‘You hadn’t failed him. Didn’t they tell you? Well, I shall. One of your bullets was found lodged in the back of the larger of the two attackers. You got one of the villains, Lady Dedham! A more powerful pistol would have killed him on the spot.’
To Lily’s mortification, Cassandra’s coffee cup began to rattle on its saucer. She placed it back on the table with trembling hand, gasped and choked. Sniffs announced the breaking of a dam of tears and she reached blindly for the handkerchief Lily quickly took from her pocket and held towards her.
‘If only I’d run faster back down the hall … if I’d shot straighter … with a bigger gun … Oliver! Oliver! I’m so sorry!’ The words came, haphazard, filtered through the fabric of the handkerchief, bubbling up with the sobs.
What was a woman policeman to do? Most certainly not adopt the course of action Lily took. With her resignation letter crackling reassurance in her pocket, she gave way to instinct and moved round the table to kneel at Cassandra’s side. She took the shaking shoulders in a hug, murmuring consoling nonsense into a damp right ear. To her surprise, Cassandra didn’t pull away or freeze into immobility or curl her upper lip in disdain. She hugged her back and the volume of hot tears increased. Finally, noting a slight subsiding of the volume and a lengthening interval between gulps of air, Lily drew away and muttered an apology for the contact.
With a final toot into her handkerchief, Cassandra gave a brave smile. ‘Rubbish, Lily, my dear! Any time’s hugging time … And no one else is going to oblige now. My boys are both useless huggers! If I try to approach them with a hug in mind they stand like a pair of cold seals with their flippers at their sides and suffer my attentions for two seconds. Is there more coffee left in the pot, do you suppose? Good. Now, I shot one, you say? Well done me! Do you think I may expect to hear Joe’s congratulations? I shan’t count on it. Tell me — how long have you known him?’
Lily decided on a half-truth. ‘The commander? I wouldn’t say I know him. We’re working on a case together,’ she said, holding Cassandra’s sharp gaze.
‘Ah! Then you’ll need no advice from me on handling him. He does have his weaknesses, which can be exploited …’
‘I wouldn’t dream of handling him,’ said Lily, taken by surprise. ‘But you’re right — he does have weaknesses, one of which is, strangely, his sense of honour.’ She pursued the thought, hoping to hear more in return for her offering. ‘It can be a self-destructive quality. He’s resigned his position. Did he tell you that? This morning. Envelope on the Home Secretary’s desk and all that.’
‘No! How simply dreadful! On account of Oliver’s shooting? But why on earth would he consider … Well, of course, as I speak I see why, but …’
‘Completely unjust. It was the Home Secretary himself who insisted on the removal of the protection squads.’