Limestone Cowboy dcp-9

by Stuart Pawson

  He nodded. "Yes."

  His dad nudged him. "Yes, Inspector."

  "Yes, Inspector."

  "Good, so tell me. Robin, why were you stealing items of underwear from washing lines?"

  It was all a joke, a display of bravado. Several boys from school had dared each other to see who could collect the most. After a bit of probing it looked as if there was a hint of bullying behind it.

  "I don't suppose you want to tell me the names of the other boys?" I said.

  He didn't reply, gazing down at the table.

  "OK, in that case I won't ask you. But let me tell you this: When there's a serious crime the first thing we do is interview what we call the usual suspects. We have a register with all their names on. If your name is on that we can call on you any time we need to, day or night, for the rest of your life. An offence like this should warrant putting you on the list. Is that what you want?"

  "No, Sir."

  "Good. As you're so young we've decided not to put you on it, this time. Now, how do you feel about apologising to the people you stole from?"

  He looked from me to his father and back to me again. The fear had turned to terror. Probation service run a scheme called the victim of fender unit, where certain selected villains are challenged to meet the people they stole from to apologise and offer reparation. I explained the scheme to Robin and his father and Robin reluctantly agreed to cooperate. I asked him to wait outside while I chatted to his dad.

  "I'll have a word with probation," I said, "to see if he's suitable. With there being sexual overtones it might not be wise to disclose Robin's identity."

  "I don't think sex comes into it," his father said. "He doesn't bother about girls at all. His testicles haven't dropped yet."

  "Fair enough, but I think we've given him something to think about."

  "You certainly have. Does this mean he has a criminal record?"

  "No, a reprimand is what we used to call a caution but it's not a conviction, although by accepting it he has admitted his guilt. We'll have his name on file until he's eighteen, but there's no need for him to disclose it to any future employer. These other boys. Do you think you could ask him for their names, and let me know? I didn't want to push him into a corner. Grassing up his friends and all that wouldn't be good for his self-esteem, but telling you might not be such a big deal."

  "No problem. And thanks again."

  We left the room and I escorted them off the premises. Prompted by his father, Robin apologised and thanked me. "I don't want to see you in here again," I told him, "unless you're wearing the uniform."

  The office was empty when I went back upstairs, so I stuffed my wallet into my back pocket and went walkabout in town. Inspector Adey, resplendent in white shirt, short sleeved and with epaulettes, was coming out of the HMV shop, carrying one of their bags as I crossed the road. It must have been a short meeting with the ACC. I dashed across and into the shop. One cashier was standing idly behind his till.

  "That man who just left," I said. "The policeman. He's a colleague of mine. Don't suppose you can tell me what he bought can you?"

  The youth grinned, happy to oblige. "Garth Brooks," he replied. "The Chase."

  "Country and western?"

  "Yeah, well. One man's poison an' all that."

  "Thanks. Are you likely to have the music from Band of Brothers?"

  "Try Soundtracks, in the corner."

  It was there, at Ј13.99, which I considered a rip-off. They'd made the music for the TV series, so from now on it was all profit. I'd liked the main theme but wasn't sure about the rest of it, so I decided not to bother and went to the sandwich shop.

  Back in the office everybody had materialised again and they'd set the telescope up on a desk, pointing ouf of the window. The troops were queuing up to take turns.

  "Hey, be careful with that, it belongs to technical services," I said.

  Jeff Caton was at the helm. He let out a low whistle, saying: "Just grab an eyeful of that."

  "What?" the next in line demanded.

  "Legal and General. You can see straight into their office. They've got flat screen monitors."

  "Wow!" I exclaimed as he stood up to let a DC have a look.

  "Take a dekko at her in the middle window," he advised.

  After some readjusting the DC complained: "She's got her back to us."

  "I know," Jeff replied, "but can't you just imagine her little skirt riding up her young thighs?"

  Somebody added: "And her tiny breasts thrusting against the thin material of her blouse."

  Dave said: "And her knicker Tastic cutting into her like a cheese wire."

  "Perverts!" I shouted. "You're all perverts!" and retreated into the sanctuary of my little office. The file from South Wales was on my desk. I looked through it then rang Rosie's number.

  "How are you?" I asked when she answered.

  "Fine, Charlie. And you?"

  "I'm OK. Can I come over and see you tonight?"

  "Of course you can. Have you made any progress?"

  "I'd hardly call it progress but I've spoken to a couple of people. About eight-thirty?"

  "Mmm. Eight-thirty. I'll bake you a cake."

  "Did you know that Gareth was a country and western fan?" I asked Dave as we drove over to Grainger's supermarket headquarters.

  "You're joking."

  "He bought a Garth Brooks CD in HMV this morning."

  "Well, well. That should be worth something, one day. We still owe him for nabbing the knicker thief."

  Sharon Brown saw us in her office, after telling her secretary — a gawky girl with a ring through her nose and shoes the size of paddle steamers — to take a break. She didn't offer us coffee and sat behind her desk twiddling a pencil between her fingers. The jacket for her power suit was over the back of her chair and it was easy to see where the attraction lay for Sir Morton.

  "What's company policy on shoplifters, Miss Brown?" I asked.

  "We prosecute them all," she replied.

  "Without fear or favour."

  "That's right."

  "Old ladies — and gentlemen, I suppose — sometimes become confused. Don't you make any allowances for that?"

  "Those confused old ladies, Inspector, are usually wearing fur coats with big pockets, and it's always a tin of best salmon they just happen to slip into one, never the tuna."

  "Are you saying that there's no such thing as Alzheimer's, or senility?"

  "No, of course not, but it's up to the court to decide that."

  "It's rather stressful for them, don't you think, going to court for what is most likely the first time in their lives."

  "That's their problem."

  I turned to Dave. "A girl called Rebecca Smith worked for Grainger's, here at this store, Miss Brown," he began. "She left under a bit of a cloud. We thought you had a policy of retraining and redeploying people who didn't immediately settle in."

  "We have," she replied. "Dismissal is absolutely a last resort."

  "What about bullying? Where does that come in the Grainger's management development programme?"

  "If we were aware of any bullying we would take steps to deal with the causes of it."

  "You didn't in this case."

  "I wasn't aware of it."

  "Miss Smith has been advised to sue for constructive dismissal."

  Sharon Brown rotated the pencil between her fingers, glanced up at the clock and shuffled in her chair. "That will be between her and our solicitors. I'm not familiar with the case."

  "But you must accept some responsibility."

  "I'm not familiar with the case."

  I cleared my throat and asked: "Where were you last Saturday evening?"

  She switched her gaze from Dave to me. A lock of dark hair fell across her spectacles and she brushed it away.

  "Last Saturday," I reminded her.

  "I… went away for the weekend."

  "Where to?"

  "I don't see that it's any of your business
."

  Back to Dave. "How long have you been shagging the boss?" he asked.

  Miss Brown dropped the pencil and jerked her head to face him. "I don't know what you mean."

  "Right," he said. "We'll start at the beginning. There are birds, and there are bees. And there are little birds and little bees. Shagging is what the big birds and bees do to get little birds and bees."

  "What about Mr Robshaw, the manager here?" I asked. "Are you having an affair with him?"

  She turned to me again, throwing her head back and laughing in an exaggerated manner, relieved to be on safer ground. "Tim Robshaw!" she scoffed. "He should be so lucky."

  Dave came straight in with: "So it's just Sir Morton?"

  She retrieved the pencil and carefully placed it on the blotter on her desk, exactly parallel with the edge. She stared down at it and readjusted its position, but we could see that her face had turned colour under the makeup and her lips were moving silently, as if she were chewing something unpalatable.

  "We know that Sir Morton didn't go to Scotland," I said.

  "So where did you spend the weekend?" Dave added.

  "Paris," she whispered. "I went to Paris."

  "With Sir Morton?"

  She didn't reply and we didn't press her, content to see the devastation on her face, like some mediaeval merchant who'd just learned that his ship laden with bullion had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

  Chapter Nine

  Rosie baked me a chocolate cake. "It's a pity you didn't come earlier," she said. "It's a lovely evening. I've been sitting outside."

  "I wanted to spend an hour on my paintings," I explained. "You can only do so much at a time, then you have to wait until the paint dries."

  I didn't mention the long phone call I'd received from Cambridge. "How did it go?" I demanded as soon as I realised who it was.

  "I'm engaged, Uncle Charles," Sophie told me, her delight evident in her voice.

  "Oh, I'm so pleased, Sophie. I'm so pleased. I told you it would be all right. You told Digby about… you know?"

  "About the baby? Yes, he's delighted. He was a bit shocked at first, thought he'd let me down, but he soon came round."

  "And you're engaged?"

  "Unofficially, yes."

  "A big ring?"

  "Not yet. I'm not bothered about one."

  "Congratulations, Sophie," I said. "I hope you're deliriously happy. I think you will be. Meanwhile, I'll just have to take this pair of tickets to Antarctica back to the travel agent."

  "Uncle Charles…"

  "Mmm."

  "About Saturday. Thanks for looking after me. I'm glad I came to you, and I'm glad… well, I'm just glad."

  And so was I. My feelings had been mixed, just a little, but Sophie wasn't reduced to just another notch on my bed head, and that made me happy. We were still friends, something that lovers often can't say.

  "Listen," I said. "I'm invited to lunch on Sunday but I'm scared stiff that Digby will say something to indicate we'd met before."

  "I never thought of that," Sophie told me. "I suppose we could call to see you first, on Saturday on our way home."

  "That would help," I agreed, "but I'll still skip lunch, if you don't mind."

  "I was hoping for some moral support."

  "You'll be fine."

  Rosie was offering more tea. I nodded and pushed my cup and saucer across the table. "Nice cake," I said. "My favourite."

  "I should have invited you for a meal," she said. "It was thoughtless of me."

  "Nonsense. Chocolate cake is a treat-and-a-half."

  "Have another piece."

  "Well, just a small one."

  Rosie told me about her day. She'd spent it stripping varnish from a pine bookcase she'd bought, and preparing visual aids for when school started again.

  "Geography or geology?" I asked.

  "Geog. The changing face of Eastern Europe. What with all the asylum seekers and upstart countries that nobody had heard of five years ago, suddenly everybody wants to know what's where. Good old boring geography is flavour of the month. Well, not quite, but mild interest has been aroused."

  I smiled at her words. "Have you travelled much?" I asked.

  "Not for a while, but I used to, when I could afford it. I had a couple of nasty experiences and it put me off. It can be difficult for an unaccompanied woman. You attract unwelcome attention."

  "I can imagine. Where's your favourite place?"

  "Florence," she replied, dreamily. "No doubt about it. I spent a month there one summer, and I was in heaven."

  "What? No unwelcome attention?"

  "It's not always unwelcome," she replied with a laugh. "Have you been to Florence?"

  "Long time ago, when I was a student. Otherwise, I haven't done much travelling. It's something I regret."

  I sipped my tea and replaced the cup on the saucer. "I went to see a man called Henry Ratcliffe today,"-I began, when happy thoughts about times spent in sunnier climes had subsided. "He was the investigating officer."

  "Where was this?" Rosie asked, suddenly concerned.

  "Chester. He's in a nursing home in Chester, has some wasting disease. Motor neurone or something like that. I doubt if he has much longer to live, but he's quite lucid."

  "The poor man."

  "Mmm. I asked him what he remembered about the case, and… about… your father."

  "Was he any help?"

  "Not in the way he meant, Rosie. Even allowing for the huge chip on his shoulder brought about by his condition, he didn't come across as a very nice man. Your father's politics were anathema to him, and I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't cloud his judgement."

  "You mean… he may have tampered with the statement?"

  "I certainly wouldn't put it past him. He belonged to that school, and no mistake." But before her hopes were raised too far I went on: "However, this morning I received a copy of the statement. I haven't brought it because I thought it might upset you. It was written by Ratcliffe and allegedly signed by your father. It looks OK to me but we could try to check the signature. It's a long name and your dad signed it in full, so it would be difficult to forge. It doesn't look good, I'm afraid, Rosie."

  She bit her lip and stayed silent, holding a long-cold cup against the crook of her shoulder. The nail polish on her toenails was chipped through walking about bare-footed, and as if reading my mind she drew her feet under her, out of sight. Outside, the streetlights came on up the hillside, although it was still early. Big clouds were building up and the tops were lost in them. Rosie rose from her chair and switched on a standard lamp to give the room some illumination.

  When she was seated again she said: "So we'll have to wait for the DNA tests?"

  "It looks like it."

  I wanted to cross over to her and swamp her in an embrace, tell her that everything was just fine, that we could see things through together, but I couldn't. It wouldn't be true. Life is for the living, I wanted to say, and we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it. God knows, it's short enough. But she was locked in the past, with a dead father who she loved. Would I have been as determined to clear my father's name under similar circumstances? I had no idea.

  "Last night," I said, "I talked to Mary Dunphy on the telephone."

  Rosie came back from wherever. "Mary Dunphy?" she repeated.

  "You knew her as Mary Evans."

  "Mary Evans? You've spoken to Mary Evans?"

  "Yes. She said you were the prettiest girl in the village, and the cleverest."

  "Oh, I was, I was! So where is Mary living?"

  "Still in the village. Presumably she married someone called Dunphy and stayed there."

  "That would be Barry Dunphy. He was a few years older than us but I remember him because he played for the school rugby team. He was expected to go on to great things in rugby, but I never heard of him again."

  "That happens to lots of promising young sportsmen," I said, shaking my head wistfully. "Good at school, but never m
aking it in the big, wide, outside world. Did I ever tell you about my goal-keeping exploits?"

  "I can hardly wait," she replied, a smile briefly lightening her expression.

  "I'll save them for another time. Mary spoke quite affectionately about your father. Said he was the last person she would have thought of to have… you know. Until she heard about the confession."»

  Talk of the rugby team had reminded rrfe of the last piece of news I had for her. "There's just one other thing," I said. "According to Mrs Dunphy, Glynis was what she described as 'an immoral person'."

  "An immoral person? In what way?"

  "Apparently she wasn't averse to going up the hillside with a gang of boys and giving them sexual favours. It happens in most villages, or so I'm led to believe."

  "I didn't know that."

  "There was no talk of it at the time?"

  "No, but why should there have been?"

  "No reason, except that if the case had gone to trial it could have made the difference between a charge of murder or one of manslaughter."

  She sat silently, pondering on my words. I drained the dregs from my cup and stood up to leave. "I'll be on my way," I said. "I take it you haven't heard anything."

  "No, nothing."

  "Let me know if you do. Thanks for the tea and the cake."

  "Thanks for coming, Charlie. I do appreciate it."

  She walked to the door with me. As I stood with my hand on the handle I said:

  "When this is over, Rosie, do you think we might spend some time together, get to know each other?"

  She looked up at me and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

  "Win or lose?"

  "Mmm, win or lose."

  "Good. And perhaps then we could catch up on all that travelling."

  "That's something to look forward to."

  "Secret of happiness," I said, "is having something to look forward to." I held her slim shoulders in my hands and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "And I've a lot to catch up on."

  Rosie walked me to the gate and I admired her flowers. She grew roses but I failed to associate them with her name for a few seconds and made some fatuous comment. "I'm just a dumb detective," I said, giving myself a blow to the head.