Five
“Mom!” said Ernie Curtin, desisting for a moment from his occupation of running a small metalmodel up and down the window pane¹, accompanying it with a semi-zooming, semi-moaning noiseintended to reproduce a rocket ship going through outer space on its way to Venus, “Mom, whatd’you think?”
Mrs. Curtin, a stern-faced woman who was busy washing up crockery in the sink, made noresponse.
“Mom, there’s a police car drawn² up outside our house.”
“Don’t you tell no more of yer lies, Ernie,” said Mrs. Curtin as she banged cups and saucersdown on the draining board. “You know what I’ve said to you about that before.”
“I never,” said Ernie virtuously³. “And it’s a police car right enough, and there’s two men gettin’
out.”
Mrs. Curtin wheeled round on her offspring.
“What’ve you been doing now?” she demanded. “Bringing us into disgrace, that’s what it is!”
“Course I ain’t,” said Ernie. “I ’aven’t done nothin’.”
“It’s going with that Alf,” said Mrs. Curtin. “Him and his gang. Gangs indeed! I’ve told you,and yer father’s told you, that gangs isn’t respectable. In the end there’s trouble. First it’ll be thejuvenile court and then you’ll be sent to a remand home as likely as not. And I won’t have it,d’you hear?”
“They’re comin’ up to the front door,” Ernie announced.
Mrs. Curtin abandoned the sink and joined her offspring at the window.
“Well,” she muttered.
At that moment the knocker was sounded. Wiping her hands quickly on the tea towel, Mrs.
Curtin went out into the passage and opened the door. She looked with defiance⁴ and doubt at thetwo men on her doorstep.
“Mrs. Curtin?” said the taller of the two, pleasantly.
“That’s right,” said Mrs. Curtin.
“May I come in a moment? I’m Detective Inspector⁵ Hardcastle.”
Mrs. Curtin drew back rather

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