'You army?'
'That's right. You been checking up?' said Patten with a return to his earlier aggression.
'No. Private security folk are usually ex-cops or ex-forces, and you're not ex-cop.'
'How do you know that?'
Wield shrugged and said, 'Way you don't stick your pinkie out when you drink your tea.'
'What? Oh, I see. A joke.' He sounded surprised.
Here's another thinks I shouldn't make jokes, and he doesn't even know me! thought Wield.
He said, 'What mob?'
'York Fusiliers. I busted my leg on an exercise, mended fine but they were rationalizing, that means dumping bodies. Offered me a medical discharge. I offered them a fifty-mile yomp across the moors, my pension against their jobs. No takers.'
It was clearly a bitter memory.
'So you've ended up deskbound,' said Wield with provocative sympathy.
'Yeah. Well, not all the time, and at least I'm doing something useful.'
'Guarding this place is useful?'
'It's important work they do and they've a right to do it in peace.'
'You reckon? Bit of overkill that mess out there, isn't it?'
'You reckon?' mimicked Patten. 'Listen, back last summer they had one watchman and locks you could fart open. Those mad buggers just walked in, smashed the place up and helped themselves to everything, including the watchman's so-called guard dog. So we got called in. I took one look and said, first thing you want here is a fire zone. That's a piece of ground in clear view where if anything moves, you shoot it. No need to go too far. Nearer the house the better, as that keeps the circle nice and small and cuts down cost. Also it leaves enough of the outer woodland untouched to keep things from the road looking much the same as they've always done. Now if they come, they've got to cross the open. We've got lights and cameras, and there's an alarmed security fence it'll take more than a pair of ordinary wire cutters to get through. Installation's expensive, I agree. But once it's done they're secure forever, and that's worth more than money to a firm like ALBA.'
'I can see that,' said Wield pleasantly. 'When they were clearing the wood, did the contractors say anything about hitting an old wall or something like that? Seem to be a lot of granite slabs lying around out there.'
'Not to me.'
'What about Dr Batty?'
'Couldn't say. But if they did, I'm pretty damn sure he'd have said carry on regardless. Old stones can mean a lot of bearded wonders slapping a preservation order on you if you're not careful.'
He gave Wield a conspiratorial all-mates-together grin which sat uneasily on his scarred and watchful face.
Wield said, 'I'll need to talk with your men who were on duty when they brought those women in last night, especially those as chased them round the offices.'
'Why's that?' said Patten, matiness gone.
'In case ALBA fancy bringing charges. Trespass is no good as far as the house goes, as technically they were invited in, so they'd need to go for criminal damage, assault even. So we'll need statements.'
'Save you the bother,' said Patten delving into his desk. 'We got our system too. Full reports on any incident. Here, take a look, all signed and sealed.'
He handed a thin file across. Wield looked inside. The reports were all there, full of necessary detail of time, place, duration.
'Everything in order?' said Patten. 'Jimmy Howard keeps us straight on rules of evidence. Useful having an ex-cop around.'
'Must be,' said Wield. 'From a quick glance, doesn't seem to have been any real damage either to person or property.'
'More by luck than judgment,' growled Patten. 'That fat cow, the one called Cap, she belted one of my lads in the belly with them cutters and looked like she was going to have a swing at my head with them till that skinny lass caught a hold of her.'
'Walker?'
'Aye. The one who found the bones in the first place. Got the impression your fat boss knew her. She been in trouble for this kind of thing before?'
'No. Not animal rights. She was one of them Women
'That's right. You been checking up?' said Patten with a return to his earlier aggression.
'No. Private security folk are usually ex-cops or ex-forces, and you're not ex-cop.'
'How do you know that?'
Wield shrugged and said, 'Way you don't stick your pinkie out when you drink your tea.'
'What? Oh, I see. A joke.' He sounded surprised.
Here's another thinks I shouldn't make jokes, and he doesn't even know me! thought Wield.
He said, 'What mob?'
'York Fusiliers. I busted my leg on an exercise, mended fine but they were rationalizing, that means dumping bodies. Offered me a medical discharge. I offered them a fifty-mile yomp across the moors, my pension against their jobs. No takers.'
It was clearly a bitter memory.
'So you've ended up deskbound,' said Wield with provocative sympathy.
'Yeah. Well, not all the time, and at least I'm doing something useful.'
'Guarding this place is useful?'
'It's important work they do and they've a right to do it in peace.'
'You reckon? Bit of overkill that mess out there, isn't it?'
'You reckon?' mimicked Patten. 'Listen, back last summer they had one watchman and locks you could fart open. Those mad buggers just walked in, smashed the place up and helped themselves to everything, including the watchman's so-called guard dog. So we got called in. I took one look and said, first thing you want here is a fire zone. That's a piece of ground in clear view where if anything moves, you shoot it. No need to go too far. Nearer the house the better, as that keeps the circle nice and small and cuts down cost. Also it leaves enough of the outer woodland untouched to keep things from the road looking much the same as they've always done. Now if they come, they've got to cross the open. We've got lights and cameras, and there's an alarmed security fence it'll take more than a pair of ordinary wire cutters to get through. Installation's expensive, I agree. But once it's done they're secure forever, and that's worth more than money to a firm like ALBA.'
'I can see that,' said Wield pleasantly. 'When they were clearing the wood, did the contractors say anything about hitting an old wall or something like that? Seem to be a lot of granite slabs lying around out there.'
'Not to me.'
'What about Dr Batty?'
'Couldn't say. But if they did, I'm pretty damn sure he'd have said carry on regardless. Old stones can mean a lot of bearded wonders slapping a preservation order on you if you're not careful.'
He gave Wield a conspiratorial all-mates-together grin which sat uneasily on his scarred and watchful face.
Wield said, 'I'll need to talk with your men who were on duty when they brought those women in last night, especially those as chased them round the offices.'
'Why's that?' said Patten, matiness gone.
'In case ALBA fancy bringing charges. Trespass is no good as far as the house goes, as technically they were invited in, so they'd need to go for criminal damage, assault even. So we'll need statements.'
'Save you the bother,' said Patten delving into his desk. 'We got our system too. Full reports on any incident. Here, take a look, all signed and sealed.'
He handed a thin file across. Wield looked inside. The reports were all there, full of necessary detail of time, place, duration.
'Everything in order?' said Patten. 'Jimmy Howard keeps us straight on rules of evidence. Useful having an ex-cop around.'
'Must be,' said Wield. 'From a quick glance, doesn't seem to have been any real damage either to person or property.'
'More by luck than judgment,' growled Patten. 'That fat cow, the one called Cap, she belted one of my lads in the belly with them cutters and looked like she was going to have a swing at my head with them till that skinny lass caught a hold of her.'
'Walker?'
'Aye. The one who found the bones in the first place. Got the impression your fat boss knew her. She been in trouble for this kind of thing before?'
'No. Not animal rights. She was one of them Women
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