Chapter 28

They left the cathedral to find Linus leaning against the bonnet of Poe's car. In his tailored suit, he stood out like a pube on an egg. Poe sighed. This was one of those occasions when he'd hoped he was going to be wrong. ‘Where's my coffee, Snoopy?' he said.

‘You ditched me?' Linus said. ‘What are you, ten years old?'

‘How'd you find us?'

Linus ignored him. Instead, he gazed at the cathedral and said, ‘I kind of feel this is wasted here. That it should be in London where it can be properly appreciated.'

Poe, who was rude about Carlisle on an almost daily basis, bridled anyway. ‘I asked how you found us.'

Linus shrugged. ‘Where else could you be? After I'd checked you hadn't simply gone to the bishop's house without me, this was the obvious choice.'

‘Really?' Poe said. ‘There are two hundred and forty parishes across Cumbria, the diocesan office is in Penrith and there are hundreds of pubs and restaurants we could have been meeting in. Yet you came straight to the cathedral. So, I'll ask again: how did you know where we were?'

‘Lucky guess,' Linus said. ‘Perhaps I should buy a scratchcard.'

‘How long have you been here?'

‘Taxi dropped me off five minutes ago.'

‘Let's see about that, shall we?' Poe raised his hand. Bugger Rumble came running. For a man of advancing years, he was surprisingly spry.

‘I did what you asked, Sergeant Poe,' he said when he reached them. ‘Can I speak to the specky lass now?'

‘I told you, Bugger; not today.'

Linus narrowed his eyes. ‘Who's this?' he said.

‘Bugger, meet Snoopy; Snoopy, meet Bugger Rumble: Carlisle's most original street entertainer.'

Bugger removed his top hat and bowed. ‘At your service, sir.'

‘Okaaay,' Linus said. ‘And this . . . person is here why?'

‘Bugger, what time did Snoopy get here?'

‘About three minutes after you went into the cathedral, Sergeant Poe.'

‘Not five minutes ago then?'

‘He's been leaning against the bonnet of your car for an hour.'

‘And did he arrive in a taxi, Bugger?'

Bugger shook his head. ‘A black Range Rover dropped him off. It's waiting for him around the corner on Fisher Street. He's parked outside that music venue.'

‘The Brickyard?'

‘That's the place.'

‘This man is what? An informant?' Linus said.

‘Informants report back on illegal activities,' Poe said. ‘You're not doing anything illegal are you, Snoopy?'

Linus didn't answer.

‘No,' Poe continued, ‘Bugger is . . . how can I phrase this in terminology you might understand?' He paused as he pretended to consider it. ‘I know,' he said after a beat, ‘Bugger Rumble is HUMINT.'

‘What does HUMINT mean, Poe?' Bradshaw asked.

‘Human intelligence, Tilly,' Poe said. ‘Linus is a spy.'