Dialogues of the Dead

287 yourself scarce. The super has a tendency to count days spent on sick leave as normal rest days.' All this Hat now told Rye who frowned and said, 'He does sound a bit weird.' 'Roote?' 'No. This Pascoe. I thought when I met him that this was one tightly held together guy.' 'Perhaps he needs to be. He feels threatened.' 'That's it, isn't it? He feels threatened. From what you say, there haven't actually been any threats, have there?' 'No. But this Roote's something else. I can see how he could threaten you without actually threatening you, if you know what I mean.' She looked at him quizzically and said, 'You're a loyal man, Constable Bowler. Decided what you're going to do about Georgie Porgie yet?' That had been something else Wield had said. There'd been two or three more phone calls from Angela Ripley. Wield himself had taken one and, according to him, she didn't sound altogether persuaded that Hat was really sick. The sergeant paused to allow explanation but when it didn't come, he didn't press. And he'd said absolutely nothing about talking to Rye about Charley Penn. Discretion or distrust? 'Cat got your tongue?' said Rye. 'Sorry. Nothing is what I'm going to do about the DI,' said Hat defiantly. 'Angela Ripley will be on her way back to the States today. I don't see any reason to muck up George's retirement party.' Suddenly she kissed him again. 'And you're a very nice man too,' she said. 'Let's go and look at some birds.' It was a day of sun and light showers with a brisk west wind driving clouds down the sky and swirling leaves across the road in the MG's path. He'd kept the hood up because of this but Rye had said, 'Can't we have it down?' and now as they sped along, she pulled off her beret and leaned her head back with eyes closed and such an expression of sheer delight on her face that now the dancing leaves seemed to Hat like rose petals scattered before a marriage procession. Watch it, son, he mocked himself, or she'll have you writing poetry next, you whose appreciation of verse never got much beyond 'The Good Ship Venus'. The thought was mother to a couplet.

/ went out with Raina. By God, you should have seen her.