Wobble to Death

CHAPTER 15

The press accounts of the race had followed a well-established pattern. For the first day or two it was described as the ‘Islington Mix’; by the third day, ‘Herriott’s Wobble’; and at the end of the week the ‘Cruelty Show at the Agricultural Hall’. As the eventual result became more cer-tain, reports dwelt instead on the state of the blistered sur-vivors. And the more harrowing the details, the larger the attendance. Londoners by the thousand flocked to Islington through fog and sodden streets as Romans once converged on the Colosseum.

In fact, the scenes on this Friday evening were less dis-tressing than they had been on the previous Monday, before an altogether smaller audience. Those remaining on the track were mostly experienced pedestrians, the ‘distance brigade,’ veterans of many campaigns. But in the race’s early stages there were novices to this type of race. Their greenness had been painfully evident after only a few hours. The one notable ‘tenderfoot’ to keep going was Billy Reid. By now he was half a day’s walking down on the leaders, but his spirit was indomitable.

‘A bloody sight pluckier than most lads,’ was Chalk’s comment, as he and Williams watched Billy hobbling back to the track from the tents. ‘When I’m done with this caper, and sets up as trainer, that’s the mettle of lad I want. ’E’s the wrong shape for a stayer, of course. You can’t carry too much top ’amper for very long. But blimey, ’e’s no namby-pamby.’

‘That’s true,’ agreed the Half-breed. ‘See some of them characters weeping buckets after only ten hours? Don’t mat-ter ’ow pretty a man’s shape is. You can’t do nothing with a party that pipes ’is eye.’

‘Beats me ’ow ’e does it, with that brother of ’is badger-ing ’im all bloody day. ’E give him an ’ot bath this morning to liven him up. Fairly made the boy sing out, that did. If any bloody trainer tried that with me I’d land one on ’im, I tell you.’

‘Never agreed with bathin’ meself,’ Williams confided. ‘Softens the soles of your feet, that does.’

The main interest on the track that evening was provided by Chadwick and O’Flaherty, who moved at a positive trot, the Irishman within a yard of the Captain. But the pace was being set, surprisingly, by Mostyn-Smith, determined to win back his lost time. This trio remained locked for lap upon lap, and the crowd urged them noisily to go faster, desperately hoping that one of the two leaders, both heavily backed, would crack. For the first of the field it was a chal-lenge to keep upright, mobile and awake. None had the strength or inclination to ‘mix’.

‘Nippy on his feet for a nark,’ Williams remarked, indicating Mostyn-Smith. ‘ ’E’ll bloody lick us on this showing. What’s ’e going full bat for? Still another ruddy day to go.’

‘ ’E’s no nark,’ Chalk corrected him contemptuously. ‘Bloody crank. That’s what ’e is.’

‘I seen ’im talking with the Law,’ maintained Williams. ‘That’s no ped. I never saw ’im on a track before in my life.’ ‘You ask Feargus about ’im, mate. ’E reckons Double-barrel fixed Charlie Darrell and Sam Monk, and ’ad a go at ’im.’

‘Feargus!’ Williams spat generously over his shoulder, not bothering to see who was following. ‘Squint-eyed bloody Irishman! Thinks anyone that comes near ’im’s after ’is blood.’

‘Come off it. O’Flaherty’s pretty near ’im right now. ’E don’t mind using ’im as pacemaker.’

‘Don’t you believe it,’ said Williams. ‘Only one reason why Feargus keeps close behind Double-barrel. Makes sure that way ’e won’t get stabbed in the back!’

They trudged on, amused, but a shade embittered by their colleague’s single-minded efforts. Earlier they had enjoyed delaying Chadwick so that O’Flaherty could gain ground. Now that the Irishman aspired to honours they felt resentful without admitting it to each other.

There were hoots of delighted derision from the stands as a portly figure in an overcoat joined the leading trio. It was Thackeray, as unmistakable a member of the Force as one of Punch’s plain-clothes constables. He had been instructed to talk with Chadwick, and since Chadwick had no intention of leaving the track, Thackeray had to conduct another inter-view in motion, only in less discreet circumstances than his last one. He could scarcely make himself audible above the whistles and mock applause as he lengthened his stride to keep pace with the leaders. A well-aimed apple dislodged his bowler and he snatched vainly in the air for it as it fell to the track. He decided to keep going without it.

‘Mr-Captain Chadwick, sir.’

Chadwick inclined his head towards him, but said nothing.

‘I’m Constable Thackeray, sir, of the detective police.’

There was no comment, so he went on, between gasps for breath.

‘I think-you may be able-to assist us, sir.’

Chadwick did not look as though he intended to.

‘Your trainer-’

‘I do not employ a trainer,’ Chadwick observed icily. ‘I presume that you mean my assistant.’

‘Mr Harvey, sir.’

‘Yes.’

‘We can’t find him-sir. The Sergeant-wants to- question him.’

‘Isn’t he in my tent?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Then I cannot help you. I have no idea where he can be. I am not a detective.’

Thackeray drew up, and the crowd feigned a unified howl of disappointment. He ignored them, and walked back to retrieve his hat before it was trampled upon.

Sergeant Cribb had denied himself a second look at Thackeray in action. Time was desperately short, so he had sought out Sol Herriott while Thackeray performed for the crowd. The promoter was in his office with Jacobson, checking the previous day’s takings.

‘You don’t mind, sir?’ Cribb asked Jacobson. ‘A few dis-creet inquiries, you understand.’ He was already on his way out, characteristically withdrawing at the first opportunity. He nodded at Cribb, and left.

‘Doing well, sir?’ Cribb asked.

Herriott replaced the coin-bags in the safe, turned his ample frame and faced the sergeant. On the wall behind him were oleographs of Smithfield prize fatstock.

‘Yes, all things considered,’ he cautiously replied.

‘Good crowd in there tonight. Best yet.’

‘So I believe.’

‘Funny really, you know. Got a killer loose in there some-where but it don’t keep the crowd away.’

‘Evidently not,’ said Herriott. ‘Do you smoke?’

Cribb did not, except as a tactical gesture.

‘Thanks. I wanted to get my mind clear about last Monday,’ he said. ‘Thought if I came to see you I’d get a good account of what people were doing the evening before Darrell was killed.’

‘I’ll try to help.’

‘Fine. Chadwick first. I suppose he was on the track all the time.’

‘Oh yes,’ Herriott remembered. ‘And he was running, to everyone’s surprise. He has always walked every yard of the way before.’

‘He kept going till one o’clock?’

‘Yes. I’m sure of that. Darrell went to his tent at the same time.’

‘Good. Now Harvey, the trainer. What was he doing?’

‘Ah. He would have been attending Chadwick. He doesn’t often leave his side. He’s probably under orders to be constantly in attendance. A soldier has to take his orders seriously.’

‘He wasn’t in the tent, then?’

‘I don’t think so. He followed the race closely from the trackside.’

Cribb tapped his cigar on the silver ash-tray on Herriott’s desk.

‘Now what about Mr Jacobson, sir? Where was he?’

Herriott reflected. His waistcoat front started quivering over his belly at some amusing recollection.

‘Poor old Walter! Yes, he was here, Sergeant.’

‘What’s amusing you?’

‘Well, I dined out earlier in the evening, and left Jacobson in charge. He’s not exactly a man who welcomes responsibil-ity, you know. Before I left I jokingly told him what to do if a fire started. Damned if we didn’t get one in the kitchen! Small affair, but it ruined his evening-and his suit, I may say.’

‘What time was this?’

‘Ten o’clock, approximately.’

‘And you returned…?’

‘A few minutes after midnight.’

‘Where did you have your dinner, sir? Pardon the ques-tion. I must know everyone’s whereabouts.’

‘At my club-the London Sporting.’

‘And you dined alone?’

‘Yes.’

Cribb turned to another matter.

‘I’d like to ask you about the way this race was first arranged, sir.’

‘Certainly,’ beamed Herriott. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘Well, sir.’ Cribb drew deeply on the cigar, and extin-guished it with great thoroughness before going on. ‘What interests me is that you are not known as a promoter of foot-races. You’re more of a turf man, I believe.’

‘That’s so.’

‘It must have meant quite a gamble, organising this affair.’

‘In a way, yes,’ Herriott agreed. ‘But I’m a gambling man, too, you know. And, of course, this isn’t the first six-day race. It has been done very successfully before.’

‘What puzzles me, Mr Herriott, is why you employed a man like Jacobson as your manager. I hear that he knows no more about pedestrianism than you do. Why didn’t you take on a man who knows the game?’

‘Aren’t you impressed with my manager?’ Herriott asked, with a smile. ‘Now, Sergeant, you mustn’t take my earlier remarks about him too seriously. Walter’s a competent fel-low. Just a little reserved.’

‘You’ve employed him before, have you?’

‘Oh yes, in a similar capacity, a long while back. But really, you know, the job’s a sinecure. I do most of the man-aging myself, as you may have observed.’

‘Why take on Jacobson at all, then?’

Herriott shrugged.

‘I need to get away occasionally, Sergeant, and there must be somebody in attendance throughout. It’s the kind of post that one gives to an old friend.’

‘-who’s fallen on hard times?’

‘Did I imply that?’ asked Herriott. ‘Well, one likes to offer help where one can.’

‘You know Mr Jacobson is in debt, then?’

Herriott sighed.

‘I had a shrewd suspicion that he was in financial trouble. I didn’t inquire about it. One doesn’t, unless the information is volunteered.’

‘Quite so.’

‘I ought to say,’ Herriott added, ‘that both Jacobson and I made a close study of six-day events before we embarked on this enterprise. And I think you’ll agree that the race has been a success, a well-matched affair, in spite of Darrell’s unfortunate death.’

‘How did you persuade Captain Chadwick to enter?’ Cribb asked, ignoring the last remark. ‘He’s not one of the Hackney Wick fraternity.’

‘Ah!’ Herriott was smiling proudly. ‘Privileged informa-tion, Sergeant. A friend of mine happened to know that he wanted to test himself over six days but couldn’t face the prospect of mingling with a batch of peds. The separate tracks were my inspiration.’

‘You didn’t know him before this, then?’

‘No, Sergeant. Fellow’s not really my type.’

‘Mine neither. As a matter of interest, sir, d’you know anything about this man, Harvey?’

‘Harvey? Oh, the trainer! He was his batman, wasn’t he? No, I know very little of him. He seems very capable.’

‘Yes.’ Cribb smiled at an undisclosed thought. ‘Well, sir. Thank you for your time. You’ve been helpful.’

‘I like to be, if I can,’ Herriott gushed.

‘The race finishes at ten-thirty Saturday night, I believe.’ ‘That’s so.’

‘You’ll make some kind of presentation to the winners?’

Herriott leaned back and tapped the safe.

‘I’ve over a thousand pounds in here, Sergeant, and a magnificent belt. Oh yes, I’ll have a presentation ceremony on Saturday night-if the winner can walk up for his prize, of course!’ He was convulsed with laughter at the prospect of a champion too exhausted to cover another step. ‘I hope you’ll be there to see it, Sergeant.’

‘Looks as though I shall, sir,’ Cribb confirmed, without much enthusiasm.

Thackeray was waiting in some perturbation for Cribb to leave Herriott’s office.

‘I’ve looked everywhere I know, Sarge. Harvey just ain’t to be found.’

‘You’ve asked Chadwick?’

‘He don’t seem interested.’

‘Don’t suppose he will be before one o’clock. Harvey should be here by then. Strict on their duties, these military men. Now how about the strychnine hunt? Any reports come in?’

If they had, Thackeray had been too preoccupied to collect them from the police office. The two detectives walked in that direction, past the arena, which had filled almost to capacity. Mostyn-Smith, rather redder in the face now, was still a yard in front of Chadwick, with O’Flaherty almost at his side. The strain was telling on all three. They clung to the pace more in desperation than determination. Whoever succumbed now would be men-tally accepting defeat.

The constable on duty had a sheaf of papers ready for Cribb. He thumbed them through rapidly, rejecting many, and then examined the rest more carefully.

‘No help here,’ he finally told Thackeray. ‘We’ll get some more in tomorrow. I’m not too confident though. Seems another dead end.’

‘Should we see Mrs Darrell again, and face her with the false statement about where she was last Monday evening?’ ‘Not much point. I don’t think she’d tell us much that we don’t know. Now what’s this? Ah!’

He picked up a report that he had at first rejected.

‘Our chemist, Sarge?’

‘No. The report on Monk’s note. I wanted the handwrit-ing analysed, compared with his signature in the poison-book.’

‘What’s their view, then?’ asked Thackeray.

‘As I thought, unfortunately. Monk definitely wrote the letter. No shadow of doubt.’

Thackeray was mystified.

‘I don’t follow, Sarge. That was a suicide note-must have been cooked up by the killer.’

Cribb shook his head. His constable had disappointed him again.

‘Not so, not so! Got a note of the wording of that note, have you?’

Thackeray embarrassedly delved for his notebook. He read out Monk’s message. ‘ “This is to show how sorry I am. I did not mean him to die. Samuel Monk.”-Was he forced to write it, do you think, Sarge?’

‘Not very likely. Poor fellow was too drunk to write any-thing, by Jacobson’s account. No. What we’ve got to work out is when he wrote it, Thackeray. That’s the key.’

Thackeray remained bewildered.

‘It don’t make any sort of sense, to me, Sarge. If Monk didn’t kill Darrell-and we know that he couldn’t have- why should he take the blame on himself? He was so sure of himself that night when we saw him in the tent. He knew his bracer had been mixed right.’

‘Of course he did!’ said Cribb. ‘So he couldn’t have taken the blame. You’re right. But give a thought to the timing, man. There was a time when Monk would have had a guilty conscience.’

‘I still don’t-’

‘Before he knew it was strychnine that killed Darrell! What did they think it was at first?’

‘Tetanus, Sarge.’

‘Right. And how do you contract tetanus?’

‘Through getting something into a wound-like the cow-dung this place stinks of.’

‘Exactly. Well, there’s the point. Darrell ran barefoot on blistered feet that Monday night, and Monk didn’t stop him. Wouldn’t he feel responsible and write a note like this?’

‘You mean he planned to kill himself then, Sarge?’

‘I didn’t say that. But that’s when he wrote it.’

‘Who to?’

‘Ain’t that obvious?’

Thackeray was not sure that it was, but prudently nodded agreement.

Harvey re-entered the Hall carrying a paper parcel soon after eleven that evening. He was instantly recognised by the constable on duty at the Islington Green gate and hus-tled to the police office where Cribb and Thackeray were waiting.

‘Thought you’d walked out on us, Mr Harvey,’ Cribb began. ‘Couldn’t find you anywhere. Not like you to leave Captain Chadwick to his own devices.’

‘I had good reason,’ answered Harvey.

‘No doubt of that, no doubt at all. You know why we want to talk with you?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘I’ll not wrap it in fancy words then. You were seen leav-ing O’Flaherty’s hut this morning. Later on he pulled out of the race with sore feet. Crushed nut-shells. Do you admit putting them in his boots?’

Harvey was admirably calm.

‘I did it, yes.’

‘Why then?’

‘Ain’t you worked that out, Sergeant? I’m on Captain Chadwick’s side, in case you don’t remember.’

‘Don’t you play smart with me,’ warned Cribb. ‘You might be in a lot of trouble.’

‘What’s the charge, then?’ asked Harvey confidently. ‘Trespassing-or assault?’

‘Could be a double charge of murder,’ Cribb answered, and Harvey’s manner changed at once.

‘You think that I-because I got at O’Flaherty’s boots- oh no, Sergeant! That ain’t true!’

‘You’ve got a clearer motive for killing Darrell than any-one in this Hall,’ said Cribb. ‘Your actions confirm you’ll take big chances to see Chadwick win. You care nothing for O’Flaherty. You’d cripple him for Chadwick’s sake. Why shouldn’t you have poisoned Darrell? Could have slipped in more strychnine than you meant, of course. Murder is deliberate, with malice aforethought. Might make it manslaughter on the first charge, if you’ll cough the full story-’

‘Look, I’m no murderer!’ protested Harvey. ‘I know nothing about Darrell’s death, or Monk’s. I’ve admitted fix-ing the Irishman’s boots, but that don’t make me a killer.’

Cribb pressed his advantage.

‘You’d better talk pretty quick, then, Mr Harvey. I want to know all about you and your gaffer, and I want to know your movements last Monday night. You’d better remember it right too. I’ve been given several accounts of that night, and I know what happened most of the time.’

Harvey collected his thoughts. Last Monday seemed an age ago. Thackeray took out his notebook.

‘Far as I can recall,’ Harvey began, ‘I was by the track all evening, following the race. The Captain was behaving strange-like-he was running, you see. He has always walked his races, even when the articles allow mixing. But he fell badly behind Darrell that first day. Even some of the slow mob were ahead of him and by two in the afternoon he’d taken to running. Now I knew this running would give him no end of trouble-’

‘Why didn’t you stop it, then?’

‘Stop it? I can’t stop the Captain. He don’t take orders from me, or anyone, come to that. No, I just had to be around in case he went down with cramp. There was some bad collapses that first day. Once a man’s gone down it’s a sure bet that others will follow.’

‘So you waited for the collapse.’

‘Well, I kept near, in case. As it happened, he suffered a bit, but he didn’t go down. And he won back a lot of the ground. Darrell was in some kind of trouble with his feet, and that gave a fillip to the Captain. He kept going until Darrell came off at one, and then we both went into the tent.’

‘What sort of mental state was he in?’

‘Mental?’

‘His state of mind, man. Was he happy?’

‘Oh no. Far from it. He was suffering. Very sore, he was, and right low in spirits. Not like the Captain at all. He’s always enjoyed his walking, you know. But this time he was talking of giving up. After one day!’

‘Did he eat anything?’ asked Cribb.

Harvey tried to remember.

‘I don’t think so. He took his usual glass of claret, though, and then I left him.’

‘Where did you go?’

‘To the restaurant. I needed a drink, and there’s benches in there where a man can stretch out for a couple of hours.’ ‘And that’s what you did?’

‘Well,’ answered Harvey. ‘I didn’t get the drink. They’d had some kind of trouble in the kitchen-a fire, I think- and nobody was around to serve. So I found myself a corner and kipped for a bit. I finally got some coffee about three-thirty. Oh yes, and Monk came in.’

‘Monk? You’re sure of the time?’

‘Yes, about three-thirty. He sat with me. He must have just come in from outside because he was darned cold. Funny thing, he wanted to fix something up with me. He thought the pace was too warm. If I would hold the Captain back he’d tell Darrell to take things easy. I wouldn’t have it though. I can’t give orders to the Captain like some of them trainers do with their guv’nors. So it was no deal. And blow me, when they got back on track bloody Darrell set off like a hare before hounds.’

‘Full of strychnine,’ commented Cribb. ‘Did Monk say anything else?’

‘No. That was the lot,’ answered Harvey.

‘Right. Tell us about the Captain now. How long have you been with him?’

‘Must be ten years, at least. I served in India with him, you know. He wasn’t walking professional then, of course. Only started that when we got back home, about five years back. Then it was strictly private matches, on the road. Pretty soon he was taking on the best in England and show-ing them clean heels. He wanted to meet Darrell, of course, and that’s how he came to enlist in this tail-chasing squad. Darrell wouldn’t face him on the open road. Said he was prepared to take him on at Islington though. Then it was up to Herriott to arrange the twin tracks. My guv’nor wouldn’t risk his feet among that hob-nailed mob-not until he was forced to join ’em of course. He had no choice after Darrell was out.’

‘So I heard. But he’ll net a tidy sum in bets for his trou-bles.’

‘I wouldn’t know about that. He puts on his own money. He never discusses it with me.’

‘You’ve put something on the Captain yourself, I expect?’ suggested Cribb.

‘Yes, I got pretty fair odds on Monday from one of the bookies here.’

‘Wise man,’ said Cribb. ‘Wish I’d had the foresight to do the same. Now tell me about Wednesday night, will you?’

‘Wednesday?’ Harvey looked vacant.

‘The night Monk died. We’re interested in your move-ments. Remember?’

‘Oh. Wednesday. That was a grim enough evening, I can tell you. The Captain was as low in spirit as I’ve seen him. They’d given him a terrible buffeting on the outside track- he’d been forced to take his chances with them or retire from the race-and he was very short with me. But you’ve got to hand it to him. Come the time to get back on track there he was, ready to get among them again.’

‘He was well ahead at that stage,’ Cribb said in justification. ‘Ah, yes. But I doubted whether he’d keep on his feet till Saturday. And he couldn’t have thought so, either.’

‘So you were out there watching him every step of the way?’

‘I was, until one o’clock, when he came off.’

‘Did you see anything of Sam Monk that night?’ asked Cribb.

‘I don’t think I did.’

‘And when Captain Chadwick came into the tent at one what shape was he in?’

Harvey shook his head sadly at the recollection.

‘The poorest I’ve seen him. He could hardly move a mus-cle. He fell asleep while I was massaging him. I left him.’

‘Where did you sleep? In the restaurant?’

‘Yes. They haven’t provided much for us attendants. I’ve spent every night in there so far.’

‘See anyone else sleeping there?’

‘I was generally too dead beat to notice.’

‘All right,’ said Cribb. ‘Now Mr Harvey. One thing you haven’t explained. You spend all the week in constant atten-dance on your Captain. Then off you go today for a good four hours. What were you doing-trying to dodge me and my constables?’

Harvey smiled feebly.

‘Not really. I was collecting this. I wouldn’t stand a chance of getting one tomorrow. It was hard enough today.’ He was indicating the parcel he held in his lap.

‘Let’s have a look at it, then,’ suggested Cribb.

Slowly and carefully the contents were revealed.

‘What the devil!’ exclaimed Thackeray.

‘What is it then?’ asked Cribb.

‘Game pie,’ answered Harvey. ‘There’s only one estab-lishment in London that makes them like this, and the Captain will have no other. It’s for his victory feast tomor-row night.’

‘Hope it won’t be wasted then,’ commented Cribb. ‘All right, Mr Harvey. We’ll keep you no longer. That’s not to say I won’t be seeing you again.’

When Harvey had left, Cribb added, ‘Wouldn’t count on him being in very good shape when I do, though.’

The Pedestrian Contest at Islington

POSITIONS AT THE END OF THE FIFTH DAY