“Personally I wish Singh was giving another performance,” said Charlie. “Someone might guess the truth at any time, and that will be the end of his career. It would be something to boast about to the sort of girl from London University who fancies a black boyfriend: ‘I’m one of the few people in the world who’s heard a real castrato.’ ”
“You have a twisted sense of humor.” Dundy’s head jerked round. “Oh, I say, excuse me for a moment. Or actually you two can push off home.”
But they didn’t push off home. They made themselves discreetly scarce and watched while Iain Dundy walked up to Gillian Soames, who had appeared down the stairs from the upper rooms, having changed into civvy clothes. If the superintendent had been a younger man, they would have said that he was chatting her up. It must be said that Dundy got somewhere in a remarkably short time. Indeed, it was almost as if she had been waiting for him to make a move.
“I did wonder if you’d care for a drink,” they heard him say after two or three minutes.
Charlie’s foot moved for the last time to tap Nettles’s ankle.
“I’d love one.” Gillian glanced toward the Shakespeare.
“Or even a late supper?” said Dundy, moving towards the street door. “There’s a place I know—little Indian place—where they’ll still be happy to serve us.”
“That would be lovely,” said Gillian, following him out into the High Street. “After a performance I always feel I could eat a horse.”
Charlie and Nettles looked at each other.
“It has been known,” said Nettles. “Policemen marrying actresses.”
“Hope for me yet,” said Charlie cheerfully.
“Drink?”
“What else?”
“The Shakespeare?”
Charlie looked towards the Shakespeare Bar and seemed to see the ghost of Des Capper leaning familiarly over the shoulders of his guests with his quack remedies, false information, and real threats.
“The Webster,” he said firmly.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
At Death’s Door
The Skeleton in the Grass
The Cherry Blossom Corpse
Bodies
Political Suicide
Fête Fatale
Out of the Blackout
Corpse in a Gilded Cage
School for Murder
The Case of the Missing Brontë
A Little Local Murder
Death and the Princess
Death by Sheer Torture
Death in a Cold Climate
Death of a Perfect Mother
Death of a Literary Widow
Death of a Mystery Writer
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Copyright © 1989 by Robert Barnard
First American Edition, 1989
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barnard, Robert.
Death and the chaste apprentice/Robert Barnard.—1st American ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-684-19002-8
ISBN-13 978-0-6841-9002-0 (Print)
ISBN 978-1-4767-3727-0 (eBook)
I. Title.
PR6052.A665D37 1989 89-4205 CIP
823'.914—dc19
Cover design by Christopher Lin
Death and the Chaste Apprentice Page 19
