As THE RIVER QUEEN DOCKED ALL HELL BROKE loose. The police van and car that Dillon had noticed earlier drove onto the wharf and at the same time two River Police patrol boats moved out of the shadows where they had been waiting and pulled alongside.
As uniformed police came over the rail, they found Hall and Baxter tying up. Salter and Billy came out of the saloon and looked up at the half dozen policemen on the wharf. The line. parted and a tall man in his fifties in the uniform of a Superintendent came forward. “Why it’s SuPerintendent Brown, our old friend, Billy,” Salter said. “And how are you, Tony.’?”
Brown smiled. “Permission to come aboard, Harry,” and he climbed down followed by the other police officers.
“So what’s all this7” Salter demanded.
“Well, Harry, I know’ there wouldn’t be anything in the pub. You’re too smart for that and we’ve turned you over often enough. However, I’ve reason to believe you’re carrying an illegal shipment of diamonds on this vessel to the amount of two hundred thousand pounds. Very silly, Harry, to slip like that after all these years.” Brown turned to the sergeant at his elbow. “Read him his rights, and the rest of ffou, start looking.”
“Diamonds on the River Queen.” Salter laughed out loud. “Tony, my old son, you really have got it wrong this time.” IT WAS ALMOST ONE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING when they finished. Salter and his crew were sitting at the table in the saloon pl,aying gin rummy when
the SuPerintendent looked in.
“A Word, Harry.”
The police had finished their fruitless task and were getting into the van. The two patrol boats started up and moved away. It was raining now and Salter and
Brown stood under the canopy on deck.
“So what gives?” Salter asked.
“Har, I don’t know what hapPened tonight, but I had what seemed like the hottest tip in my life.” i6z “Well, whoever your snout was, I hope you didn’t
pay the bastard.”
Brown shook his head. “You’re getting old, Harry,
too old to do ten years in Parldaurst. Think about it.”
“I will, Tony.”
Brown clambered up onto the wharf and turned.
“We’ve known each other a long time, Harry, so I’ll
do you a favor. I’d be very careful in future about
the Dutch end of things.” He got in the police car
beside his driver and they moved away.
“Jesus,” Billy said. “We could all have gone
down the steps for a long time. That bastard back
there when he took the stones, what was it he said?
That he’d done you a good turn.”
“That’s right, quite a coincidence,” Saiter said,
“OnlyI don’t believe in them. Anyway, let’s go up
‘.
to the pub and get a drink.”
DILLON WAITED UNTIL LL WAS QUIET, THEN went back down the staira:of the old warehouse and walked to the pub. There was a light on in the saioon, and when he looked in he saw Saiter sitting on a stool at the end of the bar. Billy, sticking plaster on his face, sat drinking at one of the tables with Baxter and Hail. Dillon moved on, turned up the side ailey, and looked in the kitchen. The barmaid was drinking a cup of tea and reading a newspaper.
He opened the kitchen door. She looked up in alarm. “I see the peelers have gone,” Dillon said.
“Christ, who are you?” “Old friend of Harry’s. If he’s as bright as I think he is he might even be expecting me. I’ll go through to the bar.”. HARRY SALTER DRANK HIS SCOTCH AND WA1TED, looking at his reflection in the old Victorian mirror behind the bar. A small wind touched his cheek as the door opened, there was a sliding sound as the yellow oilskin bag slid along the bar and stopped in front of him.
“There you go,” Dillon said.
The other three stopped talking and Salter lifted the bag in one hand, then turned to look at Dillon standing there at the end of the bar in his old reefer coat.
Dillon took out a cigarette and lit it, and Salter, a crrok from the age of fifteen, knew trouble when he saw it.