African Sky by Tony Park Read Free Book Online

aircraftswoman – one stripe, if I’m not mistaken,’ Pip said.
    â€˜Yes, she is – was – what we call a noncommissioned officer. And it’s a single propeller in the air force, not a stripe.’
    â€˜But you’re a commissioned officer, and a relatively senior one, I gather. I would have thought fraternisation between the ranks was not on,’ Pip said.
    Bryant noticed her eyes were following his cigarette hand. He realised he was smoking very fast. Perhaps she was looking for signs he was nervous. He put the cigarette on the lip of the ashtray on his desk, carefully, so the tremor wouldn’t be so noticeable. ‘We didn’t fraternise in terms of a relationship, if that’s what you’re hinting at, Constable. We have separate messes, on base, for officers, NCOs and trainees to drink at, but, sometimes, such as at the end of the course, a mob of us will go into town for a few drinks at one of the pubs. It’s an all-ranks affair then. We don’t stand too much on ceremony. We might be training people for the Royal Air Force, but it’s certainly not all spit and polish over here.’
    â€˜We understand, Squadron Leader,’ Hayes interjected. ‘Did Miss Langham live on the base?’
    â€˜I’m really not sure. I’d have to check. I think she had a flat or a house in town. I’ll get her file for you when we’re done here,’ Bryant said. He was relieved that the male officer had taken over the questioning.
    â€˜How would you describe her character?’ Hayes asked.
    â€˜Good worker. Excellent instructor, if somewhat unorthodox. She seemed to enjoy life in uniform.’ He looked across at the woman police constable and noticed she averted her eyes. Women, in his limited experience, usually fitted well into service life. They faced prejudiceand sometimes outright abuse and intimidation from some of the men but, despite this, or maybe because of it, they often outshone men in similar ranks and positions. He’d seen it in England too. Women were filling jobs that they’d never dreamed of doing before the war.
    â€˜What do you know about her personal life?’
    â€˜Not much at all, Sergeant. As I said, we weren’t what you would call close.’ Bryant suddenly felt hot and he rubbed his finger around his collar. He saw the policewoman was still watching his every gesture, and that made him feel even less comfortable. He felt the sweat running down each side of his ribcage from his armpits and hoped it didn’t show.
    â€˜Come now, Squadron Leader, we’re all adults here. She was an attractive young woman surrounded by hundreds of men, most of them far from home. She must have enjoyed more than her fair share of attention,’ Hayes said.
    â€˜That’s none of my business. Tell me, how exactly did Miss Langham die?’ Bryant asked.
    â€˜Her body was found in a part of Bulawayo which is, shall we say unsavoury,’ Hayes said. ‘She was partially clad. Her body may have been dumped there, or she may have died there.’
    â€˜Was she assaulted?’ Bryant asked. He wondered if his face betrayed his emotions.
    â€˜To tell you the truth, we don’t know yet,’ Pip interrupted.
    â€˜Do you think one of the men here on base might be responsible?’ Bryant inquired, stubbing out his cigarette.
    â€˜It’s too early to come to any conclusions,’ Hayes said. ‘In fact, Miss Langham was found in an area frequented mostly by Africans. There’s a possibility she was abducted by someone and things went wrong.’
    A bloody understatement if he’d ever heard one, Bryant thought. ‘Poor Flick. Either way, whether it’s a black man or a white man who’s responsible, this could get nasty once word gets out.’
    â€˜Did she have many female friends that you knew of? Other WAAFs, perhaps?’ Pip asked.
    â€˜I’d have to check that for