{"product_id":"2940013668492","title":"The Ringer","description":"The Assistant Commissioner of Police pressed a bell on his table, and, to\u003cbr\u003ethe messenger who entered the room a few seconds after: \"Ask Inspector\u003cbr\u003eWembury if he will be good enough to see me,\" he said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Commissioner put away into a folder the document he had been reading.\u003cbr\u003eAlan Wembury's record both as a police officer and as a soldier was\u003cbr\u003emagnificent. He had won a commission in the war, risen to the rank of\u003cbr\u003eMajor and had earned the Distinguished Service Order for his fine work in\u003cbr\u003ethe field. And now a new distinction had come to him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe door opened and a man strode in. He was above the average height. The\u003cbr\u003eCommissioner looked up and saw a pair of good--humoured grey eyes\u003cbr\u003elooking down at him from a lean, tanned face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Good morning, Wembury.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Good morning, sir.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlan Wembury was on the sunny side of thirty, an athlete, a cricketer, a\u003cbr\u003eman who belonged to the out--of--doors. He had the easy poise and the\u003cbr\u003erefinement of speech which comes from long association with gentlemen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I have asked you to come and see me because I have some good news for\u003cbr\u003eyou,\" said the Commissioner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe had a real affection for this straight--backed subordinate of his. In\u003cbr\u003eall his years of police service he had never felt quite as confident of\u003cbr\u003eany man as he had of this soldierly detective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"All news is good news to me, sir,\" laughed Alan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was standing stiffly to attention now and the Commissioner motioned\u003cbr\u003ehim to a chair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You are promoted divisional inspector and you take over 'R' Division as\u003cbr\u003efrom Monday week,\" said the chief, and in spite of his self--control,\u003cbr\u003eAlan was taken aback. A divisional inspectorship was one of the prizes of\u003cbr\u003ethe C.I.D. Inevitably it must lead in a man of his years to a central\u003cbr\u003einspectorship; eventually inclusion in the Big Four, and one knows not\u003cbr\u003ewhat beyond that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is very surprising, sir,'\" he said at last. \"I am terribly\u003cbr\u003egrateful. I think there must be a lot of men entitled to this step before\u003cbr\u003eme--\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColonel Walford shook his head.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm glad for your sake, but I don't agree,\" he said. And then, briskly:\u003cbr\u003e\"We're making considerable changes at the Yard. Bliss is coming back from\u003cbr\u003eAmerica; he has been attached to the Embassy at Washington--do you know\u003cbr\u003ehim?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlan Wembury shook his head. He had heard of the redoubtable Bliss, but\u003cbr\u003eknew little more about him than that he was a capable police officer and\u003cbr\u003ewas cordially disliked by almost every man at the Yard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"'R' Division will not be quite as exciting as it was a few years ago,\"\u003cbr\u003esaid the Commissioner with a twinkle in his eye; \"and you at any rate\u003cbr\u003eshould be grateful.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Was it an exciting division, sir?\" asked Alan, to whom Deptford was a\u003cbr\u003enew territory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColonel Walford nodded. The laughter had gone out of his eyes; he was\u003cbr\u003every grave indeed when he spoke again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I was thinking about The Ringer--I wonder what truth there is in the\u003cbr\u003ereport of his death? The Australian police are almost certain that the\u003cbr\u003eman taken out of Sydney Harbour was this extraordinary scoundrel.\"","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47167288901872,"sku":"2940013668492","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013668492_p0.jpg?v=1763583732","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013668492","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}