Marmion nodded. ‘He pinched them from someone’s grave.’
‘That was my guess and I think Maud realised it as well. Until I got there, she was enjoying the flowers. I felt sorry I had to bring her down to earth with a bang. Anyway,’ Keedy went on, ‘when I left her, I had a word with her son.’
‘What did Mr Crowther have to say for himself?’
‘He’s like me, Harv. He thinks that watering the beer should be a criminal offence. I bet they’re drinking a stronger brew in Berlin.’
‘Did you tell him that Waldron had been arrested?’
‘Yes, and he was flabbergasted.’
‘What about those trousers?’
‘I asked him if he noticed any bloodstains on them when Waldron got back to the pub but he said he didn’t pay any attention to what he was wearing.’
‘He paid enough attention to observe that Waldron looked much cleaner.’
‘That’s true,’ said Keedy. ‘There’s not much that Stan Crowther misses — apart from the fact that his mother has a weird taste in men, that is. Then something very odd happened.’
‘And what was that, Joe?’
‘Well, I never thought that anything could throw him off balance. A landlord in that part of London must see some pretty strange behaviour. All sorts of rough-and-ready customers come in and out and Crowther doesn’t turn a hair. When I asked him a simple question, however,’ Keedy recalled, ‘it upset him for some reason. All I wanted to know was whether or not he could think of another way that the blood could have ended up on Waldron’s trousers.’
It was late afternoon when they finally got away. Hannah Billington drove her car with Alice in the passenger seat. Both wore their uniforms but Alice had been told to bring a dress into which she could change at the house. They chatted amiably all the way to Hampstead then turned into the road where Hannah lived. As they swung into a drive, Alice looked up at the building with her mouth agape. It was even bigger than she’d expected, a house in the Regency style with startling symmetry, a balustrade along the edge of the roof and a marble portico. The facade was arresting. Alice thought of the little three-bedroomed, semi-detached house where she and her family had lived. Beside this mansion, it would look like a glorified shed.
Hannah used a key to let her in, then took her upstairs to show her where the bathroom was. Alice was amazed at its size and its facilities. She already had dozens of startling details about the house to pass on to Vera Dowling. After taking off her uniform, she washed with the perfumed soap then put on her dress, checking her appearance in the full-length mirror. When she heard the rattle of cups from downstairs, she went to investigate in what turned out to be the dining room, another place with generous proportions and a high ceiling with plaster moulding. Everything about the room was redolent of class, money and exquisite taste. The cook-housekeeper was a short, plump woman in her forties wearing a dark dress and a white apron. After giving the guest a warm smile, she went off to the kitchen.
Alice looked at the plates of food on the table. It was more like a banquet than an afternoon snack. Triangular sandwiches of different varieties were laid out on the three levels of a silver stand. On each of the three plates was an array of different cakes. A selection of biscuits had been artfully arranged on the largest plate of all. Other items of food were held in reserve at the far end of the table. Alice’s immediate thought was that the meal was in open defiance of rationing. She couldn’t imagine how the cook had got hold of the ingredients at a time when there were government restrictions on what could be bought in the shops.
Hannah sailed in, wearing a beautiful blue silk dress that showed off her figure and shimmered as she moved. Alice had very little make-up but Hannah had used cosmetics liberally. She looked more striking than ever.
‘I can see it in your face,’ said Hannah with a brittle laugh. ‘You’re wondering where we get all the eggs to make a meal like this. The answer is that we have them delivered on the premises. There’s a henhouse in the garden and we get a steady supply. What we don’t use ourselves, we pass on to deserving persons.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Hannah.’
‘It’s practical and, in times like these, practicality is our watchword.’
She indicated a chair and Alice sat down. Hannah took the seat opposite her and poured the tea into cups of the most delicate porcelain. They sampled a first sandwich apiece. Alice had noticed the array of portraits on the walls, all of men in uniform. She was told that they were ancestors of Hannah’s husband. Evidently, his family had military connections that went back over a hundred years. One of his forbears had fought against the French with the Duke of Wellington. Alice was most interested in the portrait of Hannah’s husband. In the uniform of a brigadier-general, he looked tall, straight-backed and resolute with greying hair and a curling moustache. Hannah gazed at him with affection.
‘I’m a typical army wife,’ she said, reaching for another sandwich. ‘It’s been an ideal arrangement. We may be married but we don’t live in each other’s pockets. It’s important for a wife to have a degree of freedom to pursue her own interests. Remember that when you come to choose your own husband.’
‘I haven’t got to that stage yet, Hannah.’
‘It won’t be long before you do. You’re far too attractive to remain single for long. I’ve seen the way that men look at you.’ Her smile revealed a wicked streak. ‘They don’t look that way at Vera Dowling, poor girl. She’s as plain as a pikestaff.’
‘Vera has her virtues,’ said Alice in defence of her friend.
‘I’ll take your word for it. I’ve yet to detect any.’
‘She’s honest, hard-working and very loyal.’
‘Yes,’ said Hannah, becoming serious. ‘They’re estimable qualities and you’re right to point them out. I place great value on loyalty.’ She ate her sandwich then sipped her tea. ‘I can’t believe that you haven’t had at least one proposal of marriage.’
‘It’s true, I’m afraid.’
‘But you must have a sweetheart somewhere.’
Alice stopped herself just in time from admitting that there was a man in her life. If she’d done so, she knew that Hannah would keep probing until she had the details and Alice had promised Joe Keedy to tell nobody about their friendship.
‘No,’ she lied. ‘There’s nobody at the moment.’
Hannah changed the subject. ‘What do you think of the sandwiches?’
‘They’re delicious.’
‘Molly is wonderful at rustling up a spread like this. By way of thanks, perhaps you can do something for her.’
‘I don’t understand — unless she’d like me to help her with the washing-up.’
‘Heavens, no!’ said Hannah with a laugh. ‘I’d never let a guest do anything like that. It’s to do with your father. Molly’s been reading about those dreadful cases in the paper. When I told her that Inspector Marmion was in charge of them — and that his daughter was coming to tea here — she wanted to know if you could tell her anything about the two investigations.’
‘All I can tell her is that my father will solve both crimes in the end.’
‘You can say it to her yourself when she comes in to clear everything away.’
Over a second cup of tea, they discussed activities in the Women’s Emergency Corps. Hannah sounded her guest out about how she would feel if offered a promotion. Since it would entail a complete break from Vera and, in effect, cast her friend adrift, Alice was in two minds about it. Hannah suggested that she thought it over. When Molly came in to clear the table, Alice apologised for not being able to pass on any inside information about the crimes but she assured the cook that the investigations were in the best possible hands.
Adjourning to the living room, the two women sat either end of a long settee. Alice was impressed by the room’s sheer size, its elegant furniture and its tasteful decorations. There was a batch of framed photographs to be identified by Hannah, who had both a husband and two sons at the front. Her wedding photograph stood in the centre of the mantelpiece. She and her husband made a handsome couple. Time passed slowly and pleasantly by. Alice was enjoying herself so much that she didn’t realise that she’d been there for almost two hours. After quizzing her about her home life, Hannah rose to her feet and indicated the door with a gracious gesture.