Her sense of well-being only lasted until she turned the corner into her street. Coming towards her was the unmistakable figure of Ernie Gill, wearing his best suit and strutting jauntily along. When he spotted her, he whisked off his hat to wave at her. Irene stopped in her tracks. He was the last person she wanted to meet but, for old times’ sake, she steeled herself to be pleasant to him.
‘There you are,’ he said, rushing towards her and kissing her on the cheek before replacing his hat. ‘Miss James said that you went to church with your sister.’
‘That’s right, Ernie.’
‘Where is she?’
‘Oh, Dorothy had something to sort out with the churchwarden.’
‘I was looking forward to meeting her.’
‘That … won’t be possible,’ she said, guardedly.
‘I bet you’re wondering how I found you,’ he said, grinning at his cleverness. ‘When we parted in Liverpool, I knew I’d want to see you again and so I followed you back to your digs. I saw you go in and thought I’d let you recover for a day or two before I turned up again.’
‘Mrs Hoskins gave you this address, didn’t she?’ guessed Irene.
‘Yes — your landlady took a bit of persuading, mind you, but she told me you’d come to London. She was used to forwarding letters and things when you were staying with your sister.’ He looked over his shoulder. ‘It’s a nice little house.’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’
‘No, Ernie, it’s … not convenient.’
‘But I was hoping to meet your sister.’
‘Dorothy won’t be here for ages and I have lots to do. I’m sorry but this is a bad time for you to call.’
‘That’s no problem, Irene,’ he said, cheerily. ‘I’ll come back another time. Just you name the day.’
It was the moment when she ought to have told him that she didn’t really wish to see him again but the words simply wouldn’t come out. Instead, Irene stood there and gesticulated nervously. Sensing rejection, Gill spoke with subdued anger.
‘You’re ashamed of me, is that it?’ he challenged.
‘No, no, it’s not that, Ernie.’
‘I’m not good enough to meet your precious sister.’
‘You’ve got hold of the wrong end of the stick.’
‘Then why aren’t you pleased to see me?’
‘I am — in a way,’ she lied.
‘I’m not Miss James,’ he retorted. ‘I’m not blind like that old biddy. I can see it in your face, Irene. You don’t even want to speak to your old shipmate, do you?’
‘Of course I do, Ernie.’
His anger was surging. ‘Then why are you giving me the cold shoulder? I’ve got rights, after all, and I don’t just mean that we sailed together so often. Have you forgotten what happened when we jumped overboard?’ he said, wagging a finger. ‘I didn’t have to come to your rescue, you know. I could have thought only of myself. But I didn’t, Irene. I looked around for you then swam over. I saved your life. Is this all the thanks I get? Don’t you think you owe me something?’
There was hurt as well as accusation in his voice and it melted her resolve. Gill had come to her aid in the water. She would always remember that. After all they’d been through together, it was both wrong and unfair to antagonise him. Irene accepted that now. Reaching out a consoling arm, she touched his shoulder.
‘I would like to see you sometime, Ernie,’ she said with a degree of enthusiasm, ‘only it can’t be today and it can’t be here.’
His chirpiness returned. ‘That suits me,’ he said. ‘Let’s make a date, shall we? Give me a time and place and I’ll be there.’
Joe Keedy was delighted to be invited to tea with the Marmion family. Ordinarily, he would have spent Sunday afternoon with the nurse he’d been courting for some months but she had decided her skills were needed on the Western Front and had volunteered for army service. Sad to see her go, Keedy had admired the impulse that took her across the Channel but they’d made no arrangement to meet up again on her return. The romance was over. In practical terms, it meant that what might have been a pleasant day with his girlfriend had now turned into a yawning chasm. A visit to the Marmion household was the ideal way to fill it.
They had clearly made efforts on his behalf. The place had been thoroughly cleaned, the meal was excellent and the conversation never flagged. Keedy always enjoyed seeing his colleague in his domestic setting where Marmion could relax, smoke his pipe and put the world to rights from his armchair beside the fireplace. Ellen and Alice were so hospitable that he almost felt like a member of the family. There was one proviso to the visit. Ellen insisted that it was a social occasion and that the detectives were not allowed to talk about their work. It was a condition to which both men readily acceded.
When the meal was over and the hours had rolled by, Alice offered to do the washing-up and Keedy insisted on helping her. Alone with him in the kitchen, Alice broke the embargo.
‘What was it like when you went after those two men?’
‘I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about work.’
‘That was Mummy’s idea,’ she said, ‘not mine.’
‘Hasn’t your father already told you?’
‘He’s told me bits of what happened, Joe, but I had the sense that he was holding a lot back. What he did mention was the fight you had with one of the men.’
He was modest. ‘It was over so quickly, Alice.’
‘I don’t believe that. Tell me what happened.’
While she washed the dishes and he wiped them dry, Keedy gave her an abbreviated but straightforward account of their visit to Ypres. He admitted how shocked he was by what he saw at the front and how he feared for the lives of some friends who were fighting there. One particular man came to mind.
‘I wondered if Palm Tree was still alive,’ he said.
‘Who?’
‘His real name was Detective Constable Ralph Palmer but we called him Palm Tree because he was so tall and skinny. The day that war was declared, he resigned his job and joined the 5th Field Company, Royal Engineers. They’re real heroes, Alice.’
‘Are they?’ she asked.
‘They were the unit that dug our army out of Mons then provided them with trenches during the long retreat. They blew up bridges to hinder any pursuit, then they had to rebuild them when the Germans drew back and our lads were able to reclaim territory that they’d just given up. And all this, remember,’ said Keedy, taking another wet plate from her, ‘was done in full view of the enemy infantry. Palm Tree and his company deserve medals.’
‘Where are the Royal Engineers now?’
‘They’re where we left them, Alice — in Flanders. They dug those trenches in Ypres.’
‘Did you never have the urge to join up yourself?’
‘Of course,’ he said, ‘but I’d just been promoted and I felt there was important work to be done on the home front. Well, the current investigation is a case in point.’
‘You’ll never catch all the people in that mob.’
‘That won’t stop us from trying.’
‘What about the killer?’
He was adamant. ‘Oh, that’s one crime we will solve.’
‘How can you be so categorical?’
‘I’m working with your father,’ he said, grinning. ‘And Inspector Marmion has never failed yet. You should know that.’
As they chatted happily, their shoulders touched and both of them enjoyed the proximity. Keedy had always been attracted to Alice but had held back from seeking a closer acquaintance with her because of the age gap between them and because he felt that her father would disapprove. For her part, Alice was very fond of him, though she had never entertained serious thoughts about a closer relationship. Working side by side with him, however, she was increasingly drawn to Keedy and hoped that the pleasure was mutual. It was not the most romantic setting. With her hands in a bowl of water, she could never be seen at her best, and he was hardly at his most dashing while buffing plates with a tea towel. Yet it was companionship of the most satisfying kind. They were at ease with each other.