Page 59 of Return Ticket

Teddy Roe and another man were at the back shed, trying to maneuver a large armchair through the door. Ruby Everett was watching their efforts, her expression bemused, offering advice as they moved this way and that.

“Can we give you a hand there, lads?” Hartridge asked as they walked toward the trio.

The man helping Teddy Roe dropped his side of the chair and looked around wildly, as if for an exit.

“Ow! Jerry, you idiot. That landed on my foot.” Teddy Roe’s face was red with anger.

“It’s all right, we’re just here to ask for Mr. Roe’s help about something he saw during the war.” James could see Jerry was still in panic mode.

“He thinks you’re here to collar him for hitting that bloke’s black Mercedes with a poker,” Teddy Roe said. “But he doesn’t know you’re sweet on Miss Farnsworth, and you’d be fine with us doing a little damage to the paintwork to get him away from her. He was hurting her, he was.”

James blinked. This had taken the strangest turn. “Sorry, someone attacked Miss Farnsworth today, and you got him away from her by . . .?”

“There was a pile of stuff being tossed. Like this lovely armchair.” Teddy Roe patted the mustard velvet with affection. “Miss Farnsworth was coming by, doing her job. She said hello to us, went on her way, and this bloke grabs her. He hurt her arm. So Jerry grabbed a poker from the pile and I got a wooden dining chair. I went for him, Jerry started hitting the nice shiny paint on his fancy car.” Teddy Roe grinned, showing a few missing teeth. “Stopped him right quick.”

Jerry looked like he was about to faint at the confession Teddy Roe had just given.

“Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate your helping Miss Farnsworth. Did you get a good look at the man in question?” James eyed Ruby Everett’s house, and wondered if she’d mind him using her phone. He needed to call the Traffic Warden HQ.

“Sure, and his car, too. We chased him off.” Teddy Roe patted the armchair again. “Miss Farnsworth was all right, though, not to worry.”

“You never told me this, Teddy.” Ruby Everett had been observing from the sidelines, but now she stepped forward. “Do you know why he attacked her?”

“She was giving him a fine.” Teddy Roe shrugged.

It could be as simple as that, or it could be to do with the story she’d told him the night before. About the green Jaguar.

“Well, thanks again. Actually, I’m here to ask you to remember the details of an incident you told Miss Farnsworth about. The bombing of the Billick Building during the war.” James saw Jerry shuffle back and slowly begin breathing again. He looked like he couldn’t believe his luck.

“That woman I found.” Teddy Roe nodded slowly. “Something very wrong there. She was under some ceiling panels, but there were no injuries on her anywhere except her head, and only on the back. It looked to me like someone had picked some ceiling board up and set it on top of her, not that the ceiling board had landed on her, if you know what I mean?”

“Do you know if there was an autopsy?” James asked.

Teddy Roe shook his head. “I was night crew. I didn’t have anything to do with the bodies after the ambulance took them away. I did tell the coppers about it, but no one took me seriously.” He shrugged. “I thought I found another woman in similar circumstances a few weeks later, and that put the nail in my coffin. They were sure after that that I was making it up.”

“What other woman?” James asked, keeping his voice steady.

“Down near Holland Park,” Teddy Roe said, and gave a street name. “Can’t remember the exact number, but there was a big mansion of a house third down from the corner that had its back garden bombed, and I found a woman under the shed. Piss poor job of hiding her, like whoever left her there didn’t have the time he needed.”

“Did you see her injuries?” James asked.

Teddy Roe nodded. “Head wound, back of the skull, like the other one.”

There was silence in the garden for a moment.

“Well, thank you, Mr. Roe. Why don’t DC Hartridge and myself move this in for you, and then, Mrs. Everett, if you don’t mind my using your phone?”

They lifted the chair easily and got it in, much to Teddy Roe’s delight, then left him putting the kettle on for him and Jerry.

“You’ll phone to see if Gabriella is all right?” Ruby asked as she led them inside.

The house was warm after the cool of outside, and James slipped off his coat as he walked to the telephone. Ruby took it from him and hung it on the coat rack, and did the same for Hartridge.

He heard her murmur something about tea as he dialed the Traffic Warden Center. He was put through to Mr. Greenberg immediately.

“Gabriella’s arm is badly bruised where the brute grabbed her, but she seems to be more angry than shaken,” Mr. Greenberg said. “I’ve photographed her injuries and we’ll go in tomorrow to formally report it, but I’ve already called a few people about it.”

“And what was it about?” James asked. He was gripping the receiver so hard he heard it squeak, and forced himself to relax his hold.

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