Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey Page B

any risk of someone stealing one?”
    â€œUnlikely. We’re not so vulnerable to casual visitors, being on this bank. It’s the quiet side, as you’ll have noticed. I was surprised to see you two walk in just now.”
    â€œI expect it’s busier at weekends.”
    â€œTrue. Dinghy racing every Sunday through the summer.”
    â€œAt sea?”
    â€œOh, yes. And there’s an annual race upriver and back for the cup.”
    â€œUpriver? Where to?” Diamond asked.
    â€œThe Black Rabbit at Arundel. They have lunch there and then come back.”
    â€œArundel? Is that far?”
    â€œHalf an hour or less if you can handle a boat with any skill.”
    â€œAnd with an outboard motor?”
    Pollux gave him a pained look. “We’re a yacht club.”
    Diamond was seething and not because of the putdown from Pollux. On the walk back he didn’t trust himself to say anything until they’d almost reached the footbridge and then it was Georgina who cued the exchange that followed—and in a way that stoked his anger.
    â€œPenny for them.”
    â€œMm?”
    â€œYour thoughts. You haven’t said a word since we left the club.”
    â€œIsn’t it bloody obvious?” he said. “I’m not used to being treated like a ten-year-old.”
    â€œAh. You’re in a strop because I knew the niece’s name and hadn’t told you. It hadn’t come up. If it had meant anything I would have shared it with you. It’s no big deal, Peter. You don’t want to burst a blood vessel over something as trivial as that.”
    He took a moment to contain himself. “It isn’t trivial. It’s the name of someone involved in the case, someone who may turn out to be a suspect. I was entitled to be given her name.”
    â€œYou know it now.”
    â€œI’ll try and say this calmly, ma’am. If you and I are going to work together, there has to be respect between us. You outrank me, and I understand that. We’ve known each other a few years, long enough to tell that we’re never going to be twin souls. But ours is a professional relationship, or should be.”
    â€œMust be.”
    â€œYou asked me to work with you on this case. Your decision, and it’s put an extra strain on that relationship. Back in Bath you give me the freedom to run CID in my own way. Here, with the two of us, I’m tagging along like Dr. Watson.”
    â€œThat isn’t remotely true,” she said. “Let me remind you it was your decision to cross the bridge. I was all for a gentle walk along the promenade.”
    A fact he couldn’t deny. No point now in trading blows, reminding her that she had made the major decisions of the day, to visit Danny Stapleton in the prison and then drive out to Littlehampton.
    â€œI’ve encouraged you to give your opinion and we’ve had some useful exchanges,” she said. “I wouldn’t call that ‘tagging along.’ My impression of Dr. Watson is that he spent much of his time being awestruck by his companion’s intellect. I haven’t noticed much of that going on.”
    He stared ahead, not trusting himself to speak.
    â€œHave you had your say, because I’d like to raise a couple of matters myself?”
    â€œGo ahead.” He was losing this battle of wills.
    And now Georgina chose to play the card that always defeated him: the helpless woman. “It isn’t easy for me, dealing with someone of your force of personality. If I appear to pull rank sometimes, it’s for my own survival. You can be a tidal wave at times. I’ve seen it often and stood back. Fortunately you aren’t as destructive as a tidal wave, but you’re very alarming, more so than you realise. I’d like to reach an understanding in the days to come. I didn’t rise to assistant chief constable by sitting behind a desk fretting over the crime figures, as you