The Price of Butcher's Meat

4

I need to watch myself!

Felt a bit knackered when I got back and had my last chat with Mildred, and thought I’d take forty winks. When I woke, it had been at least an hour and I’d have been happy to make it longer! It felt real good lying there on my bed-like a day off at home when there’s no reason to get up afore opening time.

But I knew it weren’t really good. In fact, it were downright bad. When a Home starts feeling like home, that means you’re getting institutionalized! All them proud words to Pascoe about being a cop first, a patient second, seemed just hot air. Didn’t have a good CID thought in me. Needed to snap meself out of that, so rolled off the bed, doused my head in cold water, and settled down to read the Heywood lass’s e-mails.

That helped a lot, made me ashamed of myself. I mean, here’s me, the great detective, can hardly drag himself out of bed, and here’s this young lass, bright as a button, sharp eyes taking everything in, nebby as a norrie, always making connections, not scared of two and two making five, in fact sometimes she could jump to conclusions for England!

I laughed out loud at the bits she wrote about me.

Could Pete be right about her writing that note to Daph? Not likely, I’d say. Any lass brought up on Stompy Heywood’s farm’s going to have a right down-to-earth attitude to the animal kingdom. No cruelty, but no sentimentality either. Mind you, owt’s possible when you’ve been a student. Whatever, it’s real good intelligence, this stuff. Bet she hates Ivor’s guts for spreading it around! Hope Pete’s got the sense to be straight with her. Could be useful if he keeps her onside.

But I can’t sit around here all day when there’s work to be done. I told Pete I’d take statements from Fester and Pet. Who should I start with? Pet’s handiest, but I reckon the longer I keep her waiting, the gabbier she’ll be. So I’ll take a stroll up to the clinic and see if I can wipe that smile off them teeth! I’d best take these e-mails with me. Don’t want Pet doing a search for illegal substances and coming across these. Any road, man carrying a file always looks more official.

And just in case Fester breaks down and makes a full confession, I’ll stick my friend Mildred in the file and leave her running!