The Clocks

‘At a place called Shipton Bois in Suffolk. Nice town. Market town. Rather one-horse, if you know what I mean.’

‘And what did your husband do?’

‘He was an insurance agent. At least-’ she stopped herself ‘-that’s what he said he was.’

The inspector looked up sharply.

‘You found out that that wasn’t true?’

‘Well, no, not exactly…Not at the time. It’s only since then that I’ve thought that perhaps it wasn’t true. It’d be an easy thing for a man to say, wouldn’t it?’

‘I suppose it would in certain circumstances.’

‘I mean, it gives a man an excuse for being away from home a good deal.’

‘Your husband was away from home a good deal, Mrs Rival?’

‘Yes. I never thought about it much to begin with-’

‘But later?’

She did not answer at once then she said:

‘Can’t we get on with it? After all, if itisn’t Harry…’ 

He wondered what exactly she was thinking. There was strain in her voice, possibly emotion? He was not sure.

‘I can understand,’ he said, ‘that you’d like to get it over. We’ll go now.’

He rose and escorted her out of the room to the waiting car. Her nervousness when they got to where they were going, was no more than the nervousness of other people he had taken to this same place. He said the usual reassuring things.

‘It’ll be quite all right. Nothing distressing. It will only take a minute or two.’

The tray was rolled out, the attendant lifted the sheet. She stood staring down for a few moments, her breath came a little faster, she made a faint gasping sound, then she turned away abruptly. She said:

‘It’s Harry. Yes. He’s a lot older, he looks different…But it’s Harry.’

The inspector nodded to the attendant, then he laid his hand on her arm and took her out again to the car and they drove back to the station. He didn’t say anything. He left her to pull herself together. When they got back to his room a constable came in almost at once with a tray of tea.

‘There you are, Mrs Rival. Have a cup, it’ll pull you together. Then we’ll talk.’

‘Thank you.’ 

She put sugar in the tea, a good deal of it, and gulped it down quickly.

‘That’s better,’ she said. ‘It’s not that Imind really. Only-only, well it does turn you up a bit, doesn’t it?’

‘You think this man is definitely your husband?’

‘I’m sure he is. Of course, he’s much older, but he hasn’t changed really so much. He always looked-well, very neat. Nice, you know, good class.’

Yes, thought Hardcastle, it was quite a good description. Good class. Presumably, Harry had looked much better class than he was. Some men did, and it was helpful to them for their particular purposes.

Mrs Rival said, ‘He was very particular always about his clothes and everything. That’s why, I think-they fell for him so easily. They never suspected anything.’

‘Who fell for him, Mrs Rival?’ Hardcastle’s voice was gentle, sympathetic.

‘Women,’ said Mrs Rival. ‘Women. That’s where he was most of the time.’

‘I see. And you got to know about it.’

‘Well, I-I suspected. I mean, he was away such a lot. Of course I knew what men are like. I thought probably therewas a girl from time to time. But it’s no good asking men about these things. They’ll lie to you and that’s all. But I didn’t think-I really didn’t think that he made abusiness of it.’ 

‘And did he?’

She nodded. ‘I think he must have done.’

‘How did you find out?’

She shrugged her shoulders.

‘He came back one day from a trip he’d taken. To Newcastle, hesaid. Anyway, he came back and said he’d have to clear out quickly. He said that the game was up. There was some woman he’d got into trouble. A school teacher, he said, and there might be a bit of a stink about it. I asked him questions then. He didn’t mind telling me. Probably he thought I knew more than I did. They used to fall for him, you know, easily enough, just as I did. He’d give her a ring and they’d get engaged-and then he’d say he’d invest money for them. They usually gave it him quite easily.’

‘Had he tried the same thing with you?’

‘He had, as a matter of fact, only I didn’t give him any.’

‘Why not? Didn’t you trust him even then?’

‘Well, I wasn’t the kind that trusts anybody. I’d had what you’d call a bit of experience, you know, of men and their ways and the seamier side of things. Anyway, I didn’t want him investing my money for me. What money I had I could invest for myself. Always keep your money in your hands and then you’ll be sure you’ve got it! I’ve seen too many girls and women make fools of themselves.’ 

‘When did he want you to invest money? Before you were married or after?’

‘I think he suggested something of the kind beforehand, but I didn’t respond and he sheered off the subject at once. Then, after we were married, he told me about some wonderful opportunity he’d got. I said, “Nothing doing.” It wasn’t only because I didn’t trust him, but I’d often heard men say they’re on to something wonderful and then it turned out that they’d been had for a mug themselves.’

‘Had your husband ever been in trouble with the police?’