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The Dumpty case just folded.
Solved?
Through no skill on my behalf. His ex-wife killed him. She just topped
herself over at the Yummy-Time factory. I d avoid chocolate digestives for a
while if I were you.
Jack unclipped his tie and removed one of Stevie s toys from the small of his
back.
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What does that mean for the NCD?
Jack shrugged. Disbanded, I should imagine. I ll be entitled to a full
pension in four years. I ll only be forty-eight. Perhaps it s time to think
about a new career.
What would you do?
Lots of things.
Name one.
Jack thought about this for a while but couldn t really come up with
anything. Police work was his life. There wasnothing he d rather do. This was
too depressing. He decided to change the subject.
How are things with you?
Good. Prometheus said he d never seen a photographer at work, so he came and
helped me do a portrait of Lady Elena Bumpkin-Tumpkinson. He was telling us
all about his life before his banishment to the Caucasus. The kids love him;
why he can t get British citizenship, I have no idea. The Home Office must be
bonkers.
Not bonkers just scared. It s not a good idea to get on the wrong side of
Zeus, what with all those thunderbolt things he likes to chuck around. Where
is Prometheus at the moment?
Have a look for yourself.
She pointed to the connecting door to the living room. Jack opened it a crack
and looked in. Prometheus was standing in front of the TV, supplanting and
outranking it for the evening. He was miming all the actions as he told the
children a story, and Megan, Jerome and Stevie were sitting in an attentive
semicircle in front of him. Ben sat on a chair close by and pretended to read
a copy ofScientific American but was actually as enthralled as they were. No
one moved or uttered a sound.
when Zeus, Poseidon and Hades had deposed Cronus, their father, they drew
lots out of Poseidon s helmet, the helmet of darkness, you remember, that had
been given to him by Cyclops. Anyway, they drew lots to decide who would gain
the lordship of the sky, the sea and the dark underworld.
What about the earth? asked Jerome.
That, young man, they decreed they would leave common to all. Hades won the
underworld, Poseidon the sea and Zeus the sky. Poseidon set about building his
underwater palace in the sea off Euboea, constructing magnificent stables to
keep his chariot horses in, horses that were brilliant white and had brazen
hooves and golden manes. When they pulled Poseidon in his golden chariot,
storms would cease and sea monsters appear and play about them like young
dolphins& .
Jack shut the door silently.
Did you speak to your mother? asked Madeleine. She s called about eight
times.
I ll ring her later, said Jack. She s probably mislaid one of her cats
or
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Jack was interrupted by a loud groan of disappointment as Prometheus called a
halt to his story. There was a pause, and then the kids trotted in to have a
glass of warm milk before bed.
Is Prometheus going to stay for good, Jack? asked Jerome, the milk giving
him a temporary white mustache.
He can leave when he wants. He s our lodger.
You mean a prostitute like Kitty Fisher?
No, not like that at all, said Jack quickly.
After milk, Jack and Madeleine herded them upstairs. They put them all to bed
and kissed them one by one. Megan had to be kissed twice, just in case and
they switched out the lights.
They crept back downstairs, and Jack wandered through to the kitchen, where
he found Ben, who was dressed up for a night on the town.
Where are you off to?
Clubbing, replied Ben as he carefully combed his hair in front of the
mirror.
Those poor seals. The leisure center really does cater for just about any
minority sporting interests these days, doesn t it?
Ben gave Jack a withering look. The comedy never ends, he said
sarcastically. You can be such a dweeb, y know, Dad.
Is it the harpist? asked Jack. I thought you d lost her to the orchestra s
tuba.
Not lost, but temporarilymislaid, said Ben after a moment s reflection. A
car horn sounded, and he ran out.
At that moment the back door opened and Ripvan blew in with a blast of cold
air like some sort of furry tumbleweed. Following him was Pandora, who was
well bundled up in a large down jacket. She had been at a talk given by a
particle-physics professor from CERN, and the questions had gone on a lot
longer than she had anticipated.
Hi, Madeleine. Hi, Dad.
Is he still here? she asked quietly as she peeled off layer upon layer of
outer clothing.
Who? replied Jack.
Who? Come off it, Dad.Prometheus, of course.
He s about somewhere. Why?
She looked at him demurely. Oh, nothing. See you later.
She ran off upstairs after throwing her down jacket into the cloakroom. As
she rounded the newel post, she and Prometheus met face-to-face.
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Good evening, he said with a disarming smile.
Hello, she said uneasily, I m
Pandora. Yes, I know.
It seemed as though he had to force the name out.
I once knew someone of that name, he continued sadly, a long, long time
ago.
Pandora stared at him, mumbled something incomprehensible that one might have
expected to hear from Stevie and disappeared upstairs.
Jack and Madeleine had been watching. Madeleine giggled, but Jack was more
serious.
Did you see that? he asked.
She s not a child any longer. If she lived elsewhere, you wouldn t treat her
like an eight-year-old.
I donot treat her like an eight-year-old.
Sure you don t.
The phone rang, and Jack answered it. It was his mother.
Jack?
She had her angry voice on. Apology time. Mother, I m really sorry about the
Stubbs
I know that, she said, interrupting him. That was yesterday s crisis.
And today s?
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