Read The Death of the Elver Man for Free Online Page A

him,’ said Lauren. ‘He’s been losing it for a while now. That’s why there’s so many new staff coming in. No-one wants to stay for long and he moved half the experienced people out into other offices. He thought they were undermining his authority.’
    ‘Glad it’s not just me then,’ mumbled Alex. The remark about not knowing the job had stung her. She’d left a secure job in the civil service to follow her dream of becoming a probation officer. After three years at university she’d got a degree in social science and she’d spent two more years getting her qualification. A whole year of that had been working on placement in hostels, offices and court buildings. Lauren shook her head at her.
    ‘It’s our job to teach you what you really need to know,’ she said. ‘You may know the book stuff but no-one comes here able to organize a case-load. You got no idea how to address the local court when you need to breach someone, your paperwork is a terrible mess and half of you don’t keep proper records. The first year we take one officer each and try to beat you into shape.’
    Alex was rendered speechless for a moment, but if she was being honest she suspected there was considerable truth in Lauren’s words. The administrators were overworked, undervalued and poorly paid compared to the probation officers but they knew everyone, always had the correct files to hand and seemed to handle the sad and sometimes aggressive procession of clients with tact, humour and considerable skill. Without Lauren, she reflected, she would have crashed and burned in her first week.
    She looked around the office with more attention, noting the speed and efficiency of the activity. The women rarely stopped for a chat yet they were good humoured and relaxed in their competence. Lauren was watching her and suddenly grinned.
    ‘Yep, you get it. Lots of you don’t, however long you’re here. Just don’t let Garry see you behaving towards us as if we’re real people. Seems it offends his sense of importance.’
    ‘And, off the record now,’ added Pauline, ‘you watch him. He’s been known to make rather strange decisions, especially if he thinks someone’s a bit of a challenge. So you check with Lauren or me if you’re not sure of anything. Now, you go off and get that old car of yours out of the car park before he spots it.’
    ‘What about work?’
    Lauren held up a form. ‘Is already being logged. You’ve been very busy this afternoon, doing your job somewhere else. Why don’t you go see Ada Mallory, see if Kevin was teamed up with anyone else that night? I reckon he must’ve seen someone else on the river. Maybe someone can give him an alibi.’
    On the way out she passed Gordon, damp cloth in hand, scrubbing at the back seat of his car and received a vague wave in acknowledgment of her greeting. Stung by his attitude she drove off feeling almost surplus to requirements once more.
     
    It was abominably hot in the Mallory’s front room. The windows were closed against the fresh spring air, the fire was roaring in the hearth and the whole room was crowded with furniture, ornaments and dogs. Clothes were scattered across most surfaces and there was a layer of animal hair on the sofa where Alex perched after Mrs Mallory had swept a pile of grey underclothes on to the floor to make space. One large and overly affectionate dog of indeterminate breed lay across the rest of the couch, inching its head towards her as she reluctantly accepted a biscuit to go with her dark, stewed tea. She declined the offer of sugar after seeing the bowl with itsmix of lumpy white granules and unidentified black specks. Ada Mallory settled her ample self in an armchair, pulled her bright pink cardigan around her shoulders and sighed heavily.
    ‘My poor boy, he’s no killer. Half the time he don’t even kill them fish proper. They was still moving around when they police gets there. I ask yer, how comes there’s no blood on him then