flip again.’
Gently said, ‘But did you tell anyone?’
‘Maybe,’ Sarah Sunshine said, ‘Sadie.’
Sharkey groaned. ‘That’s the limit,’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you just say you told me, you woman? The Superintendent’s going to believe Sadie told me and I been lying to him just now.’
‘Did Sadie tell you?’ Gently asked.
‘No, man. We didn’t talk about that.’
‘But she knew,’ Gently said.
‘She didn’t say nothing. She done with Tommy, she didn’t talk about him.’
‘When did she fetch her clothes from his flat?’ Gently said.
‘About right away,’ Sharkey said. ‘The day after.’
‘Would that be after you’d told her what you’d heard?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
‘I don’t just remember that,’ she said. ‘Maybe.’
‘Of course,’ Gently said. ‘Grey could have told her himself, she didn’t have to hear it second-hand. She was friends with him. No doubt she’d ask him if Blackburn were really to blame for the death of her brother.’
‘Why you think that?’ Sharkey said. ‘She ain’t no friends with Freddy Grey.’
‘Surely she was?’ Gently’s brows lifted. ‘With Grey as well as Blackburn?’
Sharkey hesitated, stared. ‘No, sir, oh no, sir,’ he said. ‘She never had much truck with Freddy Grey. I don’t know who’s been telling you that.’
‘Freddy go around with lots of women,’ Sarah Sunshine said. ‘I don’t recall any particular one.’
‘This one is pretty, well-dressed,’ Gently said. ‘She’s been seen wearing a white hat trimmed with lace.’
Sarah Sunshine’s hand went to her mouth.
‘Oh my gosh,’ she said.
She looked at Sharkey.
‘Man, that ain’t nothing to go by,’ Sharkey said, scowling. ‘That sort of hat is very popular with our womenfolk.’
‘How popular?’ Gently said.
‘Just as popular as can be,’ Sharkey scowled. ‘That Eartha Kitt set the fashion with them hats. They very becoming to black ladies.’
‘Have you got one?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
‘Me? Lordy no!’ Sarah Sunshine said.
‘Did Sadie have one?’
She kept her mouth covered, stared rim-eyed at Gently.
‘I’m telling you, man,’ Sharkey said, ‘it don’t signify. You see hats like that here every evening. They’s the gear. So if Sadie had one, that don’t pick her out in a crowd.’
‘But she did have one?’
‘Yeh. Maybe she did.’
‘It isn’t in her wardrobe now,’ Gently said.
‘So she took it with her,’ Sharkey said. ‘Why not, man?’
‘Did she take it with her?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
Sarah Sunshine nodded, eyes still big.
‘So she had the hat, Gently said. ‘And she was seen wearing it, riding in Grey’s car in Regent Street. On 22 April. Her spring bonnet. She was wearing it to a meeting with Grey.’
Sarah Sunshine dropped into a chair.
‘Oh you man,’ Sharkey burst out. ‘Cain’t you ever take an answer? That woman could have been any one of a dozen Freddy Grey knocks around with, off and on. So even if it’s Sadie. He maybe give her a lift. I ain’t going to swear he never done that. But there ain’t never been anything intimate between them, that’s sure, that’s certain. We knows that.’
‘You both know it.’
‘Yeh. Us both.’
Sharkey sent a quick look at Sarah Sunshine.
Sarah Sunshine nodded tremulously.
‘That’s true, sir,’ she said. ‘We both do know that.’
‘So you forget it, man,’ Sharkey said. ‘You don’t need to keep pulling Sadie into this affair. She finished with Tommy way before it happened, and nothing she heard since didn’t alterate that.’
‘And of course, she was here all Tuesday evening?’
Sharkey dragged at his beard.
‘Ain’t that what I said, man?’
‘Taylor didn’t see her.’
‘I cain’t help Taylor.’
‘Taylor was watching for her. Watching Blackburn.’
‘She don’t feel so good, Tuesday,’ Sarah Sunshine said, her eyes fixed on the floor. ‘She stay in her room, don’t do her act.
Gently said, ‘But did you tell anyone?’
‘Maybe,’ Sarah Sunshine said, ‘Sadie.’
Sharkey groaned. ‘That’s the limit,’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you just say you told me, you woman? The Superintendent’s going to believe Sadie told me and I been lying to him just now.’
‘Did Sadie tell you?’ Gently asked.
‘No, man. We didn’t talk about that.’
‘But she knew,’ Gently said.
‘She didn’t say nothing. She done with Tommy, she didn’t talk about him.’
‘When did she fetch her clothes from his flat?’ Gently said.
‘About right away,’ Sharkey said. ‘The day after.’
‘Would that be after you’d told her what you’d heard?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
‘I don’t just remember that,’ she said. ‘Maybe.’
‘Of course,’ Gently said. ‘Grey could have told her himself, she didn’t have to hear it second-hand. She was friends with him. No doubt she’d ask him if Blackburn were really to blame for the death of her brother.’
‘Why you think that?’ Sharkey said. ‘She ain’t no friends with Freddy Grey.’
‘Surely she was?’ Gently’s brows lifted. ‘With Grey as well as Blackburn?’
Sharkey hesitated, stared. ‘No, sir, oh no, sir,’ he said. ‘She never had much truck with Freddy Grey. I don’t know who’s been telling you that.’
‘Freddy go around with lots of women,’ Sarah Sunshine said. ‘I don’t recall any particular one.’
‘This one is pretty, well-dressed,’ Gently said. ‘She’s been seen wearing a white hat trimmed with lace.’
Sarah Sunshine’s hand went to her mouth.
‘Oh my gosh,’ she said.
She looked at Sharkey.
‘Man, that ain’t nothing to go by,’ Sharkey said, scowling. ‘That sort of hat is very popular with our womenfolk.’
‘How popular?’ Gently said.
‘Just as popular as can be,’ Sharkey scowled. ‘That Eartha Kitt set the fashion with them hats. They very becoming to black ladies.’
‘Have you got one?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
‘Me? Lordy no!’ Sarah Sunshine said.
‘Did Sadie have one?’
She kept her mouth covered, stared rim-eyed at Gently.
‘I’m telling you, man,’ Sharkey said, ‘it don’t signify. You see hats like that here every evening. They’s the gear. So if Sadie had one, that don’t pick her out in a crowd.’
‘But she did have one?’
‘Yeh. Maybe she did.’
‘It isn’t in her wardrobe now,’ Gently said.
‘So she took it with her,’ Sharkey said. ‘Why not, man?’
‘Did she take it with her?’ Gently asked Sarah Sunshine.
Sarah Sunshine nodded, eyes still big.
‘So she had the hat, Gently said. ‘And she was seen wearing it, riding in Grey’s car in Regent Street. On 22 April. Her spring bonnet. She was wearing it to a meeting with Grey.’
Sarah Sunshine dropped into a chair.
‘Oh you man,’ Sharkey burst out. ‘Cain’t you ever take an answer? That woman could have been any one of a dozen Freddy Grey knocks around with, off and on. So even if it’s Sadie. He maybe give her a lift. I ain’t going to swear he never done that. But there ain’t never been anything intimate between them, that’s sure, that’s certain. We knows that.’
‘You both know it.’
‘Yeh. Us both.’
Sharkey sent a quick look at Sarah Sunshine.
Sarah Sunshine nodded tremulously.
‘That’s true, sir,’ she said. ‘We both do know that.’
‘So you forget it, man,’ Sharkey said. ‘You don’t need to keep pulling Sadie into this affair. She finished with Tommy way before it happened, and nothing she heard since didn’t alterate that.’
‘And of course, she was here all Tuesday evening?’
Sharkey dragged at his beard.
‘Ain’t that what I said, man?’
‘Taylor didn’t see her.’
‘I cain’t help Taylor.’
‘Taylor was watching for her. Watching Blackburn.’
‘She don’t feel so good, Tuesday,’ Sarah Sunshine said, her eyes fixed on the floor. ‘She stay in her room, don’t do her act.
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