John White might have long retired from the army, but he’d retained the bearing and polish of his years as a soldier. He remained standing by the window, his thick silver hair glinting in the sunlight that struggled through the unwashed glass, his highly polished shoes and neatly pressed suit at variance with Bert’s rather scruffy uniform.

‘I have been shocked by the amount of pilfering that has been going on in the estate,’ he began, ‘and because my son is a POW in Germany, I’m particularly disgusted that some choose to steal from the Red Cross.’

He looked at Stan without a trace of pity. ‘Mr Dawkins, your wife has been under suspicion for some time. Earlier this morning, I called for a constable, and he and I caught her red-handed as she tried to pass some stolen goods on to her friend and co-conspirator, Olive Grayson. The Grayson woman has admitted to selling such goods on the black market, and both of them have now been charged.’

He glanced towards the door. ‘As you can hear, they are now being detained in the cells, awaiting the duty solicitor.’

‘It’s got to be a mistake,’ muttered Stan. ‘My Ethel wouldn’t—’

‘This is the proof, Mr Dawkins,’ he interrupted, placing a box of tins and packets on Bert’s desk. ‘They were found upon her person at seven thirty this morning, and as they are clearly marked with the Red Cross stamp, there can be no doubt they were stolen.’

His gaze hardened as he regarded Stan. ‘As her husband, I find it hard to believe you knew nothing of this.’

‘But I didn’t,’ Stan managed, shaking his head in bewilderment. ‘Absolutely nothing. I swear it.’

‘Stan’s not a liar, neither is he a thief,’ said Ron evenly. ‘I’d stake my life on it that he’s telling the truth.’

A heavy silence fell in the room, and the men winced at the language Ethel was using as she proclaimed her innocence and accused Olive of stitching her up. Olive’s reply to this was equally laced with expletives, and Bert finally lost his patience, opened the door and barked an order to one of the constables to go and shut them up.

‘I’m sorry, Stan,’ Bert said as he returned to his chair. ‘Ethel’s been caught good and proper, and I had to charge her.’ He leant forward, his elbows on the desk. ‘And I’m going to have to search the cottage, Stan. There’s a real possibility she’s been hiding stuff there until she can pass it on. My constable found a stash of stolen goods hidden at Olive’s place.’

Stan buried his face in his hands, the tears seeping through his fingers. ‘I can’t believe it,’ he sobbed. ‘I simply can’t believe my Ethel would do such a terrible thing.’