Confrontation in the Gents, RIP Wolfgang, Attacking Cockatoos and Darth Vader: The Ink Black Heart Read-along: Ch. 42-57, (Part 4 of 8)

We are halfway through The Ink Black Heart, and therefore barely two weeks from The Running Grave. 

Strike tracks Wally and Thurisaz to the Ship and Shovell pub, where they meet with an unknown man in a corduroy jacket for what Strike deduces is a recruitment meeting for the Brotherhood of Ultima Thule. After viewing Robin's video, he recognizes Phillip Ormand as the driver of the CBS car that picked up Yasmin. Strike also makes an seemingly random choice that has major consequences when he chooses to tease Robin a bit by not telling her Leeds United has Peacocks as a nickname. Think about it, if Robin had figured out who "Penny Peacock" was a day or so earlier, she might have been able to meet Rachel sooner, and Vikas might not have died. 

Unfortunately,  Strike buggers his leg but good today, first tripping over a tourist's handbag  then by throwing a punch at Thurisaz, who confronted Strike in the gents. As the injured Strike grabs a cab home just in time to escape the Big Rune Guy, Nutley, eager to share his brilliant idea to take notes while on surveillance, gives Strike a report on what sounds like an very personal conversation between Inigo and a woman much younger than Katya.  

Back at Denmark Street, the team is not happy, given that Strike's need to trail Jago Ross and his incapacitation has the agency with more work than they can possibly handle. Strike is concerned enough about the encounter with the Brother of Ultima Thule and possible Halvening Agent to call Ryan Murphy, who fortunately is able to confirm that Strike was not identified. Two notable character moments in this scene:  First, Strike, who right now does not know Murphy has any romantic interest in Robin, appears to be quite friendly towards the guy, as friendly as we've seen him with any Met cop to date. Second, Pat is, for the first time, defending Strike against complaining subcontractors 

This line also jumped out at me on the re-read: "'Darling child' is quite intimate language to use to a mentee," said Strike".  Yeah, but it's even odder for a grown man to be using that term for his lover. I mean, unless you're Tim Ashcroft. 

Robin's election day is disrupted by the very sad death of Wolfgang. Again, it was a bit disappointing not to get a nice friendship moment from Max, after the care and support Robin gave during this difficult time. It was also disturbing to hear that Ilsa, at 16 weeks, was only now telling Nick about the pregnancy, and that the announcement triggered a "massive row" in addition to the celebration of their miracle child one might expect under the circumstances. I am still worried something is going to go wrong in Casa Herbert in the next book. 

The other major event of the day is Anomie drunk-texting in Drek's Game, both bragging to have murdered someone and claiming to be planning another, and mistakenly sending Robin, instead of Morehouse, a promise that Vilepchora and Lord Drek would be gone by the in of the month. 

Robin leaves Strike to man Drek's Game while she goes to interview Tim Ashcroft as journalist Venetia Hall. Two interesting tidbits from that conversation. First, Tim claims to have modeled a "pure evil" character he had recently played on a North Grove kid who we presume in Gus Upcott. 

"I actually based some of the character on one of the kids who used to hang around North Grove... You know that kind of hunched-up 'don’t look at me' thing teenagers get when they’re growing into their bodies?... He had really bad acne, this kid, and he always looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. 

Second, Tim doesn't seem to want Robin to talk to Pez Pierce, given that he feigns forgetting Pez's real name. Robin reports all of this to Strike before driving home. Strike is really bored playing Drek's Game but has a very sweet text exchange with his nephew Jack. Strike makes new discoveries in his review of Twitter, including that Wally Cardew was replaced as Drek by a black actor, Michael David and that, in the aftermath of the Twitter fallout from that change, three users (Zozo, Penny Peacock and Ruby Nooby) come to Edie's defense. 

Pat drops by Strike's office to deliver the fruitcake she baked as a team morale-booster and Strike feels new appreciation for how much she's helping him. He also develops an interest in two misogynistic Twitter accounts, Lepine's Disciple and Al Gizzard's, that will come in handy later. Al Gizzard's, in particular, leads Strike to the identity of the tattooed goon Strike punched in the gents: one Jamie Kettle, which he is immediately able to pass on to Murphy. 

Back in the moderator's channel, Worm28 is complaining that LordDrek is neglecting his moderator duties, Hartella defends him, then has a strangely incongruous  conversation with the Lord about attending a Chekhov play and wanting the star's autograph.  Paperwhite feigns anger at Anomie and Vilepechora over Anomie sharing her picture, an exchange which, in retrospect, was designed to lure Vile to Comicon. LordDrek informs his brother Vilepechora of Thurisaz/Jamie Kettle's arrest, and demands, again, that Vile delete his Al Gizzard account; this time Vile complies. We also learn LordDrek has convinced Yasmin that he is former Drek actor, Michael David. 

In chapter 48, Strike prepares to take off for the delightful Kea Niven's home, despite her mother's efforts to call off the interview. This part of his conversation with Robin jumped out at me:

Gus Upcott’s travelling by Tube in this direction, according to Midge. I’m going to take over on Gus and she can go and relieve Barclay on Preston Pierce. I think we should—’

‘Mix it up a bit, yeah,’ said Strike, hoping Robin wasn’t implicitly criticising the decision he’d taken to stay on Wally Cardew for so many hours, thereby making himself recognisable to Thurisaz.

We've seen Robin bristle because she felt implicitly criticized by Strike in the past; this is the first time I can remember seeing the reverse. I think this is a sign of their strengthening partnership; Robin is becoming more and more Strike's equal. They are also finally able to eliminate one suspect, Seb Montgomery. 

Strike misses the supposedly bedridden Kea Niven when she runs out of the house, and has to deal with her mother and the pet cockatoo instead. The bird's repeating of "Please, Kea!" suggests this is a phrase that the critter has heard many times before. Strike is able to get a picture of Kea's  browsing history, and Kea's mom convinces her to meet Strike at a local pub, despite her deathly illness. Before Strike can leave, he is attacked by the cockatoo and gets his temple sliced open. He dashes out the door, is gifted a hankie from a kind man next door to mop up the blood, and learns the bird is apparently a neighborhood menace. 

At the pub, Kea has a long tearful talk with Strike, where she continues to insist she is a co-creator of the cartoon, and is not sorry about Edie's death. It is noteable that even Kea, who doesn't hesitate to lie about things like never trying to enter Drek's game (Strike had seen that on her browsing history), cannot muster more that weak statements about Josh's supposed support for her plagiarism charges

• "Josh admitted it to me, pretty much." 
• "He agreed he’d probably told her the story about Margaret Read that day in the cemetery" 
• "He kind of half-promised at one point that he’d get me some credit."

Interesting, as with Kinvara Chiswell in LW, Strike can tell when Kea resumed her affair with Josh by her improved mood, expressed, in Kea's case, through her social media. Kea also mentioned talking to someone at North Grove who shared her opinion that the place was strange; this was presumably Gus Upcott, and forms the later basis for Anomie' telling her they have met. Strike's final act is to show Kea the online evidence of her affair with Wally Cardew, and caution her to stay away from him, 

In the meantime, Robin has tailed Gus to a restaurant, where, just like with Zoe at North Grove, she winds up chatting with a Drek's Game moderator while sitting in the same room watching him type to her, only she doesn't realize it this time. "Paperwhite" uses "Buffypaws" to set up the cover story about being in love with Morehouse. 

Onto (ugh) Madeline's jewelry launch. Once again, the best interactions Strike has are with Henry, for whom he proves himself to be "Mum's 'cool' boyfriend" by turning a blind eye to the pot smoking. Henry even seeks Strike's advice about women:

‘Isn’t it right,’ he said, his voice slightly slurred, ‘if you insult a girl –like, not insult, but criticise a bit – she’ll work to get your approval back?’ 

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ said Strike. ‘Who gave you this advice?’

As if to prove Strike's point, enter Charlotte. Then enter Madeline, just in time to see Strike and Charlotte together. Strike knows this will not end well, and Mads proves herself a mean drunk, managing to, in the course of a single row, not just to accuse Strike of being like his father but to have problems with Strike having any relationship, past or present, with any woman, ever, who is not her, complaining not just about Charlotte and Robin but even people like Elin and Ciara, who haven't been around for years. Chill, woman. 

Strike might have walked out for good, if the Madwoman hadn't fallen on her face, which I'm sure was totally an accident. Unfortunately, she's bleeding, which is enough to make Strike forgive her. Sigh. 

We then see one of the saddest moderator chats in the book, where Anomie tries to manipulate Morehouse to stay if Vile and Lord Drek are kicked out, and declares that he expects the game to endure forever, Morehouse and Fiendy1 have their first private chat in ages, and their last ever, but don't make up, and Morehouse declares his love for Paperwhite. 

We move from the relative hell of the Madwoman's jewelry launch to the fun of Comicon, where Strike selects the right light saber, poses for photos with a tiny Boba Fett and is honor-bound to salute a group of Stormtroopers. Robin, in contrast, is stuck interviewing the up-talking and stupid Yasmin Weatherhead, who seems to think not only that she has a famous online beau, but that normal journalists readily agree to leave all the juicy gossip out if you just ask nicely. She asks "please don't put that in the article" three times. 

Once Robin meets up with Strike and tells him what she's learned, he brilliantly deduces that Yasmin is "a bit thick." He is most interested in a man in expensive red-soled shoes who is questioning Drek's, and suspects this person is also seeking Anomie. Our heroes trail Red Soles to the tube, and are shocked when the guy is intentionally pushed onto the tracks, Robin does the brave-but-foolish thing and tries to rescue him--- and Strike knows immediately that there will be serious consequences. 

Another brief mod chat, where Lord Drek accuses Anomie of trying to kill LD's brother, vows revenge and is promptly banned. End Part Three. 

Final question:  Had circumstances not forced Robin to attend Comicon as Venetia Hall, what would she have dressed as?