Policeman's Progress by Bernard Knight Page A

from the drawn expression on the girl’s face and the grim scowl on that of the detective, they guessed that no pleasantries were being swapped.
    â€˜What d’you want – why are you following me?’ Betty’s voice was low and tense.
    â€˜I’m here on business – as you well know. I want you out of here, there may be trouble.’
    She looked up quickly. ‘And you’re going to make it, I suppose?’
    He shook his head. ‘Not this time – another sort of trouble. Nothing to do with you – or even him,’ he added contemptuously, looking at the uneasy Freddie, for the first time.
    â€˜I – I’d better be off, love – time for Laura’s number.’ His loose mouth twitched nervously.
    Alec Bolam glared at him. ‘Better take another purple heart, Freddie – your nerves are showing!’
    Freddie gulped and backed away, then hurried to the rostrum.
    Betty Bolam watched him go, her fists clenched tightly. She swung back to her father and spoke with suppressed violence. ‘Satisfied? You can’t leave anyone alone, can you! You spoilt Mum’s life, now you’re starting on mine!’
    Bolam suddenly dropped into the vacant chair and ran an anguished hand through his hair. ‘Look, Betty – try and understand for once. I promised your mother not to come the heavy hand with you, but that yob – he’s no good, love.’ He bent forward and his voice was cracking with the intensity of his feelings. ‘It’s my job to stop people acting like he does. It’s my job, pet,’ he ended almost in a whisper.
    She glared back, stony-faced. ‘And your pleasure, too!’
    Alec swung his head, wearily. ‘Pleasure! Good God, Betty, can’t you see my life’s hell? Your mother … oh, forget it.’ He changed his tack abruptly and his voice became brisker and harder. ‘Now let’s have some sense. I want you out of here, straight away. Nothing to do with him. There’s going to be trouble in this place – maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow – but soon.’
    Impressed by the authority of his tone, she looked him in the face. ‘What sort of trouble?’
    He shrugged. ‘Two big-time protection racket men from London have been seen in Newcastle tonight. One of the men on the beat saw them being chucked out of here earlier on – there’ll be fireworks before long, take it from me. So I want you out – and if you won’t go quietly, I’ll carry you out, so make your choice.’
    This time she knew he was telling the truth. ‘I was going, anyway – I never stay when Freddie’s got to work for a long time.’ She pushed her chair back and stood up.
    â€˜I’ll take you home,’ offered her father.
    â€˜I thought you were busy this time of night.’
    Her voice was still cold and uncompromising.
    â€˜I can come back.’
    She was just going to brush him off, when chaos hit the big room.
    A loud crash made Bolam spin around. He was just in time to see the last fragments of glass tumble from the main window that overlooked the Bigg Market. Something rolled on to the floor a few yards from the detective and immediately burst into flames. Luckily, most of the patrons were at tables around the walls or at the bar and no one was actually sitting where the bomb landed. But yells and screams filled the room and the music died away into a discordant drone. A sheet of yellow flame leapt up as a flammable liquid gushed over the floor and soaked into the carpet. Clouds of acrid black smoke billowed above it and within seconds the yells turned to coughing. The surrounding tables were overturned as people trampled around in terror. The flames licked wider and wider across the floor, though the actual area involved was much smaller than panic-stricken customers imagined.
    Bolam was one of those who acted first. He grabbed his daughter around the