The Attending Truth_A Bobby Owen Mystery by E.R. Punshon

Author:E.R. Punshon [Punshon, E.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2017-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXI

“WHAT ABOUT MY GIRL?”

AT THE cost of Mrs Holcombe, the churchyard was kept in excellent order with flowers, flowering-shrubs, well-trimmed grass. Several benches had been installed, and on one of these Bobby seated himself, making notes of an interview that had greatly disturbed him. He felt it was one he had not fully understood, any more than he fully understood Mr Duggan’s curiously complicated, contradictory yet essentially simple character. He felt also that the implications that could be read into it seemed to lead in a direction wholly other than the one he had been endeavouring to follow. It had not taken Mr Duggan long to see the drift of Bobby’s questions about the wrench, but did this mean he realized that suspicion could now be directed towards himself, or did he think that such suspicion attached only to Harry Holcombe? And in either case what action, if any, was he likely to take?

The sound of footsteps interrupted Bobby’s thoughts. He put away his note-book and looked up. Mars was coming slowly, even reluctantly, towards him along one of the neatly kept gravel paths. Behind, hands in pockets, glancing uneasily to right and left, but seldom straight forward, came his son, Alf—as odd a contrast as can well be imagined to his sister. The two of them were presumably on their way home to dinner, or else on their way back to work. Bobby nodded a greeting as they reached him and made room for them on the bench. It was a gesture of invitation neither of them showed any inclination to accept. Mars demanded abruptly:

“What about my girl?”

“Miss Mars?” Bobby asked, surprised. “Why?”

“She told the missis you were wanting her,” Mars said. “Why she didn’t go to work this morning as’ll mean she won’t get her pay. And now she hasn’t come in for her dinner, and so there wasn’t none, the missis not being there and none left ready. Have you took her?”

“Dear me, no,” Bobby said. “I do know she was at Castle Manor earlier this morning. She may have stayed there.”

“Well, if it’s that,” Mars said, and looked relieved, but still sulky. “What’s it all about? What for did she say you wanted her?”

“Hasn’t she told you?” Bobby asked.

“She never tells you nothing,” young Alf Mars muttered from behind, scraping at the gravel path with the toe of his boot. “Sits there and never says nothing, like a graven image.”

“Shut your mouth!” snarled his father. “Nobody ain’t ever likely to complain as you don’t talk.” He turned back to Bobby: “Leave her alone, can’t you? You didn’t have no right to go upsetting her.”

“I am afraid I may have to question her again,” Bobby answered. “I must question everybody who may by any possibility have any information to give me. I don’t know if you’ve heard that Miss Holcombe lost a mallet she uses in her work. I found it in a ditch, where I have reason to believe Miss Mars put it the minute before.

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