‘Could have.’
‘Other pikemen?’
‘Not the living ones. The action had moved on by then. There were some dead and wounded lying about. When you’re on the ground it’s hard to see much. And there was a few women looking after roundheads, giving them water. Camp followers, they’re called.’
Diamond grinned. Whatever happened to angels of mercy? A pity Ingeborg wasn’t here.
‘Could they have seen you?’ Septimus asked.
‘I suppose.’
‘Were they close enough to have a view of you and Rupert digging out the beer?’
‘They’d need twenty-twenty vision. I’d say they were more than fifty yards off.’
‘So they wouldn’t have spotted you actually finding the bone? That was a strange find, wasn’t it?’
Miss Tower said to Dave, ‘You don’t need to answer that. You’re not here to give an opinion.’
But Dave seemed to decide he was on safe ground. ‘I was shocked. First I thought it was from some animal. I put it down fast when I guessed it could be human. Nasty. We buried it again.’
‘At whose suggestion?’
‘I don’t remember. We agreed it was the right thing to do, anyway.’
‘No argument?’
‘No.’
‘And you went back to the battle?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Did you see Rupert again?’
He shook his head.
‘And after the battle was over?’
‘No. I’ve never seen him since.’
‘We’ll leave now,’ Miss Tower said.
‘I haven’t finished,’ Septimus told her. ‘You like a drink or two, Dave?’
‘Irrelevant. Don’t answer that,’ Miss Tower said.
‘I’m sorry,’ Septimus said, ‘but I have every right to ask. Dave is an important witness and we need to establish if his evidence would hold up under cross-examination.’
‘Good for you,’ Diamond said on his side of the glass.
Miss Tower said, ‘He’s not in court. He’s co-operating and you appear to be about to cast a slur on his behaviour.’
Septimus said, ‘He testified to me that he hid a six-pack of lager in the ground before the battle. He also testified to DI Halliwell that he hadn’t heard Rupert Hope was missing and this was because he gets out in the evenings, usually to the pub. Now, Dave, let’s address this. Did you drink at all prior to joining in the battle?’
‘A couple at lunch. I was stone cold sober, if that’s what you’re asking.’
‘Can you be more specific? One pint, two, three…?’
‘How would I remember?’ Dave said.
‘Gotcha!’ Diamond said.
Septimus said, ‘You seem to remember your meeting with Rupert in some detail, but you can’t remember how many you had at lunch.’
‘I can handle my drink.’
‘Are you quite sure you buried six cans of lager before the battle?’
‘I told you. You know what a six-pack is?’
‘And at that stage were you aware of anyone watching?’
‘Definitely. One of the other army came past. Waller’s lot, roundhead, thieving bastard.’
‘You think he had the other four cans?’
‘I’m certain of it. I’ve been over it in my mind lots of times. Who else would have known?’
‘Do you remember what he was like?’
‘Cavalry.’
‘Are you certain of that?’
‘Come on. He was on a big white stallion, wasn’t he?’
‘A pale horse,’ Septimus said, more to himself than the witness. ‘And he passed really close.’
‘Would you recognise him again?’
‘I would if I saw him on the horse.’
‘Did he say anything?’
‘No. He raised his whip, but friendly like. Some friend.’
‘And were you in uniform at the time?’
‘My red coat and woollen breeches. Not the armour. It was too early for that and too bloody hot.’
‘So would he have known you were in the rival army?’
‘No problem, and I reckon he had a good laugh, nicking the enemy’s beer.’
‘He had the decency to leave some.’
‘That’s what my mate Rupert said, and I told him if that was decent, forget it.’
‘When you and Rupert parted, were you still friendly?’
‘Of course we were. I’d shared my beer with him, hadn’t I?’
‘Would it have angered you if he’d returned later to the fallen tree and dug out the bone?’
Dave frowned. ‘Why would he do that?’
‘He may have thought it was of historical interest.’
‘I get you. I’d have been slightly narked, after we agreed to let it rest in peace.’
‘Did you go back to check?’
‘No chance. After it was over, I was in the beer tent. You get up a thirst in these battles.’
‘And did you drive home after?’
Miss Tower slammed her hand on the table. ‘Don’t answer that.’
Dave stared at Septimus and gave a faint smile. ‘You see? I knew I needed my brief with me.’
Diamond had been at his lowest point, hunting the murderer of his wife, when he had last seen Louis Voss. His old colleague had managed to trace a crucial contact. If Louis didn’t already know what was happening in London, he would know someone who did. Nobody in the Met was better at working the grapevine. Officially Louis was a civilian now, but still at Fulham nick, managing what he called his team of computer cuties. The loss of CID status hadn’t cramped his style one bit.
This morning he was in the saloon bar of the Fox and Pheasant, off the Fulham Road, when Diamond arrived about eleven with Keith Halliwell. The lop-sided smile was punctuated by a wink. ‘Black Baron, gents? Much needed, I reckon, after the M4. And I bet I know who wasn’t driving.’
‘We’d still be on the road if I was,’ Diamond said.
Louis was right. They’d come in Diamond’s car, now roadworthy again, with Halliwell acting as chauffeur.
‘Keith, meet my old friend Louis, the wizard of ops, as he’s known.’
‘Was,’ Louis said. ‘I’m just a geek now. What’s your part in this, Keith, apart from driving him at forty miles an hour, maximum?’
Diamond said, ‘He’s the main man, the SIO on the case.’
Louis greeted this with a faintly amused look and then went to order the drinks. He could remember every trick Diamond had ever pulled.
‘Nice of him,’ Halliwell said.
‘Don’t be fooled,’ Diamond said. ‘We’ll find he’s started a slate in my name. I know this guy of old.’
‘We can go halves,’ Halliwell offered.
‘That’s all right. We’ll need to fill up with petrol on the way home. You can take care of that.’
