Vacuum by Bill James

very helpful in the matter of recalling. Yes, Dad, memory is rather a tricky item.’
    â€˜You don’t need “like, automatically”,’ Harpur replied. ‘“Automatically” will do.’
    â€˜Did that scent send your mind back automatically to the first time you smelled it one day?’ Jill said. ‘Or, of course, night. Some women do more scent at night owing to socializing and so on. I think she’d be an Allure fan.’
    â€˜No,’ Harpur said.
    â€˜No, what?’ Jill said. ‘You think, not Allure? Something else? Red? Or something else altogether? You know, do you? Which scent was it, then?’
    â€˜No, I didn’t recognize her scent – any scent,’ Harpur said. ‘How could I if I’ve never met her?’ And scent wouldn’t figure in her file.
    â€˜That’s what we’re talking about, isn’t it, Dad?’ Jill replied.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜ Did you know her, but have forgotten you knew her, and the scent might remind you you knew her,’ Jill said, ‘leading to a complete memory of that previous meeting? This is the kind of thing memory can do. Why I said “tricky”.’
    â€˜No,’ Harpur said.
    â€˜Why didn’t she just ring up and arrange to see you, Dad, not street-loiter?’ Hazel said. ‘We’re in the book.’
    â€˜Some people don’t trust phones,’ Jill said.
    â€˜So she displays herself in Arthur Street instead? If she was wearing sandwich boards with “I’m looking for Col Harpur” on she wouldn’t have been more obvious,’ Hazel said. ‘She leaves her car out of sight, so you might think she knew something about security and undercover, but then she struts along in front of the house, and then struts away from the house so fast anyone would know she’s only in the street because of number 126.’
    â€˜Desperate people do things that aren’t always very brainy,’ Jill replied. ‘She said she “bumped into” Dad, though we know she’d been on the prowl, so that wasn’t very brainy either. I suppose she had to say something to explain why she was there. But because of stress she chose something stupid.’
    â€˜Do you think she’s to do with the Shale situation, Dad?’ Hazel said.
    â€˜This is a case with many sides,’ Jill replied.
    â€˜There are difficulties with it,’ Harpur said.
    â€˜If you regard her as just a nuisance, there’s no need to go back to the house immediately, even though it’s arranged,’ Jill said. ‘She’ll call there, but if you didn’t show she’d realize that wasn’t the way you wanted to do things, such as a police matter, a work matter. It should be dealt with at the nick. Too bad she doesn’t like going there. If she wants something she got to follow the right procedure. Pity she’s not here now. I’d say, “Sorry, Karen, but that’s the picture.”’
    â€˜ Has to follow the right procedure,’ Harpur replied.
    â€˜Yes, she has to,’ Jill said.’
    â€˜I believe she’s a moll of some sort,’ Hazel said.
    â€˜What’s that?’ Jill said.
    â€˜In a crook’s crew, or partner of a crook,’ Hazel said. ‘It’s the mixture of breeziness and nerves. These I noted in her.’
    â€˜I’ll probably see her briefly at home,’ Harpur replied.
    â€˜I don’t think it’s wise, Dad,’ Jill said.
    â€˜Why?’ he said.
    â€˜It doesn’t seem  . . . well, it doesn’t seem very suitable, that’s all,’ Jill said.
    â€˜Why?’ Harpur said.
    â€˜Yes, unsuitable,’ Jill said.
    â€˜I agree with Hazel,’ Harpur replied. ‘This woman has troubles. We’re here to give help when there are troubles.’
    â€˜Which “we” is that?’ Jill said.
    â€˜Police,’ Harpur