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I’m sure. I mean, if I did say it I was referring to the lorry. I told her to be careful when she was driving the bloody thing.”
    “I tried it myself. It seems to be working all right.”
    Rose looked sulky. “Well, it might be now but it didn’t always.” She slid back into the recess. “I feel as if I could fall asleep right on the spot.”
    Tyler stood up. “Come on. You need a lie down.”
    Rose’s eyes were actually drooping. “Can I stay here for a bit? It’s sort of comfy.” She brought up her knees and curled up like a cat. Within seconds, she was asleep. Tyler picked up a shawl that was draped across the other chair and covered her legs with it. The room was warm enough with the sun but it was he who needed the comfort of that gesture.

7.
    M ISS S TILLWELL HAD ACTED QUICKLY AND AS T YLER came out of the library, she was ready with information regarding Elsie Bates’s next of kin, and the names of all the girls in the hostel. She looked haggard, but she was calm and efficient. The kind of woman you were glad to have on your side. She showed him to her office, where the telephone was, and withdrew to check on Rose.
    It took him a while to get through to London, but finally somebody answered and rerouted him to the police station in the East End nearest to where Elsie Bates had lived. Again, the telephone rang and rang before it was picked up.
    “Sergeant Donaldson here.”
    Tyler identified himself and explained why he was calling.
    “As soon as the post-mortem’s done, we can have the body sent down. We just need some directions.”
    “Hmm. I’m afraid there was a bad incident yesterday, Inspector. Our RAF lads were engaged in a dogfight with Jerry and one of them was shot down. Unfortunately, he crashed right on the street you mention. He was killed and there were a couple of fatalities on the ground. Lots of houses were damaged. It’s a tight, crowded street. But I’ll do my best to get word to the family.” The officer sighed. “Poor buggers. Bad news on top of bad news by the sound of it. Laid any charges yet?”
    “Not yet. It’s early days. I’d appreciate it if you’d ask the parents a few questions for me. Did Elsie have a boyfriend? You know, the usual drill.”
    “I’ll do it if I can. I don’t know the situation yet.”
    There was something about the sergeant’s voice that threw Tyler onto the defensive.
    “She didn’t deserve to die like that. She wasn’t even twenty years old.”
    Another sigh from the other end of the line. “Yes, well, you should have seen what my men had to dig out. We had an eight-year-old and a newborn. They didn’t deserve it either.”
    Somehow the implication was that Elsie was not an innocent. Who knows, he may have been right.
    The sergeant promised to call as soon as he had any information, and they hung up.
    Tyler rang his station. Sergeant Gough answered.
    “No news yet, sir. The lads are still out searching.”
    “Nothing here either. I’m going over to Prees Heath now. See if anybody knows anything.”
    He made one more call to Major Fordham, the commandant at the internment camp, who had to use a field telephone. The reception was poor, but Tyler gathered the major was expecting him, and the internees had been put on stand-by for his arrival. Sir Percy had done his job.
    Miss Stillwell personally saw Tyler out. As he drove away, he glanced in his rear-view mirror to see her still standing in the doorway of the grand old house.
    As he headed for the internment camp into the hot, sunny morning, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if Clare would be there. How old was he when they first met? Nine? That’s right. He’d just had his ninth birthday and had been given a cricket bat by his parents. Clare was two months younger. She had come to spend the summer with her cousin Percy at the manor, and her aunt periodically invited the local children to afternoon tea.
    “Mind your manners, Tom Tyler.” His mother had sent him off in