'Only an hour or so earlier, he'd been protesting that his mate Arthur Clifton was trapped in the double bottom of the Maple Leaf, and they were doing nothing to help him.'
Blakemore wrote down my words in his notebook.
'Do you have any idea where Tancock went after that?'
'No,' I replied. 'When I last saw him he was walking out of the gates with an arm around one of his mates.'
'Thank you, sir,' said the detective inspector. 'That's been most helpful.' It had been a long time since anyone had called me sir. 'Would you be willing, at your own convenience, to come down to the station and make a written statement?'
'I'd prefer not to, inspector,' I told him, 'for personal reasons. But I'd be quite happy to write out a statement that you could collect at any time that suits you.'
'That's good of you, sir.'
The detective inspector opened his briefcase, dug out a police statement sheet and handed it to me. He then raised his hat and said, 'Thank you, sir, I'll be in touch.' But I never saw him again.
Six weeks later, Stan Tancock was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for theft, with Mr Hugo acting as the prosecution's principal witness. I attended every day of the trial, and there wasn't any doubt in my mind which one of them was the guilty party.
28
'TRY NOT TO FORGET that you saved my life.'
'I've spent the last twenty-six years trying to forget,' Old Jack reminded him.
'But you were also responsible for saving the lives of twenty-four of your fellow West Countrymen. You remain a hero in this city and you seem to be totally unaware of the fact. So I'm bound to ask, Jack, how much longer you intend to go on torturing yourself ?'
'Until I can no longer see the eleven men I killed as clearly as I can see you now.'
'But you were doing no more than your duty,' protested Sir Walter.
'That's how I saw it at the time,' admitted Jack.
'So what changed?'
'If I could answer that question,' replied Jack, 'we wouldn't be having this conversation.'
'But you're still capable of doing so much for your fellow men. Take that young friend of yours, for example. You tell me he keeps playing truant, but if he was to discover that you are Captain Jack Tarrant of the Royal Gloucestershire Regiment, winner of the Victoria Cross, don't you think he might listen to you with even more respect?'
'He might also run away again,' replied Jack. 'In any case, I have other plans for young Harry Clifton.'
'Clifton, Clifton ...' said Sir Walter. 'Why is that name familiar?'
'Harry's father was trapped in the double bottom of the Maple Leaf, and no one came to his - '
'That's not what I heard,' said Sir Walter, his tone changing. 'I was told that Clifton left his wife because she was, not to put too fine a point on it, a loose woman.'
'Then you were misled,' said Jack, 'because I can tell you that Mrs Clifton is a delightful and intelligent woman, and any man who was lucky enough to be married to her would never want to leave her.'
Sir Walter looked genuinely shocked, and it was some time before he spoke again. 'Surely you don't believe that cock and bull story about Clifton being trapped in the double bottom?' he asked quietly.
'I'm afraid I do, Walter. You see, I witnessed the whole episode.'
'Then why didn't you say something about it at the time?'
'I did. When I was interviewed by Detective Inspector Blakemore the following day, I told him everything I'd seen, and at his request I made a written statement.'
'Then why wasn't your statement produced in evidence at Tancock's trial?' asked Sir Walter.
'Because I never saw Blakemore again. And when I turned up at the police station, I was told he was no longer in charge of the case and his replacement refused to see me.'
'I had Blakemore taken off the case,' said Sir Walter. 'The damn man was as good as accusing Hugo of giving the money to Tancock, so there wouldn't be an investigation into the Clifton affair.' Old Jack remained silent. 'Let's not talk of this any more,' said Sir Walter. 'I know my son is far from perfect, but I refuse to believe - '
'Or perhaps you don't want to believe,' said Old Jack.
'Jack, whose side are you on?'
'On the side of justice. As you used to be when we first met.'
'And I still am,' said Sir Walter. But he fell silent for some time before adding, 'I want you to make me a promise, Jack. If you ever find out anything about Hugo that you believe would harm the family's reputation, you won't hesitate to tell me.'
'You have my word on it.'
'And you have my word, old friend, that I would not hesitate to hand Hugo over to the police if I thought for one moment that he had broken the law.'
'Let's hope nothing else arises that would make that necessary,' said Old Jack.
'I agree, old friend. Let's talk of more palatable things. Is there anything you are in need of at the moment? I could still...'
'Do you have any old clothes that are surplus to requirements?'
Sir Walter raised an eyebrow. 'Dare I ask?'
'No, you daren't,' said Old Jack. 'But I have to visit a particular gentleman, and I'll need to be appropriately dressed.'
Old Jack had grown so thin over the years that Sir Walter's clothes hung off him like flax on a distaff, and, like Sir Andrew Aguecheek, he was several inches taller than his old friend, so he had to let down the turn-ups on the trousers and even then they barely reached his ankles. But he felt that the tweed suit, checked shirt and striped tie would serve its purpose for this particular meeting.
As Jack walked out of the dockyard for the first time in years, a few familiar faces turned to give the smartly dressed stranger a second look.
When the school bell rang at four o'clock, Old Jack stepped back into the shadows while the noisy, boisterous nippers poured out through the gates of Merrywood Elementary as if they were escaping from prison.
Mrs Clifton had been waiting there for the past ten minutes, and when Harry saw his mum, he reluctantly allowed her to take him by the hand. A damn fine-looking woman, Old Jack thought as he watched the two of them walking away, Harry, as always, jumping up and down, endlessly chattering, displaying as much energy as Stephenson's Rocket.
Old Jack waited until they were out of sight before he crossed the road and walked into the school yard. If he'd been dressed in his old clothes, he would have been stopped by someone in authority long before he reached the front door. He looked up and down the corridor, and spotted a master coming towards him.
'I'm sorry to trouble you,' said Old Jack, 'but I'm looking for Mr Holcombe.'
'Third door on the left, old fellow,' the man said, pointing down the corridor.
When Old Jack came to a halt outside Mr Holcombe's classroom he gave a gentle tap on the door.
'Come in.'
Old Jack opened the door to find a young man, his long black gown covered in chalk dust, seated at a table in front of rows of empty desks, marking exercise books. 'I'm sorry to disturb you,' said Old Jack, 'I'm looking for Mr Holcombe.'
'Then you need look no further,' said the schoolmaster, putting down his pen.