Dead Ground in Between (10 page)

“Poor chaps. You have been all around the Wrekin, haven't you? Where were you living before you were evacuated?”

The younger boy lowered his head and concentrated on his tea. Jan answered her.

“We was in Amsterdam. We come over with the Kindertransport.” He paused. “You know what that is, don't you, miss?”

“Yes, I do. Brave boys. Do you have any relatives in England?”

“No.”

“That must have been hard.”

Jan shrugged. “Not really. Pim and me have each other, see.”

“Are your parents still in Holland?”

“That's right, miss. They haven't got out yet.” His voice was flat.

“Have you heard from them?”

“Not for a while.”

“I'm sure they'll be all right.”

“Yes, miss.” Jan's voice didn't hold much conviction.

“We're staying with Mrs. Keogh.” Jan wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “She's nice. Like you, miss.”

“Thank you, Jan. What about you, Pim? Do you like Mrs. Keogh?”

The other boy smiled shyly. “She's smashing. She's been ever so g-good to us.”

Jan drained his mug of tea. Agnes hesitated, then went back to the canister for two more biscuits. They smelled so fresh and
tasty she was almost tempted to take one for herself, but, unlike the boys, she didn't need sustenance for a case of shock.

Uninvited, Jan reached for the teapot and refilled both mugs. More biscuit dipping.

Mortimer sat down again. “It's amazing you found that hideout.”

“Yes, miss. We're Boy Scouts, though. Have been a year gone. Always prepared.”

“Did you ever see the man before, Jan?” Agnes asked. “The man who died. His name is Jasper Cartwright. Did you ever come by the farm when you were out riding around?”

Something happened in Jan's eyes at the question. They went dead, as if a shutter had closed across a lens. “Oh no, miss. We discovered it today. Sheer chance. Pim saw the rabbit holes first. He was the one thought they looked sort of funny. We saw they was glassed over. So we scouted around. Didn't we, Pim?”

“Yes, m-miss, that's what we d-did.”

“We're always on the lookout for signs of fifth columnists, miss. Hidden mines and that sort of thing.”

“When can we go b-back to Mrs. Keogh's?” Pim asked. “She'll be awful worried.” His voice was on the verge of a sob. Agnes smiled at him.

“I'll tell you what. Let's move ourselves into another room. The others should be coming back any minute now. Inspector Tyler will want to ask you some questions. Same sort of thing I've been asking you. When he's done that I'll take you home. I came on a motorcycle. It has a sidecar. It's a bit on the chilly side but it'll be better than your bike. We'll get that later on.”

“Are we going to get in trouble, m-miss?” whispered Pim.

Jan cut him off. “Don't be such a twerp. We ain't done nothing wrong, have we, miss?”

“Not that I can see. It was a good thing that you found the hideout when you did. Nobody might have discovered Mr. Cartwright for weeks.”

“He would have been very smelly by then, wouldn't he, miss?”

Jan's voice was matter-of-fact and she was startled by the candour of his remark. And what it revealed about his experience. She decided to probe a little further.

“Jan, when you came to the door, you said that somebody had killed the man you found. Why did you think that?”

The boy looked at her and his eyes had the same blank expression she'd noticed earlier. He shrugged. “I seen dead people like that. All of them was killed.”

“By whom?”

“Nazis. Who else?”

Tyler left Biggs at the site to stand guard until the coroner arrived. The rest of them returned to the farmhouse. The walk back in the driving rain was utterly dismal. Nobody said a word. John Cartwright led the way. His wife attempted to put her arm through his but he didn't respond, and she put her hands in her coat pockets, walking silently beside him. Ned Weaver trailed behind all of them.

When they reached the farmhouse John dragged off his wet coat and sat at the table, putting put his head in his hands. Susan and her son took the chairs on either side of him. Nobody spoke for what seemed like a long time, and Tyler didn't try to break the silence.

Finally, John pressed his knuckles into his cheeks as if he could shove back his grief.

“Didn't deserve to die like that, did he? Unless I'm mistaken, he'd been dead for some time.”

John had been the one to climb down into the bunker after Tyler and identify the body.

“How'd he end up in that place?” Susan asked, her voice sharp. “I never knew it existed. Did your pa ever mention it to you, John?”

Her husband shook his head. “Not a word.”

“Ned? What about you?”

“Nothing, Ma. Never saw it before.” The persistent involuntary wink almost made a mockery of what he said.

“Inspector? What was it used for? Why is it such a big secret?”

“I can't say at the moment, Mrs. Cartwright.”

“Can't or won't?”

“Let's say it's a matter of security. It's very important that you don't talk about it outside of the bounds of this family.”

Susan stared at him, her expression incredulous. “And what am I going to tell people when they ask us where he was found?”

“Susan, all we have to say is that he'd wandered away, took a fall. That's all.”

“Exactly, Mr. Cartwright,” said Tyler. “These days, people are accustomed to, shall we say, circumspection.”

“Speaking of which,” said Weaver. “I think I should fetch Edie. No point in her spending her time trying to find him any more. That all right, Inspector?”

“Yes, of course. Just don't give out too much information.”

Ned got to his feet, hovered briefly behind his stepfather, and then, with a barely audible “I'm sorry,” he left.

Tyler addressed Susan. “I'd like to use your telephone to ring the coroner.”

“It's in the hall just outside the parlour. When do you think he'll get here?”

“I hope it won't take him more than an hour.”

“In that case, I'd like to go upstairs for a while,” said John.

“Do you want me to sit with you?” Susan asked.

“No, thanks. I feel like being by meself for a bit.”

“But, John –”

“Leave me be, will you, Susan? I just need a bit of time.”

He shuffled off up the stairs, moving slowly, as if he had aged suddenly.

Susan flushed at the reprimand, and Tyler could see she was on the verge of tears.

“I'll make that call first, Mrs. Cartwright, then I'm going to have a word with the laddies. I'd like to send them off home as soon as possible. They've had quite a shock.”

“Haven't we all,” whispered Susan.

Tyler was able to connect to the coroner's office immediately. Dr. Murnaghan's secretary, Winnie, said he was in the morgue doing some tests. Whatever he was up to, Winnie clearly didn't approve. “It's too cold down there,” she said. She agreed to fetch Murnaghan while Tyler waited on the line.

When the coroner answered, Tyler explained the situation as succinctly as he could.

“I can leave at once, Tom. Not doing anything important here. Give me directions.”

Dr. Murnaghan was supposedly retired, but medical doctors were in short supply and Tyler knew he was only too happy to be called to a job. One of these days, Tyler imagined, he'd need the coroner and would find he was just too busy.

He made one more call, to Sergeant Rowell, to tell him they'd located Jasper Cartwright's body.

Agnes Mortimer had found a
Boy's Own Annual
and she was reading to Jan and Pim when Tyler entered the parlour. Despite
the circumstances, the boys were paying rapt attention. It seemed to be a story about Cavaliers and Roundheads.

“Since the early days of October the Roundheads had shut us up in our own house. But we had kept them to the opposite bank of the moat, although
…”

She stopped and started to stand up, but Tyler gestured for her to stay where she was.

“Sorry to interrupt. I just want to ask the boys a few questions.”

“Miss already done that,” said Jan.

Seeing their drawn faces, Tyler couldn't help but recall what Mrs. Keogh had said about them.
Unimaginable experiences
. That was the term she'd used. Poor kiddies.

He flashed what he hoped was a friendly smile. “I realize you've already given your story to Constable Mortimer, but let's just go over it again, shall we?”

Jan did all the talking, and he was polite enough. Just out for a ride to settle themselves down after being in court, he said. He paused there to see if there was any reaction from Tyler.

“I know all about the court, son. Go on. It's what happened just now that I'm most interested in.”

No, the weather hadn't really bothered them. No, they hadn't been that way before. It was just chance they got off the bike where they did. No, they didn't disturb anything. No, they didn't touch the body.

“You didn't unbutton his coat, did you?”

No. Absolutely not. He was dead. He weren't going to touch no corpse. He and Pim just ran to the farmhouse fast as they could.

Tyler wrote this all down. “Thanks, lads. You've been plucky chaps. Now I have to say something very serious to you. You must not tell anybody where you found Mr. Cartwright. Nobody.
Not the other kids at school. Not even Mrs. Keogh. Nobody. It's all right if you say you found him, but if they ask where, just say it was near his house.” He looked at their solemn faces. “Do I have your word? Scout's honour?”

Both boys nodded.

“Let me see you swear, then. Scout's honour.”

They raised their hands in the Scout salute.

“Good. Excellent. I'm asking you to do this for security reasons. We don't want anybody becoming curious about that hideout. It's a secret place. All right?”

Again, solemn nods from both of them.

“Now, I'm just going to have a word with Constable Mortimer, then she's going to get you home.” He fished in his pocket and took out a sixpence. “Here. Buy yourself some sweeties.”

Jan accepted the coin but didn't relax his wariness. Tyler nodded to Agnes to join him in the hall. She closed the door behind them.

“What's your impression, Constable?” Tyler asked. He spoke quietly.

“I don't think they're telling the whole truth,” said Agnes. “But for the life of me, I don't know what they're hiding. Maybe it's just boys' stuff.”

“Might not be anything,” said Tyler. “They've just had a run-in with the authorities. That might be making them extra cautious. Keep your eyes and ears open, regardless.”

“You don't think there's anything suspicious about Mr. Cartwright's death, do you, sir?”

“Being a copper gives you a suspicious nature, Constable. What the hell was he doing in that bunker? I didn't detect any obvious signs of foul play, but we'll see what Dr. Murnaghan has to say.”

“Yes, sir. Shall I come back here after I've dropped the boys off?”

“Yes, we might need you.”

“Not to just make a pot of tea, I hope, sir.”

Tyler stared at her for a moment, not sure if she was joking or not. She wasn't.

“Why'd you say that?”

“That seems to be the role women police officers are assigned, sir. It's not that I mind, exactly, but I do prefer something more challenging in the line of police work.”

“Point taken, Constable. I shall keep that in mind. In the meantime I hope you don't object to taking those boys back home. Not too demeaning just being a driver, is it?”

“No, sir. Not at all.”

“That's a relief. They're billeted with a Mrs. Keogh. She lives at number two River Close. It's off Lower Broad Street. Tell her I'll come to the house later on. You'll have to say something about the death, but keep it to a minimum.”

“Yes, sir.”

As she turned to go back into the parlour, Tyler spoke again.

“Constable Mortimer. Good work. I'm glad you joined the police force.”

He was a little surprised when she turned bright red. His compliment obviously meant something to her.

“Thank you, sir. I am too.”

When Tyler got back to the kitchen, Ned Weaver had returned and was sitting at the table with a young woman who Tyler assumed was the Land Girl. She was dark-haired, very pretty, and dressed in the Land Army uniform: dark-green jersey, beige shirt, corduroy breeches.

Susan Cartwright was at the stove stirring a large pot. The air was fragrant with whatever it was she was cooking. Stew of some kind. John was not present.

Tyler addressed the girl.

“Hello. I'm Detective Inspector Tyler, Shropshire constabulary. I take it you are Miss Edith Walpole?”

“That's right, she is,” said Susan. “We've told her what's happened.”

“Poor Mr. Cartwright,” said the girl softly.

“We were wondering what to do about the
POW
,” said Susan to Tyler. “Somebody should inform him, I suppose.”

“Nowt to do with him, is it?” burst out Ned.

“He knows Mr. Cartwright was missing,” said Edie. “It's only fair not to leave him hanging.”

“I wouldn't mind having a word with him myself,” said Tyler. “He might be able to fill in some of the blanks.”

Susan frowned. “Blanks? What blanks?”

“What time your father-in-law left the house, for one thing.”

“Angelo wouldn't have heard anything,” said Edie. “He was down in the barn.”

Tyler didn't respond. She was probably right. On the other hand, he'd meant it when he said he wanted to fill in some of the blanks.