‘.. but in this case my client has cooperated fully. Nay, in my opinion she has cooperated to excess, making no complaint when she was kept in custody overnight, offering no threat of action for false imprisonment, refusing to let news of her maltreatment be released to the media, quietly answering all your questions, and enduring with restraint and dignity all the indignities heaped upon her. But enough is enough — '
'There we have no argument,' interrupted Pascoe. 'In fact, I doubt if I've ever heard you say a truer word. Enough is indisputably enough. But as I'm in charge of this case, it would seem a dereliction of my duty if I let Ms Marvell go without personally ascertaining that everything has been done by the book.'
'I'm sorry?' said Harris, alert. 'You say you're in charge, Peter? I thought Mr Dalziel…'
'Disqualified himself immediately on the grounds of personal involvement,' said Pascoe. 'But because he and Ms Marvell know each other socially, I thought it might make matters less stressful for her if she spoke to the superintendent to start with, under my supervision of course. I hope Ms Marvell hasn't found anything to upset her in this mode of procedure?'
'Well no,' said Harris who Pascoe guessed had been saving up his complaint about Dalziel's involvement as a final body blow. That he would know about the relationship, Pascoe was sure. From what Ellie had told him there had been too many of Mid-Yorkshire's great and good at the university party for Cap Marvell's escort not to have set their collective imagination reeling.
'Good. Then let's have the lady in, shall we?'
He had seen her distantly before, but never spoken to her. Close up, he found her rather heavy features, untouched by make-up after her night in the cell, disappointed any expectation he had of sharing Dalziel's sense of attraction. OK, she had great knockers if your fancy erred towards field sports, but she didn't light his touchpaper.
'I'm sorry if I'm a disappointment,' she said. 'But at least we neither of us can be accused of concealment, can we?'
He felt himself blushing. It was as if she'd overheard his pathetically macho thoughts. She'd certainly read his reaction on his face.
'I do hope not,' he managed in recovery. 'In fact, to make absolutely sure, I'd like to go over one or two things with you once more.'
Her steady wide-eyed gaze reminded him of someone; Miss Martindale, that was who. No other resemblance of age, figure or colouring, but that same sense of being in the presence of someone whose actions were based on rock hard certainties. Would Miss Martindale take a swing at anyone she felt was in the way of her duty to her pupils? Metaphorically, without doubt. Literally? If the kids were locked in cages and being experimented upon, yes, very probably. But the parallel was inexact. You couldn't compare kids and animals. Like Rosie, he might be tempted to hurl a stone at someone beating a dog, but it would take someone beating Rosie to turn him homicidal.
'You have a son, Ms Marvell,' he said.
'Yes.'
'I don't see what my client's family has to do with this,' said Harris.
'Really? But you must be aware that Colonel Pitt-Evenlode provides the alibi for one of the dates we're interested in? Surely you don't object to my referring to witnesses?'
'No, of course not. .'
It was nice to bomb Bomber, thought Pascoe.
'Your son confirms your dinner engagement on the night in question. Neither of you were able to be very precise about the time you finished. Fortunately the restaurant credit-card system records time of transaction among all the other details. And even more fortunately they maintain their records. The colonel paid the bill at 9.32 p.m. This is rather earlier than either of your estimates. The colonel's was tennish, if I recall. And yours was, let me see, 10.00 to 10.30, plus another fifteen minutes to go to the cloakroom, get your coat et cetera, and make your way to the exit where your son had called a taxi.'
'Is there a point you are labouring towards, Peter?' asked Harris.
'Simply this. Ms Marvell's original estimate that she arrived home about 11.00 p.m. made it difficult for her to have changed — I presume that she would have changed — and driven out to Wanwood House to be involved in a break-in there, which the night watchman, who as you will recall was locked in his room with the telephone wires cut, recorded as commencing at a quarter past eleven.'
He was pleased to see his orotund style was irritating Harris. But an irritated Bomber is not a man you want to be in the same room as.
'Perhaps you could clear up a small point for me,' he said. 'On both these occasions my client had been wining and dining. No doubt, through bills at the restaurant and witnesses at the wedding, you can ascertain just how much wine. Hardly the best preparation for an expedition such as you allege.'
'Not if planned,' agreed Pascoe. 'But if spontaneous, alcohol could be a contributory factor rather than a point in rebuttal.'
Hint of a deal there. Diminished responsibility? Well, why not?
Bomber was smiling.
'My point is that while a trio of tipsy ladies might have effected entry to Wanwood which at the time in question was, I gather, secured only by one man and his dog, I really can't see how even the luck of the drunk could have got them undetected into Fraser Greenleaf's plant which had much more sophisticated protection from a top national security firm.'
The same point had already struck Pascoe.
He said weakly, 'I daresay an hour's drive had sobered them up.'
'Indeed. And even on your short acquaintance with Ms Marvell, you must have concluded that she is a very sensible woman. Sober, would she have proceeded with such an insanely stupid action?'
Cap Marvell coughed gently but compellingly.
'I am still here,' she said mildly. 'And while I'm pleased to have your advice, Mr Harris, I think it might speed matters up if Mr Pascoe is allowed to ask his questions and I to answer them as best I can.'
This is the world upside down, thought Pascoe. Suspect rebukes the brief and offers full unaggressive cooperation to the fuzz! Time to join in the daftness.
He said, 'Ms Marvell, why are you being so calm and cooperative?'
She turned that wide candid gaze upon him and this time he felt some of her power of attraction.
'Because I feel I owe Superintendent Dalziel this. Because when I walk out of here, which I hope will be sooner rather than later, I want to feel certain that I have left you no excuse to haul me back in. Because, you should understand, Mr Pascoe, that this is your one free shot. After this it's press, television, letters to my MP, claims for damages, barristers. High Court, European Court, the lot. So do carry on.'
Pascoe glanced at Harris. The solicitor gave him a sympathetic smile and a sorry-I-can't-help-you shrug, then settled back in his chair to enjoy the show.
Bastard, thought Pascoe. All those years, and he still lets me talk myself into trouble!
He said, These occasions when you claim you gave Ms Walker and her bicycle a lift in your car, let's take another look at them.. '
'So you've let her go?' said Ellie.
'Had to.'
'Threatening noises off from the Hero?'
'No. Evidently Lieutenant Colonel Pitt-Evenlode is taking it all in his stride. But then he is still under the impression that Mummy is merely being investigated for another of her silly little free-the-wee-beasties stunts.'
'Why didn't you put Andy's sighting of her the night of the party to her?'
'Because at the moment it's all we've got, and if she looked a jury straight in the eye and said, "He's lying," I'm not sure who they'd believe.'
'You're sure who you believe?'
'Of course,' he said. 'But I'd like a bit of support so that a simple denial won't get her off the hook. All we want is a firm sighting of her Discovery driving around when she says she was watching telly. Or even someone from one of the other flats noticing the time of her return.'