The Tooth Tattoo(23)
‘Nothing special, guv. I was wondering … do you fancy a cuppa?’
‘A cold drink would suit me better. They never get the heating right in this place.’
‘Want to slip out for ten minutes?’
‘While you mind the shop?’
‘Actually I was thinking you might want company.’
‘Something on your mind, is there? All right. John can hold the fort. It’s not as if we’re snowed under. Be better if we were.’
In the Royal Hotel just down the street, Halliwell brought the drinks to the table where Diamond had resumed his chin-in-hands posture.
‘Did you want crisps or anything?’
‘No. What’s your problem?’
‘Not mine specially, guv. There were some murmurings in the office about lay-offs.’
‘Why? Do they know something?’
‘They’re thinking maybe you do, and you don’t want to tell us.’
Diamond grinned faintly. ‘Have I ever shied away from passing on bad news?’
‘So we’re safe?’
‘I wouldn’t bet on it, but I haven’t heard yet, and if I do I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep the squad together, even the layabouts.’
‘That’s all right, then.’
‘What put this into their heads?’
‘Nothing really.’ Now that the team’s concerns were put at rest Halliwell was ready to talk about the weather, or television, or the quality of the beer.
But Diamond wasn’t. ‘Murmurings, you said. Who was murmuring?’
‘No one in particular.’
‘Leaman, I bet.’
‘To be fair, he isn’t the only one, but I didn’t come here to tell tales. They study your moods and they reckon you’ve been under a cloud these last weeks.’
‘Study my moods sounds like Ingeborg.’
‘So the general opinion is that there has to be something you’re hiding from us, such as redundancies.’
‘Bullshit.’ Diamond rolled his eyes. ‘For as long as I can remember, Keith, the politicians have banged on about getting more coppers on the streets. Even now, with all the cuts, they’re saying it. How will it be done? By cutting down on the backroom staff. Backroom is the dirty word. That’s you and me if we’re stuck in the office all day. We need to get out more.’
‘Like this?’
He couldn’t raise another smile. ‘Front-line is the buzzword. If you’re front-line you’re in no danger of the chop.’
‘There hasn’t been much serious crime lately.’
‘Too true. A major incident would solve everything, keep us in work, get us away from our desks and stop stupid rumours flying around.’
‘What do we do – tell the criminal class to step up productivity?’
‘Not a bad idea.’
They brooded on this until Halliwell said, ‘You do seem more depressed than usual. Is anything wrong?’
‘With the CID room? Where shall I start? A DI who likes nothing better than spreading alarm and dissension. A recently promoted sergeant who watches my every move. A DCI who believes all that garbage enough to dump it on me.’
‘You once said you wanted to be told if anyone was unhappy.’
Diamond shrugged. ‘Fair enough, Keith. I’d forgotten.’
‘When I asked if there’s anything wrong, I meant in your life.’
The big man glanced away, across the room. ‘If there was, I wouldn’t tell you.’
‘Your health is okay, I hope?’
‘Now you’re sounding like the idiot doctor who does the annual medical. Of course I’m okay. I don’t make a point of taking my blood pressure or weighing myself, but I’m as fit as you or anyone else. Shall we end this pointless conversation and go back to work in case some of them think I’ve decided to end it all and jump off Pulteney Bridge?’
He’d had enough of this probing. Well intentioned it may have been, but he wouldn’t be telling Halliwell or anyone else about the break-up with Paloma. Months had gone by since that walk along the towpath. Yes, he was unhappy, bloody miserable, and now CID had picked up on it, but he wouldn’t be calling Paloma to try and make up. He had his pride and she had hers.
Two days passed before the team was gifted the suspicious death they needed. A couple walking the towpath near Lower Weston – much as Diamond and Paloma had done – spotted a floating object that at a closer look turned out to have arms and legs. They called the emergency number and a patrol car and an ambulance went to the scene.
Normally a dead body is left where it is found so that the police can inspect the scene. This one was moving with the current and there was no telling when or where it had entered the water. A boat was used to retrieve it near Weston Lock and it was stretchered to a waiting van and taken to the Royal United Hospital mortuary.