A Secret War by Jackie Sharp

Author:Jackie Sharp [Sharp, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

Delaney found Constable Hunter impatiently pacing his office.

“Sir, I think I’ve found a lead,” he declared. Before Delaney could say a word, he held up a file. “The man who found the body? Charlie Sutton? You asked me to check his statement.”

“Yes, you found something?”

“I did. In his written statement, he says he arrived at the pub late, he’d been drinking elsewhere—and I checked it out. He was in another pub before the Leinster Arms and there are witnesses to back up his story. He says they were drinking late, but it wasn’t a rowdy night, and then he leaves by the back entrance to relieve himself and finds the body. He was genuinely in shock too, sir. I believed him.”

“So what’s the lead, Constable?”

“His written statement doesn’t match what he said to me that night.”

He tapped the file again, his expression growing serious. “There was something he said that’s stuck in my mind. Something about a woman, a drunk woman who was outside the pub that night.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“No, sir. You were outside with Dr Holberg. And he just made a passing comment when I asked him if he’d seen the victim before he found the body, whether he recognised him from earlier in the evening. And he said, No, there were just the regulars, except some woman who was leaving.”

“Did Knowles say anything about a woman?”

“He brushed over it, saying sometimes they get the odd ‘woman of the night’ touting for business, and he always throws them out.”

Constable Hunter blushed. “Sorry, sir, I should have thought about it before. But it wasn’t until I saw he’d left it out of his written statement that I thought it might be significant.”

Delaney nodded, his eyes distant as he turned the information over in his mind. “Don’t worry, Constable. You’ve remembered it now, and it could be important. She could have seen or heard something. Get on to it, Hunter. See if you can find her and bring her in.”

Hunter nodded. “I’ll do that, sir. It’s a long shot. I mean, how do we even know she was there at the same time as Dowd? For all we know, she could have been in and out of the pub hours before he ever showed up.”

Delaney nodded. “That’s right, but we need to chase down every lead. Bring Sutton in too. Ask him why he left the woman out of his statement. See if he is frightened of Knowles, and was pressured to leave it out. And any other information he might be withholding. Good work, Billy.”

“Another thing, sir, Dr Holberg telephoned. He wants you to drop in and see him. He has some new information.”

“Thank you, Constable. The doctor will have to wait. I’m off to Wormwood Scrubs.”

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