Page 45 of Right Place, Right Time
Orla smiles and pats him on the arm as she leaves. ‘Good to have you back where you belong.’
Ben stands in the shop doorway. ‘Is this a good time?’ he asks, glancing at Adam and Barney.
‘Of course,’ I say, going over to escort him in. ‘We’ve no secrets here. Did you have any luck?’
Ben holds up a roll of paper. ‘I certainly did. Can I lay it out somewhere?’
We clear a bit of space on the cash desk and while Ben sits on a wooden chair, Adam unrolls the map.
‘It’s a plan of this area of Cambridge, including Clockmaker Court, drawn up in 1938,’ Ben says. ‘Just like you thought, there was another building between your two shops originally.’
Adam and I pore over the map, where the missing building is quite clearly marked.
‘When do you think it was boarded up?’ I ask. ‘Obviously sometime after 1938.’
‘You’d have to find some more up-to-date maps showing the area. I might have something, but again I’d have to look through my stock. I don’t recall that shop being here when I was a young boy, so I doubt it was much after 1938 that it changed.’
‘Sometime during the Second World War then?’ I ask.
‘It’s possible. The thing is, during the war a lot of industries changed their production for the war effort. I would have thought street plans would have been one of those things. Also, we didn’t want anything circulating that could help Hitler plan his bombings and possible invasions.’
‘So if it changed between 1939 and 1945, it’s unlikely we’d know exactly when?’
Ben nods. ‘But like I said, I don’t remember it being there during the war when I used to come and read the comics with George in Archie’s shop.’
‘Wait, what?’ Adam asks, confused. ‘What do you mean, Archie’s shop?’
‘Didn’t Eve tell you?’ Ben looks at me in surprise.
‘I was going to,’ I say hurriedly. ‘And then we were caught up in the book mystery.’
‘Book mystery?’ Ben asks.
‘Hang on,’ Adam says. ‘Let’s not get distracted again. What do you mean, Archie’s shop?’
I gesture to Ben to explain.
‘As I explained to Eve earlier, Archie owned the bookshop in Clockmaker Court during the forties. Your grandfather George and I used to spend a lot of time in there when we were young.’
‘But I thought he was a professor at the university?’ Adam looks completely bewildered now.
‘He was. He only owned the bookshop – someone else ran it for him. His name was Oswald; we called himOzzie.’ Ben pauses to remember what are clearly happy memories for him.
‘But why would Archie buy a bookshop?’ Adam asks.
‘A side hustle, maybe?’ Barney says.
‘I doubt it. Didn’t university professors get paid quite well back then?’
‘It does seem a little odd, doesn’t it?’ I say. ‘Perhaps he just wanted it as a hobby?’
‘Hmm …’ Adam is clearly unconvinced. ‘This just isn’t adding up for me. What you’re saying, Ben, is that not only did my grandfather used to hang out here in Clockmaker Court when he was young, but that my great-grandfather at one stage actually owned the shop that I do now?’
Ben nods.
‘That’s crazy. I didn’t even know of this place until a few months ago.’
‘It’s like it’s meant to be,’ I say, secretly pleased that this strange twist of fate was in part due to me. ‘Like you were always meant to own the shop next door.’
