Swain raised his eyebrows, specially plucked by Chung to look more diabolic.
'So I could,' he said pleasantly. 'But why should you want to know?'
'Just so I'll know who to expect next time we have you down at the station,' said Dalziel.
'In that case, it's hardly worth telling you as I might have changed him several times by then.'
Dalziel laughed, untroubled by Swain's show of assurance. The man was bright enough to have looked behind Thackeray's upfront reasons for breaking the connection, and it wouldn't be comfortable for him to find Dalziel's great grey head peering behind the screen too. But it was early days to decide what, if anything, might be made of the lawyer's doubts.
He said, 'Man knows his own business best. It's Mr Stringer I've come to see today, if you can spare him.'
'We're very busy . . .'
'So I see. Must be grand to be able to afford decent equipment at last. Take a lass out in one of these things and she'd not be able to complain you didn't make the earth move for her!' He patted the JCB admiringly. 'Big job, is it? Someone's drive? Or more garages?'
It only became a gibe if you let it. Swain said, 'We're clearing a bit of land on the farm estate. Crimper's Knoll. Do you know it? Not much use for anything but grazing a few sheep, but it will make a lovely setting for a few quality homes.'
'Is that right? You'll have got planning permission?'
Swain smiled a smile compounded of new money and old blood.
'It's in train,’ he said. 'So if you could let me have my partner back as quickly as possible. Do you want to talk inside?'
'Out here will do fine,’ replied Dalziel.
He put his arm around the foreman's shoulders and led him away. Wield said, 'Use your phone?' and without waiting for an answer went up the stairway to the office.
Shirely Appleyard said as he passed her on the stair, 'What's he want?'
'There's divided opinion on that, luv,' said Wield.
Inside the office he closed the door firmly behind him and dialled the station number asking for Pascoe, who did not sound happy when he came on.
'Where the hell are you?' he demanded. 'I've just got in and the place is like a morgue.'
Rapidly Wield explained what had happened, then went on, 'Seymour should be in the interview room with Medwin still. There's something I should have asked the boy and he'll likely be en route for Leeds by the time I get back. It's about the night he attacked me.'
'I thought you said Il Duce had promised him immunity on that? He must be going soft in the head.'
This was no time to explain Dalziel's motives. Wield said, This is just information. It's simply that when Medwin and his gang were beating me up, a vehicle went by. It slowed down, might even have stopped, then it took off again.'
'Like the driver thought of helping, then decided not to get involved?'
'Or like he mebbe picked up Waterson,' said Wield. 'Just a thought. It could be worth asking.'
'You're not getting as dotty about Waterson as the old man is about Appleyard, are you, Wieldy? Good job someone's here doing the real work, isn't it?'
'Anything you want me to tell the Super?' said Wield innocently.
'With his hearing, likely he's heard me already! Cheers.'
Wield left the office and joined Shirley Appleyard at the head of the stair.
She said, 'What're they talking about? Is it about Tony? Have you heard something?'
'Like what?'
'Like .. . like he's dead maybe.'
'Why should he be dead?' wondered Wield.
'I don't know. I wake up in the night sometimes and I'm sure he's dead. Then I tell myself in the morning it was just one of them daft turns you get in the night. But recently it's not mattered whether it's been black dark or broad day, I've still felt the same. So is that why he's come?'
'No,' said Wield, moved by the pain he could see on the girl's face. 'The Super would be up here talking to you if he'd brought bad news, wouldn't he?'
'Would he?' she scoffed. 'You men! We even get our tragedies as drippings from your pot!'
She turned away abruptly and went into the office. Wield, no stranger to pain himself, felt her loneliness and abandonment crying out to him.
He turned and glared down angrily towards the two big men rapt in each other's company.
'So you lied,' Dalziel was saying.
'I said so, didn't I? I lied to me own daughter, you don't think I was going to be bothered lying to the sodding police!'
'That sounds reasonable,' said Dalziel with complete sincerity. 'So now you say that when you went looking for your son-in-law, he'd left the lodging-house you had as his address, but one of the other lodgers said he thought
