number.
********************
Burke sat in
Gray’s office staring at his feet as he allowed his toes to do the
fidgeting, unseen.
The DCI was holding forth
on the importance of figures. “It’s a numbers game James, you know
that.”
“ Yes
sir.”
“ I mean we
live and die by our clear up rate, which is why I’m only too happy
for you to palm this one off to SCDEA. Let Edwards brush it under
the carpet as he obviously intends to. Oh I know, I dare say at
your age I would have been keen to get my teeth into it. Make no
mistake about that, but you always have to keep one eye on the
politics if you want to get on. And during these stark financial
times, God knows everyone wants more bang for their
buck.”
“ Indeed.”
“ These are
just the realities you have to contend with in this
game.”
That and mastering the
dodgy handshakes, Burke thought as he watched Gray stare out of the
window in a manner he probably thought conveyed a contemplative
general surveying the field of battle, despite the fact the view
was of a car park.
Why the DCI thought he
had to sell him on this he had no clue, but he’d go along with the
charade anyway, just to indulge him. It paid to look keen while
silently chalking these things up to experience.
“ You’re
married, aren’t you Jim?”
“ I am,” Burke
replied. “Three years.”
“ Early days,”
Gray chuckled. “Tell me about it when it's been 20.”
Burke reflected that he
hadn't in fact brought it up.
“ You know, my
brother-in-law’s in the car trade.”
“ Really?”
“ Yes, does
all right out of it too. Not sure there hasn't been the odd dodgy
dealing and there at times if you know what I mean, and he's picked
up more than a few tricks along the way. In fact I think he could
well put Derren Brown to shame.”
“ I'm
sure.”
“ Once told me
a story about a time he got a dodgy Triumph Stag from the auctions,
just in the early days as he was starting out. He had a mechanic
who looked the car over and discovered the suspension was shot.
Well, then they decided the only thing they could do was to prop
the whole thing up with bits of wood from an old pallet and punt
the thing through an ad in one of the trade papers.” Gray chuckled
to himself again. “Met the guy down a dark alley or in a layby
somewhere so there were no comebacks, flogged it and legged it.” He
laughed some more, taking a moment to bask in the glory of what he
doubtless thought was a well told anecdote.
“ Really,”
Burke replied, in a manner he hoped was just the right side of
sarcastic.
“ Yes,
really,” the DCI replied, remembering himself, before nervously
clearing his throat and continuing. “Anyway, the thing he always
says, and I mean always, at any given opportunity at pretty much
every family gathering once he gets a few too many G&Ts into
him, is that most cars are not sold to men.”
“ I see.” Much
as Burke appreciated the words of wisdom, he found it unlikely he
would be selling Vauxhall Astras anytime soon.
“ Ah but you
don’t Jim.” Gray pressed on, “And you won’t until you reach a later
stage of the syndrome. My brother in law rarely sells a car to a
man, well not one that’s married or otherwise cohabiting at any
rate. Even if it’s the husband looking and on the surface buying,
you always sell the car to the wife. She makes the decisions
everywhere, and I mean everywhere. That’s the point.”
“ I hear
that.” Burke said absent-mindedly.
“ Sorry?”
“ Imagine
that.”
“ You might
well imagine it James. Clearly you still harbour some illusion of
control, but that’ll fade once, Rachel is it?”
“ Yes.”
“ Once Rachel
has worn you down.”
“ Right.” Was
Gray trying to justify something he had done at the bidding of his
wife, some crime he was about to fess up to following his segue
into the mind of the car buying and indeed it seemed general
mind-set of the married man?
“ Eventually
you’ll know what it is
********************
Burke sat in
Gray’s office staring at his feet as he allowed his toes to do the
fidgeting, unseen.
The DCI was holding forth
on the importance of figures. “It’s a numbers game James, you know
that.”
“ Yes
sir.”
“ I mean we
live and die by our clear up rate, which is why I’m only too happy
for you to palm this one off to SCDEA. Let Edwards brush it under
the carpet as he obviously intends to. Oh I know, I dare say at
your age I would have been keen to get my teeth into it. Make no
mistake about that, but you always have to keep one eye on the
politics if you want to get on. And during these stark financial
times, God knows everyone wants more bang for their
buck.”
“ Indeed.”
“ These are
just the realities you have to contend with in this
game.”
That and mastering the
dodgy handshakes, Burke thought as he watched Gray stare out of the
window in a manner he probably thought conveyed a contemplative
general surveying the field of battle, despite the fact the view
was of a car park.
Why the DCI thought he
had to sell him on this he had no clue, but he’d go along with the
charade anyway, just to indulge him. It paid to look keen while
silently chalking these things up to experience.
“ You’re
married, aren’t you Jim?”
“ I am,” Burke
replied. “Three years.”
“ Early days,”
Gray chuckled. “Tell me about it when it's been 20.”
Burke reflected that he
hadn't in fact brought it up.
“ You know, my
brother-in-law’s in the car trade.”
“ Really?”
“ Yes, does
all right out of it too. Not sure there hasn't been the odd dodgy
dealing and there at times if you know what I mean, and he's picked
up more than a few tricks along the way. In fact I think he could
well put Derren Brown to shame.”
“ I'm
sure.”
“ Once told me
a story about a time he got a dodgy Triumph Stag from the auctions,
just in the early days as he was starting out. He had a mechanic
who looked the car over and discovered the suspension was shot.
Well, then they decided the only thing they could do was to prop
the whole thing up with bits of wood from an old pallet and punt
the thing through an ad in one of the trade papers.” Gray chuckled
to himself again. “Met the guy down a dark alley or in a layby
somewhere so there were no comebacks, flogged it and legged it.” He
laughed some more, taking a moment to bask in the glory of what he
doubtless thought was a well told anecdote.
“ Really,”
Burke replied, in a manner he hoped was just the right side of
sarcastic.
“ Yes,
really,” the DCI replied, remembering himself, before nervously
clearing his throat and continuing. “Anyway, the thing he always
says, and I mean always, at any given opportunity at pretty much
every family gathering once he gets a few too many G&Ts into
him, is that most cars are not sold to men.”
“ I see.” Much
as Burke appreciated the words of wisdom, he found it unlikely he
would be selling Vauxhall Astras anytime soon.
“ Ah but you
don’t Jim.” Gray pressed on, “And you won’t until you reach a later
stage of the syndrome. My brother in law rarely sells a car to a
man, well not one that’s married or otherwise cohabiting at any
rate. Even if it’s the husband looking and on the surface buying,
you always sell the car to the wife. She makes the decisions
everywhere, and I mean everywhere. That’s the point.”
“ I hear
that.” Burke said absent-mindedly.
“ Sorry?”
“ Imagine
that.”
“ You might
well imagine it James. Clearly you still harbour some illusion of
control, but that’ll fade once, Rachel is it?”
“ Yes.”
“ Once Rachel
has worn you down.”
“ Right.” Was
Gray trying to justify something he had done at the bidding of his
wife, some crime he was about to fess up to following his segue
into the mind of the car buying and indeed it seemed general
mind-set of the married man?
“ Eventually
you’ll know what it is
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