On Copper Street by Chris Nickson

Author:Chris Nickson [Nickson, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2017-01-12T05:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

‘He’s hiding something,’ Reed said, lighting a cigarette. ‘As soon as I brought up the subject of his son, it was like a window closed.’ He studied Ash’s face. ‘Do you know what I mean?’

‘All too well, sir,’ the sergeant said with a nod. He had tea and a bun in front of him, leftover stock that Elizabeth had brought home that afternoon from the shop. She’d left the pair of them in the kitchen to talk. ‘Did you find your answers about the explosion?’

‘Yes.’ Much good it did him, though.

‘Any ideas about what Crabtree’s not telling us, sir?’

‘No. How about you? Did you talk to his wife?’

‘She wasn’t there. But I had an interesting conversation or two in the end.’ He explained what he’d learned. ‘Thank you for the time, sir.’

‘I hear you’re going to be an inspector yourself soon.’

The sergeant shrugged. ‘Maybe. I’m not about to jinx it.’

At the front door they shook hands. Reed watched as Ash vanished into the evening.

‘You look dead to the world,’ Annabelle said. ‘Sit yourself down. Have you eaten yet?’

He was exhausted. The meeting had dragged on until six, then he’d returned to Millgarth to finish the day’s work. Now, as he sat in the parlour, the grandfather clock began to strike nine.

Harper felt numb from meetings and dealing with forms and reports. How had Kendall stood it for so long? He stirred as she put a cold slice of meat and potato pie on the table.

‘Is Mary asleep?’ Harper asked. Even as he spoke, he knew it was a stupid question.

‘She wondered where you were.’

‘Tell me something good,’ he said with a weary sigh.

‘I’m speaking on Saturday evening.’ She fidgeted with a notebook, glancing through the pages. ‘I’ve been trying to work out what to say. I thought I had it, then Maguire’s funeral made me think again.’ Annabelle gave a deep shrug. ‘So I’m back to square one. I’ll get there.’

‘It made me think, too, seeing all those people waiting for his coffin to pass.’ He stirred his tea and took a sip. ‘He did more good than he could ever know.’ Harper reached out and took her hand. ‘Maybe you will, too.’

She chuckled and shook her head. ‘I’m just a woman with a big gob. The only thing I’m likely to do is make enemies because I speak out.’

He knew all about the insults and the threats she’d received. No worse than many other women who were in favour of the vote, she said. But they weren’t his wife … Twice he’d gone to visit men who’d been foolish enough to put their addresses on the damning letters they sent. Timid, frightened men when he knocked on their doors. He hadn’t needed to say much to send them scurrying.

‘People round here look up to you, you know,’ he said.

‘Give over.’ But the words made her blush, her face reddening in the light from the gas mantles. ‘They’ve got more sense than that. You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

But he did, Harper thought later as they lay in bed.

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