- Rudyard Kipling
"The Red-headed League" from 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal favourite Holmes stories. And why not? It's certainly a fun one, with an a "hook" which immediately catches the interest... what possible significance could Jabez Wilson's red hair have? And what is this Red-headed League which seems intent on giving away money for useless effort? It's relatively easy to pick out Spaulding as being involved in whatever shady business is being conducted... the questions are, what,why, and how? In the story, we are also given a very interesting villain: John Clay, an intelligent, unscrupulous, and eccentric individual. We learn from Holmes that he has cleverly pulled off various crimes in the past including theft and murder. Holmes, called in to consult on these crimes, had found evidence to pin them on Clay, but was unable to apprehend him. We also learn that he is the well educated grandson of a Duke who turned to a life of crime. Amusingly, when captured by Holmes, Clay accepts his fate coolly until the police start to cuff him, and he bristles at their disrespectful treatment of his person: "You may not be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have the goodness, also, when you address me always to say 'sir' and 'please.'" The police certainly derive some amusement from his lofty ways, snickering at his airs and calling him "Your Highness." Speaking of the police, neither Lestrade or Gregson make an appearance in this story- instead, we have agent Peter Jones of Scotland Yard. What isn't changed is Holmes' typically low opinion of the competence of the police. He considers them a source of muscle when he needs it, but not of brain power... as he remarks about Jones: "He is not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile at his profession." It's also clear, just as it was with the King of Bohemia in "A Scandal in Bohemia," that Holmes has no regard for the rank or importance of an individual whom he considers to be unintelligent. He doesn't hesitate to tear into the bank director, Mr. Merryweather, when he acts carelessly, risking their investigation. We also get a look at another facet of Holmes' complex character... Watson speaks of Sherlock's talent at both playing the violin and composing music for it. "The Red-headed League" also documents Holmes' love of music in general, as the action is interrupted so that he can attend a concert. After taking a look at Vincent Spaulding and scouting out the area around Wilson's shop, Holmes announces that it's time for some relaxation, and he and Watson go to St. James' Hall and spend the afternoon happily lost in melody. Dr. Watson himself notes how at odds these two sides of Holmes' personality seem: "...his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound, Holmes the relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was possible to conceive." And yet, Watson observes as well that these occasional times of mental and physical repose seem to enhance Holmes' powers of observation and investigation: "The swing in his nature took him from extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was never so truly formidable as when, for days on end, he had been lounging in his armchair amid his improvisations and his black-letter editions." What is also reinforced is the complete trust which exists between Holmes and Watson. When Sherlock introduces Watson to Jabez Wilson, he describes him as a partner and helper who will be of great help to him. He also obviously knows he can count on Watson in dangerous situations- in this story, as in so many others, he asks Watson to bring his revolver in case of trouble. And Dr. Watson more than justifies this trust. Even though he can't keep up with Holmes' lightening fast brain work, he is completely skilled and competent to back him up on the active side of the case. In the cellar of the bank, for example, the doctor crouches with his pistol cocked for an hour and a half and doesn't move though cramped up, unwilling to risk Holmes' stakeout no matter how uncomfortable he becomes. It's also obvious that Watson loves the adventure and excitement of Holmes' career in a way he'll never care about his medical practice- evident in the way he shamelessly drops his doctoral duties whenever Holmes asks for his help. And as Holmes says at the beginning of 'The Red-headed League': "I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life." With massive understatement, Watson replies, "Your cases have indeed been of the greatest interest to me." So, to sum up, "The Red-headed League" is a great story with a fun, absorbing plot, an interesting villain, and some great character development for our heroes, Holmes and Watson... all earmarks of a classic Sherlock Holmes tale. Related Posts: "The Red-headed League" is one of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories which is found in the collection "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". The story takes place during the time when Dr. Watson is married and no longer living at 221B Baker Street. One day, he drops by to visit Holmes and finds him meeting with a new client. Watson is going to leave, but Holmes asks him to stay and help with the case, which he is more than willing to do. The client's name is Jabez Wilson, and to Dr. Watson's eyes he seems a very ordinary person, distinguished only by possessing hair of an unusually deep shade of red. Holmes of course, running a practiced eye over the man, picks up on numerous personal details, including the fact that Wilson has recently been doing a lot of writing. Surprised, Wilson admits this is so, and goes on to explain. He owns a pawn shop, which he lives above. For the last few years, business has been bad, and while he used to employ two clerks, he can now only afford one, at a reduced level of pay. Fortunately, his present clerk, Vincent Spaulding, is willing to work for the relatively low wage in return for learning the business. Wilson is grateful that Spaulding has stayed as long as he has, as he is a smart fellow who could easily find higher paid employment. The only fault Mr. Wilson finds with him is that he spends a little too much time on his hobby of photography, enthusiastically taking pictures of everything and everybody, and developing them in the basement of the shop. One day, about two months ago, Spaulding came into the shop with the newspaper and showed Wilson an ad which read as follows: To the Red-headed League: On account of the bequest of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., there is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of four pounds a week for purely nominal services. All red-headed men who are sound in body and mind, and above the age of twenty-one years, are eligible. Apply in person on Monday, at eleven o'clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope's Court, Fleet Street. Jabez Wilson is incredulous, but his clerk assures him that it is a well-known fact that Hopkins was an eccentric millionaire originally from London who, having made his fortune in America, wished to do some good for his home city. A man with flaming red hair himself, Hopkins set up a trust in his will to provide easy employment for others with the same colour hair. Spaulding urges his boss to go apply for the position, and though he thinks it's all very strange, business is bad enough that Wilson decides to give it a go. At the appointed time, Wilson makes his way to Fleet Street, accompanied by Spaulding. When they reach their destination, Wilson is dismayed to find that the street is clogged with men with red hair of every conceivable shade. Wilson is about to go home, but Spaulding urges him to wait, and eventually the numbers are reduced, as redhead after redhead is interviewed and rejected. Finally, when Wilson is interviewed by Duncan Ross, the man is clearly delighted with Wilson's hair, which he says is exactly the right shade. He tells the rest of the applicants that the position has been filled, and congratulates Wilson on getting the job. Concerned about the running of his own shop, Wilson asks what the hours are, and Ross says he must be here at the office from 10 to 2 every day. Since a pawnbroker's business is mostly conducted in the evenings, and Spaulding assures him he will stay at the shop during the four hours he's away, Wilson accepts the job, and then, naturally enough, wants to know what it entails. To his surprise, he is told that he will sit at a desk and copy the Encyclopedia Britannica out by hand. Though this seems really odd, it's easy money, so Wilson agrees, and every day for the past two months has been going to the office on Fleet Street, working his way steadily through the "A" section of the encyclopedia. This very morning, however, Wilson went to the office as usual, and found the door locked, with a note on it saying that the Red-headed League has been dissolved. Confused, Wilson asks people in some of the other offices in the building about it, but no one seems to know anything. Next he looks up the building's landlord, but the man says that he never heard of anyone named Duncan Ross. He says the office was rented by a lawyer named William Morris, who needed a temporary place of business while his new office was being set up. Wilson asks where the solicitor's new office is, and the landlord gives him the address, but when he arrives, at the location, there is no solicitor's office. Thoroughly confused, he returns to his own shop and tells Spaulding what has happened. His clerk is surprised, but suggests that if Wilson waits, perhaps Duncan Ross will contact him with an explanation. Not satisfied with this, Wilson decides to consult Sherlock Holmes, which is what has brought him to Baker Street. Holmes and Watson find this narrative extremely diverting, and Holmes promises the aggrieved Wilson that he will get to the bottom of the situation. Holmes asks him a few follow-up questions regarding his clerk, Spaulding. He seems intensely interested in Wilson's description of him. After Mr. Wilson leaves, Holmes curls up in his chair to think and smoke, declaring this to be a "three pipe problem". When finished his contemplation, he asks Watson to go to the City with him. They make their way to Jabez Wilson's pawnshop, where Holmes carefully observes the other buildings on the street, and thumps his walking stick vigorously on the pavement in front of the shop. Following this, they enter the shop, meeting Mr. Spaulding whom Holmes asks for directions. After this, Holmes walks around the surrounding streets, taking note of what buildings and businesses are nearby: a tobacconist, a bank, a newspaper shop, a restaurant, a carriage shop, etc. He then tells Watson that there is a serious criminal enterprise at work, and asks him to meet him at ten o'clock that evening, and to bring his gun as there may be trouble. When Watson arrives at Baker Street that evening, he finds Holmes waiting with Peter Jones of Scotland Yard, and a Mr. Merryweather, who is the director of the bank which is close to Jabez Wilson's pawnshop. Holmes tells them that their objective for the evening is to catch master criminal John Clay, and save the bank 30,000 pounds. The four men travel to the bank, and Mr. Merryweather leads them to a secret vault under the bank where a large amount of gold bullion from France is being stored. Holmes reveals that Clay and his accomplice have been tunneling from the basement of the pawnshop to the vault, and they will be staging their theft as soon as Wilson has gone to bed and won't know what they're up to. After waiting in the dark for about an hour and a quarter, they see a light showing under the stones in the floor. As they silently watch, the stones are removed and a man makes his way through the hole he has made. Holmes leaps out of hiding and grabs the man- Clay- who shouts a warning to his partner, who is just emerging from the tunnel. The accomplice eludes Mr. Jones and escapes back through the tunnel, but Holmes has anticipated this and has three police officers waiting at the other end of the tunnel at the pawnshop. Meanwhile, Clay pulls a gun but Holmes knocks it out of his hand with his riding crop. Once he's been fairly caught, Clay accepts the situation calmly, and actually compliments Holmes on the neatness of his plan. Holmes politely returns the compliment. Once back at Baker Street, Holmes fills Watson in on all the details that he doesn't already know. He says that it was obvious from the start that the whole business about the Red-headed League and copying the encyclopedia was a ploy to get Jabez Wilson out of his shop for a number of hours every day... the question was, why? When Wilson tells him that his clerk spends a lot of time in the cellar "developing photographs," Holmes is immediately suspicious that he's up to no good. This instinct proves correct as he asks Wilson to describe Spaulding and recognizes him as John Clay, a brilliant and violent criminal who was responsible for several previous crimes which Holmes had been asked to consult on. When Holmes and Watson go to see Wilson's pawnshop for the first time, Holmes carefully observes the surrounding buildings, and surmises that it is the bank which is the target for the crime. He confirms this by going into the shop and asking for directions from Spaulding in order to study him... he notes that the clerk's trousers are worn and dirty around the knees, as though he's been kneeling for an extended period of time on a dirt floor. Holmes then consults with Scotland Yard and the bank director to confirm his hypothesis, and is convinced that he is correct. Watson asks Holmes how he knew that the thieves would strike that evening. Holmes replies that obviously the tunnel was finished, because they no longer needed to have Wilson out of the shop. And that evening-Saturday- was best for the robbery, because the bank is closed on Sunday, so the crime probably wouldn't be discovered until Monday, giving the thieves time to escape. Watson admires Holmes' brilliance, but Holmes shrugs it off, saying that the case kept him from being bored. Related Posts: "Madam, Will You Talk?" wasn't the first novel by Mary Stewart that I ever read... that was "Nine Coaches Waiting", if memory serves. But it was the first novel that Stewart wrote, and it's a pretty impressive first book. It is very well written- not really a surprise, as Stewart was a professor of English literature. This is no doubt why the book is peppered with quotes from various literary works and poems. Stewart has an absolute gift for descriptive writing... whether set in her native Britain, or in farther flung, more exotic locations, her depictions of the towns and/ or countrysides contained in her books are always detailed, accurate, and evocative. As well, these descriptions are never just extraneous detail... they always fit naturally into the flow of the story and further the narrative. In "Madam, Will You Talk?" the location is France, and we get a very thorough and vivid picture not only of Avignon and it's surrounding area, but of less picturesque and tourist-y parts of the country as well, as Charity engages in a high speed car chase across much of France- to Marseilles and beyond. Mary Stewart also has a knack for writing a compelling plot and realistic characters who talk like real people. In "Madam", her main character, Charity Selborne, is both sympathetic and likable. She is warm and caring, as evinced by her willingness to aid those in trouble- like David and Richard. She's also quick thinking and capable, and able to adapt to the strange situation she finds herself in. And while Charity obviously mourns and misses her late husband, she is not a tragic figure: she still finds pleasure and humour in life, and is determined to live fully and be happy. Richard Byron is also an interesting individual, and certainly no one's idea of a knight in shining armour- especially at first when, made desperate by circumstances, he treats Charity in an extremely harsh and threatening manner. He is the first in a long line of Stewart heroes who are complex characters, flawed but essentially good men. Stewart doesn't neglect her supporting characters, either. From David and Louise to the police and villains, and even just random guests at the hotel... all have personalities and character. Among other things, this makes it harder to determine which persons are actually actively involved in the plot, and which are merely well-drawn window dressing. As I mentioned in my summary, "Madam, Will You Talk?" is set in the early 1950's, and W.W.II., while over, still casts a large shadow over events and characters. Charity's husband, Johnny, was killed in the war, an event which is indirectly responsible for her presence in France. And, as it turns out, it is Richard's experiences as a P.O.W. during the war which are the cause of the killing of his friend, and of his own attempted murder. Also, in the horrifying account which Richard gives Charity of the ghastly murder of the Jewish painter by Max Kramer, we get an unsettling glimpse of the absolute evil of the Nazi regime. And the death of the artist, Emmanuel Bernstein, is a grim reminder of the millions of lives, each with their own unique gifts and talents, which were cruelly cut short by the atrocities of the Third Reich. "Madam, Will You Talk?" is by no means a flawless novel: its plot does rely on a couple of coincidences which are rather fortuitous. But the story is moving along at such a clip, and you're having such an enjoyable time with it, that it's really only in retrospect that you think, "Now, hang on a minute..." The love story contained in the book moves along at the same lightening speed as the rest of the plot, but Stewart manages to make it work, mostly because her characters are so skillfully drawn that we feel that we know them and so can accept that, thrown together in such a highly charged situation, Charity and Richard have become close despite the short amount of time which has passed. I hadn't read "Madam, Will You Talk?" for quite a few years, so it was a genuine pleasure to pick it up again. It is a well written, satisfying romantic suspense novel which is an enjoyable read- or re-read, as the case may be. I'd recommend it anytime. Related Posts: When I was in high school, I developed a bit of an addiction to mystery novels from the 1940s and '50s. There's something about mysteries from that period- during the war, or just after it- which I really enjoy. Perhaps it's that the characters, male and female, seem tougher- mentally and physically- due to the war. WW II often almost seems like another character, looming in the background, either because it's ongoing and therefore lending urgency to the plot, or because it's in the recent past, and it's after-effects are still being felt. In any case, I built up quite a collection at the time, of authors such as Mary Roberts Rinehart, Mignon Eberthardt, M.M. Kaye, and of course, Mary Stewart. Arthurian fans will probably know Mary Stewart more for her Merlin Chronicles, but she didn't write those until the '70s and '80s. 'Madam, Will You Talk?' was her first novel, published in 1955. Some years ago, while poking around in a used bookstore, I was delighted to find a first edition of the American printing, from 1956 (pictured), which I immediately snapped up. I was literally incapable of leaving it on the shelf...no one else was going to have it. Although I do appreciate my e reader, it just doesn't give that sense of emotional attachment which you can have for a real, physical book. But I digress. The heroine of 'Madam Will You Talk?' is Charity Selborne, a young Englishwoman who is vacationing with her friend Louise in the south of France. Charity is a widow; her husband Johnny was in the RAF during the war and his plane was shot down. Before the war, he had been a successful race car driver, so Charity has been left comfortably off, well able to afford this vacation. While sitting on her hotel's balcony, she makes the acquaintance of a thirteen year old boy named David Shelley, his dog Rommel, and his mother, a very beautiful woman whom he seems to resent for some reason. That evening, Charity and Louise sit in the hotel dining room, amusing themselves by watching the other guests and speculating about their lives. These include a French antiques dealer, M. Paul Very, an English schoolteacher named John Marsden, and the Palmers, a British couple vacationing with their teenage daughter. After dinner, Louise decides to retire to her room with a book, and Charity heads out to wander around Avignon. While at a cafe, she bumps into Mrs. Palmer, who gossipingly tells her that young David's surname is actually Byron, and his father is Richard Byron, who was charged with murder in England the year before. Mrs. Palmer explains that Richard apparently suspected that his wife- David's stepmother- was carrying on with his best friend who was visiting them, and in a fit of jealousy, strangled him. After the murder, David was found, knocked unconscious, and it is supposed that he witnessed something which he cannot remember. During the trial, Mrs. Byron- now Bristol- divorced Richard and took David abroad. Due to lack of evidence, Richard Byron was acquitted and has dropped out of sight. The following day, Charity again runs into David at the Bridge of Avignon. She spends the morning with him, finding him intelligent and good company. She invites him to go sightseeing with her the next day, seeking his stepmother's permission. Though she seems surprised by Charity's willingness to spend time with David, and hesitant to allow him to go, she eventually agrees. Again wandering about the town that evening, Charity is watching the Rhone when she overhears a man and woman talking and recognizes the woman's voice as that of Loraine Bristol. Loraine is telling the man in a panicky voice that he has been spotted in a nearby town, and is looking for them. The man, whose voice Charity doesn't know, tells her to calm down, that he'll get her out of this, just as he got her and David out of England. Loraine remarks bitterly that if the English police had done their job, he would be dead now, not in France chasing them. The man tells her to keep her nerve and hold onto David. From this, Charity deduces that Richard Byron is searching for his son. After Loraine and the unknown man have left the area, Charity lingers, thinking of the strange conversation, and sees another man slip out of the shadows nearby... it is John Marsden from the hotel. The next day, Charity takes David sightseeing at the Arena (Louise's idea of vacation is to lounge by the pool with a book). While there, they hear the voice of an Englishman at the entrance gate. David, pale and shaking, tells Charity that he isn't feeling well and wishes to leave. Concerned, she takes him back to the car. Once there, David says that he's feeling better and will sit in the Cathedral while she continues sightseeing. Charity is reluctant to leave him, but David insists. After touring around, she goes to the Nimes gardens and rests in the Temple of Diana. While there, a man also enters the ruins. He introduces himself as Richard Coleridge, and they chat for a couple minutes, until Charity mentions David. Coleridge demands to know where he is, and Charity belatedly realizes that Richard Coleridge is actually Richard Byron, David's father. She also realizes that David had heard his father's voice at the Arena, and that was why he wanted to leave. Pretending not to know who he is, she lies and tells him that David is taking a bus which is headed out of town. As Byron heads off after the bus, Charity rushes back to where David is, and they head back to Avignon, in the opposite direction. On the road back to Avignon, Charity tells David that she knows about his father, and that he saw him at the Arena. Tearfully David begs her not to tell his stepmother, saying there's an important reason. Reluctantly Charity promises, though she thinks it unwise. In the morning, Mrs. Bristol tells Charity that they will shortly be leaving for Nice. In the meantime, Mr. Marsden accompanies David on a walk around Avignon. Restless and trying not to think about David and his problems, Charity decides to drive to Les Baux, a small village in the hills, to spend a couple of nights. Once there, Charity checks into an inn, then goes walking about the picturesque streets in the twilight. Suddenly she hears footsteps behind her... it is Richard Byron. He had seen her when she stopped for gas in the town of St. Remy earlier in the day and made inquiries at the gas station as to her destination. He menacingly demands that she tell him where David is. Charity refuses and he threatens her; exhausted and terrified, she briefly loses consciousness. She awakens to find Byron has taken her back to the inn and is in her room with her, having told the staff that he's her husband. In the morning, Charity pretends to be taken ill, and when Richard Byron goes to get her a drink, she escapes from the inn and drives off in her car, after removing the distributor cap from his vehicle. Determined not to lead Byron to Avignon, Charity heads for Marseilles in what becomes a long day and a night race to try to lose him. In the end, though, it proves useless, as he manages to follow her to Marseilles and find her the next day. Tired and in despair, Charity loses her temper and defiantly informs Richard Byron that she won't tell him where David is, accusing him of being a murderer and of hurting David on the night of his crime. Instead of growing angry again in response, Byron appears shocked. He buys an exhausted Charity dinner at a restaurant and, instead of grilling her for information, merely asks about David- is he well, and happy? She tells him that David is well enough, but lonely and scared of him. Byron seems truly stunned by the idea that David fears him, and Charity, examining his devastated face and deeply unhappy eyes, begins to suspect that a lot of what she's been told about him isn't true. In turn, Byron apologizes profusely for his treatment of her, explaining that he thought that she was in on the plot to keep David from him. He asks her to let him tell her the full story of what happened the night of the murder. Convinced of his innocence, Charity tells him that David is in Avignon without even waiting for his explanation. Moved by her evident trust, Richard impulsively kisses her. After this, he insists on telling her what truly occurred. He was a successful antiques dealer who lived in Surrey with his twelve year old son, David, his wife having died seven years before. He met Lorraine- his second wife- in Paris while setting up an office there. Lonely and at loose ends, he went out with her several times, and after about a month asked her to marry him. Not surprisingly, this didn't turn out well... she disliked Surrey and had no time for David, who in turn had no time for her. After a miserable couple of months, Richard's best friend Tony Baxter with whom he had served during the war, came to spend a few weeks over the Christmas holidays. One January morning, Tony was found strangled in his bed, a drapery cord from one of the windows around his neck. The pull on the cord had Richard's fingerprints on it. Tony's body was discovered by Lorraine, who later tells the police that she was a frequent visitor to his room, giving them a tidy motive for Richard to have committed murder. After the alarm was raised, David was found, knocked unconscious from behind, in the next door bathroom. When he regained consciousness, he told the police that he glimpsed a man in a navy coloured suit behind him in the mirror right before he was hit. He insisted that it wasn't his father, but it's assumed that he would say that, out of loyalty. While it was true that Richard didn't own a blue suit, the police point out that David could very well be mistaken, especially since he got bashed over the head right afterwards. On the strength of the evidence against him, Richard was arrested and put on trial for murder. He was eventually acquitted, because too many things could be explained away- it was not unlikely, for example, that Richard's fingerprints would be on a drapery pull in his own house. When Richard was leaving the courthouse after being acquitted, he was given a note from Lorraine asking him to meet her. He did, and she told him that she had received word that her first husband, who had been missing and presumed dead since 1943, had turned up, which meant their marriage was not legal. Richard bluntly told her that he couldn't be happier, and that he was going home to David. She gave him the keys to his car, gave him directions to where she parked it, and told him to get out. On the way home, at a place where the road is treacherous, another car suddenly cut him off, forcing Richard to swerve sharply. As he did, his steering suddenly failed, and he went over an embankment and crashed. He fortunately was thrown clear, as the car caught fire and burned up. Richard ended up in the hospital with a concussion, and a suspicion that the car had been tampered with, and the accident staged. Unfortunately, there is no proof, since the car burned up, and the police think he might have been trying to commit suicide. While he was laid up, Lorraine left England for France and took David with her. As soon as he could leave the hospital, Richard started to search for David, which led to his eventual run in with Charity. Charity tells Richard everything that she knows, and he grimly concludes that Lorraine must have convinced David that he was responsible for the murder, as his son doesn't want to see him. They also conclude that Lorraine took David to draw Richard to France so that she and her accomplice could make another attempt to kill him. The only thing is, Richard has no idea why Lorraine would want both Tony and himself dead. The only thing they had in common was their war service. Charity asks if, during the war, the two of them witnessed anything unusual and/or criminal. Richard says that the two of them did witness a murder. Their plane had been shot down, and as POWs, they were being taken by train to Frankfurt for interrogation. At the station, he and Tony were horrified to see Jews being loaded into cars to be taken to the death camps. Then, as they watched, a Jewish man broke free and tried to escape, and Richard, shocked, recognized him as a Jewish painter-Emmanuel Bernstein- whom he had met at a gallery before the war. As they look on in horror, the S.S. officer in charge has Bernstein thrown onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Enraged, Richard struggles against his guards, leading to the officer- Herr Max Kramer- almost killing him. But, as he says, he can't figure why that would be a reason to kill them now. He and Charity turn their attention to plotting to get David back. They decide that Charity will go back to Avignon and ask David to go sightseeing again, collect Louise, and drive out of Avignon and meet up with Richard. As Richard walks Charity back to he hotel, they pass by a shop, and Richard stops dead, seeing an antique bracelet in the window which he had given Lorraine before their wedding. Charity informs him that Lorraine was wearing it two days ago. This means that she may be here in Marseilles with David. While Richard leaves to try to track down the shop owner, Charity places a call to Louise at the hotel in Avignon, who informs her that the place is in an uproar because David ran away, leaving a note for Lorraine and taking her bracelet, presumably to sell for money. Telling the confused Louise that she'll explain everything later, Charity hangs up and hurries back toward the shop, anxious to tell Richard that David is probably close by. To her alarm, she finds that Richard has been taken captive by Lorraine, who is with two male accomplices. Listening from a hiding place in the shadows, Charity hears her refer to one as Jean, who she assumes is Lorraine's husband. The other one is called Max, and shocked, Charity realizes from the conversation that it's Max Kramer, the murderer of Bernstein. They have both Richard and David, and are planning to push Richard's car over a cliff at Aiguebelle with the two of them in it. The three split up- Jean to go get Max's car, and Lorraine and Max to drive Richard's car to the murder scene, where they are to meet their other accomplice, Andre, who has the captives in a van. After they leave, Charity leaves her hiding place and is startled when a dog jumps up on her... it is Rommel, David's dog, left behind when he was captured. She takes him with her as she rushes to the garage where she left her car, only to find it's closed for the evening. Panicked, Charity runs to a nearby gas station to see if she can rent a car, but none are available. In despair, she hears someone saying her name. It is Paul Very, who had been staying at her hotel in Avignon, and is fuelling up his car on his way to Nice. She pleads with him to give her a drive, and he agrees. She puts Rommel in the back seat, and they head off. On the road, Charity explains the situation to Paul, and he agrees to help, saying that he has a gun. He asks her to light a cigarette for him, and Charity does so. In the glow from the lighter, she sees the inscription on Very's cigarette case: "Jean-Paul. A jamais, L." She vaguely remembers Louise saying that Very had something to do with antiques, and quietly realizes that he is the Jean with whom Lorraine was talking...her husband. As Charity's mind races, trying to think of a way to escape, Very, who has been flirting the entire trip, pulls the car over to attempt a seduction. Though revolted, Charity pretends to be clueless and willing, and surreptitiously tosses her purse out the window. She convinces Very to get out to find her "missing" purse, then jumps into the driver's seat and pulls away. Realizing what's happening, Very manages to grab hold of the door and hang on as Charity desperately tries to shake him off. It doesn't work, and he climbs back into the car, threatening to shoot her if she doesn't stop. Instead, Charity speeds up, saying they'll both die if he shoots her. As they near the place where the murder is supposed to take place, Charity sees the white van parked on the side of the road. Very shouts to Andre for help, and a man runs out onto the road... it is John Marsden who had also been at the hotel. Refusing to stop, Charity drives the car straight at him, but he has a gun and shoots one of the tire, and she crashes the car and loses consciousness. When she comes to, to her amazement she is being held by Richard. It turns out that Marsden is actually a Scotland Yard officer, and had been investigating Max Kramer's group. He has Andre tied up in the van, while Very was injured in the crash and is still unconscious. Charity tells them that Lorraine and Kramer are following in Richard's car, which they soon hear coming. Distracted, they don't notice that Very has come to and crawled back into the car, until he starts it. However, between his own injuries and the damage to the car, he only manages to lurch it out into the middle of the road. Not seeing it in the dark, Kramer and Lorraine run into it at full speed, and both cars go over the cliff in a fiery wreck. While Richard and Marsden look for a way down the cliff, Charity goes with Rommel to check on David. Drugged by Lorraine, he has been asleep the entire time, and Richard had hidden him safely some distance from the road. David gradually wakes up, and is overjoyed to see them, though also sick from being drugged. When feeling better, they talk about what's happened, and David tells her that the reason he didn't want to see his father before was because he was afraid Lorraine was going to kill him, because he had realized she was up to something. As they talk, Richard and Marsden return... no one survived the crash. David, seeing his father, runs to him and they embrace. The next morning, Charity awakes from an exhausted sleep to find that Louise has arrived with her luggage. They meet Richard, David, and John Marsden for lunch. The police have been going through Kramer's papers, and everything has become clear. After the war, Kramer escaped by changing his name, and took with him a lot of treasures and art looted during the war. He set himself up as an antique dealer, and also became involved in several criminal operations, which is how he became acquainted with Jean Paul Very and his wife, Lorraine, both criminals. Then, at an auction in Paris, Kramer saw Richard, and Tony who had accompanied him. They didn't notice him, but he realized that they could identify him as a war criminal, and decided that they both had to be killed. He blackmailed Lorraine and Jean Paul into helping, as he had plenty of evidence of their misdeeds. In the end, all is well. Richard asks Charity to marry him, and she accepts, much to David's delight. Later, as Richard and Charity stroll together along the streets of Marseilles, they stop to look in an art shop, and are surprised and moved to find a painting of young David, standing with his sling to face Goliath... the signature of the artist is Emmanuel Bernstein. Richard buys it as a wedding gift for Charity. Related Posts: |
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