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Prologue.
An aeroplane passing over Dulworth
Bay, crashes into a cliff, while a row boat watches and waits, then heads
for the shore.
1: `Chapter
One'.
Paul Temple and Steve are attending a party thrown by Paul's publisher
Scott Reed, to launch a new book by Dr. Stern titled The Psychology
of Crime. Also at the party representing Scotland Yard, are the assistant
Commissioner - Sir Graham Forbes and Inspector Vosper. Temple, Vosper
and Sir Graham all seem to agree that Dr Stern has no understanding of
how to detect criminals and solve crime. Vosper states that hard work and
attention to detail are what is needed. Sir Graham starts to give his opinion,
and much to Vosper's annoyance, starts telling Paul Temple about a case
involving two missing boys.
Vosper feels Sir
Graham should be discreet in front of the Temple's, however Sir Graham
states.. "discretion is for Inspectors... an assistant commissioner can
be as indiscreet as he likes!"
The case involves
two brothers who have gone missing from a minor public school, St Gilbert's
at Dulworth Bay in Yorkshire. The Baxter brothers disappeared mysteriously
on the same day 3 weeks before, and haven't been seen since. Vosper had
been up to Yorkshire to check, and found no reason for the disappearance,
Michael, the older brother is good friends with Diana Maxwell (niece of
Lord Westerby), and the younger Baxter, Roger is very keen on cricket.
He has collected the autographs of the school first eleven on the blade
of his own cricket bat, however Vosper discovers there is one name that
nobody can explain - Curzon. Nobody at the school or in the village knows
a Curzon.
A couple of days
after the party, Paul Temple receives a phone call from Diana Maxwell,
she says she needs Temple's help as she now believe's her life is in danger.
Paul initially tells her he is too busy and to go to the police, he asks
her who she is in danger from, and she answers `Someone by the name of
Curzon'. They agree to meet at eight o'clock that evening in a pub called
the Three Boars. When Paul & Steve meet her at the pub she tells
them that there have already been two attempts on her life, and she thinks
sooner or later they will succeed. Paul admits he knows nothing about Curzon,
and asks the girl to tell him what she knows. Unfortunately, before she
can tell him anything, she is shot. Both the gunman and his partner escape.
Steve announces `Diana Maxwell is dead', to which Paul says that this is
not in fact the real Diana Maxwell.
2:
`Chapter
Two'.
3: `Chapter
Three'.
Paul and Steve
catch the same train from Whitby to Scarborough to trace the journey, the
boy disappeared when the train was in a tunnel, and at the same point,
in darkness, they hear someone whistling coming nearer and finally entering
their carriage. The whistler knows who the Temple's are and introduces
himself as Dr. Lawrence Stuart. The doctor knows a lot about the local
community and they discuss the boys disappearance, and the recent air crash.
Temple asks if he knows a Curzon? He says he knows everyone in Dulworth
Bay, and has never heard of anyone by that name. The Doctor also tells
them that he is not very popular in Dulworth Bay. He explains that they
think he is a good doctor, but that they are afraid of him. Paul asks why,
and the Doctor replies `...a long time ago I murdered a man. And the people
of Dulworth Bay are very conventional.'
The Doctor gives
them a lift to the school. The Temple's discuss matters with Mr. Elkington,
and he enlightens them on Dr. Stuart - he had been a Harley St doctor until
fifteen years before, when he had performed an emergency operation while
drunk, and the patient had died.
They also think it is highly likely
the doctor is the `whistler' close to the scene when the brothers disappeared.
Paul and Steve
head to the village, in a local shop window they see a sign offering a
reward for a missing parrot named Cheeta. They next move to the Baxter's
home. On arriving they find the door open, but no one about, they enter
and find a parrot which swawks `cheeta'..... The missing bird? Suddenly
they hear a loud thud upstairs. Paul rushes to the stairs to see a semi
conscious man whose face is covered in blood, standing there unsteadily.
`Stay where you
are' shouts Paul, - but the injured man lurches forward onto the banisters,
they give way under his weight, and he comes crashing down - head
first. The dead man is Mr Philip Baxter (a retired stock broker - he has
broken his neck in the fall) and he has also received a savage beating.
The phone rings and Paul answers, it is Michael Baxter - he says he has
seen their fathers message that it was safe to come home (the parrot message
in the shop) - they have been staying with "Old Tom" in secret. Temple
talks to Tom Doyle and tells him that he doesn't know what it's all about
but that he must bring the brothers home now and that Mr. Baxter is dead.
Doyle at first doesn't believe this, fearing a trap to capture the boys,
Temple tells him it isn't and that he has some explaining to do to the
police. Steve asks if Paul has any idea what is going on, Paul replies
that he doesn't, and speculates as to whether Baxter was involved in the
kidnapping of his own sons...
4: `Chapter
Four'.
The
police have arrived and Dr Stuart has examined the body. He confirms that
Baxter died from a broken neck. Doyle and the two boys drive up, Inspector
Morgan decides to take Tom Doyle down to the station to do his explaining,
and he reluctantly agrees to give Paul a lift, and lets him sit in on the
interview. Steve stays at the house to look after the boys.
Tom Doyle (a fisherman
and odd job man) explains that after he witnessed an argument between Baxter
and Lord Westerby and another man called Walters (over, he thinks a business
deal or money), Baxter begged him to keep the boys at his place in secret,
stating that they were in danger. Tom is reluctant - but as he likes the
boys he is prepared to do what he can to help Baxter out. Baxter gives
him some money for expenses and they arrange that a message about a missing
parrot will be placed in a local shop window when it is safe for the boys
to return. Doyle states he knows no more, and that Baxter did not explain
what it was all about.
Inspector Morgan
asks him about John Draper but Doyle knows nothing of his disappearance,
stating that he thinks it has nothing to do with Baxter. The inspector
asks if Baxter mentioned the name Curzon to him, but Tom has never heard
the name.
Paul returns to
the Baxter house for something to eat and a discussion with the brothers.
Paul asks Roger why he wrote the
name Curzon on his cricket bat, and explains that he thinks it could be
vital in helping to find out who murdered his father. Roger tells of overhearing
his father arguing with another man, late one night, and the other man
told Mr Baxter that `Curzon calls the tune, and we have to dance to it..'
Baxter stated that he wasn't going to obey anymore of Curzon's instructions.
Paul starts examining
Baxter's study. He finds a safe and is trying to work out how to open it
when he smells smoke! The house is on fire. They all manage to escape but
the house is gutted. Peter Malo and Diana Maxwell arrive by car, they have
seen the fire from the hall and rung for the fire brigade. Diana draws
Temple away (she doesn't want Malo to over hear) to tell him that she needs
to speak with him (about Curzon) and they arrange a meeting on board the
yacht Windswept for the following day. Now the boys have nowhere
to live, Diana announces that she will take them back to the hall with
here. Paul find the safe and is about to attempt to open it when Inspector
Morgan arrives.
Back at the police
station, Inspector Morgan reveals that Bobbie Jameson was the girlfriend
of Carl Walters (the man with Lord Westerby at Baxter's), a very shady
businessman. He gets a constable to open the safe - with a sledgehammer.
They discover a scorched - but still intact notebook containing columns
of figures. They agree that it must be a code of some sort. Morgan decides
to send it to Vosper in London the next day, to get it decoded, Temple
offers to take it personally, and Inspector Morgan agrees, stating he will
get it photocopied first. He tells Paul to call back for it some time in
the afternoon, and it will be ready - wrapped and sealed.
Temple replies `Don't worry.... you
can trust me.'
5: `Chapter
Five'.
Paul and Steve
go off to have a picnic. They finish their food and Paul suggests some
exploring. He has taken them to a place where there are some caves, and
these may link to the railway tunnel. Steve asks what they are looking
for and Paul replies `.. a boy'. Paul (torch in hand) & Steve proceed
into the caves. Temple's theory is that the only thing that could have
happened to Draper is that he got off the train when it slowed at a bend
in the tunnel. They find the boy in a distressed condition - having got
lost after jumping off the train.
6: `Chapter
Six'.
Later in the afternoon
Paul arrives at the jetty, and Tom Doyle offers to row him out to Windswept.
Tom tells him that the yacht belonged to Lord Westerby but that it was
now run by Diana Maxwell. Tom explains that Lord Westerby hadn't done much
sailing this year, and then explains how he had taken Peter Malo out on
his boat about 3 weeks before, but that he had been a nuisance - nearly
falling out of the boat several times, and then spending all his time looking
through his binoculars.
Tom deposits Paul
safely on the yacht and leaves to head back to the shore. Diana is not
on board, and returns shortly stating as she climbs the ladder; how she
had seen Temple arrive from a nearby boat. When she reaches the top - a
shot rings out. She freezes, then collapses.
The first person
on the scene is Tom, who having heard the shot has come back. He takes
charge of the yacht and they head for the harbour, radioing ahead to have
a doctor waiting.
Lord Westerby
and Dr Stuart are waiting when the boat arrives, the doctors verdict is
that Diana will live but needs an emergency operation. Lord Westerby is
grateful to Temple for his help, but Paul explains how it is Tom who really
saved the day. Paul can't say where the shot came from, the shore or one
of the other moored yachts?
Paul tries to
question Westerby, but he is uncooperative, denying Tom Doyle's story about
the meeting with Baxter, and saying he does not know anyone called Walters.
Tom is waiting for Paul and he tells Doyle what Westerby said; Doyle now
says he may have been mistaken, it might not have been Lord Westerby -
just someone who looked like him, and the more he thinks about it, he is
sure it was not Westerby.
Paul leaves Tom saying that he does
believe what he says, but he believes the original story he told the police
rather than the new version. He leaves Doyle protesting on the quayside.
8: `Chapter
Eight'.
Paul is writing
his review of Dr. Stern's book when he hears Steve come in with Sir Graham
who has just arrived. Steve tells them her story about Walters and Sir
Graham finds it very funny, unkindly saying he must tell Vosper as he enjoys
a good laugh. Steve's theory is that it must be about drug smuggling, as
smuggling has been apart of life in that area for centuries. Paul thinks
it may well be smuggling, but is not convinced about the commodity. Steve
also reveals that Walters had claimed that Diana Maxwell was also Lord
Westerby's mistress.
Sir Graham tells
Temple that the notebook can't be decoded as the experts agree it isn't
in code, just a lot of numbers related to something else. He thinks it
may be measurements, Steve suggests a location, Sir Graham removes a file
from his brief case and hands to Paul stating that it relates to the Dulworth
Bay air crash, and that under no circumstances is he to tell Vosper where
he got it from.
In bed Paul studies
the file, there were 46 passengers on board the plane, but the suggestion
is that one called Duprez may have something to do with the Curzon business.
Duprez seems to be a mystery passenger (a Frenchman), but Paul concludes
that to advance the case he must tackle Carl Walters.
Walters agrees
to meet Paul for lunch at the Savoy, and says to bring Steve along as he
had the pleasure of meeting her the day before. Paul checks up on Philip
Baxter with a stock broker friend, and finds he had a very shady reputation
before leaving London for Dulworth Bay.
The Temple's go
to the Savoy, but Walters doesn't turn up. They return home and find Walters
badly beaten on the floor, his dying words are `.. Temple, you've got to
stop Curzon getting the diamonds.....'
Vosper can't work
out why Walters would have turned over the Temple's flat himself, that
he would have got one of his boys like Lou Kenzell (Lou the Dip) to do
it? Paul thinks that Walters was probably on the other side, and that one
of Curzon's men must have killed him.
He recognises the smell of `Old Spice'
in the house, the same smell as Lou the Dip had when he stole the notebook.
Vosper decides to pull him in as a major suspect.
Kenzell denies
everything, but his story is quickly broken, finally he admits to being
in the Temple's flat and having a fight with Walters. He also has a picture
Rene Duprez in his wallet.
Kenzell signs a confession to causing
the death of Walters and Temple acts as a witness.