The Unbelievers by Alastair Sim Page B

them.
    â€œPolice? Here?”
    â€œRoutine enquiries,” said Allerdyce.
    â€œRoutine’s about all that happens here. I’m not sure that I can help much.”
    â€œWe want to enquire about a telegram that arrived last Thursday afternoon, addressed to the Duke of Dornoch.”
    The clerk took his glasses off again and wiped them on his grey handkerchief.
    â€œThe Duke gets a lot of telegraphic correspondence.”
    Allerdyce leant on the counter and looked into the clerk’s eyes.
    â€œWell, can you check what he received last Thursday afternoon? It may be of some importance.”
    â€œAll right then, but I doubt you’ll find anything interesting.”
    The clerk went to a shelf at the back of the office. He looked along it for a few moments before pulling down a box file. He brought it over to the counter and leafed through it. Allerdyce tapped his pipe impatiently against the counter as the clerk methodically studied each paper.
    â€œI thought you said this was routine,” said the clerk as he fingered the papers.
    Allerdyce stuffed his pipe back into his pocket, tapping his fingers against its stem while he waited.
    At length the clerk pulled out five sheets of paper.
    â€œAll right then, here’s carbon copies of all the telegrams that went to the big house on Thursday. Five about business transactions which I can’t pretend to understand, one to tell a servant that her mother was very ill, and one more personal one for the Duke. All quite normal.”
    â€œMay I see? Perhaps the personal one first?”
    The clerk shuffled the papers so that it was at the top and passed them to Allerdyce. He read it, the sergeant looking over his shoulder.
    â€˜ MINE ALL MINE STOP
    MEET AT THE WELL AT MIDNIGHT STOP
    ENDS’
    â€œAnd you say that’s a routine message?”
    â€œOh yes. The Duke used to receive lots of these.”
    â€œEvery day? Every week?
    â€œNot quite as often as every week. Slightly irregularly. Sometimes four or five weeks – or longer – would go by without any such message. This was the first one for some time.”
    â€œVery interesting,” said Allerdyce. “No name is given by the originator, but the message was sent from the telegraph office at Waverley Station in Edinburgh.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI should be very interested to see all the similar messages which you have on record.”
    â€œIt may take me some time to find them all,” said the clerk.
    â€œJust find them. We’ll be back. The sergeant and I have to visit Dalcorn House now.”

Chapter 9
    The front door of Dalcorn House was answered more quickly this time. The same footman opened the door.
    â€œI suppose the Duke is still not at home?” asked Allerdyce.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIs Mr Warner at home?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI should like to see him directly.”
    The footman led them straight into the long parlour where they’d sat before, then went to fetch the valet. Warner appeared two minutes later, dressed immaculately. The footman left them, and Warner stood facing the policemen, one of the little tables between them.
    â€œYou’re expecting your master’s return?” asked Allerdyce, looking Warner up and down.
    â€œI have to. If he caught me unprepared I’d be dismissed.”
    â€œAnd do you have any specific reason to expect that he will return today?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYou told me that a telegram had arrived in the afternoon shortly before he went missing, and that you had no knowledge of the contents of that telegram.”
    â€œLook, Inspector, I’ve been helpful, haven’t I? I’ve done my best to help you find him. I don’t know what you want from me now.”
    Allerdyce took the copy of the telegram from the inside pocket of his jacket and put it on the table.
    â€œRead that.”
    The valet picked it up.
    â€œBloody hell.”
    â€œWhat’s