'You want me to help you. Why?'
'Well, it's everyone's duty to help the police, isn't it? I mean, how else can we fight crime?'
Even to his own ears his platitudes lacked conviction.
She said, 'That's not what I meant. Why should
The pronouns were emphasized. He considered his answer carefully. He had the feeling there were several wrong answers but only one right one.
He said, 'Because mebbe I could help you.'
This seemed to amuse her momentarily, then she became serious again.
'You reckon? All right, I want to find my husband.'
Straight down to bargaining, thought Dalziel admiringly. With him not even knowing whether she had owt to bargain with!
He said, 'Lost him, have you?'
She explained briefly, clearly, like Wield making a report.
'His name's Tony Appleyard. We got married three years back when we found I were pregnant. Then he got made redundant and after a while he got so fed up, he went down south to look for work. He were a fitter by trade but he ended up in London, Brent it were, labouring on the lump till he got something better. He wrote and sent money when he could, at first anyway. He was living in this place with a lot of other men, lodging-house he called it but it sounded like a doss house. I used to write regular, but his answers got less and less frequent. Christmas I thought he might come back but there was only a card for the kiddie. I got so I was thinking of going down there to see for myself, but Dad said he'd go. He went in the middle of January. At the house they told him Tony had moved out a week before and not left a forwarding address. I've been in touch with the police down there and up here, the uniformed lot, I mean. They all said it was nowt to do with them. What a grown man did was up to him as long as it wasn't a crime and leaving your wife and kid evidently isn't. But I reckon they could find him if they wanted. If you wanted.'
Dalziel said gently, 'Why do you want to find him, love? Court order for maintenance won't do much good unless he's got a regular job.'
'Mebbe that's why he's moved on,' said the woman. 'Mebbe he's shacking up with someone else. Don't worry, I've thought of every possibility. And mebbe it's just all got too much for him and he's on the road feeling as down and desperate as I do sometimes. I need to know, Mr Dalziel, so I can work out what's best to do. Will you help?'
Dalziel considered. Scratching his corrugated neck he said, 'Chief Inspector Pascoe spoke with you the other day. Why'd you not ask him?'
She half-smiled and said, 'He were more interested in what I was reading. I read to get away from things. You look to me more interested in the things I'm getting away from.'
Dalziel smiled back.
'I shouldn't underestimate Mr Pascoe,' he said. But he felt flattered all the same.
'All right,' he said. 'You're on. No promises but it shouldn't be difficult. I may need to ask your dad about his trip down there in case he can help.'
He saw her expression and laughed. 'Doesn't much like the lad, does he? Not to worry. I won't let on about our arrangement. I'll say it's a social security inquiry or some such thing. Now, what can you tell me?'
'You ask the questions, I'll answer,' she said.
'Fair enough. How do you reckon Mr and Mrs Swain got on?'
She considered then said, 'All right. At first anyway.'
'At first?'
'When I first came to work here after Mr Swain had come in with Dad. I don't think it had dawned on her then how serious he was about running his own business, I mean.'
'And when it did?'
'She got more and more irritated. They had rows, mainly about going to America and money. I could hear them yelling in the house. She thought the business was useless. He said his roots were here, there was no way he was going to give up Moscow Farm to work for a gang of crooks like Delgado.'
'And she didn't show any sympathy?'
'No. She said the way he was going he'd have to give it up anyway when he went bankrupt. She said her family weren't crooks, just good efficient businessmen. She asked him where he got off criticizing her family when all that his had ever been good for was losing money and blowing their brains out.'
'And what did Mr Swain say to that?'
'He said, very quiet, that they'd always been able to get the farm back at no matter what cost. Well, he'd got it back and he wasn't going to let it go.'
'Tell me, lass,' said Dalziel in his friendliest tone. 'If he said this very quiet and they were in the house and you were out here, how come you managed to hear?'
'The outside bog freezes up in winter so sometimes I've got to go inside,' she said, meeting his gaze steadily.
'Fair enough. Do you know a man called Waterson, luv?'
'I wouldn't say I know him. He was a customer.'
