Faintley Speaking

that the real consignee’ – he paused, but Tomson did not help him – ‘couldn’t tell that it had ever been broken!’

‘Of course not. I sent on the pieces and kept me mouth shut, but there wasn’t no diamonds nor nothing in the parcel, and that I swear.’

‘I’ll bet you kept your mouth shut! What else did you keep?’

‘Not diamonds, I swear it! I sent on the bits, like I said just now, so the other party didn’t worry, I suppose. I said there’d been an accident with the thing. As a matter of fact, I felt properly had. There wasn’t nothing but a leaf of fern.’

‘Who is the other party?’

‘I don’t know. I never only write to box numbers.’

‘What was the number of this particular box?’

‘How d’you expect me to remember? It’s news to me that it’s again’ the law to take parcels in to be called for!’

‘Too right, I believe. Oh, by the way, were all the parcels alike?’

‘Just exactly. Same shape, same weight, same size.’

‘We have evidence that that isn’t true. Don’t try any funny stuff. What were the other parcels like?’

‘I never took in no others.’

‘Don’t be a fool. Anyway, talking of the parcels you admit of accepting, how did the statues reach the end of their journey?’

‘Collected up from this ’ere shop, of course.’

‘By Miss Faintley?’

‘She delivered ’em to me, but she never collected any up.’

‘Well, who did, then?’

‘I dunno.’

‘How do you mean, you don’t know?’

‘All I done, I took in the parcels, see, and give a receipt. ’Ad to show the receipt to prove the package ’ad been ’anded over to my shop, I suppose. Well, when I gets the parcel, I writes to the box number, whatever it is —’

‘How did you know which box number to write to? Was it a regular series?’

‘No. I used to be given a different one each time.’

‘By post? Did you get this information through the post?’

‘That’s right. Type-wrote, envelope and all, giving me the box number they was going to use next.’

‘How often did the parcels come?’

‘There wasn’t no set time. Sometimes it’ud be months, and once I ’ad three in a week.’

‘How many altogether?’

The shopkeeper hesitated; then he handed over a small notebook.

‘It’s all in ’ere. You better stick to it. I been thinking, and I don’t think I want to be mixed up in nothing like murder. Murder’s wicked, that’s what murder is.’

‘Quite right, Tomson. And now, to go back to where we branched off, you say you don’t know who collected the parcels from you. How was that?’

‘Whoever it was ’ad a key to my shop-door. All I done was leave the parcel on the counter as soon as I’d wrote to the box number to say I’d got something for ’em, and then, next night, they’d come along with the key and let theirselves in and out, and take the parcel with ’em.’

‘And you’ve no idea who came?’

‘I wasn’t paid to ’ave ideas, and the pay was reg’lar, whether any parcels come or not.’

‘But you knew, with all this secrecy, that these people couldn’t have been up to any good!’

‘I thought they was on the windy side of the law, but it wasn’t none of my business. And when I seen what there was… the bit of fern, I mean… in that statue, I didn’t worry no more. A man’s got to live, same as what you said yourself just now.’

‘How did you first get into the game? Using this shop for letters that weren’t to be delivered to private houses?’

‘Could ’ave been, couldn’t it? Your guess is as good as mine. It wasn’t nothing wrong.’

‘You’re quite certain?… You wouldn’t care to name any names?’

‘I don’t know no names, that’s what. I’ve told you the truth because I don’t want to get mixed up in no murders.’

‘You haven’t told me the whole truth, as I know for a fact. And don’t bother to tell me you don’t know who Mr Mandsell might be, because I’m sure you do, and, if you don’t, you can guess.’

Tomson swore.

‘I don’t know what happened to it, I tell you!’