"Littleford, Clare - Death Duty" - читать интересную книгу автора (Littleford Clare)

"Joanne Elliott?" one of them asked.

"Yes," I said.

The policemen approached the bed.

"I understand you want to report an incident?"

It was the younger of the two PCs who spoke, using a tone that
suggested he'd been on a training course on how to speak to victims of
crime. He looked young enough to be a schoolboy wearing the uniform
for a dare.

I hesitated, and Alex said quickly, "She was mugged. At lunchtime. He
took her purse."

The young PC glanced at Alex then looked back at me, as if waiting for
me to confirm. I didn't want to speak I didn't know what to say. I
didn't want to say anything, but they were waiting. I said, "He came
up from behind. I heard him say something." I put my hand up to my
head, as if touching my head was going to clear my thoughts, but I
couldn't remember, I didn't know what he'd said to me. "I tried to
walk away I went into a shop, I thought I'd be safe, but then he hit me
across the back of the head and took my purse."

The young PC said, "Can you remember what he looked like?"

I wanted to. I imagined myself giving a clear, concise, detailed
description, and them producing knowing grins and heading off to arrest
a familiar face, up to his usual tricks. I tried to form a picture of
him in my mind, locate the details of that face. I had a misty
impression of dark hair, pale skin, and the way he had twisted his
whole face up as he spoke to me. What had he said? He had spoken to
me; I had heard his words, through the pumping of my heart and the
rush, the roar of the moment. What was it? I saw the disappointment
on the PC's face -he must have thought a smart, professional woman like
myself would have made a good witness.

Eventually, the PC took pity on me and said, "We can do this tomorrow
if you'd prefer."

"Yes," I said, breathing freely at last. "That would be better. I'm
sorry, I just cant think '

He cut off my apologies. "Don't worry. He'll be long gone by now,
anyway. We'll send someone round in the morning."

I nodded, and then they were gone.

Alex looked at me with a strange, almost disappointed expression, but