You see, Chief Inspector, I am frank with you."
From a table drawer the Assistant Commissioner took a visiting-card,
which he handed to Kerry. The latter stared at it as one stares at a
rare specimen. It was the card of Lord Wrexborough, His Majesty's
Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, and in the
cramped caligraphy of his lordship it bore a brief note, initialled,
thus:
Lord Wrexborough
Great Cumberland Place, V. 1
"To introduce 719. W."
Some moments of silence followed; then:
"Seven-one-nine," said Kerry in a high, strained voice. "Why
seven-one-nine? And why all this hocus-pocus? Am I to understand, sir,
that not only myself but all the Criminal Investigation Department is
under a cloud?"
The Assistant Commissioner stroked his hair.
"You are to understand, Chief Inspector, that for the first time
throughout my period of office I find myself out of touch with the
Chief Commissioner. It is not departmental for me to say so, but I
believe the Chief Commissioner finds himself similarly out of touch
with the Secretary of State. Apparently very powerful influences are
at work, and the line of conduct taken up by the Home office suggests
to my mind that collusion between the receivers and distributors of
drugs and the police is suspected by someone.
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