Page 52 of The Hallmarked Man (Cormoran Strike #8)

So Robin wheeled her chair round to Strike’s side of the partners’ desk.

As she did so, Robin felt the mobile in her pocket vibrate, and suspected Pat had just sent her Jonny Rokeby’s message.

Now feeling as though she was concealing a small but powerful explosive device on her person, she watched Strike bring up the clip of black and white film, which was far clearer and sharper than that from Ramsay Silver.

The wide-angled camera looked down on the whole of Bullen it took two of them to carry it, and it was either dead or drugged.’

‘Shit,’ said Strike. ‘I called the bloody RSPCA, as well.’

‘Maybe that’s why they got rid of whatever it was,’ suggested Robin. ‘An inspector visited the shed and Plug heard about it.’

‘Then,’ said Kim, as though Robin hadn’t spoken, ‘they slung it in the back of Plug’s van and drove it all the way to Haringey, where they took it into a shitty house on Carnival Street.’

‘Plug and his son used to live in Haringey,’ said Robin. ‘Maybe a friend’s agreed to look after whatever it is?’

‘And after that,’ said Kim, still without acknowledging Robin in any way, ‘they came out and went back to Plug’s mum’s place.’

‘Get the number of the house in Carnival Street?’ asked Strike.

‘Yeah, number fifteen,’ said Kim.

‘OK, good work,’ said Strike, ‘write it up for the file. Might be worth keeping an eye on that house, as well.’

As she stood up and picked up her chair, Kim said to Strike,

‘D’you want coffee? I’m making some.’

‘Oh – yeah, that’d be great, thanks,’ said Strike.

‘Robin?’

‘No thanks,’ said Robin automatically, although in fact she’d have liked one, too.

Kim smiled and left, leaving the door open.

‘What were we just saying?’ asked Strike, running a hand over his face.

‘We were talking about Wright’s left-handedness,’ said Robin. ‘I take it you told Decima about it?’

‘Yeah. We took the case on the basis we wouldn’t string her along, right?’

‘Of course,’ said Robin.

‘So I told her the truth: we haven’t yet found any evidence to suggest Fleetwood was Wright, and it’s looking even less likely than it did at the start – at which she burst into tears, begged me to keep investigating and told me she’s left another load of messages for Sacha Legard to try and make him talk to me, seeing as he’s ignoring my emails. ’

Kim reappeared with a mug of coffee.

‘Cheers,’ said Strike, noting her warm smile as she set it down and half wishing he hadn’t accepted it. Kim left, closing the door behind her.

She’s going to hang around until we come out, thought Robin. She’s not going to let that dress go to waste.

‘I’d imagine the reason the Met didn’t publicise that Peugeot 208,’ said Strike, lowering his voice, ‘is that someone in Lynden Knowles’ circle drives one.’

‘Probably,’ agreed Robin.

‘Moving on,’ said Strike, turning to yet another page of notes, ‘Pat’s found ninety-two married Hussein Mohameds so far, so we’re a while away from finding the one who lived upstairs from William Wright, but when I’ve got time I’ll comb through them and see if any of them look likely.

‘I’ve also done a bit of research on our porn friend, Dangerous Dick. He’s registered with what looks like London’s premier adult entertainment agency, Triple XR – or he was. I called there – fake name, obviously – and asked to be put in touch with him. He’s no longer on their books.’

‘ Oh, ’ said Robin.

‘Obviously, that doesn’t mean he’s been bumped off, but it’s interesting, all the same.

I asked for contact details and they sounded suspicious and said I could leave a message for him.

I asked him to call, but he hasn’t. I’d imagine they get a fair few nutters trying to contact them, porn stars, so I think you might have to make the next approach.

New voice, and I’d imagine a woman will seem less fishy, but I can’t think of any cover other than pretending you’re casting a porn shoot. ’

‘Right,’ said Robin, privately wondering how many more unforeseen dilemmas she was going to have to face today. Exactly how you went about convincing an adult actors’ agency you were a bona fide porn producer, she had no idea at all.

‘We’ll workshop it,’ said Strike, ‘after Christmas. In the meantime, I’ll have a bash at identifying the woman who delivered that cipher note. If she’s in the same line of work, she’s bound to have an online presence. Anyway, what’ve you got?’

‘Well, I’ve hit a complete dead end on Sapphire, the girl who messaged Osgood and Oz.

I called the missing persons’ charity,’ Robin added.

‘Apparently she disappeared from a foster home. She’d only been there a month and hadn’t told the foster parents anything about meeting a man, or mentioned anyone called Oz.

She’s got quite a bit of form for running away, though, so maybe there’s nothing in that at all, but,’ Robin went on tentatively, ‘I’ve actually found something else.

It might be completely irrelevant, but for what it’s worth… ’

She typed a few words into her own keyboard then turned the computer monitor so that Strike could see a news story dating from June.

Two pictures of the same beautiful young woman, who had waist-length black hair and olive skin, stared out of the screen. In one, the girl was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. In the other, she was pouting in black lingerie.

LONDON STUDENT FOUND STABBED ON NORTH WESSEX DOWNS

The body of a young woman discovered on the North Wessex Downs on Sunday 19th June has been identified as Spanish student Sofia Medina, 20, say police.

Described by friends as ‘outgoing, hard-working and fun’, Medina was studying for a BA in Film and Screen Business at the University of West London. She was last seen alive by flatmate Gretchen Schiff, 21, on the afternoon of Thursday 16th June.