Gently to the Summit Read Free Page B

after, Fleece got the push.’
    Evans flushed like a turkey-cock, his eyes growing rounder. ‘My God!’ he exclaimed. ‘What a stupid fellow I am! I never looked at it that way …’
    ‘There could be some explanation.’
    ‘No man – you’ve hit it. You’ve hit the nail on the head!’
    ‘Hold it, everyone.’ The A.C.’s voice came drily. ‘Let’s try to preserve our sense of proportion about this.’ He went on polishing his glasses, finally setting them back on his nose. He said to Evans: ‘Now you know why we’re all so fond of Gently!’
    ‘But it’s true, sir,’ Evans blurted. ‘You have only to consider—’
    ‘It’s true that, as usual, Gently has holed a neat case. But he hasn’t knocked it down, Evans, so don’t despond yet. A little routine investigation may stop the hole up again. And, Gently, that’s just what I’ve called you in to do: a little routine investigation into theantecedents of Kincaid. I’ve spoken to the Public Prosecutor about it and you were the man he asked to have assigned – so there you are: that’s the job. You’re to give us Kincaid’s identity on a platter.’
    Gently stirred his feet disapprovingly.
    ‘Hasn’t some investigation been done?’
    ‘Yes.’ The Assistant Commissioner picked up a file which had been lying in his ‘Action’ tray. ‘Here you are, for what it’s worth. It traces Kincaid back to Kathmandu. It says also that the house he lived in was blitzed and so, too, was the registry office where he was married. And we drew a blank with the Press files.’
    ‘In fact, it bristles with leads.’
    The Assistant Commissioner grinned impishly. ‘For your sake, I hope this doesn’t involve another ascent of Everest. But at least you’d have a reason, unlike these queer types who do it. I’ve often wondered what it is, Gently, that makes an Everesteer tick.’
    His grin broadened and he added:
    ‘But what a draw it would be for tourists! For the price of a bomb, one could run a funicular up Everest.’   

CHAPTER TWO
    G ENTLY TOOK EVANS down to the canteen and bought him a consoling cup of coffee. In spite of the A.C.’s careful handling, the Welsh inspector was down in the dumps. He’d sat in silence in Gently’s office while the latter had read through the Kincaid file, then he’d answered a few random questions. But his attention had plainly been wandering.
    ‘It just goes to show, man …’
    Now he was moping over his coffee, the red flush still clinging to his straight, smooth-skinned features. He was in his forties, but he looked boyish, his hair and eyebrows being fair. He was tall and hard-framed: an ex-rugby-player, probably.
    ‘We don’t see much excitement in Caernarvon, look you. I had visions of making myself on a case like this. And it all went so easy, that was the whole trouble about it. One thing led to another … I got too cocky, by far.’
    ‘You won’t be the first to have bought stock off Kincaid.’
    ‘I know, man. I should have gone like a cat on hot bricks. I should have waited till my head cleared before slapping a charge on him, but it’s too late now. I’ve dropped a most almighty clanger.’
    ‘I wouldn’t swear to that yet …’
    ‘Oh yes. I can sense it. The Assistant Commissioner was very decent, but he didn’t fool me, man.’
    ‘But he’s right about one thing – there’s still a case to be answered. So we’d better have a chat with Kincaid and see if we can chase up an angle.’
    In the courtyard a squad car was waiting to take them to Bow Street. It was a drizzling October morning and the Strand had a drear and slatternly look. Umbrellas were bobbing along the pavements, newsboys huddled into doorways, a sky of motionless grey wrack pressed low over pencilled buildings. At the first tobacconist’s shop Gently stopped to make a purchase. He returned, to Evans’s surprise, with cigarettes of three different brands.
    ‘You do smoke cigarettes, don’t you?’
    He took charge of