‘You don’t need to know. I’ll tell you everything.’

‘Then let’s start with the facts, Mr Suggs.’

‘I’m giving them to you,’ claimed the other.

‘If you live with your parents,’ observed Marmion, dryly, ‘there must be a very nasty smell in the house because, according to your neighbours, they both died years ago. You live alone and that raises the question of why you didn’t invite Lettie — or whatever her real name is — to your home.’ He narrowed his eyelids. ‘What are you trying to hide, Mr Suggs? And what were you really doing in that outhouse?’

CHAPTER NINE

Having finished her shift, Alice Marmion was still in uniform as she made her way back to her flat. On a previous bus journey there she’d once been stalked, but her new status protected her from unwanted attention. It was an important bonus. The uniform had another advantage. It reassured her landlady, a watchful old woman who believed that the virtue of all four young female tenants under her roof was in constant danger and who’d devised a system of rules to keep men at bay. They were only allowed onto the premises between limited hours and confined to the drawing room, a place in which all the chairs were deliberately set apart from each other to discourage any form of intimacy. Alice had entertained Joe Keedy there once and their conversation had been interrupted at regular intervals by the landlady, checking to see that her rules were being obeyed.

Notwithstanding the strict regime, Alice liked living there. The rooms had generous proportions and she got on well with the other tenants. While she’d lost all the comforts of her own home, she’d gained a precious independence. That made the move there very worthwhile. She could spread her wings. When she got to the house and let herself in, she intended to climb the stairs to her room but she was intercepted by her visitor. Ellen came bounding out of the drawing room, waving a letter.

Alice gasped in surprise. ‘What are you doing here, Mummy?’

‘I just had to tell somebody. We’ve had a letter from Paul.’

‘That’s wonderful — what does he say?’

‘Read it yourself,’ said Ellen, thrusting it at her. ‘He’s coming home on leave next week. I can’t wait.’

Alice took the letter then moved into the drawing room to read it. Her brother had spidery handwriting and a shaky grasp of grammar but that didn’t matter. He was coming home. Having been away in France for what seemed like an inordinately long time, he’d finally been given leave. It would be a blessed relief for Paul himself and a delight for the rest of the family. Thrilled by the good news, Alice was also slightly disappointed by the letter. Though her brother had been told about the two major changes in her life — her move to the police and engagement to Joe Keedy — there was no mention of either. Did that mean Paul disapproved of both? It troubled her.

‘I hope you didn’t mind me coming,’ said Ellen.

Alice returned the letter. ‘Not at all, Mummy,’ she said, brightly. ‘I’m so glad you did. If Daddy had been in his office, of course, you could have phoned him there from home but he’s out of reach at the moment. He’ll be so pleased.’

‘The same goes for Joe. He and Paul always liked each other.’

‘Yes, they did.’

‘Anyway, I have something else for you as well. Knowing the interest you took in the case, I bought the lunchtime edition.’ Taking the newspaper from her bag, she handed it over. ‘I wish that they could find a better photo of your father.’

Alice studied the front page. ‘It does make him look sinister, doesn’t it?’

‘You’d think he was the bomber instead of the person who’s after him.’

‘Thank you, Mummy. I’ll enjoy reading this.’

‘That’s more than I did. Some of the details are very upsetting and you can see the damage that was done by the explosion. I know I’ve said it a hundred times but I’d never make a detective. I’m far too sensitive.’

‘You have to develop a thick skin.’

‘Then I’ll stay as a housewife. I’m good at that and it suits me.’ She looked Alice up and down. ‘What kind of a day have you had?’

Folding up the newspaper, Alice clicked her tongue then sighed.

‘Oh, it was a lot less exciting than being involved in a murder investigation.’

‘Did you have any trouble with the inspector?’

‘There was a little bit of friction but it soon passed.’

‘She ought to be grateful to have you there.’

‘Gratitude is not her strong suit,’ said Alice, rolling her eyes. ‘She tackled me this morning about the explosion. Had I been discussing it with my father? Did I have any inside information? Was I overstepping my authority? And so on.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I denied the accusations, of course. I admit nothing to Gale Force.’

‘You could always apply for a transfer.’

‘That would mean conceding defeat and I won’t give her that satisfaction. The inspector will get fed up with chivvying me one day and find a new victim. However,’ she added, ‘that’s enough about me. Now that you’re here, I’ll make you a cup of tea. Then we must talk about the welcome we’re going to lay on for Paul. We must really push the boat out for him.’

While he sat in the back of the car outside the police station, Joe Keedy flipped through his notebook to refresh his memory. In terms of gathering information about the victims, it had been a productive day. On the other hand, they seemed no nearer to identifying the bomber. Marmion had told him about the interview with Alan Suggs and how he was certain that the driver wasn’t in any way connected to the crime. A prime suspect had therefore been removed. He needed to be replaced. Keedy could imagine what Marmion was doing. Having rung the superintendent to bring him up to date with developments, he’d now be listening to an irritating series of complaints and commands from Claude Chatfield. Nothing short of an arrest would placate him and that seemed to be a very long way off.

Putting his notebook away, Keedy took out his wallet and extracted the sepia photograph of Alice that he carried everywhere with him. He turned it over to read the message she’d written. After all this time, he still found it touching. It was strange to think that, when he first met her, she was barely into her teens. Neither of them had ever thought for a moment that their destiny was to be together. Turning the photo over again, he let his eyes dwell lovingly on her face until a dark shadow fell across it. Harvey Marmion was standing beside the car with such a look of displeasure that Keedy hastily put the photo away in the wallet. Marmion opened the door and climbed in beside him.

‘What did Chat have to say?’ asked Keedy.

‘I’ll give you one guess.’

‘He wants a visible sign of progress.’

‘He wants more than that, Joe. He’s demanding a blooming miracle. This case has aroused national interest. Chat insists on a swift resolution.’

‘Then he should lend us his magic wand. We certainly haven’t got one.’

‘The phone call wasn’t entirely made up of the usual diatribe.’

‘You mean that he actually had something useful to say?’

‘Yes,’ replied Marmion. ‘Enough of the bomb and the timer were recovered to send back to the lab. First reports suggest it’s a fairly sophisticated device. In short, we’re up against a pro.’

‘Well, there are plenty of those at the munitions factory. It’s their trade. Are you sure that one them wasn’t working hand in glove with Suggs? He could have got an accomplice into that outhouse and kept watch.’

‘The only accomplice that Suggs had was young, compliant and female. He has quite a private life, it turns out. Royston Liddle told me that Suggs took a woman in there on a few occasions but he missed out a significant detail.’

‘What was that, Harv?’

‘It wasn’t always the same woman.’