Inspector Scott from the Met Police, accompanied by Sergeant Andy Gillespie â the erstwhile âphoney vicarâ â came to call. She had been expecting them.
âWhat do you remember about the accident, Mrs Vachon?â Chief Inspector Scott asked, as they sipped their coffee.
âNothing, really â it all happened so suddenly. Is Inspector Martin alright? He saved my life, thatâs one thing I do know.â
âItâs too early to tell, but weâre hoping heâll be okay. Can you remember anything about immediately after the accident?â
âNo, only that my head hurt, but that was when I woke up in the ambulance. Why wasnât Inspector Martin with me? How did he get to St Maryâs?â
âI understand that a member of the public flagged down an ambulance travelling along Elgin Avenue soon after the accident, because it was obvious he had been badly injured.â
âThatâs right, boss,â confirmed Andy Gillespie, âapparently it was already on its way to St Maryâs, but there was a patient in that ambulance already, so thatâs why another one had to be sent for Mrs Vachon. I believe that one of the paramedics stayed with her until the second ambulance arrived.â âI see. Thank you,â said Nicole Vachon. âIâm so grateful to everyone who helped, especially Inspector Martin. It was a very brave thing he did, pushing me out of the way like that. He must have known the car would hit him. You know, he could have jumped clear if heâd done that instead of saving me, but he didnât.â
âI agree,â said Chief Inspector Scott, âGeorges Martin is a very courageous man and a fine police officer. I can assure you that Scotland Yard will see that his bravery is suitably recognised.â
âGood. Now do you have any further questions, Chief Inspector? Iâm very tired, I think I might have to lie down for a while.â
âJust a few more, then I promise weâll be on our way. These men whoâve been visiting Serge off and on over the past few weeks â what can you tell us about them?â âNothing, because I was never allowed to meet any of them: in fact I never even laid eyes on them.â
âWhy not?â Inspector Gillespie asked.
âSerge always knew when they were coming, so he told me to go out somewhere, like the cinema, or maybe shopping, otherwise Iâd have to stay in our bedroom.â
âSo you didnât even hear their voices?â
âI did once, when I stayed home because I wasnât well.â
âAnd how many were there, do you know? And what accents did they have?â
âI only heard one speak, but there might have been three that time. The one I heard spoke English â ordinary English, I mean.â
âOrdinary English?â
âYes, you know; not posh.â
âI see. Did he speak like us; Sergeant Gillespie, and me, perhaps?â
âNo â even more ordinary than you.â
Hmm, have we just been complimented or insulted, Andy Gillespie wondered. And âordinary Englishâ hardly narrows down our field of suspects: most of the people we cross paths with would be in that category. But not all: we have our share of posh upmarket rascals too. âBut some of the men who came were not English, were they?â Chief Inspector Scott persisted.
âHow would I know? I told you I never heard any of the others speak because I was usually out.â
âAnd you still havenât heard anything from Serge?â
âNot a word. Have you heard anything? Has his car been found yet?â
âNo, weâve heard nothing.â âAnd what about the car that ran us down?â
âWeâre still looking for that, too. The owner had reported it stolen the night before.â
âThereâs just one more thing, or rather two, Mrs Vachon,â Andy Gillespie said as they were