The Silkworm Chapters 44-46: Polworth goes diving and the visit with Kath and Pippa

This section contains the relatively long chapter where Strike and Robin interview Kath Kent and Pippa Midgley in the former's apartment. bookended by two relatively short Polworth-centered chapters. In the first Strike asks him to undertake a mysterious and dangerous job for him, which truns out to be taking the plunge into Hell's Mouth in search of evidence. In the last, he comes through with the goods. To fully appreciate what Strike was asking, check out this video taken the following September, when a tourist managed to capture a giant rockfall into the cove. If that had happened 9 months earlier, cold would have been the least of Dave's problems.

Chapter 44 also sees Strike taking a peek at the typewriter ribbon he nicked from Orlando, on which he is delighted to find a sentence that mentions the name Eddie, one of the list of "normal" names that came out of Cheeky Monkey.  Finally, he remains fixated on the significance of "the Cutter."

Chapter 45 takes us through several days of the waiting game, as neither Robin or Polworth have any luck collecting their mysterious evidence at first. We do, however, learn that Polworth "disliked the capital and its inhabitants on long-held principle. " We'll learn about the extent of his Cornish nationalism in Troubled Blood. Happily, Kath's bribed neighbor calls with the news that she and Pippa are back in the apartment. Realizing they will never in a million years open their door to him, Strike decides to send Robin over to persuade them to cooperate. 

What first-time readers--- and Strike---don't appreciate is how much courage it took for Robin to walk past a gang of jeering young men, one of whom she actually feared might grab her, and into a stairwell. 

She also proves herself an adept interviewer, not only using the ploy Strike gave her (trying to convince Kath she could be next on the suspect list) but improvising with her own ideas, such flattering Kath with her status as a writer. 

It was interesting to me how, despite the close friendship (and psuedo-mother/daughter relationship) Kath and Pippa have, when the conversation turns to  their writing, they become pretty competitive with each other, talking over each other, as if each was trying to prove she was the one whose writing Quine liked best. We also get more glimpses into how two-faced Quine really was, with him telling Kath he hadn't slept with Leonora in years (photographic evidence to the contrary) and convincing Pippa that, in 2010, no transwoman had ever really shared her story in a book before. 

I do wonder why Robin suddenly offered to go out and get "real drink"---  was she offering to make a run to a local liquor store?  It doesn't seem at this point like Kath needed booze to loosen her tongue, and I wouldn't have wanted to walk through that gang of youths carrying bottles. I hope the detective sent them a gift bottle of brandy for their Christmas pudding afterwards.

(Another book 2-book 6 link; a mention of Christmas pudding here, Flavia's onesie in TIBH.)

In any case, giving Kath a chance to talk about rubbing elbows with the publishing elite at the Christmas party, and making her laugh hysterically over the idea of Liz and Owen sleeping together* were sufficient to get her to spill the secret behind the Cutter.  

Strike has another restless weekend. On Monday Two-times turns up showing the first realindicatr of his weirdness, wanting to track down a second of her lovers. Fortunately, Polworth calls with the welcome news that he has uncovered his goods. Robin nabs her evidence the next morning After much elation, Strike calls Anstis, and has his hopes crushed when his old comrade-in-arms refuses to heed him.  After punching a file cabinet, he retreats into his office to formulate plan B, which involves Al, Nick, and, to her delight, Robin. 

What has always intrigued me is hw Strike describes Nick: "Old mate... he's a gastroenterologist..."  Not "His dad's a cabbie...."  Obviously Strike does contact Nick to see about borrowing the taxi, but could he also have asked his old friend to examine the Doberman poo for his own professional tissue of interest?  In analyzing colonoscopy results, Nick would have had plenty of opportunities to view human intestinal walls under the microscope. 

Unfortunately, Strike's intensity scares Robin out of admitting she might have been spotted doing her collection.

Tune in next time for the grand finale at the Chelsea Arts club. 

*I wonder where Fancourt did get the idea that Liz and Owen were an item?  On this subject, at least, I tend to trust Kath Kent's judgement. 

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