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Nathan raised his eyebrows
‘This autuested I apply’
‘Go on’ His voice was cautious
‘SoI want to know if you think I should’
‘You don’t needyou I value your opinion and you know ht Well then, first off, do you want it? Really want it If your heart juo for it Nice though, getting asked like that’
‘It’s not in her giftshe was just suggesting she’d approve’
‘Co uv’
‘Can’t She means you’d be the best at it, best successor she could want, all that’
‘Yes Very flattering’
‘Chief’s not an oiler No need to be’
‘That’s true’
‘So?’
Si room was full but they were in a quiet corner and he saw no one he recognised, and certainly no one from the station He could talk freely, as ever, to Nathan
‘I just don’t know When she said it, that did happen – I did think, "Crikey! Wow, yes please" For a second or two But then this case took it clean out of my head and it stayed there – until just now actually I hadn’t given it another thought But relaxing over this – it came back to me You know me, Nathan You know this nick You know this force pretty well – it hasn’t changed much since you went, not essentially You knohat the job is all about’
Nathan looked at him ‘Yeah, I do know you, I reckon I know you and the job And I know pretty hat a Chief’s for So I’ll tell you Don’t touch it Coy copper You’re a hands-on, off-beam tec Always have been – DCI, DCS, whatever, you’re the saet your hands dirty, you don’t pull rank, ’cept when arses need kickin’ You don’t break the rules but you don’t treat thereat tea you couldn’t do it Course you could do it But you’d ’ate it You’d ’ate it fro back into CID and your old desk Right, I’ve said it’
Forty-two
SERRAILLER’S PHONE RANG on the way in to the station He listened Exploded
‘Right, I’ve had enough I’ to talk to hi Get this sorted Anything else?’
‘Matt Williaet a job any alows had a bit of an arguuts, told a reporter Matt was a psycho, bit of a weird one, blah-blah Thelike so their nut He’s de compensation’
‘Of course he is And how many millions is a subcontract sparks worth? Leave it to the press office, they’re good at their job, and he’s on a hiding to nothing anyway – we had every reason to arrest and charge hi in the way, but not worth worrying about Right, if anyone wants to knohere I am, you’ve no idea’
‘The Chief’s already asked’
‘You’ve still no idea’
The DS sighed ‘Guv’
The te around zero but the sky was cloudless, a bright sparkling blue Lafferton looked as if it had been rinsed clean, the cathedral tower standing out in 3D against the clear sky Simon parked his car at the top of Metal Street and walked doards the canal, which ran darkly glea beside the towpath There had been talk for years of clearing up the old warehouses down here and, once, a start had been made, when the Old Ribbon Factory was converted into expensive apartineering problems to do with the site, the conservationists and the Friends of the Canal had organised theun to clear downstrea of the ay to canal boats The old warehouses and sheds stayed as they were, soently as the weather worked on their fabric, others still in fair condition
Si the towpath The s had been pollarded the previous year and looked bald and stu to the town The field beyond had a couple of gypsy horses grazing, with an old trailer full of hay nearby To in circles
He had meant to come down here and draw the old warehouses before it was too late Which it would be one of these days when there wasup He would come when it armer
Nobby Parks’s shack was fifty yards ahead There was no sign of life but as he got nearer Simon could smell the faint fumes of paraffin from his ancient stove The door wasand there was a broken padlock hanging from the handle Nobby wasn’t troubled by the idea of intruders
He banged on the door, then on the wood panel beside it Silence He banged again and there was afrom inside Serrailler pushed open the door and the paraffin fuly
‘You’ll set fire to yourself one of these days, Nobby’
His eyes grew used to the dimness and he made out the rickety table, bench, wicker chair, and the bed in the corner, piled high with blankets, quilts and old sweaters Nobby was struggling out of it, wearing another of the sweaters, with long johns and a cap
‘Morning,’ Simon said ‘Sorry it’s early for you Got a kettle and soht Give h andinnocent members of the public’
But his tone was not unfriendly Simon went back more than fifteen years with Nobby Parks, from his first days in the force as a DC
He looked around The place was more crammed with junk than ever, inside and out, stuff Nobby took froround Never fro of old golf balls?’
‘Come in handy Never know’
‘And all these roof tiles?’
‘Could sell those Old tiles fetch a bob or two’
‘Not when they’re broken they don’t OK, well, just don’t go cli lead or I’ll have you’
The tin kettle whistled sulkily on the stove Nobby got doo s froe
‘Don’t need any fridges, see? Butter as well Bacon Bit of cheese All lives out there’
‘What do you do when it’s hot?’
‘Suffer Help yourself Got no sugar, sorry about that’
‘I don’t take it Thanks, Nobby’