Tom Tyler. I don’t think he’ll be a problem, but steer clear of him. He’s been seconded from the Shropshire constabulary but he’s no country bumpkin. Wouldn’t do to underestimate him. We don’t want to waste valuable time with his going off on some wild goose chase as far as you are concerned.”
Not for the first time, Lev found himself admiring the other man’s perfect grammar.
“I’ll be the soul of discretion.”
Grey gave a disbelieving cough. “Please be. Don’t arouse his suspicions. I’ll sign off now, then. You can of course reach me any time. We must watch this situation very closely.”
Lev hung up the phone. Holding his arm tight to his body, he stepped out of the booth and replaced the out of order sign. The damp air brought on a fit of coughing.
Damn the English weather. Damn the war. Damn ignorant kids
.
The three of them were sitting around the kitchen table.
Eileen had waited as long as she could before waking up her parents. Once the initial shock of the situation had abated, they had rallied round, as she knew they would. Brian had gone back to sleep.
“He was always such a good boy. I would never have dreamt he’d do something like this,” said Beatrice.
Joe blew on his tea to cool it. His grey hair was sticking up in tufts but his blue eyes were keen and alert. Eileen thought the crisis had invigorated him.
“What on earth caused him to desert?” continued Beattie. She turned to Eileen. “Has he seen Vanessa?”
“He said not.”
“Well, I just hope she didn’t write him one of those what-you-call-it, John letters. I wouldn’t put it past her. That’d send him round the bend if anything would.”
“I don’t think he knows himself why he did it,” said Eileen. “He had a short pass to come home. Rumour was they were going to Africa.”
“Africa. Lord help us. I don’t blame him.” She picked up a skein of wool from the basket beside her. “Hold up your hands, Eileen; I might as well wind this while we talk.”
Obediently Eileen did as she was asked and Beattie hooked the ends of the skein over her fingers.
“But like you said, Bea,” continued Joe, “other soldiers don’t run away from their duty.” He sighed. “We have to come to some decision about what to do. It can’t be just our responsibility. We’ll have to speak to his mother and father. And Vanessa. They are married, after all.”
“We’re not going to turn him in,” said Beatrice. The ball of wool was growing rapidly.
Joe poured some tea into his saucer and slurped it down. “If we don’t – which of course goes without saying – but if we don’t, what are our alternatives?”
“It’s only been a few days. He could still go back, couldn’t he?” said Beatrice.
“He’s adamant he won’t do that,” said Eileen.
“I suppose we could send him on his way.”
“Don’t be silly, Joe,” exclaimed his wife. “On his way where? Where can he go?”
“Calm down, Bea, I’m just thinking out loud.”
“He’s too desperate, Dad,” said Eileen. “Frankly, I’d rather report him to the police than have him go off and murder somebody.”
Abruptly Beattie stopped what she was doing. “Murder somebody? Why on earth do you say that, Eileen?”
“I’m sorry, Mum, I didn’t mean that literally. But he’s in such a state, who knows what he could do.”
Joe chewed on his lip. “Then the only other possibility is that we hide him until the war is over.”
“Which could be years from now,” said Eileen.
“True. But I don’t know if we have much choice, do we.”
The two women looked at him.
“No, we don’t,” replied Eileen.
Brian lay on the bed, waiting, thinking. He knew that his granddad, his gran, and his auntie were downstairs discussing what to do. He didn’t expect them to understand his reasons for running away. He had a hard time explaining them even to himself. One of the blokes in the bunk next to his received a letter from his girlfriend saying
Not for the first time, Lev found himself admiring the other man’s perfect grammar.
“I’ll be the soul of discretion.”
Grey gave a disbelieving cough. “Please be. Don’t arouse his suspicions. I’ll sign off now, then. You can of course reach me any time. We must watch this situation very closely.”
Lev hung up the phone. Holding his arm tight to his body, he stepped out of the booth and replaced the out of order sign. The damp air brought on a fit of coughing.
Damn the English weather. Damn the war. Damn ignorant kids
.
The three of them were sitting around the kitchen table.
Eileen had waited as long as she could before waking up her parents. Once the initial shock of the situation had abated, they had rallied round, as she knew they would. Brian had gone back to sleep.
“He was always such a good boy. I would never have dreamt he’d do something like this,” said Beatrice.
Joe blew on his tea to cool it. His grey hair was sticking up in tufts but his blue eyes were keen and alert. Eileen thought the crisis had invigorated him.
“What on earth caused him to desert?” continued Beattie. She turned to Eileen. “Has he seen Vanessa?”
“He said not.”
“Well, I just hope she didn’t write him one of those what-you-call-it, John letters. I wouldn’t put it past her. That’d send him round the bend if anything would.”
“I don’t think he knows himself why he did it,” said Eileen. “He had a short pass to come home. Rumour was they were going to Africa.”
“Africa. Lord help us. I don’t blame him.” She picked up a skein of wool from the basket beside her. “Hold up your hands, Eileen; I might as well wind this while we talk.”
Obediently Eileen did as she was asked and Beattie hooked the ends of the skein over her fingers.
“But like you said, Bea,” continued Joe, “other soldiers don’t run away from their duty.” He sighed. “We have to come to some decision about what to do. It can’t be just our responsibility. We’ll have to speak to his mother and father. And Vanessa. They are married, after all.”
“We’re not going to turn him in,” said Beatrice. The ball of wool was growing rapidly.
Joe poured some tea into his saucer and slurped it down. “If we don’t – which of course goes without saying – but if we don’t, what are our alternatives?”
“It’s only been a few days. He could still go back, couldn’t he?” said Beatrice.
“He’s adamant he won’t do that,” said Eileen.
“I suppose we could send him on his way.”
“Don’t be silly, Joe,” exclaimed his wife. “On his way where? Where can he go?”
“Calm down, Bea, I’m just thinking out loud.”
“He’s too desperate, Dad,” said Eileen. “Frankly, I’d rather report him to the police than have him go off and murder somebody.”
Abruptly Beattie stopped what she was doing. “Murder somebody? Why on earth do you say that, Eileen?”
“I’m sorry, Mum, I didn’t mean that literally. But he’s in such a state, who knows what he could do.”
Joe chewed on his lip. “Then the only other possibility is that we hide him until the war is over.”
“Which could be years from now,” said Eileen.
“True. But I don’t know if we have much choice, do we.”
The two women looked at him.
“No, we don’t,” replied Eileen.
Brian lay on the bed, waiting, thinking. He knew that his granddad, his gran, and his auntie were downstairs discussing what to do. He didn’t expect them to understand his reasons for running away. He had a hard time explaining them even to himself. One of the blokes in the bunk next to his received a letter from his girlfriend saying
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