interested. ‘What murder is that?’
The landlord was called to serve someone else at that moment, and when he went to the other end of the bar, Howard muttered, ‘You should have been a bloody actor. And where did that cockney accent come from?’
‘Not bad, eh?’ Ben grinned. ‘Drink up.’
‘Hope you’ve got enough money for this, Ben, because I’m broke.’
‘I’ve got enough. I sold a painting today.’ Ben took a pound note out of his pocket and put it on the counter.
Howard’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Does that mean we get to eat this week?’
‘Might even stretch to a bottle of cheap wine.’
‘That good, eh?’ Howard looked considerably more cheerful now.
‘Yep, and I’ve got a commission for another one. My luck’s changing.’
‘Wish mine would.’ Howard gave a ragged sigh. ‘You’re propping me up, you know that, don’t you?’
‘Don’t get so disheartened. You’re a damned good sculptor, and you’ll make it one day.’
They stopped talking when the landlord came back to them.
‘Two more, landlord.’ Ben handed him the money and watched while he pulled the pints and put the money in the till, returning with his change.
‘What’s this about a murder?’ Ben prompted.
‘One of our regulars when he’s ashore, a merchant seaman, Greg Carter, killed a man. Just got off his ship and had a barney with a bloke on the dock. He pulled out a knife and stabbed him.’
‘That’s terrible.’ Ben sipped his beer. ‘Lives nearby, does he?’
‘Farthing Street. Folks around here aren’t happy cos the man who died was well liked. Had a nice missus and three kids.’
‘What about the man who killed him? Did he have a family?’
‘Wife and daughter. They won’t be able to show their faces again.’
‘That’s right.’ A man tottered up to the bar for a refill. ‘Andy was my mate. He might have had a quick temper, but there was no cause to kill him.’
Ben paid for the man’s beer. ‘What was the row about?’
‘Said Andy picked his pocket and stole his money.’ The man downed his beer in one gulp and looked hopefully at Ben. ‘But if you ask me it was the other way round. Carter probably gambled away his pay and didn’t want to go home with nothing in his pocket.’
A nod to the barman and the glass was refilled.
‘Andy would never have done that. He wasn’t a thief even if he did have some extra money in his pocket. Probably had a win at the dogs the night before. He was always right lucky.’ The pint went the way of the other one.
Howard tugged at Ben’s sleeve. ‘Time to go.’
‘Right.’ Ben gave the two men a bright smile. ‘You said the man on trial had a daughter. Do you know her name?’
‘Amy,’ the landlord told him. ‘She ain’t quite right in the head.’
‘Thanks.’ Ben frowned and tossed some more coins on the counter. ‘Have yourselves another drink on me.’
‘Thanks, mate. Right good of you.’
They left the pub and walked round the corner to where they’d left the car.
‘Well, that settles it.’ Howard slid into the passenger seat. ‘It sounds like her father.’
‘Maybe, but I don’t understand his last remark about her not being right in the head. She seemedperfectly normal to me. In fact I’d have said she was a bright kid.’
‘Well, it must be her. There can’t be two Amy Carters living in Farthing Street.’
Ben nodded in agreement, his expression grim.
6
At lunchtime on Monday, Amy picked up her sandwiches and walked towards Gladys, a smile on her face, eager to find out what her friend had been doing over the weekend. The smile died as Gladys looked away, took the arm of another girl and left the building with her.
The snub was unmistakable and Amy was completely bewildered as the old pain of rejection rushed back. She hadn’t felt like this since she had started working here. Over the last four months she had grown in confidence, and whereas she would have once accepted this kind of attitude, things
The landlord was called to serve someone else at that moment, and when he went to the other end of the bar, Howard muttered, ‘You should have been a bloody actor. And where did that cockney accent come from?’
‘Not bad, eh?’ Ben grinned. ‘Drink up.’
‘Hope you’ve got enough money for this, Ben, because I’m broke.’
‘I’ve got enough. I sold a painting today.’ Ben took a pound note out of his pocket and put it on the counter.
Howard’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Does that mean we get to eat this week?’
‘Might even stretch to a bottle of cheap wine.’
‘That good, eh?’ Howard looked considerably more cheerful now.
‘Yep, and I’ve got a commission for another one. My luck’s changing.’
‘Wish mine would.’ Howard gave a ragged sigh. ‘You’re propping me up, you know that, don’t you?’
‘Don’t get so disheartened. You’re a damned good sculptor, and you’ll make it one day.’
They stopped talking when the landlord came back to them.
‘Two more, landlord.’ Ben handed him the money and watched while he pulled the pints and put the money in the till, returning with his change.
‘What’s this about a murder?’ Ben prompted.
‘One of our regulars when he’s ashore, a merchant seaman, Greg Carter, killed a man. Just got off his ship and had a barney with a bloke on the dock. He pulled out a knife and stabbed him.’
‘That’s terrible.’ Ben sipped his beer. ‘Lives nearby, does he?’
‘Farthing Street. Folks around here aren’t happy cos the man who died was well liked. Had a nice missus and three kids.’
‘What about the man who killed him? Did he have a family?’
‘Wife and daughter. They won’t be able to show their faces again.’
‘That’s right.’ A man tottered up to the bar for a refill. ‘Andy was my mate. He might have had a quick temper, but there was no cause to kill him.’
Ben paid for the man’s beer. ‘What was the row about?’
‘Said Andy picked his pocket and stole his money.’ The man downed his beer in one gulp and looked hopefully at Ben. ‘But if you ask me it was the other way round. Carter probably gambled away his pay and didn’t want to go home with nothing in his pocket.’
A nod to the barman and the glass was refilled.
‘Andy would never have done that. He wasn’t a thief even if he did have some extra money in his pocket. Probably had a win at the dogs the night before. He was always right lucky.’ The pint went the way of the other one.
Howard tugged at Ben’s sleeve. ‘Time to go.’
‘Right.’ Ben gave the two men a bright smile. ‘You said the man on trial had a daughter. Do you know her name?’
‘Amy,’ the landlord told him. ‘She ain’t quite right in the head.’
‘Thanks.’ Ben frowned and tossed some more coins on the counter. ‘Have yourselves another drink on me.’
‘Thanks, mate. Right good of you.’
They left the pub and walked round the corner to where they’d left the car.
‘Well, that settles it.’ Howard slid into the passenger seat. ‘It sounds like her father.’
‘Maybe, but I don’t understand his last remark about her not being right in the head. She seemedperfectly normal to me. In fact I’d have said she was a bright kid.’
‘Well, it must be her. There can’t be two Amy Carters living in Farthing Street.’
Ben nodded in agreement, his expression grim.
6
At lunchtime on Monday, Amy picked up her sandwiches and walked towards Gladys, a smile on her face, eager to find out what her friend had been doing over the weekend. The smile died as Gladys looked away, took the arm of another girl and left the building with her.
The snub was unmistakable and Amy was completely bewildered as the old pain of rejection rushed back. She hadn’t felt like this since she had started working here. Over the last four months she had grown in confidence, and whereas she would have once accepted this kind of attitude, things
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