Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death (The Grantchester Mysteries)

happened. I was going home one night and a man started walking alongside me. I thought he wanted to get past so I slowed down but then he slowed down too. I picked up the pace and he did the same. He didn’t say anything. He just kept matching my footsteps. Eventually I stopped. I asked what he wanted and he just told me to stay away from Claudie if I knew what was good for me.’
    ‘Could you describe this man?’
    ‘I knew him. He was a friend of her father’s. He’s called Tommy Jackson. He runs a garage in Tooting.’
    ‘And then he just walked away?’
    ‘He called it a “friendly warning” but I didn’t know what to think. I spoke to Claudette and she told me not to worry. Tommy would never do anything. He was probably just having a laugh but it didn’t feel like that to me. And then, after that, things never quite felt the same. I was worried every time I saw her.’
    ‘She couldn’t put your mind at rest?’
    ‘We came from different backgrounds. I was at university. I couldn’t imagine bringing her home to meet my parents. But she was beautiful and she had such life in her. I didn’t know what to think or do, but in the end I told her I just couldn’t see her any more.’
    ‘What did she say?’
    ‘She thought I was a coward. How did I know, she asked, if she hadn’t sent Tommy Jackson herself as a test to see how much I loved her? I told her that if she had done that, it was a mean trick. We argued. Then it was over.’
    ‘And yet you went to the club on the night she died. Why did you do that?’
    ‘I missed her. And I wanted to see if she had found anyone else.’
    ‘Have you?’
    ‘Of course not.’
    ‘So you wanted her back?’
    ‘I wanted to see her. That was as far as I had thought. If we spoke then I hoped to take it from there. I didn’t have a proper plan, and it was so crowded I could never get near her. There was no time.’
    Sidney realised that Sam Morris was finding it difficult to express himself clearly and decided to ask a few direct questions in order to ascertain exactly what had happened. ‘Did you go to the Gents at all?’ he asked.
    ‘Of course I did. It was a long night.’
    ‘When?’
    ‘I’m not sure. About half an hour before she was discovered. I went at the same time as my friend Max. There were witnesses if that’s what you are worried about.’
    ‘I understand. When you were being questioned did you admit that you knew Claudette?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘You lied?’
    ‘I was frightened.’
    ‘I understand, Sam, but if your relationship does come to light then this will not help your cause.’
    ‘No one will seriously think I was involved, will they?’
    ‘At some stage the police will need to know all the facts. I don’t want to alarm you unduly but a secret, whatever the context, is always problematic. If you reveal it, then at least you have control over how it is told and you can explain it in your own terms. If it is discovered, however, then you cannot predict when that will happen or how people might interpret it. It’s a matter of timing. If you go to the police, even now, and tell them what happened then you will have control over the information. If you do not . . .’
    ‘I don’t think I can do that.’
    ‘If Tommy Jackson knew that you were seeing Claudette then I am afraid that it will come to light. There is no escaping this, Sam.’
    ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
    ‘I know it doesn’t sound serious in comparison with murder but, as a matter of fact, you have. You have told a direct lie to the police. They don’t take kindly to that sort of thing. Of course you could just carry on and hope that no one finds out.’
    ‘Do you think that’s likely?’
    ‘It’s possible. But then, once again, if you hope to conceal something, you have no control over the release of information, and so you live in a state of anxiety.’
    ‘Can you help me?’
    ‘I can have a word with Inspector Keating here in Cambridge if you like. He was there on the night and he’s a good man. But the information would be far better coming from you directly.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Where are you living at the moment?’
    ‘In London University halls.’
    ‘Is it easy to find you?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘I need you to tell me if anything unusual happens or if you receive any more warnings. It would be easier if you had told the police at the time of Tommy Jackson’s warning.’
    ‘The Johnson family are not very keen on the police, as you can