Dialogues of the Dead

W being a detective, taking note of what makes people tick, especially the oddities, which means most of us.' 'So, have you drawn any conclusions, Charley?' 'Only that there's a lot more mileage in it.' 'Why do you say that?' ' 'Cos he's obviously a clever sod, and if the sharpest brain in , our CID has got to waste time suspecting me, then you can't be within a moonshot of catching him.' 'Charley,' said Dalziel softly, 'there's one way you can stop me wasting rime. Make up your mind if you're going to come clean „ or try to tough it out. Last Sunday afternoon .. . ?' 'And if I tell you I went to see my mother, what then?' 'Then I invite you down the nick where the refreshments aren't i' half as good as this and the service is twice as lousy,' said Dalziel. ', 'Oh well, if you'd put it like that to start with ... I was with a | friend. A female friend.' | 'They're the best kind,' said Dalziel. 'But, let me guess, she's ,i married and being a true gent, you can't possibly give me her i, name.' ti 'Andy, I don't know why we bother to have conversations when | you know everything in advance.' ; 'Because it's words that make the world go round,' said Dalziel. 'I thought it was love.' ' 'Same thing. Nowt that doesn't come down to words.' I 'You're getting too deep for me, Andy. So what do we do now?' 'You? You do nowt. Me, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm .' not going to press you to reveal a name, Charley, because I respect j your loyalty and delicate feelings in this matter. But you're right'f about us being alike. I keep a little notebook too where I jot down;; oddities. And I reckon when I go through my notes, I'm going! to come across - it might be a couple, it might be half a dozen, | it might even be more - names of women who could be thefemme | I'm cherchezing. I'll put 'em in alphabetic order then I'll call round | to see each of them in turn, preferably at night just when they're; serving up supper to hubby and the family, and I'll ask 'em, "Were! you rucking Charley Penn last Sunday afternoon? I need to know; else he's in big trouble." And I'm sure that the lady in question! will stand up and be counted rather than let you stay in that; trouble. In fact, if she's tired of her old man and fancies getting!? together with you on a more permanent basis, she might jump at the chance to get this out in the open. Could even be that more than one will see this as too good a chance to miss and I may be stuck with a superfluity of admissions, which could be awkward. But that's a risk I'll just have to take. Unless you care to save me from it.' He nodded as if to affirm his readiness to undertake such a perilous mission and drank his beer. 'Fuck you, Dalziel,' said Penn. 'I take it that's a "yes",' said Dalziel.

301 Chapter Thirty-four