The Wood Beyond

ii

'Thank you,' said Andy Dalziel into the phone. 'Thank you very much indeed.'

He banged the receiver down and turned his benevolent gaze upon DC Novello who, doubting the evidence of her own eyes, said uneasily, 'Good news, sir?'

'I think so,' he said. But before he could share it, if that were his intention, the door burst open and Pascoe came in.

'I think I've got something, sir,' he said.

'If it's catching, bugger off,' said the Fat Man.

'It's Mrs Howard,' said Pascoe riding the familiar joke with an ease which Novello noted and registered. 'She's dead certain there's something iffy about TecSec. Says that her Jimmy used to drink a lot with Rosso, that's ex-Private Rosthwaite, Sanderson's old batman..'

'Yes, yes, I know who he is. Was,' said Dalziel impatiently. 'Are we getting close to the good stuff or have I missed it already?'

Again Novello noted the lack of reaction to the provocations. Was this the secret of survival?

'She says she used to go on about him, Rosso, I mean, because she reckoned he was such a piss artist, he was leading even Jimmy astray. Then they stopped going out together. She gloated — not her word but that's what she meant — and Jimmy told her to put a sock in it, it wasn't anything she'd said, it was just that it wasn't good policy, not for a man starting out on a new career.'

'Meaning?'

'Perhaps that Rosso, pissed, was telling Jimmy things he didn't want to know. Mrs Howard says that it was clear Rosso really resented the way that Patten had come into the company and got level billing while he was still very much the faithful retainer.'

'Then he ran into a tree,' said Dalziel.

'And Jimmy went very quiet after that.'

'Old friend dies, it knocks you back.'

'He wasn't grieving, not according to his missus. Or if he was, it was Jimmy he grieved for.'

'That it?'

'More or less,' said Pascoe rather sulkily. (So he was vulnerable, thought Novello.) 'Anyway I can see that you've got something far more important and significant to tell me.'

'Don't pout, else you'll have Wieldy sending you valentines. And what you've said fits nicely with what I've just found out. It were Ivor here who put me onto it.'

Pascoe glanced at Novello who gave him the bewildered smile of a United supporter who has strayed into a City pub and been bought a pint.

'Well done,' he said.

'Aye, bloody well done,' said Dalziel. 'You've not been using her proper, Peter. Think on. I'll have no discrimination in my department. Ivor, go and fetch my car round to the front, eh? We'll be down in two shakes of a tart's tail.'

'So what's the startling revelation?' said Pascoe after the woman had gone.

Dalziel was busy dialling a number. He said, 'Shit,' as he got the engaged tone then pressed the repeat redial button.

'We were asking wrong question, lad,' he said. 'It shouldn't have been whether or not Cap meant to attack Patten, but why was Wendy Walker acting as peacekeeper? I mean, she was a real fire-eater that one, and we know her main aim was to get a reputation in the animal protest game as an extremist, ready to go all the way for the cause. Here was the perfect situation. Scratch a few eyes out, smash a few windows, create merry hell till she got arrested and had her day in court. But what does she do? Pours oil on troubled waters. Why?'

'You're going to tell me. Eventually,' said Pascoe.

'Because she clocks Des Patten. It's not a face to forget, is it? And she's seen it before.'

'Oh yes. Where?'

'Wieldy checked Patten out, 'cos he thought he might have been doing something dodgy between vanishing out of Mid-Yorkshire and reappearing as Sanderson's partner. He were disappointed to find that all he'd been doing was working for Task Force Five, the Manchester security company.'

'Yes, I know who they are. So? Oh shit.'

'Aye lad,' said Dalziel reproachfully. 'You did the liaising with Redcar when ALBA had their bit of bother last summer. It's all in your file. Fraser Greenleaf's security was looked after by Task Force Five.'

'But I didn't know that Patten … I mean, TecSec didn't come on the Wanwood scene till after my investigation, did they?'

'No matter, lad,' said Dalziel magnanimously. 'Even Homer has to take a leak. I've just been on the bell to Redcar. They've checked. And yes, Des Patten was on the security staff at Fraser Greenleaf. He had a disagreement about overtime payments and jacked it in about three weeks before the raid where Shufflebottom got killed.'

'And Ellie said that Wendy had been up there on a visit not long before. You think she met him?'

'Saw him in a pub, maybe. Her brother says hello, tells her he's a colleague and because of that scar, the face sticks. And then she sees him again.'

'But why should that rouse her suspicions? He is in the business, after all.'

'Probably doesn't. Not at first. In fact she might be more worried he'd clock her and start asking questions. So she calms things down, cooperates to get away without any more hassle. But when she gets home she starts thinking. And when she catches on that we're asking questions about whether ANIMA could have been involved in the previous raid at Wanwood which in its turn looked tied into the Redcar raid, bells start buzzing. She mebbe starts asking questions about TecSec, finds they got the contract as a result of that summer raid. It's still a long way even from firm suspicion, but unfortunately for her, Patten's cottoned onto who she is.'

'How?' asked Pascoe.

Dalziel scratched his neck punitively and said, 'Me. First thing I did when I saw her was mention Burrthorpe. Patten were earwigging. He must've known Shufflebottom's background. Not summat he'd keep secret. Perhaps Wendy's face rang a bell with him too. And it wouldn't be difficult to check her maiden name.'

'And he killed her on the off chance she was onto something?' said Pascoe incredulously.

'Why not? Soldier's creed, isn't it? You get 'em in your sights, shoot. You may not have another chance. But mebbe there was more. She must have slept on it and woke up feeling worried whether she had summat or nowt. So she called on Cap Marvell for a chat..'

'But she didn't even like the woman,' protested Pascoe.

'Walker was a bright lass,' said Dalziel. 'She knew there were other ways of looking at things than her own and she wouldn't let likes or dislikes get in the way of doing whatever she set out to do. She'd use anybody or anything she thought might be helpful.'

He means Ellie too, thought Pascoe. Interesting idea. Could it be that it was the aboriginals converting the missionaries after all?

'Ms Marvell told you this?'

'No. I overheard,’ said Dalziel. 'Got nowhere. Cap didn't have the time so they had a row instead. Next Walker goes round to your place

'And gets nowhere again,' said Pascoe. 'But she arranged to see Ellie that night.'

'Yeah, but she wasn't the kind to sit on her thumb all day when there were things she could be doing. Suppose she started nosing round the TecSec office in town, asking questions about Patten, and he found out. Then, being the way he is, he might think, better safe than sorry. And after Rosso, he could have got a taste for traffic accidents.. '

'Rosso?'

That's what you were suggesting, wasn't it? That Rosso became a liability so they knocked him off? Or did you have it down to Act of God?'

'Well, no, but it was just a hypothesis.. look, if any of this is true, it all started because TecSec faked an animal rights raid on FG's plant at Redcar. Why?'

'Think about it,' said Dalziel. 'Suppose there's something another firm's got that you'd like a look at, without them knowing of course. And you talk about this with an old chum in the security business who then meets up with another old acquaintance who just happens to have left the outfit looking after security at the plant his chum's interested in. Suddenly it seems possible. In, out, make it look like animal libbers, wreck a couple of offices, and take some snaps of whatever it is chummy wants. Goes like a dream till Shufflebottom runs into Patten. And that's blown it altogether. I mean, no one's going to believe Des Patten is an animal rights protester! So he gets rid of the problem the only way he knows how. And again with Rosso who's shooting his mouth off when he's pissed. And again with Walker. And mebbe again …'

'. . with Jimmy Howard if he started thinking he knew more than he ought and we had some kind of hold on him. Sir, shouldn't we get over to Wanwood and have a word? If Wieldy's there already and Patten gets the wrong idea..'

'Wieldy can take care of himself. But you're right. Let's go — '

He rose and made for the door.

'Sir, your telephone.. it's on repeat.'

'Oh aye. Switch it off, will you?'

Before he did so, Pascoe looked at the number being printed on the display. It was local. He didn't recognize it but as he reached to press the cancel button the call was answered by a woman's voice saying simply, 'Yes?'

Just one syllable, but he had no difficulty in recognizing Cap Marvell's voice. Which meant that either Dalziel was certain she was in the clear, or that for once he was taking Pascoe's advice.

He went to the door and looked into the corridor. No sign of the Fat Man, just the echo of his voice coming up the stairwell, '.. bloody move on!'

He went back to the phone, pressed the cancel button and hurried out after his great master.