“That’s a bit harsh, Andy,” said Kay, seizing her chance toenter the conversation. “I thought he was the best head of local police we everhad.”
Andy looked up, registering her presence for the first timethrough his booze-laden eyes. “Oh, it’s you. Well, you would say that, wouldn’tyou? Everyone knows you’re desperate to shag him. Though God knows why: I doubtwhether he’s even up to it, look at the size of him. I doubt whether he caneven find it these days.”
“Actually I’ve lost a bit of weight recently,” said Kentdefensively. “I’m under eighteen stone now.”
“I thought so,” said Kay, looking at him closely. He wasdefinitely looking slightly less flabby and a little more toned. “Have youjoined a gym?”
“I just had a bit of a re-evaluation of my life recently,”he replied. “After I lost my job it would have been easy to let myself slideinto middle-aged sloth and eaten and drunk myself into an early grave. I guessI just realised I’m only forty-two, and I’ve plenty to live for. So I’vestarted exercising and cut down on the post-pub food.”
“You say that, but you’re still knocking back the booze,”commented Andy.
He really was an irritating pain in the arse, thought Kay,constantly interrupting other people’s conversations. She was not going to beable to have the discussion she wanted to have with Kent while Andy was there,interjecting his snide remarks at every opportunity.
She would have to get him away from the bar. Andy wouldn’tfollow them: once he got on his bar stool he was practically superglued to itfor the night. But first she needed a drink. In the few minutes since she hadentered the pub, it had started to get very busy and, distracted by theconversation, she had taken her attention away from the bar. She seriously hadto get that first drink of the day inside her.
There seemed to be only two barmaids on duty and they werebuzzing around at a serious rate of knots trying to keep up with the suddeninflux of customers. Some were waving notes across the bar in impatientattempts to catch the bar staff’s attention. That wouldn’t work, thought Kay.In her experience bar staff hated that.
She would have to face the bar and try and catch someone’seye if she was ever to get a drink this evening. She turned away from Andy andKent temporarily and concentrated on the business in hand, eavesdropping asthey continued their conversation.
“You can hardly talk,” Kent was saying. “If I was going toput a bet on anyone in this pub drinking themselves to death, you’d be anodds-on favourite.”
“I’d die happy, though,” said Andy. “Anyway, stop changingthe subject. I want the inside info on these murders. Are the police anywherenear catching him?”
“I don’t know why you think I’m privy to that knowledge,Andy,” replied Kent. “As you so gleefully point out at every opportunity, the policehave decided to dispense with my services. Much as I’d appreciate the extracash, sadly they have not been on the phone begging me to come back to helpthem crack this case.”
“Now there’s a surprise,” remarked Andy sarcastically. “Butstill, you must still be in touch with your old colleagues. What about that newD.I. Benson? You could ask her, couldn’t you?”
“Why would I want to?” asked Kent. “It’s not somethingdesperately eating away at my soul. Besides, it’s not on her patch. She’sresponsible for this town, not what goes on in Oxford and Kidlington. Sheprobably knows no more than I do.”
“Which is nothing, by the sound of it,” said Andy. “I don’tlike her anyway. She tried to do me for dropping a fag end outside the pub awhile back. Didn’t make it stick, though, did she? I was too clever for her.”
As was so frequently the case, Kent was becoming irritatedby Andy’s endless piss-taking so he decided it was time to put the boot on theother foot.
“Why are you so interested anyway? Anyone would think youhad something to hide. Have you?”
“I’m not the murderer, if that’s what you’re implying,”answered Andy defensively. “Anyway, I’ve got an alibi. I was in here when bothof them took place.”
“Wow, really? I never would have guessed,” said Kent, turningAndy’s earlier sarcasm back at him. “Do you ever go anywhere else?”
Kay had finally managed to catch the eye of one of thebarmaids, a young, punky-looking girl with dyed pink hair. Taking hold of herfirst drink of the night, she lifted it to her lips and took a large, gloriousswig of vodka and Coke. She immediately felt better as the strong alcoholslipped down her throat. It was time to get on with what she had come here todo.
She had heard every word of the conversation between Kentand Andy. Despite having her eyes firmly fixed forward towards the bar, ratherthan on them, it hadn’t been difficult to pick up on Kent’s irritation withAndy. Turning back towards him, she could see from the annoyed look on his facethat he had had enough, so now seemed a good time to intervene.
Catching his eye, she spoke. “Richard, can we talk inprivate for a minute?”
He looked a little startled by this. Perhaps it was becauseshe had used his first name. Everyone else just called him Kent. And he wasn’tthe only one to notice this.
“There you go, I knew it!” exclaimed Andy. “First-nameterms! I knew there was something going on between you two!”
He turned to the bar, seeking confirmation from thelandlord, who had just appeared, called downstairs by one of the stressedbarmaids to help man the pumps. “Didn’t I say so, Craig?”
“Did you?” said Craig. “I don’t remember that. But then,quite honestly, most of what you say goes in one ear and out the other thesedays. It kind of gets a bit repetitive after a while.”
“I bet you a tenner they were having an affair,” repliedAndy. “Come on, pay up.”
“I don’t remember that,” said Craig.
“You must do,” protested Andy. “Nobby was here when we madethe bet, he’ll back me up.”
“Well, he’s not here, now, is he?” replied Craig.
“He’s gone to Towcester Dogs, tonight,”
