Free Strike Out Where Not Applicable by Nicolas Freeling Page A

would be frightened to admit it – that’s it, isn’t it?’ She was a lot more downright than the other had been.
    â€˜I repeat’ – the cavalry colonel to subordinate; what-I-have-said-I-have-said – ‘I have no hypothetical explanations.’
    â€˜Well – what can I say? – we will help you in any way we can, naturally. Saskia, has the Commissaris been offered some coffee or anything?’
    â€˜He had a glass of wine.’
    â€˜Which I haven’t yet paid for.’
    â€˜But please. Would you care for another? Or anything else? Sherry? Whisky?’
    â€˜Nothing, thanks.’
    â€˜Can we …?’ She shrugged helplessly. ‘Is there anything we can do?’
    â€˜Just the usual conventional questions – doubtless seeming useless and stupid – but you understand I am compelled to ask them. Who ran the financial side of the business?’
    â€˜I did – and do. If Bernhard wanted money he wrote a cheque.’
    â€˜He had life insurance?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜In your favour, naturally. Better give me the name of the company. You might be well advised to leave them out of it for the time being. Now had he had words with anyone recently? A quarrel?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜No bad blood either, existing from a longer date, with any neighbour or business acquaintance?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜He had words constantly with me,’ put in Saskia, ‘we lived at daggers drawn.’
    â€˜I wasn’t thinking of little domestic disagreements,’ politely.
    â€˜Sorry – it was a rather misplaced effort at humour.’
    â€˜That’s understandable.’
    â€˜She’s embarrassed,’ said Marguerite firmly, ‘because they used to bicker. There’s nothing at all. Bernhard was liked by everybody – he was very easy and friendly, and,’ smiling slightly, ‘if there wasanything unpleasant, like a complaint, or someone querying an account, he simply left me to deal with it. He was rather a coward that way.’ Van der Valk had to smile himself this time.
    â€˜Quite a human trait – most men are the same. Men who like arguments are generally aggressive in several ways, and there’s generally a good reason.’
    â€˜He wasn’t aggressive – he liked things comfortable and the sun to be shining.’
    â€˜That was just the point,’ said Saskia, ‘he was a big baby – we may as well be frank – and if he had tantrums it was because he couldn’t find his slippers. Marguerite indulged him too much.’ She had the airy, commonsense voice of an elementary-school teacher talking about quite a likeable but spoilt small child. Who is married to whom around here, thought Van der Valk.
    â€˜A personal question, if you will allow it – was your marriage with him always smooth? I am thinking of his relations with other women.’
    Both women laughed slightly, in a way neither malicious nor bitter, but more amused than anything.
    â€˜He was inclined to stroke and pat a bit if he thought he could get away with it – waitresses, even customers. Harmless. You might find people to claim he was a sort of Don Juan and it would be total nonsense – you know how people can exaggerate.’
    They were both showing signs of loosening tension, which, thought Van der Valk, was a very good thing.
    â€˜Masculine vanity,’ he said laughing. ‘Another human trait. I will ask if I may for another glass of wine, after all.’
    â€˜But of course,’ said Saskia. ‘I’ll get it at once.’ Marguerite kicked her shoes off carelessly on the rug.
    â€˜Sas, if you’re going down be a love and get me my house shoes – sorry,’ airy-apologetic aside, to him, ‘please forgive my manners, but these are tight.’ It seemed a bit studied. As though to emphasize how relaxed and untroubled she was. The other woman