‘There’s little more to say. Mr Chantry assisted me outside and I joined Linda who, very distressed and bewildered, was waiting for me on the pavement. Naturally I was chiefly concerned with her welfare but I did, thank God, thank Walter Chantry most sincerely. Just as I was expressing my gratitude, rather incoherently I fear, we heard cries coming from the direction of the public house by the old Sally Gate. All the buildings in that direction seemed to have disappeared, as far as one could tell through the rain and the darkness, but there were these cries. Immediately Walter Chantry, with a resolution typical of the man, broke into my speech of thanks and said that he must go and do what he could to help the other victims of this terrible disaster. I attempted to dissuade him – the hazardous nature of the operation was self-evident – but to no avail. He hurried off into the night.’
‘Did you see him again?’ asked Dover. ‘I did not. At that time Linda was my first concern. She was only wearing a nightdress and, as we could hear more buildings collapsing around us, I began to lead her away from the danger area. We had barely gone more than a few yards when we encountered Mr and Mrs Lickes.’
‘Yes, I know all about that.’ Dover had met some pompous bores in his time but he reckoned Wing Commander Pile took the biscuit. ‘Mrs Lickes brought your daughter back here and you returned to your house to get some clothes or something. And Chantry’s son-in-law turned up, didn’t he?’
‘That is correct. Mr Chantry had sent him back to get some assistance. Lickes went off with him and I returned to my house to salvage what I could in the way of clothes for myself and Linda. I had intended then to join Mr Chantry but there seemed to be a lot of noise and confusion coming from the opposite direction. I went over there to see what was happening and the chaos I found was quite unbelievable. It was only to be expected, of course. Civilians have very little idea of proper organization. What was lacking was firm overall control and direction. That sort of thing is somewhat less glamorous than digging through piles of stones and bricks with your bare hands but it was absolutely essential in the kind of emergency we were faced with.’ Wing Commander Pile’s face took on a glow of noble self-sacrifice. ‘Since I had the experience, I felt I had no choice but to take control until the proper authorities arrived.’
‘Bully for you,’ said Dover.
‘I am glad you think so. Others, unfortunately, were not so appreciative.’
Dover was sympathetic. He’d been accused of shirking too often himself not to understand what it felt like. ‘There’s always some unco-operative bastard standing around and criticizing,’ he observed.
Wing Commander Pile agreed. ‘There were several that night,’ he said grimly. ‘However, it is not my habit to be deflected from doing my duty by petty jealousy. I made a quick appreciation and came to the conclusion that the area on the far side of East Street was the one on which we should concentrate. The damage was nothing like so severe there, but that merely meant that the prospects of finding survivors were enhanced. I set about organizing my working parties and continued directing the operations in that area for the rest of the night.’
‘So you didn’t see Chantry again?’
‘No. I assumed he was still working over Sally Gate area. When I was relieved of my command responsibilities by the arrival of the professional squads, I naturally made my way directly back here to the Blenheim Towers. I still had Linda to consider.’
‘Hm.’ Dover heaved himself up in bed and tried to think of something keen and penetrating to say. ‘Was Chantry a friend of yours?’
Wing Commander Pile considered the question with the solemnity of a High Court judge. ‘Yes, I think you could say that he was. Not an intimate friend, perhaps, but a friend none the less. I have only been living in Sully Martin for a few months and Mr Chantry was one of the first people I met. I bought my house from him, as a matter of fact. Our business relations were extremely cordial and, as I got to know him better, my respect for him grew. He was a man of real integrity, moral stature and strength of character. I may tell you, chief inspector, that those are qualities for which I have the highest regard. It is the tragedy of modem society that it has lost all sense of decency and honour. You may have heard that Mr Chantry had great plans for Sully Martin? Ah – I imagined that Mr Lickes would have something to say on that subject. Well, you must understand that Mr Chantry was not only, or even primarily, concerned with bricks and mortar and landscape gardening. He wanted to create an environment of moral beauty as well. This, he knew, was not going to be easy to achieve. There are subversive elements in this village which must be tom out by the roots. Immoral elements! Don’t let the smooth exterior of Sully Martin mislead you! Beneath the surface is filth! There are people in our midst who, in happier days, would have been burnt at the stake. Perverts, fornicators, adulterers!’
Dover wriggled uncomfortably. He was dying for a cup of tea and he resented being addressed as though he was a revivalist meeting. Blimey, fancy getting worked up into a muck sweat over a bit of bucolic slap and tickle! The pompous git ought to thank his lucky stars he’d nothing more serious to worry about.
Wing Commander Pile extracted a spotless white handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the palms of his hands. ‘I
