There was a long silence from the patch of blacker black which was Singh.
‘Sarge,’ he said finally, emboldened by the lack of visibility and the feeling of intimacy such conditions can engender between even the most antagonistic of couples. ‘Do you think I’m doing the right thing, training to be a cop, and all?’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Wield. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘It’s just that, well, you’ve never been very encouraging. I’ve talked to some of the others, you know, some of the DCs and the uniformed lads I’ve got to know, and, well, they all say you’re fair, and very sharp too. There’s a lot of ’em reckon you ought to have got on a lot further by now …’
‘Are you building up to a retirement presentation, or what?’ wondered Wield.
‘No, well, all I was wondering was, if you’re as fair and sharp as everyone says, and you don’t rate me …’
The boy’s voice faded from a whisper to an uneasy, embarrassed silence and the wind’s endless moaning took control again.
‘What makes you think I don’t rate you?’ asked Wield.
‘You’ve always been a bit, like, sharp,’ said Singh. ‘I’m sorry, look, I’m not complaining, but I just wondered …’
‘What’d you do if you didn’t become a copper?’ asked Wield.
‘I’d help in my father’s shop, I expect,’ said Singh.
‘You don’t want to do that? Don’t you get on with your dad?’
‘Oh yes, we get on fine … only … well, if I worked in the business, I’d have to sort of do things his way. I mean, his way’s the right way, I think, because he’s done very well, and I don’t mean he’s strict about religion and that; he wants the family to belong here, he says, not to just be passing by; but if I stayed at home, I think I’d always be, well, like, a lad, a boy, I know I am still, everyone calls me “lad,” but at home in my father’s shop, I think I’d stay as a boy until … until …’
‘Until he died,’ said Wield softly.
‘Yes, I think so. And I don’t want to ever be wishing that my father would die.’
The darkness between them was now vibrant with the electricity of confession, binding them in a circuit of intimacy Wield had not wished for but now could not deny.
‘My dad died,’ he said softly. ‘I was thirteen. He was very strict, very stern. He kept pigeons. I had to keep the loft clean. And when there got to be too many and some had to have their necks pulled, he made me help him. I think I wanted most of all in the world to be like my dad, to be big and strong and certain and able to pull pigeon’s necks and not care. I never could, though. Perhaps, if he’d lived, I might have come to it, but I doubt it. They’re such soft birds, trusting …’
He yearned to reach out and touch the boy’s shoulder. A simple, uncomplicated, encouraging gesture.
But he reminded himself bitterly that just as in his professional world there were no free lunches, in his private world there were no simple gestures.
‘You carry on and be a cop, lad,’ he said harshly. ‘As long as you can pull the pigeons’ neck and not start enjoying it, you’ll be all right.’
They both fell silent and remained silent while outside the wind at last blew itself out and dawn’s green light began to move across the badly ruffled gardens.
When it was full light, Pascoe came yawning into the bedroom.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘That’ll do.’
Singh regarded him miserably, expecting reproach, but Pascoe just grinned and, ruffling the boy’s hair in the gesture Wield had not dared, said, ‘What’re you doing tonight, Shady? Hope you haven’t got anything heavy planned.’
‘Are we coming back, sir?’
‘Why not? Mr and Mrs Aldermann won’t be home till tomorrow.’ He yawned again and added, ‘Seymour’s switched off the alarm. I’ve told him to go back with the lads in the Panda and send a car out for us. Meanwhile I’m sure Mrs Aldermann wouldn’t grudge us a cup of coffee.’
They went downstairs, Wield and the boy turned towards the kitchen, Pascoe said, ‘I’ll get a breath of air, I think,’ and made for the front door.
But as he passed the door of Aldermann’s study, he saw it was ajar and heard a noise inside.
Carefully he pushed it open till he could see one end of the handsome hard oak partner’s desk which he guessed had belonged to Eddie Aldermann. There was a figure stooping over an opened drawer. He pushed the door open a little further.
‘Come in, Peter, come on in. Had a good night, have you?’
It was Dalziel, looking wide-awake and healthy, except where a nicked undulation of flesh over his left jaw, repaired with pink toilet paper, showed the dangers of early morning shaving.
‘What are you doing here? Sir?’ demanded Pascoe
‘Pastoral care, Peter,’ said Dalziel genially. ‘I woke up and got to thinking about you, stuck out here all night with nothing happening. Nothing did happen, did it? No, I didn’t think it would. In fact, I didn’t think it would last evening, but it seemed silly to be a kill-joy when you’d gone to all that bother to set things up.’
What the hell did he want? wondered Pascoe.
‘Looking for anything in particular, sir?’ he asked, nodding at the desk.
‘No, not really. Aldermann’s in the clear, isn’t he? I’ve got your word on it, and that’s good enough for me. Just my natural curiosity, lad. Unpaid bills, mainly, but he’ll soon have that sorted. And a lot of stuff about roses. He corresponds with the best people, doesn’t he? Even I’ve heard of some of their names. Let’s bung this stuff back and take a stroll around, shall we, Peter? Best time of day, this. You ought to try getting up early more often. Taste the dawn.’
He watched like a benevolent Nature spirit as Pascoe tidied up the papers he’d disturbed and closed the drawers.
‘It’s all right, lad,’ he said, observing the Inspector’s hesitation. ‘They weren’t locked. Trusting soul, Aldermann. And it helps your tender conscience, I’ve no doubt. Where’s Beauty and the Beast, by the way?’
Pascoe led the way to the kitchen. Wield and Singh were deep in conversation which stopped as he entered, and when Dalziel came in behind him, they both stood up, Singh’s chair practically falling over in his eagerness.
‘Take it easy, lad,’ said Dalziel in his kindly voice. ‘Not quite got the hang of chairs yet? Don’t worry. It’ll come, it’ll come. You know, I could just fancy a cup of tea. Think you can manage that, son?’
Singh nodded.
‘Good. And have a bit of a poke around in the larder. I don’t expect you’ll find any beef dripping here. That’s what I’d really like, a beef dripping sarnie. Failing that, a bit of toast with Marmite. I’m sure they’ll have Marmite. Lay it on thick so there’s a bit of flavour. Will you do that for me?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Singh.
‘Good lad. Come on, Inspector. We’ll take a turn round the garden.’
‘I’ll have a coffee,’ said Pascoe to Wield. ‘But no Marmite.’
As he walked towards the front door with Dalziel, the fat man boomed, ‘A good lad, that darkie. He’ll go far. Wouldn’t surprise me if he went all the way. I’d like to see that. Make a change from some of these pasty-faced buggers I saw last week. You’d think they lived under stones down there!’
Outside Pascoe was puzzled to see no sign of Dalziel’s car. He couldn’t have walked here, surely! The turbulence of the night was long past and a fine summer’s day was unfolding like a flower. But the storm had left its mark. Dalziel tutted as he walked across the once smooth lawn now strewn with twigs and leaves and petals.
‘Bit of tidying up for our Patrick here,’ he observed.
‘I think he pays someone to do the basic stuff,’ said Pascoe.
‘Aye, he would. No expense spared with this lad. Mind you, he’ll need help. There’s a lot of land here, a lot of land.’
They strolled round the formal gardens till they arrived at the small complex of greenhouses.
‘This is where it all happens, this hybridization is it?’ said Dalziel, peering through the glass like a voyeur hoping to glimpse flesh. ‘Clever fellow, our Patrick. Very clever.’
‘Sir,’ said Pascoe determinedly. ‘Do you still suspect him of something?’
‘Me? No. Why should I? A lot of people died, it’s true. But there’s always people dying, isn’t there? And we’ve no bodies, have we? That’s what we’re short of Peter. Bodies.’
He sounded almost regretful. Pascoe was reminded of the police pathologist who demanded flesh.
‘Plenty of nothing, that’s all we have,’ continued Dalziel. ‘And all we’re likely to have from the look of it. Let’s get back to the house. All this morning air’s making me hungry.’
‘You really fancy him for at least one of these deaths, do you, sir?’ persisted Pascoe as they walked back through the rose-garden.
Dalziel paused to pluck a crimson bloom which the wind had half snapped off its stem and put it in his button-hole.
‘Milord,’ he said, displaying that expertise in unexpected areas with which he sometimes surprised his subordinates.
‘Very fitting,’ said Pascoe drily. ‘About Aldermann …’
‘He frightened his mam,’ said Dalziel. ‘No, that’s too strong. He had a lot of influence over her, and she’s not an easy woman to dominate, I tell you. But you think he’s all right?’
‘I quite like him,’ admitted Pascoe. ‘And you?’
‘Only met him once, haven’t I?’ said Dalziel, adding thoughtfully, ‘But I must say I quite like his mam!’
Back in the house, they found a pot of tea and a plateful of Marmited toast waiting for Dalziel. He tucked in with a good appetite, telling a long rambling anecdote about his army experiences as a military policeman. Pascoe drank his mug of coffee and responded to Wield’s interrogative glance with a minute shrug.
‘Right,’ said Dalziel, glancing at the kitchen clock which said seven A.M., ‘let’s get washed up. Always leave a place as you’d hope to find it, you shouldn’t forget that, son.’
Singh nodded as if this were the most helpful piece of advice he’d ever heard.
Carefully, they washed up with Dalziel doing the drying. When he’d finished, he folded the tea-towel carefully and draped it over the draining-rack.
‘Now, Peter,’ he said, ‘if you’d set the alarm again.’
‘We’re going?’ asked Pascoe.
‘Oh no. We’re staying,’ said Dalziel.
He led the way upstairs. Silently, the other three followed.
Dalziel opened the master bedroom, looked with approval at the large, deep, double bed, removed his shoes, and spread himself out across the silk coverlet.
‘Wake me when they come,’ he said closing his eyes.
‘When who come?’
One red-shot eye opened.
‘The burglars,’ said Dalziel. ‘That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? To catch some burglars.’
The eye closed. The fat man appeared to sleep.
Just after eight o’clock, they all started, except Dalziel, as they heard a distant noise. It was the grind of an approaching vehicle. Pascoe joined Wield at the window. An old green van was coming up the drive. It turned and disappeared along the side of the house, momentarily revealing the legend Caldicott and Son, Landscape Gardeners.
‘Are they here then?’ said Dalziel, sitting up. ‘Let’s take a shufti out the back.’
He rolled off the bed and went out on to the landing and walked round till he reached one of the bedrooms overlooking the rear.
‘The gardeners?’ said Pascoe, following him. ‘You mean, it’s them?’
‘It’s in Arthur Marsh’s file,’ said Dalziel. ‘That unemployment benefit fiddle he got done for – he was working for a gardening firm. I’m surprised that didn’t strike you as odd, Peter! Trained electrician. If he’d wanted to do a bit of moonlighting, why start humping wheelbarrows and garden forks about?’
‘He’s there. Jonty’s there!’ said Singh, excitedly peering between the drawn curtains. ‘And Artie too. I can see them!’
‘Can you? Good lad. Watch you don’t move them curtains though,’ said Dalziel.
‘But if you spotted this yesterday, why didn’t you say anything,’ said Pascoe indignantly.
‘It was just a theory, lad,’ said Dalziel soothingly. ‘Besides, I weren’t sure whether Arthur Marsh was using the gardening job just to case places which he then turned over independently, or whether the whole firm was in it. He might have dropped in last night, in which case, the nick was all yours. But when I checked this morning and nothing had happened, then theory two seemed to be on.’
‘They don’t much look as if they’re planning to break in,’ said Wield, who’d joined Singh.
‘What do you want? Masks and bags marked “Swag”?’ demanded Dalziel. ‘They’ve got work to do in the garden, haven’t they? They’re paid to be here. They’re entitled to be here! That’s the beauty of it.’
Pascoe produced Aldermann’s list of tradesmen and others who would know the house was going to be empty and quickly scanned it.
‘He doesn’t mention the gardeners,’ he complained.
‘Why should he? Likely he just mentioned the people he’s cancelled, like milk and newspapers,’ said Dalziel. ‘He wouldn’t cancel the gardeners. Gardens keep on growing even while you’re away. I checked one of the other places that’d been done. Yes, they had Caldicott’s one morning a week. Yes, they remembered Artie, he was the friendly one, always popping in to fill his teapot, always ready to help in the house with a bit of lifting or moving. It’s a good set-up, isn’t it? Lots of opportunity to case the target. And no crawling around in the middle of the night. You just drive up at your usual time and some time during the day, when observation’s taught you you’re least likely to be interrupted, you get inside, lift what you want, dump it in the van in a couple of old sacks, and drive off with it!’
‘Eventually they’d have run out of houses,’ said Pascoe in an aggrieved tone.
‘Yes, likely they would. That would certainly have been another way of stopping them,’ said Dalziel judiciously.
‘Why’d they bring in Jonty Marsh, sir?’ wondered Wield.
‘There was another lad, Caldicott junior, I think you’ll find. Only he broke his arm the other week.’
‘Harrogate,’ said Pascoe, remembering the torn ivy that Ivan Skelwith had pointed out. ‘I bet that was at Harrogate.’
‘Aye, and likely they needed another nippy little sod to do any clambering about that was needed, so Arthur recommended his kid brother.’
‘They still don’t look as if they’re up to anything,’ said Wield doubtfully.
‘O ye of little faith,’ said Dalziel. ‘Come back to the front bedroom.’
Obediently they followed. Wield and Singh resumed their watch at the front window, stupidly in both their opinions as the gardeners were all round the back. Then ten minutes later, Singh said, ‘Here’s somebody. It’s the postman!’
He cycled up to the front door, sorted out his mail, thrust it through. On his way back he diverted to the side of the house and addressed himself to somebody, then passed from sight.
‘He’ll be having a cup of tea,’ said Dalziel. ‘It’ll be a habit every Tuesday morning. They’re not going to let him see owt suspicious, are they?’
Reproved, the watchers resumed their watching and Dalziel his position on the bed.
‘He’s gone,’ said Wield at last.
‘Right. Shouldn’t be long now,’ said Dalziel, eyes still closed.
‘Where should we be watching, sir, back or front?’ asked Wield.
‘No matter. You’ll not really see much. They’ll fix the alarm bell first. That’ll likely be a job for young Jonty. Jam it, or muffle it, or even cut it, depends on the type. Arthur will have sussed it out. Next, the nipper will be sent up aloft again, this time to cut the telephone wire. Normally of course this’d set the alarm ringing, but a
s they’ve fixed that already, all it means is that the alarm dialling system is knackered too. Then one of them will come in, through a window mebbe, or a door if Arthur’s managed to get a key. The others will carry on with their business so that any passing peasant wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Only from time to time as one of ’em passes by the house with a barrow, he’ll pick up an old sack and later chuck it into the van.
‘I’m just guessing, of course,’ concluded Dalziel. ‘But that’s the way I’d do it.’
He’s right, of course, thought Pascoe, full of bitter self-reproach. For the past few months he’d begun to wonder arrogantly if Dalziel might not be past it. A creature from another age, that’s how he thought of him, a dinosaur about ready for extinction. Well, what came after the dinosaurs? The apes. Almost unconsciously he dropped his jaw and did a little simian shuffle. Dalziel’s eyes, which had appeared firmly shut, opened wide.
‘You all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir. Touch of cramp.’
It was another ten minutes before they heard a noise downstairs.
‘Sir!’ said Wield urgently.
Dalziel slowly rose, yawning.
‘Give ’em a moment to start loading up,’ he said.
He looked at his watch like a commander about to send his troops over the top.
‘Right,’ he said. ‘Off we go. No, not you, young Abdul. You stay up here, son. Sorry, but I made promises about you. Don’t worry, you’ll get mentioned in dispatches, I’ll see to that. You’ve done all right.’
Singh looked disappointed, but clearly Dalziel’s praise was some consolation.
Dalziel led the way with no apparent attempt at concealment, but moving down the stairs with incredible lightness for a man of his bulk.
As they reached the hallway, a man clutching a sack appeared at the study door. It was Arthur Marsh. He stared at them in complete amazement for a moment, then dropped the sack with a hoarse cry of alarm and turned and fled. The policemen followed in order of seniority, though this was accidental rather than hierarchical. At the study door Wield glimpsed Arthur trying to get out of the window with Dalziel clinging on to his left foot with all the proprietary strength of a hungry bear. A noise behind him attracted Wield’s attention. He turned and saw that in one thing Dalziel had been wrong. There was not just one man in the house. Coming out of the dining-room with a silver candlestick in his hand was Jonty Marsh.
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