“Try his mobile?”
“Only once. It went to answer-phone. ‘Leave a message.’ I left him a bloody message alright.”
“Was he supposed to open the shop on Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Did you check to see if he had?”
“It was my first weekend off in thirty years. Quite frankly I could afford to lose the trade if he wasn’t there. What I couldn’t afford to do was upset my wife. You’ve not seen my wife when she’s angry, have you?”
Gardener could guess.
“When did you return from Whitby?”
“Sunday night.”
“Did you check to see if he was around?”
“No, it was a bit late. Has something happened with Alex? Has he been up to something I should know about?”
Gardener avoided the question and pressed on. “Does he have a track record for getting up to no good in your absence?”
“I reckon you’ve done your homework, Mr Gardener. He has had his problems.”
“And you’ve stuck by him when others wouldn’t. We do happen to know that he had a disagreement with his parents, but we don’t know over what. Can you tell us anything?”
Armitage sipped his tea, as if he was buying time till he thought of an excuse. Or working out how much to actually tell them. Gardener knew what people from close-knit communities were like. Family secrets stayed buried for generations.
Armitage put his cup back on the table. “Someone hasn’t missed an opportunity to talk, have they?”
“It’s a small town.”
“Well, I don’t feel inclined to air my dirty washing in public. Let’s just say he brought the family name into question.”
Gardener felt the old man needed a gentle little nudge. “You do realise anything you say here will be treated confidentially?”
“I dare say it will, but what about a little quid-pro-quo? Isn’t it time you told me what was going on? It is my shop.”
Gardener glanced at his partner.
“It’s your call, boss. He’ll have to know sooner or later.”
“Know what?” asked Armitage, leaning forward. “Has he done something to my shop I should know about?”
“There has been an incident, Mr Armitage, and we fully intend to tell you everything, but if you can bear with us a little longer? We’d like some background on Alex. How long has he worked for you?”
“About a year, maybe a bit longer.”
“What does he do?”
“Well, he’s not full time. I employ him for three days a week, but he has the use of the flat above the shop rent free, and he gets the van. He serves in the shop now and again. He runs to and from the suppliers to collect stock when I need him to.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Not that he’s talked about.”
“Does he have many friends in general?”