The Stratford Murder

I had been walking out together for six weeks or so. We had a lovely quiet stroll one Tuesday evening, then we said goodnight with a little kiss and I returned to my lodgings and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I discovered we’d declared war on Germany while I was asleep. Two days later he told me he’d volunteered for Kitchener’s Army with a few of his pals. I was shocked and told him not to, but he said it was too late, he’d taken the king’s shilling, and that was that. Next thing I knew, he was off. I wrote to him all the time, of course, and he wrote back when he could. Everyone said the war would be over by Christmas and Robbie’d come home a hero, and I believed them. But Christmas came and went, and he was still in France. They gave him a few days’ leave the next year and we got married, but he had to go straight back. Six months later he was killed.’

‘I’m very sorry to hear that.’

‘Thank you. It was in May 1916 – he was in the Royal Field Artillery and was killed in a German attack near Vimy Ridge. They told me later it was the heaviest shelling of the war up to then. His battery was eight miles behind the front-line trenches, but even so a German shell hit his gun pit and they were all killed.’

Jago nodded again, not wanting to intrude too quickly with his questions.

‘That sort of thing leaves you numb,’ she continued. ‘You feel like you might as well be dead yourself. But don’t get me wrong – it was still a shock to find that woman strangled. It’s bad enough having the enemy coming over and bombing us, without some swine of our own going round murdering innocent women – assuming she was an innocent woman, of course. I didn’t know her.’

‘But you’re an ARP warden,’ said Jago. ‘Aren’t you supposed to know everyone who lives in your area?’

‘Yes, but that wasn’t my sector. I’d just been sent over to prepare a damage report for the post warden. I didn’t even clap eyes on the warden responsible for Carpenters Road.’

‘I see. Now can you just clarify something for me? Was it you who told the fireman to break in?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why didn’t you just kick the door open yourself? It looked pretty flimsy to me.’

‘As far as I knew, that would’ve been against regulations. And anyway, I didn’t know what it looked like until we got there. I’d tried the front door but there was no answer, so I assumed we’d probably have to break in. By the time I saw the back door, the fireman was there with his axe, so I asked him to do it.’

‘Did you disturb anything in the flat, touch anything?’

‘I don’t think so. The only thing I did was close the blackout curtains. The light was on, you see.’

‘Did you turn the light off?’

‘No – I mean not at first, but I did turn it off when we left.’

‘Who went in first?’

‘That was me. Mr Evans opened the door and let me go in, then he followed.’

‘And which of you found the body?’

‘I did. It was in the bedroom.’

‘Did you notice whether the dead woman was wearing any rings?’

‘Rings? I’ve no idea. I didn’t have time to examine the body. We had to get it out.’

‘Whose idea was it to remove the body from the flat?’

‘I’m not sure. I think we just decided.’

‘Did you discuss it?’

‘Yes. I said we ought to get the body out, because it looked as though the poor woman had been murdered – I don’t suppose it’s very easy to commit suicide in that way.’

‘And Mr Evans agreed?’

‘No, he didn’t, actually, now you mention it – not at first. He said, “Let the dead bury their dead” – you know, like in the Bible. He’s Welsh, of course, or at least he said he was, and they’re always quoting the Bible, aren’t they? Anyway, he said that, and when I asked him what he meant, he said she was dead, and nothing was going to bring her back, and he ought to be outside putting fires out and saving the living, not wasting time getting a body out of a building. I said, “But I can’t get her out by myself, and besides, what would people think of us if we left her in here and the place caught on fire? And what about the police, too?” This poor woman would’ve been murdered and we would’ve destroyed all the evidence. I said to him, “If we leave her in here and it burns down, the police might even think we had something to do with it.”’

‘And then what?’

‘Well, that seemed to make sense to him, because he suddenly changed his mind and started picking her up. Got her in one of those fireman’s lifts, you know – I could never have done it. I just helped holding doors open and so on. So we got her out and put her on the pavement, where you found her. I took a blanket from the bedroom as we left so I could cover her up – I didn’t know how long it would be before the police came, and I didn’t want her to be lying out there for all the world to see.’

‘So it was your idea to get the body out and preserve the evidence?’

‘Yes, that’s right. Why?’

‘Oh, nothing. I’m just making sure I get the facts straight. I got the impression from Mr Evans that it was more of a joint decision.’

‘Well, I suppose it was – in the end.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Will that be all? It’s just that I’m very tired.’

‘Of course. I’m grateful for your assistance. I hope your next shift isn’t quite so dramatic.’

‘There’s no need to worry about me, Inspector. I’m used to it now. In fact, to tell you the truth, there’s nowhere I’d rather