Dalziel 15 The Wood Beyond by Reginald Hill

Author:Reginald Hill [Hill, Reginald]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-08-18T13:48:35+00:00

ii

Peter Pascoe awoke.

It was black dark and the darkness pressed on him like a wall of dank earth which a very little undermining would bring sliding down on top of him. His nostrils flared and his mouth drew in desperate draughts of air, and he turned on his side and reached out his hand in search of he knew not what possible comfort. His fingers found flesh, still, cold, naked. He cried out in shock and tried to withdraw his hand, but before he could, it was seized in a grip irresistibly strong and out of the darkness a voice said, 'You've kicked the sodding duvet off again. God, I'm frozen solid!'

Then Ellie drew him close and held him across her shivering body.

'Purely thermal,' she murmured warningly. 'Don't get any ideas.'

He didn't answer and after a while she became aware that his shivering wasn't all down to temperature.

'Hey, are you OK?' she said.

'Yes. Just a bad dream.'

'Don't tell me. This court-martial thing still?'

'Sort of... in a way . . . not about it though .. . about me ... I feel like I'm there ... in the Salient. ..'

'For Christ's sake, Peter,' she exclaimed sitting up. 'I know I said I thought you should go on with this, but if this is what it's doing to you, don't you think you should give it up?'

'Don't think it would make any difference. Thing is, this salient feeling, it's not new .. . I've been there before . . . feeling out at the limit, exposed, utterly vulnerable.'

'You're talking about after Burrthorpe, aren't you? And Chung?' Ellie's belief in open government started at home.

'I suppose so. But other times too. In some ways all of my life. I've always looked for . .. strength. Maybe that's why I joined the Force. Married you even.'

Attempt at lightness? Or truth in jest?

'You mean, me and Fat Andy are on a par? Thanks a bundle! Peter, I know there've been rough times, but we talked ... at least I thought we talked, I thought we'd got things sorted.'

'No, please, understand me, this has nothing to do with you . . . without what we've got, God knows where I'd be.'

'But you've never told me, not fully. I thought we'd agreed to share everything .. .'

'We do. But that doesn't mean just unloading all the time. You've had bad times too without unloading all your stuff on me.'

She was silent for a while then said, 'Sounds to me maybe I was. Pete, I know you've talked to Pottle in the past and it helped. Have you thought of trying him again?'

'I called to see him last night, on my way back from Kirkton.'

He could feel her hurt at what must come over as another exclusion but all she said was, 'So what happened?'

'He listened, then said, "It seems to me that what we've got here is stress related directly to an investigation, a not uncommon syndrome in your profession. The successful conclusion of the investigation usually solves the problem of the stress also.

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