Free A Coffin for Charley by Gwendoline Butler Page A

it.’
    Ashworth grinned. ‘No, but an awful lot of prejudice.’
    â€˜In certain quarters,’ said Coffin in a neutral tone. He had nothing against anyone who danced with himself. Stella had taught him to be open-minded and generous in certain important ways. It was part of the gift of living that she had brought with her.
    But Job Titus, he did not like.
    â€˜All over the front pages today, isn’t he? On some mercy mission, heaven help the poor sods who get him. I reckon you really know you’re in trouble when Titus flies in.’
    Coffin was aware that Job Titus had flown from Heathrow that morning, his departure and return had been quietly agreed upon. He’d be back tomorrow.
    â€˜He knew the girl that was killed. I expect you know that? If you’re doing your job, you should.’ He took Coffin’s silence for assent. ‘Don’t know if he met her here or came here to see her. They were talking away.’ He added carefully, ‘Quarrelling, I think. Yes, I think you’d call it quarrelling. Not shouting or anything but bitching quietly.’
    His eyes went distant again. ‘You see some faces there all right, dressed in this and dressed in that, some you know, some you don’t. Anyway, now I’m watching him fora client, because he’s seeing someone I don’t care for very much. Scion of a murderous clan.’
    He talked like that sometimes.
    Creeley, thought Coffin. This is where our paths cross. And again he thought of Stella. Had Titus and Eddie Creeley seen her there? Creeley had been back from New Zealand by last summer.
    He looked at his watch. ‘I’m going back to the office. Follow me, let’s have a talk.’
    â€˜I’ve got an appointment,’ said Ashworth hastily.
    Coffin ignored this. ‘And you can tell me why you are here now today.’
    â€˜Watching,’ said Ashworth, as he got back into his car. ‘Looking around. Just like you.’
    Coffin sat him in a chair with a view of the river if you sat tall and had good long sight, and poured him a drink. ‘You look nervous,’ he said kindly.
    â€˜You make me nervous.’
    â€˜So what took you into Karnival? The first time?’
    â€˜Another bit of business,’ said Tom vaguely. He wanted to keep his secrets.
    â€˜And you saw Titus there with the girl? Well, we know about that. But you’ve also seen Titus with Edward Creeley? You get about a bit.’
    â€˜I’m looking after things for Annie Briggs if you remember who she is.’
    â€˜Oh, I remember all right.’
    â€˜So she’s nervous, and she has this idea that young Creeley is out to get her. Revenge, you know, family honour. Of course, Auntie’s coming out, plus Uncle who’s not with us in the world any more, so perhaps he doesn’t mind too much about the honour, if he ever did.’
    â€˜And you’ve been keeping an eye on him.’
    â€˜Sort of.’
    â€˜And while doing that, you saw him drinking with Titus? Are you suggesting he was a hired killer.’
    Ashworth looked nervously around the room. ‘Is this being taped? That’d be slander or libel or something, wouldn’t it?’ He was acting more naïve than he really was.He saw Coffin’s sceptical look and decided to tone it down a bit. ‘It struck me as odd, that meeting. But Titus has interested himself in the Creeley case and may even have been responsible for getting Lizzie out.’
    â€˜You’re well informed.’ Coffin wasn’t quite so kind now.
    â€˜I listen to things.
    â€˜And what were you doing in the alley today? Apart from looking around, of course.’
    Tom Ashworth felt the scepticism in the Chief Commander’s voice and shifted uneasily.’
    â€˜I had a contact there. Chap I knew. I was going to ask him if he’d seen the Creeley boy there.
    What a liar you are, thought Coffin. One day I’ll find out what