Murder in her First Degree: A Red Brick Mystery by Lizzie Bentham

Author:Lizzie Bentham [Bentham, Lizzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark Edge Press
Published: 2022-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Interviews and Elections

Thursday 1st November 1934, Lunchtime

DI Kydd sat on a bench outside the town hall eating his cheese and pickle sandwich. Mrs Kydd made a really good cheese and pickle sandwich, he mused contentedly, and counted his blessings that such a wonderful woman, who could have had her pick of men had chosen to share her life with a humble police constable with dreams of promotion.

He was waiting for a meeting with an old friend who was currently in his employ, or rather a subcontractor of the Manchester City Police.

A heavy-set, middle-aged man in a tan trench coat with a scar that marred his left cheek from jaw to eyebrow and left one eye sightless sat down heavily on the bench next to the inspector and proceeded to get out his own packet of carefully prepared sandwiches.

‘Alright, Jim?’

‘Good to see you, Fred. How are Mary and the boys?’

‘None too bad Jim, thanks for asking. Mary’s Mother had one of her turns the other week which caused a bit of a commotion but other than that they are in fine fettle. Tim got into Salford Grammar and Henry is doing well in his apprenticeship with his uncle. Your family, are they well?’

‘Oh, yes, very. The girls are doing really well at school and Mrs Kydd is on fine form.’

Opening niceties over the two men, both naturally of a taciturn turn of character, chewed their sandwiches in an amiable silence. On finishing his tongue sandwich and folding the paper wrapping carefully before placing it in his capacious pocket, retired Police Sergeant, Fred Timms, became the model of efficiency. Placing his spectacles on his nose and opening his notebook, the boss of Timms Detective Agency began his weekly report.

‘Last Tuesday two of my men escorted Iris Robinson to stay with her aunt in Bournemouth. They have orders to keep a watch on her for the time being. A cabin was booked in her name with Union Castle, portside from Southampton to Mombasa, and Miss Evans my secretary boarded last Thursday under Miss Robinson’s name and disembarked at the first stop, Gibraltar, to give the impression that Miss Robinson had left the country to do missionary work abroad.’

‘Make sure you charge that to Mr George of MI5,’ the inspector said, with the Chief Superintendent’s full blessing.

‘Rossi and Howard, you remember Howard? They are on Miss Dorothea Roberts’s detachment. They switch every twelve hours and I relieve them when needed. After Miss Roberts’ and Miss Long’s late night jolly to the Ritz last week, Miss Roberts has been the model student. Howard was a bit worried that they had seen him in the shrubbery when a twig snapped underfoot but then two other women came along and they distracted Miss Long and Miss Roberts. Howard thought those two women, the warden, and a Miss Tabitha Gillespie – a retired member of the committee – were having some sort of argument and the warden, Dr Winterbottom, passed Miss Gillespie a packet of some sort.’

‘An interesting time of day for a meeting,’ DI Kydd interjected.

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