“So, by the time you arrived on the stage, everything had more or less been done?”
“Aye, I signed and he took off.”
“Was the tailgate still down, or had he lifted it back up?”
“Back up.”
“Did you inspect the trunk, open it up to see what was inside?”
“No, but it were locked anyway, bloody great padlock.”
“Was it heavy? Did you try to move it?”
“No, just left it.”
Gardener had wondered how the killer had managed to smuggle Leonard White’s body into the theatre. It was pretty obvious now. “How soon after did Leonard White arrive?”
“A couple of hours, maybe.”
“Did he ask about the trunk, or did you tell him?”
Fettle chewed another bit of his sandwich and swallowed before answering. “I told him. Nice pot of tea, this.” He took another mouthful.
Gardener noticed Reilly was halfway down his cup. He tasted his own – wasn’t bad.
“Did White seem surprised?” Reilly asked.
“No, just pleased that it were here.”
“Did you offer to go backstage and help him with it?”
“Aye, as a matter of fact, I did. But he said it were okay, he wouldn’t need it straight away, but he’d give me a shout when he needed some help.”
“Did his voice sound like Leonard White?”
“Can’t say as I noticed. I think so.”
“What happened next?”
“Well, I carried on in here. A couple of hours had passed, and I went backstage to see if he needed that hand and it was all clear. There was no trunk and no Leonard White. I gave him a shout but no one answered. I went back to his dressing room and knocked on the door, but he never answered that either.”
“Did you check anywhere else?”
“Only to see if he was with Mr Price, and he wasn’t. But it’s not unusual for actors and actresses to take a break. Sometimes they go outside for a smoke, or a walk. They don’t always leave out the stage door.”
“Was he alone when he arrived?”
“Aye, he was.”
“Did he seem okay to you? Not out of breath, or looking worried about anything?”
“No, he were fine. Didn’t say much, which I thought were unusual, ’cause I’ve met him afore and I knew him to be a bit of a talker. And I’ll tell you what else were unusual, shall I? I thought the trunk was a bit too much for a man who’d had hip replacement, which is why I went to offer my help. Not that I’d be much use to him anyway, ’cause I’m getting on a bit now. I am still younger than him, though.”
“So, you have no idea what happened to the trunk?”
“Come to think of it, no. It were too big to just hide in a corner, but I never saw it anywhere afterwards.”
Gardener glanced at Reilly, who in turn nodded. “Where is it?”