Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

The Crown Bar is smaller and darker than the Bell's, but it's less noisy and has more customers.At Bell's, where Daisy attracts mostly 20-somethings, the average clientele here is older.Compared with the hustle and bustle of the Bell Bar, the overall atmosphere here is also more decent and solemn.As soon as Jones and Bill walked in, they wondered in their minds, would a teenage whore like to frequent this place?Or would they be allowed in even if they wanted to?A prominent sign on the bar reads: "It is illegal to sell or serve alcoholic beverages to minors under the age of 18, ID may be required."

Even though the bar owner had recognized the two men as police officers, he did not show it.He interrupted a conversation with a customer and greeted them with a smile, "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" Jones pulls out his wallet and nods to a barrel of draft beer. "Give me a pint of specialty draft. How about you, Nick?" "Same, thank you." The barkeeper looked at them as he poured his beer. "Is there any news about Walter?" Jones produced a £5 note and placed it on the counter. "Yes," he said equally cheerfully, "I am Sheriff Brian Jones and this is Inspector Nick Bill."

"Derrick Hardy. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you guys before. Walter's been here every day, 30 years without a break, and he told me so. Everyone knows him." "Haven't you thought about calling us with this information? We just learned about it." Hardy put the first beer on the coaster and started pouring the second, "It wasn't my fault, man. I called the hotline the day after the poor old man got robbed, but what's up with you guys No." He nodded and pointed at the customer who had just spoken to him, "Same old Pat, he said he called twice, but was told both times that the message had been taken...then nothing happened."

Jones frowned. "I'm sorry." "My wife said you probably have endless calls every day. She figured I should go to the police station myself." He put his second glass of wine on the mat and smiled at them. "I'm planning to go tomorrow, you guys Two of them showed up. It's better to be late than to be late." He picked up Jones's note, "4 pounds 48p, do you want anything else?" "No, thank you." He paused, waiting for Hardy to come back with the change, "What is so important that you want to go to the police station yourself?"

"I don't know if it matters," Hardy confided, putting the coin into Jones's hand, "but, here's a very strange coincidence," he folded his arms on the counter, "there was a man named Harry Peel's guy was a regular here too until he was beaten to death 12 months ago. I wasn't here then - I just started taking over the place at the beginning of the year - but once or twice Walter talked about it... ...He said you haven't found the murderer yet." "not yet." "After Walter got punched last Friday, Pat started to worry about whether he might be next on the list."

"What list?" "Someone with a grudge against Harry and Walter. The three of them were good friends." Jones shifted his gaze to the elderly man sitting at the other end of the bar, "That person is Pat?" "Yes. You want to talk to him?" "Of course." Jones turned to Bill when Hardy was out of earshot. "Would you like to check the men's room? It might be a waste of time, but there might be some clues." "Now?" "Alright. The old boy will be here for at least five minutes, and he looks worse than Walter." She wouldn't be surprised if Jackson returned to the BMW to find Ackland gone.He was unwilling to explain what he meant by "Jen showing more sanity," and had no intention of speaking openly about the relationship at all.However, to Jackson's surprise, he didn't go!He waited there, and even brought up the subject of Jane.

"We haven't been anywhere in Bermondsey," he said suddenly. "I know a lot more about the area with you than I did with Jane." "Is there a reason?" "Shortly after we met, I made a reservation at a restaurant on a busy high street - I tried to convince her that a soldier's weekend life was normal, when he wasn't on drills or at war - but When I told her where we were going, she asked me to cancel the reservation. She said that the men on the street who were bent on picking up her were enough trouble, and she couldn't bear to have those wait staff join in. Those I was so naive that day that I believed her."

"Then why do you believe now?" "She was afraid of meeting some drug dealer or client. She didn't want to come out with me unless in my car or in a taxi. We never took the subway or bus, never left the apartment together," he said. Shaking his head, "It took me a long time to start questioning how abnormal this is." "I wouldn't be surprised if you were only there on the weekends," Jackson pointed out. "If you live with her long-term, you'll find out pretty quickly. What are your plans when you're married? Have you talked about it?" These?"

"She's been valuing Chelsea's estate, based on the dame ordinance my mother made the first and only time she met her. Jen thinks my parents are rich and will help us out financially. I try to make her understand She totally misunderstood, but she just didn't believe me." "Does she have a family of her own?" He crunched his knuckles, "I don't know. She said she was an only child and both parents died, but I don't think that's true." "why?" "She forgot the fabricated family background. Her father started out as a bank manager and later became a lawyer."

"She's trying to impress you." "Then she should be honest," he said impatiently. "I don't care what her parents do." Jackson believed him.He certainly wasn't a snob like his mother. "So where are you going to live then?" She returned to the previous question. "It sounds like Jane doesn't want to be in Bermondsey either." "She doesn't want to. What she wants is a ticket to get out of there, which should be provided by me, a gullible fool. That's the only reason she's pestering me." His tone was sharp and it sounded distressed, and Jackson didn't know how to respond.How can he regain his confidence?That he's not as gullible as he thinks he is?

"It's not a simple black and white thing," she said slowly, "you said you liked her the way she started, so her feelings for you must be genuine. She probably did it for you too Efforts to quit the habit." She gave him time to answer, and when he didn't respond, she continued, "She's an addict, Charles. Most of them are very sincere about quitting—they don't want to see because it affects their loved ones—yet only a very small percentage of people can successfully recover from their addiction without professional help." He pressed the blindfold with his thumb, "then you go, you go and help her quit. You know where she lives. You may like her more than Daisy. She will pester you, kiss and touch your whole body , as long as the initial impulse does not subside." Jackson was silent for a moment, "I don't deserve this kind of treatment...and, by the way - I don't like junkies - they're too restless for my liking. But, even if I did, I wouldn't Turn yourself into a martyr. So Jen gets a sex drive when she takes cocaine and asks for it. What's the big deal?" He didn't answer. "Does it hurt your ego? Do you think she likes you only if chemistry helps?" Akram suddenly leaned forward and pressed the blindfold with his left knuckles. "You need to stop!" he said through clenched teeth. She glanced at him and saw that he was pale. "There's a cleaning bag in the glove box under the dash," she said dryly. "I'll stop the car when it's safe." "No." Aklan stretched out his right hand, grabbed the steering wheel, and turned the car to the left. "My head is about to be blown up by you! The women are blowing up my head!" Jackson stepped on the brakes and used his strength to stop the BMW from crashing into a line of parked cars. "Let go of your hand!" she shouted. "Now!" For a moment, his grip on the steering wheel seemed to loosen. Then, he suddenly reversed the direction of force and pushed the steering wheel to the right. Jackson was trying to steer the car to the right of the road. The combination of the two forces was so powerful that everything happened. And so quickly it was too late for any remedial measures.Jackson watched the car go over the glowing bollards of the pedestrian island in the middle of the road. She felt the offside front wheel hit the curb, and her only thought at the moment was: He wanted to kill her. Her reaction was instinctive.She let go of the steering wheel with her left hand, elbowed him in the jaw, and then used her forearm to punch his cheek against the passenger window... "Harry is the eldest son of Bob Peel... He joined the army, and then followed his father to work in the docks... It didn't end until Mrs. Thatcher opposed the union and sold the dock to a real estate developer." Pat Ruo somewhat Thinkingly, he took a sip of the beer Jones bought him, "Walter and I always knew that Harry was a little bit bisexual... very clean and tidy... likes to wear nice clothes... But this shocked Bob, he hoped that the army It didn't work to make Harry reason . . . he had to make Harry marry Fred Leaming's girl." "Derby." "That's her. It's a pity they don't have a baby. Bob blames it on Harry's sissy, but Harry privately tells me it's Derby's fault. She has several women's issues... fibroids And so on and so forth... and ended up having a hysterectomy before the age of 40." He fell silent, as if forgetting what he was talking about. "You said that after Harry and Derby separated, you saw him more often," Nick Beal reminded. "Yes. He's lonely, poor man. His father died 20 years ago, his mother died on the night of the millennium... never got a chance to see the new century. Some people say it's It's a good thing. If she's still alive and her heart isn't broken knowing her son was murdered." He bowed his head and took another sip of his drink. "Walter and I try to make him as happy as possible. Most of his Will drive a taxi in the evening, but often come here around 6 o'clock for a glass of orange juice and a quick chat. He is a very nice guy.. Of course, not my peers.. I am a friend of his father .” He smiled at the Sheriff, “Do you know Bob Peel? Works on the pier down below…” Derek Hardy interrupted, "They want to know about Harry, Pat. You need to tell them about the men he brought back to the bedroom." "Those guys are more like burglars," said the old man, curling his lips in disgust. "I didn't say I approved of Harry's nonsense... Poor old Bob would turn out of his grave if he knew... But Walter said there was There are some things you can't help ... I think he should understand. Walter is a bit of that himself, he and his wife May get along very well, but they're not exactly soul mates." Jones became a little excited, "They have three children." "I'm not saying he didn't do his duty... It's just that he stopped having sex with his wife once the baby was born. His wife didn't particularly care about that... Sex wasn't the most important thing in life in those days You just need to continue to be friendly with your partner." He swallowed another sip of beer, "He and his wife are happy enough, but there is no denying that Walter prefers to stay here with me and Harry. But don't Thought his wife knew about it. Walter never told her too much for fear of hurting her." This kind of restraint and patience is not the first time Jones has heard.His team has spoken to at least 50 men about the issue.None of them wanted their families to know they were leading a double life.Kevin Atkins' wife is especially heartbroken by her husband's caution. "If he didn't love us that much, he might still be alive. He went to great lengths to keep his homosexuality a secret...just to avoid embarrassing the kids." "Has Walter been with Harry a lot since May died?" he asked Pat. "It's none of my business...never asked." "Where are the other men?" "Are you still talking about Walter?" Jones nodded. "I'm skeptical... guess he's freaked out by what happened to Harry." "murder?" "Before that...Harry was robbed of £500. Never seen the old guy so scared. He said someone put a knife to his neck and made him walk up to the ATM with his hands behind his head Before the machine, he was forced to withdraw money, a total of two withdrawals, each time 250 pounds, respectively around midnight." "Did he report the crime?" Pat shook his head, "I told him to report it, but he was scared out of his wits, afraid they would seek revenge for this. The only thing he could think of was to get out of where he was and go back to Derby...to end gay life forever. " Jones was sorting through the information in his head, "When did this happen?" "A month or so before he was murdered." "You said 'them.' How many people were involved?" "Not sure...I think there were two. I remember Harry saying that the lad he brought back put another one in shortly after he was done...maybe more." "Into Harry's living room?" Pat nodded, "It is said that Harry was scared to death... When he found a knife on his neck, he was half asleep and naked." "Does he know who these people are? Has he described them?" "He said they were black... guess that's why he was so scared. He thought they were going to stab him anyway when they got the money. That's what they usually do, don't they?" Jones dismissed his comment, "Afro-Caribbean? Nigeria? Somalia?" "have no idea." "age?" "I know the first one was a young man, but I'm not so sure about the other one. Harry guesses they've done this before ... went straight to his wallet, pulled out his card, and said if they didn't hand them £1,000, they'd would report him for having sex with a minor." "Did he say where he met this young man?" Pat shook his head. "Probably a passenger...he's been very careful about who he rides with since then. Do you think they killed him?" Jones dodges the question, "We could have dealt with this message sooner, Pat, did you report it to the police after Harry was killed?" "Of course!" said the old man in insulted tones. "Both me and Walter! Some uniformed police officers came here the day after Harry's accident and questioned everyone and took notes. We told them they were looking for black people ... and nothing happened. Sometimes I wonder if you people are as afraid of black people as we are." The sheriff took a sip of his beer. "You have to accept my apology for this, Pat," he whispered professionally. "It appears that none of your information was brought up. I promise to look into this matter .” "No need to cause a commotion. You know now." Jones nodded, "But I have a question, why did Harry invite the same black boy to his house after being robbed?" "Who says the man was invited? Perhaps he and his friend came back again for another £500." "Harry's house is on the second floor. He has to use the walkie-talkie before letting anyone in, and he has a peephole in the door. So we can be pretty sure the killer was invited in." "I've never been to him. Don't know." "What about Walter? Does he invite black people home after what happened to Harry?" The old man shook his head, "I don't think so." Jones nodded. "What about young white people? You said Walter was terrified by the Harry thing...but does that apply to all young people? People of any color?" Pat, who had long believed that black people were to blame in the case, seemed deflated to see his arguments challenged.Seeing that he didn't answer, Derek Hardy spoke. "He brought a kid here once. The kid wanted a beer, but I refused to serve him because he didn't look 18 at all, and he didn't have an ID." He pointed to a sign on the bar. , "Walter was so annoyed by this that he took him away." "How long ago was this?" "Not sure. Two months ago?" "Can you describe to me what the boy looked like?" "Ginger hair... a bit lanky... fifteen or sixteen years old. He might have been Walter's grandson. They looked very close, the kid was carrying a rucksack. I got the impression he was visiting relatives in London from out of town. gone." When Jackson pops up at the other end of the bar, it's hard to tell who's more annoyed -- her, Jones or Bill.Of course, neither of them looked happy to see each other.Jackson cursed himself for not recognizing their backs when he entered the door, and Jones cursed her for interfering with his conversation with the bar owner.He wondered how much she had heard when they noticed her. "Drinking on duty, doctor?" he asked sarcastically. "I can ask you the same question, Sheriff." There was a brief awkward silence. Hardy looked at the expressions on both of their faces curiously, "What can I do for you, Jackson? If you're looking for Mel, she said she'd be back at 10 o'clock." Jackson glanced at the clock above the bar, but seemed unsure of what to do. Jones, who had always seen her as a decisive woman, couldn't resist a sharp sarcasm, "Do you need us to move away so you can have a private chat with this gentleman? You may have something that you don't want the police to hear. " "You're a suspicious man, Sheriff. Whatever I do, you'll draw wrong inferences." He stared at her for a moment, "I admit I'm curious about where the Lieutenant is at this point. According to Dr. Campbell, he's perfectly safe...couldn't hurt anyone...because you never go out without him. Since you're all by yourself Man, should I be worried?" "He's in my car." "That's no problem." Jones glanced at the inspector. "Bring the lieutenant in, Nick. I don't want Dr. Jackson to think I'm suspicious just because Charles isn't here." Jackson sighed suddenly. "He's throwing up on the cleaning bag... The right fender of my car is deformed and a tire is blown," she said. Unless someone helps me take the fenders off. I'm running late and can't wait for the auto club to help, I want Derek to help me. I also need to report a damaged safety island bollard 50 yards down the road ahead, there is May cause a traffic accident." "That sounds like exactly what we need to know." Jones smiled, relaxed. "We better take a look, don't we?"