Death and the Black Pyramid Read Free Page A

imagination.’
    â€˜It’s the black man. There could not be two like him around.’
    Martin Meadows answered, clearly trying to soothe the speaker down. ‘Oh come. He is a type. A bare-knuckle fighter. I have seen several people like him in my time.’
    â€˜Have you indeed? And all black?’
    â€˜Well, no,’ came the reply. ‘Not all of them.’
    There was silence and John decided that this was his moment to make an entrance. Grinning cheerfully, he gave a rat-tat on the door and walked into the room.
    Meadows and the hawkish man were sitting round a table in deep discussion. They looked up as the Apothecary went in, the solicitor giving a smile of relief, the other glaring fiercely. John ignored him.
    â€˜Well, gentlemen, I hope I’m not interrupting. Can’t find a seat in the other bar so I thought I would try in here.’
    â€˜Come in, come in, Mr Rawlings, take a chair, do,’ said Meadows. ‘May I present Mr Gorringe to you? Mr Gorringe, this is Mr Rawlings.’
    John gave an effusive bow. ‘A pleasure, Sir,’ he said in an affected voice. ‘Truly a great pleasure.’
    Gorringe half rose, still looking furious, and gave the curtest of salutes back. ‘Actually Meadows and I were having a private conversation.’
    â€˜But we have finished that,’ said the solicitor hastily. ‘Indeed we were looking for some young company.’
    â€˜Then come into the taproom,’ John answered, laughing merrily over nothing. ‘There’s a goodly crowd in there. That is if you don’t mind standing.’
    â€˜If you’ll excuse me,’ said Gorringe, and getting to his feet he left them abruptly, swirling his dark cloak as he went.
    John looked at Martin Meadows. ‘What a strange character.’
    The solicitor motioned him to sit down. ‘Indeed, indeed,’ he sighed. ‘He is under the strong conviction that he has met the black man before somewhere.’
    â€˜And what of it?’ said the Apothecary, pretending carelessness.
    â€˜God knows, my dear friend. He is the type of man who sees a plot in everything. It is my belief that he suffers from some kind of mania.’
    John would have replied but was prevented from so doing by a call of, ‘All aboard the Exeter coach, Ladies and Gentlemen.’ He and the solicitor made their way out to discover that Gorringe was already sitting on the roof and had produced a book which he was studying assiduously. He merely grunted as John and Martin took their places above. Below them, however, a scene was going on.
    â€˜My luggage. Zere is vun piece missing,’ the German lady was screaming.
    â€˜I can assure you, Madam . . .’ the guard was answering her patiently.
    Behind her the Black Pyramid loomed suddenly and unexpectedly.
    â€˜Be silent, my good woman. I suggest that you spend the next few hours checking and rechecking everything you own.’
    And with that he leant over into the basket and removed all her bags and an unwieldy-looking box and dumped them on the ground at her feet.
    â€˜But . . .’ she protested.
    â€˜No buts, Madam. No buts, merely baggage.’ And he climbed into the coach.
    â€˜Sir,’ the driver called down urgently, ‘we are due to leave immediately.’
    The black man stuck his head out of the window. ‘Then do so,’ he instructed.
    â€˜But the lady . . .’
    â€˜I shall have ze law on you if you go vizout me!’ she shouted, shaking her fist.
    â€˜My card,’ said the Black Pyramid nonchalantly, and with the enormous reach of his arms handed her one as the coachman cracked his whip and the new team of horses led them outwards.
    That evening they spent the night at Bath, clattering into the courtyard of The Katherine Wheel some hours later. Accommodation was limited and they were all forced to share their rooms with at least one other person. John