Dialogues of the Dead

389 a 'That's right,' she said. 'Like he thought, all right, I've got a body, that's a step. Now if I do this and this with it, that would be another two steps. He's eager to be moving forward along this path he keeps talking about and when something like this occurs, whatever it was, of course he puts it down to divine intervention or something.' 'So what are you suggesting?' asked Pascoe. 'Maybe instead of concentrating on clues in the conventional sense, we should start collecting words. Listing them in every way, we can until one of the lists makes some kind of sense.' , 'Examples, please,' said Pascoe encouragingly. | Dalziel would have growled, 'Money where your mouth is, luv; | else keep it zipped.' She felt that she would have preferred that, then glanced at him, saw his expression, and changed her mind; 'Well, Pyke-Strengler's body was found in the stream, right,; and his head in a fishing basket in his boat. So words like stream, '"i water, beck, brook, river, and boat, basket .. . wickerwork ..., creel. ..' She was starting to feel very tired and these swirling ideas which i had seemed on the verge of coalescing into something solid were j beginning to dissipate like morning mist, but she pressed on. ,' 'And this latest, Bird and ... whatsisname . . . words like coin i .. . and dollar .. . and money ...' / She felt something like a sob gathering in her throat and tailed i off into silence because it seemed a better alternative. ' Dalziel and Pascoe exchanged glances then the Fat Man said, i 'Ivor, that's grand. You keep working on that, eh? I really appreci ate you coming in like this, and the Chief'11 have noted it too. Now I reckon it's time you headed off home for a bit of a rest.' Cue to say, No, I feel fine, but speech felt even more treacherous in face of this lumbering sympathy, so instead she stood up, nodded curtly, and made it out of the door without a wobble. Dalziel said, 'Wieldy, see she's all right. Don't know what you were thinking of, Pete, pressing her like that when she's still convalescing.' ' 'Hang about,' said Pascoe indignantly. 'It wasn't my idea having her here.' 'Wasn't it? All right. Back to the case. What other ideas are ;j| you not having?' 'Keep banging away at Penn, Roote and Dee, I suppose.' 'Sound like a firm of dodgy solicitors. That it?' 'Yup. Sorry. How about you, sir?' The?' Dalziel yawned widely and scratched his crotch like it had offended him. 'Think I'll go home and read a good book.' And I can guess which one it's likely to be, Hamish, thought Pascoe. But being a sensitive man, with a wife, child, child's dog, and mortgage to support, he didn't say it.

391 Chapter Forty-four