Dialogues of the Dead

^7 Pascoe, who didn't need to be told of Headingley's virtues, glanced down at the papers Dalziel had given him. His glance soon became fixed, and after the first reading he went through them again, then gave Dalziel's ribs, or at least that stratum of subcutaneous fat beneath which he guessed they were situated, an insubordinate poke and hissed, 'Where the hell did these come from?' 'You recall Angie, Jax Ripley's sister, at the funeral? These are copies of e-mails from Jax to her.' 'I'd gathered that. I mean, how did you get hold of them?' 'Angie rang Desperate Clan afore she left for the States on Sunday. When she told him what she were on about, he said he'd like to see copies so she put 'em in the post. No lift on Sunday so he got 'em this morning.' Their muttered conversation was attracting attention so Pascoe took the Fat Man's sleeve and drew him away from the bar to the back of the room. 'Watch it,' said Dalziel. 'That's as nice a piece of worsted you're pulling as you'd see on the Lord Mayor of Bradford.' 'You see what this means? Of course you bloody well see. Georgie Porgie. A fat, cuddly senior officer. Ripley's Deep-throat was: Headingley not Bowler!' 'Aye,' said Dalziel complacently. 'Always a bit of swordsman, George. Hung like a donkey. Resemblance didn't end there, but.' The Chief Constable was warming to his task and talking about, old-fashioned virtues like loyalty to one's colleagues and utter reliability. 'You knew!' 'Not till he went sick after she got topped. Then I got to: thinking, maybe I'd done young Bowler an injustice. I mean,! Ripley were a smart lass. If it's information you're after, you don't;; start snogging the office boy.' I 'And the Chief ... no wonder he was having kittens about;; making the presentation. Doesn't look good if the officer you've;; praised up to the heavens one day goes down for corruption the; next!' j1 'Corruption? Now there's a big word for a little thing like' dipping your wick. Have you clocked George's missus lately? Like a bin liner stuffed with frozen broccoli. Man like George was sitting there, just begging to be taken for a ride by owt with big ambitions and tits to match. I should have taken greater care of him.' This display of paternalistic guilt should have been comforting, but Pascoe wasn't in the market. He said indignantly, 'He's been selling us out for a quick jump!' 'Lots of jumps, if you read between the lines, and some on 'em not so quick either. Teach us all a thing or two, could George.' 'I'll skip the lesson, thank you,' said Pascoe primly. 'What on earth made Angle Ripley want to share these rather sordid details with the Chief? I mean, they don't exactly reflect well on her sister.' 'She weren't thinking other sister's reputation, she were thinking of her murder,' said Dalziel. 'Her murder . . . Jesus! You mean she reckons that wanting to shut her up could have been a good motive for killing her? George Headingley killing her? She must be crazy!' 'She didn't know George, did she? In fact after we met at the funeral, it seems she decided the description fitted me! Minute Clan read them but, he knew it must be George. Silly cow.' He sounded indignant. On the other hand, thought Pascoe, having mistaken the Fat Man for her sister's lover, it was very easy to see how she took the step of suspecting him to be her sister's killer! He kept the thought to himself and asked, 'But what's going to happen .. . ? In fact, what has happened? What did you tell the Chief to make him so happy?' Trimble was retailing George Headingley stories with great zest and rolling his audience in the aisles. He did not sound like a man who had any fear that his valedictory encomium might one day be presented as evidence of his poor judgment and lack of managerial control. 'Told him that in my opinion any resemblance between Jax Ripley's roly-poly Georgie Porgie and our George were purely coincidental, or at worst, Ripley based the fantasies she invented for her sister's entertainment on George because he was the officer who did a lot of our media briefings. Told him that I'd checked out George personally and that I could give my personal assurance there were nowt in it. And finally I told him that the stuff about