The Silkworm(12)

You!'

Strike realised that she was seeing him in silhouette because of the broken lights.

You fucking bastard!'

The bags hit the concrete floor with a tinkle of breaking glass: she was running full tilt at him, hands balled into fists and flailing.

You bastard, you bastard, I'll never forgive you, never, you get away from me!'

Strike was forced to parry several wild punches. He stepped backwards as she screeched, throwing ineffectual blows and trying to break past his ex-boxer's defences.

You wait  –  Pippa's going to fucking kill you  –  you wait-'

The neighbour's door opened again: there stood the same woman with a cigarette in her mouth.

Oi!' she said.

Light from the hall flooded onto Strike, revealing him. With a half gasp, half yelp, the red-headed woman staggered backwards, away from him.

The fuck's going on?' demanded the neighbour.

Case of mistaken identity, I think,' said Strike pleasantly.

The neighbour slammed her door, plunging the detective and his assailant back into darkness.

Who are you?' she whispered. What do you want?'

Are you Kathryn Kent?'

What do you want?'

Then, with sudden panic, If it's what I think it is, I don't work in that bit!'

Excuse me?'

Who are you, then?' she demanded, sounding more frightened than ever.

My name's Cormoran Strike and I'm a private detective.'

He was used to the reactions of people who found him unexpectedly on their doorsteps. Kathryn's response  –  stunned silence  –  was quite typical. She backed away from him and almost fell over her own abandoned carrier bags.

Who's set a private detective on me? It's her, is it?' she said ferociously.

I've been hired to find the writer Owen Quine,' said Strike. He's been missing for nearly a fortnight. I know you're a friend of his-'

No, I'm not,' she said and bent to pick up her bags again; they clinked heavily. You can tell her that from me. She's welcome to him.'

You're not his friend any more? You don't know where he is?'

I don't give a shit where he is.'

A cat stalked arrogantly along the edge of the stone balcony.

Can I ask when you last-?'

No, you can't,' she said with an angry gesture; one of the bags in her hand swung and Strike flinched, thinking that the cat, which had drawn level with her, would be knocked off the ledge into space. It hissed and leapt down. She aimed a swift, spiteful kick at it.

Damn thing!' she said. The cat streaked away. Move, please. I want to get into my house.'

He took a few steps back from the door to let her approach it. She could not find her key. After a few uncomfortable seconds of trying to pat her own pockets while carrying the bags she was forced to set them down at her feet.

Mr Quine's been missing since he had a row with his agent about his latest book,' said Strike, as Kathryn fumbled in her coat. I was wondering whether-'

I don't give a shit about his book. I haven't read it,' she added. Her hands were shaking.

Mrs Kent-'

Ms,' she said.

Ms Kent, Mr Quine's wife says a woman called at his house looking for him. By the description, it sounded-'

Kathryn Kent had found the key but dropped it. Strike bent to pick it up for her; she snatched it from his grasp.

I don't know what you're talking about.'

You didn't go looking for him at his house last week?'

I told you, I don't know where he is, I don't know anything,' she snapped, ramming the key into the lock and turning it.

She caught up the two bags, one of which clinked heavily again. It was, Strike saw, from a local hardware store.

That looks heavy.'

My ballcock's gone,' she told him fiercely.

And she slammed her door in his face.





10




VERDONE: We came to fight.

CLEREMONT: Ye shall fight, Gentlemen,

And fight enough; but a short turn or two …

Francis Beaumont and Philip Massinger,

The Little French Lawyer



Robin emerged from the Tube the following morning, clutching a redundant umbrella and feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. After days of downpours, of Tube trains full of the smell of wet cloth, of slippery pavements and rain-speckled windows, the sudden switch to bright, dry weather had taken her by surprise. Other spirits might have lightened in the respite from the deluge and lowering grey clouds, but not Robin's. She and Matthew had had a bad row.

It was almost a relief, when she opened the glass door engraved with Strike's name and job title, to find that her boss was already on the telephone in his own office, with the door closed. She felt obscurely that she needed to pull herself together before she faced him, because Strike had been the subject of last night's argument.

You've invited him to the wedding?' Matthew had said sharply.

She had been afraid that Strike might mention the invitation over drinks that evening, and that if she did not warn Matthew first, Strike would bear the brunt of Matthew's displeasure.

Since when are we just asking people without telling each other?' Matthew had said.

I meant to tell you. I thought I had.'

Then Robin had felt angry with herself: she never lied to Matthew.

He's my boss, he'll expect to be invited!'

Which wasn't true; she doubted that Strike cared one way or the other.

Well, I'd like him there,' she said, which, at last, was honesty. She wanted to tug the working life that she had never enjoyed so much closer to the personal life that currently refused to meld with it; she wanted to stitch the two together in a satisfying whole and to see Strike in the congregation, approving (approving! Why did he have to approve?) of her marrying Matthew.

She had known that Matthew would not be happy, but she had hoped that by this time the two men would have met and liked each other, and it was not her fault that that had not happened yet.

After all the bloody fuss we had when I wanted to invite Sarah Shadlock,' Matthew had said  –  a blow, Robin felt, that was below the belt.

Invite her then!' she said angrily. But it's hardly the same thing  –  Cormoran's never tried to get me into bed  –  what's that snort supposed to mean?'

The argument had been in full swing when Matthew's father telephoned with the news that a funny turn Matthew's mother had suffered the previous week had been diagnosed as a mini-stroke.

After this, she and Matthew felt that squabbling about Strike was in bad taste, so they went to bed in an unsatisfactory state of theoretical reconciliation, both, Robin knew, still seething.

It was nearly midday before Strike finally emerged from his office. He was not wearing his suit today, but a dirty and holey sweater, jeans and trainers. His face was thick with the heavy stubble that accrued if he did not shave every twenty-four hours. Forgetting her own troubles, Robin stared: she had never, even in the days when he was sleeping in the office, known Strike to look like a down-and-out.

Been making calls for the Ingles file and getting some numbers for Longman,' Strike told Robin, handing her the old-fashioned brown card folders, each with a handwritten serial number on the spine, that he had used in the Special Investigation Branch and which remained his favourite way of collating information.

Is that a  –  a deliberate look?' she asked, staring at what looked like grease marks on the knees of his jeans.

Yeah. It's for Gunfrey. Long story.'

While Strike made them both tea, they discussed details of three current cases, Strike updating Robin on information received and further points to be investigated.

And what about Owen Quine?' Robin asked, accepting her mug. What did his agent say?'

Strike lowered himself onto the sofa, which made its usual farting noises beneath him, and filled her in on the details of his interview with Elizabeth Tassel and his visit to Kathryn Kent.
 
 

 

When she first saw me, I could swear she thought I was Quine.'

Robin laughed.

You're not that fat.'

Cheers, Robin,' he said drily. When she realised I wasn't Quine, and before she knew who I was, she said, "I don't work in that bit." Does that mean anything to you?'

No …  but,' she added diffidently, I did manage to find out a bit about Kathryn Kent yesterday.'

How?' asked Strike, taken aback.

Well, you told me she's a self-published writer,' Robin reminded him, so I thought I'd look online and see what's out there and'  –  with two clicks of her mouse she brought up the page  –  she's got a blog.'

Good going!' said Strike, moving gladly off the sofa and round the desk to read over Robin's shoulder.

The amateurish web page was called My Literary Life', decorated with drawings of quills and a very flattering picture of Kathryn that Strike thought must be a good ten years out of date. The blog comprised a list of posts, arranged by date like a diary.

A lot of it's about how traditional publishers wouldn't know good books if they were hit over the head with them,' said Robin, scrolling slowly down the web page so he could look at it. She's written three novels in what she calls an erotic fantasy series, called the Melina Saga. They're available for download on Kindle.'

I don't want to read any more bad books; I had enough with the Brothers Ballsache,' said Strike. Anything about Quine?'

Loads,' said Robin, assuming he's the man she calls The Famous Writer. TFW for short.'

I doubt she's sleeping with two authors,' said Strike. It must be him. "Famous" is stretching it a bit, though. Had you heard of Quine before Leonora walked in?'

No,' admitted Robin. Here he is, look, on the second of November.'



Great talk with TFW about Plot and Narrative tonight which are of course not the same thing. For those wondering:- Plot is what happens, Narrative is how much you show your readers and how you show it to them.