I was sitting at my desk cleaning my Webley when I heard the assistant commissioner’s whistle. I set the revolver down and unhooked the speaking tube. “Yes, sir.”
“Are you acquainted with Colonel Upwood, Langham?”
“I served under an Everett Upwood on the North-East Frontier. He went on to win a VC in Zululand.”
“The very same. Did you know him well?”
I noted the change of tense. “No, sir.”
“Good, because he committed suicide this morning. The cause may have been his debt—it was an open secret at the Bagatelle Card Club. Are you free at the moment?”
“I can make myself so.”
“Then take yourself off to Ivy House, Hanover Terrace, and see what you can do for the man. Report directly to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
The assistant commissioner had also served in India prior to joining the Metropolita
