Jim shook his head again.
‘He had good cause,’ he said. ‘But he saved my life, you know.’
‘Yes, you said. How did that happen?’
‘Yes, he saved my life. It’s only because of him that I’m here.’
Laura felt awkward. She wasn’t getting anywhere with her questions. It seemed as if she and Jim were stuck in a loop. He gave the impression of being unwilling or perhaps unable to divulge anything further.
‘He didn’t need to do it,’ Jim went on. ‘Could have left me for dead. He was a good man. Tom Ellis. The best.’
After a pause, Laura asked, ‘Have you ever heard of anyone called Arthur, or Alfred, Stone?’
‘Stone? Arthur Stone?’ Jim went into deep thought. ‘Can’t say I have. There were a few Arthurs in the camp, of course, but I don’t remember anyone called Stone. I’m sorry. Why do you ask?’
‘It’s just that Dad said that if I wanted to find out about his story, I should ask this Mr. Stone. But he didn’t say who it was.’
‘Well, why don’t you look in the records of the regiment. Your father was in the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, if I remember correctly. There might be a list, or a register of POWs at the Imperial War Museum. They’ve got lots of records there. Old diaries, all sorts of stuff.’
‘Thank you. That’s a very good idea. I’ll go there tomorrow if I can.’
She got to her feet.
‘I should be going, I’m afraid. I’ve got lots to do at home.’
‘Tom was very lucky with his family. I didn’t have any children … Couldn’t, I should say. My wife died very young. You married?’
‘No,’ said Laura.
‘But you were with someone at the funeral, weren’t you? That long-haired fellow.’
‘Yes. He’s a friend.’
She thought about how she’d spent last night in her childhood bedroom, alone, listening for the sound of the front door, waiting for Luke’s footsteps on the path. He hadn’t even phoned to say where he was.
She followed Jim through the dim hallway to the front door.
‘You know, I always kept tabs on Tom Ellis. I always knew where he was, what he was doing. I know he did a lot of good work in that law centre he founded, didn’t he? Helped out immigrants and poor people who couldn’t afford a solicitor.’
‘Yes. He did.’
‘It was only lately that I tried to talk to him though.’
‘Why was that?’
‘Oh, because I had some bad news a couple of months back. I’ve been ill for a while. Went for all sorts of tests. Finally found out that I’ve got cancer of the bowel. To tell you the truth, I don’t have very long to live. I wanted to make my peace with Tom before I went. But, sadly, he went before I managed to do that.’
Laura felt a rush of pity for this frail old man.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. How dreadful. Look, would you like me to come and see you again?’
‘No. That’s very kind of you, except I’m going into hospital for treatment tomorrow. They’re not sure how successful it’s going to be.’
‘Would you like me to visit you in hospital?’
‘No, no. I probably won’t be feeling up to much. I’m so glad you came to see me, though. I feel as though I have made my peace with Tom. Well, partly anyway. You do remind me of him. You have his dark hair, and that sort of knowing expression he used to have.’
Laura shook his bony hand as she left. As she went down the steps, she turned and smiled. Jim was raising his right hand in an unsteady wave; he looked so vulnerable standing on the doorstep in his baggy clothes, his face strained and grey with pain. As she walked away, her eyes filled with tears.
The next day Laura set off for the Imperial War Museum, as Jim Leech had suggested. She needed to distract herself, having spent another restless night at her father’s house, listening out for Luke, alternating feverishly between worrying about where he was and being angry at him for having walked out on her. She wondered if he’d broken the injunction and gone back to the picket line. Or if he’d gone to the latest squat to sleep with one of the hippy girls. How could he leave her at a time like this?
Part of her wished she’d never met him, or become involved with him, and that she’d stuck to the straightforward men she’d always dated. Like Matt. She had always known where she had stood with Matt, even if he was sometimes boring and predicable. He would never have left her alone like this, after leading her to believe that he would be there to support her. Why did Luke do that? If he’d just walked away and never shown her any kindness after Dad had died, it would have been easier to take. Perhaps she would have been better with another safe bet, like Adam, after all.
She tried to put Luke out of her mind as she took the tube to Lambeth and walked to the museum. She told the receptionist that she was looking for records from the war in the Far East. She was taken upstairs in an antiquated lift by a very young assistant librarian, to the reading room.
‘I’m afraid my colleague is off sick today. He’s the real expert on the Far East, but I’ll do what I can to help,’ the girl said nervously. She looked as though she was just out of college. In an effort to look the part, she had tied back her hair severely and wore heavy horn-rimmed glasses.
The girl led Laura to the records of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, which were stored in a leather-bound volume high up on a dark shelf, just under the vaulted roof.
Laura opened the volume, her hands shaking, and scanned the list. She was shocked to see ‘killed in action’ or ‘POW in Japanese hands. Died in captivity’ printed beside so many of
