Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Salute: (Writing as Anthony Morton)
    A Salute: (Writing as Anthony Morton)
    A Salute: (Writing as Anthony Morton)
    Ebook225 pages3 hours

    A Salute: (Writing as Anthony Morton)

    By John Creasey

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A young employee of the Olde World Gallery is suspected of stealing jewellery and even those that know her well suspect the worst. The list of crimes of which she is the alleged perpetrator then grows to include arson, and even murder. John Mannering (aka ‘The Baron’) comes to her aid and believes she is obviously being framed, but the evidence grows and there doesn’t appear to be any other rational explanation. Moreover, as Mannering draws closer to the truth, those others who are suspected start to die, and the intrigue deepens.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHouse of Stratus
    Release dateApr 1, 2015
    ISBN9780755137930
    A Salute: (Writing as Anthony Morton)
    Author

    John Creasey

    Master crime fiction writer John Creasey's near 600 titles have sold more than 80 million copies in over 25 languages under both his own name and ten other pseudonyms. His style varied with each identity and led to him being regarded as a literary phenomena. Amongst the many series written were 'Gideon of Scotland Yard', 'The Toff', 'The Baron', 'Dr. Palfrey' and 'Inspector West', as JJ Marric, Michael Halliday, Patrick Dawlish and others. During his lifetime Creasey enjoyed an ever increasing reputation both in the UK and overseas, especially the USA. This was further enhanced by constant revision of his works in order to assure the best possible be presented to his readers and also by many awards, not least of which was being honoured twice by the Mystery Writers of America, latterly as Grand Master. He also found time to found the Crime Writers Association and become heavily involved in British politics - standing for Parliament and founding a movement based on finding the best professionals in each sphere to run things. 'He leads a field in which Agatha Christie is also a runner.' - Sunday Times.

    Read more from John Creasey

    Related to A Salute

    Titles in the series (45)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Wise old Mrs Merrow

      Jul 27, 2020

      Littlesea was everything the description said: a white stone cottage with beams and higgledy-piggledy walls and steps away from a tiny quay in a private bay. It would have been the perfect spot for honeymooners had it not had just the one single bed

      8 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Sep 14, 2023

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      One Carrot

      Jul 2, 2020

      One Carrot
      5 min read

    • Article

      Suspicious Minds

      Apr 7, 2022

      Suspicious Minds
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ann Beattie

      Sep 15, 2017

      I’d started to visit Olivia more often because it was obvious she was lonely. The ALS lady who’d been moved to Hopkins had been Aunt Olivia’s closest friend, leaving aside Merton Hillstead, who actually went home. Even the friendly paperboy who somet

      23 min read

    • Article

      Benjamin Nugent

      Jun 15, 2018

      Claire’s roommates threw her out on November third, for falling behind on rent and hogging the Xbox. During the next three weeks, she lived in other people’s houses. She missed the Xbox, but couch surfing was like a game. She had to not smell like co

      20 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Nov 9, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Ngā Pukapuka

      Oct 20, 2022

      by Geraldine Brooks (Hachette, $37.99) Growing up with a father who liked the odd flutter put me off horse racing. So I came to this novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning Australian/American author Geraldine Brooks with unkind thoughts. But how wrong was I

      3 min read

    • Article

      Human Contact

      Aug 10, 2022

      Beer tasted like wet money—or maybe just bad beer did. Viola had never tried any other kind. She preferred white wine, but there was no white wine at this party. “Drink it like medicine,” the guy manning the keg said. “It’ll loosen you up.” He wore a

      18 min read

    • Article

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”

      Oct 9, 2019

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”
      7 min read

    • Article

      Manhattan, 2035

      Mar 26, 2021

      There were problems with being the daughter of a former it girl. First of all, the designation, which, as her mother grew older, warped slightly across the society pages, affecting her mood. Most people remembered her mother’s modelling stints, brush

      4 min read

    • Article

      The lake LADY

      Sep 20, 2023

      The lake LADY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Seedlings

      May 6, 2021

      Seedlings
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Wildest Place OF ALL

      Mar 2, 2022

      The Wildest Place OF ALL
      9 min read

    • Article

      Changing ROOMS

      Sep 14, 2022

      Changing ROOMS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Chairman Of The Hoard

      May 13, 2022

      Chairman Of The Hoard
      8 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      May 16, 2022

      Book Extract
      5 min read

    • Article

      Life After Death

      May 27, 2022

      Life After Death
      14 min read

    • Article

      Decisions, Decisions

      Aug 27, 2020

      Decisions, Decisions
      5 min read

    • Article

      Marked with SILVER

      Jan 17, 2024

      Marked with SILVER
      12 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Mar 27, 2024

      by C. L. Taylor (£14.99, HB, HarperCollins) Always watching over their shoulders, days filled with terror – Alexandra, Lucy, River, Bridget and Natalie are being stalked, and it’s a lonely place to be. Finding each other online, they form a support g

      2 min read

    • Article

      Helen

      Jun 5, 2023

      She was a friend of my family—the Carlins, as I have chosen to call them. She and my father met in the fifties through the editor of the architecture magazine where she began her career. My father had taken her out a few times. They were never lovers

      30 min read

    • Article

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”

      Oct 6, 2019

      “I Indulged In Forgiveness”
      7 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 18, 2021

      Book Club
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Salute

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Salute - John Creasey

      Chapter Two

      Questions

      Kath probably heard everything he said, Julia realised, for the child was coming along the passage and the door was open. She missed a step. Julia found herself looking at Charles almost as if at a stranger. He had one quality to which she had never really become accustomed: his ability to be absolutely impartial, and dispassionate. He had a kind of hunger for facts, probably because of the accuracy demanded in his job. Even if the incredible had happened, and Kath had stolen this jewellery, he would do absolutely everything he could to help her. But he had to know the facts.

      Kath came in, showing what a startling change a few minutes could make. She had made up as for a big occasion, brushed her hair until it had a golden sheen of little waves clustering about her head and the nape of her neck. She was no longer the woebegone child, but an elegant young woman.

      Hallo, Dad, she said, approaching his chair with a show of brightness.

      Don’t give her any kind of rebuff, Julia prayed.

      Charles got up briskly, put out his hands and took Kath’s, kissed her lightly on the forehead as he always did, and gave her hands a little squeeze before letting them go.

      Hallo, Kath. I hear you’ve run into a problem.

      "Problem! echoed Kath. That’s one word for it."

      It looks to me like the right word, Charles said, and then surprised Julia by moving over to the sideboard and saying: How often have I told you that if you really have to drink, for a quick pick-me-up you ought to have a whisky? Better not mix them, though. He poured out a gin for Kath and Julia, a whisky and soda for himself, and then asked with almost maddening calm: Will dinner spoil for keeping, dear?

      No.

      That’s good, said Charles. Here’s to a happy outcome of this situation. He sipped. Now tell me all about it in your own words, Kath. His tone was quite normal, it was his attitude rather than what he said or how he said it which made it clear that he was simply digging for the facts. First, one or two questions. Had you any idea before today that these thefts were taking place?

      I knew about one. That’s why a girl was sacked.

      Did you know that this girl had stolen things, before it came to light?

      I hadn’t the faintest idea.

      Are you positive?

      Kath said, almost hotly: If you aren’t going to believe me—

      Now, Kath, don’t let’s get carried away, Charles said. He could be infuriating, and Julia almost wished that she were not listening to this catechism. I am going to believe the facts, and I’m relying on you to tell me the facts. He was looking into the eyes which were so remarkably like his own, and repeated: Had you any foreknowledge of this theft?

      Very deliberately, Kath said: No, Father.

      You told your mother that Guy Rowan’s attitude towards you changed about a week ago.

      Yes, it did.

      Didn’t he give you any idea why?

      No, said Kath, and went on in the same deliberate way: As a matter of fact, I was disappointed. He had been very friendly—

      What do you call very friendly?

      He always moved heavy pieces of furniture or pictures for me. We haven’t had a porter for months, and until Guy Rowan arrived I used to shift a lot of heavy things myself. He took me to lunch two or three times, too, and usually had his morning coffee with me. He—well, he was simply friendly.

      Was he affectionate?

      Dad, I really don’t know what you’re driving at, Kath said impatiently. If you mean did he slobber over me, no, he didn’t.

      Have you met him in the evenings?

      Once.

      Where did you go—

      Kath told you, Julia found herself interrupting. They went to dinner and a theatre.

      And he drove me home, and he kissed me on the doorstep, Kath said coldly.

      Kath, there really is no point in getting cross and bad-tempered, Charles said. We have to be dispassionate.

      I don’t find it very easy to be cool, calm and collected when I’ve been accused of stealing from my employer, and when my father thinks it necessary to cross-examine me as a suspect, Kath retorted.

      Kath— Julia began.

      Supposing the police were cross-examining you, or even counsel in the court, said Charles, would you find it difficult to be dispassionate then, Kath? Emotions and indignation don’t help in court, you know; all the judge and jury want is the facts. Shall we carry on?

      Kath went to the table and sat on a comer of it, very pale now, her hands clenched in her lap. There was a veal casserole in the oven, and vegetables were ready to put on in the pressure cooker; the smell of the cooking meat was becoming stronger all the time, but Julia could not bring herself to go into the kitchen.

      Guy Rowan was friendly and interested in you but not particularly affectionate until a week ago today, Charles said. Then his attitude changed. Did you ask him why?

      No.

      Did you have any idea why?

      Now it’s obvious he began to suspect me.

      Were you upset by his coolness?

      I was in a way, but I was more annoyed than anything else, Kath answered. As a matter of fact I wondered if I’d done anything which looked as if I was throwing myself at him, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. So I tried to ignore it – after all, I’ve only known him for a few weeks. He was never likely to be one of my crowd, either; I couldn’t see him joining a party for a jive session.

      So you haven’t any feeling for this man?

      I liked him, Kath said, and her voice seemed to spark again, but what has this got to do with it, Father? I honestly can’t see what you’re driving at.

      You will. Did you think he was fond of you?

      He seemed to be at one time.

      Very fond?

      How on earth could I tell? And what good—

      If this man was fond of you it would surely be even more difficult for him to accuse you of theft than if he were wholly indifferent, Charles explained briskly. You have always spoken in the highest terms of Mr. Rowan senior, and you say that it was he who decided not to send for the police tonight. Is that right?

      Yes.

      Then there’s no reason to believe that either of them would be vindictive towards you for personal reasons.

      Of course there isn’t.

      So the obvious conclusion is that they really believe you took these valuables.

      Of course they do, or they wouldn’t have accused me! But I didn’t take them.

      Why did you allow them to keep your handbag?

      I—I just felt stunned, Kath said, huskily. It was such a shock, and— She broke off.

      "I can understand that, but it would have been better had you insisted on sending for the police, who could have examined the bag before it was handled by so many people. However, that is not all-important. Did you recognise the jewellery that was in the handbag?"

      Yes.

      Where had you seen it before?

      In one of the showcases, Kath answered. Since Guy has arrived all the showcases have been dressed once a week. These things were taken out about two weeks ago and put in one of the cabinets.

      Do you have access to the cabinets?

      Everyone in the shop has.

      Are they locked, or unlocked?

      They’re unlocked during the day.

      So anyone could open a drawer or a cabinet, take something out, slip it into a pocket or a handbag, and probably get away with it.

      Yes, Kath answered, and her eyes seemed very bright now, feverishly so. Julia was sitting in her chair, feeling thoroughly miserable, realising that in the long run Charles was probably right, and that it was essential to know exactly what had happened; but Kath was finding it almost unbearable, and there was still the real risk that it would antagonise her.

      Another factor was looming larger in Julia’s mind: a fear that Kath might know more than she had pretended.

      Kath, Charles said, his tone making it obvious that he was going to change the tone and directions of his questions, this crowd you mix with at dances – how well do you know them?

      Kath looked puzzled. Quite well, I suppose.

      Who are they?

      Well – it’s hard to say, precisely. One of the girls used to be at school with me, two of the fellows belong to the tennis club. They all work in the Kensington or Knightsbridge area. Then friends of friends joined in, and there are about a dozen of us altogether. But I don’t see what this has to do with the—the problem, as you call it.

      Do any of these young people ever come to the gallery?

      No, not really. There was one who had a bit of a crush on me and came round quite a lot, but I didn’t have much time for him, and I told him not to. He took the huff for a while, but he’s still one of the group.

      How many are there in this group?

      About a dozen, I suppose. It’s fun going to dances and jive sessions in a party, and – well, as mother’s always said, there’s safety in numbers. There was a touch of sarcasm in that remark.

      I couldn’t agree with her more, Charles said. Kath, how many people work at the gallery?

      Four, as well as Mr. Rowan.

      If you didn’t take these things, who do you think did?

      Kath didn’t answer, but now the colour drained from her cheeks, and Julia found herself almost praying: Don’t let it be her. Kath didn’t answer, and Charles stared, holding her gaze with a mesmeric power.

      Well, Kath?

      There’s only Guy, and Mr. and Mrs. Merriman, who’ve been there thirty years.

      And since this other girl was dismissed, you have been the only assistant, apart from those you have named?

      Yes.

      After a long pause, Charles stood up, went close to her and put out his hands; after a moment’s hesitation, she put hers into his. He drew her from the table until she was standing only a foot or two away from him, not quite at arm’s length. Julia shifted her position so that she could see her daughter’s face, and she saw the pallor and the tension. Then, in his quietest voice, Charles began to speak.

      Kath, everyone slips up at times, everyone makes mistakes. Whatever you have done, whatever mistake you may have made, both your mother and I want to help in every way we can. You can rely on us absolutely. You know that, don’t you?

      Kath nodded but her eyes were bright as with fresh anger.

      Do you know anything about these thefts? Charles asked, and Kath winced. "We must know, my dear. Before we do anything, we must be absolutely sure of the facts. Did you or did you not have anything to do with these thefts?"

      After a long pause, Kath said tautly: What you really mean is that you don’t trust me any more than the Rowans do.

      Charles’s voice did not harden, but was as insistent as ever.

      I trust you to tell me the truth. Did you, or did you not have anything at all to do with these thefts? Have you the slightest reason to suspect the thief?

      Julia had a curiously dispassionate feeling that Kath would say: Yes. There was such distress in her expression – and resentment, too. It seemed a long time before she answered.

      No, Father, she said. The first I heard about these thefts was in the office this afternoon.

      Julia’s first moment of delighted relief was followed by a sharp sense of anxiety in case Charles did not believe the child; child! Surely he must know that Kath would not he to him in such a way; surely he would see that he had succeeded in getting the truth from her. If he failed Kath now, it might really lead to an estrangement at a time when Kath desperately needed help.

      Charles smiled.

      All right, Kitten, he said, and squeezed Kath’s hands. I had to be absolutely sure. He seemed to ignore the light which sprang into Kath’s eyes, and went on briskly: Now we have to decide what to do. I think the first thing—

      Oh, for heaven’s sake stop talking! Julia found herself thinking, but then she saw Kath’s face begin to pucker, saw the tears, saw her collapse into her father’s arms. She felt tears stinging her own eyes, and then turned towards the kitchen. This was a moment for Charles and his daughter; he had assessed Kath’s need better than she had.

      Julia opened the oven door, lifted the lid of the casserole and saw that it was beginning to dry up a little; it would spoil if they didn’t have it soon, so she began to bustle about.

      As she did so, the first brightness of relief began to cloud over. It was one thing for her and Charles to believe Kath, but there was the evidence of the jewels in the handbag; and there was still the threat of taking the story to the police.

      Chapter Three

      Reason

      Kath was enjoying her meal, that was the best sign of recovery yet. She was quieter than usual, like all of them, but there was a complete unity of spirit. I was wrong and Charles was right, Julia kept telling herself, for he had made quite sure that in the family there could never again be serious doubt about the truth of Kath’s denial. It was a good thing that Lionel wasn’t home this evening. He would want to rush out, find Guy Rowan and bloody his nose. Julia found herself smiling at the thought, and Kath caught her eye.

      What’s so funny, Mum?

      Julia told her. Kath looked first startled and surprised, then broke into a laugh.

      Any more cheese, dear? Julia asked.

      No thanks, Kath said, and looked at her father. Dad, what are you going to do? I’ve tried not to be impatient, but—

      The whole situation needs thinking out carefully, Charles interrupted, and infuriatingly popped a piece of his favourite red Cheshire into his mouth.

      "Dad! Kath cried, and shook a fist at him. I think the first thing is to talk to old Mr. Rowan, he went on. He still lives above the shop, doesn’t he?"

      Yes.

      With the Merrimans?

      They look after him.

      And where does Guy Rowan live?

      He has a flat not far from the shop, in Harcourt Mansions, Kath said, and there was a glint in her eyes when she went on: "No, I haven’t been there."

      As Mr. Rowan senior is obviously the more reasonable, I will have a talk to him, Charles said. I think the best thing would be for us all to go up in the car, and you two to wait for me. You’ll be bursting to know how I’ve got on with him.

      But what are you going to do?

      I want to convince Mr. Rowan that there is no possibility that you have stolen anything from the gallery, Charles answered. "From what I know of him, he will probably listen to reason. It’s no use asking me what will happen if he refuses, either – until I’ve had a talk with him, I can’t begin to decide the next step. We will probably have to face a police investigation, eventually, you realise that, don’t

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1