Pattern of Murder by John Russell Fearn

Author:John Russell Fearn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: traditional British mystery, classic crime, mystery series, sherlock holmes, nero wolfe
ISBN: 9781434448361
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2012-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

VISIT TO LONDON

Moving clumsily, Sid followed Terry’s tall figure out of the narrow passage and into the theatre. They walked up the gangway side by side.

“Say,” Terry said, glancing, “Billy tells me that you spent all day yesterday remembering about Disney’s ‘Fantasia’. Is he crazy, or are you?”

Sid grinned. “Maybe both of us are. I mentioned it, but I certainly didn’t talk about it all day. Billy’s simply trying to sound impressive. He remembered about ‘Fantasia’, whereas I couldn’t.”

“Remembered about it?” Terry frowned. “Why the hell should he want to do that? Anyway, he wasn’t with us when we ran that film.”

Sid reflected. There was the tendency for the situation to get out of hand if he was not careful. What he did not tell, Billy certainly would. Have to forestall him—

“The whole thing came up,” Sid said, because I happened to remember a film which had a lot of designs in it.” He knew it was most unlikely that Terry had the slightest idea that there were designs in the dust on top of the Circle still-case. “So I asked Billy if he could remember what film it might have been. Hence—Fantasia.”

They had reached the stalls doorway before Terry asked another question.

“What should you want to remember about designs for?”

“Oh, just an idea.” Sid gave a shrug. “I’ve a private ambition to become a cartoonist.”

Terry had not the chance to comment on this for at that moment Turner appeared in his office doorway. He signalled briefly.

“Sid—just a moment.”

“Coming, sir.” Sid went across the intervening space with his clumsy, loping walk. Terry stopped at the foot of the stairs and waited.

A thought clouded his mind. Surely Turner was not going to tackle Sid about the damaged film? Sid, a technician, would start to think things. Terry had gambled on the quite logical possibility that, as chief, only he would be the one to be told that the film had been damaged. It was his responsibility entirely; nothing to do with the second projectionist—even less so since he had not run that particular machine.

Terry felt his brow becoming moist. He lighted a cigarette to steady his nerves.

Yet, in truth, nothing very startling was transpiring inside the manager’s office. Turner turned to his desk as Sid followed him in. He picked up a slide in a cardboard carton.

“Take this toothpaste advert, Sid, and—Excuse me.”

Turner picked up the telephone as it rang noisily. Sid waited idly, not particularly interested in the conversation the manager was having with a local Councillor friend. His eyes travelled absently to the desk, and finally to a letter on the blotter. The letter was face up. Sid was not curious. He read the letter because there wasn’t anything better to do at the moment.

Zenith Film Distributors.

Wardour Street, London.

August 26th 1957

M. Turner Esq.,

Cosy Cinema,

High Street, Bartonwick.

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