Free Shooting Elvis by Stuart Pawson Page B

at a health food store for some on the way back, please?’
    ‘For folic acid?’
    ‘Hmm. I’ve been reading about it. There’s been a big survey and they’ve discovered that it delays the onset of memory loss and Alzheimer’s. It’s got B vitamins in it.’
    ‘Does it? I’d better have some, then.’ We were both at an age when we worry about these things.
    ‘It sounded pukka gen. All done scientifically.’
    ‘Where was this?’
    ‘In the Sunday Times . The trials were in Finland.’
    ‘Why is it always Finland?’ I wondered. ‘Did you know that Finnish children can read and write better than any other children in the world?’
    ‘What? Read and write English?’
    ‘No, read and write Finnish.’
    ‘Well, they should be able to, shouldn’t they?’
    ‘Um, well, when you put it like that, I suppose they should.’
    We were rapidly approaching Five Lane Ends with its abundance of direction signs. ‘Where are we going?’ Dave demanded.
    ‘God knows,’ I replied.
    Simon was painting his garage door when we arrived. He wrapped the brush in cling film so it wouldn’t dry out and invited us into the kitchen.
    ‘Have you got anyone, yet?’ he asked.
    ‘For killing Alfred? No, not yet.’
    ‘So how can I help you?’
    Before I could answer his telephone rang. ‘Excuse me,’ he said as he lifted the receiver. We heard the usual half of the conversation. ‘Um, yes it is. Um, yes. It’s a bit awkward at the moment. Can I ring you back? What’s your number, please?’ At a guess somebody wanted some gardening done. Simon was working in the blackeconomy, but it wasn’t our business.
    ‘Eric Smallwood,’ I said when he was back with us. ‘We had a word with him, as you suggested, and he told us some more names. Do you remember Donovan Bender?’
    ‘Bendy? Sure I remember him. He was alright. Drove the van sometimes. He got done for robbing a bank after he left. It was in all the papers. Can’t see him being a murderer, though.’
    ‘Someone is,’ I replied. ‘Was there ever any conflict between Donovan and Alfred that you know of? Might, for instance, Donovan have been stealing the odd item of scrap and Alf warned him about it?’
    Simon shook his head. We questioned him some more, mainly about security, or lack of it, but it was a waste of time. As we stood up to leave Dave said, ‘Does the name Midnight mean anything to you?’
    Simon looked puzzled for a second, before saying, ‘Yeah. It does. One of them used to call the other it. Don’t know why.’
    ‘One of whom?’
    ‘Smallwood and Alf. That’s right. Midnight. Smallwood used to call Alf it, and Alf got really annoyed. It really wound him up. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped, but it was never the same between them again. Someone said that Alf had sent him a solicitor’s letter, but I don’t know if it’s true.’
     
    ‘Do we still have solicitor’s letters?’ Dave wondered as we drove away.
    ‘I suppose so,’ I replied. ‘Although I haven’t heard of one for years. These days people are more likely to dive straight in with litigation. A solicitor’s letter was like a shot across the bows to warn someone that you were thinking of taking action against them.’
    ‘Stop it or I’ll sue.’
    ‘That’s it. A letter before action . I think that’s the proper name for one.’
    ‘It’ll be interesting to hear what Mr Smallwood has to say about it.’
    ‘It will, won’t it?’
    But first we wanted to see his Scalextric. We used the standard ploy to get into the house – we’d like a statement, and perhaps he’d prefer to come down to the station to make it – and were admitted into his surgically clean habitation.
    ‘One of your officers came to see me yesterday,’ he protested, his tone suggesting that we were wasting public money, which we probably were. He was wearing his cycling helmet and I had great difficulty not looking at it. Every few seconds my eyes flicked towards it as if it might light up or start