Three Little Maids (20 page)

‘Where had she been sleeping? Did she say Mrs Perkins?’

‘She said she slept sometimes in shelters on the sea front. And in a blanket in the underground car park. Or on good nights under the pier on the beach. And in the park garden most times if she could get in late at night. She said that there was a small gate often left open.’ The detectives looked at one another. ‘Anywhere she wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone. She was afraid of the junkies and alkies.’

‘She wasn’t into drugs?’

‘No, she wasn’t, Mr. Turner! She hadn’t been eating right. ‘Cos she claimed no benefits. She was much too thin. She was living hand to mouth. She told me she’d found a shopping bag with some money in it one day and kept the money.

‘She was desperate, Mr. Turner. Mrs Frost said she’d begged for food from the hotel kitchens. Cliff Jones gave her some rolls and cheese after Mrs Frost saw her foraging through the bins the other week. She was only a child. Mr. Ludlam said he was going to tell the police about her when he caught her looking at the hospital charity box in the chapel. But I promised I would take her in hand and fix her up with the hostel. And then Roger Welbeck, he’s a good man, spoke to his cousin who runs the hostel.

‘I couldn’t have her staying here. I didn’t think it would be right with Raymond at such a funny age,’ she said awkwardly. ‘If you know what I mean.’

Turner wondered whether Raymond’s fooling around with Maureen had got back to her via Mrs Flitch. Possibly it had. So she got help from the chapel people.

‘And you say that Aiden Ludlam had reason to question Jodie?’

‘What’s she done?’ Raymond Perkins coming in through the door interrupted the conversation. ‘If you’ve come to ask me about Jodie. I don’t know nothing. She didn’t wait for me, she bunked off last night. I was going to take her back to the hostel. Has she done something silly?’

‘What time did you come home last night, Raymond?’

He shrugged and blinked his eyes, stretched his face into a strained grimace and then scowled fiercely. ‘I dunnow. I was fed up when she ran out on me. So I went to the pub. I only had a couple of shandies, Gran. I was fed up, yeah.’

‘So she gave you no warning that she intended to run out on you, son. Did you quarrel?’

‘No, we didn’t. It was great at first. She was a nice kid. I felt sorry for her, yeah. She was worried about getting to the hostel. S’pose I can’t blame her. Wish I hadn’t left her. She must have got frightened. With those girls getting murdered. Why are you asking me all this?’ He looked from his Gran’s face to the police officers. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Did you notice anyone else hanging around near you in the crowd? Anyone taking an interest in Jodie. Anyone, a stranger perhaps. Or did you see anyone there you knew, son?’

‘Yes, Mr. Ludlam was there with his two children. And so were Mr. Welback and his wife in the wheelchair. She’s a nice lady. And Miss Leach, she was there too, talking to Mr. Ludlam.’ He stopped. ‘I saw you there too, Inspector and that lady from the library. You’ve come here because something has happened to Jodie. I’m right aren’t I?’ he declared angrily, with colour flaring up in his cheeks. ‘Why don’t you tell me? She’s been killed too, hasn’t she?’

‘Yes, son. I’m afraid so. Your young friend Jodie was murdered last night. Like Maureen and the French girl Yvette.’

‘No-o! ‘ His colour drained as quickly as it came and his face turned cheesy white. ‘Christ! Where? In the park?’

‘Raymond! Watch your language.’

‘Sorry, Gran.’

‘She was found in the park early this morning. You say you went to the Gents toilets. And when you came back she’d gone.’

‘That’s right. And I bloody well wish I hadn’t left her now.’

More protests came from his grandmother till Jon Kent intervened with a sharp look and said, ‘Well, Raymond if you can thank of anything that might give us a lead. Anything at all. Any person acting strangely. Or anything Jodie said to you which might mean she was meeting someone else later. Let us know now please.’

‘I thought she’d buggered off quick to get back to the hostel, yeah. She was pretty nervous. With a killer about she was right to be, wasn’t she? Gran wouldn’t let her sleep here - I offered to give her my bed.’ His grandmother looked upset as his words accused her. ‘She would have been here still if she had. Wouldn’t she?’

40

Back in the station news filtered through from a different direction. ‘A Mr. Ludlam has reported his car stolen last night, sir. And we had a Major Colby on the phone to us at 2am this morning telling us that a joy rider had disturbed the quietness of Foxglove Grove. A rather select part of the town. More than likely a kid from the estate had some fun. Quite steamed up the old Major was. He was spitting out rounds of ammunition for ten minutes or so. Said this wasn’t the first time they’d had trouble in their neighbourhood. And nothing has been done about it.’

‘That’s interesting. Did the Major manage to get the number and the make? After he’d calmed down a bit did you get that much useful information?’

‘Yes, sir. We did. And it matched up with Ludlam’s stolen car. And we can now tell him that it has been found. But it’s a complete right-off.’

‘Where was it found, Storey? On the estate? Burnt out, I suppose.’

‘Burnt out. But the wrong location, sir. It was spotted by a fisherman lying at the bottom of the cliffs. Dumped over the Rocky Point. No one in it. Thank God. Whoever drove it must have bailed out. Lucky for them. Would serve ‘em damn right though if they were.’

‘Well we have to pay him a visit anyway. And now is as good as any. He might be able to tell us more than Raymond did about last night. About Jodie.’

‘Good evening, Mr. Ludlam. Inspector, Kent, Sergeant Turner. I hope this is not an awkward time to call, sir.’

Aiden Ludlam rose from his desk to greet them with a pleasant smile and a look of surprise in his grey eyes as they came into his study.

‘Good evening. So - what can I do for you, Inspector, Sergeant Turner? I have the evening service to attend to at the chapel.’ He glanced at his wrist watch. ‘In one hour precisely. I have a sermon to study and check well beforehand.’

‘We shan’t keep you long, sir. We heard that you reported that your car was missing.’

‘Really! But is finding my car so important, Inspector? I’m sure you must have more important things to worry about at this moment. I heard about that other poor child just now on the news. So tragic.’

‘Yes, sir. But I have to inform you that your car was discovered at the bottom of the cliffs this morning near Rocky point. And I’m afraid it’s a complete write-off.’

‘Oh dear. What about the joy rider, Inspector? He wasn’t injured, was he?’

‘No, sir. He got out before it went over.’

‘Oh, I see. Well at least it was only the car that took the brunt of it. Who was it? Does anyone know yet?’ He shook his head despairingly. ‘We’re plagued with these young lads from the estate who make a habit of doing these crazy things to give them a buzz, I think they call it? Egged on by their pals. There could have been more than one on-board besides the diver. And it would be a stupid waste of young lives if they’d been killed, wouldn’t it?’

‘And your car was parked up outside your home, Mr. Ludlam? Not in your garage when it was taken,
sir? Do you usually leave it on the road at night with this gang on the lookout for cars?’

‘No, I don’t, Inspector?’ For the first time in the interview it appeared as if his composure had been disturbed. ‘Well not exactly. Not that it makes much difference now. I suppose I shall to declare it to the insurance companies.’ He did seem more a little uncomfortable while he struggled to offer an explanation to the officers. ‘But I’m sure you have more important enquiries to make than where I parked my car.’

‘Yes, sir. Where were you last evening, sir? Did you go out at all if you had need of your car?’

‘My wife unfortunately suffers with migraine frequently. And she retires to bed with it. Yesterday was a bad day for Gwynith. So I took the children to see the Firework display in Victoria Park. Where I should imagine everyone else was last evening.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I didn’t want to disappoint them. They were looking forward so much to it. It would have been such a shame for them to miss it. We only do it here once a year. No, I’ll qualify that. We do make a big thing of the Guy Fawkes celebrations too. And there are fireworks along with the large bonfire. But I think the Carnival show is the best.’

‘And about what time did you bring the children home, sir.’

‘Let me see now. As soon as the display was over. My little girls were ready by then for the Land of Nod.’ He smiled.

‘And about what time would that be, sir?’

‘Let me see now.’ He hesitated a second or so. ‘About ten thirty
; near the end of the program, I would think. And if it is any help to you, in passing, earlier in the proceedings, I had occasion to speak to Raymond Perkins. He was with a girl who came to our chapel looking for help. And his grandmother, our cleaner, Mrs Perkins, spoke to Mr. Welbeck who was able to get her into a hostel. Mrs Perkins has a generous heart. She is a good woman.’

‘Yes, sir. I’m afraid that Jodie, the girl Raymond Perkins was with
, is the latest victim.’

‘Oh no! Where will it end? What a terrible time we’re going through. And before you ask, I rea
lised just now that I have met the French girl who was killed. I was placed in a rather delicate situation when I met her in the company of one of our chapel members the other day. He is a married man and he holds a high position on the police committee and is also a dear personal friend of mine. He was foolish. He has a great deal to lose. His reputation and a lot more.’

He’s a cool one and no mistake, Kent thought. ‘The gentleman in question has already been able to assist us with some helpful information.’

Ludlam looked relieved. ‘I am glad to hear this. Now you can see why it troubles me to tell you this. It’s better to have it all out in the open.’

‘Thank you, sir. And now to assist us further, we come back to where you parked your car after you took the children home. Outside your house? You forgot to put it into the garage as usual?’ Ludlam looked as if about to protest and made a point here of glancing at his watch. ‘But first
, sir, I can tell you, that at two am this morning, a gentleman phoned us to say his night’s sleep had been disturbed in a loud and noisy manner by a joy rider. And in the car that fits the description of your own. A black Mercedes.’

‘Really! And where does that gentleman live?’

‘Foxglove Grove, sir. Have you anything to say about that?’

Ludlam leaned forward in his seat, pursed his fleshy lips. And for the first time a look of panic appeared in his grey eyes. He laughed. ‘What can I say, Inspector. It’s a fair cop?’

‘You can verify, sir, that you left it outside your house? Or did you perhaps go out again. And it was stolen from there?’

It was a long shot. But Ludlam hadn’t rushed to deny it. So let’s see how he handles this, Kent thought, studying the face of the man in front of them. Turner beside him was hanging on to every word. Chewing a sweet as if his life depended on it.

‘I was,’ Ludlam said, clearing his throat before going on. ‘Visiting a dear friend of mine. A lady friend. But this is a delicate matter. You must understand, Inspector, I do not want this to become public for her sake as well as my wife’s of course.’

‘Of course, sir. I agree entirely.’

‘And this lady can give you an alibi, sir?’ Turner intervened quickly.

‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘If I needed one. We had to be discreet. It was most embarrassing that it should be taken from outside her house in the cul-de-sac. It’s a very private area. And she has a good reputation to keep up too.’

‘Naturally. You aren’t alone, sir. We are checking on the alibi’s of all the men who came into contact with the three victims. And how did you get home eventually? Did you walk or take a taxi? When you discovered your car had been stolen?’

He laughed shortly. ‘I walked. I thought better of getting a taxi.’

‘So if I might take the name of the lady in question, please?’

Ludlam`s heavy brows knitted tightly together over the Roman nose and he twisted the fountain pen round between the palms of his hands. ‘I’d much rather you waited till I can consult her, Inspector. But can I rely on you not to take it further till then?’ Ludlam said. ‘I’d much rather she wasn’t named. My wife believes I attended the Gilbert and Sullivan rehearsals. Which I did. Afterwards I stayed over with my friend.’

‘And Mrs Ludlam didn’t notice what time you came in, sir?’

‘No, I’m afraid not. My wife takes a sleeping pill. She wouldn’t be able to tell you the actual time when I came in. As I have already told you she suffers from migraine occasionally.’

‘Thank you, sir. We will check again with you later. Sorry about your car. I hope the insurance people play ball. It’s a costly business losing a car. Turner can tell you about that. Joy-riders damaged his family car last year.’ Turner nodded in confirmation. ‘Sorry if we’ve held you up somewhat for the service. And I hope your congregation appreciates the hard work you have put into your sermon.’