The Black Gang

A neglected house beside Barking Creek provides cover for a secret meeting on a windy autumn evening. Local ghost stories keep curious visitors away, while Waldock brings Zaboleff to a room where six uneasy men wait by candlelight. Their discussion turns to missing messengers and vanished money, making the supposed haunting a useful disguise for human intrigue. The opening builds its tension through shuttered windows, agreed signals and the nervous exchanges of people who expect trouble.

Elsewhere, Captain Drummond faces Peterson, who calmly describes a scheme to disguise violence against Drummond and his wife as a river accident. Drummond answers with jokes and threats, setting his blunt manner against Peterson's measured explanations. Readers drawn to crime adventure will find secret gatherings, personal danger and a contest of nerve in these scenes. The contrast between an ominous setting and combative dialogue gives the novel its particular character.