Read Online An Advancement of Learning by Reginald Hill - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Reginald Hill
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science's personification.
"Yes, Mr. Dunbar?"
"What's all this about Girling? That fool Disney's been twittering about her all morning evidently. She's a dreadful creature, dreadful. But they all are. It's an occupational hazard. But what about Girling? The daft creature was hinting at a connection between our late lamented principal and those bones out there?"
He pointed dramatically into the garden. His short arm didn't seem to stretch as far as he would like.
"We have reason to believe that the remains discovered yesterday are Miss. Girling's,' said Pascoe officially.
There's a thing,' said Dunbar. ', now. I didn't believe the others, but this is horse's mouth stuff, eh?" "Others?' said Pascoe.
"Aye. Disney yesterday. I had to hold her up. "It's Girling!" she cried.
Man, I near ruptured myself. Then some students this morning. They were convinced. Said they had it from a weejy board or some such nonsense. You're certain, it's true?" "Yes,' said Pascoe in some exasperation. Dunbar nodded as if reluctantly convinced. He pulled a disproportionately large pipe from his pocket and began to shred what looked like brown paper into the bowl.
"She had it coming to her, y'know,' he said. ' thought it was the hand of God, but this ... "
He struck three unsuccessful matches.
"You knew Miss. Girling then?' asked Pascoe. He knew full well that Dunbar's name was on the list of staff surviving from six years before.
"Aye. Well. Too bloody well. Me and Saltecombe - you've met him? Fat chap in charge of history - we were the first men ever appointed here, you know. 1965. Must have been mad. She didn't want us, I'm pretty sure.
But there were pressures. Others could see the way things were going, so we were a kind of concession. Reckoned we were pretty harmless. Mind, I think Disney would have had us operated on if she could. There was a girl got pregnant that year. She didn't speak to us for days."
He laughed loudly and his breath scattered charred shavings from his pipe.
"I don't know how I've stuck it all this time."
"But now ... ?"
"Now? We exchanged one old woman for another."
"You speak very frankly, Mr. Dunbar."
"It's my nature, laddie. Look, how the hell did it happen? I mean, what's she doing here when she should be feeding the edelweiss in Austria?" That's what we wish to find out. Tell me,' said Pascoe, ' did you last see Miss. Girling. Alive?"
"Man, that's a hard one! Let's see. That morning. The last day of term."
"December 16th?"
"If you say so."
"Friday."
Dunbar looked at him puzzled.
"Ah, no!' he said. ' would be when the students went off. But not us. Oh no. We used to hang around over the weekend so we could have a cosy little postmortem at a staff meeting on the Monday morning. The 16th, you said? Then it would be Monday 19th."
"I see. So all the academic staff were there on Monday 19th. Have you any idea when Miss. Girling would have set off on her holiday? She was flying to Austria, you'll recall."
"No recollection at all. The day is dead to me. I'd be off myself as soon as I humanly could."
"A pity. Perhaps Miss. Disney, or someone on more friendly terms ... "
Dunbar stood up, letting loose his unpleasant laugh once more.
"Disney! Friendly! Man, you've been propagandized!"
"But I understood ... "
"It's a myth. She's got no friends among the living, that one, so she appropriates the dead. One of the few things in Al's favour was that she couldn't stomach Disney. Good day to you!"
"Goodbye. I'm sure the superintendent would like to talk ... "
But the door was already slamming shut.
"Not a very nice kind of man,' said Kent from the window-seat. Pascoe had forgotten he was there.
"You handled him well, Sergeant. I think I'll take a little stroll around the estate and soak up a bit of atmosphere. Back in half an hour if I'm wanted."
Pascoe watched him stride purposefully out of the room. Perhaps I'll be like him with a year to go to retirement, he thought wryly.
He turned back to his work.
"Yes, Mr. Dunbar?"
"What's all this about Girling? That fool Disney's been twittering about her all morning evidently. She's a dreadful creature, dreadful. But they all are. It's an occupational hazard. But what about Girling? The daft creature was hinting at a connection between our late lamented principal and those bones out there?"
He pointed dramatically into the garden. His short arm didn't seem to stretch as far as he would like.
"We have reason to believe that the remains discovered yesterday are Miss. Girling's,' said Pascoe officially.
There's a thing,' said Dunbar. ', now. I didn't believe the others, but this is horse's mouth stuff, eh?" "Others?' said Pascoe.
"Aye. Disney yesterday. I had to hold her up. "It's Girling!" she cried.
Man, I near ruptured myself. Then some students this morning. They were convinced. Said they had it from a weejy board or some such nonsense. You're certain, it's true?" "Yes,' said Pascoe in some exasperation. Dunbar nodded as if reluctantly convinced. He pulled a disproportionately large pipe from his pocket and began to shred what looked like brown paper into the bowl.
"She had it coming to her, y'know,' he said. ' thought it was the hand of God, but this ... "
He struck three unsuccessful matches.
"You knew Miss. Girling then?' asked Pascoe. He knew full well that Dunbar's name was on the list of staff surviving from six years before.
"Aye. Well. Too bloody well. Me and Saltecombe - you've met him? Fat chap in charge of history - we were the first men ever appointed here, you know. 1965. Must have been mad. She didn't want us, I'm pretty sure.
But there were pressures. Others could see the way things were going, so we were a kind of concession. Reckoned we were pretty harmless. Mind, I think Disney would have had us operated on if she could. There was a girl got pregnant that year. She didn't speak to us for days."
He laughed loudly and his breath scattered charred shavings from his pipe.
"I don't know how I've stuck it all this time."
"But now ... ?"
"Now? We exchanged one old woman for another."
"You speak very frankly, Mr. Dunbar."
"It's my nature, laddie. Look, how the hell did it happen? I mean, what's she doing here when she should be feeding the edelweiss in Austria?" That's what we wish to find out. Tell me,' said Pascoe, ' did you last see Miss. Girling. Alive?"
"Man, that's a hard one! Let's see. That morning. The last day of term."
"December 16th?"
"If you say so."
"Friday."
Dunbar looked at him puzzled.
"Ah, no!' he said. ' would be when the students went off. But not us. Oh no. We used to hang around over the weekend so we could have a cosy little postmortem at a staff meeting on the Monday morning. The 16th, you said? Then it would be Monday 19th."
"I see. So all the academic staff were there on Monday 19th. Have you any idea when Miss. Girling would have set off on her holiday? She was flying to Austria, you'll recall."
"No recollection at all. The day is dead to me. I'd be off myself as soon as I humanly could."
"A pity. Perhaps Miss. Disney, or someone on more friendly terms ... "
Dunbar stood up, letting loose his unpleasant laugh once more.
"Disney! Friendly! Man, you've been propagandized!"
"But I understood ... "
"It's a myth. She's got no friends among the living, that one, so she appropriates the dead. One of the few things in Al's favour was that she couldn't stomach Disney. Good day to you!"
"Goodbye. I'm sure the superintendent would like to talk ... "
But the door was already slamming shut.
"Not a very nice kind of man,' said Kent from the window-seat. Pascoe had forgotten he was there.
"You handled him well, Sergeant. I think I'll take a little stroll around the estate and soak up a bit of atmosphere. Back in half an hour if I'm wanted."
Pascoe watched him stride purposefully out of the room. Perhaps I'll be like him with a year to go to retirement, he thought wryly.
He turned back to his work.
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