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“Should I?” asked Fettle.
“I would have thought so,” replied Gardener, “given his pedigree.”
“Pedigree? What pedigree?” asked Fettle, taking a mouthful of fresh tea.
Gardener and Reilly told Fettle what they knew about Corndell. Fettle consulted all his Film Reviews but nothing materialised. “There’s plenty about Wallace Henry Corndell. He was a pretty prominent director.”
“Did he ever make a film called Tales From a Village Pub, starring Leonard White?” asked Gardener.
“Aye, he did, but Leonard White wasn’t the star of the film.”
“But he was in it?” asked Reilly.
“Aye. But there’s no mention of a Corndell.”
Gardener stared at Fettle. “Got another question for you. Do you know anyone connected to the London theatre scene?”
“What do you want to know?” asked Fettle.
“I want to know about William Henry Corndell. He came up here from London. Apparently he’s big in the world of theatre, writes a lot of material, and he once played the role of the Phantom before Michael Crawford.”
“I didn’t know there was anyone before Crawford,” said Fettle.
“Corndell seems to think there was,” said Reilly.
“Can you find out for me?” asked Gardener.
“Aye, I can. In fact, a mate of mine used to work backstage at Her Majesty’s. I’ll see if I can track him down, he’ll know.”
“Thanks. And while we’re on the subject of people, do you know anyone called Harry Fletcher?”
Fettle grew silent before answering. “The name rings a bell. I think he was a writer, worked for the Playhouse.”
“Do you know where he is now?”
“Can’t say as I do, I haven’t seen or heard from him in ages.”
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sp; “When did you last see him?” asked Gardener.
“Oh Christ, must have been ten, fifteen years ago, when he was at the Playhouse.”
“Any idea where he lived back then?” asked Gardener.
With his eyes screwed shut and his mouth agape as he thought, Fettle resembled a frog. “Sorry, Mr Gardener, I didn’t know him that well.”
“Do you know anybody who does?”
“You could talk to the people at the Playhouse, but I don’t think he’s still there.”
“He isn’t, and the people who are don’t know him, either.”
“They’ve probably changed staff since then.”
Gardener was still frustrated despite having acquired more information about the case. Someone would have to check out Lon Chaney and Corndell, all of which would take time, and there was still no real evidence as to the murderer’s identity. Which meant he could strike again, and the press would really have a field day.
As he was about to give up, Gardener had another thought. “Did Lon Chaney make a film called The Scarlet Car?”
