A Rush of Blood

Seventy-four

‘Do you think this is a punishment detail?’ asked Alice Cowan.

‘Not even informally, according to what the chief said to me last Friday night,’ Griff Montell told her.

‘Amazing. You called a divisional commander a “fucking old lesbo” in a room full of people and you’re getting off scot-free. I gave my police inspector uncle a harmless tip-off last year and I got bumped off Special Branch.’

He grinned. ‘Yeah, but it’s worked out, hasn’t it?’

‘You reckon?’ She frowned for a few seconds as if considering. ‘I suppose the Pompadour might be called “working out”,’ she conceded. ‘And all that sweaty stuff at my place on Saturday night, that was OK too.’

‘OK?’

She laughed. ‘See you guys? My mother’s always saying that there are only two things no man will ever admit to doing badly, and the other one is driving. But, if you want me to pat your ego, big boy, I’ll score you better than just OK. You are officially very good at shagging, Montell, no worse than eight out of ten on the Alice-ometer.’

‘When am I going to get a chance to improve my score?’ he ventured.

‘Try offering to feed me again. You might find there’s a correlation there. I can never get randy on an empty stomach.’

‘How about if I cook for you at the weekend?’

‘You can cook? Let me guess; burgers and lager?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Hey,’ he asked, ‘have you been out with a South African before?’

‘An Aussie, a few years back. You’re much the same animal. This cooking,’ she murmured. ‘Where would it be happening?’

‘My place.’

‘I thought that was off limits.’

‘Not any more,’ he told her. ‘Spring and I had a long talk when she got home yesterday.’

‘Yesterday? Sunday?’

He nodded. ‘She stayed away for two days to let me cool down.’

‘At Mary’s?’

‘Yup. Anyway, we had a chat and we’re square. She’s my sister, and I love her however she is. The “no partners” rule was her idea; now I know why.’

‘So you two are fine. That’s good, but how about you and Chambers?’

‘I think we’re OK too. I went to see her yesterday afternoon and apologised. She told me she understood how it must have been a shock to me, since she kept herself a secret for years.’

‘Will she be there at the weekend?’

‘Dunno.’ He glanced at her. ‘Would that bother you?’

She smiled, in a way he had either never noticed, or had failed to understand, before. ‘As long as the queue for the bathroom isn’t too long, not one bit.’

‘I’ll tell Spring; maybe they’ll give us a clear field.’

‘Do you think we’ll have a clear field tonight. . work wise?’ she added.

‘I’ve got no idea,’ he admitted, ‘but I hope not. I’d rather see action than spend a night shift sat on my arse.’

‘What’s this about anyway, Griff?’

‘Robberies, I’m told. The bosses want a CID response team on duty all night, in each area, in case a situation arises. That’s what Ray said; but he didn’t explain what that situation might be. We don’t need to know that, apparently. . until it happens, of course. The load’s being spread; we drew the short straw for this week.’

‘And we don’t work on anything else?’

‘Nope.’ He reached into his man-bag and tossed her a book. ‘Try that,’ he said. ‘It’ll pass the time.’

She looked at the cover. ‘Inhuman Remains,’ she read. ‘A woman detective: yes, that’s my kind of hero.’