dare say. Is that what ours is going to be?’

‘No, a boy. Has
his
woman ever had one, then?’

‘No, I don’t think so … But she’s certainly got guts – she stuck to him, and now he’s going to stick to her.’

The girl shook her head vaguely, not in denial of what
he said but to show how important matters prevented her thinking clearly of whatever he was saying. He kissed her again – neck this time, a favourite spot (women were so tough there, so everlasting yet so fragile and so downy) – then said, ‘Out of it, dear, we’re not hitched up yet and you know I’ve never liked you to see me dressing till we are.’ She smiled at his prudery, took the cup and went away.

Edward decided not to check in at the section-house, and thus when he reached the station found his colleagues in that state of glee in which colleagues are when one of their number – especially one talented and fairly virtuous – has committed an offence of which he is as yet unaware. ‘You’re for the high jump,’ someone said. ‘The Detective-Sergeant’s been chasing after you all morning.’

When he came into the office, Edward found his superior relatively benign. He was standing by the window, which looked out on nothing, and he turned round to Edward and said, ‘Well, there have been developments.’

‘Sir?’

‘With one man sick and the other – well, a bit involved – I’ve taken over this whole Madam case myself.’

‘Yes, sir …’

‘Now, from what I can make out this client, this eminent individual who the bloody box belongs to’ (the officer showed some dentures in a rather ghastly grin) ‘thinking – and he’s quite right – he might get
involved himself in court proceedings, is going to make no charge and in fact is going further – he’s going to say he
did
give the girl the snuff-box. These were only the Madam’s words, and I’ll check of course, but I’ve no doubt she’s got full authority for them from her principal.’

‘Well! He’s caused us a lot of trouble over nothing, sir.’

‘Hasn’t he just! The public’s
always
calling us in a tizzy and then when we get their man for them refusing to co-operate in a prosecution.’

‘So that puts the pair of them in the clear, sir?’

‘I’m coming to that … But first of all, my lad, a word in
your
little red ear. The Madam also says you offered to get the box back for a bribe: “reward” she called it. But I prefer “bribe”. Well?’

‘I’ve nothing to say, sir.’

‘That was correct?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Why did you do this, son?’

‘I needed money, sir: to help my girl’s father emigrate like I told you.’

‘You needed money! Really, lad, you
are
a bloody fool! You really
are
!’ The Detective-Sergeant looked at him. ‘With a man like our colleague suffering with his ulcers on the same case with you, you thought you’d under-cut him? A sharp bastard like that? Really! Have you
no
brains in your head at all?’

‘I think I’m learning, sir.’

‘Well, I do hope so. Now, please in the future
do
be
sensible and don’t be greedier than your rank and length of service warrants.’

‘No, sir.’

‘Right. That’s forgotten, then. You understand me?’

‘Thank you, sir. Thank you very much indeed.’

‘Okay. Now, as to the thieves who are no longer thieves. I’m turning the girl loose as I’ve nothing to hold her on. But I’m going to bring a charge against the man.’

‘What charge, sir?’

‘What do you think, son? Poncing. He’s about due for his first experience and it might as well be now.’

‘Excuse me, sir. Who will you get for witnesses? I don’t think the girl will speak against him …’

‘For witnesses? Well, I can think of two … Our friend the star sleuth, when he recovers, will be number one and number two, lad, will be you.’

‘Me, sir?’

‘Naturally. You’ve both kept observation on the flat – in fact you, you’ve been living on the doorstep – you’ve both seen clients come and go and there’ll just be the little matter of saying that on several occasions you saw her hand him over considerable sums of money.’

‘How, sir?’

‘
How
? I dunno! However you like! You saw it through the window – in a club or pub – in the full light of the broad highway, if you prefer: I’ve known magistrates believe that … and funnily enough, in my experience it’s even happened. These ponces get over-confident after a while and take unbelievable chances.’

‘No, sir.’

‘Eh?’

‘I want to ask you take me off this case, sir.’

‘Oh,
do
you.’

‘Yes, sir.’

The senior officer looked very hard indeed at Edward. ‘Tell me,’ he said quietly. ‘When you saw this ponce alone in the cells, did he make you any promises?’

‘Such as what, sir?’

‘Now – be very careful. I’ve gone with you a long way, but please don’t start getting cheeky. Has he made any promises of payment later on?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Are you quite positive of that?’

‘Yes, sir. He’s offered me no money, and I’ve not agreed to accept any from him.’

‘Oh, I see. But you did discuss the matter.’

‘We spoke of money in a general way: but no arrangements were made of any kind, sir.’

‘Did
you
make
him
any promises?’

Edward – enticed by the fatal mistake of
liking
the Detective-Sergeant and of wishing to be entirely frank with him – said, ‘I did promise, sir, if this theft charge had gone through, to try to make it lighter for the girl than him.’

‘Why?’

‘He wanted it that way, sir.’

‘
Did
he! So this man
wants
to get inside the nick – is that it?’

‘Not on a poncing charge, sir, naturally.’

The Detective-Sergeant paused, looked at Edward in
an absorbed, impersonal way then said, ‘Constable, this is it. You’re chief witness for the prosecution against this man – or else.’

Edward replied in a low voice, ‘I wish to submit to you, sir, my resignation from the Force.’

‘I can’t accept it,’ the Detective-Sergeant instantly snapped back. ‘You can forward it through channels, naturally, if you wish, but until it’s agreed to or refused by the proper authorities you’re still bound by your oath and still under my direct orders.’

Edward, without asking for permission, sat down on a chair. ‘Don’t force me to do this, sir,’ he said.

The Detective-Sergeant looked at him, then sat down slowly also at his desk. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘I just can’t make you out. This man hasn’t got at you, you say. I don’t believe he’s offered you his woman, or you’d want her if he had. And you like your work – I mean you
enjoy
it, don’t you?’

‘There’s nothing I like better, sir.’

‘And you know personal feelings count as nothing when there’s a job to be done?’

‘I know that too, sir.’

‘You’re not
against
ponces going to jail by any chance, are you?’

‘No, sir. That’s where they belong. But I can’t do it, sir, because of my girl I’m going to marry.’

‘Oh? I thought I was helping you straighten all that out?’

‘Please listen, sir,’ said Edward carefully. ‘She’s pregnant, as you know. She also loves me a great deal. She knows
how much I want to stay on in the Force, but that if she has the child I may be refused permission to marry her.’

‘Well?’

‘I’m afraid she might try to do away with it – an abortion, sir.’

‘But look, Constable! I understood you’d both decided to go ahead and take a chance on the permission coming through in time to rectify the situation.’

‘Yes, sir, I know. But I’m afraid she won’t believe we
will
get permission, and she’ll destroy the child to safeguard my career. And if she does
that
for me, sir – then I think I’ll lose her.’

‘Why?’

‘She’ll cease to love me, sir.’

‘Oh. Oh, I see.’ The Detective-Sergeant leant back reflecting, then said, ‘You know, Constable, it’s
you
who’s behaving a bit like a ponce now, isn’t it?’

‘Sir?’

‘Hiding behind a woman’s apron-strings? Protecting your livelihood by swinging your sex life on me?’

Edward was silent.

‘And another thing,’ said the Detective-Sergeant. ‘Why has this business of a pregnancy and all this talk of resigning only come up when I gave you your orders about this particular poncing case?’ Edward still said nothing and his senior pressed the point hard home. ‘Why didn’t you mention resigning earlier on if you’d decided? It must have been in your mind …’

Edward said quietly, ‘I only came to the decision then, sir.’

‘Yeah?’ The Detective-Sergeant frowned and pondered. ‘You’re trying to lead me off the track,’ he said. ‘There’s something at the bottom of all this – something to do with that fucking ponce.’

Edward was still silent.

‘Look, boy,’ said the Detective-Sergeant who was really getting quite a bit exasperated. ‘This thing has gone quite far enough. Here, as I see it, is the situation. I’ve given you an order and you say you don’t want to obey it. Well! Resign by all means if you really think you want to. But meanwhile either you obey my order or, I’m sorry, but I’m going to suspend you.’

Edward got up, stood at attention and said, ‘Then please suspend me, sir.’

The Detective-Sergeant’s face hardened. He also rose. ‘In one minute from now, Constable,’ he said, ‘I’m going to do just that. But before I do I want to make one thing very clear indeed. If I suspend you for disobeying a direct order, there’ll be an inquiry. And if there’s an inquiry there’ll be a lot of things I’ll find I have to say that I’ve been overlooking for you hitherto. Very well. Now, if this inquiry should go against you – as I think it will – it won’t be resigning you’ll be doing. It’ll be dismissal, and perhaps even maybe worse. And a man
dismissed
from the Force, Constable – well, he’s the lowest of the low. He’s lower than that ponce that you’re so fond of.’

Edward stood rigid but at ease, still saying nothing.

‘You’re suspended, Constable,’ the Detective-Sergeant said. ‘Report to the Station-Sergeant now accordingly.’