about 10 minutes later.
A constable heard it. He was on the scene
within a minute or two.
What evidence do you have
that it was the same people?
Strips of yellow tin in the vicinity.
Only one of them was killed.
- How do you know?
- Bits and pieces only
added up to one body.
Couldn't identify him, but he had
the right number of everything.
Good deal ofhim they had
to scrape up with a spade.
Nice treat for the coroner's jury.
Filthy weather.
The home secretary said he'd been told
we were very efficient.
And what we seemed most
efficient at was making him look a fool.
There is one what you might call
chink of light, sir.
- This place in Kent.
Aldington, near Hythe.
- Yes?
Odd sort of place of origin for
two ruthless terrorists, wouldn't you say?
Not if you happen to know that not more
than a mile away, there is a cottage...
occupied at present
by the ex-convict, Michaelis.
I thought you just told me our anarchists
had nothing to do with this affair.
Doesn't mean we can't issue
a charge if we feel like it, sir.
You'll need some
pretty conclusive evidence.
I don't think that'd be
too difficult, sir.
I can look after that.
Trust me for that.
Man like that has no business
being out of prison, if you ask me.
None of them do. I tell you, sir.
Makes me long for the days when I was
catching good, honest thieves.
At least you know
where you are with thieves.
Bit of mutual respect.
At least they're normal.
I believe you're hiding
something from me, Chief Inspector.
What is it?
Something
with regards to Michaelis, sir?
No. What's puzzling me, in fact...
is your eagerness to shunt the whole train
off into a siding marked "Michaelis."
So you'd better tell me
what else you've discovered.
As a matter of fact,
there was another matter...
I'd intended to draw to
your attention in due course.
- I found an address.
- An address?
- That's right, sir. On the corpse.
- What address?
- 32 Brett Street. It's a shop.
- What kind of shop?
The kind of shop you might
expect to find in Soho, sir.
Who runs this shop?
A man who, from time to time...
I have occasion to make use of.
Does he have a name, this paragon?
Verloc.
A personal friend of mine in
the French police tipped me the wink...
that he was a secret agent in the pay
of the Russian embassy.
So I called on him one evening,
told him who I was.
He didn't bat an eyelid. Said he was
a married man and didn't want any trouble.
So we came to an arrangement.
Describe it.
I had a word with
the customs people...
made sure they wouldn't interfere
with any of his shipments...
and in return, I'm able to
consult him whenever I think
there's something in the wind.
- And how long has this been going on?
- Seven years.
No wonder your reputation
for omniscience is so established.
So, in other words...
you would rather throw
an innocent man to the lions...
than dispense with the services
of so useful an informant.
I would hardly describe Michaelis
as an innocent man, sir.
Even though I know he enjoys
a number of influential friends, sir.
If you mean the duchess of...
Isn't she a particular friend
of your wife, sir?
As to that, the first secretary at the
Russian embassy is a member of my club.
And I may say, it's most improper of you
to try finessing with me in this way.
This Verloc is a spy
in the pay of a foreign embassy.
I don't feel disposed
to overlook that fact...
just because he may privately
be of service to you.
It's my opinion he knows
nothing at all of this business.
Then how do you account
for the address?
I don't account for it.
You see, I begin to see this
as a heaven-sent opportunity...
to deal with
a whole gang of spies...
agents provocateur,
and all kinds of political riffraff.
You may go.
Report to me here
at 9:00 tomorrow morning.
As