‘He can’t confess to something he didn’t do.’
‘You can’t solve every problem with your fists, Mansel,’ said Hambridge, sternly. ‘You’ve been in trouble with the police before for doing that. When are you going to learn your lesson?’
Price smouldered. ‘I can’t change the person I am, Fred,’ he said. ‘At least I was trying to take action. All that Gordon’s been doing is looking for a way to get out of being called up.’
‘That’s not what I was doing at all,’ said Leach, vehemently.
‘Yes, it was.’
‘It was … just one option.’
‘I never took you for a coward until now.’
‘I’m not a coward,’ said Leach, jumping to his feet.
‘Then why were you trying to hide behind Ruby?’
‘Don’t keep on about it!’
‘What happened to the promise to stick together?’
Leach brandished a fist. ‘Shut up, Mansel!’
‘If you want a fight, you can have it,’ said Price, leaping up.
Hambridge got to his feet and pushed them apart. He stared angrily at each of them in turn until they lapsed back into their chairs. Both of them were sulking.
‘That’s the last thing we need,’ he warned. ‘If we fall out with each other, we all stand to lose.’ He sat down beside Price. ‘It’s unfair to keep on at Gordon. He made a mistake and he’s owned up to it. He’s not going to get married until he can do it properly in a church. Isn’t that right, Gordon?’
Leach puffed his cheeks. ‘I don’t know, Fred.’
‘I thought we’d made you change your mind.’
‘You did — but I wasn’t the only one.’
Price was roused again. ‘Are you saying that you are going ahead with that plan to get married as soon as you can?’
‘No, Mansel. It’s not what I want. I see that now.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
‘It’s Ruby. She’s decided that she likes the idea, after all.’
‘You’re not going to let a
‘Be quiet,’ ordered Hambridge. ‘Give him a chance to explain.’ Price subsided. ‘Go ahead, Gordon. Something’s happened, hasn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ said Leach. ‘We had a row.’
‘You’re always having a row with Ruby,’ said Price.
‘This was a serious one. Her family have ganged up on me. They prefer to have a son-in-law who’s at liberty rather than someone who gets locked up in prison. Even though it would be in a register office, Ruby could still wear her bridal dress.’
Price erupted. ‘Then you must do the same!’ he shouted. ‘You can wear sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance for doing the dirty on your friends.’
‘I didn’t agree to go along with it, Mansel.’
‘That’s a relief, anyway,’ said Hambridge.
‘I never expected this to happen.’
‘You’ve known the bloody girl for years,’ said Price. ‘You must have learnt the way Ruby’s mind works by now.’
Leach raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘If only I did!’
‘It’s time you put her in her place, Gordon.’
‘You can’t use force with Ruby. You have to get your way by reason. In this case, unfortunately, she wasn’t ready to listen to it.’
‘You did make her the offer,’ Hambridge told him.
‘I should have kept my big mouth shut.’
‘So what will happen now?’
Leach gestured his despair. ‘I don’t know, Fred,’ he admitted. ‘I honestly don’t know. When I told Ruby that I’d changed my mind, she went mad. At the moment it doesn’t look as if we’ll have a wedding of
They went to a nearby cafe and found a table in a quiet corner. Over a frugal meal, Alice told Keedy about the way that she’d been trailed from the bus stop.
‘I doubt very much if he’ll bother you again,’ he said. ‘I think I frightened him off for good. I should have arrested him, but the priority was to comfort you.’
‘I was so grateful to see you, Joe.’
‘I was hiding in the porch, ready to surprise you.’
‘And there was me thinking I’d never see you while you were tied up in this case. How did you manage to get off work? Daddy usually puts in fifteen or sixteen hours a day on a big investigation — sometimes more.’
Keedy told here about his night-time vigil and the subsequent arrest of Robbie Gill. While she admired his tenacity, she was horrified to think that anyone could want to celebrate the murder of a young man by painting some provocative words on the side of his house. He asked her about her own work and she boasted about the way she’d been able to mend an engine. He took her hand between his palms.
‘That’s not what beautiful hands like these should be doing, Alice.’
‘I had no choice. Someone had to get that lorry working.’
‘Are you still enjoying the WEC?’
‘Yes, Joe,’ she replied. ‘No two days are the same and I’ve made a lot of new friends. It’s much more exciting than teaching. My one regret is about Mummy, of course. Daddy and I have left her stranded in the house.’
‘I don’t want to sound harsh but you must think of yourself. Much as I like Ellen, she was holding you back. You needed space of your own.’
‘I realise that now.’
‘It means you’ve been able to do things that were just not possible before.’
Alice laughed. ‘That’s certainly true.’
‘Does your mother suspect anything?’ he asked, releasing her hand.
‘No, she doesn’t.’
‘Ellen has always sniffed things out in the past.’
‘Not this time, Joe.’
‘And you’ve said nothing to her?’
‘Of course not,’ she said with a frown of indignation. ‘It’s what we agreed, isn’t it? Besides, what is there to tell? We’ve only seen each other three or four times.’
‘Five — you’re not counting this evening.’
‘The one thing that Mummy really wanted to know was where I’d spent New Year’s Eve. I told her the truth. I went to a party with friends. What I didn’t say was that you happened to be one of them.’
Keedy chuckled. ‘It was a wonderful night!’
‘I remember every second of it.’
They ate their food and drank their cups of tea, content simply to be in each other’s company. Alice liked to think that being in the WEC had toughened her and made her able to cope with any contingencies. The incident with the stalker had taught her that she was still vulnerable. All over London there were attractive young women who’d lost their husbands or their boyfriends to the army and who lacked the protection they gave. Alice had been assaulted by one of the predators who roamed the suburbs in search of their perverted pleasure. She’d been lucky. But for Keedy, she could have been in serious trouble.
‘Carry a weapon with you next time,’ he advised.
‘That’s illegal, Joe.’
‘I’m not talking about knives and guns.’
She giggled. ‘So what do you recommend — a knuckleduster?’
‘No, Alice. I meant something you probably have in your handbag already. Next time you think you’re being followed, take out a pair of scissors or a nail file and hold them ready. One good jab will scare most men off.’
