morale.
For Pascoe, the machine was a comfort. It collected scraps of information, some negative, such as, this patch of ground or that outhouse had been searched and nothing had been found; some positive. You put these scraps in place, and joined them together carefully like the numbered dots in a child's drawing book, and eventually with luck a recognizable shape emerged.
He wished Wieldy was here. When it came to making sense out of joined-up dots, there was no one came close to Sergeant Wield. But he and his partner were away for the weekend on a book-buying expedition in the Borders. At least that was what the partner, Edwin Digweed, antiquarian bookseller, was doing. Wield's interest in books began and stopped with the works of H. Rider Haggard. He, as Andy Dalziel, with instinctive salaciousness, had put it when told of the sergeant's nonavailability, was just along for the ride.
About eight o'clock, Dalziel appeared in the incident room and told Pascoe he'd given instructions for the search to be wound down for the night.
"Still a couple of hours of daylight," said Pascoe, slightly surprised.
"We're shorthanded," said Dalziel. "And knackered. They'll miss things in the dusk, start thinking of home, stop for a quiet drag, next thing we've got another grass fire down here and everyone's up all night. I've called in on the Dacres, let them know."
"How'd they take it?"
"How do you think?" snarled the Fat Man. Then relenting, he added, "I pushed the no-news-good-news line. Never say die till you've got a body that has."
"But you don't feel like that, sir?" probed Pascoe. "From the start you've been sure she's gone for good."
"Have I? Aye. Happen I have. Show me I'm wrong, lad, and I'll give you a big wet kiss."
Nobly in face of such a threat, Pascoe persisted. "It could be abduction. There's still some car sightings unaccounted for."
This was straw-grasping stuff. All early-morning vehicle sightings had been eliminated except for three. A local farmer had seen a blue car heading up the Highcross Moor road at what he termed a dangerous speed; several people had noticed a white sedan parked on the edge of Ligg Common; and Mrs. Martin, a shortsighted lady who'd gone early into St. Michael's Church to carry out her flower arranging duties, thought she'd heard a vehicle going up the Corpse Road.
"The Corpse Road?" Dalziel echoed.
"That's right. It's what they call the old track--"
"--t runs over the Neb into Dendale, the one they used for bringing their dead 'uns across to St. Mick's for burying before they got their own church," completed Dalziel. "Don't come the local historian with me, lad, I'm a sodding expert."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully then said, "Tell you what, fancy a walk? It'll do you good, you're looking a bit peaky."
"A walk ...? But where ...?"
"You'll see. Come on."
Outside, the Fat Man plunged briefly into the trunk of his car, from which he emerged with a small knapsack which he tossed to Pascoe.
"You carry it up. I'll carry it down."
"Up?" said Pascoe uneasily.
"Aye. Up."
He led the way through a small gateway into the churchyard, through the green-and-gray lichened tombstones, past the church, and out of the lych-gate on the far side. A pleasant green track stretched ahead, running between old elms and yews. At least it was pleasant for the first thirty yards or so, then it began to grow more rocky and steep.
"Anything that came up here would need four-wheel drive. Or a tractor maybe," panted Pascoe. "Ground's too hard to leave any traces."
"Well, thank you, Natty Bumppo," said Dalziel. "What's been here, then? Herd of cows in gum boots?"
In a small clearing just off the track, where the trees had thinned out considerably, he pointed to the crushed grass and powdered earth, in parts of which tire tracks were clearly visible.
"Yes, well, okay," said Pascoe. "There's been something up here. Well spotted, sir."
He turned away and took a couple of steps back down the
For Pascoe, the machine was a comfort. It collected scraps of information, some negative, such as, this patch of ground or that outhouse had been searched and nothing had been found; some positive. You put these scraps in place, and joined them together carefully like the numbered dots in a child's drawing book, and eventually with luck a recognizable shape emerged.
He wished Wieldy was here. When it came to making sense out of joined-up dots, there was no one came close to Sergeant Wield. But he and his partner were away for the weekend on a book-buying expedition in the Borders. At least that was what the partner, Edwin Digweed, antiquarian bookseller, was doing. Wield's interest in books began and stopped with the works of H. Rider Haggard. He, as Andy Dalziel, with instinctive salaciousness, had put it when told of the sergeant's nonavailability, was just along for the ride.
About eight o'clock, Dalziel appeared in the incident room and told Pascoe he'd given instructions for the search to be wound down for the night.
"Still a couple of hours of daylight," said Pascoe, slightly surprised.
"We're shorthanded," said Dalziel. "And knackered. They'll miss things in the dusk, start thinking of home, stop for a quiet drag, next thing we've got another grass fire down here and everyone's up all night. I've called in on the Dacres, let them know."
"How'd they take it?"
"How do you think?" snarled the Fat Man. Then relenting, he added, "I pushed the no-news-good-news line. Never say die till you've got a body that has."
"But you don't feel like that, sir?" probed Pascoe. "From the start you've been sure she's gone for good."
"Have I? Aye. Happen I have. Show me I'm wrong, lad, and I'll give you a big wet kiss."
Nobly in face of such a threat, Pascoe persisted. "It could be abduction. There's still some car sightings unaccounted for."
This was straw-grasping stuff. All early-morning vehicle sightings had been eliminated except for three. A local farmer had seen a blue car heading up the Highcross Moor road at what he termed a dangerous speed; several people had noticed a white sedan parked on the edge of Ligg Common; and Mrs. Martin, a shortsighted lady who'd gone early into St. Michael's Church to carry out her flower arranging duties, thought she'd heard a vehicle going up the Corpse Road.
"The Corpse Road?" Dalziel echoed.
"That's right. It's what they call the old track--"
"--t runs over the Neb into Dendale, the one they used for bringing their dead 'uns across to St. Mick's for burying before they got their own church," completed Dalziel. "Don't come the local historian with me, lad, I'm a sodding expert."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully then said, "Tell you what, fancy a walk? It'll do you good, you're looking a bit peaky."
"A walk ...? But where ...?"
"You'll see. Come on."
Outside, the Fat Man plunged briefly into the trunk of his car, from which he emerged with a small knapsack which he tossed to Pascoe.
"You carry it up. I'll carry it down."
"Up?" said Pascoe uneasily.
"Aye. Up."
He led the way through a small gateway into the churchyard, through the green-and-gray lichened tombstones, past the church, and out of the lych-gate on the far side. A pleasant green track stretched ahead, running between old elms and yews. At least it was pleasant for the first thirty yards or so, then it began to grow more rocky and steep.
"Anything that came up here would need four-wheel drive. Or a tractor maybe," panted Pascoe. "Ground's too hard to leave any traces."
"Well, thank you, Natty Bumppo," said Dalziel. "What's been here, then? Herd of cows in gum boots?"
In a small clearing just off the track, where the trees had thinned out considerably, he pointed to the crushed grass and powdered earth, in parts of which tire tracks were clearly visible.
"Yes, well, okay," said Pascoe. "There's been something up here. Well spotted, sir."
He turned away and took a couple of steps back down the
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