faced ewes. Cooper breathed in the warm smells of animals and straw. But Fry looked at the sheep and drew away.
‘This isn’t a very suitable place. Can we go back to the house?’ she said.
‘This lot arc in the middle of lambing — you can sec that,’ said Malkin. Fry gazed blankly at the sheep. Cooper knew she could see nothing more than some mutton chops and several nice Sunday roasts milling about in the shed.
‘They look all right to me,’ she said.
‘They can’t be left to their own devices. Ask me your questions here.’
‘All right. Do you recognize this man?’ said Fry, producing the photograph of Nick Easton.
‘It’s no use showing me that — I haven’t got my glasses on.’
‘Well, where are they?’
‘Back at the house, where I need them.’
‘For goodness’ sake!’
‘I don’t plan my day around you lot turning up, you know.
Fry took a deep breath. Cooper could see her face twist as she drew in all the smells of sheep droppings and straw and sour milk.
‘We’re enquiring about a man called Sergeant Nick Easton. Docs the name mean anything to you?’
‘Never heard of him.’
‘He worked (or the Royal Air Force.’
‘Oh,’ said Malkin. ‘Is it to do with the complaint?’
‘What complaint?’
‘About the low flying. There were some jet fighters came over here so low they almost knocked the chimney tops off. They frightened the sheep to death. Rod put in a complaint about it. He says he might be able to get compensation.’
263
Fry stared at him. Then she looked at Cooper.
‘I think you’d have to prove the aircraft caused some damage or injury to the sheep/ he said. ‘Did any of the ewes lose their lambs?’
‘It’s nothing to do with that at all,’ said Fry.
‘He’s in the RAF, though?’ Malkin said. ‘He looks like he’s in uniform in that photo. I can make out the blue, and the cap.’
‘Yes, but you might have seen him in civilian clothes,’ said Fry.
Malkin shrugged. ‘Like I said without my glasses …’
‘Has anybody been here from the RAF recently? Or phoned you, maybe?’
‘Not that I know ol/ said Malkin. ‘But I don’t always answer the phone.’
‘Your name was on a list of people Sergeant Easton was planning to visit. Can you think of any reason why that should be?’
‘No.’
‘Does the name Lukasz mean anything to you?’
Malkin seemed to tense a little. Before he could answer, a ewe in a nearby pen went down on its knees and began bellowing. Malkin turned towards it.
‘It’s all right,’ said Cooper. ‘Carry on/ And Malkin nodded at him, accepting his help without question as he handed over a spare pair of overalls.
Fry watched in amazement as Cooper took off his waxed coat and pulled the overalls over his clothes. She almost missed Malkin’s next sentence.
‘Lukasz. It rings a bell, that name. Something to do with the RAF, is it?’
‘You tell me/ said Fry.
Out of the corner of her eye, she was aware that Cooper had climbed into the pen with the noisy ewe. The bellowing continued. It was the full-throated roar of childbirth. Fry couldn’t shut out the noise, but she was trying to ignore what Cooper was doing as he bent down at the rear end of the sheep. Whatever it was, it made the sheep’s eyes roll and its scream become even louder.
264
‘Run. what the hell arc you doing?’
1 ./ b
‘There’s a foot turned back,’ said Cooper. ‘Have you got a hit of baler hand, sir?’
‘Aye, on the. pen side/ said Malkin.
Fry watched Cooper take a length of what looked like bright blue string, dip it in soapy water and fold it into a loop.
Cooper bent down again. Fry still didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but she was quite sure it wasn’t a usual occupation for a detective conducting an interview.
o
