Phil shook his head. ‘Nothing unusual. A powerful blow to the head with something pointed, like your Bible woman and her tent peg.’ ‘Oh.’ ‘You sound disappointed.’ ‘No. Only that I was sort of hoping there’d be something a bit more ritualistic. Something out of one of Janey’s saint stories. Take no notice. I’m just being fanciful.’ ‘You don’t like Gladwin so much now, do you?’ he noted. ‘And after she tried so hard, poor lass.’ ‘Too hard. That’s the problem. She’s not genuine. The first time, I fell for it completely. But now she just trots out the same spurious sympathy for me having to put up with you being so distracted. She doesn’t really mean it at all. It’s something she’s taught herself to do.’ ‘I really don’t think that’s right. I’m much more inclined to think it’s more that she’s under a lot of strain. She might simply be following the training, because she’s too nervous to be herself.’ ‘What training? The bit that teaches you how to gain the public’s confidence by showing them you understand how they feel?
