The Thousand Faces of Night - Jack Higgins [64]
There was a dreadful pain in his side and a red mist before his eyes. Somewhere near at hand he could hear the sound of the train. His stride increased and he flung himself forward and fell head first across the rails. The noise of the train was deafening and then, as he scrambled to his feet, he discovered that it was behind him.
Monaghan had disappeared behind the trucks of a near-by goods train. When Marlowe approached, he saw a steep bank on the far side of the train that lifted to a five-foot wire fence and the road beyond. Monaghan was half-way up the bank.
As Marlowe staggered forward the Irishman gave a despairing cry, his foot slipped and he fell backwards, sliding and slipping until he landed in a heap on the track.
Marlowe lifted him up in his great, glove-covered hands and Monaghan babbled in fear, 'For God's sake, Marlowe. Leave me alone. I'll tell you anything you want, only leave me alone.'
Marlowe slapped him back-handed, rocking his head to one side. 'Tell me about Jenny O'Connor and tell me fast. Did she know you were going to tamper with the brakes on my truck?' He shook the Irishman like a rat. 'Tell me!' he said savagely. 'I've got to know.'
Monaghan coughed and tried to pull the hands away from his throat. 'Of course she knew, you fool,' he gasped. 'She was the boss. She arranged everything.'
For a moment Marlowe's hands relaxed as his mind tried to grasp the full meaning of what the Irishman had said and Monaghan fell back against the bank. 'She was pumping you for information all the time,' he went on. 'It was because of what you told her that we knew you were going to truck stuff down to London.'
Marlowe still couldn't believe it. 'But why?' he demanded. 'What about O'Connor?'
Monaghan shrugged and felt his throat tenderly. 'They were married,' he said. 'She was a chorus girl in a cheap strip show. She was appearing in Birmingham when O'Connor saw her. They were married within a week. She made him promise to keep it a secret. He was crazy about her. He would have crawled on his belly from here to London if she'd told him to. He was always small time before. She was the one with all the ideas. She made him start the wholesaling racket and a few other things as well.'
Marlowe's mind was numb, but in some curious fashion his brain was as cold as ice. 'What happened the night you fixed the brakes on my truck?'
Monaghan shrugged. 'She thought you'd be going to London that night. She wanted to get you out of the way so that I could have a chance to work on the truck.'
Marlowe reached forward and grabbed the Irishman with his left hand. 'That's all I wanted to know, you dirty swine.' His right fist thudded again and again into Monaghan's face.
Somewhere a police whistle sounded, high and shrill through the rain. Marlowe released his grip on the unconscious body of the Irishman and scrambled hastily up the bank to the fence at the top. As he clambered over it he looked back and saw three policemen running across the tracks towards the goods train.
It was almost completely dark now. He ran along the pavement and turned into the first side street and kept on running. The police could have him afterwards if they wanted, but not now. He had work to do. He had to settle with Jenny O'Connor.
He ran on past the yellow street lamps, through the streets deserted in the heavy rain and after several minutes, came out into the main square. For a moment he hesitated and then he made his decision and turned into the side street that led to her flat.
The little courtyard was quiet and deserted and no light shone from the windows. He leaned against the door and pressed the bell push, but no one answered to its insistent demand.
He turned with a curse and went back the way he had come, back into the rainswept square and started to run towards the warehouse. A great fear had taken possession of him, a fear that she might have left. That he was perhaps too late.
The front of the warehouse was in darkness and when he climbed up on to the loading bay he found the small postern still smashed and hanging