Nobody's Perfect by Douglas Clark

Author:Douglas Clark [Clark, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2017-07-19T22:00:00+00:00

4

After the fine, bright weather of the preceding two days, with no sign of a cloud blanket to keep the ground warm at night, there was a crisp frost — the first of the autumn — on the Thursday morning. Motoring in traffic was difficult. Drivers who hadn’t encountered similar conditions for at least half a year seemed taken by surprise, and out of practice at holding the road. Masters, anchored by his bulk, sat unmoving in the car. Green hung on to the back of Brant’s seat till his knuckles showed white with the strain. There was little conversation except for appreciative remarks from Masters about the trees which, almost leafless, sparkled prettily in the misty but powerless sunlight. Green didn’t reply. He concentrated on weaving his body with the movement of the car. He found no beauty in the midst of danger. He began to look happier only when they reached Huth’s office and he could relax his tensed muscles.

“What about Torr?” he said. “Are we going to concentrate on him?”

“Forget him,” Masters answered. “Cross him off your list of suspects.”

“What? How can you be sure?”

“I can’t, absolutely. But I’m satisfied Huth didn’t know about Torr’s dog track capers. If he had known, Torr would have been out on his neck last week, not sitting in his office this Monday plotting murder. And if Huth didn’t know, Torr had no reason to murder him.”

“Hell,” said Green. “You’re easily satisfied. Remember Huth called for Torr’s file. How do you explain that?”

“He called for Hunt’s file, too. To promote him. He might have wanted to promote Torr.”

“That slob? I thought Huth was a good businessman!”

“So he was. It doesn’t mean he had a perfect team. Besides, we’re all blind to other people’s faults at times.” He spoke with feeling. He’d had Green round his neck for long enough. He added: “Or learn to live with them even if we don’t accept them.”

“Huth called Torr a con man.”

Masters sat back and lit his pipe. Then he said, “It seems strange to me that an important firm like this had only a lowly departmental manager in charge of the Personnel activity, when it includes recruiting top-grade technical staff. Departmental manager isn’t as high as Area manager. You remember what Miss Krick told me when I got her to talk about status in Barugt? She mentioned one appointment at the top of the tree among managers — just below director level. She called him a Controller. The proper title is Control Manager. That’s what I think Huth’s note was referring to. His “Con Man” was a shorthand form of Control Manager, and I think he intended to promote Torr. It seems a more likely interpretation than a written reference to Torr as a con man. Don’t you think so? Bearing in mind that Huth had a reputation for getting rid of people within the hour if they crossed him.”

Green said: “I suppose you’re right.”

“One gone, two to go,” said Hill.

“You mean,” said Green,

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