by Robert Gott
‘I doubted myself.’
‘That’s reasonable. Doubting me isn’t.’
‘If it’s any consolation, Inspector Lambert said I had a lot to learn from you. I think he’s right.’
‘If it’s any consolation, Inspector Lambert put me firmly in my place on Saturday. He said if I wasn’t happy, there was a vacancy in the cast of The Red Mask I could audition for.’
‘If it’s any consolation,’ Titus said as he came out of his office, ‘we have a lot of work to do. We have identities for the dead men in the Thorpe flat. They need to be followed up. Not by you, Sergeant — you’d frighten people looking like that. You’ll be confined to desk duties until you’re more presentable. I’m afraid we’re not finished with this case. Or it isn’t finished with us.’
Helen Lord looked up at Joe Sable.
‘So,’ she said. ‘How are you?’
‘Shithouse,’ he said. ‘But thanks for asking. I appreciate it.’
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge Henry and Margot Rosenbloom at Scribe, who make the editing process a revelatory joy. I would also like to thank Helen Murnane, who reads with passion, patience, and insight, and who re-reads with all those qualities undiminished.
All quotations from The Publicist and The Argus newspaper are real and accurate.
