And then this here murder happened..."
Mr. Marigold turned to the Chief.
"If you remember, sir," he said, "I found this man's leave paper
in the front garden of the Mackwayte's house at Laleham Villas,
Seven Kings, the day after the murder. There are one or two
questions I should like to put..."
"No need to arsk any questions," said Barling. "I'll tell you the
whole story meself, mister. I was on leave at the time, due to go
back to France the next afternoon. I'd been out spending the
evenin' at my niece's wot's married and livin' out Seven Kings
way. Me and her man wot works on the line kept it up a bit late
what with yarnin' about the front an' that and it must a' been
nigh on three o'clock w'en I left him to walk back to the Union
Jack Club where I had a bed.
"There's a corfee-stall near their road and the night bein' crool
damp I thought as how a nice cup o' corfee'd warm me up afore I
went back to the Waterloo Bridge Road. I had me cup o' corfee and
was jes' a-payin' the chap what has the pitch w'en a fellow
passes by right in the light o' the lamp on the stall. It was th'
orficer here, in plain clothes--shabby-like he was dressed--but I
knew him at once.
"'Our orficers don't walk about these parts after midnight
dressed like tramps,' I sez to meself, and rememberin' what I
seen at the Hohenlinden Trench I follows him.
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