‘Don’t take it too hard, chum,’ sympathised the desk sergeant as Harry handed over his helmet, bringing an end to his short-lived career as a police constable. ‘It wasn’t me who gave you the push.’ He lowered his voice in case he was overheard by his inspector. ‘You weren’t to know the fellow you tried to arrest in the dark was the new Chief Constable… and the fog an’ all didn’t help.’
Harry Bell heaved a sigh of resignation. ‘Just my luck. If it was only that, I might have got away with it, after getting a right ticking off and a black mark on my records. I should have known better. It was arresting that blonde the next day for being drunk and disorderly that did it – how was I to know it was the mayor’s wife.’
‘Ah, well that’s where you made your second mistake, son. It turned out to b
