The Stratford Murder by Mike Hollow (love books to read txt) 📕

work, Miss Hayes,’ said Jago. ‘I really will only keep you for a moment. It’s just that when we spoke to you last time you mentioned your boyfriend’s name was Martin.’

Beryl gave him an apprehensive look.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Jago. ‘I’m not here because anything’s happened to him. I just need to know his surname, and his address.’

‘It’s Sullivan,’ she replied. ‘Martin Sullivan, and he lives in Windmill Lane. It’s number 41, a flat over a greengrocer’s shop – you can’t miss it.’

‘Thank you. And you said he didn’t walk you home from the cinema. I believe you said he just nipped off with some flimsy excuse and didn’t come back.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘What was the flimsy excuse?’

‘Well, it was a bit personal, really. He said he wasn’t feeling too good, said he had a touch of gippy tummy and would have to go to the Gents. He said he might be a long time and I wasn’t to wait, I’d have to see myself home. Then off he went. Not so much as a sorry or a goodnight, or see you again, or even hang on a bit and I’ll walk you home.’

‘Annoying for you, I imagine.’

‘Yes, of course. But I hadn’t known him for very long, and to tell the truth I wasn’t all that bothered about him, so I thought fine, I’ll be off home by myself and you can forget about another date, even if you want one.’

‘So how did you happen to meet in the first place?’

‘He just started talking to me one night at the Regal. Came out with the usual sort of chat, said he’d like to get to know me better, so we went out for a drink a couple of times. It turned out he was very interested in cinemas and quite fancied working in one himself. Said he’d like to be a cinema manager. I told him he’d have to start at the bottom and work his way up. He said something a bit cheeky then, but it made me laugh, so he said maybe he could start out by taking me to the pictures. I thought he meant go somewhere else, but he said no, the Regal, so I could sit back and enjoy the film for once while the other girls did the running about. I suppose that was his sense of humour or something, but anyway, I said yes, so that’s how we came to be there on Sunday evening. Not a big romance, as you can see – he turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.’

Jago thanked her for the information, and he and Cradock took their leave. They returned to the car.

‘You were right, Peter,’ said Jago. ‘About his name. Well done.’

‘Thanks, guv’nor. Shall we go and ask him what he was up to?’

‘That’ll have to be tomorrow. Right now I have to go and see Mr Soper at the station.’

‘Right, sir. The thing is, I’m thinking if Martin Sullivan was in the Gents all that time and I didn’t see him come out, could that be because he was hiding and came out later when everyone had gone home and let the thieves in?’

‘Clearly, Peter. That’s a reasonable conclusion to draw. It also prompts another question – did he get any help from Beryl? And for that matter, was Joan involved in some way? After all, it turns out she knew another Sullivan from the past, didn’t she? Ernie, I mean.’

‘There’s something else too, sir. I’ve just thought. We’ve got a man who behaves oddly at a cinema that has its safe blown open the same night, and he seems to have a bee in his bonnet about British troops in Northern Ireland. I mean, blowing things up and Northern Ireland – do you think there could be some kind of link with the IRA?’

‘It’s an interesting idea, Peter. The Irish Republicans have certainly been very active over the last year or two, especially with that big bomb in Coventry just a week before the war started.’

‘Do you think our safe-breakers could’ve got their explosives from the IRA?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve heard some reports of them using gelignite, but I’m not too well up on how they make their bombs. Most of the accounts I’ve read talk about things like aluminium powder and rubber balloons.’

‘Rubber balloons? You mean like balloons for children’s parties?’

‘Yes, I believe they use acid that has to burn through the balloon before it detonates the explosives, so it gives them time to get away. Something like that, at any rate. I’m not an expert.’

‘Sounds a bit barmy to me. I thought they used clocks.’

‘Yes, well, as I said, I’m no expert. And whether the IRA’s in the habit of supplying gelignite to people who want to steal money from cinemas I certainly don’t know.’

‘Could we find out?’

‘Oh, yes, Peter. We’ll find out.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Divisional Detective Inspector Soper was standing in his office, looking out of the window when Jago entered.

‘You wanted to see me, sir. About the case.’

‘Ah, yes, the case,’ said Soper. ‘Got your man, eh?’

‘What man, sir?’

‘I don’t know his name. Tompkins told me you’ve brought a Welshman in to do with that young woman’s murder. The usherette. Good work. Case closed, eh?’

‘No, sir.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean there is a Welshman, but we haven’t brought him in. We’ve been to see him to ask about some rings he’s pawned, and I very much suspect those rings belonged to Joan Lewis, the woman who was murdered, but we haven’t charged him with anything yet.’

‘I see. Well, what about that safe-breaking business at the Odeon?’

‘The Regal, sir.’

‘Yes, the Regal. Where have you got to with that?’

‘We don’t know who did it yet, but we’ve got our eyes on a young man called Martin Sullivan, who we think may’ve hidden in the cinema when it closed that night and helped whoever blew the safe to get in. But we’re not sure yet. It appears the young man also has an interest