‘They sent detectives then,’ he said, waving his arms about. ‘About time an’ all.’
‘I’m not with you,’ Salter said.
The manager, a large man with a shock of white hair, frowned. The gesture caused his bushy brown eyebrows to draw together like a caterpillar crawling across his forehead. ‘Lord have mercy,’ he muttered.
‘Have the goodness to explain why you think we are here,’ Riley said in an impatient, clipped tone.
‘The thefts,’ he said patiently, as though speaking to an imbecile.
‘We are Scotland Yard detectives,’ Salter replied. ‘Stuff like that needs to be reported to the local police.’
‘I have reported it. Repeatedly. They keep promising to do something about it but sod all seems to happen and my supplies continue to evaporate. I even employed a night watchman, but nothing changed. I reckon he falls asleep on the job and the thieving bastards nick my stuff while he snores. It’s hopeless.’
‘We shall see what we can do for you,’ Riley assured him. ‘In the meantime, we would appreciate a word with Sam Dawson.’
The manager narrowed his eyes. ‘Why? What’s he done?’
‘None of your business,’ Salter replied. ‘Just send for him and be quick about it.’
The manager continued to protest but eventually sent for Sam, emphasising that he couldn’t be kept from his work for long. The manager had a schedule to keep to and he didn’t need any distractions from it. Riley refrained from pointing out that the interview would take as long as it took and asked the manager to give them some privacy. He did so, still grumbling as he left the hut, shouting at some hapless apprentice who had the misfortune to cross his path.
Sam appeared after a few minutes, scowling and grimy.
‘You found who killed my wastrel of a brother yet?’ he asked by way of greeting, looking to Riley as though he was on edge. He swiped a beefy forearm across his brow and slumped against a wall, causing the flimsy structure to wobble. Riley hoped that their permanent structures were of better quality. ‘Can’t think why else you’d want to speak to me. I’ve told you all I knew about his life.’
‘Did you know that your brother was engaged to be married?’ Riley asked.
Sam guffawed. ‘Never! He weren’t the marrying type. Didn’t know how to be faithful. Didn’t see no point in it. Ma would have loved to see her blue-eyed boy settled,’ he added, a bitter edge to his voice, ‘but it weren’t gonna happen. He told me once that he failed to see the point in sticking to one when he could play the field and never want for variety.’
‘You sound envious,’ Riley said.
Sam looked at the floor and shrugged one beefy shoulder. ‘He reckoned he’d never seen a marriage that didn’t turn sour.’
‘Was he suggesting that applied in your case?’
‘Course not.’ But Sam glanced away and Riley knew that he’d struck a chord.
‘About his proposal for a sporting club.’
‘Yeah?’ Sam kicked at a loose floorboard. ‘What of it?’
‘We ask the questions,’ Salter point out. ‘You answer them, less you want us to take you back to Scotland Yard and ask them there.’
‘Yeah, I knew about it, and I also knew that he wanted my Ruth to work there.’
Riley hid his surprise at that revelation. ‘How long have you known about his approach to Ruth?’ he asked.
‘Since she told me herself the other night. She didn’t have no intention of doing it. Well, she couldn’t. She’s up the duff, and I know John only approached her to rile me. It’s the sort of thing he would do for a laugh. But he’s always had an eye for Ruth and kept telling me he couldn’t understand what she saw in someone like me what lacked ambition. Told me she must regret marrying me ’cause she could have done better.’
‘That must have irked.’
‘Nah! I just ignored him most of the time, and gave him a slap when he really got on my wick. Like most bullies, he backed down when confronted by someone who weren’t scared of him.’
‘We are fairly sure that your brother had found a woman he wanted to settle down with but we’re having trouble finding her,’ Riley said.
‘She’ll be wealthy, that’s for sure, and probably already married.’ Sam was having trouble hiding his envy. ‘What about the woman he worked for? He was keen on her.’
‘Would he have confided in your mother, given that she was so keen for him to settle down?’
‘Hell no! Ma could no more keep a secret that big than she could fly to the moon. You know how women gossip.’
Riley couldn’t think of more questions and let the man go.
‘That was clever,’ he remarked to Salter as they walked away.
‘Admitting he knew about Ruth’s offer of employment?’ Salter nodded. ‘I thought that too. If he didn’t know in advance, he had no reason to kill his brother.’
‘Precisely, other than envy. He pretends to disapprove of the way Ezra lived, but secretly he wanted to be more like him. It would beat slaving away on a building site.’
‘He’s got a short temper, that one.’
‘Yes, Jack, he has. Anyway, let’s go and see the mother. I don’t want to talk to her particularly. She will have nothing worthwhile to tell us; Sam was right about that much at least. But I suspect that Ruth will be there, looking after the old lady like a dutiful daughter-in-law should. Sam will have insisted.’
‘He wants to be the old girl’s favourite now that Ezra’s gone?’
‘That’s the impression I’m getting. Anyway, if Ruth isn’t there, we’ll track her down to her home.’
It was Ruth who opened the door to her mother-in-law’s apartment, sporting a black eye and looking
