Alec need not have worried. Benjie Brockman would continue to care about him, buying his comics, ensuring he learned a trade. Alec may well be the reason that Valerie Pennington had the end cottage. Someone gave birth to him. If Miss Pennington had watched her son being placed in an orphanage, she deserved more than a rent-free cottage.

“He’ll be safe to go back. No one will harm him. But that still doesn’t explain that odd remark of Miss Pennington’s.”

Sykes was itching to chip in, and then he did. “My guess is that she ‘didn’t see Mr. Brockman’ because she did see him, and is protecting him.” He interlaced his fingers. “Or, she really didn’t see him but she saw someone else from the house. I think one of us should have another go at Miss Pennington.”

So that was a yes, a no, or a maybe. But Sykes was right that we should talk to her again. Whether she would be forthcoming with me or Sykes was another matter. She could well decide not to say another word.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, each of us thinking how best to make use of the information from neighbours on Silver Street, and how such information would play out in a courtroom.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Mr. Sykes?”

“About the Wakefield CID chief inspector?”

“Yes. The neighbours need to know that justice for Stephen Walmsley would be best achieved if they give formal statements to CID. Questioning at the time was minimal, given that Stephen had blood on his hands.”

Mrs. Sugden picked up the baton. “Now that they’ve spoken once, they’ll be willing to let their tongues wag again, I’ll be bound.”

I gave Sykes the nod. Sad to say, sometimes a man to man chat works well. He could make the trip to Wakefield.

It was time to break the news that Commander Woodhead had thanked us for our services, and said goodbye.

Mrs. Sugden’s mouth turned down at the corners. “The cheek of him, and after all your hard work and jumping on trains.”

“There has been another development.” I told them about meeting Bernard Campaner of the French Embassy, and Mr. Aspinall’s widow and son.

Sykes frowned. “Working with the French won’t do us any good with Scotland Yard.”

“Pointing a tentative finger at a deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of the County did not go down well either. The encouraging part is that the French will be as happy as we are to keep cooperation quiet. They can pull strings behind the scenes in a way that we can’t.”