The Sleeping Salesman Enquiry Read Free

this.”
    “Certainly,” said Gus. “Thanks for offering, old man, but this is a job for me. You can tell me what he looked like, and I am quite happy to hang about on the Green or in the shop around the time the bus is due. We’ve only got two buses to think about, after all! Do you remember what day of the week it was?”
    “Not absolutely sure, I’m afraid. Where he was going, or what he was doing, I can’t remember that, either. If he told me, that is. But I
do
remember that he wore heavy black-framed spectacles, because I remember thinking how unprepossessing he was, and no wonder his wife wasn’t keen. Is that a help?”
    Gus laughed. “Of course. But are we sure we want to take on an unprepossessing character with sinister glasses and an errant wife? It’s a bit close to our last case, isn’t it?”
    “No two cases are the same,” Ivy said firmly. “Worth a try, anyway. And so long as Roy keeps his promise not to lurk by the bus stop in the middle of winter, I propose we take the first step as outlined. All in favour?”
    Roy could not remember giving such a promise, but obediently raised his hand. Gus winked at Deirdre, a wink she interpreted as an instruction to humour the oldies, and they both raised their hands.
    “Good, that’s settled, then,” said Ivy. “So you will be by the bus stop tomorrow, Gus. I suggest half an hour either side of the due time. Then if that fails, we can discuss on Thursday whether it is worth continuing. I have a small thought that might be worth pursuing, but we’ll see what happens. Now, is there any other business?”
    There were no takers, and Gus said he had to leave soon. He planned to look at some old, affordable cars.
    “I have to go into Thornwell,” said Deirdre, checking her watch. “Can I give you a lift?”
    Brazen hussy, thought Ivy. In my day, girls waited to be asked. Not so for the widow Bloxham. She had got not only Gus in her sights, but also Theo Roussel. Theo was the bachelor squire of the village, and an old flame rekindled when Deirdre had found herself living alone in Tawny Wings, a few hundred yards away from the Hall, ancestral home of the Roussels.
    “Thanks a lot,” said Gus. “That would be splendid. By the way, team, I can’t remember if I already told you about my plan to buy a new car? New to me, that is. Can’t afford a brand-new one, but I shall be looking round for a bargain.”
    “Look no further,” said Deirdre, smiling sweetly at him. “My Bert and me were in the motor trade for years, and I still am. I know as much about cars as your average garage mechanic. We shall go together to my showroom, and I shall guard you from being palmed off with an old wreck.”
    Ivy snorted. “If you ask me, Gus,” she said, “you’d be better off sticking to the bus.”

T hree

    THE MORNING BUS through Barrington was not always on time, being occasionally early and often late. Gus decided to take his small grey whippet for a walk around the Green and then call into the shop for supplies and a chat with the shopkeeper, James. That would give him plenty of time to spot the man who had spoken so openly with a complete stranger in a trundle.
    As he walked along Hangman’s Lane, where his cottage was the last in a row originally built for estate workers, he thought about the man at the bus stop. It was quite likely, in Gus’s view, that the whole thing amounted to a husband-and-wife quarrel over breakfast. But at least it was something to occupy Enquire Within until something more juicy and important came up.
    “Morning, Gus,” said James behind the counter. “Nice to see you. How’s Whippy?”
    “Fine, thanks. Hooked up outside, like a good citizen. How’s business?”
    “Quiet this morning, but Saturday was good. A posse of cyclists went through and stopped here for snacks. Took more cash in ten minutes than I usually take in a day!”
    Gus slowly stacked up a bagful of groceries, keeping a sharp eye on the Green. “No bus