Others by James Herbert Page B

you’ll have enough to fill a couple of pages.’ It’s a common practice in this business to make sure the client feels they’re getting value for money, even on -no, especially on - a negative result like a non-trace.
    I shifted attention to Philo, who had one foot on the desk he shared with Ida and was polishing his already glossy black shoe with a duster. ‘Henry has an accident report for you, Beau Brummell.’
    ‘Stewart Granger and Elizabeth Taylor,’ Henry chipped in, anxious to regain his authority as movie-buff of the century. ‘Peter Ustinov played the Prince of Wales. Or was it Robert Morley…?’ He appeared deeply worried at this fresh uncertainty.
    ‘Yeah, yeah,’ I growled. ‘Playtime’s over, Henry. As you said, we’ve got a busy day.’
    Philo’s brown eyes, meanwhile, had lit up. Accident reports were tedious to do, but for a novice, it was a step up. This was the first one I’d allowed him to carry out on his own.
    ‘It’s an NOF, of course.’ Henry’s mind was back on the job, but there was a certain coolness in his voice that let our apprentice know he wasn’t yet forgiven for his part in the tease. ‘No Obvious Fault,’ he added, just in case the acronym wasn’t clear to Philo (Henry loved acronyms - they lent him authority). ‘It’s cheaper for the insurance company to use us to investigate the RTA - “Road Traffic Accident” - than loss adjusters, and it’s cheaper for us to use you.’ The last emphasis was unnecessary, but Henry was never one to forgive easily. ‘You’re to meet our client’s driver at the scene of the accident, so take the standard interview sheet with you - that way you won’t forget to ask the right questions, will you?’
    What else will you need, Philo?’ I quickly asked, more to smooth over Henry’s sarcasm than to test the kid.
    ‘Camera, surveyor’s tape measure, and pen and pad for sketches,’ Philo answered immediately.
    ‘SLR camera and the Polaroid, dummy,’ Henry corrected. ‘You never know, the SLR shots might not come out.’
    It was a valid reminder, despite the sneer that went with it. I’d taken scene-of-accident photographs myself with no film in the main camera, and high street developing was always a risk. Three sketches at least, and let me see the report before you send it off to the client. In fact, let me sign it.’
    Still pleased about the assignment, Philo nodded, a smile brightening his good-looking face.
    ‘Report the facts only,’ Henry warned, ‘not your opinion, or the driver’s version of what happened.’
    ‘Gotcha.’ Philo was already reaching into a low cupboard for the cameras and film.
    ‘What’re your plans for the day, Dis?’ Ida enquired as she pulled on a light summer jacket and took an umbrella - it was raining outside - from the coat stand.
    ‘Couple of debt negotiations this morning.’ I held a Credit Consumer’s Licence, categories D and E, which allowed me officially to come up with ways a debtor might solve their financial problems. Usually it was simply to suggest they pay off a little at a time on a regular basis, or at least by laying down a lump sum towards the whole amount Sometimes there was a more complicated process to go through, the main object being to keep the whole thing away from the courts, which was always expensive and time-consuming for all parties, including myself as far as time was concerned. I preferred counselling these people, many of them in debt through no real fault of their own - a sudden loss of earnings, a death in the family - to demanding they pay up, and category D allowed for debt adjusting as well as advising, while E was what actually empowered me to collect payment if at all possible. These jobs frequently took time and patience, but if the agency handled enough of them through the year, they were quite lucrative. Sometimes it bothered me, this chasing people for money, even though I knew that many debtors were either crooks or irresponsible, and