Page 325 of The Hallmarked Man
‘Ah,’ said Strike. ‘Well, I’ll be in the rough vicinity of Yeovil in a couple of hours. I could head there after Hereford and show them Tyler Powell’s picture.’
‘That’s a lot of driving in one day,’ said Robin. ‘Hereford and Yeovil aren’t that close to each other.’
‘Sure I’ll manage. Anything else?’
Robin, who didn’t much appreciate the spikiness of Strike’s tone, said,
‘No, I just dropped in to file some receipts, but I’m interviewing Faber Whitehead this evening, as I told you.’
‘OK, I’ll let you go,’ said Strike.
‘Strike,’ said Robin sharply.
‘What?’
‘If you’re still pissed off about Saturday, say so. You gave me literally no notice, and it’s not as if I haven’t forfeited a lot of free time late—’
‘I’m not pissed off about Saturday, I know it was short notice. I was worried Mrs Two-Times was making veiled threats about press, that’s all.’
‘Well, asI’mnot the one who’s made us a target for the tabloids—’
‘Tabloid attention’s an occupational risk,’ said Strike. ‘Ask your boyfriend.’
As he’d half-hoped to provoke her into doing, Robin hung up.
She stood in fury beside the partners’ desk, staring at her mobile as though she could see Strike glaring back at her.You total prick.Robin wrenched open the dividing door so forcefully that Pat looked round, startled.
‘Everything all right?’
‘Fine,’ said Robin. ‘I’ve got some receipts for filing.’
She was halfway to the filing cabinet when she noticed a large margarine tub full of water set beside the fish tank. It contained the black fish called Cormoran, which was swimming lazily around its limited space.
‘Why’s that fish out of its tank?’
‘He’s got me feeding it bloody peas,’ said Pat grumpily.
A card was propped against the tank, carrying instructions in Strike’s hard-to-read handwriting. Diverted in spite of herself, Robin picked this up to read it.
Goldfish are bottom feeders
If they gulp too much air at the surface they can bugger up their balance and start floating upside down.
SOAK FOOD BEFORE GIVING IT IN FUTURE
Feed only small amount of mashed peas until it improves
It’s OK to go back in main tank once swimming upright
‘Itisthe right way up now,’ Robin told Pat.
‘Is it?’
Pat joined Robin, both of them peering down at the fish with the knobbly growth on top of its head, stout body waggling, double tail fin wafting behind it as it circled the tub. Long strings of goldfish excrement swirled beneath it.
‘Shall I tip it back in?’ said Pat.
‘I would,’ said Robin. ‘It hasn’t got a lot of space in there.’
