‘What’s wrong? Is there anything the matter? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’ He chuckled.
‘No-o.’ She laughed. ‘I suppose you’ve warned the public to be on the lookout for thieves? Pickpockets?’
‘What do you think? This crowd around us must have some good pickings for anyone with light fingers. Why? You’ve got your purse safe, haven’t you?’
‘Yes. I just saw someone I recognized in the crowd. A girl I met up with the other day. She’d picked up someone’s purse I think. I might be wrong though I could have misjudged her.’ She told Kent about the incident on the sea front.
‘She looked like one of the unwashed homeless. Can’t be more than fifteen. If that.’ She hesitated then said, ‘She’d made the acquaintance of Raymond Perkins when I saw her again. That was yesterday... I think. They looked quite chummy. But she’s on her own here. Oh - -she’s gone now. It looked as if she was in a hurry too. Had somewhere else to go. What makes kids take off?’
‘Raymond Perkins, you say she was with? That young lad certainly gets around with the girls. What’s his fatal attraction? I wonder. Formaldehyde?’
She nudged him playfully. ‘That’s unkind!’
He grinned. ‘Sorry, that wasn’t in good taste. Didn’t take him long to get over Maureen Carey, did it? I wouldn’t say that he’s a very good picker with this latest one if she’s like you say.’
Viviane put her mouth round the spicy sausage and onion roll, chewed for a minute and said, ‘No, I wouldn’t either. But I think I know her from somewhere...’
‘Oh look at that! ‘ The sky was lighted up suddenly with the sparkling message. ‘THANK YOU FOR COMING TO HARCOMBE ON SEA…’
‘Time to leave, I think. There will be a mad scramble and crush to get out. Let’s go out the second park gate instead of the main one, Jon.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘It’s a small side one which leads out onto the Lower Park road. We’ll get out much quicker. While everyone’s storming through the main gate to get to their cars.’
‘Okay. You lead the way. I’ll just call up Turner, Carter and the rest of the merry crew on my cell. It’s five to eleven. Better call it a day.’ He sighed. ‘Turner! Anything to report, man?’
‘I saw Raymond Perkins earlier, sir,’ Turner said. ‘With another young girl on his arm. Thought you might like to know it. Sherwood and the others are leaving now. No trouble so far.’
‘Good. Tomorrow’s another day. Goodnight Turner. Give my best to Mrs Turner and your children. Hope they enjoyed it. Sorry you couldn’t relax altogether this evening.’
‘No sweat. Goodnight, guv.’
Viviane led Kent onto a small wooden bridge over a stream and a winding gravel path which took them to the park gate. Kent closed it behind them carefully. ‘Does this get locked when the main gate does?’
She laughed and shrugged. ‘Can’t say, probably not. It could get overlooked on a busy evening like this. It’s a big park. This is only first part of it. Where all the shows and entertainment are held. There’s the large main gate by the Head Keeper’s cottage. And then there’s another road to cross over between the two parts and another gate leading to the second part which has tennis courts, bowling greens and large green houses.
‘And then there’s the last and third part where there’s a swannery and most of our swans.’ She chuckled as she caught the impressed grimace he made. ‘And there’s still another smaller part on the other side of the road. It all takes a lot of looking after and there are only so many gardeners and keepers on the park team. So if a small gate is forgotten...’
‘Okay. I get the message.’
‘I’m glad you do. I thought for a moment I’d got a stuffed shirt on my hands for the rest of the evening.’
They strolled leisurely along the Lower Park road back to her house. There was still the acrid gunpowder smell of the fireworks mixed with the fried onions from the hot dog stall on the warm night air. Viviane sensed that he was winding down gradually now. The pavements were crowded still. By the laughter and loud conversation it sounded as if the evening entertainment had been a great success.
The drivers taking their cars out onto the road again were holding up traffic back into the town centre. Most of them would be parking on the seafront or in the underground car park for the night. She was glad that she wasn’t one of those having to face that.
He was yawning openly. He echoed her thoughts. ‘Thank God. I haven’t got to get on that road amongst that crush before hitting the sack.’