The Man They Couldn't Arrest

They had not been five minutes in that room before they realised they had stumbled upon a place for which they had been scouring London for many years.

"This chap Tansy is cute," admitted Delbury; darn cute. I've been looking for this workshop all over south London, I'd have sworn all the melting was being done on the other side of the bridges. Look here----and here."

Parcels of jewellery were lying about openly on the benches. It was obvious that the fence had opened out his entire stock, taken the most negotiable of the best and bolted in panic with as much as he could carry.

"There's a phone over there, look--- ring up the yard. Tell them to send another man along to look out for this place or better ask for two . There's far more than one will be able to catalogue. Gosh, the stuff is as thick as leaves in autumn."

Shaughnessy did the phoning while Delbury searched the rest of the house. He scoured and sounded the place from top to bottom, but there was no sign of human being. Tansy had made his get-away without standing on ceremony.

"And where do we go from here?" asked Shaughnessy, when the search was finished.

"Greydene---- I want to see Mercia Lyall," said Delbury grimly. "come along out to the car. I'm going right now."

They went out and waited for the two lost property experts from the Yard to put in an appearance. they were soon on the spot, and Delbury, in a few pithy sentences, gave them a tough outline of the case.

"If you get any caller's asking specially for Tansy, arrest 'em," he said. "Arrest out of hand. You can take 'em on suspicion of whatever you like, but hang on to 'em. You can apologize afterwards if you're wrong. But you won't be wrong. This place is an absolute nest of old lags. there are cross-connections with half the big burglaries of London in that back room. And heaven itself only knows how many thousand pounds of goods gold have gone through the pot in there stuff that will never be found again."

Delbury nodded to the driver and the car slid away. it was barely a twenty-minutes run out to Greydene. Delbury busied himself with the revision if a great sheaf of notes laid out on his knees.

As the car pulled up at the entrance gates both detectives saw a familiar figure making its way up the drive.

That's Thomason---- what on earth is he doing here?" muttered Delbury.

He jumped out of the car and hurried after him.

Thomason heard the approaching footsteps and turned. seeing Delbury he halted and touch his cap.

"Glad to see you again sir," he said, with some little trace of relief in his voice.

What is your business out here?" asked Delbury.

"my usual luck on a good case. There must be something sympathetic about my appearance, I think. I'm the unlucky brute told off to acquaint the relatives of the tragedy over at Hendon. you're in charge of investigations, aren't you, Sir?"

"Yes---and I'll take charge of this little bit of it, too if it will relieve you in any way. who sent you?"

"Headquarters."

"Have the phone in the house been told anything at all yet?"

"No, sir; not to my knowledge."

"They are in complete ignorance? They haven't been telephoned or warned to expect bad news?"

"Not so fast as I know."

"Good. Thomason, you can turn right round and go back home. I'll break all the bad news that has to be broken in that house. there's a young lady in there who knows a great deal about this business. she may not be inclined to talk but she will be by the time I'm done with her. I'm glad I caught you before you got in. Tell the chief I'll be through to him before noon, will you? thanks."

Delbury continued his way alone. Arrived at Greydene, he rang and when the Maud appeared, asked to be allowed to see miss Mercia Lyall with as little delay as possible.

The maid hesitated, looking him up and down, and then timidly asked if she could take his card to her. Candidly, Delbury didn't look as though he was of the type who carried visiting cards.

Delbury laid his card face downward on the tray.

"Don't look at that, miss," he said pointedly. "just take it straight through to your mistress. Tell her I'd like to see her privately."

In two minutes the maid was back, looking white and not a little frightened. And Delbury knew, and he grinned silently to himself, that the maid had taken a peep at that card before she took it in.

He was shown into the study, and in a little while Mercia came in. she pushed the door open,and paused on the threshold looking the man frankly in the eyes.

"Mr. Delbury?" she said quietly.

""Yes madam, if you please. would you mind closing the door? Thank you."

Delbury looked at her hard as she came into the centre of the room. Mercia's appearance was bit of a shock to him. He confessed, all in that fleeting moment, that either his ideals were all wrong or that he was right up against it.

Delbury had half expected to see someone of the vamp type, a girl with pretty though hard features, with eyes that were mere traps for the unsuspecting---- eyes that could lie and smile. A lie with wicked facility. The clever daughter of a clever father---- that's what he expected to find.

And instead there came to him a radiant girl in the first flush of womanly charm, a girl whose features were soft and expressively tender, whose eyes were steel true. She was terribly anxious, desperately worried. her repressed fears showed in all that. Delbury felt his theories slipping through his fingers.

"You have bad news for me, Mr Delbury---- hadn't mother better be present too?" Mercia asked the question in a steady voice, but her hands were gripped together till the knuckle tips shone white.

"No, madam, with your permission, I'd rather see you alone first."

Mercia inclined her head ever so slightly.

"Then if you will, I would like to hear the worst you have to tell me without any preliminaries or attempts to make it easier. Bad news is always difficult to receive and I much prefer to know what has happened, without unnecessary heartaches."

The detective paused for a moment. such straightforward ideals were rather unsettling.

"As a matter of fact," he said uncomfortably, "I wish to see you alone first because I have one or two questions I would like you to answer."

Mercia's lips tightened. "Before I know what the trouble is?" she asked, with a glint of hot resentment starting to her eyes.

"if you will---yes. I assure you it is for your own safety. No less than three arrests hang on the answers I require of you."

"Arrest? whose arrest?"

The detective waved a non-commital hand.