'Thank me for what?'
'For telling me you know how this sort of thing goes, sir.'
See? Moist told himself. This is what happens when you get too comfortable. You lose the edge. Even a copper can outsmart you.
The captain looked up. 'I will tell you, Mr Lipwig, that some of what you say has been corroborated by an unbiased witness who could not possibly be an accomplice.'
'You talked to Gladys?' said Moist.
'Gladys being?'
'She's the one going on about dirty boots.'
'How can a golem be a "she", sir?'
'Ah, I know this one. The correct answer is: how can a golem be a "he"?'
'An interesting point, sir. That explains the dress, then. Out of interest, how much weight would you say a golem can carry?'
'I don't know. A couple of tons, maybe. What are you getting at?'
'I don't know, sir,' said Carrot cheerfully. 'Commander Vimes says, when life hands you a mess of spaghetti, just keep pulling until you find the meatball. In fact your version of events agrees, insofar as he understood things at the time, with that given to us by a Mr Fusspot.'
'You talked to the dog?'
'Well, he is the chairman of the bank, sir,' said the captain.
'How did you understand what - Ah, you have a werewolf, right?' said Moist, grinning.
'We don't confirm that, sir.'
'Everyone knows it's Nobby Nobbs, you know.'
'Do they, sir? Gosh. Anyway, your movements this evening are accounted for.'
'Good. Thank you.' Moist started to rise.
'However, your movements earlier this week, sir, are not.' Moist sat down again.
'Well? I don't have to account for them, do I?'
'It might help us, sir.'
'How would it help you?'
'It might help us understand why there is no gold in the vault, sir. It's a small detail in the great scheme of things, but it is something of a puzzler.'
At which point, somewhere close at hand, Mr Fusspot began to bark...
Cosmo Lavish sat at his desk with his fingers steepled in front of his mouth, watching Cribbins eat. Not many people in a state to make a choice had ever done this for more than thirty seconds.
'The soup is good?' he said.
Cribbins lowered the bowl after one lengthy final gurgle. 'Champion, your lordship.' He removed a grey rag from his pocket and -
He's going to take his teeth out, right now, here at the table, thought Cosmo. Amazing. Ah, yes, and there's still bits of carrot in them...
'Don't hesitate to repair your teeth,' he said, as Cribbins removed a bent fork from a pocket.