sort of thing occurs. All incoming calls should be logged. It’s something we really do have to crack down on, if you know what I mean.’
She was standing with her back to him at the door of the living room, and he glimpsed the large black and white paintings which had made such an impression on him the first time. He couldn’t see her face but, like a hedgehog, all her spines were up. She knew he was bluffing, but she couldn’t say so.
‘Well, goodness, he had a perfectly normal voice. I didn’t think anything about it.’
‘East Norwegian dialect?’
‘Er, yes, I mean no, I can’t remember if there was any special dialect, I don’t notice things like that. Anyway, I was a bit stressed, with Emma and everything. And he wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.’
She went into the living room now, still with her back towards him. He followed.
‘Old or young?’
‘No idea.’
‘In fact, it was a female officer on the desk that afternoon,’ he lied.
Eva halted in the living room. ‘Oh? Then she must have gone to the loo or something,’ she said quickly. ‘I spoke to a man, I’m sure of that at least.’
‘With a southern dialect?’
‘For God’s sake, I don’t know. It was a man, I can’t remember any more. I
did
phone, and there’s nothing more to say.’
‘And – what did he say?’
‘Say? Well, not much, but he asked where I was phoning from.’
‘And after that?’
‘Nothing really.’
‘But he asked you to wait at the scene?’
‘No. I just explained where it was.’
‘What?’
‘Yes. And I said it was near the Labour Party headquarters. Where the statue of the log-driver is.’
‘And then you both left?’
‘Yes, we went and ate. Emma was hungry.’
‘My dear Mrs Magnus,’ he said slowly, ‘are you seriously telling me that you phoned and reported finding a body, and you weren’t even asked to wait there?’
‘But for God’s sake, I can’t be answerable for the mistakes your people make when they’re at work! He might have been young and inexperienced for all I know, but it wasn’t my fault!’
‘So you thought he sounded young?’
‘No, I don’t know, I don’t notice things like that.’
‘Artists always notice things like that,’ he said briskly. ‘They’re observant, they take in everything, every detail. Isn’t that right?’
She didn’t answer. Her mouth was pursed into a tight line.
‘I’m going to tell you something,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t believe you.’
‘That’s your problem.’
‘Shall I tell you why?’ he asked.
‘I’m not interested.’
‘Because,’ he went on, lowering his voice even more, ‘yours was the call that they all dream of getting. On the long, dull afternoon shift. A corpse is discovered. Nothing gets an officer more excited, more involved, than a dead man in the river on a humdrum afternoon, in amongst the domestic disturbances and the car thefts and all the swearing from the drunks in the holding cells. You see?’
‘This one must have been an exception, then.’
‘I’ve seen quite a lot of things in the service,’ he confessed, and shuddered at the thought, ‘but never that.’
Now she’d dug right in, just stared at him defiantly.
‘Are you working on a picture?’ he asked suddenly.
‘Yes, of course. That’s how I earn my living, as you know.’
She still hadn’t sat down, and so he couldn’t sit down either.
‘It can’t be easy. To make a living from, I mean.’
‘No. Like I said before, it isn’t easy. But we manage.’
She was getting impatient, but she didn’t dare hurry him. Nobody did. She waited, tensing her slender shoulders, hoping he would go so that she could breathe freely once again, as freely as she could with all she knew.
‘“Necessity is the mother of invention”,’ he said sharply. ‘You’re unusually punctual paying your bills at the moment. Compared to the time
before
Ms Durban died. You were late with everything then. It’s really quite
She was standing with her back to him at the door of the living room, and he glimpsed the large black and white paintings which had made such an impression on him the first time. He couldn’t see her face but, like a hedgehog, all her spines were up. She knew he was bluffing, but she couldn’t say so.
‘Well, goodness, he had a perfectly normal voice. I didn’t think anything about it.’
‘East Norwegian dialect?’
‘Er, yes, I mean no, I can’t remember if there was any special dialect, I don’t notice things like that. Anyway, I was a bit stressed, with Emma and everything. And he wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.’
She went into the living room now, still with her back towards him. He followed.
‘Old or young?’
‘No idea.’
‘In fact, it was a female officer on the desk that afternoon,’ he lied.
Eva halted in the living room. ‘Oh? Then she must have gone to the loo or something,’ she said quickly. ‘I spoke to a man, I’m sure of that at least.’
‘With a southern dialect?’
‘For God’s sake, I don’t know. It was a man, I can’t remember any more. I
did
phone, and there’s nothing more to say.’
‘And – what did he say?’
‘Say? Well, not much, but he asked where I was phoning from.’
‘And after that?’
‘Nothing really.’
‘But he asked you to wait at the scene?’
‘No. I just explained where it was.’
‘What?’
‘Yes. And I said it was near the Labour Party headquarters. Where the statue of the log-driver is.’
‘And then you both left?’
‘Yes, we went and ate. Emma was hungry.’
‘My dear Mrs Magnus,’ he said slowly, ‘are you seriously telling me that you phoned and reported finding a body, and you weren’t even asked to wait there?’
‘But for God’s sake, I can’t be answerable for the mistakes your people make when they’re at work! He might have been young and inexperienced for all I know, but it wasn’t my fault!’
‘So you thought he sounded young?’
‘No, I don’t know, I don’t notice things like that.’
‘Artists always notice things like that,’ he said briskly. ‘They’re observant, they take in everything, every detail. Isn’t that right?’
She didn’t answer. Her mouth was pursed into a tight line.
‘I’m going to tell you something,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t believe you.’
‘That’s your problem.’
‘Shall I tell you why?’ he asked.
‘I’m not interested.’
‘Because,’ he went on, lowering his voice even more, ‘yours was the call that they all dream of getting. On the long, dull afternoon shift. A corpse is discovered. Nothing gets an officer more excited, more involved, than a dead man in the river on a humdrum afternoon, in amongst the domestic disturbances and the car thefts and all the swearing from the drunks in the holding cells. You see?’
‘This one must have been an exception, then.’
‘I’ve seen quite a lot of things in the service,’ he confessed, and shuddered at the thought, ‘but never that.’
Now she’d dug right in, just stared at him defiantly.
‘Are you working on a picture?’ he asked suddenly.
‘Yes, of course. That’s how I earn my living, as you know.’
She still hadn’t sat down, and so he couldn’t sit down either.
‘It can’t be easy. To make a living from, I mean.’
‘No. Like I said before, it isn’t easy. But we manage.’
She was getting impatient, but she didn’t dare hurry him. Nobody did. She waited, tensing her slender shoulders, hoping he would go so that she could breathe freely once again, as freely as she could with all she knew.
‘“Necessity is the mother of invention”,’ he said sharply. ‘You’re unusually punctual paying your bills at the moment. Compared to the time
before
Ms Durban died. You were late with everything then. It’s really quite
Similar Books
