Noose by Bill James

Author:Bill James [James, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9780727883186
Google: ktQfnAEACAAJ
Amazon: B00FZMSICA
Barnesnoble: B00FZMSICA
Goodreads: 17859399
Publisher: Severn House Digital
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

And Lucy did have something serious to say. Once the formalities of victory by Green had been completed and the ‘prisoners’ listed, Bain released the letters in a touching little procedure, like dishing out rations to the starving. Ian saw from the postmark that Bain must have liberated his from the pigeon holes a week ago. Just for forward planning this lad might deserve the Sword. Ian felt too tired and fed up to read her letter tonight. He knew the bleak gist of it already. Thanks, Ray.

Next day, after morning parade, there was an Equipment Indenting lecture: how to order new blanco, new light bulbs, new bedding, new ammo, new French knickers for Women’s Royal Air Force girls. The specialist Equipment Flight Lieutenant giving the lecture said the buttons-under-the-crutch knickers had saved more man hours than any other innovative piece of gear in the Service. After this, the session faded into dullness. Half of White Course slept, but Ian spread Lucy’s letter out on his thighs under the lecture room desk and, before sleeping himself, absorbed most of the message. She said that in her view things between them had become too difficult – he far away in the OCTU, she preoccupied at the start of a newspaper career. It was Lucy’s feature-writing job that had made Ian think about journalism for himself when he left the RAF. She believed they should both recognize these problems and end their ‘understanding’. The relationship had become complicated and uncertain. He might be sent abroad soon. He didn’t know what job he’d try for when demobilized. It would be better if they finished. He dozed but in half-waking moments thought she might be right. Perhaps things were too complicated and uncertain. Some aspects of a relationship could be simplified and improved at the same time, as with the knickers buttons. But only some aspects of a relationship.

He had invited Lucy to the passing-out parade next week, when he’d collect his commission, maybe even the Sword of Honour, though he doubted that after the capitulation of White Course in the snow. Bain had shown he knew life was going to be no picnic and had toughened up and developed his no-rules warfare techniques to suit. Lucy’s letter added that, in view of her changed feelings, and because of the distance and the time off work required, she would obviously not be coming. That obviously really hit him. As North Korea’s Ray Bain had said in his airfield statement, the letter made things ‘very final’. The obviously meant there’d be no point in arguing, pleading, replying. The letter was already a week old, anyway, so the time for an urgent answer had most likely gone.

In the Mess bar a couple of evenings later, Ray Bain approached Ian and asked if they could have a private chin wag for a few minutes. They took their beers to a corner table. Bain said: ‘I’ve been thinking, Ian. Maybe the umpire was right and I went too far.

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