The Silkworm Chapters 25-27: Cane, cane, go away, come again another day.

Chapter 25 finds the Denmark Street Duo heading out on an investigative journey in the snow, first to Talgarth Road, where they are refused entrance to the house and resort to skulking around in the neighbors' yards, then intending to check out four key suspects' houses: Daniel Chard's, Jerry Waldegrave's, Kathryn Kent's and Liz Tassel's.  Unfortunately, Strike's leg is acting up:

He was feeling the need for a stick ever more strongly. On his release from hospital Charlotte had given him an elegant antique Malacca cane that she had claimed belonged to a great-grandfather. The handsome old stick had been too short for Strike, causing him to list to the right as he walked. When she had packaged up his things to remove from her flat, the cane had not been among them. 

Once his leg gives out completely on the West Brompton bridge, Robin also recognizes he needs help:

"Haven't you got a stick or something?"

Wish I had."

"We can get one. Chemists sometimes sell them. We'll find one." Then, after another momentary hesitation, she said:

"Lean on me."

"I'm too heavy."

"To balance. Use me like a stick. Do it."

Notice here that Robin's suggestion is that Strike buy a stick, but Strike buys it himself. When Strike gets in a cab (sans Robin!) to continue his mission in Chapter 26, he heads to:

The home of Elizabeth Tassel, took note of the route he traveled and would have arrived in a mere four minutes had he not spotted a Boots. He asked the driver to pull up and wait, and reemerged from the chemists shortly afterwards, walking much more easily with the aid of an adjustable stick. 

Interestingly, both sticks reappear, as so many elements do, in the even numbered books. However, in later mentions, there is an important change that may or may not be a simple error. In Lethal White, at the restaurant with Charlotte, she picks up the adjustable stick that has fallen to the floor.

"Where's the cane I gave you? The Malacca one?"

"You kept it."

"Who bought you this one? Robin?"

Amidst all of Charlotte's paranoid and frequently wild accusations, she occasionally made uncannily accurate guesses.

"She did, as a matter of fact."

Both sticks also get a mention in The Ink Black Heart, when Strike is reviewing Kea Niven's social media. 

Strike's gaze moved unconsciously to the drawer where he kept the collapsible walking stick Robin had once bought him, when his amputated leg had been giving him so much trouble he was barely able to walk. ...He remembered that Charlotte had once given him a cane as well, antique, made of Malacca, with a silver handle. She'd claimed it had been her great-grandfather's but who knew whether that was true; it might just as easily been bought from an antique shop. In any case, it had been useless, far to short for Strike, and when they had split for the last time, she had kept it. 

The big change in books 4 and 6 is that Strike is explicitly remembering Robin buying him the cane, when she clearly did not. The question is, is this

1. an authorial error, with Mr. Galbraith perhaps mixing up the wooden walking stick Robin makes from a branch on the Chiswell estate with the collapsable one
2. an intentional authorial retcon, much like Mr. Galbraith changed Strike's age at the Norfolk commune from 8 (in CC) to 12 (in TRG, though this may also be wrong; he later says he was there for "6 months in 1985" being, with his late November 1974 birthday, he would have been 10, going on 11, for at least 5 of the 6 months) or
3. Strike's own, usually accurate memory failing him. In other words, we the readers are supposed to remember what actually happened in The Silkworm, but recognize that Strike's own memory of the events has shifted and he is no longer a reliable narrator about this. 

Personally, I like the last possibility best because it is psychologically the most interesting. Charlotte's antique cane gift epitomizes her toxic relationship with him: she gives him something showy and expensive that she likes, but that  does not actually help him and even makes his gait worse. Plus, she takes it back when she's angry with him, determined not to let him leave the relationship with anything she thinks is good. Robin, on the other hand, makes practical and useful suggestions in the face of Strike's injury, literally and figuratively supporting him. Strike mis-remembering Robin as giving him the useful stick suggests that, at least by LW, she is replacing Charlotte in his mind as a potential life partner: one who will support and help him rather than tear him down. 

We shouldn't let all the talk about canes distract us from all the clues that, in retrospect, clearly point to Liz Tassel as the killer. Of all the homes they check, hers is easily the closest to Talgarth Road and is the only one that has the privacy to allow her to slip in and out unnoticed, even carrying a big bag of Quine guts. On top of that, it is overgrown with poisonous laburnum bushes and overlooks a cemetery, giving it the Gothic feel that matches the murders. I highly recommend the Strike and Ellacott Files podcast on these chapters for more about this aspect of the case. 

Strike and Robin wind up in a pub for the second time in two days, this time one that treats them to a pictorial view of Jonny Rokeby in tight leather trousers. Robin will get a similar view in the Three Kings pub on Halloween in Troubled Blood. At least this time she has the good sense not to let the Flobberworm find out. 

Chapter 27 is notable for both the lunch with Liz Tassel and Strike's agreement to be driven to Devon by Robin. "How wrong was it for Robin to risk missing the funeral?" is one of those "You are not a real Strike fan until you've debated this with someone" questions. Personally, I fault Robin for this more than some. I don't blame her for not going up to Masham with Matthew---  they clearly agreed she should wait and continue working. However, when the weather forecast starts to get bad, both Strike and Matthew suggest going early---  and how often do these two agree on anything? They both recognize that there is at least some risk of missing the Saturday morning funeral if she waits until Friday night to catch the sleeper---  the night train could get stuck or cancelled, or the drive from the train station to Masham could be too slow or impossible, in which case she could arrive too late, or not at all. The fact that Robin knew first class tickets were available is evidence that she recognized the risk and did, at least, look into the possibility of leaving earlier. 

Then, Robin further compounds this risk by not just waiting until the last possible train, but risking missing the sleeper entirely by leaving London and driving south to Devon on Friday. The forecast is clearly bad: Robin's first suggestion appears to be that Strike himself postpone the trip, as she says on page 235:

"The weather forecast's atrocious, anyway. I think you'd do better to---"

Only after Strike makes it clear how determined he is to do this interview immediately does Robin offer to drive him. Robin knows cars and roads; she knows that trips in the snow take much much longer than they would in normal weather: you have to drive slower and accidents that block the road are not just possible, but probable. In some cases, highways get shut down entirely and are literally impassable. They could get stuck anywhere between London and Chard's place. Robin knows when she chooses to drive to Devon, that there was a very decent chance she would not get back in time to catch her train, and indeed, she makes it by seconds. If she was absolutely committed to attending Mrs. Cunliffe's funeral, the only sensible thing to do was remain in London. But she wanted to drive Strike badly enough to take the risk, and we have to assume that her eagerness is driven, in part, by her fears that Strike plans to bring in another detective. 

This doesn't mean the Flobberworm isn't a jerk to pick a fight with her about it, after she makes it to the station (costing Strike a lot of money in the process) and everything turns out fine. But, he has every right to be upset that Robin's relative priorities---  being sure of getting to the service versus helping Strike do his interview-- where not where he thought they were. 

With that snowy diversion put aside for now, let's return to the Liz Tassel interview. Again, I'm going to recommend the recent SE files podcast on this chapter for some great insights (I love the observation that the tomato basil soup Liz orders---at a fancy seafood place?--would look like blood, which might explain her lack of appetite for it), as well as a contrasting view on Robin's relative fault for the Devon trip. First, it is easy to see that Liz's lungs, if anything, are worse, suggesting flu is not the real issue. She fills Strike in on her version of the Elsbeth Fancourt parody and suicide, and, interestingly, raises the police's suspicion of blackmail herself, trying to cast herself as both a "blameless spinster" and a charitable person who cares enough about Orlando to help the family out. She also gives him some information on Kathyrn Kent and her work in the animal testing lab. This is another echo to the themes of animal slaughter that started in the meat market of the opening scene and continues through the butchering-style murder of Owen Quine. She is also able to give him a little information about Joe North and an explanation of why hydrochloric acid was in the house. 

So, are the later statements about Robin buying the cane gaffes. retcons or intentional plot devices? Will the canes reappear in Book 8, in accordance with the even-numbered book pattern?  Will Strike ever recover the original memory and realize what the mistake means about his true feelings for Robin?

Comments welcome!  Though some find it easier on the Substack version of this blog. 

Next time: Robin's kick-ass driving and Chard's general creepiness.