Johnny Swanson - Eleanor Updale [64]
‘Phthisis,’ said Johnny.
Hutch jolted with shock. ‘I beg your pardon?’ he said, thinking Johnny had used a dirty word.
‘Phthisis. It’s another word for TB.’ Johnny felt his way cautiously, wondering how much Winnie knew, and what she had told Hutch. ‘Dr Langford told me about it. He was hoping they’d find a cure.’
‘Well, your mother thinks he might have done that, or that he knew a way to stop people getting it in the first place. He told her about some vaccine they’ve developed in France. It’s called BBC or something.’
Johnny realized that Dr Langford had been incapable of keeping his mouth shut. It bolstered his theory that the killer was a medical rival or a blackmailer who had found out what the doctor was doing. He felt relief wash over him. He wasn’t really breaking a confidence by talking about the BCG. The doctor had told Winnie; and now she’d told Hutch. Surely it didn’t count as a secret any more?
‘Mum’s right,’ he said. ‘Has she told the police?’
‘She’s tried to. But they won’t take any notice. They don’t want to hear about anything that spoils their case against her. And anyway, she doesn’t know for certain that it’s true.’
‘But it is. Dr Langford told me himself. He was involved with someone who’s making the vaccine.’
‘Who? Where?’
‘All I know is that they’re working in a laboratory “in the wilds” – somewhere they won’t be found. I heard Dr Langford say that.’
Hutch was despondent. ‘So it could be anyone, anywhere. What good is that?’
‘If we could find Mrs Langford in France, we could ask her where the laboratory is. And we could warn her. She might be in danger too.’
‘But how can we track her down when the police can’t?’
‘Do you think they’re really trying? I went to the police station to tell them all this, and they wouldn’t even listen. If they’ve decided Mum did the murder, why would they want to look for someone else? Why should they spend a fortune trying to find Mrs Langford abroad?’
Hutch shook his head. ‘It looks as if it’s all down to us now, Johnny.’
‘I’ve tried to trace her. I’ve done that advert.’
‘But if Mrs Langford’s in France, she’s hardly likely to see it, is she?’ said Hutch. ‘I think we need to do another advertisement, Johnny – something bigger that stands a better chance of being noticed. We can ask anyone who knows Mrs Langford’s whereabouts to get in touch.’ He paused for thought. ‘And we need to put it in all the major national and regional papers so that whoever was working with Dr Langford might see it.’
‘But that will cost a fortune.’
‘Don’t worry, son, I’ll pay. But I think we’d better keep our identities secret, don’t you, just in case the murderer gets the idea we’re on his trail?’
‘You mean …?’
‘Yes,’ Hutch sighed. ‘Auntie Ada can have one more outing. And we’ll use her private box as the address for the reply.’
Chapter 31
LOOKING FOR MRS LANGFORD
Hutch made up a bed in the spare room at the back of the flat. Johnny lay down surrounded by boxes of official Post Office forms which Hutch felt were too important to be kept in the stockroom downstairs alongside the custard powder and fish paste. He clutched his old rabbit, just as he had at the beginning of this business, on the night when he’d wet himself after the revelation that the Secret of Instant Height was a trick. He was exhausted, but unable to get to sleep in the unfamiliar surroundings; and he was excited by the idea of having Hutch to help him search for Mrs Langford and the real murderer. He wondered who it was. It had to be someone who knew about the BCG. Another doctor perhaps? Maybe someone from France? It could even be the man with that useless drug from Africa. After all, he’d be out of business if someone found a way to stop people getting TB. Johnny tried to remember the name at the top of the advert