Chapter 11 chapter Ten

Red Rose knocked twice on the door on the fifth floor of the apartment, and the paint on the door fell off onto the whitened cement corridor.The door opened to reveal a deadpan Jess Harris, comically pinching his nose between his index finger and thumb. "Thank goodness you're here, sir. This place reeks of cats and piss. Or maybe it's just cat piss." "Good afternoon to you too, Jess." Red Rose stepped across the threshold, wrinkled her nose, and waved a hand in front of her. "Oh! You're not kidding," she whispered. "So what's the takeaway from the case, except that the air isn't fresh?"

"This foolish old maid thinks she's a single woman's guardian, sir. She spends half the day drawing the curtains." "I hope you didn't call me here just to say that, Jace. And please don't call me sir." "No, sir. I mean, no, boss." Harris moved his heels nervously. "Then what do you want to say?" "She kept a journal of what she saw. She said she firmly believed that one day she would be a key witness in a murder case." "Is it something to do with the Burns Brothers gang?" "Yes, sir. I mean, boss. Before the attack, she saw them at the nearby bingo hall."

Red Rose reopened the door and looked out. "From here?" "The bedroom window in the back. She said she could see the bingo hall across the park." "The park opposite?" Harris flipped through his notepad. "Orange hair, pale complexion, dark slim-fit trousers, an unbuttoned hoodie and a West Ham United jersey." "Orange hair and a West Ham shirt? Sounds like Simon Clarke. Could it be twins?" "I'm afraid not, sir. There were four of them, but the other three were out of sight." "She saw across the park?" Harris was still grinning.

"Yes, all the details." He patted his notebook and said triumphantly. "I've written them all down for you." Red Rose gently closed the notebook in his subordinate's hand. "Why don't you ask her how she was able to see all this from here at night?" Red Rose's heart sank, and she saw Harris start to feel uneasy, shaking his body from side to side. "Jess?" "I didn't actually ask her, sir. I mean, boss. I mean..." Red Rose took a deep breath.Count silently to ten. "Now I'm here, Jess, I want to ask her together now. If it turns out that she doesn't have super vision like Clark Kent's, then don't worry, we will discuss this matter in depth."

"Sir." "And, for God's sake, don't keep calling me sir!" "No, sir." Red Rose restrained herself from cursing others. "Lead the way, Jace. I warn you, if I get into trouble, I won't be the only one."