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Post date: 24-Aug-2015 15:43:14
To put this in context, read My First Murder .............
The next day, I had another nasty experience of the casual racism that was all too common in those days. I was in the canteen having my lunch with a few of the other younger men. They were all very keen to talk about the upcoming dance and about whom they were planning to take with them. I didn’t have anyone to take and was keeping quiet hoping that no-one would ask me about it but, of course, they were determined to know.
‘What about you, Johns? Who’re you taking?’ one of them asked.
‘I haven’t decided yet.’
‘Johns won’t have any trouble finding someone,’ another of them chipped in, ‘what with him having been up at the nurses’ home practically every day for the last few weeks. He must know lots of lovely young nurses who’d all be delighted to be asked.’
‘I hear one of the ones he’s been seeing is a coloured girl. I reckon she’d be a good bet. They can’t get enough of it, I’m told.’
‘Enough of what?’ I asked stupidly.
‘Poor Johns!’ one of them mocked. ‘He’s led a very sheltered life. It comes of being raised in an orphanage I suppose.’
‘What Constable Adams is saying,’ another chipped in, ‘Is that coloured girls are usually up for a bit of “how’s your father” – especially with a white man.’
‘How dare you!’ Against my better judgement I flared up, which was, of course, the worst possible thing to do. ‘You’ve no right making that sort of suggestion about someone you haven’t even met.’
‘Ooh! Hark at him. I reckon Johns is sweet on that coloured nurse!’
‘Look at him! He didn’t deny it. He fancies her!’
Well, I could hardly stay after that, so I left the rest of my lunch and walked out with as much dignity as I could muster. What I didn’t realise was that Paige had been sitting at the next table and had heard everything. He brought up the subject that afternoon, while we were on our way to the hospital to interview the Theatre staff to get more background on Sister Spencer.
‘It was brave of you to stand up to Adams and his cronies. I was at the next table. I heard it all. You were right to pull them up about assumptions about people on the basis of race. That’s part of being a good policeman: never assume you know what a person’s like just because of what they look like, or where they live or what job they do.’
I wasn’t used to receiving compliments from senior officers and I didn’t know quite how to react. In the end, I think I mumbled something about it not being a matter of bravery.
‘I just didn’t like what they were saying about Angela,’ I explained.
‘It’s Angela now is it?’
And of course then I realised that I’d given away more than I intended about my feelings about Angie. Paige was obliged to remind me that she was still an important witness in a murder enquiry and any relationship with one of the police investigation team would be completely inappropriate. Then, to my surprise, he went on to say something that made it clear to me that he could read me like a book and had a complete grasp of the situation.
‘However, once the enquiry is over,’ he said, ‘that would be another thing altogether.’