‘And what would this be, sir?’ Kent said opening the package carefully.
‘It’s the French student’s anklet, Inspector. A valuable piece of jewellery. It should be returned to her family. I’m only sorry that it has taken all this time to be found.’
Kent looked impressed. ‘Thank you for bringing it in, sir. It serves to verify that all three girls were killed in the room over the chapel. You must feel, Mr. Ludlam, like a Father confessor with your chapel congregation asking for your help so often. I gather that you helped Raymond Perkins to get employment with Mr. Carey?’
‘Yes I did, and he took to it very well. Mrs Perkins, poor woman has had a struggle over the years, trying to do what was right for her grandson. He’s given her so much heartache. Got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Stole some things. Used to squirrel them away in the garden shed. He liked jewellery. But he’s not been in trouble since. I hope by the way you can release the lad soon and make Mrs Perkins a happy woman again. She has suffered enough, Inspector.’
‘Yes, sir. We really needed some concrete evidence to establish the suspect’s guilt. We are unable to take him back into custody without that. He will be home soon from hospital.’
‘Then the quicker you find the guilty person, the quicker we can begin to forget these terrible crimes. Although the victims will always be remembered by their families. I wish you luck, Inspector.’
‘Good day, sir.’
62
‘Go with PC. Sherwood to the Perkins house, Turner. Take a look in the back shed and see what you can find.’
Turner looked at Kent. He was grinning broadly. ‘Yes, guv. But it was searched when we brought him in for questioning.’
‘I know. But we’ve got to follow up on any information given. And Aiden Ludlam is not unaware of that.’
‘If you say so, guv.’
‘Chop-chop then, Turner. The sooner you do that. The sooner we get this case sorted.’
‘Will do. Mrs P. won`t like it though.’
He was right. ‘What do you want this time, Mr. Turner? You aren’t going to find anything here to make things worse for my Raymond.’ June Perkins looked as if she was about to do battle with the yard broom she was holding in her hand. ‘Haven’t you done enough?’
‘We just want to look in the garden shed. We shan’t take two shakes of a lamb’s tail. And we shall be out of here. It could be of great importance to the lad.’
Still protesting June Perkins led the way.
‘You said you never lock it up, Mrs Perkins.’
She shook her frizzy curls. ‘It’s a waste of time. There’s nothing valuable kept in there. Only a few tools and the flower pots. They’re not worth stealing.’
‘Tell me if you can if there’s anything Raymond could have tucked away for safe keeping, before we took him in.’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Your lot had a good look in here last time. Three, no four days ago. And he’s in hospital. You should know that, Mr. Turner.’
‘Just a minute, Sherwood. See that cigar box over there. That looks like a likely place.’
‘We examined that before, Serge.’
‘Never mind. Hand it over to me, please. Carefully. With a handkerchief please.’
Mrs Perkins looking over Turner’s broad shoulder gasped. ‘Raymond never put those things in there,’ she said as they studied the two odd earrings, a silver tongue stud and a nose ring that lay in the box. ‘I thought I could trust you, Mr. Turner. You`re trying to frame my boy for those murders.’
‘Quite the opposite Mrs Perkins. Just be patient a while longer.’
Mrs Perkins burst into tears. ‘You’re not just saying that.’ She dabbed her wet eyes with the hem of her flowered pinny.
‘No, Inspector Kent knows what he is doing. This could prove Raymond’s innocence without a doubt.’
63
In the star dressing room behind the stage, Aiden Ludlam was carefully adjusting his black wig and the last touches to the elaborate face make-up needed for his role in the Mikado. It was the final dress rehearsal. A loud knock came on the dressing room door.
‘Enter...’
Aiden Ludlam turned round quickly with a stick of greasepaint in his hand and a look of surprise on his face. ‘Back so soon, Inspector? I hope by now you have all the evidence that you need to incriminate the murderer.’
Kent studied the broad smile creasing the Oriental makeup on the face of the man who stood up to greet him. ‘Yes I have, Mr. Ludlam. Therefore I am taking you into the station for questioning. Aiden Ludlam you are charged with the murders of Maureen Carey, Yvette Marceau and Jodie Charters on the 25th, the 28th of July and the 4th of August. Anything you may say now can be written down and used as evidence against you in court...’