Page 53 of Fire Must Burn

‘He was badly burned, I’m afraid,’ said Parham. ‘Mostly on his back. He was lucky to be facing away when it happened. Had it reached his lungs, this would be a homicide investigation. He spent several hours here in a saline bath. They’re deciding now whether to proceed with debriding the burned skin immediately, or to stabilise him to the point where they can safely transport him to the burn facility in East Grinstead.’

‘Oh, God,’ whispered Mrs Bainbridge. ‘The poor man.’

‘How did it happen?’ asked Sparks.

‘A petrol bomb, thrown through the open window,’ he said. ‘What the tabloids like to call a Molotov cocktail. How well do you know him, Miss Sparks?’

‘We were good friends at university,’ she said. ‘He went east to teach in Singapore before the war, then got caught up with events there. I hadn’t seen him since he left, then bumped into him last week.’

‘Where?’

‘Maggs Brothers, the bookshop. We went out for drinks, and he decided to enrol with us.’

‘I see. Do you know his family?’

‘Never met them,’ said Sparks. ‘I think he was estranged from them, especially after being gone for so long.’

‘What about his involvement with The Right Sort? Had he gone out with anyone there?’

‘He had his first date last night,’ said Sparks. ‘With a Miss Evelyn Lowle.’

‘Last night,’ he repeated. ‘I’ll have to speak with her. You don’t happen to have her contact information, do you?’

‘Not with me,’ said Sparks. ‘We could call you in the morning if that’s acceptable.’

‘That should be fine,’ he said. ‘I’m going to stay here in case he says anything else.’

‘Anything else?’ repeated Mrs Bainbridge. ‘You mean he’s able to speak?’

‘He’s been drifting in and out due to the morphine,’ said Parham. ‘The one thing he said clearly made no sense whatsoever.’

‘What was it?’ asked Sparks.

‘Something like “I forgot to praise her hat”,’ said Parham.

Sparks gave a sharp, quick laugh. Parham looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

‘His date,’ she explained. ‘Sorry, that laugh was inappropriate, but it caught me by surprise. I had told him that women liked having their outfits admired. I can’t believe that’s what was on his mind.’

‘Morphine will do that,’ said Parham. ‘Very well. Leave Miss Lowle’s information with my secretary. You know the number.’

‘We have it memorised,’ said Mrs Bainbridge. ‘If Mr Danforth wakes, please tell him that we were here, and that I will be praying for him.’

‘Of course,’ said Parham. ‘Goodnight, ladies.’

They left and exited the hospital.

‘He should know what’s really happening,’ said Gwen.

‘I agree, but it’s still an ongoing operation,’ said Iris.

‘Surely this must take precedence.’

‘We end up in prison if we tell Parham without clearing it first,’ said Iris. ‘And there is one more problem.’

‘Which is?’

‘What if the Brigadier was behind this? What if our Miss Lowle learned enough to condemn Tony to immediate execution?’