23 Paces to Baker Street Page #7

But I'll bet there's a perfectly

innocent explanation for that.

Mr. Hannon, according to the barmaid at

The Eagle, you were expecting this man.

Why were you meeting him?

Did you know who he was?

No. But I knew who he wasn't.

He wasn't Evans.

Outside of that, I only knew

what he called himself.

The father of a girl named Janet Murch.

I see...

You've been making inquiries for her,

haven't you? Advertising and so on?

That's right inspector.

What was your interest in

Janet Murch, Mr. Hannon?

She was the girl I heard in the bar.

And you contacted her?

Yes. I spoke to her on the

telephone last night.

Inspector, you have to find Murch,

and you have to find her fast.

Mr. Hannon,

Janet Murch may have been

associated with criminals

as you thought, though that's

by no means certain.

But there's one thing that is certain:

Whatever anybody was asking her

to do, tonight or tomorrow,

crime, or no crime.

She won't do it now.

Her body was taken out of the river

early this morning.

- She was murdered?

- Yes. A nasty job with a knife.

And what's more, I'm responsible.

You, responsible?

Yes, with that advertisement.

She saw the advertisement

but so did Evans.

And Evans knew I was on

to something through her.

So he murdered her.

And then tried to

have me murdered too.

I killed that poor kid

as surely as if I'd shot her.

Inspector, we have to get Evans.

And we have to get

him before tomorrow.

Mr. Hannon, as I

told you before...

But it's starting Inspector!

It's the ninth today,

it's happening somewhere

out there, now!

You must remember, Mr. Hannon, there

are nine million people out there.

Nine million.

And none of us have ever seen Evans,

and only you have even heard him.

This morning he seem to prefer whiskey

to scrambled eggs.

Well, if it helps him get through today,

I'm all for it.

So am I, but it seems to have no more

effect on him than milk on a baby.

I'll go see what I can do.

Does he know I stayed here

last night?

He knows that today is the tenth.

That's all he knows.

"This is all you've got to do."

"Mary arrives on the tenth."

Jean?

Yes, Phil.

Well, you didn't just come in?

No, I stayed here last night.

Stayed here?

Yes, in your spare room.

Well, I hope you were comfortable.

Can I fix you one?

Phil, at ten o'clock in the morning?

At ten o'clock in the morning,

and at half past ten,

on the tenth hour of the tenth day.

Let's drink to that.

You don't mind that I stayed here?

Bob has to go out occasionally,

And you felt there was a job

for an assistant keeper.

Well, the facts support that.

It seems I can't get off the string,

without nearly getting myself killed...

and other people, quite killed.

But you didn't know.

I didn't know Evans

was that desperate.

Well how could you?

"You go down to meet

her and take over.

Then we take it off your hands,

and give you your money".

"And you go on a nice..."

Why do you keep playing that

thing over and over again?

You must know it by heart.

I knew it by heart to start with.

But you can know your words

without knowing what they mean.

Somewhere that thing is trying

to tell me about Evans.

Who he is, and what it is

he's gonna do today.

But I can't seem to hear it

and the rest of you can only see.

"You wouldn't."

"No, my dear, I wouldn't do that. Not

just as long as you do as you're told."

"Now come on, pull yourself together:

There's nothing to cry about."

Alright, Mr. Evans, you win.

Jean, are you over by the window?

Yes.

Is it still foggy?

A little. It's almost clear now.

What do you see?

You know, Phil. You told me

the first time I came here.

That's right.

Houses of Parliament, Big

Ben, Charing Cross Station...

Station...

I wonder if Mary would be

arriving at a station?

What train would she be on?

A suburban train? A boat train?

What's that? A boat on the river?

Yes.

Why is he sounding it if it isn't foggy?

They often do.

That's right. Leaving or

arriving, and so forth.

I remember the time I was coming

over on the Queen Mary...

Mary.

"Mary on the 10th!"

Bob!

Bob!

Bob!

Phil!

Sir?

Find out when the Queen Mary arrives.

Queen Mary?

Yes, and hurry!

- Why?

- Don't you get it?

It was then, when that pinball

machine made all the racket.

I missed a bit there.

I heard it as "Mary arrives."

But it could have been

"The Queen Mary arrives".

And "You go down to meet

her" could have been,

down to meet her at Southampton.

And she's not a girl, but a ship.

They were taking Janet Murch down

to meet somebody off that boat.

Hello? I want some

information please.

Can you tell me what time the Queen

Mary docked at Southhampton?

Well, have you got em?

Thank you, thank you.

Hold on a moment please.

The Queen Mary docked at

6 'o'clock this morning.

The boat train should have arrived

in London, just after ten.

What time is it now?

It's 10.30.

Alright, look.

Get her passenger list.

Find out what rich, first-class

passengers are traveling with children.

And get after that

fireball policeman.

Yes.

Well, thank you very much indeed.

I'm sorry to have bothered you.

Goodbye.

Well, that crosses them off.

Now that's Mr. and Mrs. Richard

Avery, from Houston, Texas.

With two children, they brought

their own nurse with them.

Isn't there one more?

Yes, the Argentinians, the Da Mestres.

Ah yes, the Da Mestres. We haven't

been able get a hold of them yet.

They've taken a flat in Kensington.

Anyhow, the daughter there is 17. They'd

hardly need a nurse for her, would they?

Still, we'll go on try and find them, Mr.

Hannon. To be on the safe side.

I hope you're wrong, Mr. Hannon.

Inspector, I don't want to be right.

I'm just scared sick that I might be.

I don't know if it's nerves or the

cold, but I'm freezing to death.

I'm sorry. There's a blanket

back here somewhere.

Here we are.

- There, that better?

- Thank you.

They seem to be taking

forever up there.

It's only been ten minutes. They

know what they are doing.

They're just active.

They don't know what they're doing.

A 17-year-old girl wouldn't need

a nursemaid.

I'm completely lost.

I can't figure it.

What's that! What happened?

I think it's Mrs. Da Mestre.

I want you to cover all

the gates in the gardens.

We're looking for a 17-year-old

girl in a wheelchair.

With a nursemaid, wearing white uniform,

black shoes, dark blue cape and cap.

- Hurry.

- Right, Sir.

She's an invalid?

Well, her father told me, that

she's a child who never grew up.

They keep her with them, always.

Those poor people.

- Jean?

- Yes?

Any luck?

No.

Phil, don't you think we go ought to

go home? It's getting awfully cold.

No. I'm not an awful lot of use, but

I want to stick around, just in case.

- I think they've found something.

- Take me over!

There's a fence here.

Get some lights up

to cover this area.

Won't be a minute, Sir.

Hello Mr. Hannon.

Good evening, Inspector.

What did they find?

It's an invalid chair, the upright kind.

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