McQueen's Agency

by Reynolds, Maureen

  Rita didn’t look pleased and neither did Mary but she could hardly refuse. It was a slow foxtrot and Mary wasn’t sure of the steps.

  ‘Never mind,’ the man said. ‘Just hold on to me.’

  Before she knew it, they were in the middle of the floor. Couples were crushed up beside them and she felt uncomfortable. She didn’t like this man one bit and there was the smell of alcohol on his breath.

  He held her in a tight grip, trying to speak into her ear. ‘Tell me all about your job. Do you like working in an agency? What’s your boss like? Do you like working for her?’

  Mary tried to pull away, but his grip tightened and she felt a sharp pain on her neck.

  Fortunately, the music came to an end and she was able to make her escape. He grabbed at her belt but it broke and she was suddenly on the edge of the crowded floor.

  She saw Rita chatting to a young man and hurried up to her. ‘I’m leaving, Rita. Are you coming?’

  Rita looked at her with open-mouthed surprise just as the young man started to dance with her and she was swept away amongst the dancers.

  Mary hurried down to the cloakroom and quickly made her way out into the street.

  Thankfully it was still light but as she made her way down Tay Street she saw the man emerge from the entrance.

  She started to run, frightened to look over her shoulder in case he was chasing her. At the tram stop she saw a tramcar waiting while a few people climbed on board. With an extra spurt she reached it and jumped on board.

  As it lumbered away she saw he had gone.

  She was breathless and almost in tears but at least she was on her way home. She was so immersed in her own misery that she didn’t notice the woman walking towards her.

  ‘Hello, Mary, I thought it was you,’ said Edna, sitting down beside her. ‘Have you been dancing?’

  Mary turned her frightened eyes to her. ‘I’ve had a terrible time, Edna. This man was talking to me about the agency. He kept asking questions about Miss McQueen. And he frightened me while we were dancing.’

  Edna was worried. Mary certainly looked frightened. ‘Have you seen him before?’

  Mary shook her head. ‘He was a lot older than Rita or me. He wore a good suit and was quite handsome with lovely black wavy hair, but why would he want to know all about the agency, Edna?’

  Edna didn’t have the answer to that but he was going to pass on this information to Molly as soon as possible.

  ‘I’ll make sure you get home safely, Mary, and you’re not to worry about this man. Perhaps he doesn’t have a chat up line and concentrates on his dancing partner’s work.’

  Mary looked at her and although she was young, she realised Edna didn’t believe that. Nor did she.

  After seeing Mary into the house, Edna retraced her steps to Paradise Road. This had been her first night out in ages. She had gone to the pictures with a friend and it was just chance that had placed her on the same tram as Mary.

  Edna spent a sleepless night and early on Sunday morning she made up her mind.

  She looked for the slip of paper with Molly’s home telephone number and after breakfast with Billy and her mother, went out to the telephone box on Constitution Road.

  Edna slipped her three pennies in the slot and when Molly answered she pushed button A.

  She decided to sound casual as she didn’t want to alarm Molly with a call on Sunday morning.

  ‘I don’t want to alarm you, Molly,’ she said, forgetting in her haste to speak, her promise to herself to sound casual. ‘It’s about Mary.’ She went on to tell the story of the meeting with the dark-haired man.

  When she stopped speaking, Molly said, ‘I was coming over anyway, Edna. I’ll catch the ferry at eleven o’clock. Can you meet me at the agency about twelve?’

  ‘I’ll be there, Molly.’

  Afterwards, when she was in the kitchen with Billy, she felt stupid. What had made her alarm Molly like that? Was it this over-zealous young man at the dancing? Surely the town was packed with eager young men who perhaps came on a bit strong with young impressionable girls.

  She had also promised to take Billy to the park to play on the swings but she could do that later on the afternoon. At the moment he was lying on the rug in front of the fire, reading his comics.

  ‘Is it all right if we go out later to the park, Billy?’ she asked him.

  He looked up and nodded and returned his gaze to the antics of the comic characters.

  Over in Newport, Molly was puzzled by Edna’s call. What could have triggered this alarm by some young man in a dance hall? Still it was better to get it sorted out and hopefully there would be a logical explanation.

  She had planned a quick visit to the office and then have a quiet day to herself with an afternoon visit to Marigold but now she would have to make her apologies.

  Edna was waiting for her at the agency and followed her into the office. She was nervous and it showed.

  ‘What’s all this about Mary and some young man?’

  Edna related the story again and Molly listened without saying a word. After she finished, Molly said, ‘Perhaps he was just making conversation.’

  Edna shook her head. ‘No, he kept quizzing Mary about the agency. He mentioned it by name but how did he know she worked here? It doesn’t make sense. And he frightened her.’

  Molly couldn’t see what the connection was but she was still puzzled.

  Edna twisted her hands on her lap. ‘There’s something else, Molly. Yesterday, when I said I walked into a lamp post … well, I didn’t.’

  Molly laughed out loud. ‘Oh, I never believed you for a minute but it’s your own business and I didn’t want to pry.’

  Edna leaned forwards with a worried frown. ‘No, it wasn’t a private matter. As I was going to John Knox’s house someone jumped out from the entrance to Dudhope Park and pushed me against the stone pillars before hitting me hard on my face.’

  Molly put her cup down where it landed with a clatter on the saucer.

  ‘Did you see who did it, Edna?’

  Edna shook her head. ‘It was that very misty morning and it was just a dark shape, but it was definitely a man. I’m sure of that.’ She looked unhappy … ‘What’s going on, Molly?’

  ‘I don’t know, but we’ll go and see Mary at her house and see if she can add anything else to this.’

  The two women made their way to Moncur Crescent on the tramcar. It was a very pleasant area with six houses to every close. The windows were especially pretty with large panes of glass in the bottom and six small panes at the top. The gardens were well kept and an area of land was landscaped with stubby bushes which swept downward towards the street. A few children were playing in the swing park across the road and their childish cries followed Molly and Edna as they made their way to Mary’s house.

  ‘What are you going to say to Mary’s mum?’

  Molly didn’t know.

  The door was opened by Mary and her dark eyes opened with shock at the sight of her employer standing on the doorstep. There was a small, nasty-looking bruise on her neck which she had tried to cover with the scarf she was wearing.

  ‘Miss McQueen. Is there something wrong?’

  ‘Who is it, Mary?’ said a voice from the interior. Mrs Watt appeared in the lobby behind her daughter and also looked surprised when she saw the visitors.

  ‘Come in, come in,’ she said, ushering them into a comfortable looking living room. ‘Mary put on the kettle and bring the tin of biscuits from the kitchen cabinet,’ she said.

  Mary scuttled off to the kitchen like a frightened animal. It was clear she hadn’t told her mother what had happened.

  Molly said, ‘Don’t bother with tea for us, Mrs Watt. I wondered if Mary could come down to the office, as we have some important paperwork to finish before tomorrow. I know it’s a Sunday, but I would be very grateful if she could help out.’

  ‘Of course she can. Mary, Miss McQueen would like you to go to the office to help out with pap
erwork. Hurry and get your coat on.’

  Molly hated lying to the woman but she didn’t want to get Mary into trouble. Mary appeared wearing her coat and a frightened expression.

  ‘It’ll only take an hour, Mrs Watt, and I’ll make sure Mary gets her fare back home.’

  Before they reached the tram stop, a tall, pretty girl shouted over, ‘Hullo Mary, where did you get to last night? I had to come home on my own.’

  Mary went over. ‘I’m never going back with you to the Palais, Rita, I’m going to Kidd’s Rooms next week where I know nearly everyone.’ She then turned and walked away, leaving Rita with an astonished look.

  Edna couldn’t resist a parting shot at the girl. ‘Close your mouth, love, you might swallow a wasp.’

  Back in the office, Molly put Mary at her ease. ‘Now Mary, Edna has told me about your meeting last night with a stranger who seemed to want to know all about me and the agency. Can you tell me any more details?’

  Mary shook her head. ‘I didn’t know him. I usually go to Kidd’s Rooms with Rita but she’s a wee bit older than me and she finds it a bit juvenile for her liking. That’s her words, not mine. So she suggested we should go to the Palais, which is a great place, but filled with lots more people and most of them were older than me.’ She looked at Molly.

  ‘I never mentioned to Mum about going there as she would be mad. She doesn’t care too much for Rita.’

  Mary recounted the tale and then said, ‘When I tried to get away from him, he grabbed my belt and he’s torn my new dress. The belt tabs are torn and it’s made holes in the side seams. I only bought it yesterday.’ She sounded sad and Molly thought she was going to cry.

  ‘I’ll give you some extra money next week, Mary, to replace the dress. How did you get the bruise on your neck?’

  Mary went red with embarrassment and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. After a few moments she whispered, ‘When I didn’t tell him what he wanted to know, he grabbed my neck and squeezed it really tight. I couldn’t breathe.’

  The two women looked at one another in shock.

  ‘Can you describe him?’

  ‘He was very well dressed and much older than me. I thought he looked the same age as Rita’s brother who’s thirty. He had a thin face and lovely dark wavy hair. And he had been drinking because I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He also had a large mole at the side of his cheek.’

  Molly felt a sharp shock. It sounded like Mike, but why would he question a young girl about the agency. Molly stood up. ‘You’ve been a great help, Mary, and we’ll see you tomorrow after school. It won’t be long till you leave and it’ll be such a relief to have you here every day.’

  Molly added, ‘Be careful about who you meet on Saturday nights, Mary. If he comes near you again, go to the nearest policeman for help.’

  As she was going out the door, she turned. Her face was puzzled. ‘There’s one thing I’ve remembered. Although I didn’t know him I have the funniest feeling I’ve seen him before but I can’t remember where.’

  When she was gone, Edna said, ‘What do you make of that?’

  ‘I don’t know, Edna, but I think I know who he is. He works for the couple I’m working for at Cliff Top House. His name’s Mike and I don’t like him. I can’t prove it’s him but I’ll be keeping a look out for him in the future.’

  Edna went to take her son to the park while Molly locked the door and set off for the ferry. She sat on the top deck and let the wind blow through her hair. Her mind was in turmoil about the latest developments. As Edna said, what was going on?

  The difficult thing was, Molly didn’t know.

  11

  Tam was finishing his breakfast and was on the point of taking Rover out for his morning walk when there was a loud knock on the door.

  Tam was puzzled as he normally didn’t have many visitors, and was astonished to see DS Johns standing in the dark lobby and he wasn’t in uniform.

  ‘Can I come in, Mr Burns?’

  Tam stood aside. ‘Aye, in you come. What’s brought you here?’

  The detective seemed to fill the small kitchen with his bulky figure while Rover did an agitated dance of disapproval around his size twelve boots.

  ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ said Tam, chastising Rover for his barking.

  ‘No, thank you. Can I sit down?’

  Tam pulled the newspaper from the fireside chair and sat down with a sigh.

  ‘I swear my legs are getting worse every year,’ he said and pointed to the paper. ‘I’ve been looking for more news of Harry but there hasn’t been a word except for that very first wee bit when his body was found and a small item about me knowing him.’

  ‘No, that’s why I’m here. He doesn’t seem to have any family and his last address was in Hull. The police down there went to investigate but according to a neighbour he lived alone. This neighbour had a key and the police didn’t discover very much. He lived in the flat on the odd occasion when he was ashore and he didn’t have very much money. He paid his rent on time and his bills but other than that he only appeared to have enough to live on, but not much more.’

  ‘Aye he told me he had no family and that he had been all round the world on various ships. He had been a crew member on the liners for a short time but worked mainly on the cargo ships. It was his first trip to Dundee and it’s such a shame that he met his death here. I was wondering what the arrangements are for his funeral.’

  ‘Well yes, that’s another reason for this visit. The police found an insurance policy in his name and there will be enough money to bury him. The neighbour, when asked his opinion about a burial site, said it wouldn’t matter where he was laid to rest because the sea was his life and he was never at home on dry land. So that’s why I’m here. The burial takes place today at ten thirty at Balgay Cemetery and I’d like you to come, if that’s possible.’

  Tam jumped up from his seat. ‘I’ll just get my coat and cap.’

  ‘I’ve got a car outside to take us there and I’ll bring you back home.’

  Rover didn’t look too happy at being left alone, especially as his morning walk had been curtailed to a quick trip down the street where he managed to leave his mark behind on every lamp post.

  There was a young police constable driving the black car and the two men got into the back seat. It didn’t take long to reach the cemetery and they had to walk a few hundred yards to the grave site.

  Two cemetery gravediggers and a church minister stood by the open grave as the black hearse drew slowly to a stop. The solemn-faced undertaker and two pall bearers carried the plain wooden coffin slowly. It had one wreath of carnations on top.

  Tam felt tears spring to his eyes at the sadness of Harry’s death. He was a man with no family and very few friends by the look of it. He wished he had brought some flowers.

  The minister said a moving little service and then it was all over. The two gravediggers covered the grave with a green board and no doubt would fill the hole in later, shovelling earth on Harry who loved the sea and the wild elements of gigantic waves and the feel of a force eight gale in his face. Not this small plot of earth amongst hundreds of other graves.

  What kind of life had he lived? thought Tam. Had it been a happy one?

  Then they were back in the car. When they reached the centre of town, the detective sergeant got out with Tam and told the constable to take the police car back.

  ‘Let’s go and have a drink Tam. Where do you recommend?’

  ‘The City Centre Bar … where I met Harry the night he died.’

  The bar was quiet as it had only opened for business less than an hour earlier. The policeman bought Tam a double rum and a pint of beer for himself and they sat at a table.

  They both had their own thoughts.

  Suddenly Tam said, ‘Harry didn’t fall into the water accidentally. Someone must have pushed him. Harry was too much of a seaman to trip over something lying on the dock.’

  The DS Johns stroked his chi
n. ‘Well, Tam, that’s the official cause of death. There were no marks or bruises on his body except for the head wound which he got when he struck his head after falling. And, of course, he had been drinking.’

  ‘But he wasn’t drunk.’

  DS Johns took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to Tam who shook his head.

  After he lit up, he leaned back in his seat. ‘Let’s look at this from another angle, Tam. Why would anyone want to push Harry into the river? He was a stranger in the town. He’d never been in Dundee before. Who could have wanted him dead? He wasn’t a rich man. The insurance money will cover his funeral costs but there will be hardly anything left over.’

  ‘What about one of his shipmates on The Mary Anne?’

  ‘They were all questioned when the body was found. The same men were on board then as on the trip made by Harry. He was a stranger to them. They had all done this trip before except for him and they all say they liked him but he kept himself very much to himself. The captain said he was private man. A stranger on the boat and a stranger in the city.’

  ‘Then why are you bothering about him? This man who is a stranger to both of us?’

  DS Johns stubbed out his cigarette and gazed at Tam. A shrewd old man, he thought. Yes, why am I bothering myself with a dead stranger?

  ‘I just didn’t want him to have a lonely burial I suppose.’

  The two men parted outside the bar. ‘Keep in touch, Tam. Maybe we can have another drink together.’

  Later that afternoon Tam took Rover for his walk and made his way to the docks.

  Quite a few ships were being unloaded and the place was busy. Tam kept out of the stevedores’ way as they loaded and unloaded cargoes in and out of the ships’ holds.

  He walked over to the spot where Rover had sniffed the rusty stain. It was faint now due to the weather. Rain had swept the concrete wharves in the time since Harry had last walked here.

  Tam had a good look around. This part of the dock wasn’t as wide as the rest, due to a small crane taking up part of the walkway. Harry would have had to skirt around this crane which would have taken him near the edge.