'Wild Is The Wind'- Part 3

The final part of 'Wild Is The Wind'. It's the end of this mystery, but I get the feeling that Jack Redgrave will find another case to solve.

I decided it’d be good manners to go to Bruce Watson’s funeral. I was sure if I paid my condolences and explained my situation, a family member might be willing to cover the bill of my services for him. But as the taxi drove me to the funeral, I realised that they might not be too happy that the person I had been paid to look for actually killed Bruce. As I had dusted down funeral suit and had it dry cleaned for no mere sum and paid for the taxi I decided I‘d have to sit through the funeral..

The funeral was a quiet affair, only about ten or twelve people were in attendance. There was one mourner I was very surprised to see, and that was Russell Faraday. He styled himself as a ‘gentleman gangster’, but he was nothing more than a West End hoodlum. I had run into him on occasion before, and knowing his reputation I was very curious to know what on earth he was doing at this funeral.

I waited till it was over, and I noticed him ducked around the back of the church for a crafty cigarette. His heavies were waiting in the car, so I thought I’d go and say ‘hello’. He was a well dressed man, that could be said. Always in the finest of suits, with his hair slicked over with brylcreem, and probably his moustache too.
“Hello, Russell.” I announced.
He jumped, then grinned. “Jack Redgrave. Still playing Humphrey Bogart?”
“Still playing James Cagney?”
He laughed aloud loud, and carried on talking in a thick London accent, “You’re real funny. You’re a real funny guy, Jack. Anybody ever tell you that?”
“Not as I often as I’d like.” I took out a cigarette, and Russell lit it for me with his silver Zippo lighter.
“What brings you here?” He asked.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m paying my respects. You?”
“Same.” I took a drag of the cigarette, “I did a job for the guy.”
“He pay you?”
I shook my head, “Never did. Said he would, though.”
“Yeah, unreliable git. He owned me money too. Said he’d pay me as soon as he got outta jail. Sod’s law I only learn he’s outta jail when I find out he’s dead.”
“Tough luck.”
“Tell me about it.” He stroked his moustache. “He owned me a lot of money. Buried it before he went to jail.”
“From the robberies?”
“Yeah. Couple years ago now.”
I nodded, “More brawn than brains that guy.”
“Nah, he weren’t like that all the time. You know the only person he said he’d tell where the money was, was the bird he was seeing. Then she went and shot him!” He laughed loudly, a dirty laugh. “I hear you’re friendly with his bird?”
I shook my head, “Not anymore.”
“Shame. Bet Bruce didn’t even get a chance to tell her when the dough was hidden.”
“Don’t think they did much talking.”
He told a drag of his smoke and said, “Yeah. Read about in the paper. They fight, then blam.”
“That’s it in a nutshell.”
He sighed, “All that money, eh?”
“Yeah.”
“Just rotting away somewhere. Think most of the family are hoping it’ll turn up in his will.”
I raised at eyebrow, “And you’re not expecting it too?”
He shook his head, “Nah, ‘course not. No guy would ever put his buried treasure in his will.”
“Maybe he left a treasure map.”
Russell laughed out loud again, “You always make me laugh, I tell ya.” He then asked, “I always wanted to know- are you having fun being a private eye than you were as one of the pigs?”
“Being a pig pays better.”
He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out on a gravestone. “Oh well, see you around, Jackie-boy.”

It took me a while to figure it out. It was after the funeral, I was back in my office, drinking a cup of tea and doing the cryptic crossword when it all began to make sense. Something Sylvester had said had stuck in my mind, I thought nothing of it at first, but the more I sat and thought the more it made sense. It was just like one of the cryptic clues in the crossword, of course I hadn’t understood it at first, you never do, but once I did… I leaped out of my chair, grabbed my hat and my coat and went out.

I knew who would hold all the answers, so I tailed them for a while. I began to doubt myself and what I’d worked out, but as soon as night time came it all began to fall into place. The one I was tailing hailed a taxi, so I got one as well, and in true Hollywood style I told the driver to “Follow that car!” He had a laugh, then realised I was serious. The taxi drove out of London to a wood. When the other taxi stopped, so did ours. The person I was tailing got out and the taxi went. I paid the driver and he went off. I began to walk through the woods, I could see they knew were they were going. Once they found what they were looking for I stopped and lurked in the shadows of the trees.

When they got what they wanted, I thought it would be time to show myself. I strolled along as casually as I could, but they didn’t notice me. Loudly I said, “Of all the gin joints in all the world…” They turned around and shone a torch into my face, “You had to walk into mine.” I grinned. “Hello, Bethany.”
“Jack? What the hell are you doing here?” She said in her familiar drawl.
“Oh, you know, just taking a stroll.” On the floor before her was a spade, a large hole in the earth, and a brown, dirt covered suitcase. “So, what brings you here?”
“Jack, I…”
I waved my hand, “It was clever. I’ve got to admit that, Beth. Real clever. Would have been perfect if I didn’t get in the way, right?”
As she spoke, her right hand was reaching into her coat pocket, “Jack, I have no idea what…”
“Beth, please. I know you’ve got that gun in your pocket.” Her eyes widened, I knew I was right. She took her hand out of her pocket. I continued- “You wanted Bruce Watson to find you, didn’t you? Because you knew he’d tell you were the money from the robberies was. It was you who sent the letter tipping him off.”
“And I knew you’d never tell Bruce where I was.” Her lip curled, “Guess you did like me.”
“So,” I said, “You knew he’d got a temper on him. You knew he’d cause a fuss. So, nobody’s going to doubt that a violent criminal would be carrying a gun on him. It was only today I realised that it was a .22, which gets called a ‘woman’s gun’. So no self-respecting criminal would be caught dead carrying one.” I paused and then added, “But poor Bruce was caught dead with one. After all, does a man that size really need to carry a gun to be threatening? So, you waited for him to show, and when he does you get him to tell you where the money is. I don’t know how you got him to tell you, but maybe he did love you. But as soon as he did…” I turned my fingers into a gun shape and made a popping noise. “Exit Bruce.”
She licked her lips and said, “Do you know how long I’ve waited to get this money? All the years I spent waiting for him to get out of jail…” She started to get louder, “I gave up on it, that’s why I stopped writing to him. Then you go and tell me that he’s out and he’s looking for me! It was my chance to get the money, Jack! Thousand of pounds!”
I put my hands up in defence, “Ok, ok! I just came to talk to you, Beth… because you do know that Bruce owes me money?”
“What?”
“He never paid me to look for you.”
“But you didn’t look for me!”
“That’s not the point, Beth. I’d like my pay, if that’s alright with you.” I took a step towards the suitcase and she quickly pulled out the .22 from her coat pocket.
“And what makes you think I’m just going to hand the money over?”
I raised my hands again, “Whoa, I’m not asking for all of it! Just 50-50!” The gun clicked as she took the safety off, “Ok, just as much as Bruce owned me…”
“I could just kill you.” She snarled.
I grinned, “After all the fun times we had together?”
“I’m warning you, Jack…”
“And I’m warning you- I‘ve got friends.”
Her brow furrowed, “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“That in the event of my death, a couple letters will be sent. First to my old mate Sylvester Hartnell, you remember him, don’t you? The proper detective who questioned you? It’ll tell him all about you killing Bruce and me… he’ll be able to match the bullets from the gun.” She looked nervously down at her gun. Of course there was no letter. It’s just a good thing to say when somebody’s pointing a gun at you. I carried on, “And they’ll be another one sent to Russell Faraday.”
Puzzled, she asked, “Russell Faraday?”
“Yeah. He’s looking for Bruce’s money as well. The money Bruce owes him from the robberies.”
She shook her head, “Bruce wasn’t working for Russell Faraday.”
“I spoke to Faraday…”
“No, Bruce told me everything. He didn’t say a word about Faraday.”

I began to lower my hands, “Then how did Russell Faraday know Bruce had buried the money?” There was a pause, and at the same time we both looked down the suitcase. I made a step towards it, but she made a ‘Ah!’ noise and I stopped. “Ok, ok!” I said. Still, keeping one eye on me, she kneeled down and began to open the suitcase. With her free hand, she opened first the left catch, then the right one and lifted the lid.

There was money alright. Lots of it. Only trouble was it was money from the board game Monopoly. I dropped my hands and let out a loud laugh. Got to hand it to the guy for having a good sense of humour. There was a note on top of the coloured paper money, Beth picked it up, stood up and read it out loud in a disdaining voice, “I got to Bruce first- ha ha ha, love Russell.”
I chuckled, “Oh that crafty devil.” Beth glared at me. “Come on, you’ve got to admit it’s quite funny.” She just shook her head. Russell Faraday had probably heard the rumour that Bruce had hidden some money, waited till he got out, got the information off him by hook or by crook. It explained why he probably turned up to the funeral- see who else was interested in the money. Crafty devil. “We’ve both been had.” I nodded my head towards the way out of the woods, “Come on, let’s get going, I’ll get you a cup of tea, my shout.” Beth just said nothing. “Something stronger instead?”
She began to shake her head, then walked up to me and hissed, “Go to hell, Jack.” She turned and began to walk away from me. I watched her go. I took off my hat and scratched my head.
“Women.” I sighed.

FIN

David Bowie- 'Wild Is The Wind'