The Lazarus Secrets Read Free Page A

muttered and made to move on.
    â€œJust a minute there, Mildred!” the policeman called.
    She turned back to look at Sergeant Ronald Bowles and dropped her shoulders with relief. “You gave me quite a turn there, Ronnie,” she laughed, “didn’t recognise you in this dingy light, thought I was going to get booked by one of your young bobbies with no more sense. Mind you it must be warmer in the nick tonight than it is out here but then again if I could afford the fine I wouldn’t be out here in the freezing cold.”
    â€œYou should be booked, Mildred. I saw you approach that chap.”
    Mildred let her jaw drop in mock denial, “You saw nothing of the sort Ronnie, I only asked him for a light.” She held up the cigarette between her fingers and chuckled, “now there’s nothing illegal about that is there and the stingy devil said no anyway?”
    â€œJust move on Mildred, go home, it’s far too cold for you to be hanging around here and I don’t suppose you’ll get much business tonight. It’s time you retired.”
    â€œAnd who would pay the rent then, Ronnie?” she asked sarcastically.
    â€œIf you didn’t spend your money on fags and booze perhaps you could pay your rent without this,” the policeman chided gently.
    She set off to walk away and said quietly over her shoulder, “Oh Ronnie Bowles you know fine well I wouldn’t get through the day or night without the fags and booze. Thanks anyway love, see you around, probably on New Year’s Eve.”
    Ronnie watched her swaying along the platform to the entrance of the station and felt nothing but sadness and sympathy for poor Mildred. They had grown up in the same street, gone to the same school and he knew all about her dreadful childhood. The eldest of a large and dysfunctional family, she had been dragged up by her drunken parents with no chance of turning out decently, but he was sorry to see her aging before her time. She had been quite a looker when she was young.
    He walked to the end of the platform and had a word with the railway porter who confirmed that all was quiet and offered him a cup of tea in the warmth of the waiting room. Ronnie thanked him but declined, he was a bit late on his rounds as it was. He turned and slowly retraced his steps back to the entrance of the station. A few seconds later the siren sounded. He looked up and sighed then quickened his pace. In the murky distance, he saw what he thought was Mildred talking to a man in dark clothes and then they walked away together. Ronnie screwed up his eyes but still couldn’t see clearly. Had Mildred picked up a client? They seemed to be arm in arm, or was that one of his young constables having arrested her. No doubt he would find out when he got back to the police station.
    Rona McLean
JANUARY 1941
    One after the other, in time to the music provided by the small band at the side of the stage, Rona McLean kicked her stocking-clad legs high in the air. Hands on the waist of the girl in front, she kept her head turned towards the audience and fixed her mouth into what she hoped was a wide, sexy smile. She had no problem remembering the routine and being younger than most of the other dancers didn’t find it exhausting. However, she truly hated being on display in the skimpy costume while, the mostly male, audience leered and cat-called or whispered comments to one another and then laughed loudly. They made her skin crawl.
    This was not what she had run away from her home in Inverness to become, it was only just one step up from working in a striptease bar. She had come to London to be an actress, a serious actress and given a chance she knew she could do it. For years she had been going to the pictures to watch the movie stars, to learn how they moved and spoke but her parents had blocked her chances at every turn and told her London was not the sort of place for a young girl to be on her. But Rona