Bristol Murder: Intermediate Level

PHILIP

Bristol

PROWSE

Murder

The Heinemann Guided Readers provide a choice of enjoyable reading material for learners of English. The series is published at five levels Starter, Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper. At Intermediate Level, the control of content and language has the following main features: Information Control Information which is vital to the understanding of the story is presented in an easily assimilated manner and is repeated when necessary. Difficult allusion and metaphor are avoided and cultural backgrounds are made explicit. Structure Control Most of the structures used in the Readers will be familiar to students who have completed an elementary course of English. Other grammatical features may occur, but their use is made clear through context and reinforcement. This ensures that the reading, as well as being enjoyable, provides a continual learning situation for the students. Sentences are limited in most cases to a maximum of three clauses and within sentences there is a balanced use of adverbial and adjectival phrases. Great care is taken with pronoun reference. Vocabulary Control There is a basic vocabulary of approximately 1,600 words. Help is given to the students in the form of illustrations, which are closely related to the text.

Glossary Some difficult words and phrases in this book are important for understanding the story. Some of these words are explained in the story, some are shown in the pictures, and others are marked with a number like this . . . Words with a number are explained in the Glossary on page 77. 3

The People in This Story 1 Early Morning

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2 T h e Newspaper

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3 T h e Lorry is Stopped

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4 Arriving in Manchester 5 A Visit to the Cinema

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6 T h e Cabaret Club

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7 John Learns a Lesson 8 River Street

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9 Information

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10 John is Arrested

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11 Peter Finds Bob Steel

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12 More Information

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13 In the Café

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14 T h e Chase 15 T h e Police Station

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16 T h e T r u t h is Told

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17 A n o t h e r Hitch-hiker

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Points for Understanding

73

Glossary

77 79

List of titles at Intermediate Level

Name : Peter Jones Age: 22 Address: 103 Mill Road, Bridgwater. Description: tall, thin, dark hair, brown eyes.

Life: Peter Jones was fifteen when his father died. Peter's mother was very poor and needed money, so Peter got a job. Peter gave all the money he earned to his mother to help pay for the house where they lived. Their house was very small and old but it was cheap. W h e n he was seventeen, Peter changed his job and started to work for a company called Universal Transport Limited. This company had a lot of lorries. As soon as he was old enough, Peter learnt to drive. W h e n he was twenty-one, he passed a driving test which allowed him to drive big lorries on his own. N o w he drives lorries with goods in them from Bridgwater to Bristol, London, Birmingham and Manchester. 1

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Name : John Stevens Age: 16 Address: 24 Devonshire Road, Bristol Description: medium height, thin, brown hair, brown eyes.

Life: John Stevens' mother and father are dead. He lives with his uncle. His uncle, Robert Stevens, is a school teacher. John is still at school but he doesn't enjoy it and he wants to leave.

Name: Jeff Beck Age: 24 Address: Cabaret Club, 12 Victoria Street, Manchester. Description: medium height, quite fat, long dark hair, blue eyes.

Life: Jeff Beck left school at fifteen. He was soon in trouble with the police. W h e n he was eighteen, he was sent to prison for three months for stealing cars. After he left prison, he continued stealing and was caught again. He is now twenty-four and has been in prison three times. He is the owner of a night club . 3

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Name : Bob Steel Age: 42 Address: 12 River Street, Bristol. Description: short, average weight, red hair, small red beard, green eyes. Life: Nothing is known about his childhood. He has no job. He sells information to the police about robberies and people who steal.

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t was early o n e m o r n i n g in O c t o b e r . Mrs Jones was in t h e kitchen making breakfast. S h e h a d b e e n up since five o'clock. Mrs Jones looked at her w a t c h . It was time to wake Peter. 'Peter, Peter. It's six o'clock. G e t u p ! ' she s h o u t e d up t h e stairs. Peter was already awake. ' W h a t ? ' h e asked. 'It's six o'clock,' his m o t h e r s h o u t e d . ' O h , O K , ' Peter replied. H e could smell t h e breakfast w h i c h his m o t h e r h a d p r e p a r e d for h i m . He got o u t of b e d slowly a n d went to t h e b a t h r o o m . 'Peter!' his m o t h e r s h o u t e d again. 'Yes, M u m . It's O K . I ' m u p , ' Peter s h o u t e d b a c k t h r o u g h t h e door. He washed quickly because it was cold a n d r a n back to his bedroom. 'Peter. Your breakfast's ready,' Mrs Jones c o n t i n u e d . 'Yes, M u m . I'm c o m i n g , ' Peter replied as he was dressing. He ran d o w n t h e stairs a n d w e n t t h r o u g h t h e sitting r o o m to t h e kitchen. ' O h , h e r e you a r e , ' his m o t h e r said. ' H u r r y up or your breakfast will go cold.' Peter sat d o w n a n d ate his breakfast. ' D o you w a n t some m o r e t e a ? ' P e t e r ' s m o t h e r asked. 'Yes, please,' Peter replied, with a smile. ' W h e r e are you going today?' Mrs Jones asked, as she was pouring o u t t h e tea. 'I d o n ' t k n o w , ' Peter said. ' W h a t ' s t h e time?' 'It's half past six,' answered Mrs Jones, looking at h e r watch. 'I must go,' Peter said, finishing his cup of tea. ' T h a n k s for breakfast.' 4

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' W h a t time will you c o m e back this evening?' asked Mrs Jones anxiously. Peter stood u p . 'I d o n ' t k n o w . If it's a long drive, I w o n ' t be back until t o m o r r o w . ' T a k e care of yourself , Peter,' his m o t h e r said, giving h i m his coat. ' D o n ' t worry, M u m , I will,' said Peter. T h e n he quickly p u t his coat on a n d w e n t o u t i n t o t h e hall. ' G o o d b y e , ' his m o t h e r s h o u t e d . 'See you, M u m . ' He w e n t o u t of t h e front door into t h e street. He walked along to t h e e n d of t h e street a n d t u r n e d right. As he turned the corner, he saw t h e bus a n d started to r u n . He r a n as fast as he could a n d got on t h e bus just before it left. ' C o r p o r a t i o n Street, please,' he said to t h e driver. 'Fifty p e n c e , please,' replied t h e driver. Peter paid a n d sat d o w n . T h e bus drove quickly t h r o u g h the empty streets a n d was soon in C o r p o r a t i o n Street. Peter got off a n d walked along t h e street to Universal T r a n s p o r t Ltd. He w e n t t h r o u g h t h e gate a n d i n t o t h e office. ' G o o d m o r n i n g , Mr J a m e s , ' said Peter cheerfully, as he entered t h e office. ' G o o d m o r n i n g , Peter. H o w are you?' said Mr James looking up from his desk. Mr James decided where t h e lorries w e n t every day a n d gave t h e drivers their instructions. He was a short, fat m a n , aged a b o u t forty-five. He was popular with t h e drivers because he h a d b e e n a driver himself o n c e . So Mr James u n d e r s t o o d t h e drivers' problems. ' I ' m fine, t h a n k s , ' replied Peter. ' G o o d , ' said Mr James, 'I w a n t you to take a l o a d of biscuits to M a n c h e s t e r today. You c a n stay t h e night there a n d come back tomorrow.' 'Right,' answered Peter. 'Is t h e lorry ready?' ' N o , Peter, n o t yet. C a n you help l o a d it, please?' asked Mr James. 5

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Peter w e n t outside a n d walked over to his lorry. He h e l p e d p u t the boxes of biscuits in t h e lorry a n d t h e n drove it to t h e gate. T h e m a n at t h e gate gave Peter t h e address for t h e biscuits in M a n c h e s t e r a n d asked Peter to sign some papers. Peter t h a n k e d him, got back into t h e lorry a n d drove o u t of t h e gate. It was still only half past seven a n d Bridgwater was quiet. H e drove along C o r p o r a t i o n S t r e e t a n d t h r o u g h t h e centre of t h e t o w n . T h e t o w n was e m p t y a n d all t h e shops were still closed. Peter drove on a n d soon passed people leaving their houses a n d hurrying to work. Peter t o o k t h e road for Bristol a n d by eight o'clock he h a d left Bridgwater and was o u t i n t h e country. H e t u r n e d o n t h e radio a n d listened: 'It will be cold in most of England today, a n d t h e r e will probably be heavy rain. T h a t is t h e e n d of t h e w e a t h e r forecast . N o w it is eight o'clock a n d time for t h e news. . . . A middle-aged m a n was m u r d e r e d in Bristol late last night. T h e police would like to talk to a boy of a b o u t sixteen who . . .' Peter t u r n e d off t h e radio. He was always unlucky. T o d a y he had to drive all t h e way to M a n c h e s t e r a n d it was going to rain. As he was thinking a b o u t t h e w e a t h e r t h e first few drops of rain started to fall. It was still raining w h e n Peter r e a c h e d Bristol. It was after nine o'clock n o w a n d all t h e shops were o p e n . T h e r e were lots of people a n d cars a n d he h a d to drive slowly. He took the road to t h e n o r t h a n d was t h r o u g h t h e t o w n in half an h o u r . N o t b a d , he t h o u g h t . I'll get to B i r m i n g h a m by lunch time. As Peter looked o u t a h e a d , he saw a boy standing by t h e side of t h e road. It was difficult to see in t h e rain b u t t h e boy looked about sixteen. He was wearing a red jersey, a n d jeans. He was h i t c h - h i k i n g a n d was holding o u t his h a n d to ask for a lift . 8

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Peter got back into the lorry and drove out of the gate.

Peter slowed d o w n a n d stopped. T h e boy r a n u p a n d opened the door. ' W h e r e are you going?' t h e boy asked. ' M a n c h e s t e r , ' Peter said. ' C a n you give me a lift?' t h e boy asked anxiously. 'Yes, get in.' As he spoke, Peter leant over a n d h e l p e d t h e boy into t h e lorry. T h e boy closed t h e door. He was very, very wet. Peter drove off. ' W h e r e are you going?' asked Peter. 'I d o n ' t k n o w , ' said the boy. 'You d o n ' t k n o w ? ' Peter r e p e a t e d , in a surprised voice. ' N o . I've r u n away from h o m e . ' T h e boy spoke quietly. ' W h a t ? ' said Peter. T h e lorry was very noisy a n d it was difficult to talk. 'I said I've r u n away from h o m e . ' T h e boy r e p e a t e d his words loudly b u t Peter still could n o t hear. ' W h a t ? ' Peter asked again. 'I said I've left h o m e . I'm n o t going to go b a c k , ' t h e boy shouted. ' W h y ? ' asked Peter. ' W e h a d an a r g u m e n t , t h a t ' s all,' t h e boy replied slowly. ' W h a t ' s your n a m e ? ' inquired Peter. 'John. J o h n Stevens. W h a t ' s yours?' t h e boy asked. 'Peter,' replied the lorry driver. 'Well, J o h n , do you feel like a cup of tea?' 'Yes, please.' T h e boy smiled with pleasure at t h e idea of a cup of tea. ' T h e r e ' s a café just a h e a d a n d we'll stop t h e r e , ' said Peter, pointing in t h e direction of t h e café as he spoke. T h e lorry stopped outside t h e café. It was still raining heavily a n d J o h n a n d Peter r a n inside.

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Peter slowed down and stopped.

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t was w a r m in t h e café a n d Peter w e n t up to t h e c o u n t e r w h e r e a girl was serving. J o h n t o o k a seat at a table. T w o teas, please,' said Peter to t h e girl at t h e c o u n t e r . ' H e r e you are, love,' said t h e girl, as she p u s h e d two cups of tea towards Peter. ' T h a t ' s ninety p e n c e , please.' Peter gave h e r t h e m o n e y a n d carried t h e cups of tea over to the table w h e r e J o h n was sitting. ' T h a n k you,' said J o h n . T h e tea was h o t a n d sweet a n d warmed b o t h of t h e m u p . ' S o y o u ' v e left h o m e , t h e n , ' said Peter. T h a t ' s right,' J o h n replied. ' W h y ? ' Peter asked. ' I told you. W e h a d a n a r g u m e n t , ' said t h e boy. Peter smiled. 'You d o n ' t h a v e to tell me if you d o n ' t w a n t to.' 'I w a n t t o , ' said J o h n . 'I m u s t talk to s o m e o n e . ' 'Tell me w h a t h a p p e n e d t h e n , ' said Peter, in a k i n d voice. 'Well, you see,' J o h n b e g a n , 'my p a r e n t s are d e a d a n d I live with my u n c l e . ' Peter i n t e r r u p t e d t h e boy. 'In Bristol?' 'Yes, t h a t ' s right,' said J o h n . ' M y uncle has always b e e n k i n d t o m e , b u t h e n e v e r lets m e d o a n y t h i n g . ' ' W h a t d o you m e a n ? ' asked Peter. T h e boy p u s h e d back his chair. 'Well, he never lets me go o u t in the evenings.' Peter n o d d e d . ' W h y n o t ? ' ' O h , ' t h e boy said, ' h e says t h a t I m u s t stay in a n d study instead. He makes me stay in a n d study every n i g h t while my friends are o u t enjoying themselves.' 13

'I see,' said Peter, as he d r a n k his tea. T h a t ' s why you r a n away, is it?' J o h n shook his h e a d . ' N o t really. It was because of w h a t h a p p e n e d last n i g h t . ' ' W h a t did h a p p e n ? ' asked Peter, watching t h e boy's face closely. 'I told my uncle t h a t I w a n t e d to go to t h e cinema with some of my friends,' J o h n explained, ' b u t my uncle w o u l d n ' t let me go a n d told me to study instead.' 'Yes,' said Peter, e n c o u r a g i n g t h e boy to c o n t i n u e his story. ' W h e n h e w a s n ' t looking, I r a n o u t a n d w e n t t o t h e cinema with my friends. W h e n I c a m e b a c k my uncle was waiting for m e . He was very, very angry a n d asked me where I h a d b e e n . I told h i m I'd b e e n to t h e c i n e m a . W h e n I told h i m t h a t I'd b e e n to t h e c i n e m a , m y uncle hit me in the face.' J o h n paused to drink his tea. ' D o e s he often hit y o u ? ' asked Peter. ' W h e n he gets angry. Last n i g h t he hit me very h a r d a n d I got angry a n d hit h i m b a c k , ' replied J o h n . P e t e r ' s face was serious. ' W h a t did your uncle do t h e n ? ' he asked. ' N o t h i n g . You see I m u s t h a v e hit h i m very h a r d because he fell on t h e floor a n d d i d n ' t m o v e . ' J o h n stopped speaking a n d looked at t h e table. ' W h a t did you do t h e n ? ' asked Peter quietly. 'I was . . .,' J o h n hesitated, 'I was afraid a n d so I r a n o u t . ' ' W h e r e did you go?' inquired Peter. 'I c a n ' t r e m e m b e r . W h e n I came back an h o u r later, t h e r e were several police cars outside t h e h o u s e . All t h e lights in t h e h o u s e were switched o n . T h e n a policeman came out of t h e h o u s e a n d saw m e . " T h e r e he is," he s h o u t e d a n d r a n after m e . I r a n away a n d t h e policeman d i d n ' t c a t c h m e . I slept in t h e bus station a n d started hitch-hiking early this m o r n i n g . ' 14

' W e l l , ' said Peter, 'you certainly h a d a busy night. W h y did you r u n away from t h e police?' 'Because they w a n t e d t o c a t c h m e a n d p u t m e i n prison,' answered J o h n . ' B u t why do you t h i n k they w a n t e d to p u t you in prison?' c o n t i n u e d Peter. 'Because m y uncle must h a v e t e l e p h o n e d t h e police. H e m u s t have told t h e m to catch me because I h a d hit h i m . ' ' D o you w a n t some m o r e tea?' asked Peter. J o h n n o d d e d . 'Yes, please.' ' H e r e ' s n i n e t y p e n c e , ' said Peter h a n d i n g J o h n t h e m o n e y . ' C a n you go a n d get two m o r e teas?' J o h n w e n t to get t h e tea. T h e r e were a lot of people in t h e café and he h a d to wait. Peter picked up a newspaper w h i c h s o m e o n e h a d left on t h e table. Peter looked at t h e front page:

W h e n Peter h a d read this, he quickly p u t t h e n e w s p a p e r i n his pocket. A m i n u t e later J o h n r e t u r n e d with t h e tea. ' W a s t h e r e a n y t h i n g interesting i n t h e p a p e r ? ' J o h n asked. ' N o , ' said Peter. ' D r i n k up your tea because we m u s t leave as soon as possible.' T h e y finished their tea quickly a n d walked o u t to the lorry. Peter started t h e engine a n d drove off. It h a d stopped raining a n d t h e sun was shining. It was n o w w a r m inside t h e lorry and J o h n b e g a n to feel sleepy. 'If you w a n t to sleep,' Peter said, 'you c a n get i n t o t h e back. 15

T h e lorry's n o t quite full a n d t h e r e ' s an old coat of m i n e t h e r e you c a n lie o n . ' ' T h a n k s , ' said J o h n , ' t h a t would b e g o o d . ' Peter stopped t h e lorry a n d J o h n got into t h e back. T h e y drove off again. Peter d r o v e as fast as he could in order to m a k e up for lost time. T h e r e were only a few cars a n d soon t h e lorry was near T e w k e s b u r y . S u d d e n l y Peter saw a police car stopped on t h e road a h e a d . As he d r o v e closer, a policeman walked o u t in front of the lorry a n d held his h a n d u p .

T h e p o l i c e m a n held his h a n d u p . Peter slowed t h e lorry d o w n a n d s t o p p e d . T h e p o l i c e m a n walked up to t h e side window. ' W h a t is it?' asked Peter. ' W h a t ' s t h e m a t t e r ? ' ' W e ' r e looking for a boy w h o we t h i n k may h a v e killed his u n c l e , ' replied t h e p o l i c e m a n . ' O h , yes,' said Peter, 'I h e a r d t h e n e w s a b o u t it on t h e radio this m o r n i n g . ' ' W e l l , ' c o n t i n u e d t h e p o l i c e m a n , 'we t h i n k t h e boy has left Bristol a n d h e may b e h i t c h - h i k i n g n o r t h . ' 'Is he d a n g e r o u s ? ' asked Peter. 'Very d a n g e r o u s . He killed his uncle with a chair leg,' the policeman added. ' W h a t does he look like?' asked Peter. T h e p o l i c e m a n t o o k o u t his n o t e b o o k a n d read, 'John S t e v e n s , aged 16. B r o w n hair. B r o w n eyes. A v e r a g e height. Last seen wearing a red jersey a n d blue jeans.' T h e policeman looked up from his b o o k . ' H a v e you seen h i m ? ' he asked Peter. 'Yes,' said Peter, 'I've seen h u n d r e d s of y o u n g m e n dressed 16

like t h a t this m o r n i n g . It could h a v e b e e n any of t h e m . ' ' O K , ' said t h e policeman, ' t h a n k s for your h e l p . If you do see him let us k n o w , w o n ' t you?' ' O f course,' replied Peter a n d started t h e e n g i n e . 'Cheerio,' shouted the policeman. 'Just a m i n u t e , ' said a n o t h e r voice. T h e policeman t u r n e d a r o u n d . A n o t h e r policeman was getting o u t of t h e police car. He was big a n d red-faced a n d h a d a nasty voice. ' W h a t is it n o w ? ' asked Peter. 'I've got to be in M a n c h e s t e r before five o'clock.' 'All right. This w o n ' t take long,' said t h e second policeman. ' W e ' r e going to search your lorry.' ' W h y ? ' asked Peter angrily. ' T h e boy may be hiding t h e r e . ' B o t h p o l i c e m e n walked around to t h e back of t h e lorry. W h a t shall I do n o w , t h o u g h t Peter. I could drive off before they look in t h e back. But if I do drive away they'll drive after me a n d their car is m u c h faster t h a n my lorry. W h a t shall I do? Sit here a n d wait. If they find J o h n , I c a n say t h a t I d i d n ' t k n o w he was in my lorry. 'Hey, you!' shouted o n e of t h e policemen. T h e y ' v e found h i m , t h o u g h t Peter. 'Hey, you, c o m e a n d help us o p e n t h e back of your lorry.' 'Right,' s h o u t e d Peter a n d got o u t . If I ' m t h e r e w h e n they find John, he t h o u g h t , p e r h a p s I c a n give h i m a c h a n c e to escape by getting in t h e p o l i c e m e n ' s way. Peter walked a r o u n d to t h e back of the lorry a n d o p e n e d it for t h e p o l i c e m e n . T h e y looked in. All they could see was a lot of boxes a n d , in o n e corner, some old coats on the floor. 'Right,' said t h e second p o l i c e m a n , ' I ' m sorry to h a v e m a d e you wait so long. You can go n o w . ' Peter t h a n k e d h i m , got into t h e lorry a n d drove off. He d r o v e for ten m i n u t e s until he was sure t h a t t h e police car was n o t following him. T h e n h e stopped, j u m p e d o u t a n d r a n a r o u n d t o 17

All they could see was a lot of boxes and, in one corner, some old coats on the floor.

the back of t h e lorry. He o p e n e d it a n d looked in. He c o u l d n ' t see J o h n a n y w h e r e . Peter climbed i n t o t h e back. He c o u l d n ' t u n d e r s t a n d w h e r e J o h n was. T h e old coat was t h e r e b u t J o h n wasn't lying on it. T h e n Peter saw s o m e t h i n g t h a t t h e police h a d n ' t noticed. He could see part of a shoe sticking o u t from u n d e r t h e coat. Peter smiled w h e n he t h o u g h t h o w stupid the police were n o t t o h a v e looked u n d e r t h e coat. H e w e n t u p t o the coat a n d said loudly: T h i s is t h e police. C o m e o u t at o n c e . W e k n o w you are u n d e r t h e c o a t . ' 'All right,' said a voice from u n d e r t h e coat, a n d J o h n slowly got u p . ' O h , it's you,' said J o h n . 'I t h o u g h t you were t h e police.' ' N o , ' replied Peter. 'I was just playing a joke on you.' 'You did frighten m e , ' said J o h n . 'I h a d a strange d r e a m w h e n I was asleep.' ' W h a t ! ' exclaimed Peter. ' H a v e you b e e n asleep all t h e time?' 'Yes, I d r e a m t t h e police were searching t h e lorry.' ' T h a t w a s n ' t a d r e a m , ' replied Peter. 'It was real.' 'You m e a n t h a t t h e police stopped t h e lorry w h e n I was asleep?' asked J o h n . Peter n o d d e d his h e a d . 'Yes,' he said. ' A n d you d i d n ' t tell t h e m w h e r e I was?' asked J o h n . ' N o , ' said Peter. 'But why did you help m e ? ' asked J o h n . 'You could h a v e got into trouble yourself.' 'Because I d o n ' t t h i n k you did w h a t t h e police said,' answered Peter. ' W h a t has my uncle told t h e m ? ' asked J o h n . 'Your uncle h a s n ' t told t h e m a n y t h i n g . ' 'Well, in t h a t case . . .' said J o h n . 'Because h e ' s d e a d , ' said Peter quietly. ' O h , n o , ' cried J o h n . 'I d i d n ' t hit h i m very h a r d . ' 'If you hit s o m e o n e with a chair leg,' c o n t i n u e d Peter, 'you don't have to hit t h e m very h a r d to kill t h e m . ' 19

'A chair leg?' replied J o h n in surprise. 'I d i d n ' t hit h i m with a chair leg. I hit h i m with my h a n d s . ' Peter took t h e newspaper o u t of his pocket a n d showed John t h e article a b o u t t h e m u r d e r . ' A r e you sure?' asked Peter. 'Yes,' said J o h n firmly. ' T h e n I was right n o t to tell t h e police a b o u t you,' said Peter. ' W e ' d b e t t e r start again n o w or else we'll n e v e r get to M a n c h e s t e r , or find o u t w h o killed your u n c l e . '

B

y five o'clock Peter a n d J o h n were outside M a n c h e s t e r . ' H a v e you ever b e e n h e r e before?' asked Peter. ' N o , I h a v e n ' t , ' said J o h n . ' W e l l , this is w h a t we'll d o . I've got to take my load of biscuits to this address.' He gave J o h n a piece of paper. 'It'll take me an h o u r or two to u n l o a d everything a n d t h e n I'm going to go a n d see some friends.' ' W h y are you going to go a n d see some friends?' asked J o h n . 'I t h o u g h t you were going to help me find out w h o killed my uncle.' 'I am going t o , ' replied Peter. ' W h e n I was younger I h a d a lot of friends in Bristol. We used to m e e t a lot a n d sometimes we did stupid t h i n g s . ' ' W h a t d o you mean? Stupid things?' J o h n d i d n ' t understand. ' O h , fighting, breaking windows, borrowing cars . . explained Peter. J o h n i n t e r r u p t e d . 'Borrowing cars?' 20

Peter smiled. 'Well, taking t h e m for an evening, driving a r o u n d , a n d t h e n leaving t h e m . ' 'Did you do t h a t ? ' asked J o h n , looking surprised. ' W e h a d n o t h i n g else to d o , ' Peter c o n t i n u e d . 'It was fun for a time.' ' N o t for t h e people whose cars you t o o k , ' J o h n a d d e d . ' T h a t ' s t r u e , ' Peter agreed. ' A n y w a y , after a while I stopped seeing those friends.' ' W h y ? ' asked J o h n . 'Because they started stealing cars a n d selling t h e m , ' explained Peter. J o h n n o d d e d his h e a d . 'I u n d e r s t a n d . ' Peter w e n t o n . ' S o o n after t h a t they were c a u g h t by t h e police.' ' W h a t did t h e police d o ? ' asked J o h n . ' T h e y sent my friends to prison,' said Peter. J o h n looked at Peter. ' I ' m sure t h a t stopped t h e m stealing.' ' N o t really,' said Peter shaking his h e a d , 'because in prison they m e t older m e n w h o t a u g h t t h e m a lot a b o u t stealing.' ' W h a t h a p p e n e d w h e n they left prison?' inquired J o h n . ' T h e y came to live in M a n c h e s t e r , ' answered Peter, ' a n d I'm afraid t h a t t h e y ' v e c o n t i n u e d to steal things.' 'But h o w does this help m e ? ' asked J o h n . ' W h e n I've finished u n l o a d i n g t h e lorry, I ' m going to try to find some of these old friends,' said Peter. ' A s t h e y ' v e b e e n in prison they k n o w lots of criminals, lots of people w h o m a k e a l i v i n g by stealing. Criminals always talk to each o t h e r about things like your uncle's m u r d e r . My friends may h a v e heard something a b o u t it. S o m e t h i n g w h i c h t h e police may not k n o w . ' J o h n smiled. 'I u n d e r s t a n d n o w , ' he said. ' T h e y may be able to tell us something useful - something to help us find o u t w h o killed my uncle.' 11

21

Peter stopped t h e lorry outside t h e shop w h e r e he was going to u n l o a d t h e biscuits. 'Right,' said Peter. 'Look, w e ' r e h e r e n o w . W h y d o n ' t you go to a café or t h e c i n e m a - t h e police w o n ' t be looking for you in M a n c h e s t e r . I'll m e e t you h e r e outside t h e shop at ten o'clock.' ' C a n ' t I c o m e with you?' asked J o h n . ' N o , ' Peter replied. ' M y friends might n o t w a n t to talk in front of you because they d o n ' t k n o w y o u . ' ' O K , ' said J o h n , 'see you at t e n o'clock. T h a n k s so m u c h for all your h e l p . ' 'You c a n t h a n k me after w e ' v e found t h e m u r d e r e r , ' said Peter. Peter a n d J o h n j u m p e d o u t of t h e lorry. J o h n walked off d o w n t h e street a n d Peter w e n t into t h e s h o p w h e r e h e had t o u n l o a d t h e biscuits. He h e l p e d t h e m e n from t h e shop to carry t h e biscuits i n t o t h e back of t h e shop a n d c o u n t e d all the boxes. T h e n he got t h e m a n a g e r to sign t h e papers to show t h a t t h e s h o p h a d received all t h e boxes. By this time it was half past six. Peter k n e w he h a d to h u r r y if he was going to help J o h n . He parked t h e lorry on a piece of o p e n g r o u n d a n d started walking. He walked quickly with his h a n d s in his pockets a n d h a d soon left t h e shopping streets b e h i n d h i m . It was already getting dark a n d t h e street lights were on. Peter crossed a busy m a i n road a n d c o n t i n u e d walking as fast as he. could. T h e houses h e r e were smaller a n d older. T h e roads were n a r r o w e r a n d children were playing u n d e r the street lights. H e r e a n d t h e r e , Peter could see small areas of o p e n g r o u n d covered with b r o k e n bottles, old cars and empty tins. Peter hurried on a n d s o o n c a m e to a café on t h e corner of o n e of t h e streets. T h e sign outside said "Cosy Café". Peter looked in t h e w i n d o w a n d t h e n w e n t in. He asked for a cup 22

of tea a n d sat d o w n . T h e café was almost empty. An old m a n sat in o n e corner reading a n e w s p a p e r . At t h e n e x t table to Peter sat a m a n of a b o u t twenty-five, smoking a cigarette. Peter d r a n k some tea a n d t h e n w e n t over to talk to the owner of t h e café w h o was washing up dirty cups a n d saucers. ' G o o d e v e n i n g , ' said Peter. 'Yes,' t h e café o w n e r replied. ' W h a t c a n I do for you?' ' I ' m looking for an old friend,' said Peter. ' H e used to live near h e r e . ' ' O h , yes, I might k n o w h i m , ' said t h e café o w n e r , w i t h o u t looking up from his was hing-up. ' W h a t ' s his n a m e ? ' 'Jeff. Jeff Beck,' said Peter quietly. T h e café o w n e r d r o p p e d t h e cup he was holding. It broke on the floor. ' N o , mister,' said t h e café o w n e r . 'I d o n ' t k n o w a n y o n e o f t h a t n a m e . You m u s t h a v e m a d e a m i s t a k e . ' ' A r e you sure?' asked Peter going up close to t h e café owner. 'I think you do k n o w h i m . ' 'Look. I said I d i d n ' t . I d o n ' t like people asking questions. W h y d o n ' t you go a n d ask s o m e o n e else?' t h e café owner shouted. 'Go on. Get out.' ' O K , ' said Peter, ' t h a n k you for your h e l p . ' Peter left t h e café a n d started to walk along t h e street. 'Excuse m e , c a n you tell me t h e time?' said a voice from behind. Peter t u r n e d r o u n d . I t was t h e m a n w h o h a d b e e n sitting n e x t to him in t h e café. 'Of course,' said Peter, a n d looked at his watch. As he did so t h e m a n c a u g h t h o l d of P e t e r ' s hair a n d twisted his head back. Peter felt t h e cold steel of a knife against his throat. ' N o w we're going to see w h e t h e r you really do k n o w Jeff or whether y o u ' r e from t h e police,' t h e m a n said. 23

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h e n J o h n got o u t of t h e lorry he watched Peter go into t h e s h o p . T h e n J o h n started to walk slowly along the p a v e m e n t . H e h a d n e v e r b e e n t o M a n c h e s t e r before a n d h e d i d n ' t k n o w w h e r e to g o o r w h a t to d o . People p u s h e d past h i m as they h u r r i e d h o m e from work. Everyone h a d somewhere to go or s o m e t h i n g t o d o , except him. He started looking in the s h o p w i n d o w s so t h a t people w o u l d n ' t see t h a t he was lonely. After a while he c a m e to a c i n e m a . J o h n w e n t u p t o t h e c i n e m a a n d looked a t t h e p h o t o g r a p h s outside. T h e r e was a cowboy film showing. J o h n n o t i c e d t h a t t h e r e were o t h e r p e o p l e standing looking at t h e p h o t o g r a p h s . If I s t a n d h e r e , he t h o u g h t , no o n e will n o t i c e m e . T h e y ' l l t h i n k I'm waiting to go to t h e c i n e m a or to m e e t s o m e o n e .

S o o n he h a d looked at all t h e p h o t o g r a p h s several times, so he stood w a t c h i n g t h e people go past. T h e r e were several other people standing outside t h e c i n e m a as well - a m a n wearing a suit, w h o k e p t on looking at his w a t c h , a small group of girls w h o were laughing t o g e t h e r , a girl of a b o u t sixteen w h o seemed worried 24

about something, a m o t h e r with t w o small children a n d lots of parcels, two boys of a b o u t J o h n ' s age, smoking cigarettes a n d trying to look very g r o w n - u p , a n d an old m a n with a long coat. M o r e people came a n d waited for a while a n d t h e n w e n t into the c i n e m a . A small, fat m a n c a m e hurrying up to t h e w o m a n with the children, kissed her, a n d picked up o n e of t h e children. T h e w o m a n picked u p t h e o t h e r child, a n d with parcels a n d children in their arms they r u s h e d off t o g e t h e r . T h e g r o u p of girls finally decided to go i n t o t h e c i n e m a . A taxi stopped a n d a pretty girl c a m e r u n n i n g up to t h e m a n in t h e suit w h o h a d b e e n looking at his w a t c h . S h e said she was sorry she was late a n d they w e n t off happily t o g e t h e r in the taxi. T h e two boys p u t o u t their cigarettes a n d w e n t into t h e cinema. T h e old m a n walked off d o w n t h e street slowly, looking in all t h e shop windows. T h e only people left waiting outside the c i n e m a were J o h n a n d t h e girl w h o was looking worried. J o h n looked at t h e clock outside t h e c i n e m a e n t r a n c e . It was seven-thirty. T h e film h a d started at seven-fifteen. J o h n looked at t h e g i r l . S h e was t h i n , quite tall a n d h a d short, brown hair. S h e looked a b o u t t h e same age as J o h n . S h e was walking up a n d d o w n with an angry look on h e r face. S h e looks quite nice, t h o u g h t J o h n . I w o n d e r w h a t she would do if I asked her to go to t h e cinema with m e . I expect she's waiting for s o m e o n e . But she's b e e n waiting for a long time n o w . P e r h a p s the person she's waiting for isn't going to c o m e . Shall I go a n d ask her to go into t h e cinema with me? W h a t if she laughs at me? W h a t if she calls a policeman? A s h e was thinking this, J o h n looked u p . T o his surprise, h e saw t h a t t h e girl was n o t t h e only o t h e r p e r s o n t h e r e . T h e r e was a m a n standing outside t h e c i n e m a as well. A policeman. J o h n stood quite still. He w a s n ' t sure w h a t to d o . If he walked away, p e r h a p s t h e p o l i c e m a n would stop h i m a n d ask him questions. If he stood t h e r e , p e r h a p s t h e p o l i c e m a n would 25

ask h i m why he was waiting. T h e policeman looked at J o h n . J o h n looked away and p r e t e n d e d to look at t h e p h o t o g r a p h s . After a m i n u t e , John looked back at t h e p o l i c e m a n . He was still staring at him. Then t h e policeman started to walk towards h i m . Well, J o h n t h o u g h t , t h e r e ' s only o n e thing to do now. I must talk to t h e girl so t h a t t h e policeman will think I live h e r e . J o h n walked up to t h e girl a n d said, ' H e l l o ' . ' H e l l o , ' t h e girl said in reply. T h e r e was a silence. ' D o you w a n t to go in a n d see t h e film with m e ? ' J o h n asked suddenly. 'I d o n ' t k n o w , ' t h e girl replied, looking surprised. ' I ' m waiting for my boyfriend. B u t I've b e e n waiting for half an h o u r and he h a s n ' t c o m e yet.' ' P e r h a p s he w o n ' t c o m e , ' said J o h n quickly. 'Perhaps he has t a k e n a n o t h e r girl to t h e cinema instead.' T h e girl smiled. ' W e l l , if h e ' s d o n e t h a t , ' she said, 'I'll come in with you. B u t he may just be late a n d he'll be angry if he gets here a n d d o e s n ' t find m e . ' T h e p o l i c e m a n c a m e closer. J o h n t o o k h o l d of t h e girl's h a n d . ' C o m e o n , ' he said to her, ' t h e film's already started.' 'All right, t h e n , ' t h e girl replied, ' b u t I h o p e Steve d o e s n ' t get angry.' ' W h o ' s S t e v e ? ' asked J o h n . ' M y boyfriend,' she replied, as they w e n t up to buy tickets. ' O h , d o n ' t worry a b o u t h i m , ' said J o h n , feeling very happy because he h a d escaped from t h e policeman. 'Your boyfriend will n e v e r k n o w you w e n t into t h e cinema with m e , will he?' J o h n t u r n e d to t h e ticket office a n d asked for two seats at the back. 26

'Do you want to go in and see the film with me?'

' T h a t ' s six p o u n d s sixty, please,' said t h e w o m a n selling the tickets. J o h n gave h e r t h e m o n e y . ' W h a t ' s your n a m e ? ' h e asked, t u r n i n g to t h e girl. ' S u s a n , ' she replied. ' W h a t ' s your n a m e ? ' ' J o h n , ' he said with a smile. He took her h a n d a n d they went into t h e c i n e m a t o g e t h e r . T h e film h a d already started a n d it was dark inside. T h e y found two seats at t h e back a n d sat d o w n . S u s a n squeezed J o h n ' s h a n d . 'I like you,' she said to him. 'You're nice.'

T

he m a n h o l d i n g t h e knife p u s h e d Peter a n d said, ' C o m e on.' 'All right,' said Peter, 'I'll go with you. Jeff's a friend of m i n e a n d he'll be angry with you if you h u r t m e . ' ' C o m e o n t h e n , ' r e p e a t e d t h e m a n , 'let's go.' T h e y walked along t h e dark street. T h e m a n with the knife walked just b e h i n d Peter. At t h e corner a big car was parked. ' S t o p h e r e , ' t h e m a n said, a n d o p e n e d t h e door of the car. ' G e t in. D o n ' t try to escape or do a n y t h i n g stupid.' T h e m a n started t h e engine a n d drove very fast t h r o u g h the n a r r o w , dark streets. After only five m i n u t e s , t h e car stopped outside a big h o u s e . T h e r e was a sign outside t h e h o u s e which said " C a b a r e t C l u b " . T h e r e were lots of cars parked in front of the house. ' G e t o u t , ' t h e m a n said. Peter got o u t of the car a n d stood on the pavement. ' T h i s way,' said t h e m a n , pushing Peter towards the front door. Peter could h e a r music coming from the h o u s e . T h e man 28

rang the bell a n d a little window in t h e door o p e n e d . A m a n ' s face appeared in t h e window. ' W h a t do you w a n t ? ' asked t h e face. 'It's m e , ' said t h e m a n from t h e café. 'I've b r o u g h t s o m e o n e who says t h a t h e ' s a friend of Jeff.' 'Jeff's in t h e back r o o m , ' t h e m a n at t h e d o o r replied a n d o p e n e d t h e d o o r t o let t h e m in. T h e m a n from t h e café t o o k Peter t h r o u g h t h e hall a n d stopped outside a d o o r at t h e e n d of t h e corridor. Peter looked a r o u n d . T h e r o o m s on e a c h side of t h e hall were full of people drinking, talking a n d playing cards. T h e m a n with Peter k n o c k e d at the door a n d p u s h e d Peter into the r o o m . It was a small r o o m , full of smoke. T h r e e m e n were sitting a r o u n d a table playing cards. O n e of t h e m e n t u r n e d a r o u n d a n d looked at Peter. It was Jeff. 'Well, look w h o has c o m e to visit us,' Jeff said in a surprised voice. T h e n Jeff t u r n e d to t h e m a n w h o h a d b r o u g h t Peter from the café a n d asked, ' W h y did you bring Peter h e r e ? ' 'Well, boss,' t h e m a n replied, ' h e said he was a friend of yours, but I t h o u g h t he was from t h e police.' 'Well, you're w r o n g , ' said Jeff. 'Peter is a friend of m i n e a n d I h o p e you d i d n ' t h u r t h i m . ' Peter smiled because he was pleased t h a t Jeff r e m e m b e r e d him. ' O K , ' said Jeff, 'all of you get out. I w a n t to talk to my old friend, Peter.' T h e others left t h e r o o m a n d Peter a n d Jeff were a l o n e . 'Well, Jeff,' said Peter, sitting d o w n . 'You h a v e n ' t c h a n g e d much.' ' P e r h a p s n o t , ' replied Jeff, ' b u t I'm m u c h richer n o w . I o w n this club.' Peter grinned. ' S o y o u ' v e stopped stealing a n d started working honestly.' Jeff laughed. 'Well, n o t exactly. You could say t h a t I c o n t r o l the people w h o do t h e stealing. I sell t h e things w h i c h they s t e a l 29

T h e club m a k e s it very easy for me to do this because lots of people c o m e h e r e every day.' ' A n y w a y , ' Peter said, 'I d i d n ' t c o m e h e r e for lessons about being a successful criminal. I n e e d your h e l p . ' ' W h y ? ' asked Jeff. Peter told Jeff t h e whole story - t h a t Peter h a d given J o h n a lift, t h a t t h e police t h o u g h t t h a t J o h n h a d killed his uncle, b u t that J o h n said t h a t h e h a d n ' t killed h i m . 'I d o n ' t t h i n k J o h n did kill his u n c l e , ' Peter c o n t i n u e d , 'but h o w c a n we p r o v e it?' ' T h e r e is only o n e way,' replied Jeff. 'You'll h a v e to find the murderer.' ' B u t I d o n ' t k n o w h o w to start. H a v e you h e a r d anyone talking a b o u t t h e m u r d e r ? ' Peter asked. ' N o , ' answered Jeff, ' b u t if you can wait for a few minutes, I'll go a n d ask some of my friends if they k n o w a n y t h i n g a b o u t it. M a k e yourself at h o m e while you are waiting.' After Jeff h a d left, Peter got up a n d w e n t o u t into t h e hall. He looked into t h e big r o o m w h e r e t h e music was coming from. A m a n was singing, some girls were dancing a n d people were talking a n d laughing. It was quite dark a n d very h o t . Peter felt thirsty. He asked for a drink a n d a waiter b r o u g h t it. Peter tried to pay for t h e drink, b u t t h e waiter refused to take the money. ' Y o u ' r e a friend of Jeff's,' t h e waiter said, 'so you d o n ' t have to p a y . ' T e n m i n u t e s later, Jeff c a m e back. ' W e l l , ' he said as he sat d o w n , 'I t h i n k I h a v e some useful information.' Peter n o d d e d . ' W h a t is it?' he asked. ' D o you k n o w w h o the m u r d e r e r is?' Jeff laughed. 'Of course n o t , ' he said. 'But I can give you the n a m e of s o m e o n e in Bristol w h o may be able to help you.' ' W h a t ' s his n a m e ? ' Peter asked. 'Bob Steel. H e ' s a friend of m i n e . Bob lives by t h e river. He 1 2

30

knows m o r e a b o u t w h a t h a p p e n s i n Bristol t h a n t h e police d o . ' ' T h a n k you very m u c h , ' said Peter. Jeff gave Peter a piece of paper. ' H e r e ' s B o b ' s address,' he said, ' a n d a n o t e to say t h a t y o u ' r e a friend of m i n e . Bob will help you find t h e m u r d e r e r . ' Peter stood u p . ' T h a n k you again, b u t I m u s t go n o w , ' he said to Jeff. 'I m u s t get back to Bristol as soon as possible.' ' R i g h t , ' replied Jeff. 'It was nice to see you again. A n d if you ever w a n t a n o t h e r job, come a n d see m e . ' ' N o , t h a n k you,' said Peter, with a laugh. T d o n ' t t h i n k I'd be a very good thief.' Jeff walked o u t to t h e door with Peter a n d told t h e m a n at t h e door to drive Peter back to his lorry in t h e big car. Peter got into t h e car a n d t h e car drove off fast d o w n t h e street.

M

eanwhile, J o h n a n d S u s a n were sitting in t h e c i n e m a . T h e y were sitting close together a n d J o h n h a d his a r m a r o u n d Susan. T h e film w a s n ' t very good b u t they were b o t h enjoying it. T h e n t h e film stopped a n d t h e lights c a m e o n . It was t h e i n t e r v a l . J o h n t u r n e d to S u s a n a n d said, 'I'm very thirsty. W o u l d you like a cola?' 'Yes, please,' she replied. J o h n stood u p . 'Stay h e r e , ' he said, ' a n d I'll go a n d get you o n e . ' J o h n walked to t h e e n d of t h e row of seats w h e r e t h e y were 13

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sitting a n d up to t h e girl w h o was selling drinks a n d ice-creams. T e s , w h a t do you w a n t ? ' asked t h e girl with a smile. T w o colas, please,' replied J o h n . T h e r e you are. T h a t ' s o n e p o u n d twenty, please,' the girl said. J o h n gave t h e m o n e y to t h e girl a n d started to walk back to Susan. T h e n he stopped. He could see t h a t S u s a n was talking to a n o t h e r boy. S h e was arguing with h i m . T h e boy seemed very angry. J o h n h e a r d S u s a n say to t h e boy, 'It's your o w n fault. You were late. N o w go away a n d leave me a l o n e . ' T h e boy d i d n ' t reply. H e t u r n e d a r o u n d a n d walked towards J o h n . T h e boy b u m p e d into J o h n , k n o c k i n g o n e of t h e bottles of cola on t h e g r o u n d . ' H e y , w h a t do you t h i n k y o u ' r e doing?' said J o h n angrily. 'You h a d b e t t e r leave my girl a l o n e , ' answered t h e boy, 'or I'll d o m o r e t h a n just p u s h you.' J o h n picked up t h e bottle from t h e floor a n d w e n t back to Susan. ' W h o was t h a t ? ' J o h n asked S u s a n . 'It was my boyfriend, S t e v e , ' S u s a n replied. ' H e ' s angry with me because I d i d n ' t wait for h i m outside t h e c i n e m a . ' ' W h a t did your boyfriend say?' J o h n asked, as he passed Susan o n e of t h e bottles. S u s a n h a d a drink. ' S t e v e told me to c o m e a n d sit with him,' she said. J o h n n o d d e d . ' A n d w h a t did you say?' h e asked. 'I told Steve to go away a n d leave us a l o n e . I told Steve that I was a free person a n d d i d n ' t belong to h i m . I said t h a t he didn't o w n me a n d t h a t I c a n do w h a t I like. A n d anyway,' she added, 'I like you m u c h m o r e t h a n h i m . ' J o h n smiled. 'I certainly like you m u c h m o r e t h a n I like Steve,' he said. Just t h e n , t h e lights w e n t o u t a n d t h e film started again. John p u t his arm a r o u n d S u s a n . ' G i v e me a kiss,' he whispered to her. 32

S h e did. 'Please be careful,' she whispered suddenly. 'If Steve sees us, he'll be very angry.' J o h n looked a r o u n d just in time to see Steve walking o u t of the door at t h e back of the cinema. 'It's all right,' said J o h n , ' S t e v e has just left.' T i m e passed very quickly for J o h n a n d S u s a n a n d soon the film finished a n d t h e lights came o n . ' L o o k , ' J o h n said, as they waited to leave t h e c i n e m a . 'I c a n ' t explain n o w , b u t I've got to go back to Bristol. If you give me your address, I'll write to you.' W h e n they got outside, S u s a n o p e n e d h e r bag, wrote down her address a n d gave it to J o h n . W h i l e she was writing, J o h n looked at his w a t c h . It was q u a r t e r past t e n . But he h a d promised to m e e t Peter at t e n o'clock. 'I must go n o w , S u s a n , ' J o h n said. 'I'll write to you.' ' G o o d b y e , ' S u s a n said, ' a n d take care of yourself.' J o h n gave h e r a quick kiss a n d started to walk back to the shop where he h a d said he would m e e t Peter. He walked quickly, thinking of S u s a n a n d t h e c i n e m a . S u d d e n l y a voice s h o u t e d , ' H e y , y o u ! ' J o h n stopped a n d t u r n e d a r o u n d . It was S u s a n ' s boyfriend, Steve. ' W h e r e do you t h i n k y o u ' r e going?' Steve said loudly. 'It's n o t h i n g to do with you,' replied J o h n a n d carried on walking. ' O h , yes it is,' s h o u t e d S t e v e . J o h n could h e a r feet r u n n i n g u p b e h i n d h i m . H e d i d n ' t t u r n a r o u n d . S u d d e n l y , J o h n felt a kick on t h e b a c k of t h e leg. He tried to run, but fell over instead. He lay on the ground and as he looked up, he saw t h a t Steve was standing over h i m . ' N o w we'll h a v e a little talk,' said S t e v e . ' N o , we w o n ' t , ' said J o h n , j u m p i n g u p a n d pushing Steve away. T h e n J o h n looked a r o u n d . Steve w a s n ' t alone. H e h a d three friends with h i m . 33

He lay on the ground and as he looked up, he saw that Steve was standing over him.

Steve came up to J o h n a n d p u s h e d h i m against t h e wall. ' S o , ' he said, 'you . . . w a n t . . . to . . . f i g h t . . . do . . . you?' As he said each word, he pushed J o h n h a r d against t h e wall with his h a n d . J o h n felt lost. W h a t could he do? T h e r e were four people against h i m a n d he was in a strange t o w n . ' W e ' r e going to teach you a l e s s o n , ' said S t e v e , with a nasty laugh. ' W e ' r e going to t e a c h you n o t to try to steal my girlfriend.' J o h n b e g a n t o feel afraid. He k n e w t h a t he must do something quickly. Suddenly, he hit Steve in t h e s t o m a c h a n d tried to r u n away, b u t t h e o t h e r t h r e e boys c a u g h t h i m . ' S o y o u ' r e frightened, are y o u ? ' asked o n e of t h e boys. 'You c a n ' t get away n o w , ' said a n o t h e r . ' W e ' r e going to t e a c h you a lesson,' said t h e third. T h e n o n e of t h e boys hit J o h n h a r d in t h e face a n d a n o t h e r boy hit h i m in t h e s t o m a c h . J o h n fell on t h e g r o u n d . He felt sick. T h e n Steve c a m e up a n d started to kick h i m . J o h n was going to scream w h e n he suddenly h e a r d a voice which he recognised. 'Leave h i m a l o n e , ' said t h e voice. It was Peter. 14

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eave h i m a l o n e ! ' Peter s h o u t e d . Steve stopped kicking J o h n a n d t u r n e d a r o u n d . ' W h o are you?' Steve asked. ' A n d w h a t d o you want? G o away a n d m i n d your o w n b u s i n e s s . ' ' N o , I w o n ' t m i n d my o w n business,' said Peter a n d hit Steve h a r d , k n o c k i n g him back against t h e wall. J o h n , seeing 15

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t h a t t h e o t h e r s were watching Steve a n d Peter fight, j u m p e d up a n d started t o r u n . T h i s way,' s h o u t e d Peter. ' G e t into t h e car.' J o h n r a n over to t h e big black car w h i c h was standing by the p a v e m e n t . As J o h n got in, he looked back to see t h a t Peter h a d b e a t e n S t e v e . S t e v e a n d his friends were r u n n i n g away. ' H o w did you k n o w I was h e r e ? ' J o h n asked Peter w h e n he got into t h e car. ' W e l l talk a b o u t it later,' said Peter. J o h n a n d Peter sat in silence until t h e car stopped beside P e t e r ' s lorry. Peter t h a n k e d t h e driver a n d b o t h Peter a n d J o h n got i n t o t h e lorry. Peter started t h e engine a n d they drove back to Bristol. ' N o w , ' said Peter, as they were leaving M a n c h e s t e r , 'tell me h o w you got into t h e fight.' J o h n explained t o Peter a b o u t t h e cinema, S u s a n a n d Steve. 'I h o p e t h a t fight t a u g h t you a lesson,' said Peter, ' d o n ' t . . .' 'Yes, I k n o w , ' replied J o h n with a laugh. ' D o n ' t steal other boys' girlfriends. You s o u n d just like Steve. But h o w did you k n o w w h e r e I was? You arrived just in t i m e . ' 'I d i d n ' t k n o w w h e r e you w e r e , ' replied Peter. 'It was just luck. I was in t h e car on t h e way back to t h e lorry w h e n I saw t h e fight. I asked t h e driver to stop because it d i d n ' t seem to be a fair fight. It was four against o n e . I d i d n ' t recognise you until after I h a d shouted "Stop".' ' T h a t was lucky,' said J o h n . 'Yes,' laughed Peter. ' B u t n e x t time be m o r e careful. N e x t time you get into a fight I may n o t be t h e r e to rescue you.' 'All right,' answered J o h n . ' B u t w h a t h a p p e n e d w h e n you w e n t to see your friends? W e r e they able to help us?' Peter told J o h n a b o u t his visit to t h e café, t h e m e e t i n g with t h e m a n with t h e knife, a n d t h e talk with Jeff at t h e C a b a r e t C l u b . ' W h e n c a n we go a n d see this m a n in Bristol? T h e o n e Jeff told you a b o u t , ' asked J o h n . 36

'It d e p e n d s on w h e n we get back to Bristol,' said Peter. ' W h a t ' s t h e time?' 'It's eleven o'clock,' J o h n replied. ' W e l l , ' said Peter, 'we should arrive in Bristol at about five o'clock in t h e m o r n i n g . If we h a v e some sleep after we arrive, we could go a n d see Bob Steel before l u n c h . ' ' W o n ' t you h a v e t o work t o m o r r o w ? ' inquired J o h n . Peter shook his h e a d . ' N o , ' he said. ' U n i v e r s a l T r a n s p o r t d o n ' t expect me to drive back until t o m o r r o w . So I n e e d n ' t go to work t o m o r r o w . W e ' l l h a v e all day t o m o r r o w to find the murderer.' It was w a r m in t h e lorry. J o h n was tired after his day's excitem e n t , s o h e soon w e n t to sleep. Peter drove o n a n d o n t h r o u g h the night. Half way to Bristol they stopped at a café a n d h a d coffee a n d some sandwiches. T h e n they drove on again. T h e big lorry was e m p t y a n d so w e n t faster t h a n usual. T h e r e were no cars and only a few lorries on t h e road. T h e y drove faster t h a n Peter had expected a n d it was still dark w h e n they arrived in Bristol. ' W a k e u p , ' s h o u t e d Peter. ' W e ' r e i n Bristol n o w . ' J o h n looked o u t of t h e w i n d o w sleepily. Peter stopped t h e lorry. 'You h a d b e t t e r c o m e to Bridgwater with m e , ' he said. 'It may n o t be safe for you to stay in Bristol.' ' N o , d o n ' t be stupid,' replied J o h n . 'I c a n look after myself.' 'All right,' said Peter, with a smile. ' D o you w a n t to get out here?' 'See you at l u n c h - t i m e , ' said J o h n , as he got o u t of t h e lorry. But before Peter h a d time to reply, J o h n j u m p e d back into the lorry. ' P e r h a p s y o u ' r e right,' J o h n said. 'I'll c o m e to Bridgwater with you.' ' W h y did you c h a n g e your m i n d so suddenly?' asked Peter. 'Because I saw two policemen walking up as I was getting out of the lorry,' answered J o h n . 1 6

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J o h n stayed with Peter in Bridgwater. After their tiring night, they b o t h slept well. Peter's m o t h e r was surprised to see J o h n , b u t Peter explained t h a t he was a friend in trouble. He did n o t explain what t h e trouble was. S o o n after twelve o'clock t h e n e x t day, they d r o v e b a c k i n t o Bristol. Peter stopped t h e lorry outside a house close to t h e river. 'I t h i n k this is it,' he said. He took o u t t h e piece of p a p e r w h i c h Jeff h a d given h i m a n d looked at t h e address. ' B o b Steel, 12 River Street. Yes, t h a t ' s right.' N u m b e r twelve River Street was a small, low h o u s e which h a d n ' t b e e n p a i n t e d for a long time. T h e windows were dirty and t h e curtains were d r a w n . T h e h o u s e looked empty. Peter k n o c k e d at t h e door. T h e r e was no answer. Peter k n o c k e d again. 'I'm c o m i n g , ' s h o u t e d a voice. After a couple of m i n u t e s , t h e door o p e n e d a few centimetres. ' W h o is it?' a voice asked. ' W e w a n t to talk to Bob Steel,' Peter replied. ' W h y ? ' asked t h e voice. ' W e w a n t some information,' answered Peter. ' C o m e in t h e n , ' t h e voice said. ' Y o u ' v e c o m e to t h e right place if you w a n t information.'

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o m e in,' said t h e m a n at t h e door. He was Bob Steel. John a n d Peter w e n t into t h e hall. It was dark a n d they c o u l d n ' t see very m u c h . Bob Steel w e n t on a h e a d of t h e m up the stairs. 'It smells b a d h e r e , d o e s n ' t it?' J o h n whispered to Peter. Peter n o d d e d a n d they followed Bob Steel up t h e stairs and into a small r o o m at t h e back of t h e h o u s e . A l t h o u g h it was the middle of t h e day, t h e curtains were d r a w n in this r o o m t o o . T h e 38

only light c a m e from a small lamp on t h e table by t h e bed. T h e bed was untidy a n d the sheets were very dirty. T h e floor of the room was covered in old newspapers. 'Sit d o w n , ' said Bob S t e e l Peter a n d J o h n sat d o w n a n d were able to look at Bob Steel in t h e light for t h e first time. He was middle-aged a n d quite short. His hair was red a n d he h a d a small, red beard. He was wearing old clothes, b u t h a d a big, n e w gold w a t c h on his wrist. 'I'm Bob Steel,' t h e m a n said. 'If you w a n t information, y o u ' v e c o m e to t h e right p e r s o n . ' ' W e w a n t some information a b o u t a m u r d e r , ' said Peter quietly. ' M u r d e r ? ' r e p e a t e d Bob Steel. ' W h i c h m u r d e r ? ' 'It was my . . .' said J o h n quickly. ' W a i t a m i n u t e , ' Peter said to J o h n . 'Let me do t h e talking.' T h e n Peter t u r n e d back t o Bob S t e e l ' W e w a n t some information a b o u t t h e m u r d e r of a teacher called S t e v e n s . He was killed t h e n i g h t before last.' 'Yes,' said Bob Steel a n d t h e n stopped. He looked closely at J o h n . 'I've seen your p h o t o g r a p h in t h e n e w s p a p e r . A r e n ' t you the boy t h e police are looking for?' Bob Steel asked. 'Listen,' Peter i n t e r r u p t e d . ' W e c a m e h e r e t o ask questions, n o t t o answer t h e m . ' ' O K , ' replied Bob S t e e l 'If you give me a couple of h o u r s , I can find o u t all you w a n t to k n o w . All I've h e a r d a b o u t t h e m u r d e r so far is t h a t Mr S t e v e n s w a s n ' t killed for m o n e y . T h e r e must h a v e b e e n some o t h e r r e a s o n . ' ' T h a t ' s n o t m u c h h e l p , ' said Peter. ' L o o k , ' said Bob Steel, 'I c a n find o u t a lot m o r e b u t you m u s t give me a little time. C o m e back after l u n c h a n d bring t h e m o n e y . ' ' W h a t m o n e y ? ' exclaimed Peter. 'Jeff Beck told us you would help us because you were a friend of his.' 'Jeff was right,' replied Bob S t e e l 'I will help you, b u t I w a n t a h u n d r e d p o u n d s for helping y o u . ' 39

Peter stood u p . ' W e ' l l c o m e back at two o'clock,' he said. ' C o m e o n , J o h n , let's g o . ' Peter a n d J o h n left t h e h o u s e a n d walked d o w n t h e street. T h e y stopped at a café on t h e corner a n d w e n t in. 'I d o n ' t k n o w , ' said J o h n after they h a d sat d o w n . 'Bob Steel w a s n ' t m u c h h e l p , was h e ? ' ' L e t ' s wait a n d see,' said Peter. ' B u t P e t e r , ' replied J o h n , 'I h a v e n ' t got a h u n d r e d p o u n d s to give to Bob Steel.' ' N e i t h e r h a v e I,' said Peter. 'I've only got twenty p o u n d s on me.' J o h n laughed. 'I h o p e t h a t ' s e n o u g h , ' he said. 'It will h a v e to be e n o u g h , ' said Peter. ' B u t do you trust Bob Steel?' asked J o h n . ' D o you believe t h a t he will tell us t h e t r u t h ? ' ' W e d o n ' t h a v e any c h o i c e , ' Peter said slowly. ' W e must trust h i m because h e ' s t h e only person w h o can help us.' Peter a n d J o h n h a d l u n c h in t h e café a n d afterwards w e n t back to River Street. Bob Steel was waiting for t h e m . He took t h e m upstairs to t h e same r o o m . ' R i g h t , ' said Bob Steel w h e n they h a d sat d o w n . ' H a v e you got the money?' Peter n o d d e d . ' H a v e you got t h e information?' he asked. Bob Steel smiled. 'I'll tell you w h a t I've heard. Mr Stevens w a s n ' t killed for m o n e y . He was killed by s o m e o n e w h o knew h i m . He was killed by s o m e o n e y o u n g . ' J o h n w e n t red in t h e face a n d stood u p . ' W h a t do you m e a n by that?' he shouted. 'Be quiet,' said Peter, ' a n d let Bob Steel finish.' J o h n sat d o w n a n d stared a t Bob S t e e l ' H e was killed by s o m e o n e y o u n g , ' Bob Steel repeated. ' H e was killed by a boy w h o k n e w h i m . ' 'Is t h a t all?' asked Peter. 'Yes,' replied Bob S t e e l ' N o w give m e t h e m o n e y . ' 40

John went red in the face and stood up.

' W a i t a m i n u t e , ' said Peter firmly. 'I'll give you the money w h e n you tell me t h e n a m e of t h e m u r d e r e r . ' ' G i v e me t h e m o n e y n o w , ' said Bob Steel loudly. ' D o n ' t give h i m a n y t h i n g , ' s h o u t e d J o h n . ' H e ' s a liar. He's n o t telling t h e t r u t h . He w a n t s you to t h i n k t h a t I'm the murderer.' Bob Steel t u r n e d a n d w e n t up to J o h n angrily. 'Listen, my boy,' he said. ' Y o u ' d better keep quiet unless you w a n t the police to k n o w w h e r e you a r e . ' 'You c a n ' t frighten m e , ' replied J o h n . Bob Steel t u r n e d back to Peter. ' N o w give me t h e money and get o u t , ' he said. 'I tell you w h a t I'll d o , ' said Peter quietly. 'I'll give you twenty p o u n d s n o w a n d I'll give you t h e rest w h e n you tell me the name of t h e m u r d e r e r . ' Bob Steel was quiet for a m i n u t e . He looked at J o h n and t h o u g h t for a m o m e n t . He t o o k t h e m o n e y . T h e n he smiled. ' O K , ' said Bob Steel. 'Let's arrange a place to meet. How a b o u t u n d e r t h e clock at t h e railway station at half past three? I'll be able to tell you t h e n a m e t h e n . ' ' W e ' l l see you t h e n , ' said Peter. Peter a n d J o h n went out t o g e t h e r . W h e n they were in t h e street, Peter t u r n e d angrily to John. ' W h y d o n ' t you keep quiet?' Peter said, t u r n i n g to J o h n . 'Bob Steel is our only c h a n c e . You s h o u l d n ' t shout at h i m or call him a liar.' 'I d o n ' t like h i m , ' replied J o h n . ' A n d anyway, he was trying to m a k e you t h i n k t h a t I am t h e m u r d e r e r . ' ' W e ' l l find o u t w h o is t h e m u r d e r e r at half past t h r e e , ' said Peter a n d they walked off d o w n t h e street. Bob Steel w a t c h e d J o h n a n d Peter from his window. He waited until they h a d g o n e . T h e n he w e n t downstairs a n d over to t h e public t e l e p h o n e b o x across t h e street. He dialled a number. ' H e l l o , ' he said, 'is t h a t t h e police?' 42

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must go to the post office,' said Peter, as he and J o h n walked away from Bob Steel's house. ' W h y ? ' asked J o h n . 'I m u s t get t h e eighty p o u n d s to pay Bob Steel,' replied Peter. 'I see,' said J o h n , ' b u t do you t h i n k Bob Steel will m e e t us at t h e station at half past t h r e e ? ' 'I expect he will,' said Peter, 'unless you m a d e h i m too angry. Do you w a n t to c o m e to t h e post office with m e ? ' ' N o , t h a n k s , ' answered J o h n , 'I c a n look after myself. I'll go straight to t h e railway station a n d m e e t you t h e r e . ' 'All right,' said Peter, ' d o as you like. See you at t h e station at half past t h r e e . ' 'See you t h e n , ' said J o h n . T h e n J o h n walked off d o w n the road towards the river. He w a t c h e d t h e ships u n l o a d i n g for a while. T h e n he walked back up t h e hill towards t h e station. He went into t h e station a n d sat on a seat. T h e r e were lots of people in the station a n d n o o n e noticed h i m . H e w a t c h e d t h e trains come a n d go. T h e time passed quickly, a n d looking at t h e station clock, J o h n saw to his surprise t h a t it was already half past t h r e e . He c o u l d n ' t see either Peter or Bob Steel. J o h n got up a n d walked over to the clock. Five m i n u t e s passed. He b e g a n to w o n d e r what had h a p p e n e d . S u d d e n l y , two m e n walked u p t o h i m . I w o n d e r w h a t they w a n t , t h o u g h t J o h n . P e r h a p s they w a n t to ask the way. 'John Stevens,' the first m a n said. 'I am Detective Inspector Shaw. You are under arrest for the murder of your uncle.' They were policemen. J o h n looked around to see if he could escape, b u t the second policeman p u t his h a n d on J o h n ' s shoulder. 17

43

' D o n ' t try to r u n away,' said t h e policeman. 'Y o u ' d better come with us.' T h e p o l i c e m e n t o o k J o h n outside t h e railway station, where there was a police car waiting. T h e y p u t J o h n into t h e back seat a n d Detective Inspector S h a w got in beside h i m . T h e other policeman got into t h e driving seat a n d started t h e car. As they were driving off, J o h n looked back at t h e station a n d saw Peter looking at t h e car. ' W h y did you do it?' asked Detective Inspector S h a w . ' D o w h a t ? ' replied J o h n . 'Kill your u n c l e , ' said Inspector S h a w . 'I d i d n ' t kill my u n c l e , ' said J o h n angrily. ' O h yes you did,' said Inspector S h a w , looking closely at J o h n . ' W e k n o w you did.' J o h n did n o t reply. W h e n t h e police car arrived at t h e police station, t h e p o l i c e m e n t o o k J o h n inside. T h e y p u t him in a small r o o m with n o w i n d o w a n d told h i m to wait t h e r e . T h e r e was no chair a n d J o h n was soon tired of standing, so he sat d o w n on t h e floor. A few m i n u t e s later, Inspector S h a w came in. He saw J o h n sitting on t h e floor a n d told h i m to stand u p . John stood u p . ' A r e you going to tell us all a b o u t t h e m u r d e r n o w ? ' asked Inspector S h a w roughly. J o h n d i d n ' t reply. He looked at t h e floor. 'Look at m e , boy!' s h o u t e d t h e policeman. J o h n looked u p . ' N o w tell me t h e t r u t h , ' said Inspector S h a w . 'Tell me why you killed your u n c l e . ' 'I d i d n ' t . . .' started J o h n . 'I see,' i n t e r r u p t e d Inspector S h a w . ' S o you w a n t to be difficult, do you?' Inspector S h a w w e n t o u t of t h e r o o m a n d b a n g e d t h e door. J o h n sat d o w n again, b u t as soon as he did so the door o p e n e d and he was told to stand u p . After a b o u t an h o u r a n o t h e r policeman 44

came in, smiled a n d said hello to J o h n . 'I'm Sergeant Black,' he said. ' A r e you J o h n ? ' 'Yes,' J o h n replied. Sergeant Black b r o u g h t two chairs a n d he a n d J o h n sat down. 'I expect y o u ' r e thirsty,' said S e r g e a n t Black. ' W o u l d you like a cup of tea?' 'Yes, please,' said J o h n , with a smile. He liked this policeman m u c h m o r e t h a n Inspector S h a w . S e r g e a n t Black b r o u g h t in two cups of tea a n d a plate of cakes. ' N o w t h e n , ' said S e r g e a n t Black kindly, ' w h a t ' s all this about?' J o h n d i d n ' t reply. 'You can trust m e , ' said S e r g e a n t Black. 'I'll u n d e r s t a n d . ' J o h n liked S e r g e a n t Black a n d he liked the tea, so he started to answer t h e sergeant's questions. 'Did you like your uncle?' asked t h e sergeant. ' N o , ' said J o h n slowly. ' N o t very m u c h . ' ' W h e r e h a v e you b e e n for t h e last two days?' asked Sergeant Black. 'I've b e e n to . . .' J o h n stopped. Just t h e n , there was a k n o c k at t h e door. S e r g e a n t Black got up a n d w e n t out. J o h n sat a n d t h o u g h t for a m i n u t e . I must be m o r e careful, he t h o u g h t . I nearly said t h a t I h a d b e e n to M a n c h e s t e r . T h a t would get Peter into trouble for helping me. Sergeant Black still h a d n ' t c o m e back, b u t J o h n could hear his voice. He w e n t up to t h e d o o r a n d listened. S e r g e a n t Black was talking to Inspector S h a w . ' H e ' s starting to talk n o w , ' said S e r g e a n t Black. ' G o o d , ' replied Inspector S h a w . ' H e ' l l tell you everything now.' J o h n w e n t back to his chair a n d sat d o w n . T h a t was lucky, he t h o u g h t . It h a d all b e e n a trick to m a k e h i m talk. Sergeant Black and Inspector S h a w were working together. S e r g e a n t Black came back into t h e r o o m . 45

' N o w , ' he said, with a smile, ' w h e r e were we? Oh yes, you were just telling m e t h a t you h a d b e e n t o . . . I d o n ' t r e m e m b e r now. W h e r e was it you said you h a d b e e n ? ' 'I h a v e n ' t b e e n a n y w h e r e , ' said J o h n . ' A n d I'm n o t telling you anything.' ' N o w , d o n ' t be stupid,' said S e r g e a n t Black. 'If you d i d n ' t kill your u n c l e , you h a v e n ' t got a n y t h i n g to be afraid of, h a v e you? Tell me all a b o u t it a n d I'll see if I c a n help you.' J o h n said n o t h i n g . S e r g e a n t Black tried asking m o r e questions, b u t J o h n d i d n ' t reply. After a while, t h e sergeant p u t J o h n in a n o t h e r r o o m with a bed a n d locked t h e door. ' C a n I h a v e some food, please?' J o h n asked. 'Yes,' t h e p o l i c e m a n replied. 'You c a n h a v e some food w h e n y o u ' v e told us t h e t r u t h . '

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eter looked at t h e police car as it drove away from the railway station. He t h o u g h t t h a t he could see J o h n inside t h e car. Peter looked again. Yes, it was J o h n . T h e police h a d c a u g h t J o h n at t h e railway station. Peter r a n into t h e station a n d looked u n d e r t h e clock, b u t t h e r e was n o o n e t h e r e . B u t w h e r e was B o b Steel? P e r h a p s Bob Steel h a d already left. O r p e r h a p s h e h a d seen t h e police a n d r u n away. O r perhaps Bob Steel h a d told t h e police t h a t J o h n would be waiting at the station at half past t h r e e . Peter t u r n e d a r o u n d angrily a n d left t h e station. Peter w e n t back to River S t r e e t to collect his lorry. He also w a n t e d to talk to Bob Steel again. He w a n t e d to find o u t if Bob Steel h a d told 46

the police a b o u t J o h n , a n d if he k n e w a n y t h i n g m o r e a b o u t the murder. W h e n Peter arrived at River Street, he was still feeling very angry. Peter b a n g e d on t h e front d o o r of B o b ' s h o m e , b u t there was no answer. He waited for a m o m e n t a n d t h e n b a n g e d again. T h e r e was still no answer. Peter tried to look in t h e front windows, but he c o u l d n ' t see anything because t h e curtains were all closed. H e w e n t a r o u n d t o t h e back o f t h e h o u s e a n d b a n g e d o n t h e back door. T h e r e was no answer. Right, t h o u g h t Peter, if Bob Steel is at h o m e , he'll h a v e to go out at some time. If h e ' s out, he'll r e t u r n h o m e in t h e e n d . So I'll wait for h i m . Peter walked back to t h e front of t h e h o u s e a n d d r o v e his lorry a r o u n d t h e corner, o u t of sight. T h e n Peter w e n t i n t o t h e café on the c o r n e r w h e r e h e a n d J o h n h a d waited a t l u n c h - t i m e . H e sat at a table at t h e window, from w h i c h he could w a t c h Bob Steel's front door. It was just after four o'clock. Peter d r a n k a c u p of tea and waited. By five o'clock, Bob Steel still h a d n o t appeared. Peter d r a n k a n o t h e r cup of tea a n d ate some biscuits. At six o'clock he w e n t out, b o u g h t a newspaper a n d r e t u r n e d to t h e café. He looked at the front page of t h e newspaper.

Peter p u s h e d t h e n e w s p a p e r away angrily. So it was true. J o h n was u n d e r arrest. Peter asked for a n o t h e r c u p of tea. At half past six he decided n o t to wait for Bob Steel any longer. He was just leaving t h e café, w h e n he suddenly stopped. He could see Bob Steel walking quickly along t h e street away from n u m b e r twelve. Peter decided to follow h i m . Bob Steel w e n t towards t h e centre of t h e t o w n a n d Peter followed h i m . W h e n Bob Steel 47

stopped to cross t h e road, Peter hid in a doorway. W h e n Bob Steel looked a r o u n d , Peter hid b e h i n d his newspaper. After a few m i n u t e s , Bob Steel stopped at a bus stop. Peter waited in a shop doorway, p r e t e n d i n g to read his newspaper. T h e bus c a m e a n d Bob Steel got o n . Peter followed a n d sat close to the door of t h e bus, so t h a t he could w a t c h Bob Steel w i t h o u t being seen. Peter w a s n ' t sure w h a t ticket he should buy, so he asked to go to t h e c e n t r e of t o w n a n d h o p e d t h a t Bob Steel would get off t h e r e . Peter was right. Bob Steel got off at the bus station in the c e n t r e of t h e t o w n . H e r e , it was easier for Peter to follow because t h e r e were m o r e people. S o o n , Bob Steel t u r n e d into a narrow side street. Peter followed h i m . But w h e n Peter t u r n e d t h e corner, he was surprised to see t h a t t h e side street was empty. Peter walked along t h e side street slowly a n d carefully, stopping every few metres to listen. Half-way d o w n t h e street, he could hear voices coming from a dark shop doorway. He w e n t close to t h e doorway a n d listened. Peter could h e a r Bob Steel's voice, b u t c o u l d n ' t hear all t h e words. Peter could only h e a r some of t h e words Bob Steel was saying. . . told you . . . trust me . . . t h e police . . . a r r e s t . . . railway station Peter m o v e d closer, to try to h e a r w h a t Bob Steel was saying. S u d d e n l y , Peter b u m p e d into a tin which was lying on t h e ground. T h e tin m a d e a loud noise. Bob Steel a n d t h e person he was with stopped talking. Peter j u m p e d back a n d tried to h i d e , b u t it was too late. ' T h e r e ' s s o m e o n e t h e r e , ' s h o u t e d Bob Steel, a n d h e a n d the person he was talking to r a n off d o w n t h e street. Peter ran after t h e m . He could see b o t h of t h e m clearly as they r a n a h e a d of him. T h e p e r s o n Bob Steel h a d b e e n talking to looked quite young, a b o u t fifteen or sixteen years old. At t h e e n d of the street, Bob Steel t u r n e d to t h e right, a n d t h e boy he h a d b e e n talking to t u r n e d to t h e left. 48

Bob Steel and the person he was talking to ran off down the street. Peter ran after them.

W h a t shall I do? t h o u g h t Peter. W h i c h o n e should I follow? He decided to r u n after Bob Steel. He r a n as fast as he could a n d slowly got closer a n d closer to Bob Steel. Bob Steel looked over his shoulder at Peter a n d tried to r u n faster. But Peter caught up with h i m a n d t o o k hold of his coat. Bob Steel tried to get free, b u t he c o u l d n ' t escape. Peter c a u g h t hold of Bob Steel's arm and twisted it b e h i n d his back. ' N o w , ' said Peter, ' y o u ' r e going to tell me t h e t r u t h . '

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ome on,' said Peter, 'tell me t h e t r u t h . ' B u t Bob Steel d i d n ' t say a n y t h i n g , so Peter twisted his a r m a bit m o r e . ' O w ! ' cried Bob Steel. ' S t o p it.' 'I'll stop it w h e n you start talking,' replied Peter. 'All right,' said Bob Steel, ' b u t I c a n ' t talk h e r e . Let's go back to my h o u s e a n d I'll tell you t h e r e . ' 'I've got a better idea,' said Peter. ' W e ' l l walk back to your h o u s e a n d you c a n tell me w h a t you k n o w as we walk.' ' O K , ' said Bob Steel, ' b u t please leave go of my a r m . ' Peter laughed. ' N o , ' he said, 'I d o n ' t w a n t you to r u n away again.' T h e n they started walking back to River Street. ' N o w , ' said Peter, 'did you send t h e police to t h e railway station?' B o b Steel shook his h e a d . ' N o , ' he said, 'I d i d n ' t do it.' Peter twisted Bob Steel's a r m . 'I d o n ' t believe you,' he said. ' W h y did you send t h e police to t h e station? W a s it for money?' ' N o , ' said Bob Steel, 'they d i d n ' t give m e very m u c h . . . ' T h e n he was silent. 50

'Very m u c h w h a t ? ' asked Peter quickly. T h e y d i d n ' t give you very m u c h m o n e y . So you did tell t h e police t h a t J o h n was at the station, b u t they d i d n ' t pay you very well.' Bob Steel d i d n ' t reply. T h e y b o t h walked in silence for a m o m e n t . ' W h o were you talking t o ? ' asked Peter. ' W h e n ? ' said Bob Steel. ' W h e n I caught you,' replied Peter. 'I was talking to myself,' said Bob Steel. ' N o , you w e r e n ' t , ' Peter said firmly. 'I saw you talking to a boy. W h o was h e ? ' Bob Steel d i d n ' t answer. T h e y walked on in silence again a n d were soon back outside n u m b e r twelve River S t r e e t again. ' O p e n t h e d o o r , ' Peter told Bob Steel. ' W e h a v e n ' t finished our conversation yet.' W h e n they were sitting in t h e upstairs r o o m again, Peter leant forward a n d started to speak seriously to Bob Steel. ' N o w , let's be h o n e s t with each o t h e r . You m a k e your living by selling information. You sold information a b o u t my friend J o h n to the police.' Bob Steel o p e n e d his m o u t h to speak, b u t Peter ignored h i m and continued. 'You sold J o h n to t h e police,' said Peter. 'But t h e police d i d n ' t pay you very m u c h , so s o m e o n e else must h a v e paid you as well. S o m e o n e else must h a v e given you m o n e y to tell t h e police w h e r e J o h n was. Am I right?' Bob Steel looked at t h e floor a n d d i d n ' t reply. Peter w e n t o n . 'I t h i n k t h a t t h e person w h o paid you to tell t h e police w h e r e J o h n was m u s t h a v e h a d a reason. I t h i n k he m u s t have h a d a good reason to w a n t to see J o h n arrested by t h e police. D o you k n o w w h a t r e a s o n ? ' Bob Steel shook his h e a d . ' N o , I d o n ' t . ' 'Well, I d o , ' said Peter. 'I t h i n k t h e p e r s o n w h o paid you m o n e y to get J o h n arrested was t h e m u r d e r e r . N o w , tell me t h e n a m e of t h e person w h o paid you. Tell me his n a m e . ' 51

Bob Steel looked u p . 'You d o n ' t u n d e r s t a n d , mister,' he said. 'I d o n ' t tell people things. I sell information. If you w a n t to know a n y t h i n g m o r e , you'll h a v e t o pay m e . ' Peter raised his h a n d angrily to hit Bob Steel. ' D o n ' t hit m e , ' Bob Steel s h o u t e d . 'If you hit m e , I w o n ' t tell you a n y t h i n g . ' Peter lowered his h a n d a n d smiled. 'You would sell your own m o t h e r if you could,' he said. 'All right, I'll pay you. H o w m u c h d o you w a n t ? ' 'You promised me eighty p o u n d s , ' said Bob Steel quickly. ' T h a t ' s right,' answered Peter, a n d h e took o u t t h e money. H e held t h e m o n e y o u t t o Bob Steel. ' H e r e you a r e , ' Peter c o n t i n u e d . 'Tell me t h e n a m e of t h e person w h o paid you to get J o h n arrested.' Bob Steel t o o k t h e m o n e y a n d c o u n t e d it. T h e n he p u t it in a p o c k e t of his old coat. ' W e l l , ' he said, ' I ' m afraid I c a n ' t tell you t h e n a m e . ' ' W h a t ! ' s h o u t e d Peter angrily. ' W a i t a m o m e n t . Let me explain,' said Bob Steel. 'I c a n ' t tell you t h e n a m e because I d o n ' t k n o w it. But I can tell you two things.' ' W h a t are they?' asked Peter. 'Firstly,' said Bob Steel slowly, ' t h a t everything I told you this afternoon was t r u e . ' 'Tell me what you said this afternoon again,' said Peter. 'Very well,' said Bob Steel. 'I told you t h a t Mr Stevens wasn't killed for m o n e y . He was killed by s o m e o n e w h o k n e w him. He was killed by s o m e o n e y o u n g . ' ' W h a t ' s t h e second thing you h a v e to tell m e ? ' Peter asked. 'Just this,' replied Bob Steel. 'If you go to M a n o r Park Secondary S c h o o l you will find t h e answers to all your questions.' ' H o w will I find t h e m u r d e r e r at M a n o r Park Secondary S c h o o l ? ' asked Peter in surprise. ' M r S t e v e n s was a t e a c h e r t h e r e , ' answered Bob Steel. 52

Peter stood up quickly. 'I'm going to go t h e r e n o w , ' he said. 'But I may h a v e some m o r e questions to ask you - especially if I find t h a t you h a v e n ' t b e e n telling me t h e t r u t h . I t h i n k I'll tie you up to m a k e sure t h a t you d o n ' t go o u t while I'm away.' Peter picked up a piece of rope which was lying on t h e floor. He tied Bob Steel to t h e chair in which he was sitting. T h e n Peter ran d o w n the stairs a n d o u t of t h e h o u s e , leaving t h e front door partly o p e n . M a n o r Park S e c o n d a r y S c h o o l was on t h e o t h e r side of Bristol. It was lucky t h a t the lorry was a r o u n d t h e corner. Peter got i n t o t h e lorry a n d drove off to t h e school very fast.

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eter stopped t h e lorry outside M a n o r Park S e c o n d a r y School. T h e n he looked at his watch. It was already eight o'clock. T h e school looked dark a n d closed. Peter got o u t of the lorry a n d t h e n he noticed t h a t there was a light on in o n e of t h e r o o m s . Peter went over to the window a n d looked in. T h e r e was a m a n of a b o u t sixty cleaning the floor of t h e classroom. Peter k n o c k e d a t t h e w i n d o w a n d t h e m a n looked u p . T h e m a n saw Peter a n d o p e n e d the window. ' W h a t d o you w a n t ? ' the m a n asked. 'I'd like to h a v e a talk with you,' Peter replied. ' I ' m very busy at the m o m e n t , ' the m a n said. 'It's a b o u t Mr S t e v e n s , ' Peter said. ' O h , ' replied the m a n , ' y o u ' d better c o m e i n t h e n a n d w e can have a talk.' T h e m a n was t h e school caretaker. H e cleaned t h e r o o m s a n d 53

took care of t h e building. T h e caretaker let Peter in a n d they sat d o w n in t h e caretaker's r o o m together. ' W h a t do you w a n t to k n o w about Mr Stevens?' asked the caretaker carefully. ' A r e you from the newspapers?' Peter shook his h e a d . ' N o , ' he said, ' a n d I'm n o t from the police either. I'm a friend of Mr S t e v e n s ' n e p h e w , J o h n . ' ' A h , yes,' said t h e caretaker. 'John has b e e n arrested by the police.' Peter n o d d e d . ' T h a t ' s right,' he said, ' b u t I t h i n k t h e police are w r o n g . I d o n ' t t h i n k J o h n killed his uncle. Did you k n o w Mr S t e v e n s well?' 'Yes,' replied t h e caretaker, as he lit a cigarette. 'I've been working here for nearly twenty years and Mr Stevens had been h e r e for t e n years.' ' W h a t was Mr S t e v e n s like?' asked Peter. T h e caretaker t h o u g h t for a m o m e n t before saying anything. ' H e was always very pleasant to m e , ' t h e caretaker continued, ' b u t his pupils did n o t like h i m . ' ' W h y n o t ? ' asked Peter. ' M r S t e v e n s lost his t e m p e r very quickly,' said the caretaker. ' H e got angry very easily. He h a d fixed ideas a b o u t his pupils. O n c e he got t h e idea t h a t a particular pupil was bad, he would n e v e r c h a n g e his o p i n i o n . ' ' D i d Mr S t e v e n s ever hit his pupils?' asked Peter. 'I t h i n k so,' replied t h e caretaker, ' b u t it would be better for you to ask some of t h e boys themselves.' ' W h e r e c a n I find some of t h e m n o w ? ' asked Peter. 'A lot of t h e boys go to a café a b o u t a kilometre from here, close to t h e Scala C i n e m a , ' t h e caretaker replied. 'If you go there you'll find some of Mr S t e v e n s ' pupils.' Peter t h a n k e d t h e caretaker. He left the school a n d drove d o w n to t h e café which t h e caretaker h a d told h i m about. T h e café was dark inside a n d the radio was playing very loudly: 54

'See the girl with t h e d i a m o n d ring S h e knows h o w to shake t h a t thing Oh yes, all right, Tell me w h a t I say.'

A crowd of boys a n d girls aged fifteen or sixteen were standing by the door. Peter went up to t h e m , said hello a n d t h e n asked t h e m if they knew Mr Stevens. ' S t e v e n s , ' said o n e of the boys. ' I ' m glad h e ' s dead. He was terrible.' ' W h y was he terrible?' asked Peter. ' M r Stevens used to m a k e us look stupid. He used to m a k e jokes a b o u t our clothes a n d say h o w stupid we were all the t i m e , ' the boy explained. 'My father's in prison,' said a n o t h e r boy, ' a n d Mr S t e v e n s used to m a k e jokes a b o u t it in every lesson. He used to ask me if I was going to be a thief like my father.' ' S t e v e n s used to hit us, t o o , ' said a n o t h e r boy. ' W h y ? ' Peter asked. ' H e used to hit us all t h e t i m e , ' t h e boy replied. ' H e hit us if we were late, or if we d i d n ' t answer his questions correctly.' ' W h a t was Mr S t e v e n s like in school on the day he was killed?' Peter asked the group of boys. 'It's funny you should ask t h a t , ' said o n e of t h e boys, 'because he h a d a big a r g u m e n t in our class t h a t day.' ' W h a t was the a r g u m e n t a b o u t ? ' inquired Peter. 'I d o n ' t r e m e m b e r n o w , ' said t h e boy. 'I t h i n k it was because Mr Stevens said t h a t a boy h a d b e e n r u d e to h i m . T h e boy said he h a d n ' t , b u t Mr S t e v e n s s h o u t e d at h i m , a n d gave h i m a lot of extra homework to do.' ' W h a t was t h e n a m e of this boy?' asked Peter. 'I t h i n k it was T o m m y L o g a n , ' said a n o t h e r boy. Peter t h a n k e d the boys for their help a n d asked t h e m w h e r e he 18

55

A crowd of boys and girls aged fifteen or sixteen were standing by the door.

could find T o m m y Logan. T o m m y could be a n y w h e r e , ' o n e of t h e m said. ' H e ' s got a m o t o r b i k e . But he usually c o m e s h e r e to t h e café at a b o u t n i n e o'clock, so if you wait you'll probably see h i m . ' Peter w e n t into t h e café, got a c u p of coffee a n d sat d o w n . He h a d b e e n waiting for nearly half an h o u r w h e n he h e a r d a motorbike arrive outside. A d a r k - h a i r e d boy, wearing a leather jacket, p u s h e d t h r o u g h t h e crowd a t t h e door. T h e boy came u p to Peter. 'I hear t h a t you're asking questions a b o u t m e , ' he said, staring at Peter. ' W h a t do you w a n t ? ' Peter looked at t h e boy in t h e leather jacket. Peter c o u l d n ' t r e m e m b e r w h e r e h e h a d seen h i m before. T h e n Peter r e m e m bered. This was t h e boy he h a d seen talking to Bob Steel.

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eter looked carefully at t h e boy in t h e leather jacket. 'Sit d o w n , ' Peter said. ' A r e you T o m m y L o g a n ? ' ' T h a t ' s right,' replied t h e boy. He was a b o u t sixteen, with dark hair a n d a t h i n face. He seemed n e r v o u s a n d his eyes were moving all t h e time. 'I w a n t to ask you some questions a b o u t Mr S t e v e n s , ' Peter told t h e boy calmly. ' A r e you from t h e police?' asked T o m m y Logan. Peter shook his h e a d . ' N o , I ' m n o t , ' he said. 'In t h a t case,' replied t h e boy, 'I d o n ' t h a v e to talk to you. Goodbye.' 57

T h e boy stood up a n d t u r n e d to go. Peter caught hold of the sleeve of t h e boy's leather jacket. ' D o n ' t go yet,' Peter said quietly. 'Let's talk a b o u t your friend, Bob Steel.' A look of fear c a m e i n t o T o m m y Logan's eyes. He pulled his jacket o u t of P e t e r ' s h a n d a n d p u s h e d his way to t h e door. Peter got up a n d r a n after t h e boy. W h e n Peter got to t h e door he was just in time to see T o m m y Logan j u m p on his motorbike. Peter ran o u t on to t h e p a v e m e n t , b u t it was too late. T o m m y Logan started t h e e n g i n e a n d d r o v e off. 'I k n o w w h e r e h e ' s going,' Peter said to himself. He ran back to his lorry a n d j u m p e d in. He started t h e engine quickly and drove after t h e m o t o r b i k e . But t h e m o t o r b i k e was faster t h a n the lorry a n d s o o n disappeared. ' N e v e r m i n d , ' said Peter to himself, 'I k n o w where he's going.' Peter drove back to River S t r e e t as fast as he could. As he t u r n e d t h e corner into River Street, he switched off t h e lorry's lights. Peter drove slowly a n d quietly along the street a n d stopped close to n u m b e r twelve. O u t s i d e Bob Steel's h o u s e , Peter could see a m o t o r b i k e . It was T o m m y L o g a n ' s m o t o r b i k e . Peter had b e e n right in t h i n k i n g t h a t t h e boy would c o m e h e r e . Peter climbed over t h e wall i n t o t h e g a r d e n a n d w e n t up to the front door. It was wide o p e n . Inside, Peter could hear voices; He started to climb t h e stairs. Just t h e n , t h e door of Bob Steel's room o p e n e d a n d s o m e o n e switched o n t h e light. ' T h e r e he is, on the stairs,' s h o u t e d T o m m y Logan, pointing at Peter. Before Peter could h i d e , Bob Steel a n d T o m m y Logan came r u n n i n g o u t of t h e r o o m . Peter got ready to stop t h e m as they c a m e d o w n t h e stairs. S u d d e n l y , Peter saw t h a t Bob Steel was carrying a chair. It was t h e chair Peter h a d tied Bob Steel up in. T o m m y Logan must h a v e untied him. W i t h a laugh, Bob Steel t h r e w t h e chair at Peter from the top of the stairs. T h e 58

chair was heavy. It hit Peter on t h e shoulder a n d k n o c k e d h i m d o w n t h e stairs. T h e n T o m m y Logan a n d Bob Steel r a n d o w n t h e stairs, j u m p e d over P e t e r ' s body a n d r a n o u t i n t o t h e street. Peter lay at t h e b o t t o m of t h e stairs. His h e a d a n d right shoulder h u r t badly. T h e n h e h e a r d t h e m o t o r b i k e starting. W i t h difficulty, Peter got up a n d w e n t to t h e door. Bob Steel a n d T o m m y Logan were b o t h o n t h e m o t o r b i k e a n d they were driving away fast d o w n t h e street. 'I'm n o t going to lose t h e m again,' said Peter aloud. He forgot about t h e pain in his shoulder a n d r a n as fast as he could to his lorry. In a m o m e n t he was chasing after t h e m o t o r b i k e in his lorry. T h e motorbike t u r n e d right at t h e e n d of t h e street and w e n t d o w n t h e hill towards t h e river. Peter switched on the lorry's headlights fully a n d with t h e tyres screaming, he followed t h e motorbike a r o u n d t h e corner. G o i n g d o w n t h e hill, Peter was able to go faster t h a n t h e m o t o r b i k e a n d was soon only fifty metres b e h i n d . T h e n , at t h e b o t t o m of t h e hill, the m o t o r b i k e suddenly t u r n e d right i n t o a n a r r o w street. Peter followed t h e motorbike into t h e n a r r o w street. As t h e lorry's lights lit up t h e wall at t h e e n d of t h e street, Peter s h o u t e d happily. ' N o w I've got y o u , ' h e s h o u t e d . ' T h e r e ' s n o way o u t ! ' T h e street h a d no exit. T h e only way o u t of t h e street was b a c k to the road. T h e motorbike w e n t to t h e e n d of t h e street, a n d discovering that there was n o way out, t u r n e d a r o u n d . T h e n t h e m o t o r b i k e drove back towards Peter. Peter could see T o m m y L o g a n ' s face as he drove t h e m o t o r b i k e straight at t h e lorry. Peter quickly t u r n e d the lorry across t h e street so t h a t t h e m o t o r b i k e could n o t pass a n d t h e n he waited for t h e crash. W i t h a roar, t h e m o t o r b i k e c a m e right u p t o t h e lorry. T h e n T o m m y Logan saw a n a r r o w gap b e t w e e n t h e lorry a n d t h e w a l l T h e gap was less t h a n a m e t r e wide, b u t big e n o u g h to let 59

The motorbike roared through the gap between the lorry and the wall.

the motorbike escape. T h e m o t o r b i k e roared t h r o u g h the gap b e t w e e n t h e lorry a n d t h e wall. Peter was furious. Angrily, he t u r n e d t h e lorry a r o u n d and b e g a n t o chase the m o t o r b i k e . W h e n h e t u r n e d into the road by the river, Peter could just see t h e back light of t h e motorbike disappearing in the distance. He drove faster. He t u r n e d a corner. A n d t h e n to his surprise, Peter saw t h a t T o m m y Logan a n d Bob Steel h a d b e e n delayed. T h e y h a d stopped in a q u e u e of cars at the traffic lights. T h e lights were red a n d so the cars h a d to wait. T o m m y Logan looked over his shoulder a n d saw t h a t Peter's lorry was a p p r o a c h i n g fast. Peter was n o w very close. T o m m y Logan decided t h a t he would n o t wait at t h e red lights. Suddenly, he drove t h e motorbike o u t into t h e middle of t h e road a n d passed all t h e cars waiting at t h e traffic lights. T h e n , without stopping, t h e m o t o r b i k e w e n t straight across t h e crossroads against t h e red lights a n d nearly crashed into a car coming the o t h e r way. Peter immediately followed t h e m o t o r b i k e a n d passed the line of cars which was waiting. He d i d n ' t wait for the traffic lights to t u r n green. He drove faster a n d chased T o m m y Logan a n d Bob Steel across t h e crossroads a n d d o w n the street. T h e y were getting nearer t h e centre of t o w n n o w and the roads were busier. As Peter passed car after car in his chase after t h e two m e n , he looked in t h e lorry's mirror. In t h e mirror, Peter could see a police car with its lights flashing, chasing b o t h t h e lorry and the motorbike. Well, t h o u g h t Peter, I'm n o t going to stop n o w . I'll catch t h a t motorbike if it's t h e last thing I d o . W i t h t h e tyres screaming a n d smoking as they w e n t a r o u n d t h e corners, Peter drove his lorry as fast as he could after the m o t o r b i k e . A n d b e h i n d b o t h t h e lorry a n d t h e m o t o r b i k e c a m e t h e police car with its flashing lights. 61

A

t a h u n d r e d kilometres an h o u r , t h e motorbike carrying T o m m y Logan a n d Bob Steel roared t h r o u g h t h e centre of Bristol. P e t e r ' s big lorry raced after t h e m . Behind Peter came a police car with its blue light flashing. T o m m y Logan looked quickly over his shoulder to see if Peter was any closer. Peter was m u c h closer. T o m m y looked ahead again a n d saw a sign, " L O W B R I D G E A H E A D " . W i t h a smile, T o m m y d r o v e t h e m o t o r b i k e u n d e r t h e bridge. Peter saw t h e bridge coming, b u t the lorry was going too fast to stop. T h e lorry was quite high a n d Peter t h o u g h t it would hit t h e t o p of t h e bridge a n d crash. W i t h a loud roar, t h e lorry went u n d e r t h e bridge a n d missed the top by a few centimetres. Peter wiped t h e sweat from his forehead. ' T h a t was close,' Peter said to himself. Peter looked in t h e mirror again. T h e r e were n o w two police cars b e h i n d ! He could see their blue lights flashing, b u t he decided h e w o u l d n ' t stop. H e h a d t o drive o n . Slowly b u t surely, Peter got closer a n d closer to the m o t o r b i k e . S o o n h e was n e x t t o it. T h e motorbike a n d the lorry screamed d o w n t h e street side by side. A car coming in t h e opposite direction saw t h e lorry a n d motorbike a n d drove up o n t o t h e p a v e m e n t to avoid a crash. Finally, Peter got a little in front of t h e m o t o r b i k e a n d slowed d o w n to m a k e it stop. T o m m y Logan also slowed d o w n . T h e n h e suddenly drove the m o t o r b i k e u p o n t o t h e p a v e m e n t a n d passed Peter again. T h e people on t h e p a v e m e n t j u m p e d for their l i v e s w h e n they saw t h e m o t o r b i k e coming towards t h e m . Bob Steel's face was white with fear as he held o n t o T o m m y Logan's back. T o m m y drove 19

62

t h e bike o n t o t h e road again. He was n o w fifty metres a h e a d of Peter. T h e road was straight n o w for nearly a kilometre. T h e two police cars b e h i n d the lorry were n o w m u c h closer. Peter could see t h e flashing lights of a n o t h e r police car in front of t h e m . T o m m y Logan saw t h e police car coming too a n d started to slow d o w n . A m o m e n t later, T o m m y t u r n e d t h e motorbike a r o u n d a n d c a m e roaring back towards Peter. Peter stopped t h e lorry in t h e middle of t h e road. T h e two police cars b e h i n d t h e lorry screamed to a stop, o n e on e a c h side of t h e lorry. N o w t h e r e was no space for t h e m o t o r b i k e to pass. Peter j u m p e d o u t of his lorry a n d started r u n n i n g towards t h e m o t o r b i k e . T o m m y L o g a n d r o v e t h e m o t o r b i k e straight at Peter, b u t at t h e last m o m e n t Peter j u m p e d aside. T h e m o t o r b i k e crashed into t h e lorry. Peter stood still in t h e middle of t h e road for a second. He w a t c h e d t h e m o t o r b i k e hit t h e back wheel of his lorry. Behind h i m he could h e a r t h e p o l i c e m e n getting o u t of their cars a n d r u n n i n g towards h i m a n d t h e m o t o r b i k e . In front of him, a n o t h e r p o l i c e m a n p o i n t e d at h i m a n d s h o u t e d , 'Stop'. T o m m y Logan was n o t h u r t . H e j u m p e d u p immediately a n d started to r u n away. Peter chased after him. As he r a n , Peter quickly looked b e h i n d h i m . Bob Steel was lying on t h e g r o u n d by t h e motorbike with a policeman standing over h i m . T w o o t h e r policemen were chasing Peter. Peter could r u n faster t h a n T o m m y Logan. He got closer a n d closer a n d finally j u m p e d a n d c a u g h t T o m m y by t h e shoulders. T h e y b o t h fell to t h e g r o u n d , with Peter holding on to T o m m y ' s coat. T h e n Peter felt two strong h a n d s pulling h i m away. He looked up a n d saw two policemen. 'All right, you two; stop fighting. Y o u ' r e b o t h u n d e r arrest,' said o n e of t h e policemen. 63

Then Peter felt two strong hands pulling him away.

Peter a n d T o m m y b o t h stood u p a n d looked a t e a c h o t h e r . ' N o w , c o m e with us,' said the policeman, w h o was n o w firmly holding T o m m y ' s arm. A n d the four of t h e m walked back to t h e police cars. A n o t h e r policeman was waiting for t h e m with Bob Steel. Bob Steel h a d some blood on his face, b u t he looked m o r e frightened t h a n h u r t . T h e motorbike was p u t in t h e back of Peter's lorry a n d a policeman drove it back to the police station. Peter, T o m m y Logan a n d Bob Steel followed in t h e police cars. W h e n they arrived at the police station, they were t a k e n to see the sergeant. T h e sergeant took their n a m e s a n d addresses. ' N o w t h e n , ' h e said, ' w h a t ' s all this a b o u t ? ' Bob Steel a n d T o m m y Logan said n o t h i n g . Peter t h o u g h t for a m i n u t e a n d t h e n he spoke. 'It's a b o u t t h e murder. T h e m u r d e r of Mr S t e v e n s . ' 'Really?' said the sergeant. 'You were driving t h r o u g h Bristol at a h u n d r e d kilometres an h o u r because Mr S t e v e n s was murdered, were you?' Peter tried to explain the situation, b u t t h e sergeant d i d n ' t want to listen. 'If it's a b o u t t h e m u r d e r , ' the sergeant said, 'you c a n talk to the Inspector. H e ' s o u t n o w , b u t he'll be back in half an h o u r . I h o p e y o u ' r e telling the t r u t h , because t h e inspector is a very busy m a n . H e ' l l be very angry if he thinks y o u ' r e wasting his t i m e . ' ' H e ' s m a d , ' s h o u t e d Bob Steel, pointing at Peter. 'All right, be quiet, all of you,' said t h e sergeant. 'You c a n all talk to t h e inspector w h e n he c o m e s . ' T h e sergeant took Bob Steel a n d T o m m y Logan a n d p u t t h e m i n o n e r o o m . T h e n h e o p e n e d a n o t h e r door a n d p u s h e d Peter into a different r o o m . 'Peter!' shouted a voice. Peter looked u p . It was J o h n . 'Peter, h o w good to see you. Is everything all right n o w ? ' 65

asked John. 'Are they going to let me go?' 'No,' said Peter sadly. 'Then what are you doing here?' asked John. 'I'm under arrest, too,' said Peter. 'What for?' John asked in surprise. 'Dangerous driving,' replied Peter. He told John the whole story and John listened without saying anything. Then John told Peter that the police had asked him lots of questions, but that he hadn't told them anything. 'I think it's about time you did tell us everything,' said a voice from behind them. It was Inspector Shaw. 'Now,' said Inspector Shaw, 'you're both in bad trouble. I want the truth.'

I

nspector Shaw sat down. He looked at Peter and John. 'I want the truth,' the inspector said again. Peter looked serious. He was going to tell the inspector the whole story. He hoped Inspector Shaw would believe him. If the inspector didn't believe his story, Peter knew that he would be sent to prison for helping John and for driving dangerously. Inspector Shaw listened without saying anything, while Peter told him the whole story from the moment he had given John a lift to the chase through Bristol. The inspector wrote some notes in a little book while Peter was talking. 'Do you expect me to believe this story?' asked Inspector Shaw, when Peter had finished. 66

'Yes,' said Peter. 'It's the truth,' John added. 'We'll see,' replied the inspector, as he left the room. Inspector Shaw returned a minute later with Sergeant Black, Bob Steel and Tommy Logan. Sergeant Black brought in some chairs and they all sat down. Inspector Shaw turned to Bob Steel, who looked very frightened. 'You've been in trouble before,' said the inspector, 'and this time you'll go to prison unless you tell us all that you know.' 'Prison?' said Bob Steel. 'I haven't done anything. I haven't killed anyone. I was just walking past Mr Stevens' house the night before last, when I saw . . .' 'Be quiet, you old fool,' shouted Tommy Logan, as he jumped to his feet. Sergeant Black pushed Tommy back into his chair. 'What did you see?' Inspector Shaw asked Bob Steel. Bob Steel continued. 'I saw a young man running out of the house. He left the front door open. I was surprised, so I went in to have a look. Mr Stevens was lying on the floor.' 'Who was the boy you saw running out of the house?' asked the Inspector. Bob Steel pointed at John. 'It was him,' he said. 'I didn't . . .' started John. 'Be quiet,' said Sergeant Black. 'What happened next?' the Inspector asked Bob Steel. 'Well,' Bob Steel continued, 'Mr Stevens was lying on the floor. I could see that he wasn't dead because he was breathing. Just then, I heard footsteps coming, so I ran out of the back door and hid in the garden. I could hear a loud argument and then a fight. I went around to the front of the house and looked in the window, but I couldn't see anything. I waited and after a few minutes I saw a young man leaving the house.' 'Was it the same boy as before?' Inspector Shaw asked. 67

Bob Steel looked at Tommy Logan. 'No,' he said, 'it was Tommy Logan.' 'You're a liar,' shouted Tommy Logan. 'That's not true.' 'What did you do then?' asked the inspector. 'I went into the house again,' replied Bob Steel, 'but when I saw that Mr Stevens was dead, I left. I telephoned the police and then went home.' 'That's not true,' shouted Tommy Logan. 'That's not true. Bob Steel followed me and then asked me for money. He said if I didn't give him a hundred pounds, he would tell the police he had seen me at Mr Stevens' house.' 'So you were at Mr Stevens' house,' the inspector said quickly. 'Yes, that's right,' replied Tommy Logan. He looked angry and at the same time he looked as if he was going to cry. 'Bob Steel kept on asking for more money,' said Tommy Logan. 'I gave him some more, but it was no use. You've caught me anyway.' Tommy Logan stopped talking and started to cry. 'Stop crying,' said Inspector Shaw to Tommy roughly, 'and tell us what happened when you went to Mr Stevens' house.' 'I didn't mean to . . .' started Tommy Logan, 'I didn't mean to...' 'Come on,' said Inspector Shaw in a more gentle voice. 'Tell us what happened.' Tommy Logan looked around at the others. 'I went to see Mr Stevens,' Tommy continued, 'because he had given me a lot of extra work to do. He had given me some extra homework because he thought I had been rude to him in class. I did the work at home and then took it around to Mr Stevens' house. I wanted to explain to him that I thought he was being unfair to me. When I got to the house, the front door was open. I knocked, but there was no answer. I went into the front room and I saw Mr Stevens 68

lying on the floor. I thought he was ill, so I started to lift him up.' 'What did Mr Stevens do?' asked the Inspector. 'Mr Stevens opened his eyes and looked at me. Then he pushed me away and stood up. I gave him the work that I had done. Mr Stevens looked at it for a minute and then threw it on the floor. He said it was all wrong. He hit me hard on the face, and said that he was going to teach me a lesson. I told Mr Stevens that he didn't have any right to hit me. He just laughed. I tried to leave, but he stopped me. Then he took off his coat and said he was going to beat me. I pushed him away and ran for the door. But Mr Stevens got there first and pushed me back.' Tommy Logan stopped talking and looked quickly at the inspector. 'And what happened then?' the inspector asked. 'Mr Stevens started hitting me on the head and on the body,' Tommy Logan continued. 'He was hitting me hard, so I became angry and picked up a chair to push him away. Mr Stevens caught hold of the chair and it broke. One of the legs fell on the floor, so I picked up the chair leg instead. Mr Stevens laughed and said I couldn't hurt him however hard I tried. He hit me again. '"Come on," he said, "hit me. Are you frightened to hit me?" Then Mr Stevens came closer and hit me in the face again. I hit him with the chair leg. He stopped and picked up another chair leg. T h e n he shouted that he was going to kill me. He ran towards me, holding the chair leg. As he came close, I hit him with all my strength and he fell to the floor.' Tommy Logan stopped speaking and there was a short silence. Then he looked at the inspector and at John. 'I didn't mean to do it,' he said. 'I didn't mean to do it.' 69

P

eter and John walked out of the police station. 'It's wonderful,' John said. 'I didn't think the police would let me go.' 'The police had to let you go,' replied Peter, 'because Tommy Logan said that he had killed your uncle.' 'I know,' said John slowly, 'but I don't think he wanted to kill my uncle. I think it was an accident.' 'That's true,' agreed Peter. Peter and John walked around to the back of the police station and got into Peter's lorry. 'What do you think will happen to Tommy Logan?' asked John. 'I don't know,' answered Peter, as he drove the lorry out onto the road. 'He is very young to go to prison. The person who should go to prison is Bob Steel, because he tried to make money out of your uncle's death.' 'But why aren't you angry with Tommy for trying to hit you with his motorbike when you were chasing him?' John asked. 'Because I expect I would have done the same in his situation,' said Peter. 'Don't forget that Bob Steel had frightened Tommy and told him that the police would put him in prison for the rest of his life,' replied Peter. 'I don't know what I'm going to do now,' said John. 'I don't want to stay at school. I must try to find a job.' 'Why not come to Universal Transport with me,' suggested Peter, 'and see if they can give you a job?' John looked at Peter. 'Do you think they would give me a job?' he asked. 'I expect so,' said Peter, smiling. 70

'I hope so,' said John. 'I would like to drive lorries from Bristol to Manchester. There is someone I would very much like to see again in Manchester.' Peter turned and smiled at John. He knew that John was thinking about the girl called Susan who he had met outside the cinema. 'I'm afraid you can't drive a lorry until you're twenty-one,' Peter said. 'But you can get a job helping to repair lorries. That's how I started when I left school' 'I would like that,' said John. Peter and John drove out of Bristol to Bridgwater. John was going to stay the night at Peter's house and go to Universal Transport with Peter the next day to ask for a job. Just outside Bristol they saw someone standing by the side of the road. 'Look,' shouted John, 'it's a hitch-hiker. Will you give him a lift?' 'Of course,' replied Peter and stopped the lorry. The hitchhiker was a boy of about sixteen. 'Where are you going?' Peter shouted through the window. 'I don't know,' answered the boy. 'I'm running away from home.' 'Oh no!' said Peter, with a laugh. 'We can take you to Bridgwater if you like.' The boy got in and sat down. He looked very nervous. 'So you're running away from home, are you?' said John to the boy with a smile. 'I expect you think you've killed your uncle too,' Peter said to the boy. Then John and Peter looked at each other and started laughing. 'I don't understand what you are talking about,' said the hitch-hiker. 'And why are you laughing at me?' Peter and John were laughing too much to reply. 71

'Let me get out of this lorry,' shouted the hitch-hiker. 'I think you are both mad.' Peter stopped the lorry and let the hitch-hiker out. Then Peter and John drove off towards Bridgwater. They were both still laughing.

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1 1 2 3 4 5

W h e r e did Peter live? W h a t was Peter's job? W h e r e was Peter going? How old was John and what was he wearing? W h a t had John done?

2 1 2 3 4 5

W h y did John hit his uncle? W h y did John run away? W h a t was John's full name? W h e r e did John go to sleep? W h o stopped Peter's lorry?

3 1 2 3 4

W h y was Peter's lorry stopped? Did John know that his uncle was dead before Peter told him? Did Peter think that John had killed his uncle? Peter said that he and John were going to do two things. W h a t were they?

4 1 2 3 4

W h y did Peter want to see his old friends? W h e r e and at what time did Peter tell John to meet him? W h a t did Peter ask the owner of the Cosy Café? Was the m a n from the café sure that Peter was a friend of Jeff Beck?

5 1 W h y did John stop outside the cinema? 2 W h y did John speak to the girl? 3 W h o was Steve? 73

6 1 2 3 4

W h o did Peter recognise in the club? H o w did Jeff Beck earn his living? H o w did Jeff help Peter? W h a t was the n a m e of Jeff s friend in Bristol?

7 1 2 3 4

W h a t did J o h n tell Susan when they left the cinema? W h y did J o h n leave Susan? W h y did Steve and his friends hit John? W h o was winning the fight when John heard Peter's voice?

8 1 2 3 4

W h y did Peter get out of the car when he saw the fight? W h y was Peter free to help J o h n the next day? W h y did J o h n quickly get back into the lorry? W h e r e did Peter and J o h n go when they woke up?

9 1 2 3 4 5

W h y did Peter and J o h n go to visit Bob Steel? Did Bob Steel want money for helping Peter and John? Did J o h n trust Bob Steel? H o w did Bob Steel describe Mr Stevens' murderer? W h e r e a n d at what time did Bob Steel tell Peter and J o h n to meet him? 6 W h y do you think Bob Steel telephoned the police?

10 1 2 3 4 5

W h y did Peter go to the post office? W h y did the two m e n at the station speak to John? W h e r e did they take John? W h y did Sergeant Black treat J o h n kindly? Did the policeman think that J o h n was telling the truth?

74

11 1 2 3 4

W h o did Peter see at the railway station? W h a t did Peter read in the newspaper? How old was the person who was talking to Bob Steel? W h o did Peter chase and catch?

12 1 Did Bob Steel tell the police that John was at the railway station? 2 Peter said that the police paid Bob Steel for the information about John. W h o else did Peter suggest paid Bob Steel? 3 W h a t did Peter do to Bob Steel before he left? 4 W h y did Peter go to M a n o r Park Secondary School?

13 1 2 3 4 5

W h y didn't Mr Stevens' pupils like him? W h y did the caretaker tell Peter to go to the café? W h a t happened in the school on the day when Mr Stevens was killed W h y did Peter want to speak to T o m m y Logan? W h e r e had Peter seen T o m m y Logan before?

14 1 2 3 4

W h y did T o m m y Logan run away from Peter? W h e r e did T o m m y Logan go? How did the traffic lights help Peter? W h a t other car was following the lorry and the motorbike?

15 1 2 3 4

W h y were the police cars chasing the lorry and the motorbike? W h a t did Peter tell the sergeant? Did the sergeant believe Peter? W h y was John pleased to see Peter?

16 1 W h o had Bob Steel seen running out of Mr Stevens' house? 2 Was Mr Stevens alive or dead after J o h n ran out of the house?

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3 W h a t did Bob Steel hear and see after T o m m y Logan went into the house? 4 W h a t did Bob Steel really do after he left the house? 5 W h y had T o m m y Logan gone to see Mr Stevens? 6 W h y did Mr Stevens hit Tommy? 7 W h a t did Mr Stevens tell T o m m y to do when T o m m y picked up the chair leg? 8 W h o killed Mr Stevens?

17 1 2 3 4 5

Did John think that T o m m y Logan wanted to kill his uncle? W h o did Peter think ought to go to prison? W h a t job did Peter suggest for John? W h o did John want to see again in Manchester? W h y did J o h n and Peter start laughing?

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Glossary 1 pass a driving test (page 4) to succeed in a test which allows you to drive a car or a lorry on the road. In England a person cannot drive a lorry until he/she is twentyone. 2 goods (page 4) things that are being carried from one place to another place. In this story the goods are biscuits. 3 night club (page 5) a place where people go in the evening to drink and dance. 4 OK (page 7) all right. 5 take care of yourself (page 8) look after yourself, be careful, d o n ' t do anything stupid. A person will often say 'take care of yourself when he is saying good-bye to a friend. 6 load (page 8) the goods which the lorry is carrying. 7 load (page 8) to put the goods o n t o a lorry, car or train before it leaves. 8 weather forecast (page 9) this tells you what the weather will be - if it is going to rain or if the sun is going to shine. 9 hitch-hike (page 9) if you want to go from A to B, you might hitch-hike. You will stand at the side of the road and wait for a car or a lorry to stop and take you to B. A person who hitch-hikes is called a hitch-hiker. 10 lift (page 9) when a lorry takes a hitch-hiker from one place to another, it is giving him a lift. 11 make a living (page 21) the way someone makes his money. Peter makes a living by driving lorries for a company. 12 make yourself at home (page 30) to feel comfortable and happy in a new place. 13 interval (page 31) during a long film at the cinema there is an interval. T h e film stops and the lights in the cinema are switched on. T h e people in the

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cinema have about ten minutes to talk and eat ice-creams, etc. before the lights are switched off again and the film continues. teach you a lesson (page 35) if a person makes you very angry, you might teach him a lesson. You will do something to him so that he will not make you angry again. mind your own business (page 35) to keep away from someone's private matters. change your mind (page 37) to think you will do something and later decide not to do it. under arrest (page 43) if a policeman asks you to go with him, you can refuse. But if the policeman puts you under arrest, you must go with him. homework (page 55) work t h a t must be d o n e at h o m e , after school. jump for your life (page 62) to jump or move in a very quick and surprised way.

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S h a n e by Jack Schaefer O l d Mali a n d t h e Boy by D. R. Sherman Bristol M u r d e r by Philip Prowse Tales of G o h a by Leslie Caplan T h e Smuggler by Piers Plowright T h e Pearl by John Steinbeck T h i n g s Fall A p a r t by Chinua Achebe T h e W o m a n W h o D i s a p p e a r e d by Philip Prowse T h e M o o n is D o w n by John Steinbeck A T o w n Like Alice by Nevil Shute T h e Q u e e n of D e a t h by John Milne W a l k a b o u t by James Vance Marshall M e e t Me in Istanbul by Richard Chisholm T h e G r e a t G a t s b y by F. Scott Fitzgerald T h e Space Invaders by Geoffrey Matthews My C o u s i n Rachel by Daphne du Maurier I'm t h e King of t h e Castle by Susan Hill Dracula by Bram Stoker The The The The

Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Speckled B a n d a n d O t h e r Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Eye of t h e Tiger by Wilbur Smith Q u e e n of S p a d e s a n d O t h e r Stories by Aleksandr Pushkin

T h e D i a m o n d H u n t e r s by Wilbur Smith W h e n Rain C l o u d s G a t h e r by Bessie Head Banker by Dick Francis No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe T h e Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey T h e C a s e of t h e Lonely Lady by John Milne For further information on t h e full selection of Readers at all five levels in t h e series, please refer to the H e i n e m a n n Readers catalogue.

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Heinemann English Language Teaching Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EJ A division of Reed Educational & Professional Publishing Limited OXFORD MADRID FLORENCE ATHENS PRAGUE SÃO PAULO MEXICO CITY CHICAGO PORTSMOUTH(NH) TOKYO SINGAPORE KUALA LUMPUR MELBOURNE AUCKLAND JOHANNESBURG IBADAN GABORONE

Heinemann is a registered trademark of Reed Educational & Professional Publishing Limited ISBN 0 435 27219 5 © P h i l i p Prowse 1973, 1992 First published 1973 Reprinted eight times This edition published 1992 A recorded version of this story is available on cassette. ISBN 0 435 27275 6

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers. Illustrated by Mike Brownlow Typography by Adrian Hodgkins Cover by Amanda Hutt and Threefold Design Typeset in 11/12.5 pt Goudy by Joshua Associates Ltd, Oxford Printed and bound in Malta by Interprint Limited

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