‘Gavirl’ what do yoM make of Howard Renshaw?’ she said. ‘t
‘Our J-t°ward? He’s one of those people whose brain is way
ahead of his mouth-‘
‘What do y°u mean?’
‘He ne^er uses a single word that he hasn’t thought about before he savs it-sa^ Murfin. ‘I hate that kind. Give me somebody whose mouth kLePs working when their brain’s stopped completely. That’s the kind °^ Person I like to interview. It gives me a chance for a kip betwLen Questions. It can be a bit wasteful of tape though, like.’
‘Ben C^00Per said that he got the impression Howard was trying to sell uL something all the time.’
‘You t^0^ -^en to see the Renshaws?’
‘Yes IF mat a Pr°blen1’ Gavin?’
‘Nope ^ Just thought he would have had his hands full with the OxleY5 anc^ rats/ anc^ stuff.’
‘Rats?’
‘It waL nothing important. We had a look at the old railway tunnels t^e omer day when we were down that way.’
‘Oh.’
‘Ben as^e(^ the bloke there to check out the tunnel under the air shaft where Granger’s body was found.’
‘Why v^ould he do that?’
‘He seLms to have a thing about air shafts. Maybe they’re phallic symbols ^ reckon I’d see phallic symbols everywhere if my sex
life was ** bad as Ben’s/
Frv lool46^ at Murfin. It had been a good idea to make him drive. The trip tt7 the Black Country had been the longest uninterrupted period sh pounds nad ever seen him go without eating. What’s more, the withdraw^ symptoms were making him unusually talkative.
‘Does $en Cooper talk to you about his sex life?’ she said.
‘Nah I?ut
‘Yes I femember that, Gavin.’
Murfin Synced at her. “Course you do, that’s right. But I don’t think he t>lamed you for that, Diane. Not entirely.’
‘Thank ‘
286
‘You see, when something like that happens, it takes him time to get over it. He goes all funny and starts talking to himself.’
‘You’re kidding.’
‘Haven’t you noticed?’
‘I can’t say I have.’
‘Ben’s a mite over-sensitive, if you ask me. But I suppose it takes all sorts.’
‘You’re getting to be a proper little psychologist, Gavin.’
That’s me. Clement Freud.’
Fry looked at Murfin again to correct him, and noticed that he was chewing something.
‘What are you eating?’
‘Just some chocolate I had stashed away for emergencies, Diane. Do you want some?’
‘How long has it been in your pocket?’
‘A day or two.’
‘No, thanks.’
‘I need the energy for all this brain work.’
‘Particularly your psychological insights.’
‘I know about phallic symbols, anyway. The more sexually frustrated you are, the bigger the symbols you see everywhere.’
Till take your word for it.’
They drove on for a while, heading towards the A6, which ran right through the heart of Derbyshire and the Peak District.
Those air shafts/ said Murfin. ‘How deep do they go?’
‘Two hundred feet,’ said Fry.
‘Right.’
Diane Fry had brought Emma Renshaw’s diary with her, and found she couldn’t leave it alone.
‘What do you think these initials mean, Gavin?’ she said. ‘LDBAT.’
‘I’ve no idea. The Renshaws said they didn’t know. Debbie Stark didn’t know. And Khadi Whatsit didn’t know.’
‘So they said.’
