Gone Tomorrow Read Free Page A

to get it all straight, that’s all. Once we’ve got your statement written down we probably won’t need to bother you again.’
    Whalley seemed reassured by this. All right,’ he said at last, putting the mug down and wiping his lips on the back of his sleeve. ‘What j’wanna know?’
    ‘Tell me about locking up last night,’ Slider said. ‘What time it was, and exactly what you did.’
    ‘Well, it was about a’pass nine. I’m s’pose to lock up at dusk, which is generally about arf hour after sunset, but it’s up to me. I generally lock up earlier in winter, ’cause there’s not so many people about. It’s a cut-through, but there’s no lights in the park, so we can’t leave it open after dark. Course, people still want to take the short cut, and they used to bunk over the gate, so we had them new gates put on down the Frithville end, with all the pointy stuff on top.’
    Slider had seen them: irregular metal extrusions, vaguely flame-shaped, topped the high gates, looking as if they were meant for decoration but in fact a fairly good deterrent. Of course, a really determined person could climb over anything, but the flames prevented ‘bunking’ – hitching oneself up onto one’s stomach and then swinging the legs over – which would deter the casual cutter-through.
    Whalley went on, ‘But in summer it stays light longer and it depends what I’m doing what time I shut up. But anyway, I went over a’pass nine with the chains and padlocks. What I do, I shut the South Africa gate but I don’t lock it, then I walk through telling everyone it’s closing. Then I lock the Frithville gate, and walk back, make sure everyone’s out, then lock the South Africa gates.’
    ‘And that’s what you did last night?’
    There were beads of sweat on Whalley’s upper lip. ‘That’s what I’m telling you, inni? I did everything just like normal and then I went home.’
    ‘Have you ever seen deceased before?’
    ‘No, I never seen him before in me life,’ Whalley said emphatically. ‘I don’t know who he is, and that’s the truth.’ He wiped his lips again.
    ‘Did you see him in the park anywhere before you locked up?’
    ‘What, j’fink I wouldn’t a noticed a bleedin’ dead body?’ Whalley said indignantly.
    ‘No, I meant did you see him alive? Was he hanging around, perhaps?’
    ‘I dunno. No, I never.’
    ‘Was there anyone in the park who took your notice? Anyone unusual or suspicious-looking?’
    Whalley drew up his shoulders and spread his hands defensively. ‘Look, I don’t go checking up on people,’ he whined. ‘It’s not my job. I just go through telling ’em it’s closing. Everyone was out before I locked up, that’s all I know. You can’t put it on me. F’ cryin’ out loud!’
    ‘It’s just,’ Slider said gently, ‘that you said you didn’t go down to the Frithville gate this morning, but when one of our constables went down there, there was no padlock and chain. The gates were shut, but they weren’t locked.’
    Whalley stared a long time, his lips moving as if rehearsing his answer. Then at last he licked them and said, ‘Someone must’ve took ’em.’ Slider waited in silence. Whalley looked suddenly relieved. ‘Yeah, someone must’ve cut through ’em. You could cut that chain all right with heavy bolt-cutters.’
    Walking away from the interview room, Atherton eyed his boss’s thoughtful frown and said, ‘Well?’
    ‘Well?’ Slider countered. ‘How did you like Mr Whalley?’
    ‘Thick as a whale sandwich, and more chicken than the Colonel. What did you think of him?’
    ‘I don’t like it when they start supplying answers to questions they’ve no business answering,’ Slider said.
    ‘That stuff about bolt-cutters?’
    ‘If you were breaking into the park for nefarious purposes, would you bother to take the padlock and chain away with you?
Or having cut through them, would you just leave them lying where they fell?’
    ‘I see what you mean. So