by Oliver Tidy
‘It’s so... unfair,’ said Marsh, still battling her grief.
‘Unfair?’ said Romney. ‘Life and death is rarely fair, Joy. You should know that by now. I remember Peter said once that if life were fair, Elvis would still be alive and all his impersonators would be dead.’
As they stumbled over the uneven, spongy ground, Spicer said, ‘We still have to decide what we’re going to do to keep Peter’s memory alive at work.’
‘How about cakes every Friday? We could take it in turns,’ said Marsh.
‘That’s not a bad idea, actually,’ said Romney. ‘Better than mine.’
‘The vending machine?’ said Marsh.
Romney said, ‘That was a bit crass. I wasn’t thinking straight.’
‘I’d still like to see his ugly mug when I come to work’ said Spicer. ‘How about a framed photograph? It’d cheer me up.’
His connection with CID and Grimes being tenuous, Fower had been understandably reticent during proceedings. But he wanted to say something, to contribute to the occasion in some way. He was one of them now – Superintendent Vine had made it official.
‘I didn’t know Peter as well as most but I can see what kind of a man he was from the high esteem everyone holds him in. I hope that I can be half the policeman he was.’
Romney stopped walking and turned to face the young man. The others stopped too.
Romney said, ‘You’d better set your sights a lot higher than that if you want to stay in my CID. Peter was popular for a good number of reasons but I don’t think even he would have pretended he was a contender for detective of the year. They didn’t call him and Derek Laurel and Hardy for nothing. I, for one, will be glad not to hear that theme tune echoing around the corridors of Ladywell any more.’
They continued on their way, Romney leading from the front over a narrow band of grass. Marsh looked over her shoulder to catch Fower’s eye. He was looking a little deflated. She smiled at him through her red and swollen features, sniffed and said, ‘You’ll be fine, Philip.’
***
Hello,
Firstly, I’d like to say thank you for taking a chance on downloading this book. I hope you found something in it to enjoy.
Secondly, I would like to invite you to visit me at olivertidy.wordpress.com where you can find out more about other books I’ve written. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter .
Thirdly, if you enjoyed the book, please leave a comment to that effect on Amazon. That sort of thing is really important for an author-publisher. Readers’ comments are all we’ve got to go by. Alternatively, I would be genuinely pleased to receive any comments, corrections or suggestions regarding any aspect of this book and my writing at the web address above where I have made a page available for feedback.
My thanks to Martin for his proofreading and editorial suggestions. Any mistakes in the text are entirely my responsibility, especially as I have a habit of changing things when he’s not looking.
Best wishes
Oliver Tidy
PS There might be one or two R&M Files readers who would like to share their feelings regarding the loss of a regular without doing it on a public forum where the read could be spoilt for others. You can reach me at [email protected] where I am always happy to hear from you.
E-book titles available in my Romney and Marsh Files series:
#1 Rope Enough Amazon UK Amazon US
#2 Making a Killing Amazon UK Amazon US
#3 Joint Enterprise Amazon UK Amazon US
#4 A Dog’s Life Amazon UK Amazon US
#5 Particular Stupidities Amazon UK Amazon US
#6 Unhappy Families Amazon UK Amazon US
E-book titles available in my Acer Sansom series:
#1 Dirty Business Amazon UK Amazon US
#2 Loose Ends Amazon UK Amazon US
#3 Smoke and Mirrors Amazon UK Amazon US
E-book titles in my Booker and Cash series:
#1 Bad Sons Amazon UK Amazon US
#2 He Made Me Amazon UK Amazon US