Free Dance of Death by Edward Marston Page A

first danced on stage when I was only five years old, Inspector. My parents both performed in music halls, you see. I was born to it. But I always found those audiences a trifle vulgar. What I really wanted to do was to appear in stage musicals that gave me a chance to sing and dance. Have you ever heard of Gaiety Girl ?’ She sailed on before they could respond. ‘I had my big chance in that. I understudied the female lead and went on for five performances. Simon Wilder was at one of them. He was an actor in those days and we … knew each other.’
    ‘We didn’t ask for your life story, Miss Thompson,’ said Keedy.
    ‘But it explains the way I behave.’
    ‘Does it?’
    ‘Live theatre is a long succession of hazards. So many things can go wrong. I rehearsed for three weeks for one show and it was postponed because the principal dancer broke her leg in a fall. When I auditioned for the second production, I didn’t get a part. In another stage musical, the leading man had a heart attack and collapsed. They brought the curtain down and sent everyone home. I never even got to show the audience what I could do as a dancer. And there are dozens of other examples,’ she went on. ‘I’m inured to calamities. I’ve been the victim of so many.’
    ‘It’s Mr Wilder who’s the victim here,’ said Marmion with asperity.
    ‘I’ll write to Catherine.’
    ‘Have you always been so heartless?’
    ‘You have to develop a thick skin in my profession, Inspector.’ She sized up Keedy. ‘Have you ever thought of taking up dancing, Sergeant? You have the body and the looks for it.’
    ‘The only body that interests me at the moment,’ he said, levelly, ‘is that of Mr Wilder. We need to find his killer.’
    ‘We all want that.’
    ‘Did he have any enemies?’
    ‘He had a lot of rivals,’ she said, ‘but that’s in the nature of things. He turned the dance studio into a small gold mine and he gave lots of ladies an experience that they will treasure. Speak to Audrey Pattinson. She was his accompanist.’
    ‘We already have spoken to her.’
    ‘When she first met Simon, she was a sad, dried-up little creature who’d never had any real joy in her life. Her father had been a cathedral organist and she’d learnt to play organ and piano. But her real yearning was for dance music,’ said Odele. ‘Simon showed her a whole new world. In a sense, he resurrected her.’
    ‘Let’s go back to the question the inspector asked you,’ suggested Keedy. ‘If he didn’t have enemies, did he have any rivals who might go to extremes?’
    She suddenly twitched and sat bolt upright in her chair. Her mouth fell open, her eyes glazed over and she began to shiver. It was as if the news of the murder had finally penetrated her consciousness. It was no longer an inconvenience to her dancing ambitions. She realised that she’d lost a dear friend and was aghast. Having been appalled at her earlier reaction, they now felt sorry for her.
    ‘I’ll tell you something,’ she said, querulously.
    ‘What’s that Miss Thompson?’ asked Keedy.
    ‘I was with Simon a couple of weeks ago in Shaftesbury Avenue …’
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘Well, he came to an abrupt halt and swung round sharply.’
    ‘Why did he do that?’
    ‘He thought that someone was following him.’
     
    A working day in the company of Iris Goodliffe had cemented their friendship. Alice got on well with all her colleagues in the Women’s Police Force but had never really found a close friend. She wondered if Iris might be able to fill that gap in her life. As they came off duty, they were about to go their separate ways.
    ‘Will you be seeing your fiancé tonight?’ asked Iris.
    ‘I doubt it very much.’
    ‘You don’t know that he’s involved in that murder investigation.’
    ‘Yes, I do,’ said Alice. ‘When I saw that mention in the newspaper, I felt my heart sink. That’s an infallible sign.’
    ‘So you won’t see much of Joe or of your