"My real name is Cummings," she said. "I am the wife of Dave Cummings. I can see that you remember now." "About twelve or fifteen years ago," he said. "Wasn't he the man who got a lifer for shooting at a policeman in Manchester?" "That's the case. It was a jeweller's shop and I was dogging outside when the constable became suspicious. I gave Dave the office and we started to move off. Dave never went armed on these things--in case. But I carried a pistol and when we were pressed hard I passed it on to Dave. He used it, and perhaps you remember it was touch and go whether the officer lived. Dave and I separated after the shot was fired, and he got caught. For some reason it was supposed that he was alone. The policeman was a little excited I guess, and when he recovered spoke of only one person. So Dave went down and I got away." "That's a long while ago," said the detective. "Unless you admit your complicity there is no evidence against you." "Half a minute. Larry had put up that job for us, and naturally, he saw that everything was done for Dave that could be done. Of course Dave told him everything. In any case he knew that I was there. Apart from that there were others in the business who knew and whom he undertook to keep quiet. When Dave was sentenced Larry undertook to look after me. I was useful in many ways. It was only when he found that I was trying to get out of the game that he cracked the whip over me by threatening to have me put away. He would have done it, too. Larry has never made a threat that he hasn't been prepared to carry out." "But you haven't been at 'Mope's Bottom' all this time?" "Oh, Lord, no. There were other ways in which I was useful. Larry has not often dealt direct with crooks. I have been down here for the last few years." "Looking after the embarkation of stolen property?" She shot a fierce glance at him from under her eyelashes, and Labar though convinced that his shot was right felt as though he had taken an unfair advantage. He gnawed at the end of a pencil. "I'm sorry. I should not have said that. I suppose that it is not the least use asking you to come out with everything that you know of Larry?" "Not the least," she agreed with decision. "I'll tell you all you like about myself, but I won't implicate other people. I'm a thief, the daughter of thieves, and the wife of a thief. You won't find very much about me except what I've told you. If you can keep that out of it, I'll be obliged." He rose and offered his hand. "Thank you, Sophie. You can be sure that I remember what I owe you. Rest easy about the old business. But this is different. You'll have to go through as an accomplice of Larry's you know." "That's all right with me, Mr. Labar," she said. "You've got your job to do." She gripped his hand and with a nod and a smile passed out of the room. CHAPTER XXIX