Sixty Days to Live (6 page)

‘Precisely. And I’m certain it could be done.’

‘Perhaps. But have you considered the risk of such a proceeding? To pull off a scheme like that you’d have to stress the danger sufficiently to create a state of national alarm. Once you do that, the masses might get out of hand. Riots, even revolution, might result from such a policy.’

‘That is a risk, of course; but it could be dealt with. And look what you stand to gain. Since the arms race has been stopped by these new treaties, your steel plants must have been feeling the draught pretty badly. Once we get this thing going, they’ll be working overtime again. It will be just like 1938, when the Air Raid Precautions business started. As a protection from the flaming gases of the comet shelters will have to be dug all over the country; thousands of tons of steel girders will have to be
supplied; and, naturally, I should see to it that you got the lion’s share of the contracts.’

‘Very decent of you,’ said Sam quietly. ‘And what do you require as a
quid pro quo?’

‘Money, my friend. Without money I can’t possibly fight an election. I shall want £100,000 for Press and election expenses. You put up the funds and leave me to do the rest. How d’you like it?’

‘It requires a little thought; £100,000 is a pretty considerable sum to risk on an election gamble.’

Fink-Drummond drew his heavy brows together in a frown until they almost met over his big, fleshy nose. ‘What’s come over you, Sam?’ he asked impatiently. ‘Your love affair must have dulled your wits, I think. Surely you see that I’m not really asking you to gamble a single cent. You can make your money back time and again on the falling markets, quite apart from any question as to whether I go back to Westminster as P.M. and am able to push any contracts in your way, or not. If this scheme is worked properly, it’ll be far and away the biggest thing that either of us has ever gone into. But if you have any doubts about it, I don’t want to press you. You know quite well that I can get the money from half a dozen people in the City. I’m just making you the first offer, that’s all.’

‘Wait here a moment, will you?’ Sam turned away. ‘I’m just going to get Hemmingway. I always like to have his views on anything that’s really big like this.’

‘Is that necessary?’

‘Yes. Lavina and I must leave in half an hour or we shall miss the Paris plane and, in any case, if I take it on, Hemmingway will have to handle the financial side of it while I’m away.’

When Sam returned a few moments later he had Gervaise with him as well as Hemmingway Hughes. He shut the door carefully behind him and said to Fink-Drummond:

‘You’ve met my father-in-law. He knows all about this comet business, and I told Hemmingway of it myself the other day. I want them both to know about this proposition of yours.’

Fink-Drummond shrugged. ‘Just as you wish. But it’s most important that as few people as possible should know of our intentions until we’re ready to launch our campaign.’

‘I quite agree,’ said Sam dryly, and, turning to the other two,
he added: ‘Gentlemen, Mr. Fink-Drummond has just put up to me the following proposition. The Government, as you know, are aware of the approaching comet but they have decided to keep any knowledge of it from the public as long as possible, in order to avoid unnecessary panic. Mr. Fink-Drummond has suggested to me that I should finance him, to the tune of £100,000, to promote that panic, in order that he may force a General Election and get back to power himself on a wave of national hysteria. In return, he offers me certain very large contracts, for steel to be used in dug-outs and so on, which his Government would order directly he became Prime Minister.’

‘But such a thing is impossible!’ exclaimed Gervaise.

‘Not at all,’ Fink-Drummond replied smoothly. ‘If the Press campaign is handled properly, I should say the odds are a good five to one upon my being Premier by the second week in June.’

‘I was not referring to the possibilities of your unscrupulous scheme, sir, Gervaise snapped, ‘but to the impossibility of my son-in-law soiling his hands with such business.’

‘Thank you,’ said Sam. ‘I was quite sure that was the way you would feel and it’s the way I feel myself.’

Fink-Drummond drew himself up. ‘I can only excuse Mr. Stapleton’s ill-considered expressions on the grounds that, having lived here buried in the country for so long, he can have no understanding of the methods people like myself are sometimes compelled to use to bring about political necessities. Please be good enough to order my car.’

‘I haven’t finished yet.’ Sam held up his hand. ‘Mr. Fink-Drummond has also informed me that, if I refuse him the financial assistance that he seeks, he will endeavour to secure it elsewhere, and I have no doubt whatsoever that he will be able to do so, if not from British, then from foreign financiers.’

‘But listen, now,’ Hemmingway Hughes cut in, ‘surely Mr. Fink-Drummond can’t have fully considered the sort of situation which he proposes to bring about. For one thing, the stock markets will slump to zero directly he gets his Press campaign going.’

‘What of it?’ said Fink-Drummond coldly. ‘Those of us who are in the know should all be able to pick up a fortune.’

Gervaise frowned. ‘You do not seem to consider the misery
that such a slump might bring to thousands of small investors.’

‘My dear sir,’ Fink-Drummond turned towards him, ‘it is quite clear that you know little of high finance. Small people make or lose money every day, but that is no concern of the professionals who control the markets.’

‘But that’s only the start of it,’ Hemmingway Hughes cut in again. ‘To put this thing over, you’d have to make people believe that their lives were in danger. There would be the most frightful panics, demonstrations, riots. You might throw the whole country into a state of anarchy.’

‘There would naturally be a certain amount of trouble,’ Fink-Drummond conceded, ‘but we should proclaim martial law and with a good man at the War Office, we should soon get the unruly elements under.’

‘What?’ exclaimed Sam. ‘You actually mean that to serve your own ambitions you’re prepared to plunge the country into such a state of strife that there will be street-fighting and the troops will be called out to fire upon our own people? I’ve always known you were pretty unscrupulous, but this …’

‘That’s quite enough,’ snapped Fink-Drummond. His face dark with rage, he took a quick step towards the door. ‘You’re behaving like a fool and later you’ll regret it. Kindly send for my car.’

‘One moment,’ Gervaise said quietly. ‘Since Mr. Fink-Drummond appears determined to go through with his plans, with or without your assistance, Sam, I think it would be as well to dicuss the matter further. We all seem to have got a little heated and I was surprised into a breach of good taste myself only a moment ago. To calm ourselves I suggest that we should drink a glass of wine together before we say anything more. I’ll go and get a bottle.’

‘Let me, sir,’ Hemmingway offered.

‘No, no, I can manage,’ Gervaise replied. ‘But please, all of you, remain here. I don’t want this affair to reach the ears of any others members of the party.’

As Gervaise left the room it was on the tip of Sam’s tongue to say that he did not think further discussion could serve any useful purpose, but as he had already conceived a great respect for his father-in-law’s wisdom he remained silent.

When Gervaise returned he was carrying four full tumblers of
champagne on a tray, which he offered first to Fink-Drummond.

The ex-Cabinet Minister took the nearest glass and smiled again. ‘Let me congratulate you, Mr. Stapleton, on your good sense in suggesting that Sam should reconsider my proposition. He’s a hot-headed fellow but I feel sure that when he thinks the matter over he will see reason. As he admits himself I could easily get the money elsewhere, but I would prefer to work with Sam because I know that I can trust him.’

Sam shrugged. ‘Oh, if I came into this, you could trust me all right; but I’m not coming into it.’

‘But why, my dear fellow? We’ve done many other deals together and some which, I think you will agree, certain people who know little of the inner workings of big business might, quite unjustifiably, consider questionable.’

‘That’s true. But I’ve done nothing that my competitors, who
do
understand such things, would not willingly have done, and for that reason I am not the least ashamed of our dealings. Big business, plus politics, plus finance, has its own code of laws and I’ve never gone outside them; but this is different, because it affects the happiness of the whole nation.’

‘We all see that, Sam,’ Gervaise reasoned mildly. ‘But if Mr. Fink-Drummond is determined to do this thing, surely it’s better for you to go into it with him than to permit somebody else to take it on who might prove—well, shall we say, much less scrupulous. Anyhow, here’s your health once again!’

Sam looked at his father-in-law in surprise. It came as quite a shock to him that anyone so upright as Gervaise Stapleton should countenance his agreeing to Fink-Drummond’s suggestion on any terms whatsoever; but he lifted his glass with the rest and they all drank the proposed toast.

‘I don’t like it,’ Hemmingway Hughes exclaimed suddenly.

‘I’m damned if I do! High finance may have its own code, as Sam says, but this is different. Why, even the armament racketeers don’t go to the length of fermenting trouble which may cause bloodshed among their own people. Honestly, Sam, I wouldn’t touch this thing with a barge-pole.’

‘I’ve never had the least intention of doing so,’ Sam said firmly.

‘Perhaps you’re right.’ Gervaise set down his glass on a nearby
table. ‘It’s difficult for me to express an opinion because I entirely lack experience in such matters, but I’ve always understood that some very queer things occur behind the scenes in politics.’

‘They do,’ Sam agreed, ‘but there’s a limit, and I should have thought anyone could see the misery that would be caused to countless innocent people if Fink-Drummond goes through with his scheme to unseat the Government.’

‘I should be able to form a better judgment on that if Mr. Fink-Drummond would be kind enough to explain his plans to me in some detail.’

‘By all means.’ Fink-Drummond took another drink from his glass, straightened himself up and began to outline his proposed campaign. Rumours must be set going at once, he explained. Ten days should be sufficient for him to get his following in the House together. They would then launch a huge Press attack on the Government for having concealed the approaching danger.

Having got so far, Fink-Drummond passed a hand over his forehead as though to collect his thoughts. He then went on to speak of various measures that would get the public behind him and of special lines which his principal supporters would be instructed to follow. By that time he had gone deadly white and Sam noticed that he was slurring his words a little.

For another moment Fink-Drummond continued to speak but his words came with difficulty and it was clear that something was wrong with him. He broke off abruptly, exclaimed ‘Sorry, I—I’m feeling ill,’ and began to mop his face with his handkerchief.

Suddenly his eyes bulged, he sagged a little, rocked from side to side, choked and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Believing that he was suffering from a fit, Sam ran to him and, kneeling down, undid his collar. Hemmingway Hughes moved forward, too, but towards the desk against which Fink-Drummond had been leaning. He picked up the ex-Cabinet Minister’s half-empty glass and sniffed it.

Gervaise Stapleton’s voice rang out like the crack of a whip. ‘Put that glass down!’

Hemmingway turned to stare at him, and exclaimed: ‘Good God! I thought as much.’

Fink-Drummond was now lying stiff and still upon the carpet. With a look of horror on his face, Sam glanced first at Hemmingway and then at his father-in-law. ‘Heavens, man!’ he cried. ‘You’ll swing for this. You’ve poisoned him!’

‘Yes,’ Gervaise admitted quietly, ‘I poisoned him.’ There was a look of calm satisfaction on his aristocratic features and with one hand he smoothed back his fine crop of white, slightly wavy hair.

Sam jumped up from beside Fink-Drummond’s still body. ‘But hang it, man! You don’t seem to realise what you’ve done. We can’t conceal this thing—we’ll have to call in the police.’

Hemmingway Hughes stepped towards the door. ‘We must get a doctor—a stomach pump. There may be a chance of saving him yet.’

‘That’s it,’ cried Sam, ‘hurry! In the meantime, we’ll try and think up some story to get my father-in-law out of this. If we keep our heads, we may be able to persuade them it was suicide.’

Gervaise barred Hemmingway’s passage to the door. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘It’s good of you to be so concerned for me, but we don’t require either a doctor or the police.’

‘Don’t be a fool,’ Sam snapped. ‘Of course I appreciate your motives. You were kidding us just now when you appeared to be persuading me to listen to his rotten scheme; just giving the poison time to work. You made up your mind from the beginning that the only way to stop the swine sabotaging the whole country was to kill him, didn’t you? But that’s no reason why you should sacrifice your own neck, if we can save it.’

‘You’re right about my motive, Sam,’ Gervaise smiled, ‘but I’ve no intention whatever of sacrificing myself.’

‘If we can’t get a doctor to pull him round, or fix a suicide story, you’ll have to stand your trial for murder.’

‘Not at all. It’s true that I poisoned him but he’s not going to die.’

Sam frowned. ‘Then, why the devil didn’t you say so?’

‘You didn’t give me much chance.’ Extending his left hand, Gervaise pointed to the little finger upon which there was a large,
old-fashioned ring. ‘You see that? I bought it in Florence many years ago. There was still one man living then, a descendant of the old alchemists, who possessed the secret of some of the Medici poisons. The ring is hollow and he sold it to me with four little pills in it. The pills consist of a poison that is tasteless and odourless when served in wine. Two pills will cause death, while one will bring about a state of catalepsy within five minutes. I only put one pill in this rogue’s champagne.’