Among the Mad Read Online Free PDF

Westminster—you’ll see it later—plain
vellum, no postmark, no prints, no distinguishing marks at all, the handwriting
could have come from anyone, though we have an expert looking at it,
obviously.”
    “But there are demands.”
    “Yes. The man—or woman—is asking the government to act
immediately to alleviate the suffering of all unemployed, starting with
measures to assist those who have served their country in wartime. There’s a
bit of a rant about what they did for their country and now look at them, and
there’s a threat to the effect that, if no action is forthcoming within
forty-eight hours—which will be up tomorrow morning—then he will demonstrate
his power. We have to entertain the possibility that such a threat may be to
the life of the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister, or another important
person.”
    “And what about the possibility of a hoax, or some
disenfranchised individual letting off steam?”
    “As you know, Miss Dobbs, some of those
disenfranchised people can be dangerous—take the Irish situation, the Fascists,
the unions. There are a lot of holes in which this particular rodent might be
concealing himself.”
    “Yes, of course.” Maisie paused, looking out of the
window as she considered Stratton’s synopsis of the situation. She turned back
to Stratton. “Look, I must ask you this, especially as I am now traveling back
to London when I could have spent the day with my father—but what has this got
to do with me? You have senior detectives working on the case—how can I help?”
    “I can think of several different ways in which you
can help, Miss Dobbs, and the talents that might render you a valuable member
of the group. Certainly you are known at the Yard, and your contribution to the
training of our women detectives has not gone unnoticed. But the fact is that
your presence has been”—he slowed his speech, as if choosing his words with
care—“requested, because whoever is behind the threats has mentioned you by
name. ‘If you doubt my sincerity, ask Maisie Dobbs.’ That’s what he said. So,
whether you like it or not, you are part of this case. And unfortunately, the
first thing you will have to do is submit to questioning.”
    Maisie shook her head. “So that’s why you’re
accompanying me to Scotland Yard, to bring me in for questioning. I’m a
suspect. I wish you had been honest at the outset.”
    “It’s not quite like that, Miss Dobbs.” Stratton took
a deep breath. “On the one hand, we know who you are, we know your reputation.
But at the same time we need to ensure that you are on our side before we go
any further, especially as there’s a suspicion that you may be implicated in
some way.” He paused. “And there’s one more thing: Special Branch is taking
care of this one.”
    “I should have guessed. And how are you connected to
Special Branch?”
    Stratton turned to look at Maisie directly. “Let’s
just say I’m moving in that direction. Detective Chief Superintendent Robert
MacFarlane is leading the inquiry. And it’s on the cards that I’ll be reporting
to him by Easter—leaving the Murder Squad and joining Special Branch—and that
information is a bit hush-hush.”
    “Congratulations, Inspector Stratton.” She wiped a
hand across condensation inside the window and looked out at the frostcovered
landscape for a moment. “Tell me more about MacFarlane—‘Big Robbie’ has a
reputation that goes before him. Maurice Blanche has worked with him, and he
came to talk to us when I was studying at the Department of Legal Medicine in Edinburgh.” Maisie smiled and shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I liked him. I had a sense
that you knew where you stood with MacFarlane—though I’ll be honest, I thought
he was a bit of a one with the ladies.”
    Stratton gave a half laugh. “Oh yes, and probably more
so since his wife left him a couple of years ago. But there’s no doubt, you
know where you are with Robbie, all right. He’s