Three Little Maids(34)

Shannon nodded. ‘Yes I know Sara personally. Her work is exceptionally good. I bought one of her paintings last time they were on show.’

‘You must know then that Roger keeps the chapel pipes and boiler in good nick, He’s in his mid-thirties.’

‘Uh-huh. Next then.’

‘Tom Berkley, the Mayor and councillor. A man you should know quite well, boss. He runs and owns the departmental store. Like little Jack Horner, he’s got his fingers in a lot of business pies. I would say financially he’s loaded and a very influential and resourceful man. Age about forty-nine, Mrs Perkins thinks. She reckons he’s a bit of a lady’s man but Brenda, his wife, according to Turner, is the real power behind the throne.

‘Mrs Perkins hinted that her daughter Pammie could have had a fling with him before she went off. His daughter Debbie is about to be married into an influential family, the Mandervilles. They’re supposed to have come over with William the Conqueror. They live in an ancient manor house outside of town, the fiancée; Hugh Manderville is a stock broker.’

‘But none of this points out to Berkley being a leading suspect.’

‘Then there are some ancient mariners of sixty plus with their wives to fill the seats. And, oh yes, there is Jonathan Parker and his old Mum, Nora Parker. Don’t think we need to worry about him. Mrs Perkins said, on the quiet, that Jonathan has a boyfriend, Gerald Randall.

‘And the women, most are single like the Wilberforce sisters or widows and such like, who put their mites into the collection plate. On the whole, there’s a reasonably good attendance every week but not many young folk unless with their parents.’

‘You’ve done your homework there. Has it got you anywhere though?’

‘Not so far. I wouldn’t think there was any chance of a connection there with the other girl and perhaps there isn’t any at all. Both girls could have been picked out willy-nilly. On pure chance, simply because they were out on their own late at night. But nevertheless we will check up on those men that Yvette has met during her work time and see if they match up. So I think we’ll talk some more to Mrs Flitch.’

‘The Nag’s Head is very busy but we do have our regulars that come in. And Yvette was an added bonus. She sparkled like a diamond behind the bar but she had to watch it because of that boyfriend of hers,’ Kathie Flitch said as Kent handed over the list of chapel attendants.

‘So did any of these men on this list frequent the pub?’

‘Let me see. Roger Welbeck is one definitely and Tom Berkley another. Roger’s a nice bloke. Tom Berkely now…’ She wrinkled her small nose. ‘Throws his weight about a bit. And never brings in his wife Brenda.’ She made a face. ‘She wouldn’t choose to come in here. She’s more the Coffee mornings, Bridge evenings type but Berkeley’s spent a good bit of time in here since Yvette came. While Brenda’s been rehearsing her part in the Mikado.

‘And Raymond Perkins whenever that Maureen had a row with him came in here. Yvette flirted with him but she did with anything in pants. Old Billy Mooney now, he’s a nice old chap comes in for half a pint of home brew with Joe Corbet his pal. They used to man the lifeboat when a ship’s in trouble in the Channel but they might have retired by now.’

‘So did Yvette seem more than friendly with either of the younger men?’

She shrugged her shoulders and her dress slipped tauntingly low. She hitched it back up with silver painted fingertips. ‘Berkley possibly. He has the money. Roger because he’s a pleasant chap anyway. She made all the men feel special. It was just her way. She was a natural flirt.’

And you’re not above turning the charm on yourself, Turner thought as he noticed with a wry grin, how she was chatting up the Inspector. He was in on a chance there if he wanted but he was keeping strictly to business. She was wasting her time on Jon Kent.

‘You mentioned Raymond Perkins. Was he in here Thursday night?’

She thought for a minute or so as she gave back the list. ‘Yes - I think he was. He downed a couple of pints in ten minutes or so. But he can’t take much and sat in the corner looking like a lost dog in the pound. About nine, I think it was. Can’t say exactly when he left though.’

‘And what about Saturday night, was he in here then?’

She shrugged. ‘He might well have been. We were very busy and it was a good night. The place was filled with holidaymakers with a terrific thirst. This hot weather brings them in here in droves. So I couldn’t take notice of all the regulars and Raymond Perkins is not that special.’