Reginald Hill - An Advancement of Learning

But find out when he was last seen. Where. Doing what. Anything else you can. Use a bit of charm.”

Someone tapped discreetly at the door.

“Come in, for Godsake!’ he bellowed.

“Hammer the bloody wood, will you?’ he said to the uniformed constable who entered. ”re a policeman, not a butler.” “From HQ, sir,’ said the constable handing over an envelope.

“Right,’ said Dalziel opening it and glancing quickly at the contents.

Pascoe held the door open so the constable could follow him out. It would be quite pleasant to watch a bit of cricket, especially once the cooling breeze which often blew up in the late afternoon put in an appearance.

“There’s one thing you’ve got to give those Krauts,’ said Dalziel.

“They’re bloody thorough.” “Sir?’ said Pascoe, stepping back into the room.

“That Austrian fellow you were talking to at vast bloody expense yesterday. You must have interested him.”

It sounded dirty.

“Sir?’ said Pascoe.

“He’s been doing some more checking round the hotel where Miss. Girling always stayed. And he came up with this.”

He waved a sheet of paper in the air.

“Sir?’ said Pascoe. This was getting monotonous.

“That year, it seems, according to the old booking charts he unearthed, Miss. Girling made an extra booking in October. Her own booking was carried on from year to year, it seems.”

“Oh,’ said Pascoe, trying not to sound too supercilious. ‘ mean Miss. Mayflower? From Doncaster? She’s dead.”

“What on earth are you mumbling about, Sergeant? No, this booking was cancelled in December, at the last moment.”

“Someone at the college?’ said Pascoe. ‘ lord! You don’t mean she was taking Disney!”

“No,’ said Dalziel. ‘. Marion Cargo.”

Marion Cargo seemed more relieved than confused when confronted with this new information. Dalziel had half-expected the usual excuses and rationalizations — ‘ didn’t think it was important,’ ‘ was all so long ago, I’d forgotten.’ In fact, he was half-ready to accept them. It was hard to see how the investigation could be helped by anything Marion could tell them. And when she had finished, he still wasn’t sure whether he had been helped or not.

“I should have said something sooner,’ she said, only her tightly clasped hands in her lap contradicting her appearance of complete self-possession. ”s nothing much to tell, mind you. Miss. Girling was very — kind to me. I was a favourite, I suppose. She got me working on that statue. It was absurd really. Youth it was to be called! It cost a fortune, most of it her own money.” She paused.

“A favourite?’ said Dalziel softly.

“Yes,’ she said. That was all. Nothing more. At least, I didn’t think so. I still don’t. But she suggested that I should go on holiday with her that Christmas. My mother had died during the previous summer — I can’t remember my father at all — and I was temporarily with a very dull uncle and aunt. It was just a nice, thoughtful gesture. I was delighted.”

“What happened?”

“Miss. Disney came to my room one evening. Everyone was scared of her then. Not like now, students don’t seem to be scared of anyone, but we were all frightened little mice just five or six years ago. Anyway, she started talking about me and Miss. Girling, about the holiday. I didn’t understand her at first. But I began to get the idea pretty quickly. She made it sound awful, as if somehow was a bad influence on Miss. Girling! She got very worked up, not hysterical or anything, but full of indignation, all puffy and red. I didn’t know what to think. She implied all kinds of things, even that Miss. Girling could lose her job because of me! It was absurd I know, but I was very innocent, naive I suppose. p›

Disney left finally; I just sat for a bit, then went round to Miss. Girling’s room. This was the last Sunday of term, I was about the only student left in the place, there was no one of my own age to talk to and in any case, I just had to see her. But all I could do when I saw her was blurt out that I couldn’t go to Austria after all, something had come up. I suppose I expected an emotional scene, with tears, explanations, comfortings etc. But she just looked at me and nodded.

Then picked up the phone and started cancelling my booking, plane-seat and so on.”

“Did you see her again?’ asked Dalziel.

“No. I was as miserable as hell all night and most of the next day, that Monday. Finally I plucked up courage to go and see her again.”

“What time was that?”

“I don’t remember. About tea-time. It was dark, but then it got dark even earlier than usual that December with the fog. I tapped on her door. There was someone inside, I could hear voices.”

“Her door? Which door?” “This one,’ said Marion surprised, pointing to the door of Landor’s former study.

“Of course,’ said Dalziel. ‘ thought you might have meant her house.”

“Oh, she didn’t have a house. The principal’s house was only built when Dr. Landor came. Miss. Girling had a suite of rooms here, through that door and up the stairs.”

She nodded at the room’s other door which Dalziel had already tried and found to be locked.

“What happened to the rooms?”

“Oh, they’re used for other things now. A library storeroom. The bursar’s office. That kind of thing.”

Dalziel tried the door again. Still unsuccessfully.

“Interesting,’ he said. ‘ voices did you hear?”

“When? Oh, you mean after I’d knocked? I don’t know. One was Miss. Girling’s. The other was a man’s. There may have been two. They all seemed to be talking very loudly. I don’t think anyone even heard my knock, it was so timid. Anyway, it didn’t seem a good moment, so I crept away.”

“Did you try again later?”

“I meant to. But as I was walking over about an hour later, her car went belting by me along the drive. It was going very quickly, I lifted my hand, but I doubt if she saw me. I just stood there in the middle of the drive, feeling quite miserable, watching the tail-lights disappear. I think I’d have stood there for ever if another car hadn’t come up behind me. I was almost knocked down. I don’t think I’d have minded much,’ she said with a wry grin.

“Another car?’ said Dalziel. ‘?”

“I don’t know. I jumped out of the way when he blew his horn and he went on up the drive almost as fast as Miss. Girling.”

“I see,’ said Dalziel thoughtfully. ‘ that was all?”

“Yes. I went back to my room, then spent Christmas with my dull relations. I knew nothing about the avalanche till I came back to college in January. It was terrible news. I suppose I should have been relieved I hadn’t gone. Disney certainly thought so. She alternated between the tragic bereaved bit and the I-savedyour-life line. I was too numb to take much notice. I just hung on till finals were over in the summer, then got out, rejoicing that I’d never see the place again.”

“And here you are.”

She shrugged.

Things change after a couple of years. You grow up. I saw the job, it was a good step career-wise, and I was a bit curious to see the old place. It was quite a surprise to be offered the post in fact. I hadn’t really banked on it. But I said, why not? and here I am. Disney returned to the attack, but apart from that, it was very pleasant, till Dr. Landor decided to move the statue.”

“Miss. Disney bothered you again?”

“No, not bothered. She started by implying that her influence had got me the job, then began dropping in on me, going all girlish, “isn’t it nice that we’re colleagues now?” and “let’s tell each other secrets and talk about Al,” that sort of thing.”