Mr. Zero by Patricia Wentworth

sure that it was ajar. Besides—and here is the point—how could anyone at the Wessex-Gardners’ have known that I should have this memorandum in my possession? The party was quite a small one—myself and my wife, the Colesboroughs, and the Bingham Wessex-Gardners. Bingham, as you probably know, married my wife’s sister Constance. It was therefore something in the nature of a family party, but I also wished to take the opportunities it would afford of some quite informal conversations with Beaufort Wessex-Gardner and Francis Colesborough. They are both undertaking very large government contracts. This question of sabotage would affect them.”
    Algy hesitated, and risked a question.
    â€œWas the memorandum very important?”
    Mr. Lushington drummed on the arm of his chair.
    â€œOh, the skies won’t fall. There have been, as you know, a certain number of acts of sabotage. There have been allusions in the Press, and there have been questions in the House. There has been some uneasiness, and a general tightening up of precautionary measures. Then the Foreign Office Intelligence came along with the theory of an organization directed from abroad and with very wide ramifications.” He paused. Algy was aware of scrutiny.
    Mr. Lushington went on speaking.
    â€œColonel Garratt is convinced that such an organization exists. He believes that it has plans for sabotage on a large scale. If this country were faced with a sudden emergency, these plans would be brought into operation. He has compiled a list of suspected agents, and was very anxious that I should sanction a general round up. I wished to think the matter over, and asked to be furnished with a memorandum and a list of the suspected persons before the week-end. The envelope delivered to Carstairs contained this information. It came from Colonel Garratt through our own people, and I am not excluding the possibility of a leakage, but it is sufficiently obvious that there would have been no need to steal the papers if the information had already been obtained from either of the departments concerned. When I say that the messenger is above suspicion, I have regard not only to his character and length of service, but to the fact that it is incredible that he would have risked substituting a blank envelope for the one addressed to me, when all that he had to do was to allow the enclosures to be copied or photographed. He could not possibly have anticipated that neither Carstairs, nor you, nor I myself would not immediately examine the envelope and detect the fraud. Now, Algy, I am coming to the point. The papers were stolen a week ago. I am advised that a raid would not be likely to produce sufficient evidence to justify itself. Whoever had an interest in acquiring the papers has therefore probably achieved his end. He has found out which of his agents are under suspicion. He has been able to warn them, and he will probably now replace them by others. We shall have to begin all over again. As I said before, the skies won’t fall, but what matters to me is the suggestion that the papers were stolen here in my own house.”
    Algy felt exactly as if someone had poured about half a pint of cold water down the back of his neck, because—well, after all—hang it all—what was Monty saying?
    He said aloud, “Yes, sir?” and was rather proud of the fact that the words came out in quite an ordinary tone.
    â€œIt has been suggested to me—” this was Monty on the high horse of offence—“it has been suggested that it would have been far more credible that an attempt to steal the papers should be made here, where the fact that I was expecting them was known, and their nature if not known was at least guessed at, rather than at Wellings, where no one could reasonably be supposed to have any information on the subject.”
    Algy had been thinking. His thoughts made a clear and very unpleasant pattern. He wanted