Barefoot and Lost (31 page)

     ‘The time is sixteen forty seven, September thirteenth nineteen forty six. Present in interview room two is Myself, Superintendent John Langdon, WPC Clarke, of the Kent and Sussex Constabulary, Samuel Cohen, who has translated the original statement from Hebrew to English, Reginald Milligan, guardian and representing the interviewee, Phillip Snell; Phillip, will you please start to read your statement, beginning with your name and date of birth.’

     The room is silent, I start to speak, Super asks me to speak louder, I stumble over a couple of words. Taking a deep breath I start to read, as I do I can feel myself gaining confidence. Super interrupts a couple of times, asking me to cla
rify something I have just read. I
t takes me ten minutes to read the whole thing. When I finish the Super asks me, w
as this statement the one that you
had made to Samuel Cohen? I told him it was. ‘Well done Phillip, thank you Mrs. Conrad, if you could get that transcribed as soon as possible I’d be grateful; Constable could you please arrange tea for every one?’

     ‘Yes Sir, would that be sugar and milk for everyone?’ Pop says black no sugar, Reg asks for milk, no sugar and I tell Maisy I want both. ‘Thanks, all of you; this terrible business has turned out to be a lot bigger than we first thought. I can’t go into details but, so far, we, and the Met have arrested eight people and there is likely to be more.’

     ‘Have you arrested
Mr.
Flynn
?’

     ‘Not by that name, he is in custody under his real name of
Murdock
. It was only when we took his finger prints that we realized he was known to the Met, as a serial child molester, who they thought had been killed in the London bombing and, all the time he was still at it in our patch.’

   
‘How the devil did he get a position in a children’s home?’

     ‘Because, we now know, it was all part of an organized set up, grooming kids for sex dens. Look I have said too much, please don’t repeat any of this, the whole thing sickens me, we just need to clear out the whole rotten thing, I will say this though, we have requested to exhume Lionel Bates, we suspect his death was not an accident.’ 

    
The door opens, WPC Maisy comes, in placing a tray with four mugs on the table, ‘Sorry, there are no biscuits gentlemen,’ she says, as she retraces her steps closing the door behind her.

     ‘Well
Phil
, will you be at the club tomorrow night?’

     ‘Yes Captain, I’m not very good though, I went swimming this morning, for the first time since the gala.’

     ‘
John,
I told Phil
,
that he would soon be up to scratch, what is more, it looks like Phil has been accepted at the Grammar, couldn’t wait to snap him up.’

     ‘That’s good, between them and Len you could become world champion.’

     ‘Sorry, but as a school teacher don’t you think you are missing the point, surely school is to make the best of
Phil
’s academic qualities?’

     ‘You are probably right
Sam
, but I think
Phil
is bright enough to excel at both.’

     ‘Do I have a say in this?’

     ‘Of course you do, what will be will be, all you have to do is go through life doing your, best no one can ask more than that. Well gentlemen, thank you once again, I must get back to work. See you tomorrow night
Phil
.’

     Okay, by the way Superintendent, Constable Harper stopped me this morning asked me why I wasn’t at school.’

     ‘And you told him it was a secret, I believe.’

     ‘Yes, I thought it was.’

     ‘Well, not really, PC Harper was only doing his job, don’t you worry about it, see you tomorrow.’

     We walk the short distance up
Station Road
to Pop’s house, without saying a word.

     ‘Coming in for a drink Reg?’

     ‘No thanks
Sam
must get home and give
June
a hand.’ We turn the corner into
Devonshire Road
,

     ‘Reg, does exhume mean dig up
Lionel
’s body?’

     ‘It does, what a grizzly business, suspected murder, who would have thought it.’

    
‘Good Morning Phil, have you washed?’

      ‘Morning
June
, yes I did.’

      ‘Well it doesn’t look like it to me so, after breakfast, you will go and try again, and this time use soap and water.’
June
has a smile around her mouth, so I know she means it, but is not cross.’ I snap to attention and salute,

     ‘Yes Captain, your orders will be carried out.’

     ‘I’m pleased to hear that, now stop wasting time; we have a lot to do today.’

     ‘I thought we were going shopping.’

     ‘We are, but first we must go through your things to see what you really need  They have only given me an emergency ration book so, what we will be able to buy is very limited.’

      I eat my boiled egg, but it is hard, not runny like Gran cooked
them, but I don’t like to say so,
a
ny egg is better th
an the bread and jam at St. S’s

     ‘Phil
, hurry up, when you’v
e finished go and wash first, then take everything you have and lay them neatly on your bed, I will be up in half an hour.’

     ‘Ok
ay
June; i
s that wet stuff
in the tap, water?’

     ‘I’m not even going to answer that, just hurry.’ 

     Laid out there is not much to see, two white shirts, two vests, two pairs of underpants, six socks, three with holes in the heels and toes, a navy blue pullover with long sleeves, which has a hole at the elbow. The tie from St. S’s that has been lengthened with a piece of pillow case, when they made two out of one, my running shorts and vest, Michael’s three swimming costumes and one pair of black  shoes.

     ‘My God Phil, is that all you have?’

     ‘Yes and what I am wearing now.’
June
turns me around, you’re wearing underwear?’

     ‘Of course I am.’
     So that is three pairs, they look in quite good order so we won’t worry about them. This shirt is the same as those, they’re made from pillow cases I’ll be bound, we will see if we can get three of those. These old ones you can wear to run about in, she tugs at the fair isle pullover I’m wearing, where did you get this hideous thing?’

     ‘Gran got that at the Red Cross, after we were bombed.’

     ‘Is that the only pair of shoes you have?’

     ‘And the gym shoes I’ve got on.’

     ‘What about a jacket?’

     ‘I told you I left the Dracula blazer behind.’

     ‘So you did, and thank God for that.’

     ‘We are never going to be able to replace all this with the coupons we have, I think we will have to go to the Salvation Army and see what we can get there.’

     Out on the street,
June, although not
very tall, walks quite fast and I find I am
trotting to keep up with her.
Our first stop is the department store, Plummer Rodis, where we are only able to buy one shirt. It is too big in the collar and the sleeves are too long, but
June
thinks she can alter it and anyway, she says, I will grow into it. In the old town we find a second hand shop where we get two jumpers, one black and the other blue.
June
says they can replace the ones I have, the
Fair Isle
can be used for dusting and she will unravel the other one and knit me mittens, she says it has to be mittens, as she can’t knit fingers. At the Salvation Army I get a pair of shoes that are almost new, they are a little big but, with an inner sole they will be fine. We are unable to get a jacket or trousers that fit, she says that Reg has a suit that he never wears; she will take it to a tailor and get it altered
.
 

     Carrying our purchases I find it even harder to keep up; at the corner of
Queens Road
and
Wellington Place
June suddenly stops,
and
turns to me, ‘My little donkey, would you fancy a cup of tea and a cake?’

     ‘Yes please, but could I have lemonade instead?’

     ‘If you wish, lemonade it is’
June
opens the door of
Lyon
’s corner house, selecting a table in the window. ‘We haven’t done too well on the jacket have we? God knows what you are going to wear to school on Monday, I’m pretty sure I can’t get Reg’s suit altered by then.’

     ‘Can I not just wear a shirt and tie?’

     ‘Well you could, but I wanted you spruced up for the interview.’

     ‘From what Reg was saying, about them wanting me at the Grammar, I could go in my swimming costume.’

     ‘You probably could, but
not very practical where would
you put your hanky or dinner money, there are no pockets.’ My look makes June laugh,

     ‘I’m only joking; just thinking, what happened to the jacket you had when you went to
Saint
Stephens
?’

     ‘They took it away when I got the Dracula blazer;
June
, when can I write or see my friends at Barnardos, I really miss them, especially
Rachel
?’

     ‘
Rachel
, Oh yes I remember, is she your girl friend?’

     ‘I think so; I kissed her once and can’t stop thinking about her.’

     ‘Then I would say it definitely sounds like love to me.’ I can feel my ears going hot,

     ‘Phil, I think Mr. Langdon wants to keep your whereabouts a secret until this nasty business is over, that is why he spirited you away from Saint Stephens, I’m sure that, when it is all over we will be able to go there one weekend, will that do you?’

     ‘I suppose so; do you think he did that so I wouldn’t be murdered?’

     ‘That is a strange thing to say, why would anyone want to kill you?’

     ‘I don’t know, but they now think that Lion was murdered.’

     ‘Well that’s as maybe but it is nothing for you to worry about. John Langdon’s motive I’m sure, was to do with having you close to him and not having to go through that
bloody woman,
Peabody, each time he wanted to speak to you, that is all there is to it so get those silly ideas out of your head and drink your lemonade before it gets hot.’

     ‘Hot, why would it get hot?’

     ‘Well, my tea has gone cold and heat transfer works both ways.’
How can her tea make my lemonade cold, I think she must be mad
, o
h
, is June joking? I never
know when she is or when she isn’t
being serious.

    
Reg’s suit is twice my size and will take a lot of tailoring to make it fit, ‘Phil, I think that idea is out of the window I will have to think of something else.’

     ‘
June
, I wonder what happened to
Michael
’s clothes? He went straight from here to hospital so his clothes are probably still at
Sam
’s.’

     ‘Reg, I never thought of that, I wonder if they would mind if we asked.’

     ‘I’ll telephone them now.’

     ‘No, let me go and ask.’

     ‘No
Phil
, it would be less personal on the phone. If they didn’t want to, it would be easier for them to make an excuse. If you went and asked they may feel duty bound to oblige, even if they didn’t want to.’ Reg gets up from the table and dials Pop’s number. It is difficult to know what the outcome is; only hearing one side of the conversation.     

     ‘Right you are
Sam
, I understand, I’ll await your call then, thank you that is very kind of you, bye.’

     ‘
Sam
says, and quite rightly too, that
Michael
’s clothes are not his to dispose of but, he will ring
Michael
’s father and call me back.’ 

     Three quarters of an hour have passed the phone rings Reg answers. ‘Yes
Sam
, that is wonderful, when would be- this evening, are you sure-yes, I understand in about half an hour then. No
Sam
,
June
will come with
Phil
, I wouldn’t have much idea – thank you that would be very nice, see you shortly. They have
Michael
’s complete wardrobe and his father is willing for
Sam
to dispose of them.
Sam
told him they were going to boys at his school; he said that you,
June
, would remember his attitude to Gentiles’

     ‘Yes he was very rude to
Phil
at the hospital.’ 

     ‘We are to go around in half an hour, I have to come as well as he has a special drop of something or other that he would like me to try.’

     ‘Why the rush Reg, tomorrow will do?’

     ‘Friday is a bad day, as
Tess
has to clean and prepare everything tomorrow, for the Sabbath.’

     ‘
Right, never thought of that,
Phillip
, will you go and get your suitcase it will be easier to carry them home?
’

     Tess has all Michael’s clothes bundled up in a corner, ‘Everything
is there except, his Yarmulke;
his father wishes to keep it. Michael
had many clothes, all good quality,
and his
father being in the trade as it were. I am so pleased they are going to be put to good use’

     ‘
Tess
, that is so kind, most things will fit
Phillip
I’m sure, but we must pay you for them.’

     ‘Do not offend us
June
by offering money, this is a charitable thing
Michael
’s father is doing. To appease him, please return the things that are not suitable, so I can then, without falsehood, tell him the clothes have gone to good Jewish boys.’

     ‘Are you sure
Sam
?’

     ‘
June
, I will hear no more of it, if your conscience is disturbed donate money to your favourite charity?’
     ‘I will do that
Sam
, you name the charity.’

     ‘I suggest the Red Cross, it is non denominational.’

     ‘The Red Cross it is, first thing Monday.’

     ‘Now that is settled, how about that drink Reg; I just happen to have a bottle of French Cognac which dates from nineteen thirty two, don’t ask how I acquired it, then I won’t have to tell you any lies.’

     ‘Mums the word, but I know, the milkman left it on the doorstep this morning.’

     ‘My God Reg, I do believe you have been spyin
g on me.’ The pair of them
slaps
each other on the back and roar with laughter.

     ‘
June
,
Tess
, would you like one?’
             

     ‘No
Sam
,
June
and I will have tea, sorry
June
, I didn’t mean to – by all means have a
Cognac
if you wish.’

     ‘Tea will be fine
Tess
;
Cognac
is not my favourite tipple.’ 

    
Making our way home Reg is carrying the suitcase, there are too many clothes to go in it. I have a heavy black overcoat over my arm and
June
is carrying a shopping bag, she also has a small bundle under her arm.

     ‘
Phillip
,
Michael
’s older clothes fit you better. I’m not sure you want his underwear and that heavy overcoat. Although it will be very warm, I can’t see you wearing it,
Michael
would have only used it for Synagogue.’

     ‘I wouldn’t want
it
even if you said I should, it made Michael look like an old man’

     ‘Everything else would be fine but, I think we should only take what you really need, so we hand back the overcoat, underwear, the shoes, because the ones we bought are fine. One jacket, choose which one you want to keep, and that’s about it. Happy with that, are you?’