Chapter 10
"Guess what?"
"What?" replied Robin, who was sitting at her desk searching the internet.
"I think I've found my missing man."
"Oh fantastic! You must be pleased," said Robin, now distracted from her task.
"Well, you know I found out that he WAS now in a civil partnership and had changed his name. Someone suggested that to me – can't remember now….." said Strike, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah, that's me," replied Robin, beaming with pride. "Go on."
"I've still had to do a bit of searching, but I think I've found him working on a farm," said Strike.
"Wow. A farm? Doesn't sound like his kind of thing," said Robin. "Where is it?"
"Norfolk." Robin looked at Strike with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, I know," he continued. "I really need to go there in person. So….?"
"You'd like me to drive you there?" suggested Robin, finishing Strike's line of thought.
"Can you do it?"
"Of course. When would you like to go? I can't really do it the rest of this week, I'm afraid. And we've got some appointments in the diary early next week. What about next Thursday or Friday? Looks like you're free then too."
Robin had brought up the office diary on her computer screen, and Strike had come round behind her chair to look at it. Robin shifted in her seat to allow Strike to view the screen. She had always been sensitive to any physical proximity to Strike, but over the past weeks that sensitivity had ramped up a few notches, apparently for no reason. Strike put a hand on the back of Robin's chair to steady himself while he leaned in to look at the screen. Robin felt her stomach turning over and tried really hard to just focus on some papers on her desk.
"Do you know anything about working patterns on a farm? Do they get days off on Fridays or anything?" asked Strike.
"Not that I know of. It's probably the opposite, working 24/7, early mornings and all that," replied Robin.
"Ok, let's go for next Friday, then it runs nicely into the weekend."
Robin started to tap on the keyboard. "Ok, it's in the diary. Set in stone." She turned to look up at Strike still standing behind her. He was tempted to press his hand on her shoulder or arm as an acknowledgement. It seemed the natural thing to do, something he might have done to a colleague in the army. And yet the invisible boundary between them deemed that such a gesture wasn't appropriate. Strike removed his hand from the chair and scratched his beard as he moved away to go back into his office.
"Thanks," he called back.
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Several months earlier, Robin had traded in the old Land Rover. Although it had been very useful, it was falling apart more and more and the repair bills were mounting. She had bought a second hand Ford Fiesta in exchange which had previously belonged to an old lady, so there weren't many miles on the clock. In comparison to the Land Rover, it was positively luxurious and it was much easier to navigate and park around the city streets.
Robin pulled up outside the office in Denmark Street on the Friday morning of their trip. She had worked out that it would take 2 to 3 hours to get to their destination if the traffic was good and the same time coming back. There would probably also be added time in finding the farm once they arrived in the vicinity, so overall there was a full day of travel ahead.
Robin had driven Strike on many occasions, so it wasn't anything new. And yet she felt a little nervous, with butterflies in her stomach. Lately, her mind had been straying into forbidden channels, examining her growing feelings towards her partner. She was trying desperately to dismiss those feelings, to eradicate them altogether. It is just a silly, schoolgirl crush and it will pass. It will pass. It will definitely pass.
Robin looked in the rear-view mirror to inspect her hair and make-up. Checking the time, she realised she had better get going and pulled off her seatbelt.
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Strike had already been up for three hours by the time Robin arrived to pick him up. His sleep had been fitful to say the least, tossing and turning all night. Eventually Strike had gotten up around 6 am, which was a good deal earlier than his normal rising time. He had smoked, drank tea, eaten some toast, smoked some more, drank more tea.
He had been working on this case for what seemed like months now and finally, finally, there appeared to be a breakthrough. He was a little nervous about the trip today. Would he find his man? Would it be a wasted journey, ending in disappointment? Or, was there another reason?
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Strike and Robin had settled themselves in the car and they were already nearing Stratford on the outskirts of London.
"Do you mind if I put on some music?" asked Robin.
"Sure," answered Strike. "As long as it's good. It's not gonna be any of that crap from the charts, is it?"
"No, I've made up a playlist just for today. I don't think there's any rubbish on it." Robin glanced over at Strike. "Well, depends on your taste."
"You've made up a playlist?"
"Yeah. I make them up all the time." Robin wasn't going to reveal that she had spent many hours the previous evening making up this playlist especially for the journey. Especially for Strike.
"You like your music then?" enquired Strike.
"I love music. Well, usually. It depends on your mood, doesn't it? If you're feeling a bit low, it can sometimes just depress you even more. But it can really cheer you up too."
"This is gonna be interesting, isn't it? Can't wait to hear what you've got," replied Strike.
Robin started up the playlist on the car stereo, which was connected to her ipod. Would Strike like any of it? Or was she going to be ridiculed for the rest of the journey? The music started to stream out of the speakers…..
David Bowie – Eurythmics – Texas
"Not a bad start Robin, I have to say. Do you mind if I shut my eyes for a bit? I didn't get a good sleep last night."
"No problem. Just let me know if the music's too loud."
The songs played on.
Adele – Motown - Elvis Costello - Depeche Mode - Paul Weller – Pulp – Rihanna - Paolo Nutini
"What's that guy's name again? Him singing just now?" asked Strike, with one eye squinting towards the car stereo.
"Paolo Nutini."
"Yeah, I like his stuff. He's good."
Fleetwood MAC - The Human League – Stereophonics - Maroon 5
Strike opened his eyes periodically and glanced over at Robin. She was driving very competently, as she always did. But now she was also singing very quietly to herself, apparently knowing just about every word of every song. Quite often, she was also nodding her head to the beat of the tunes.
Motown - Roxy Music - Electronic - Biffy Clyro - Robert Palmer – The Psychedelic Furs - Amy Winehouse
Strike woke up. "Ooooohhhhh Amy. What a fantastic singer she was. Such a shame what happened to her. She was so talented. What a bloody waste, eh?"
"I couldn't agree more. I've got all her albums."
The Kinks - Talking Heads – Prince – Emeli Sande
Before they knew it, they had been driving for over 2 ½ hours. "I think we're getting quite close now Cormoran. Swaffham is only 3 miles away. Do you have the map to see where we should go now?"
Strike pulled himself up from his slumbering position and reached over into the back seat for the map and the rough directions which he had scribbled down on a sheet of paper from his notebook.
"Ok. We should take the A47 towards Necton. We go past Necton for a bit and then we take a road to the left. We seem to pass a pub type place on the right before this road appears. I'll need to watch out for it."
"Right. I think I can manage that," replied Robin.
They drove on for another 25 minutes before Robin was pulling up outside "Thurston Farm".
"Great, I'm so glad we found it without going round in circles for ages," said Strike with relief. "If you don't mind, I'll go in by myself?"
"Yeah, sure," answered Robin.
"I just don't want to appear like a delegation when this guy's gone to all this trouble to hide himself. Do y'know what I mean?" asked Strike.
"Of course. I'll be fine. See you in a bit," said Robin. "Good luck," she added as Strike pulled himself out of the car.
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About an hour later, Robin had been dozing a bit, but became fully alert when she heard a gate opening and closing. Strike was walking back to the car and Robin scanned his face to see if he looked pleased or not. However, he was his usual inscrutable self.
Strike removed his coat, placed it on the back seat and then climbed into the front with his usual clumsy technique. He just looked at Robin and smiled.
"So, what happened?" she asked excitedly.
"It's him alright. I saw him, spoke to him, shook his hand."
"Oh that's just brilliant!" exclaimed Robin. "I am so happy for you."
"Yeah, I'm pretty pleased myself."
"So, will he see his Mum again?"
"Start driving and I'll tell you all about it."
Robin started up the engine and turned the car around to set off on the farm road. By the time they reached the main road, Strike was in full flow with his story and Robin was agog, listening intently.
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Robin and Strike were now driving along a main road through the centre of Norfolk, on their way back to London. The music had been switched on once again. Strike was feeling revived from his success and was even humming along to some of the tunes.
Simply Red - Snow Patrol – Abba - The Pet Shop Boys - George Michael – REM - Beyonce – Motown - Kylie Minogue
"Ooooohhhhh Kylie. What a song that is. Literally, you can't get it out of your head. An absolute monster song that one."
"I think everyone likes a bit of Kylie, don't they? How can they not?" said Robin, glancing over at her partner.
"Indeed. Do you remember that outfit she wore in the video? That white jumpsuit thing? Jesus. And those hotpants? Fuuuuck sake. Or was that another song?"
"I think it was "Spinning Around"."
"Oh yeah, that's right. "I'm spinning around, move outta my way…" Strike sang in a faux, high, female like voice.
Robin stared across at her companion whilst also trying to keep her eyes on the road.
"I know you're feeling me cos you like it like this…"
Robin could not believe her ears and dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. She raised her hand from the steering wheel to her face to try to control herself, but to no avail. She knew instinctively that she wouldn't be able to control the car any longer, so she pulled over into a lay-by which they were luckily just passing. Once she had brought the car to a stop, she pressed both of her hands up to her eyes to try to stem the flow of tears pouring out.
"What?" asked Strike in mock ignorance.
"What? That has to be the funniest thing I have ever heard in my whole life. I'm not kidding. That was hilarious." Robin just couldn't hold it in and started giggling hard again, powerless to stop it. She continued for a full minute, her shoulders and stomach heaving and eyes crying. Strike was smiling, on the brink of full-on laughter himself.
"Don't you think I'm a good singer then?"
"Oh please, stop it. You are the limit. I can't take this anymore." Robin's voice was rising to dog whistle pitch as she was unable to control her speech any longer. She wiped at the tears once again falling from her eyes and was laughing so hard, she thought she might wet herself. She brought her hands down to clutch her stomach, which was aching with the hilarity and hoped that she could stop herself from having an unfortunate accident.
Strike was now laughing strongly, staring at Robin who appeared to be having convulsions.
"Oh God," Robin breathed heavily. "Really….. that was too much. I don't know if I can keep driving. Seriously." At that, Robin set off again, chortling in a high pitch, still not able to exercise any power over her bodily functions. Her laughter went on for what felt like minutes. Her sides were sore with her stomach muscles flexing so much and she was beginning to feel the strain in her jaw.
By now, every time that Robin set off laughing again, Strike did so in return. The sight and sound of Robin dissolving into such genuine and heartfelt mirth was irresistible and before long, Strike felt tears pricking at his own eyes.
Eventually, Robin seemed able to control herself again and tried to focus on regaining her breathing. She knew that she couldn't look over at Strike or she would crumble once more.
"It wasn't that funny, was it?" he asked, still smiling.
"Oh it SO was Cormoran. It was hysterical. My sides are just about to split. I mean….. you have such a deep, deep voice and you're so….well, you're a big guy…and then suddenly, you're trying to sing like Kylie…" Robin started to laugh again, her shoulders shaking and familiar feelings of pelvic pressure coming on once again. "I think I need a toilet, and quick."
"Yeah, let's find a proper place to stop. We need something to eat anyway," said Strike chuckling.
"Ok." Robin restarted the car engine and set off on the road once more, still tittering quietly.
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Strike and Robin stopped at the next service station. They used the facilities, sat down with some sandwiches and tea and filled up on petrol. Strike smoked a few cigarettes and they then resumed their journey once more.
INXS - The Verve - Calvin Harris - The Rolling Stones - The Bee Gees - Hall & Oates – Travis – Nirvana - ELO - U2 – Motown
"You've got a fair amount of Motown songs on there," commented Strike.
"Yeah, I adore Motown music."
"My Mum used to play that all the time," said Strike.
"Did she?" asked Robin.
"Oh yeah, definitely. She was a 1970s groupie for Christ's sake. There was music on all the time. All sorts of stuff."
"She sounds really interesting, your Mum."
"She was a one-off, that's for sure. Not exactly cut out for dependable motherhood I don't think, and pretty mental, but she was very loving. She loved Lucy and me. We knew she did."
"I've seen some photos of her. She looked really beautiful."
"Yeah, she was. A knockout."
"Do you still miss her?"
Strike thought for a few seconds. "I suppose I do. I was 20 when she died. It's quite a while ago now, but yeah, I still think about her a lot. Every day."
Robin suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry for prying. That stuff's private…."
"No, it's fine, really," interrupted Strike, smiling at Robin.
The Killers - Marvin Gaye - The Eagles – ABC – Florence & The Machine
"So, how's it going with loverboy?" asked Strike.
"Loverboy?" Robin laughed. "I take it you mean Adam?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Well, it's not going actually. I'm not seeing him anymore."
"Oh." Strike hesitated, a little shocked. "Sorry, I didn't realise."
"Don't worry about it."
Strike didn't know what to say in response to Robin's revelation. Would she be upset if he probed further? She appeared to be handling it well, but maybe he would open up a wound if he asked any more. Thankfully, Robin continued the conversation herself.
"I ended it. He's a nice guy, decent and kind. But…." Robin stalled. "It wasn't going to go anywhere. I could just feel it. There wasn't that special something, that spark."
"Yeah, sorry," said Strike, nodding in agreement. "I'm sorry I keep saying sorry," he added.
Robin smiled, almost laughed. "Listen, I'm ok, really I am. I feel a bit disappointed, but that's all."
Strike peered over at Robin who was looking straight ahead at the road. He felt a wave of feeling wash over him, that feeling that he could never put a description to. That feeling that perhaps he didn't want to put a description to. He pondered for a few minutes.
"I suppose I'd better fess up then."
Robin glanced across at Strike with a look of confusion. "What is it?" she asked with some concern.
"I'm not seeing Kimberley anymore either," said Strike quietly, as he gazed out the passenger window.
"Really? Oh no."
"Yup."
"I'm sorry Cormoran," said Robin. "That's a bugger, isn't it?"
Strike smiled, as he always did when Robin said that word in her broad Yorkshire accent.
Robin was dying to know more. "So….can I ask…are you…..y'know…..sad about it?"
Strike shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno." He paused, struggling to think of the words. "The way you described it is good. A bit disappointed, the spark isn't there, gone as far as it can type of thing."
Will Robin see right through me? thought Strike. Will she know that I'm not telling the whole truth? That I ended it because my mind is so fucking full up thinking about someone else?
"Never mind. Onwards and upwards eh?" said Robin.
Motown - Kate Bush – Oasis – Coldplay – Example –The Script - The Pointer Sisters (I Need You)
"Now that's definitely an older song. Is that from the 70s?" asked Strike.
"I think it might be the early 80s. It's just a favourite of mine. I don't know why especially, it's a bit soppy, but I just like it a lot."
"You've really got a wide spread of music on there. How do you know all this stuff?" enquired Strike.
"I suppose I've been exposed to quite a lot of music over the years. Mum and Dad used to put stuff on and Top of The Pops and The Tube were on the telly every week. Then my three brothers were always playing a variety of VERY loud music in their rooms. Then Matthew…" Robin paused. "He had a wide taste in music too. Some quite obscure stuff actually."
"Yet another one of your secret talents," observed Strike.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I hadn't heard of Blue Oyster Cult, remember?" said Robin.
"I think you can be forgiven for that one," quipped Strike.
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The remainder of the journey seemed to pass quickly for both occupants of the car. By 7pm, Robin was pulling up in Denmark Street once again.
"Do you fancy a celebratory drink at the Tottenham?" asked Strike.
"Oh, I'd love to, but I can't drink while I've got the car," replied Robin, her face falling. "Next week," she added.
"Of course, yeah. You must be tired too, with all the driving," replied Strike.
"We'll definitely do it next week."
"Yeah, great. Listen, thanks a lot for today. I really appreciate it. We're getting a great fee for this job, so it's all good." Strike opened his door, clambered out and then retrieved his coat from the back seat. He leaned back into the car and said, "Oh, and thanks for the music. It was great. Excellent selection. See you on Monday." He gave Robin one of his cute smiles and waved her off.
Robin beamed back. "Yeah, see you Monday."
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Don't know how it works with credit for song lyrics etc.
Spinning Around, sung by Kylie Minogue, written by Ira Shickman, Osborne Bingham, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul.
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For anyone who is reading, first of all thank you!
Secondly, I'm a bit short of time just now with work and Christmas etc., so I don't know when I can post again. I have ideas for storylines centred around Christmas, but there's no way I'm going to get those out before Christmas actually comes, so the timing will be all to pot.
Thanks again. Merry Christmas.
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