Golden Rain by Douglas Clark

Author:Douglas Clark [Clark, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2019-02-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

They met once more in Masters’ room. The sergeants had had the foresight to bring in a stock of beer.

“We’ve got just seventy-two minutes before dinner,” said Masters. “I want to hear what you two have heard, and the D.C.I. will tell you what we learned. Then I want to get down there to eat as soon as the dining room opens because I think we may have to go out again.”

“You’ve got something in mind, George?”

“Yes. I’ll discuss it over dinner. Reports now.”

Reed and Berger spoke first. Masters and Green listened attentively. When they had finished, Green spoke.

“Are you going to take the Lickfold woman in for questioning, Chief?” asked Berger.

“I don’t think so. Certainly not at the moment.”

“From the way the D.C.I. spoke, she practically confessed.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to imply that.”

“No,” said Green. “The woman needs treatment. She’s caved in, mentally, under the stress of her home life and the severe blows to her self-esteem dealt by Miss Holland.”

“But from everything we’ve heard, Miss Holland was a decent, kind woman.”

“Besides being kind, she was efficient and devoted,” Masters reminded him. “Efficiency and devotion are uncomfortable traits in a headmistress because, though Miss Holland was a kindly woman, she was not prepared to accept the too obvious shortcomings of Miss Lickfold. Devotion to her job led her to harry the weak member of the team even though, in doing so, she made better provision for that member than Miss Lickfold had any right to expect. Wounds to the self-esteem, it would seem, are not cured by kindness, only by restoratives—literally—which . . . well, which restore the injured party to the former state of self-regard.”

“Is that why you didn’t collect her?”

“That’s it,” said Green. “We could be wrong, so we shan’t forget her, but we were both of the opinion she had lost some of her marbles. To have taken her in, without very strong cause, could have been a big mistake. There’s her mother to be looked after, for instance. Apart from the fact that neither of us thought she was guilty. I mean, she wasn’t cunning. She took no trouble to disguise her dislike of Miss Holland. We were left with just a picture of frustration and hatred. But as I say, we could be wrong.”

“And there was nothing else?”

“Not then, but there is now. His Nibs has got some bee in his bonnet from all the signs.”

“Is that right, Chief?”

“It’s certainly been strengthened during the last half hour.”

“What has?”

“An idea which you gave me earlier.”

“Me?” asked Reed, in amazement.

“Yes. Something you said to Berger last night. So drink up and we’ll go and get something to eat. Don’t forget the D.C.I. and myself were not provided with tea and cake everywhere we went this afternoon.”

*

“The food’s not bad here,” said Green, tackling a plate of beef stew with noodles, “but there’s not enough of it. I like a pub that lets you have a decent helping and then some more. If we’re going out again tonight I shall look for a Chinese chippy.

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