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Immediately after Barclay had hung up, Strike received a text from Littlejohn, saying that Bigfoot, who rarely went into his office, had chosen today to drive out to the company in Bishop’s Stortford, which lay forty miles away from where Strike was currently standing. Much as Strike had wanted to look Littlejohn in the face when asking him about the omission of Patterson Inc from his CV, he now decided it would be quickest and cleanest to do the job by phone, so called Littlejohn back.
‘Hi,’ said Littlejohn, on answering.
‘Forget the meeting at one,’ Strike told him. ‘We can talk now. Wanted to ask you why you didn’t tell me you worked for Mitch Patterson for three months, before coming to me.’
The immediate response to these words was silence. Strike waited, watching the Franks’ windows.
‘Who told you that?’ said Littlejohn at last.
‘Never mind who told me. Is it true?’
More silence.
‘Yeah,’ said Littlejohn at last.
‘Mind telling me why you didn’t mention it?’
The third long pause didn’t improve Strike’s temper.
‘Listen—’
‘I got the heave ho,’ said Littlejohn.
‘Why?’
‘Patterson didn’t like me.’
‘Why didn’t he?’
‘Dunno,’ said Littlejohn.
‘Did you fuck up?’
‘No… personality clash,’ said Littlejohn.
You haven’t got a fucking personality, though.
‘There was a row, was there?’
‘No,’ said Littlejohn. ‘He just told me he didn’t need me any more.’
Strike was certain there was something he wasn’t being told.
‘There’s another thing,’ he said. ‘What were you doing at the office on Easter Monday?’
‘Receipts,’ said Littlejohn.
‘Pat was off. It was a bank holiday. Nobody should’ve been at the office.’
‘I forgot,’ said Littlejohn.
Strike stood with his phone pressed to his ear, thinking. His gut was issuing a warning, but his brain reminded him they wouldn’t be able to cover all present cases without Littlejohn.
‘I need this job,’ said Littlejohn, speaking unprompted for the first time. ‘The kids are getting settled. I’ve got a mortgage to pay.’
‘I don’t like dishonesty,’ said Strike, ‘and that includes lying by omission.’
‘I didn’t want you thinking I couldn’t handle the work.’
