Parry had a car. Parry had criminal propensities. Moreover, Parry had demonstrated his criminal propensities extended to cars. (the North John St incident.)
At the risk of stating the obvious, a car is a very useful tool for a criminal to have. It enables one to move very quickly from one place to another, and is ideally suited for
stalking people. Wallace was a particularly easy target to stalk, with his distinctive height and dress, and probable poor eyesight.
Parry was intimately acquainted with the Wallaces, the layout of their home and Wallace's business methods. Parry was also intimately acquainted with the City Cafe and the North John St area.
Parry may have borne a grudge against Wallace, or the Prudential or both. In any case, he was aware of the criminal opportunities offered at the Wallace home.
Parry was accomplished at amateur dramatics, and could plausibly have disguised his voice.
Parry seemed to have a large circle of friends, and it's possible some of them had criminal propensities similar to his own.
However, Parry would know (and as it transpired, correctly) that the finger of suspicion would automatically point to him if anything untoward occurred at the Wallace house....
Therefore, how to achieve his goal of robbing Wallace and the Prudential while ensuring his liberty?
Parry needed a plan, an accomplice and an alibi....
THE PLAN
Parry had cased the Wallace house on many previous occasions during his visits. He knew exactly where the money was kept in the kitchen. He had witnessed Wallace's methodical, plodding dedication to his job. He knew Wallace might fall for a telephone message (in 1931 ownership of a telephone signified wealth. That was something he had learned during his own time working for the Pru. "A telephone call is a great prospect!" all the boys said...)
He further knew of Wallace's well-publicised chess-matches held at the City Cafe. He had often seen Wallace there, and acknowledged him on the occasions Parry was at the Cafe for his amateur dramatic nights. What better place to leave a spurious telephone message for Wallace? Is it just a co-incidence that the last time Wallace said he saw Parry in the City Cafe was in November 1930, just at the time the chess championship listing was posted up on the board?
Like most young men with a new car, Parry had travelled far and wide across Liverpool at all hours, exploring its highways and rat-runs. One evening he had wound up in Mossley Hill, and turning his car into Menlove Gardens he had discovered this triangular affair had no Menlove Gardens East. How curious! he remarked to himself, committing the fact to memory.
Later, this address came to mind as a location to which Wallace might be lured. Parry was meticulous in his planning. How long might it take for Wallace to get there? Parry spent an evening in his car following trams from Belmont Road to Menlove Avenue. He watched them stop at Smithdown Rd, disgorging passengers, who then boarded another tram on to Penny Lane and Menlove Avenue. Nearly 30 minutes! And the same on the way back, don't forget. A whole hour. Throw in the time it would take for Wallace to walk to/from Wolverton Street, and knowing that pettifogging old Wallace would not leave Menlove Gardens or Mossley Hill until he had exhausted all possibilities, and that time would rise to about an hour and a half. Tops, say.
Plenty of time for someone to screw the Wallace house. But that someone can't be me, for obvious reasons...
Enter Mr."Z", another wide-boy in Parry's own mould. Parry and "Z" go through the plan several times, while stalking Wallace around Anfield in the car. There he his! the old bugger! What a lark! To see the look on Wallace's miserable face when he realises he's been had.
Monday 19th January, 1931. 7.00pm Parry and "Z" sit in the car at a vantage point where they can see Wallace heading for the tram. Wallace appears at about 7.14pm. Mr "Z" exits the car and follows Wallace to the tram stop. Perhaps he even boards the tram and follows Wallace all the way to the chess club, just to be sure.
Parry makes the Qualtrough phone-call to the City Cafe at 7.15. He is nervous, a problem with the call-box and Beattie's non-committal responses lead Parry into a slip. To impress upon Beattie the urgency of his message Parry dreams-up on the spur of the moment "my girl's 21st" [Parry is expecting a formal invitation to a 21st birthday party for "his girl" and himself from Leslie Williamson.] The Anfield exchange logs the call, but the timing is only rough, to the nearest 5 minutes.
Parry jumps back in his car and makes the 3-minute drive to Missouri Rd, arriving a little after 7.20. Perhaps later that evening Parry travels into Liverpool city centre to rendezvous with "Z", or to observe Wallace leaving the chess club a little after 10 pm. In any event they calculate that Wallace has taken the bait, and go through the final preparations for the following night....
Tuesday 20th January, 1931. Wallace returns to Wolverton Street a little after 6pm. After tea and scones with Julia, Wallace prepares for his journey to Mossley Hill. The newspaper drops on the mat, and a few minutes later, at around 6.40pm Julia takes in the milk from Alan Close. At around 6.45 Wallace and Julia walk down the back-yard, and Wallace takes his leave, Julia bolting the back-yard gate. Julia commences clearing away the tea things and sits down to read the Liverpool Echo at 7pm....
She has reached the middle-pages of the paper, when just after 7.15 she hears a faint rapping on the front-door letterbox. Startled, she rises and approaches the front door.
"Who's there?" she calls.
"Is Mr. Wallace there?" a voice replies.
"Who is it?", Julia repeats.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Wallace. My name is Qualtrough!"
Julia opens the door.
"I'm sorry I'm a little early. I take it Mr. Wallace got my message?" says Qualtrough.
"Yes, but..... I don't understand. I suppose you'd better come in Mr. Qualtrough. There seems to have been a misunderstanding..."
LATER...
It is a little after 8.20pm. Richard Gordon Parry looks nervously at his watch. "Well, Mrs. Brine, I'd better be getting off to Lily's now. Thanks for the tea.." Parry leaves 43 Knocklaid Rd and jumps in his car, and realises he needs more cigarrettes. He has been chain-smoking all evening. It is a 40 second journey from Number 43 Knocklaid Rd to the Post Office on Maiden Lane. Another 30 seconds and Parry is off again, up Maiden Lane. He turns left into Townsend Lane. Parry is beaming. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!", he chuckles. "To see the look on that old fool's face, as he trudges back to Wolverton Street. He'll be getting off his tram anytime now. That'll teach you, Wallace, to poke your nose into my affairs!"
Parry turns left at the Triangle into Lower Breck Road, and left again into the pitch-black darkness of the recreation ground. The journey from the Post Office has taken a little over three minutes...
"Z" emerges from the shadows and slides into the passenger seat.
"How did it go?", asks Parry breathlessly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Z" is tense, his face ashen."Badly..." he tersely replies.
"How do you mean?" asks Parry.
"Well, there wasn't much money, and.... she's not as daft or as doddery as you said she was... She smelt a rat, and I...I had to give her a 'tap'...", says "Z".
"That's a gutter..." Parry replies, the grin disappearing from his face.
"Listen Parry..." says "Z", "you are in this with me up to your neck. Take me home and.....Get Rid of These!" "Z" pulls out a pair of leather gloves from his pocket, and stuffs them into the compartment in front of him. He simultaneously slips an iron bar from his sleeve on to the footwell floor....
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Originally Posted by IAN DAVID FRYER
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