“You all right, Mr. Ar?” Ebbutt sounded incredulous.
“I’m fine, Bill,” said Rollison, but he didn’t smile. “I’m upset because I knocked this chap off his bike, nasty thing to happen. Thank God it wasn’t worse.” He watched other women coming with more blankets, one of them with hot water bottles, and the vixen who had called him murderer was among them, spite forgotten in the instinct to help the injured man.
Then came a police car, speeding, and soon afterwards the ringing of the ambulance bell sounded, while one woman said to another quite clearly:
“Cawse I did see it all from the winder. It wasn’t Mr. Rollison’s fault.”
* * *
Half an hour later, only the police were left at the scene. Rollison slid into the driving seat of the Rolls-Bentley, and smiled at several youngsters who were talking about the car with baited breath. Ebbutt leaned against the door, and asked in a voice which no one outside could hear:
“Wot you going to do now, Mr. Ar?”
“Can you give me the address of Tiny Wallis and Mick Clay?”
“Well, I s’pose I could. They live in the same ‘ouse. Wallis is married, Clay’s a lodger.” Ebbutt paused. “But I dunno whether I should tell you, Mr. Ar. Wot’s on?”
“I just want to find out what makes them tick, and who they’re doing their strong arm stuff for,” said Rollison. “I nearly found out what happens when they tick. They laid that attack on pretty fast.”
“Oh, they’re quick,” Ebbutt said. “Don’t misunderstand me, Mr. Ar, Wallis ain’t a big shot and never will be, but he’s got friends and Clay will do whatever Wallis tells ‘im. A lot of people wouldn’t grass on them because of what might happen afterwards. The worst thing about Wallis and Clay is that they don’t lay off until they’ve really done some damage.”
“Do they always work with Teddy Boys?”
“Usually,” Ebbutt conceded. “The Teddies is easy, they’re always spoiling for a fight. It’s an old technique, Mr. Ar, the boys wait at the corner of a street if Wallis and Clay want to do someone, and make sure they’re not interrupted. Then they always have an alibi laid on.”