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Banks stubbed out his cigarette in his wastebin, making sure it was completely dead, and tried to clear the air as best he could by opening the window and waving a file folder about.
When someone knocked at the door and walked in, he felt guilty, like the time his mother noticed ash from his cigarette on the outside window ledge of his room and stopped his pocket money. But it was only A
She looked particularly good this morning, Banks thought, her shiny chestnut hair falling in waves over her shoulders, her almond eyes serious and alert, though showing just a hint of wariness. She was wearing a loose white shirt and black denim jeans, which tapered to an end just above her ankles, around one of which she wore a thin gold chain.
“A
A
“Mea culpa.”
She smiled. “What did you want to see me about?”
“In the first place, I’d like you to go over to the transportation office at the bus station, see if you can find out who was driving the quarter-to-three bus to York, the one that stops at the roundabout.”
A
“Have a chat with him. See if he remembers Emily being on the bus and getting into a light-colored car near the Red Lion. You might also see if he can give you any leads as to his other passengers. Someone might have noticed something.”
“Okay.”
“And have a chat with that bartender at the Jolly Roger, see if she can come up with anyone who might know where this couple lives, who they are. It’s probably a dead end, but we have to check it out.”
A
Banks paused. “This is a bit awkward, A
A
“I mean it feels like there’s a part of you not here – you’ve been distracted – and I’d like to know why.”
A
“Not from where I’m sitting.”
“Look, what is this? Am I on the carpet, or something? Are you going to give me a bollocking?”
“I just want to know what’s going on, if there’s something I can help with.”
“Nothing’s going on. At least not with me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Try.”
“All right.” A
Banks sighed. “A
“You’re blowing this out of all proportion. I’m on the job. I might not be obsessed with the case, but I’m on the job.”
“Are you implying I am obsessed?”
“I’m not implying anything, but if the cap fits… What I will say is that it’s a damn sight more personal for you than it is for me. I didn’t go to London to track her down, or have lunch with her on the day she died. You did.”
“That’s neither here nor there. We’re talking about your commitment to the case. What about Sunday?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sunday morning, when I called in for an update. You were out of contact all morning, and DC Jackman sounded decidedly cagey.”
“I’m hardly responsible for DC Jackman’s telephone ma
With anyone else, Banks would have hit the roof, but he was used to A
“Is that a threat?”
“Don’t be absurd. Look, A
A
“Can’t you see I’m trying to help you out here?” said Banks. “If there’s a problem, something personal, something to do with your family, I don’t know, then maybe we can work it out. I’m not here to supervise you twenty-four hours a day.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“But I need to be able to trust you, to leave you alone to get on with the job.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because I don’t think that’s what you’ve been doing.”
“I trusted you, and look what I found out.”
Banks sighed. “I’ve explained that.”
“And I’ve explained what I was doing.”
“Not to my satisfaction, you haven’t, and I don’t have to remind you that I’m SIO on this one. It’s my head on the block. So if there’s a problem, if it’s something I can help you with, then spit it out, tell me what it is, and I will. No matter what you believe, I’m not after doing you any harm because of what did or didn’t happen between us. Not everything is as personal as you think it is. Credit me with a bit more professionalism than that.”
“Professionalism? Is that what this is all about?”
“A
She gave a sharp jerk of her head and got to her feet again. “No.”
At that moment, DI Dalton popped his head around the door.
“What is it?” Banks asked, a
“What is it, DI Dalton?”
Dalton looked at them both again and seemed to compose himself. “I thought you might like to know that the van driver died early this morning. Jonathan Fearn. Never regained consciousness.”
“Shit,” said Banks, tapping his pen on the desk. “Okay, Wayne, thanks for letting me know.”
Dalton glanced at his watch. “I’ll be off back to Newcastle now.”
“Keep in touch.”
“Will do.”
Dalton and A
A
Sometimes trying to get a lead was like drawing teeth, A