Nightfall Brought a hard frost which made the roads treacherous. Piper got home at a quarter to six, lit the gas fires in both rooms, and unwrapped the sandwich he had bought at a snack bar in the Brompton Road. He was not hungry but he had had nothing to eat since breakfast and he felt empty.
After Gizelle left his office he had paced up and down, thinking and thinking until his head ached. Then he had taken a walk in St. James’s Park. When he had tired of walking and the cold was beginning to bite through his clothes he had gone to the cinema.
Afterwards he had no recollection of the film or even what it was called. It had served to pass the time and that was enough. The problem of what he was going to do about Gizelle remained.
Something would have to be done. Somehow he had to discover what had happened to Fritz Haupmann. He had to know beyond doubt. One way or the other, Haupmann would go on tormenting him for the rest of his life because he knew he could have stopped Quinn if he had tried hard enough. Telling himself he had not known what Quinn intended to do was no use. Alive or dead, Haupmann would hold him in thrall. …
Where had Mrs. McAllister gone? The people at the library where she worked thought she was spending the week-end with some relations in Woolwich. Someone must know the name of those relations.
Had Mullett spoken to her neighbours? Or had anyone thought of asking Howarth? It was quite likely that he would know … and in any case it cost nothing to try.
The telephone directory listed a lot of people called Howarth. Without knowing the man’s initials or where he lived it seemed the only one way of getting in touch with him was by trial-and-error and that might well take hours.
There would have to be a quicker way. Mullett was bound to have the information … but Mullett was not available.
He looked up the North London Psychic Research Society and discovered that the address shown in the book was not Bullring Court. This one was somewhere in Kilburn and it was apparently a private residence.
A woman with a fluty voice answered the phone. She said, “Oh, no, Mr. Howarth doesn’t live here. But I’m the secretary of the Society. Can I do anything for you?”
Piper said, “I wanted to speak to him personally. Could you give me his phone number, please?”
“Yes, I have it somewhere if you’ll hold the line for a moment. … Ah, here we are. …”
She repeated the number several times until she was satisfied that Piper had got it right. Then she asked, “Would you like his address, too? … No..? Very well. Good-bye.”
It was only when she had rung off that he realised he should have asked her if she knew the name of Mrs. McAllister’s relations in Woolwich. If Howarth was not at home …
The bell at the other end went on ringing for a long time. While Piper waited he thought about Gizelle and the look in her eyes when she confessed: “… I like you for many things. I only wish it didn’t have to end this way.”
Then the phone said, “Hallo, who is that?”
The sweetness of Gizelle’s smile lingered in Piper’s mind as he said, “My name’s Piper, John Piper. May I speak to Mr. Howarth?”
“Howarth speaking. What do you want, Mr. Piper?” He sounded not at all like the friendly little man who had made himself so pleasant that night at the meeting.
Piper said, “I’m sorry to trouble you but I thought you might know the address of the people with whom Mrs. McAllister is supposed to be spending the week-end in Woolwich.”
“Why do you want the address?”
“I’d like to speak to her.”
“Well, so far as I understand, she’s coming back to-morrow. Won’t it wait until then?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I want to talk to her about Fritz Haupmann. You’ve heard the news, I suppose?”
Howarth said, “Yes … and you’ll have to excuse me, Mr. Piper. I’d rather not discuss it. I don’t want to get myself involved. It’s none of my business and—”
“I’m not asking you to get involved. All you have to do is tell me where she’s staying. If you don’t want her to know how I got hold of her address I won’t mention your name.”
The phone made a frizzling noise and clicked several times. Then Howarth said, “It isn’t what Kathie McAllister thinks that worries me. I don’t mind if she finds out I’ve been speaking to you. It’s—something else altogether. I can’t explain … but I’m in a very difficult situation.”
Piper said, “What you’re trying to say is that you’re afraid. Am I right?”
In a rapid, unsteady voice, Howarth blurted out, “Please don’t ask any more questions, Mr. Piper. Just leave me alone. I promised I wouldn’t—” He broke off as if he had already said too much.
“Who made you promise?”
“I—don’t know who it was … and I don’t want to know. I wish I’d never heard of Fritz Haupmann.”
“It’s a bit late for that now. You can’t hide yourself. He tried it … and you saw what happened to him. If you’ll trust me I’m willing to help you.”
“The only way you can help me is by forgetting we ever met.”
“Playing the ostrich won’t do any good. This thing’s gone too far for that. You’ve got to trust somebody and I give you my word that I’ll treat anything you say in the strictest confidence.”
“But I mustn’t talk to you. I was warned I’d be in trouble if I did.”
“How did you get this warning? Did someone phone you?”
“Yes … this afternoon. He said if I was wise I’d keep my mouth shut.” “About what?”
“I’ve told you—Fritz Haupmann. It was no business of mine … and if I was wise I wouldn’t interfere.”
“What do you know about Haupmann that someone is afraid you might tell?”
“Nothing, Mr. Piper, nothing at all. That’s what makes me feel I’m going crazy. I told this man on the phone that I didn’t know what he was talking about but he just said I’d been warned … and then he hung up.”
“All right,” Piper said. “Don’t get into a panic. Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“Then no one can possibly hear what we’re saying. What did this man sound like?”
“Vicious, Mr. Piper. If you’d heard him you’d have realised that he meant every word he said. So please ring off and leave me alone. Whatever has happened to Fritz Haupmann I’m sorry for him … but I don’t intend to have the same thing happen to me.”
Piper said, “I can well understand how you feel. Nevertheless, keeping quiet won’t protect you in the long run. If you know something which might explain what this is all about—”
“But I don’t. Please believe me. I haven’t got the faintest idea why anyone should want to threaten me.”
“Somebody thinks you know … and he may be right. Until we find out what it is you won’t be safe. You can see that, can’t you?”
“No. He told me I wouldn’t be harmed so long as I kept quiet.”
“Do you think you can rely on that, Mr. Howarth? Now, be honest with yourself. Do you?”
After a long silence, Howarth said, “No … and I’m not ashamed to admit I’m scared stiff. I don’t know which way to turn. The police can’t help because there’s nothing I can tell them.”
“Maybe I can help you,” Piper said.
“How?”
“I’ll come and see you and we’ll go over the whole thing step by step. Something you’ve either seen or heard must be the clue I’m looking for and—.”
“No, you mustn’t come here. Somebody may be watching the house.”
“Then why don’t you visit me?”
“What if I’m followed?”
“Pretend you’re going to the cinema. Soon’s you’re inside slip out by one of the other exits and take a taxi here. That isn’t difficult, is it?”
“I—suppose not. I haven’t done anything like that before, you see, and I’m afraid something might go wrong and—”
“Nothing will go wrong. Once we find out what it is that you know about Fritz Haupmann you’ll be in the clear. These people won’t achieve anything by harming you after the information becomes common property.”
“I wish I could be sure of that. In spite of what you say I still wish you’d let me stay out of the whole affair….”
Piper reasoned with him. Howarth put up one objection after another and it took a lot of persuasion before at last he agreed.
Then he had one final question. He asked, “Will you be alone?”
“For the next hour,” Piper told him. “I’ve got a friend coming at seven o’clock.”
“What if he arrives while I’m with you?”
“That won’t matter in the least.”
“Can you trust him?”
“Implicitly. Don’t worry on that score. How long will it take you to get here?”
“Well, if I’m to make sure I’m not being followed, I won’t manage it much before seven. … Sure this friend of yours won’t mention to anyone that I visited you?”
“Quite sure. I’ll guarantee his discretion.”
Howarth said, “I hope you’re right, Mr. Piper, but I’m scared all the same.”