stared a long time at Gently. His eyes dropped. ‘All right,’ he said to the attending constable. ‘You heard what the Superintendent said.’
The door closed behind Taylor. Tallent got up and went to the window. In the M/T yard outside the window somebody was revving a car engine. Tallent threw up the window, bawled through it. The engine was cut. He closed the window. He came back into the room, stood staring at a duty roster that was pinned to the door with red-capped drawing-pins.
‘You didn’t like how I handled that, sir,’ he said. ‘Perhaps you haven’t liked how I’ve handled any of the case up to now.’
Gently said nothing.
‘Perhaps,’ Tallent said, ‘I should ask to be taken off this case. Let you run it how you want. Maybe that would be best for everyone.’
‘Come and sit down again,’ Gently said.
‘I know pretty well,’ Tallent said, ‘when I’m not wanted. You don’t want me. You’ve been against me ever since you walked in. I could feel it. We don’t click. You think I’m just a loud-mouthed bastard. I can’t do anything right, for you. And you’re the boss. So I’d better drop out.’
‘I can’t talk to your back,’ Gently said.
‘You can’t talk to me, period,’ Tallent said. ‘We don’t have a common bloody language, sir, just between us and the four walls.’
‘Well, come and sit down,’ Gently said.
‘I want to have this out, sir,’ Tallent said.
‘Of course, we both do,’ Gently said. ‘Come and sit down.’
Tallent stalked to his chair.
Gently scratched a light for his pipe, blew a couple of rings towards Tallent.
‘You were a boxing man,’ he said. ‘Haven’t I seen your name on the area championship shield?’
‘So what?’ Tallent said.
‘So that’s a high standard,’ Gently said. ‘It takes more than beef to become a champion. It takes discipline, intelligence, the imagination to read a fight, the skill to exploit an opponent’s style. A good champion is a good policeman.’
‘I was a bad champion,’ Tallent said.
‘I didn’t see your fights,’ Gently said. ‘I’d say you were a good one, just meeting you today for the first time.’
‘So I’ve gone back,’ Tallent said. ‘I was a good champion, I’m a bad policeman.’
‘That isn’t my reading,’ Gently said. ‘I’ve been wondering how you’d shape if you joined us.’
‘If I joined who?’ Tallent’s small eyes jumped.
‘If you joined us,’ Gently said. ‘That’s a possible step for an ambitious officer. We’re always short of likely material.’
Tallent stared at him, hook-browed.
‘Try pulling the other one, sir,’ he said.
‘I’m quite serious,’ Gently said. ‘And I happen to know we have vacancies.’
Tallent rose again, stood facing the window.
‘Look, sir,’ he said. ‘I don’t know your angle. I’m not the sort of bloke who’d fit in the Central Office, and you bloody well know I’m not that sort. I’m all right. I’m a good cop. I know my job. I run a quiet manor. But that’s all I am, a good cop. They wouldn’t look at me up there.’
Gently smoked, blew rings.
‘Yeah, they wouldn’t look at me,’ Tallent said. ‘And you know why. I play it old-fashioned. I aim to make the villains jump. So you don’t like it, they wouldn’t like it, but it keeps the peace pretty good. And it’ll get a conviction on the Blackburn case while the pussyfoots are still wondering.’
Gently kept smoking.
‘No,’ Tallent said. ‘I don’t want your recommendation. I’m no class, I know that. I’m where I belong, a working policeman. I’ll stick to that, doing my job, getting results the way I know. Maybe I’m just a bloody loud-mouth, but the record says I get by.’
‘Were you in the services?’ Gently asked.
‘Yeah,’ Tallent said. ‘Other ranks.’
‘Did you see any fighting?’
Tallent glared at the window. ‘Once,’ he said. ‘Just the once.’
‘Where was that?’
Tallent’s hands were tightening.
The door closed behind Taylor. Tallent got up and went to the window. In the M/T yard outside the window somebody was revving a car engine. Tallent threw up the window, bawled through it. The engine was cut. He closed the window. He came back into the room, stood staring at a duty roster that was pinned to the door with red-capped drawing-pins.
‘You didn’t like how I handled that, sir,’ he said. ‘Perhaps you haven’t liked how I’ve handled any of the case up to now.’
Gently said nothing.
‘Perhaps,’ Tallent said, ‘I should ask to be taken off this case. Let you run it how you want. Maybe that would be best for everyone.’
‘Come and sit down again,’ Gently said.
‘I know pretty well,’ Tallent said, ‘when I’m not wanted. You don’t want me. You’ve been against me ever since you walked in. I could feel it. We don’t click. You think I’m just a loud-mouthed bastard. I can’t do anything right, for you. And you’re the boss. So I’d better drop out.’
‘I can’t talk to your back,’ Gently said.
‘You can’t talk to me, period,’ Tallent said. ‘We don’t have a common bloody language, sir, just between us and the four walls.’
‘Well, come and sit down,’ Gently said.
‘I want to have this out, sir,’ Tallent said.
‘Of course, we both do,’ Gently said. ‘Come and sit down.’
Tallent stalked to his chair.
Gently scratched a light for his pipe, blew a couple of rings towards Tallent.
‘You were a boxing man,’ he said. ‘Haven’t I seen your name on the area championship shield?’
‘So what?’ Tallent said.
‘So that’s a high standard,’ Gently said. ‘It takes more than beef to become a champion. It takes discipline, intelligence, the imagination to read a fight, the skill to exploit an opponent’s style. A good champion is a good policeman.’
‘I was a bad champion,’ Tallent said.
‘I didn’t see your fights,’ Gently said. ‘I’d say you were a good one, just meeting you today for the first time.’
‘So I’ve gone back,’ Tallent said. ‘I was a good champion, I’m a bad policeman.’
‘That isn’t my reading,’ Gently said. ‘I’ve been wondering how you’d shape if you joined us.’
‘If I joined who?’ Tallent’s small eyes jumped.
‘If you joined us,’ Gently said. ‘That’s a possible step for an ambitious officer. We’re always short of likely material.’
Tallent stared at him, hook-browed.
‘Try pulling the other one, sir,’ he said.
‘I’m quite serious,’ Gently said. ‘And I happen to know we have vacancies.’
Tallent rose again, stood facing the window.
‘Look, sir,’ he said. ‘I don’t know your angle. I’m not the sort of bloke who’d fit in the Central Office, and you bloody well know I’m not that sort. I’m all right. I’m a good cop. I know my job. I run a quiet manor. But that’s all I am, a good cop. They wouldn’t look at me up there.’
Gently smoked, blew rings.
‘Yeah, they wouldn’t look at me,’ Tallent said. ‘And you know why. I play it old-fashioned. I aim to make the villains jump. So you don’t like it, they wouldn’t like it, but it keeps the peace pretty good. And it’ll get a conviction on the Blackburn case while the pussyfoots are still wondering.’
Gently kept smoking.
‘No,’ Tallent said. ‘I don’t want your recommendation. I’m no class, I know that. I’m where I belong, a working policeman. I’ll stick to that, doing my job, getting results the way I know. Maybe I’m just a bloody loud-mouth, but the record says I get by.’
‘Were you in the services?’ Gently asked.
‘Yeah,’ Tallent said. ‘Other ranks.’
‘Did you see any fighting?’
Tallent glared at the window. ‘Once,’ he said. ‘Just the once.’
‘Where was that?’
Tallent’s hands were tightening.
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