Wield.
'Yes, I know. This is after ten we're talking about,' said Pascoe. 'Well, Janey and Ron, it's not the best of alibis. And while Mr Headingley doesn't really reckon Frankie, it might be worth pressuring Ron ever so lightly at the same time as you ask about Tommy.'
'Right,' said Wield.
When he got to the Wheatsheaf Garage, he wandered around for a while chatting to all and sundry and got confirmation of the story as told before. Tommy had worked normally in the morning. He was not his old chipper self, but that was only to be expected in the circumstances. At midday he had cleaned himself up and driven away.
Wield found Ludlam half in, half out of an Austin Princess, working under the dashboard. He climbed into the passenger seat and said, 'Very nice.'
'You reckon? Me, I like something with a bit more zip.'
Ludlam was a fresh-faced youth of about twenty with shoulder-length blond hair that obviously got nothing but the best treatment, wide-set blue eyes and good teeth. There was a smudge of oil on his cheek. Wield, looking down on him with an undetectable pleasure, was tempted to erase the smudge, but resisted easily.
'You still living at your sister's place, Ron?' he asked.
'That's right.'
'Frankie's out now, isn't he?'
'Yeah. He's working as a driver. He only did sixteen months with the remission.'
'Only sixteen months? I expect it seemed long enough to him. You're good mates, are you?'
Ludlam wriggled out of the car then climbed back into the driver's seat.
'Yeah. Fine. Why not?'
'I can think of a reason, Ron,' said Wield gravely. 'Frankie never suspected though? That's good. But you must feel you owe him a favour, like. I mean even though it was only sixteen months, you must feel you owe him a favour. And your sister too. You owe Janey a lot, I should think.'
'What do you mean?'
'The night Brenda disappeared. What were you doing. Ron?'
'Nothing. I went home early. Sat and watched a bit of telly with Janey and Frankie.
‘You left the Bay Tree, didn't go into the disco, didn't pull yourself a bird, just went home for a quiet night? Not your style.'
'I just felt like it,' insisted Ludlam. He sounded agitated.
'Tell you what, Ron. We're going to be asking questions down at the Bay Tree. We get one sniff that you were having your usual knee-tremble in the back lane at the time you say you were home, you'll be in real trouble, son. You knew Brenda pretty well?'
The change of direction disconcerted Ludlam.
'Yeah.'
'She'd been round to your place?'
'Yeah, but with Tommy, I mean. And Janey was there!'
'But you fancied her? I mean, you wouldn't have said no.'
'What do you mean? She was Tommy's bird. We were friends!'
'Friends. So if you'd been driving along and you saw her walking, you'd stop and give her a lift?'
'Yes. I mean no. I mean, I told you, how could I, I was home that night and anyway I haven't got any wheels!'
Wield gave what Pascoe had once described as his Ozymandias sneer and made a gesture which took in the car-packed garage.
'We're worried about Tommy,' he said abruptly. 'It's not like him, his mam says, just going off like this.
‘I’m worried too,’ said Ludlam. He sounded as if he meant it, though whether he was referring simply to Tommy's disappearance was another matter.
'If you know anything, better tell us,' said Wield. 'He seemed really cut up about Brenda. He's in no fit state to be off by himself.'
'He wouldn't do anything like that.'
'Like what?'
'Like hurting himself.'
'I'm glad to hear it. You should know. You're his mate. How'd he seem yesterday morning?'
'Quiet, like. He'd just come back to work. The boss said he could have longer off, but he seemed to want to be occupied. When he didn't turn up after dinner, we just thought he'd taken the boss up on his offer.'
'Don't you usually have your eats with him?'
'Yeah. We usually have a pie in the
'Yes, I know. This is after ten we're talking about,' said Pascoe. 'Well, Janey and Ron, it's not the best of alibis. And while Mr Headingley doesn't really reckon Frankie, it might be worth pressuring Ron ever so lightly at the same time as you ask about Tommy.'
'Right,' said Wield.
When he got to the Wheatsheaf Garage, he wandered around for a while chatting to all and sundry and got confirmation of the story as told before. Tommy had worked normally in the morning. He was not his old chipper self, but that was only to be expected in the circumstances. At midday he had cleaned himself up and driven away.
Wield found Ludlam half in, half out of an Austin Princess, working under the dashboard. He climbed into the passenger seat and said, 'Very nice.'
'You reckon? Me, I like something with a bit more zip.'
Ludlam was a fresh-faced youth of about twenty with shoulder-length blond hair that obviously got nothing but the best treatment, wide-set blue eyes and good teeth. There was a smudge of oil on his cheek. Wield, looking down on him with an undetectable pleasure, was tempted to erase the smudge, but resisted easily.
'You still living at your sister's place, Ron?' he asked.
'That's right.'
'Frankie's out now, isn't he?'
'Yeah. He's working as a driver. He only did sixteen months with the remission.'
'Only sixteen months? I expect it seemed long enough to him. You're good mates, are you?'
Ludlam wriggled out of the car then climbed back into the driver's seat.
'Yeah. Fine. Why not?'
'I can think of a reason, Ron,' said Wield gravely. 'Frankie never suspected though? That's good. But you must feel you owe him a favour, like. I mean even though it was only sixteen months, you must feel you owe him a favour. And your sister too. You owe Janey a lot, I should think.'
'What do you mean?'
'The night Brenda disappeared. What were you doing. Ron?'
'Nothing. I went home early. Sat and watched a bit of telly with Janey and Frankie.
‘You left the Bay Tree, didn't go into the disco, didn't pull yourself a bird, just went home for a quiet night? Not your style.'
'I just felt like it,' insisted Ludlam. He sounded agitated.
'Tell you what, Ron. We're going to be asking questions down at the Bay Tree. We get one sniff that you were having your usual knee-tremble in the back lane at the time you say you were home, you'll be in real trouble, son. You knew Brenda pretty well?'
The change of direction disconcerted Ludlam.
'Yeah.'
'She'd been round to your place?'
'Yeah, but with Tommy, I mean. And Janey was there!'
'But you fancied her? I mean, you wouldn't have said no.'
'What do you mean? She was Tommy's bird. We were friends!'
'Friends. So if you'd been driving along and you saw her walking, you'd stop and give her a lift?'
'Yes. I mean no. I mean, I told you, how could I, I was home that night and anyway I haven't got any wheels!'
Wield gave what Pascoe had once described as his Ozymandias sneer and made a gesture which took in the car-packed garage.
'We're worried about Tommy,' he said abruptly. 'It's not like him, his mam says, just going off like this.
‘I’m worried too,’ said Ludlam. He sounded as if he meant it, though whether he was referring simply to Tommy's disappearance was another matter.
'If you know anything, better tell us,' said Wield. 'He seemed really cut up about Brenda. He's in no fit state to be off by himself.'
'He wouldn't do anything like that.'
'Like what?'
'Like hurting himself.'
'I'm glad to hear it. You should know. You're his mate. How'd he seem yesterday morning?'
'Quiet, like. He'd just come back to work. The boss said he could have longer off, but he seemed to want to be occupied. When he didn't turn up after dinner, we just thought he'd taken the boss up on his offer.'
'Don't you usually have your eats with him?'
'Yeah. We usually have a pie in the
Similar Books
