Deadheads

the coast?'

'Nothing, I suppose,' admitted Pascoe. 'But his wife would know. I mean, it'd take at least two hours, there and back.'

'You're going out there today to tie up the burglary business, aren't you?' said Dalziel. 'Ask her.'

Pascoe hesitated, then said, 'If I must, sir.'

'Oh yes,' said Dalziel intensely. 'You know you bloody well must.'

It was three o'clock when Pascoe arrived at Rosemont and its gardens were still awash with the high tide of the sun. All along the road from town he had driven with his windows down, letting the fresh air cleanse his mind, confounding his worries in the green and gold beauties of an English midsummer day. Turning into the gates of Rosemont had meant plunging for a brief moment into a dark tunnel of over shading holly trees. But when he emerged once more into the bright air, it seemed as if he must have stumbled upon the very source of all this richness and warmth. The brick of the house, the green of the lawns, the rainbow spectrum of bloom curving around the borders - all seemed part of a single design with the great arch of blue sky in which the sun shimmered like a bonfire reflected in a deep lake

In front of the house a Mini was parked. As he halted behind it he recognized it as Ellie's.

'Oh shit,' he said aloud.

He rang the bell. A few moments later Daphne opened the door.

'Peter!' she cried. 'How nice. Come in. Ellie's here, we're out on the terrace.'

'Daphne,' he said, 'have you heard about Dick Elgood?'

Her face shed its smiling welcome and darkened to pain.

'Yes. The office rang soon after we got back just before lunch. Patrick went in, but there was nothing he could do. It's dreadful, isn't it? No one seemed quite sure what had happened. Was it a heart-attack while he was swimming?'

She wasn't acting. Pascoe was certain. He steeled himself for the next question whose purpose must seem obvious, but before he could speak, she said, 'Look, you go through. I was just getting some more lemon squash. Will that do for you, or would you prefer a beer?'

'No, squash will be fine.'

He walked through the house and out on to the terrace.

'Hi,' said Ellie. 'So this is what you really do when you ought to be beating up prisoners with a rubber truncheon.'

'So this is what you do when you should be chaining yourself to the Minister of Employment's left leg,' he said, stooping to kiss her. 'I'm here on business. What about you?'

'Oh, I rang to say welcome back and chat about the burglary attempt, and Daphne was in a bit of a tizz about Dick Elgood, so when she said come round, I came. It's awful, isn't it?'

'Awful,' agreed Pascoe. 'Where's Patrick?'

'In his rose-garden, where else?' said Daphne from behind. She set down a jugful of squash on the table. 'He's rather cut up about Dick, I think, and he always flies to his flowers in time of distress. David, stop bothering your sister!'

Baby Rose was once more in the care of little Diana. With them was a good-looking young boy with his father's brown eyes and stillness of expression.

'We brought him back because he got rather upset when he overheard us talking about the burglary,' explained Daphne. 'He had to see for himself that his precious room and all its contents hadn't been disturbed. I think he rather resents not being the centre of Diana's attention. David, stop it, or you'll go back to school this very evening!'

'Boys take much longer to mature than girls,' said Ellie comfortably. 'Peter, what did happen to Dick Elgood? Have you heard anything?'

'There'll have to be an inquest,' said Pascoe vaguely.

'He always seemed likely to go quickly,' said Daphne. 'All that exercise at his age.'

Ellie choked into her squash and Daphne glanced reprovingly at her.

'It's funny,' she continued, 'but I felt as if I were seeing him for the last time on Sunday. There seemed to be something very final when we said goodbye.'

'Come on,' said Ellie deflatingly. 'We all have these premonitions after the event.'

'No, that night, after we got back from your place, I couldn't sleep. I went to bed, but in the end I had to get up. I was sitting out here half the night drinking whisky. It was a strange feeling to have after such a lovely day. A sense of some horrible happening being quite close. You can believe me or not,' she said defiantly.

'And Patrick? Did he have this premonition too?' asked Pascoe with sudden interest.

'No.' Daphne laughed. 'He slept solidly, till I woke him getting back into bed about four. Then we had to get up again so he could have a drink. Then we sat out here and drank and talked for another hour or so.'

She blushed faintly as she spoke and Ellie guessed that conversation wasn't all that had passed between them on the terrace.

'I slept all the way to Gloucester,' concluded Daphne. 'I was still yawning when I met the headmaster and the staff, I'm afraid.'

'That's all right,' said Ellie. 'In those places the teachers are used to that reaction to their presence.'