A Little Learning Read Online Free PDF Page B

him, ‘We shall need your fingerprints, Mr Barnes. And send in your partner in crime, please.’
    *
    Gary Pilkington’s nerve had not been improved by his wait outside the Bursar’s office. He had spent the time going over and over the story that he and Paul — well mostly Paul, if he was honest — had put together to conceal the true purpose of their visit to the Director’s Residence on the previous night. Repetition had not made the story more convincing in his fevered brain, but they were stuck with it now, so he’d better get it right.
    He was not reassured by the sight of a thoroughly discomfited Paul Barnes coming out of the office. He had no time to speak to him, because that friendly woman detective came out and ushered him straight into the office and the smiling face of Detective Inspector Peach. The DI waved an arm expansively at the chair in front of the big desk and waited for Lucy Blake to resume her place beside him on the business side.
    Peach studied the unsuccessful efforts of the big body opposite him to stay still for a moment before he said, ‘History student, I believe, Mr Pilkington?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Good memories, history experts had, when I was at school. Good recall of past events. Let’s see how you are about last night.’
    Gary struggled to rid himself of an obstinate frog in his throat. ‘What — what exactly is it you want to know? We told one of your constables all about it this morning, and I thought —’
    ‘I know. Dreary for you, isn’t it, this repetition? But indulge me, please. Just take us through the whole thing again, will you, Mr Pilkington? Give you the chance to put right any mistakes you might have made, and DS Blake and I the chance to ask any intelligent questions we can think of. We’d like that.’
    Paul didn’t like it, not one little bit. But his brain refused to work when he bid it to work at its fastest. It would take him all his resources to remember and deliver the story as he had agreed it with Paul. He dared not look at those observant faces across the huge expanse of green leather on top of the desk as he began: ‘Well, we’d been drinking and talking way into the night, the way students do. Then I suddenly realized that it was two o’clock in the morning. And yet neither of us felt like going to bed. So Paul suggested that we should go for a walk round the site. It was a beautiful moonlit night, cold and clear, and we thought the air would clear our heads. We were walking past the Director’s Residence when we thought we saw a light inside.’
    Paul stopped and swallowed, trying to get the next bit straight in his mind. For the first time since he had begun, he looked up at the CID officers — and found them both regarding him with considerable amusement. ‘What — what is it that’s wrong?’
    Peach stopped smiling for a moment to purse his lips. ‘Your delivery, I’d say, principally. You’ve got the script off pretty well, but your delivery is very wooden. Needs more expression and variation, I’d say, wouldn’t you, DS Blake?’
    ‘Definitely more light and shade, I’d say. Mr Barnes could probably help you with that, being a drama student.’ The smile sat more winningly on Lucy Blake’s cheerful, light-skinned face, but that didn’t make Gary Pilkington feel any better about it. He tried to speak, but found he couldn’t.
    Peach turned the screw. ‘Dried, have we, Mr Pilkington? I’m sure we could help you with a prompt. Tell him how it goes on, DS Blake.’
    Lucy Blake flicked back unhurriedly to a page in her shorthand notes. ‘…We saw a light inside. Almost as if someone was moving about in there, with a torch. We thought we’d better investigate. We couldn’t get in at the front of the house, but when we went round the back, we found that a window had been forced…’ She stopped, smiled, and allowed the pause to stretch on for seconds, which seemed like minutes for the agonized young man on the other side of the