of him, Constable?’
‘I have.’ Roy set his mouth into a thin hard line. The one thing guaranteed to set his teeth on edge was people trying to intimidate or curry favour with the police by using their position or influence. It annoyed him even more when it wasn’t their own position or name they used and he knew the senior police surgeon, Dr Watkin Morgan, well enough to suspect that he wouldn’t be pleased at the thought of his son cavorting down the Pier, drunk. ‘And Laurence Murton Davies?’
‘What about him?’
‘Is he staying with you?’
‘No.’
‘Then where were you taking him?’ Roy looked at Joe.
‘He came along for the ride. It’s his twenty-first, he’d had one too many ...’
‘Then he was drunk?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘Let’s get this straight, Joe, he was in your car. You were giving Robin a lift home and Laurence Murton Davies had come along for the ride, although in your words “he’d had one too many”?’
‘That’s about right,’ Joe agreed sheepishly, realising his explanation sounded ridiculous.
‘So you intended to drive Laurence Murton Davies home afterwards?’
‘I hadn’t thought that far.’
‘Then do some thinking now,’ Roy advised harshly, ‘because that’s your sister in there. And in case you hadn’t noticed, she’s in a bit of a state. From initial appearances it appears to me that your friend Laurence has had something to do with that.’
‘It can’t be Larry. It has to be Jack Clay. Everyone knows what he is.’
‘Constable, as I said, I’m nothing to do with this so if I can get a taxi ...’
‘You can get one from the station, Mr Watkin Morgan. There are one or two points I’m not clear on and you may be just the person to set me straight.’ Walking into the storeroom, Roy closed the door behind him.
‘We’d just got our coats when we heard the row outside, Uncle Roy.’ Lily’s arms were round Helen who was sitting with her face buried in her hands.
‘We only got there a minute or so before you, Mr Williams,’ Judy chipped in.
‘Helen?’ Exasperated by the silence that greeted his question, Roy turned to Katie. ‘Did you see anything?’
‘I saw Helen talking to Jack in the ballroom,’ she ventured courageously, shocked by the blood on Jack’s clothes and Larry’s assertion that her brother had attacked him. She knew better than anyone how wild Jack could be, but she refused to believe him capable of assaulting anyone – even crache in a dinner suit – for no reason.
‘And Helen wasn’t upset then.’
‘She was smiling.’
‘Did any of you girls see Helen leave the dance hall?’
They looked at one another.
‘No,’ Judy answered, ‘but I saw Jack standing at the bar by himself when I went to get my coat.’
‘Which was how long before you went outside?’
Judy looked at Lily. ‘A couple of minutes.’
‘About five,’ Lily concurred.
The manager stuck his head round the door. ‘The Black Maria and car are here.’
Roy ushered the girls through the door and into the back of the car. After asking the officer driving the car to wait, he saw Joe, Robin, Jack and Martin into the Black Maria with Brian.
‘You not coming with us, Roy?’ the driver of the Black Maria asked.
‘No, I’ll bring the girl to the station as soon as I’ve seen the others home. Tell the sergeant I’ll be right behind you.’
‘If anyone should go with Helen, it should be me,’ Joe muttered mutinously.
‘I’ll look after her, Joe.’ Whether Roy had intended to sound critical or not, Joe took his words to mean ‘better than you’.
‘We’re not going to the police station, are we, Mr Williams?’ Katie asked in a small voice as they sped down Mumbles Road towards Swansea.
Roy turned from the front passenger seat and smiled. ‘No, love, I’ll drop you home but you and Lily may have to make statements tomorrow.’
‘Statements ...’
‘It’s nothing to worry about. You just tell me what you saw.’
‘I
‘I have.’ Roy set his mouth into a thin hard line. The one thing guaranteed to set his teeth on edge was people trying to intimidate or curry favour with the police by using their position or influence. It annoyed him even more when it wasn’t their own position or name they used and he knew the senior police surgeon, Dr Watkin Morgan, well enough to suspect that he wouldn’t be pleased at the thought of his son cavorting down the Pier, drunk. ‘And Laurence Murton Davies?’
‘What about him?’
‘Is he staying with you?’
‘No.’
‘Then where were you taking him?’ Roy looked at Joe.
‘He came along for the ride. It’s his twenty-first, he’d had one too many ...’
‘Then he was drunk?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘Let’s get this straight, Joe, he was in your car. You were giving Robin a lift home and Laurence Murton Davies had come along for the ride, although in your words “he’d had one too many”?’
‘That’s about right,’ Joe agreed sheepishly, realising his explanation sounded ridiculous.
‘So you intended to drive Laurence Murton Davies home afterwards?’
‘I hadn’t thought that far.’
‘Then do some thinking now,’ Roy advised harshly, ‘because that’s your sister in there. And in case you hadn’t noticed, she’s in a bit of a state. From initial appearances it appears to me that your friend Laurence has had something to do with that.’
‘It can’t be Larry. It has to be Jack Clay. Everyone knows what he is.’
‘Constable, as I said, I’m nothing to do with this so if I can get a taxi ...’
‘You can get one from the station, Mr Watkin Morgan. There are one or two points I’m not clear on and you may be just the person to set me straight.’ Walking into the storeroom, Roy closed the door behind him.
‘We’d just got our coats when we heard the row outside, Uncle Roy.’ Lily’s arms were round Helen who was sitting with her face buried in her hands.
‘We only got there a minute or so before you, Mr Williams,’ Judy chipped in.
‘Helen?’ Exasperated by the silence that greeted his question, Roy turned to Katie. ‘Did you see anything?’
‘I saw Helen talking to Jack in the ballroom,’ she ventured courageously, shocked by the blood on Jack’s clothes and Larry’s assertion that her brother had attacked him. She knew better than anyone how wild Jack could be, but she refused to believe him capable of assaulting anyone – even crache in a dinner suit – for no reason.
‘And Helen wasn’t upset then.’
‘She was smiling.’
‘Did any of you girls see Helen leave the dance hall?’
They looked at one another.
‘No,’ Judy answered, ‘but I saw Jack standing at the bar by himself when I went to get my coat.’
‘Which was how long before you went outside?’
Judy looked at Lily. ‘A couple of minutes.’
‘About five,’ Lily concurred.
The manager stuck his head round the door. ‘The Black Maria and car are here.’
Roy ushered the girls through the door and into the back of the car. After asking the officer driving the car to wait, he saw Joe, Robin, Jack and Martin into the Black Maria with Brian.
‘You not coming with us, Roy?’ the driver of the Black Maria asked.
‘No, I’ll bring the girl to the station as soon as I’ve seen the others home. Tell the sergeant I’ll be right behind you.’
‘If anyone should go with Helen, it should be me,’ Joe muttered mutinously.
‘I’ll look after her, Joe.’ Whether Roy had intended to sound critical or not, Joe took his words to mean ‘better than you’.
‘We’re not going to the police station, are we, Mr Williams?’ Katie asked in a small voice as they sped down Mumbles Road towards Swansea.
Roy turned from the front passenger seat and smiled. ‘No, love, I’ll drop you home but you and Lily may have to make statements tomorrow.’
‘Statements ...’
‘It’s nothing to worry about. You just tell me what you saw.’
‘I
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