Chapter 9 opens with a melancholy Robin contemplating her 29th birthday, her failed marriage and her living situation, which, though nice, is a bit uncomfortable because of Max's moodiness. She also gets some less than impressive gifts from her brothers, none of which we ever see her use--- even the bubble bath she takes in Chapter 33 is described as "cheap jasmine-scented." Thankfully, her parents come through with a nice gift card for Selfridges.
Unfortunately, she has to turn Strike down on his offer to co-interview Dr. Dinesh Gupta, because she is too professional to cancel the Weatherman's catch-up a second time.
Upon re-reading the Gupta interview, I was struck by how pleasant it is, compared to most of the other interviews in this book. Between the genial old physician, his graciously hostessing wife, the company-best china and sitting room, the proudly displayed portraits of their daughters and the tasty fig rolls, it is a real contrast to annoying Irene, the hysterical family Phipps, the sadness that is Gloria Conti's story, Douthwaite's evasiveness and his screaming, fainting wife, and the rude Paul Satchwell. Gupta is able to provide a lot of information about the practice and the interpersonal dynamics thereof, and calls Janice Beattie "the best nurse he ever worked with." Oops.
The theme of reproductive choice comes up often in this book and this chapter gives us one of the earliest mentions, with Mrs. Gupta's insistence that her youngest daughter would "never be happy without" having children.
Chapter 11 is very brief. He returns George Layborn's call to get the welcome news that he has located the Bamborough police file. Al sends his first message inviting (pestering?) Strike to come to the Deadbeats 50th anniversary party and to be part of the family portrait, and Ilsa reminds him it is Robin's birthday.
Chapter 12 finds Robin reviewing her birthday presents from her work colleagues: a red wallet from Pat, Al-Qaeda cards from Barclay, and salted caramel truffles (and an unwanted kiss, bleah!) from Morris. When Strike calls to tell her about the Bamborough file, she correctly divines that he forgot her birthday again and was picking up last-minute flowers after a prompt from Ilsa. Robin heads off to Selfridges in search of a new signature perfume, and, during her search, encounters both Margot's perfume (Rive Gauche) and Sarah Shadlock's Flowerbomb. She decides on Fracas, something that seems to convey the sophistication she craves. It is described:
With unmistakeable and unrivaled opulent tuberose and jasmine accords, this lush and creamy concoction clings to a woman's skin and warms with her unique chenistry. Unlike many traditional white florals, Fracas is dark and luscious. Rich accents of sandalwood and delicate musk enhance the brilliance and complexity.
Unfortunately, Strike unknowingly purchases stargazer lilies, Robin's least favorite flower because of its association with Sarah Shadlock. One downside to Pat's efficiency, they live for two weeks in the office.
On Halloween, Strike and Robin make a trip to Clerkenwell to retrace Margot's route from the clinic to the Three Kings pub. As on the night of Margot's disappearance, it's a rainy night. In Chapters 13 and 14, Strike basically lays out the entire police file contents of the Bamborough case, familiarizing us with the major (e.g. Steve Douthwaite, Paul Satchwell) and minor (Willy Lomax, Albert Schimmings) suspects/witnesses they want to track down and interview, as well as details like the white van seen speeding in the area and the women struggling in front of the red phone booth.
I do enjoy the way they think out of the police file box, considering possibilities like Theo and Gloria as co-conspirators and Margot being lured into a house to tend to a sick person. I was a bit puzzled by the Amanda White story, just because the idea of a 14 YO in 1974 going to "have a coffee" with a friend did not ring true for me. Maybe the UK is different Amanda would be about 6 years younger than me and the 1970's was way pre-Starbucks. Teens in my era (at least in the southern US) did not go for coffee: maybe a coke, fast food, ice cream, pizza? But coffee is not what 14 YOs drank.
This line has a different fell post-TRG:
"Well, his married girlfriend had just killed herself," said Robin. "That'd knock anyone except a psychopath for six, wouldn't it?"
Charlotte slid like a shadow across Strike's mind.
Prior to TRG, we wondered what prompted Strike to think of Charlotte: "married girlfriend" or "psychopath." Now, it reads a bit like a foreshadowing of her death.
Finally, I like the foreshadowing of the mystery resolution in the drinkers' Halloween costumes: We have the Naughty Nursie and the Joker, who evokes the Jester or Fool of the Tarot deck. In any case, it is very appropriate to have all this foreshadowing in a pub named for the Magi who foretold the future in the stars, like those that Talbot has scribbled all over the case notes. And Pat shows her first true bit of awesomeness by translating the Pitman shorthand, which gives Strike the first hint of the occult methods that Bill Talbot tried to use to solve the case.
"I don't think these are stars. They're pentagrams."
Thus ends Part Two! The story continues on Monday with part three.
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