Alan Hunter - Gently Does It

‘Oh, I don’t know about that. He had acted, I think, a little unwisely towards Peter, and Peter had a temper, but to say he “stood in fear” is laying it on a bit.’

‘But you would say that he was apprehensive?’

‘He was always nervous when Peter was in Norchester.’

‘To your knowledge, had Peter ever visited him before since he left home?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’

‘They had never met since Peter absconded with the money?’

‘Never.’

Hansom stubbed the end of the hand-made cigarette into his ashtray and reached for his cigar case by way of afters. Leaming sat watching, handsome and unabashed, while the Inspector carved the tip off a Corona and lit it carefully all round. ‘Hah!’ said Hansom. Leaming smiled politely.

‘Where did you go after you’d locked up?’ continued Hansom.

‘I went home for lunch.’

‘Where’s that?’

‘I live at Monk’s Thatch, at Haswick.’

‘Do you live alone?’

‘I have a housekeeper, a Mrs Lambert, and a gardener who comes in daily.’

‘Were they there when you went home for lunch?’

‘The housekeeper was, of course, but the gardener had knocked off. He came back later and I gave him a lift to Railway Road.’

‘What time did you arrive home?’

‘About a quarter to two.’

‘What time did you leave again?’

‘It was just on twenty to three — I was rather late. It isn’t easy to get to the car park through the crowds.’

‘And what time did you get to Railway Road?’

‘It was just turned three. I dropped Rogers (that’s my gardener) off at the station end and went on to park my car. By the time I’d done that it was quarter past and I missed the kick-off.’

Gently said: ‘Are you a keen City supporter, Mr Leaming?’

Leaming gave a slight shrug. ‘I suppose I am, really. I never miss a home match if I can help it and I sometimes manage the near away fixtures.’

‘Then you will have a season ticket, of course?’

Leaming hung on a moment. ‘Actually, no,’ he replied. ‘For me, half the excitement goes out of a match when I watch it from a seat in the stands. I love the hurly-burly and noise of the terraces. It sets the atmosphere of anticipation. To sit on a hard seat with my knees in someone’s back and someone’s knees in mine, to be detached from the drama taking place by a stooping roof of girders and galvanized sheet — no, I must have my terraces, or the game isn’t worth the candle.’

‘I like the terraces myself,’ said Gently dryly. ‘I wish I was as tall as you.’

Leaming laughed, pleased, and Hansom proceeded: ‘At what time did the match finish?’

‘At five to five. I got away at about a quarter past and went home to tea. Shortly after six you people rang me up and asked me to put in an appearance, which I did, straight away.’

Hansom said: ‘I understand, Mr Leaming, that you feel strongly convinced of Peter Huysmann’s innocence. Could you tell me what reasons you have for this?’

A tiny frown appeared on Leaming’s handsome brow. ‘Well, I suppose I haven’t got what you’d call reasons. Not things like clues and evidence and that sort of thing. It’s mostly a matter of personal feeling — I just know Peter so well that to ask me to believe he’s done this seems ludicrous. I wish he were here now. I wish we could talk it over quietly with him. You’d soon see what I mean.’

‘Have you any reason, then, for supposing that some other person was responsible?’

Leaming spread his hands, palms downwards, and placed them on his knees. ‘It could have been almost anybody, really,’ he said.

‘How about Fisher — does he suggest himself as a suspect?’

‘He would know that there was money in the safe.’

‘How would he know that?’

‘There’s not much that servants don’t know. He wouldn’t know the amount was so large, of course. That was due to payments from the City Treasury on timber contracts to their housing estates. But he could easily have discovered that payment was made on the first of this month.’

‘You do not think that Peter Huysmann belongs to the killer type. What would be your estimate of Fisher?’

‘I don’t know Fisher as well as I know Peter,’ replied Leaming cautiously. ‘It isn’t fair to ask my opinion.’

‘We should like to have it, all the same.’

‘Well, there’s a streak of brutality in the man. I wouldn’t put it past him.’

‘Can you tell us anything of his relations with the rest of the household?’

‘I don’t know that I can. He was an efficient chauffeur, knew his job, didn’t get drunk, was always punctual. May have chased the women a bit — but there you are.’

‘The maid Susan — did he chase her?’

‘He may have done, though I doubt whether he had any success. Susan is well aware of her market value.’

‘It is unlikely that Miss Huysmann had anything to do with him?’

Leaming laughed. ‘You couldn’t know how Miss Huysmann has been brought up. She reads nothing but her Bible. She wouldn’t know what to do with a man if she had one.’

Gently said: ‘How long have you been with the firm, Mr Leaming?’

‘It will be ten years in the autumn.’

‘Did you find Mr Huysmann a difficult man to work for?’

Leaming shrugged. ‘You’ve probably been able to form an opinion of what he was like. When I first came, I thought I wouldn’t last a month, but the salary made me stick it out.’

‘It was a good salary?’

‘Oh yes. One must give the old man his due. He’s always paid the best wages in the trade — had to, I suppose, to get anybody to work for him. But that’s not quite fair, though. He had really first-class business principles. He wanted a lot for his money, but he always paid generously for it, and right on the nail. Whatever he was like at home, you could trust him in business to the last farthing. That’s how he built up a firm like this. Nobody was very fond of the man, but they all liked his way of doing business.’

‘And would that sum up your attitude towards him?’

‘I think it would.’

‘You bore him no grudge for his treatment of you?’

‘Good heavens, no! It was rather an honour to be manager of Huysmann’s.’

Gently laid down his pipe and fumbled around for a peppermint cream. ‘I believe you are a bachelor,’ he said.

Leaming nodded.

‘Would that be anything to do with Mr Huysmann?’

‘Well, yes, I suppose it would. He preferred his staff to be unmarried.’

‘Did that mean you would have lost your job if you had married?’

‘Oh, I don’t know about that, though he was quite capable of going to such lengths. But I never ran the risk.’

‘It could be a very irksome situation, however.’

Leaming smiled complacently. ‘There are ways of alleviating it.’

Gently bit a peppermint cream in halves. ‘Such ways as Susan?’ he enquired.

‘One could go further and fare worse.’

‘Which makes you positive that Fisher was having nothing to do with her?’

Leaming’s smile broadened. ‘I think you can discount Fisher in that respect,’ he said. ‘As I said before, Susan is well aware of her market value.’

‘Ah,’ said Gently, and ate the other half of the peppermint cream.

Hansom took a deep breath. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I don’t think we shall require you any more for the present, Mr Leaming. Thank you for being so co-operative. We’ll let you get away to lunch.’

Leaming rose to his feet. ‘I’m only too glad to have been of any assistance. No doubt the Chief Inspector has told you that if you put Peter in the dock I shall be your number one adversary — but till then, call on me for any help I can give.’ He smiled at both of them in turn and moved towards the door.