Kill-Devil and Water by Andrew Pepper

been relieved of your duties. Can I ask why?’
     
    Pyke looked across at Saggers. ‘That’s personal, I’m afraid.’ It was late in the afternoon and Pyke wondered what time they put the morning edition to bed.
     
    ‘Yet you expect me to take your word for all of this?’ Spratt ran his fingers through his thinning hair. ‘And in return you want me to lampoon the police and turn them into a laughing stock?’
     
    ‘I don’t want you to turn them into a laughing stock. I just want you to draw attention to the different provisions made for the rich and the poor, call for the establishment of a new detective squad and lay down a challenge; in effect, that a dedicated team of your very best men - that’s to say, Saggers here and myself - will hunt down this woman’s murderer before the police do.’ Pyke took a moment to arrange his thoughts. ‘Think of it as an act of public service. If we’re successful, a murderer will be arrested, tried and punished. And if we’re not successful, the New Police will be forced to re-examine the way they privilege prevention of crime over detection. Who knows? Perhaps a new detective squad will arise from your campaign. And think of the additional newspapers you’ll sell. People always love a murder, but I promise you, they’ll love reading about the progress of your intrepid detectives even more, especially if we find the killer before the police do. Everyone likes to cheer for the underdog. If this thing catches on, people will be queuing at the news stands to read the latest instalment.’
     
    ‘Truly, it’s a monumental idea,’ Saggers said, oozing insincerity. ‘One of breathtaking originality that befits a great man such as yourself and a paper of this calibre.’
     
    Pyke glared at Saggers for his syrupy intervention; they were winning Spratt over already and didn’t need to resort to sycophancy.
     
    ‘You reckon a leader and a daily column ought to do it?’ Spratt asked, inspecting an ink stain on his fingers.
     
    ‘Perhaps not a daily column. But at least every other day, or when there’s something to report. And we can ask your readers to help us with our enquiries. We could ask anyone who might have known or seen Mary Edgar to contact us. A small reward could be made available.’
     
    ‘Rewards cost money and money’s something I don’t have.’
     
    ‘Then we’ll just appeal to the goodness of your readers’ hearts.’
     
    That drew an approving nod.
     
    ‘Of course, I’ll need some money for the investigation. Twenty pounds ought to do it to start off. And for the column itself, Saggers will want to be paid twopence a line rather than the usual one and a half.’
     
    ‘Twenty pounds, you say?’ Spratt sucked the air in through his teeth. ‘I might be able to raise such a sum but it’s not a bottomless well, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
     
    ‘You’ll do it, then?’ Pyke swapped a quick glance with Saggers, who looked as if he might explode with happiness.
     
    ‘Indeed I will,’ Spratt said, ‘but on one condition.’
     
    ‘Oh?’
     
    ‘To give the story credibility, I’ll need to include the name of this senior figure in the New Police who approached you to run the investigation.’
     
    Pyke felt a sudden tightness in his throat. ‘Why’s that?’
     
    Spratt shrugged. ‘His name corroborates the story.’
     
    ‘For what it’s worth, he’s a friend of mine.’
     
    ‘Then you have a difficult choice to make.’
     
    ‘It might seem odd to you but the idea of humiliating this person strikes me as wrong.’
     
    ‘Then you can find yourself another newspaper.’
     
    Pyke wetted his lips. ‘What if I told you he gave me the work as a favour, because he thought - rightly as it turned out - that I needed something to do?’
     
    ‘So you don’t want to hurt someone who’s given you a helping hand. That makes you a fine human being. Now take off your halo and see things from my perspective. Paying