Gently leant a freshly filled pipe to his lighter. ‘No,’ he said, ‘it didn’t. She didn’t go to the pictures.’ He gave a few puffs and adjusted matters with his thumb.
‘Then you’re reckoning that she was in the house during the afternoon?’
‘It could be that.’
‘And Fisher was there with her and she set him on to get rid of the old man and they swiped the money just for a blind. It’s not a bad line at that!’ exclaimed Hansom admiringly.
Gently smiled at the far-flung Pylades. ‘You’ve got a lurid imagination,’ he said.
‘And young Peter comes in and nearly messes things up. They watch him quarrelling through the transom lights, and see the old man give him a note which might be traced and realize it’s a pip. Fisher goes in and does the job, and then they slide out and collect alibis. Why, it’s a natural!’
‘And how about the knife in the trunk?’
‘Oh blast, you can surely think of something to cover that!’
Gently’s smile widened to include the still-vexed Bermoothes. ‘It’s an interesting conjecture. There’s only one element lacking.’
‘And what would that be?’
‘Proof,’ said Gently simply, ‘there isn’t a grain of it.’ And he blew a playful little smoke-ring over his colleague’s close-cropped head.
Alan Hunter
Gently Does It
CHAPTER SIX
L EAMING BY DAYLIGHT was as handsome as ever. When he came in he immediately produced his gold cigarette case and offered everybody one of his hand-made cigarettes. Hansom and the constable accepted. Gently had only just puffed his pipe into flavoursome maturity. Leaming took a cigarette himself, tapped it on the case, twisted it between his lips and lit it with a slim, gold-plated lighter. Then he sat down, and with a jet of smoke from each nostril indicated that he was alert and attentive.
Gently said: ‘You’ll be able to tell me — who got the City’s first goal yesterday? Was it Robson?’
Leaming glanced at him in surprise. ‘It was Smethick, actually,’ he said. ‘He scored from a free kick after a foul on Jones S.’
Gently murmured: ‘Ah yes, in the twenty-second minute.’
A correction seemed to hover on Leaming’s lips, but eventually he said nothing.
‘I don’t suppose we shall need to keep you very long, Mr Leaming,’ Hansom said. ‘We’d just like to know a few routine details.’
‘Glad to help you in any way.’
‘What time did you leave the yard yesterday?’
Leaming thought and answered carefully: ‘At twenty past one.’
‘Were you the last person to leave?’
‘Yes. I usually lock up personally.’
‘Is the entire yard locked up, or only the office and buildings?’
‘The office and buildings. But there is a boom across the entrance to prevent unauthorized vehicles entering and parking.’
‘But that would not prevent persons from entering or leaving the yard?’
‘It would not — there is an unlocked side-gate in any case.’
Gently asked: ‘Isn’t it tempting providence to allow free access to the yard in that manner?’
Leaming shrugged and breathed smoke. ‘There’s nothing to steal but timber. Nobody would manhandle a load of that right across the yard to the gate — especially under the eye of Mr Huysmann. His bedroom windows look down on the yard.’
Hansom continued: ‘When did you last see Mr Huysmann?’
‘He left the office at about ten past one. He looked into my office to say that he was going to London on Monday.’
‘Did he say what for?’
‘To pay Olsens’ for the last quarter’s shipments. Olsens’ are our agents at Wapping.’
‘Was it usual for Mr Huysmann to make payment in person?’
‘Oh yes, invariably. And always by cash — it was one of his eccentricities.’
‘About how much would the quarterly payment amount to?’
Leaming thought unhurriedly. ‘This quarter’s was eleven thousand three hundred and twenty-seven pounds plus some odd shillings, less three per cent for cash.’
‘Did you notice anything unusual about Mr Huysmann yesterday morning?’
‘Nothing in particular. He was a little — ah — agitated because his son was in town. I believe he thought that Peter only came to Norchester to annoy him, but that’s by the way. He mentioned the will again and said that after Easter he proposed to call on his solicitors.’
‘Did he lead you to suppose that he expected a visit from his son?’
‘As a matter of fact, he did say something of the sort, or at least something which might be construed that way. He said (he had a peculiar way of speaking): “He’ll find me ready for him, Leaming, ja, ja, he’ll find me ready.”’
‘And you think it might have referred to an expected visit?’
‘It might have referred to his intention to change his will, of course, but since then I’ve wondered.’
‘Would you say that he stood in any fear of his son?’
‘Oh, I don’t know about that. He had acted, I think, a little unwisely towards Peter, and Peter had a temper, but to say he “stood in fear” is laying it on a bit.’
‘But you would say that he was apprehensive?’
‘He was always nervous when Peter was in Norchester.’
‘To your knowledge, had Peter ever visited him before since he left home?’
‘Not to my knowledge.’
‘They had never met since Peter absconded with the money?’
‘Never.’
Hansom stubbed the end of the hand-made cigarette into his ashtray and reached for his cigar case by way of afters. Leaming sat watching, handsome and unabashed, while the Inspector carved the tip off a Corona and lit it carefully all round. ‘Hah!’ said Hansom. Leaming smiled politely.
‘Where did you go after you’d locked up?’ continued Hansom.
‘I went home for lunch.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘I live at Monk’s Thatch, at Haswick.’
‘Do you live alone?’
‘I have a housekeeper, a Mrs Lambert, and a gardener who comes in daily.’
‘Were they there when you went home for lunch?’
‘The housekeeper was, of course, but the gardener had knocked off. He came back later and I gave him a lift to Railway Road.’
‘What time did you arrive home?’
‘About a quarter to two.’
‘What time did you leave again?’
‘It was just on twenty to three — I was rather late. It isn’t easy to get to the car park through the crowds.’
‘And what time did you get to Railway Road?’
‘It was just turned three. I dropped Rogers (that’s my gardener) off at the station end and went on to park my car. By the time I’d done that it was quarter past and I missed the kick-off.’
