by Anna Jacobs
‘What started this off, love?’
‘I was sad about my mother, then I started worrying about what he will do now.’
So there was definitely some information Tess hadn’t shared with anyone. ‘Who do you mean by “he”?’
‘Who do you think?’
‘Rathley?’
Tess nodded. ‘He was there last night. That’s why she sent me out to hide in the park. Mam always does that when he visits. Even when it’s raining you can shelter in the bandstand, you see.’
‘Ah. Does – did he visit your mother often?’
Tess shrugged. ‘A couple of times a week.’
‘But if he, um, takes pleasure in your mother’s company, why would he kill her?’
‘It might not have been him, only …’ Her voice trailed away.
‘Only what?’
‘Only Mam wasn’t well. She kept coughing. She said she’d not be working at all last night. He might have ignored that, though. I’ve heard people talk about him. If he sets his mind on doing something, then you’re best letting him do it or he’ll make sure you regret it.’
‘Is that so?’ She stopped talking and waited, hoping to encourage further confidences.
‘He wants to use my body, Jo. He’s been waiting for me to grow up. She persuaded him to wait till I’m older. That’s why I had to dress like this. He was offering her fifty pounds if I was untouched, but she promised she wouldn’t let him do that to me. She’s been saving money for ages and we were nearly ready to run away. Didn’t I tell you that she’d even arranged for the lawyer to sell our cottage for her if we left suddenly?’
Another pause and a sigh that ended on a sob. ‘Even so, it doesn’t make sense for Rathley to have killed her, it just doesn’t. I keep going over and over it in my mind and I can’t work it out for certain. Why would he do that when he wanted me alive? All I know is, I don’t want him to find me. That’s another reason I haven’t said anything to Sergeant Deemer. I don’t want to draw Rathley’s attention to myself.’ She shuddered and crossed her arms in front of her chest protectively.
‘Well, as long as you stay hidden and don’t give yourself away, I doubt Rathley will suspect that you’re here.’
‘I hope and pray he doesn’t.’
When she went to bed, after a few pleasant moments chatting quietly to Nick, Jo found it hard to settle to sleep because she couldn’t forget what Tess had told her. She too loathed Rathley and didn’t trust him. And he’d come after her because he was angry at her. She could believe he’d killed Moira, but surely he’d have done it in a way that didn’t implicate him?
Tomorrow she’d definitely tell the sergeant what Tess had said.
24
T odd slipped into Reginald Kirby’s house the back way, meeting up with his wife and Charlie just before he got to the gate.
‘The conspirators gather!’ Charlie struck a melodramatic pose.
Leah gave her brother-in-law a mock slap. ‘Don’t be silly. This is serious.’
He gave her his usual broad smile. ‘Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it.’
‘Well, keep your voice down.’ She stood on tiptoe to kiss her husband’s cheek. ‘Did you have a good day, Todd love?’
‘Not really. Everyone’s talking about the murder.’
‘What murder?’
‘Where have you been all day?’
‘Working on a new flavour of fizzy drink. You’ll have to test some for me when we get home.’
‘Always happy to do that.’
‘Has there really been a murder in our valley?’ she prompted.
He told her about Red Moira, but it was the thought of the woman’s daughter that caught Leah’s attention. ‘What on earth is that poor girl going to do now? No one will want to take her in with a mother like that.’
‘Who knows? She seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.’
They were still waiting for a couple of people to arrive, and of course the murder in Packman Alley was the main subject of conversation for everyone in the meantime.
The lawyer Henry Lloyd, coming in last, heard the words ‘Packman Alley’ and insisted on them going over it all again. He looked so shocked, they asked what was upsetting him, but he shook his head and didn’t explain.
Then even Charlie settled down to listen quietly as Reginald explained what he wanted to do and why.
‘I think we need to focus on public health first. There’s been another outbreak of fever in Backshaw Moss, not a serious one this time, thank goodness, but bad enough to make Dr Fiske worry about the drains and the drinking water once again. He says if the council does nothing about them, it’ll keep happening and next time it could be really bad, maybe spread right round the valley.’
Leah nodded vigorously. ‘I agree with him. I think it’s more than time for the council to do something about it.’
‘I tried and failed to get funding for improvements to the sewage system last year. However, with all of you now on the council, maybe we really can do something. If you agree with me, that is. I’m assuming I can count on your support for a new proposal?’
There were murmurs and nods from every member of the group.
‘The whole of that slum needs dealing with,’ Todd said. ‘Half the buildings look ready to fall down and the place is a festering sore. It’s all right for you folk in the posh part of Birch End, Charlie, but the ordinary folk in the main village deserve better.’
Charlie pulled a face. ‘Actually, we’re starting to get affected by those drains as well. Marion was complaining about the smell only last week, and I’ve smelled it, too.’
Reginald raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness and frustration. ‘There you are. I’ve had several other people complain directly to me lately. They’ve tried complaining to the council sanitation officers, but they’ve been told there’s no money to improve anything. There’s a man called Jackson in charge of that at the moment, who’s afraid to upset anyone, a real weakling.’
‘I’ve met him,’ Charlie said. ‘If you made a rule that everyone had to stand on their head and sing the national anthem backwards every hour, he’d enforce it.’
‘That sort of attitude won’t get us anywhere. Since you’re new to the council, you may not realise that our town could have been making a start on improving this sort of thing years ago under the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1919. But for nearly fifteen years, they’ve fiddled around and done practically nothing, mainly thanks to people like Rathley and his builder friend Higgerson.’
He paused to let that sink in and went on, ‘We’ve got rid of Rixom from the town hall now, thank goodness, but there are others who need dealing with, too, who either obstruct progress for their own benefit or are terrified to do anything, like Jackson. Higgerson’s houses are shoddily built, but no one dares call him out about it, and they pass inspections, goodness knows how. Other builders don’t flourish in Rivenshaw, except in a small way, because Higgerson’s been awarded the contracts to every major building development for over a decade, as well as being allowed to do whatever he wants on his own building projects.’
‘That man would cheat his own mother out of her last sixpence without blinking,’ Todd said feelingly. ‘He tried to pay me only half what he owed me for repairing his car last month, then had the nerve to threaten to take me to court if I insisted on charging so much. I told him he needn’t bother because I’d be taking him to court for non-payment – so in the end he paid up “under protest”. Well, he’s free to get his car and his company’s lorries repaired by someone else from now on, and so I told him.’
Charlie nodded. ‘He throws together houses that look nice enough from the outside, but there’s a lot of faulty workmanship and skimping on materials that shows up when people are living in them. I should know. I have one of his houses and it’s cost me a fortune to set things right because you can’t get him to admit that he’s responsible.’
‘Well, we can make a start now on necessary improvements and re
pairs, and we have you on board, Henry, in case we need to go after someone legally.’
‘Always useful to have a lawyer on your side,’ Todd said.
‘Yes, but most important of all we need a majority on the council.’
‘Are you sure we do have a majority? Jane Sowerby is a bit of a ditherer.’
‘She’ll vote with us,’ Reginald said. ‘Her son works for me and has promised he’ll make sure his mother does what’s necessary. Pity her husband died. He’d have stood for council and made a better fist of it than she will. She’s a bit of a fool but her heart’s in the right place.’
He picked up some folders and handed them round. ‘You can each take one of these away with you and read the contents before the next council meeting. To sum up the overall situation, the 1919 Act allowed a start to be made on slum clearance but it’s mainly been used for greenfields development, as far as I can make out from speaking to people from other local authorities, and that’s what we can aim for.’
Reg nodded, looking smug. ‘The recent Greenwood Act of 1930 requires councils to act, which is going to be a big help to us because even our worst backsliders on the council will have to agree to doing something.’
‘How do we start?’ Charlie asked.
‘With your support I’m going to make this recent outbreak of diarrhoea an excuse to call an emergency meeting about Backshaw Moss. I shall propose that we do something about the sewage and water supplies, but for the main works we’ll have to find some land to build the new council houses on. I’ve marked on the plans in your folders where there’s a farmer willing to sell us a couple of his smaller fields and if we buy those we’ll be able to erect new houses built to standards properly controlled by the council, ones that are both affordable and suitable for those in need. None of this one-room-and-share-an-outside-lavatory stuff. And we’ll make sure people other than Higgerson get a look in on doing the building.’
‘Does the council have the funds?’ Todd asked.
‘There’s enough to make a start and grants can be obtained according to the number of persons being helped, not the number of buildings demolished. There are a hell of a lot of people crammed into Backshaw Moss, you know, far more than is safe. I hate to think what would happen if any of those ramshackle buildings caught fire, and we’ll just have to pray that nothing will go round until the new houses are ready. But if we’ve improved the sanitation and water supplies to the present dwellings, we can hope things won’t get out of hand. The sort of grant we can get will make a big difference to what we can afford to do.’
‘Higgerson will still try to get any new building contracts,’ Charlie said gloomily. ‘And he usually manages to do it.’ And the trouble was, it’d take a while for Wilf to become a builder. He’d have to see if he could find some way of making sure Higgerson didn’t get every contract, and that he did good, sound work. Hmm. That wouldn’t be easy.
‘Well, this time Higgerson’s friends haven’t got a majority on the council and I intend to keep a very careful eye on what happens at the town hall. That is …’ he paused and looked at them, ‘if I have the firm promise of ongoing support from all of you.’
They all murmured and nodded, and Henry said, ‘I agree. If we stick together, we can surely manage to make some progress. No one could sort out all the problems in the valley at once, but if we can make a start, other things can be dealt with later.’
‘How do we choose who gets the first houses and so on?’ Leah asked.
The mayor smiled. ‘How about you start up and chair a small sub-committee to see what can be arranged, Leah? I’ll guarantee some funds from council – but don’t go overboard. There won’t be a lot of money.’
She looked at him in near panic for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, ‘Very well. I’ll do my best. But I’d appreciate some advice from you about how to set about it. I’ve not been in charge of a committee before.’
‘I’ll certainly help all I can, but my secretary will be the person to ask for practical help with the details. Miss Brayburn knows more about the ins and outs of council workings than anyone at the town hall.’
By the time the meeting broke up, the various new councillors were feeling moderately optimistic about their ability to make a difference to their world.
Reginald watched them leave, then went to pour himself a whisky. It was going to be harder than his colleagues perhaps realised, because Higgerson and friends were not afraid to play dirty.
But this time, surely, he’d found a group of supporters who would not be deterred and were younger than him and enthusiastic. They’d be able to defend themselves if necessary, he was sure, even Leah, who had her husband beside her, and loyal workers at her fizzy drinks factory during the day. The important thing was to get the reforms started.
He’d definitely warn them about the possible dangers next time. For the moment, let them get used to the idea of major change being needed in Backshaw Moss.
He raised his glass and looked at the ceiling, saying aloud, ‘I need your help, Lady Luck. I hope you’re going to be on our side this time.’
As an afterthought, he added, ‘And it wouldn’t hurt to have Miss Brayburn supporting our efforts, either. That woman baffles me. Which side is she on?’
Darned if he knew.
It wasn’t till he was on his way home that Henry Lloyd let himself think about the murder of his client and how it would affect him, as her lawyer. He’d liked Moira Tayner, in spite of what she did for a living. She was a sensible woman who was making practical provision for the future. He wished more people were like that.
Who’d have thought that he’d have to do as she asked so soon, though?
He’d forward the letter she’d entrusted to him to the person named tomorrow morning. And he’d keep his eyes and ears open because no one had seemed to know what had happened to the daughter and he needed to know that.
Well, you couldn’t hide anything for long in a small town. Deemer seemed to be involved and Henry had a great deal of respect for the sergeant. If anyone could solve the crime, it’d be him. And he probably knew where the daughter was.
What a sad thing to happen, though!
He hoped the murderer would be caught quickly. It made everyone uneasy when something like that happened right on their doorstep.
Henry didn’t say anything to his wife about the part he’d have to play in the events. He was always scrupulous about client confidentiality.
But his first thought in the morning should be about that poor woman, and as soon as he got to his rooms, he would do as she’d asked and post the letter.
Would the person it was going to respond?
Who knew? He hoped so.
Hobbs had been sent to watch the mayor’s house and had noted down who went in, licking the lead of his stub of a pencil to make it write indelibly, and laboriously printing his own random spellings of their names in a small, grubby notebook. He knew who these people were. Oh, yes. He knew all the better-off folk, especially which ones might slip you a shilling for doing a little job or taking a message for them.
He hoped he wasn’t getting these folk into bad trouble, because they were kind, the sort who helped those worse off than themselves. Only, if he didn’t get some money today, his own kids would go hungry, and they were more important than anything. So he continued to watch and take note.
As he waited, he tried to find shelter from the drizzling rain till they’d all come out of the house again and driven off in their cars. But the tree he was waiting under dripped steadily on to him and he could only stand there in misery.
Chilled through, he watched them drive off in their comfortable cars, then picked up a brick and hurled it through the front window of the house. That cheered him up. Even if he hadn’t been instructed to do it, he might have vented his anger that way.
He waited only to see the glass shatter and cascade everywhere, then ran off down the street. He dearly loved smashing windows, had discovered that p
leasure as a lad. It made such a satisfying sound, not to mention leaving a mess for rich sods to clear up. Even the kinder rich sods needed waking up now and then, he reckoned. What did they know about being hungry?
To be paid to smash a window was a real bonus to the job.
If what had happened in the past was anything to judge by, something had started up again and he would be earning a good bit of money in the coming weeks – and breaking a few more windows, he hoped. The man paying him had ordered this before. It was an ill wind!
He went to report what he’d done and hand over the list of names.
‘I think I’d better employ you as a general handyman and cleaner from now on, so that there’s a reason for me to be seen speaking to you, Hobbs.’
‘Yes, sir. Thank you very much, sir. I’d really appreciate a proper job, sir, and I’ll try my best to give satisfaction.’
‘See that you don’t let me down, whatever I ask you to do.’
‘I’d never let you down, sir. Never, ever. I’ve always done what you asked, haven’t I?’
A grunt was his only answer, and a dismissive wave of the hand.
Hobbs could have danced his way down the street, except it’d have drawn attention to him and he never thought it wise to stand out in a crowd. Eh, his wife was going to be over the moon about him having regular work. Maybe she’d show him a bit more affection now.
Pity about having to spy on them nice folk, but there you were. You had to look after yourself and your family first, second and third in this world.
25
T he following morning Jo went upstairs to spend a few minutes chatting to Tess. She kept an eye on the battered old clock ticking away on the mantelpiece and after a while said, ‘I’d better get to work now.’ She picked up the breakfast tray, reluctant to leave the girl alone but she had to act normally in the office.
She planned to spend the morning sorting out more invoices, receipts, brochures and miscellaneous rubbish in Todd’s office, while he worked on some car repairs in the workshop. It was taking longer than she’d expected to set his office to rights, not only because she kept getting interrupted but also because his idea of filing had been to put the papers and letters into neat piles, regardless of what they related to, and stack them at the back, on the floor.
