Gently 10 - Gently Where the Roads Go by Alan Hunter

Author:Alan Hunter
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781780331508
Publisher: Robinson
Published: 2000-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH, the day of the inquest on Teodowicz; beginning heavily, dewily, and with the first sun gold. Nothing to mark the day particularly except an incursion of pressmen, and they were barely noticed in the initial bustle of Offingham’s High. A number were quartered at the Star. These had noticed Gently’s late return. One of the younger ones had sought to question him and had gained experience by doing so. The air was stiller even than yesterday, soft, suspended; the light full of bright glare, penetrating shadows, flattening recessions. The warmth of yesterday lay in the bricks to supplement the warmth of today.

Gently left his car at the Star and walked the two hundred yards to Headquarters. He found Felling in Whitaker’s office, and Whitaker absorbing yesterday’s developments. A number of leads had come to nothing. Madsen’s prints had been found about Teodowicz’s flat. Freeman and Rice’s search had been abortive. Felling had not found the café where Teodowicz had eaten. The Mini-Minor belonged to Offingham Hire Cars Ltd and had been returned to them before the police had traced it. The hirer had given the name of Johnson, had not been remembered as wearing dungarees; he was described vaguely as well-spoken, perhaps with an accent, possibly foreign. Felling, after dusting some parts of the car, had concluded that the hirer had worn gloves. Sawney had not been apprehended. There was no word from Empton.

Whitaker got up when Gently entered. ‘I’m going to have to congratulate you,’ he said. ‘Yesterday I was telling you this case hadn’t an angle, today you lay the chummie flat on my plate. That’s a smart piece of police work, if you don’t mind me saying so. That service connection just didn’t dawn on us.’

‘It would have done,’ Gently said, glancing at Felling.

‘I’m not sure it would, sir,’ Felling said. ‘That bottle of cleaning fluid didn’t tell me anything. I was out of my depth, so I might as well admit it.’

‘But you’d have made inquiries about the gun,’ Gently said. ‘You’d have got round to Huxford at last. It’s too close and handy to overlook. You can see one of the hangars from the lay-by.’

Felling shrugged, stared at nothing.

‘We don’t mind admitting it,’ Whitaker said. ‘This is a job where you need a specialist. We haven’t had a murder here in living memory. Do you reckon Madsen was in on the racket?’

Gently sat down. ‘It seems to follow. We have to accept that he destroyed those records. Though why Teodowicz should keep any records of the racket is one of those curious little points.’

‘Well, I got his dabs, sir,’ Felling said. ‘They were on the poker and on that pin-up.’

‘Another curious point,’ Gently said. ‘I could have sworn Madsen lied to us about that.’

‘Yes,’ Felling said. ‘He was shaky, sir. But there were his dabs, as plain as you could wish.’

‘So,’ Gently said, ‘even a specialist can fall down. I didn’t think he had a sense of humour, either.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Whitaker said.

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