Reginald Hill: A pinch of snuff

'Two of my colleagues,' said Pascoe. 'And the one in the middle's called Burkill. It was his daughter in the photograph.'

She drew in her breath sharply and Toms reacted too with an involuntary twitch of the shoulders. But he held his ground as the trio of men slowly approached.

'Mr Toms? It is Mr Toms?' said Dalziel in his best meet-the-nobs voice. 'I'm Detective-Superintendent Dalziel. I'd have come in with Mr Pascoe here, only I thought I recognized Mr Blengdale's car out front and I know how much he likes a breath of air, I took a chance on finding him somewhere in the grounds.'

Burkill's clothes were in some disarray and he was flushed and perspiring as from some hard physical effort. But his unblinking gaze never left Toms's face.

'Well, I was right. I found him,' continued Dalziel. 'Only he wasn't alone. He was with Mr Burkill here. I joined in the conversation. Some very funny things Mr Blengdale was saying about you, Mr Toms.'

'Was he?' said Toms. 'That's odd. I don't know the man.'

'Really? He said he was some kind of associate of yours, but then he was a bit upset and I may have picked him up wrong. So, Mr Blengdale's not known to you? Or Mr Burkill either? This is Mr Burkill here.'

'I know nothing of these people,' said Toms.

'Then I'm sorry we've bothered you. Must be a mistake somewhere. Sergeant, a word with you.'

Dalziel took a few steps to one side. Wield let go his grip on Burkill and followed him, leaving Burkill and Toms about two yards apart facing each other.

Behind him, Pascoe heard the front door slam shut. Blengdale must have been listening and decided that he'd seen enough of Brian Burkill for one day. At the sound, Toms looked quickly round, his face twisted as he saw his retreat shut off. Then Burkill moved.

His large hands descended on the film man's shoulders and it looked as if his sheer strength would force Toms into submission at a single blow. But as the slight man went down he thrust his elbow desperately into Burkill's groin, slipped out of that terrible grasp, and set off along the front of the house, scarcely in his panic taking time to rise into an upright position.

Burkill pursued. Pascoe glanced at Dalziel who was deep in conversation with Wield. Beside him Penny Latimer said, 'He'll kill him!'

Pascoe agreed and took a couple of uncertain steps after the fleeing pair.

'Peter!' said Dalziel. 'Do you have a moment?'

He halted, turned, looked back at Burkill and Toms. Dalziel followed his gaze as if this was the first he knew of any trouble.

'Inspector Crabtree,' he said. 'It is Inspector Crabtree, isn't it? Long time since we met. Perhaps you'd go and sort out that bit of bother.'

Crabtree who was lurking behind one of the pillars of the portico showed no great enthusiasm for the task but obediently lumbered in pursuit.

Burkill was not gaining on Toms, whose fitness or fear was producing a good turn of speed. He was heading across the narrow lawn now towards the concealment of the unkempt shrubbery.

'Can't you stop them?' demanded Penny of Pascoe. 'This is monstrous! That fat man did it on purpose.'

'Miss Latimer, isn't it?' said Dalziel genially. 'I'm just a simple bobby and when people say they don't know each other, I take them at their word. Any road, your Mr Toms will be safe in a moment.'

But as Toms reached the sanctuary of the shrubbery, a third figure detached itself from the ragged blackness of an overgrown rhododendron clump.

'Now who would that be?' wondered Dalziel.

'It's Arany,' said Pascoe.

Toms had halted before the newcomer. Presumably now with this reinforcement he would feel emboldened to turn and face his pursuer and for a moment it looked as if this was what was happening.

Burkill arrived. Crabtree was still some way behind. The triangle of men stood quite still for a second. Burkill raised his fist. Arany reached up and laid a restraining hand on it. Then the Hungarian turned to Toms and taking him by the shoulders gave him a devastating triple-knee; first the crutch, then as he folded, the belly; and finally as he bent double, the face, which straightened him out again, and flung him full length backwards on the lawn.

'Oh dear,' said Dalziel with something of admiration in his voice.

The two men still standing spoke together for a moment. Then Arany turned and blended with the bushes again. Crabtree who had just arrived made as if to pursue him. Burkill seized him by the collar and when the Inspector tried to struggle round to face him, he contemptuously pushed him aside so that he stumbled and fell across the recumbent Toms.

Pascoe put on the intelligently alert look of one who doesn't understand a bloody thing and looked enquiringly at Dalziel, who smiled back at him in a condescendingly amiable manner and stepped forward to meet the returning Burkill as though he'd just arrived for a vicarage garden party.

'Man of your age shouldn't be running around like that, Bri,' he said.

'Man of my age can learn a lot of things, Mr Dalziel,' said Burkill grimly. 'I'm off to see our Sandra now.'

'That'd be best. Maurice left her at Mrs Abbott's, did he?'

'Aye.'

'Sergeant Wield'll go with you. There may be some difficulty in getting out, else.'

Pascoe didn't understand this either, till the sound of approaching vehicles made him turn and a stream of police cars began to emerge from the green tunnel of the driveway.

'Now I dare say one of these gents has got a search warrant,' said Dalziel. 'Miss Latimer, perhaps as an interested party representing Homeric Films you would care to be present during this search.'

'All I want is to contact my solicitor,' said Penny.

'Contact away,' said Dalziel.

'There's no phone here,' said the woman.

'Then you'll just have to shout very loud,' answered Dalziel. 'Inspector Trumper.'

'Sir,' said Trumper who had just emerged from the leading car.

'You have the warrant? Good, get things organized, quickly as you like. Take your time on the search, though. We've got all week if we want.'

'Excuse me, Mr Dalziel,' said Burkill.

'You still here, Brian?'

'Maurice said to look behind the chimney in the main bedroom.'

'Did he now? You hear that, Inspector? I must thank Mr Arany when I see him, which should be shortly unless your men are sleeping.'

'They're not sleeping, sir,' assured Trumper.

'Good. Well, let's get to it. Sergeant Wield, before you go, give Control a shout, tell'em we need a doctor.'

'Right, sir.'

'And that's about it, I reckon,' said Dalziel. He went under the portico and stood by the door which was open once more, looking, thought Pascoe, like some nineteenth-century industrial parvenu who'd just built his first mansion.

'Just one thing more,' said Dalziel. 'I almost forgot. Inspector Crabtree.'

'Sir,' said Crabtree who had just arrived holding one side of Gerry Toms who looked to be in a bad way.

'Inspector Crabtree,' said Dalziel ponderously. 'You are suspended from your duties pending investigation of certain allegations which have been made into your conduct as a police officer. You will remain here until a senior officer from your force arrives who will accompany you to your home where a search will be made in your presence. You understand me, Inspector?'

'Yes, sir,' said Crabtree without emotion.

'Good,' said Dalziel and went into the house.

Crabtree let Toms slip to the ground and pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. Pascoe stared at him uncomprehendingly.

'Ray,' he said.

Crabtree smiled and shrugged.

'I've a complete answer to all the charges,' he said. 'It's "go fuck yourself". Better push off, Peter, before master gets impatient.'

'Inspector Pascoe!' bellowed Dalziel from within.

Crabtree's smile broadened.