Houghton looked almost helplessly at Gregson.
'It's bollocks,' said Finn angrily. 'Absolute bollocks.' He looked at Gregson. 'You said yourself it was impossible. If one of them had escaped from Whitely we'd have known about it, but three of the cunts? Do me a favour.' This time he did reach for a cigarette and light it up.
Silence.
'Somebody say something, for Christ's sake,' snarled Finn in annoyance. 'Somebody tell me again what all this shit is supposed to mean.'
'Could there be a mistake with the identification?' Gregson said.
'It's possible with Bryce,' Houghton admitted. 'I found fourteen matching characteristics in the ridge patterns of his fingerprints. There should have been sixteen, but I think my figure is conclusive enough. But even if I was wrong about Bryce, it's impossible I could be wrong about Magee. His prints match those on file. His dental records match. His blood type. Everything. Unless he's got a twin identical in every way, then that man is the same one you arrested.'
Finn shook his head.
'I don't fucking believe this,' he said, an incredulous smile on his face. 'It's not possible.'
'Then what's your explanation?' Houghton challenged him.
'You're telling me that you believe three convicted killers just walked out of Whitely prison without anyone noticing and now they've come back here to duplicate their original crimes? Do you believe that? Really?'
'I believe what I see here, Stuart, and this man is Trevor Magee,' Houghton said quietly. 'If it helps I'm as sceptical as you, but the evidence is here.'
'Evidence for what?' Finn snarled. 'That we're all going fucking crazy? They're inside.' He shouted the last two words.
Gregson crossed to the phone and jabbed the button. He asked the switchboard operator to connect him with Whitely Prison and waited.
Finn turned to his colleague.
'Frank, for Christ's sake…' he began, but Gregson held up a hand to silence him.
'Hello,' he said finally into the phone. 'My name is Detective Inspector Gregson. I'm calling… Yes, Gregson.' He spelt it out. 'I'm calling from New Scotland Yard. I'd like to speak with the Governor please. It's very important.' He sucked in an angry breath. 'Yes, Gregson.' He spelled it out again. Then he waited. The other men watched as he tapped gently on the desk top.
'When will he back?' he said finally. 'Can you get him to call me as soon as possible? It's very urgent. It concerns three of the inmates there.' They saw Gregson's features harden. 'Who are you, anyway?' He sighed. 'All right, perhaps you can help me. Their names are Peter Lawton, Mathew Bryce and Trevor Magee. I need to speak to Governor Nicholson about them as soon as possible, do you understand?' The other three saw a flicker on the DI's face. 'Say that again?' He looked across Finn, a look of bewilderment on his face. He shook his head slowly. 'Can you tell me when?'
'What the fuck is this?' Finn whispered, still watching his superior.
'Thank you,' said Gregson. 'Tell Governor Nicholson to ring me on this number as soon as possible.'
Gregson put down the phone.
'Well?' said Finn.
The DI looked at Houghton.
'Are you sure that's Trevor Magee?' he said, the knot of muscles at the side of his jaw pulsing.
Houghton held up his hands.
'Frank, for God's sake,' he sighed, if I had children I'd swear on their graves. It is Magee. There's no question of it.'
'And you're sure about the others as well?'
Houghton nodded.
'According to that guy I just spoke to,' said Gregson quietly, 'Trevor Magee died six months ago. As a matter of fact he's buried in the same piece of ground as Peter Lawton and Mathew Bryce. They never left Whitely. All three of them are buried there.'
SIXTY-SEVEN
There was an explosion of blood and the nose seemed to burst.
The coloured man fell backwards, his legs buckling under him, a look of pain on his face.
As he fell the spectators rose, a chorus of shouts and cheers ringing around the arena.
'Good punch,' Ray Plummer shouted approvingly. The coloured boxer looked into the referee's eyes, then watched his fingers; he was raising them one at a time as he counted. His opponent was dancing about in a neutral corner, one eye on his quarry. The other eye had been closed for most of the fight by a left hook that had caused a large amount of swelling both above and below the brow. He was older, pale-skinned and looked too thin to be a welterweight, but the right cross that had put his younger opponent down had belied his looks.
As the referee reached the mandatory eight the black fighter rose quickly to his feet.
'Come on, Robbie,' shouted Plummer, cupping one hand to his mouth.
Beside him Carol watched the modern-day gladiators as they came at each other. She was wearing a tight red dress which showed off her shapely legs. It clung to her so tightly that she wore no underwear beneath. Plummer liked that. He also liked it when he saw other men around the ringside looking at her approvingly. Look all you want, he thought. She's with me. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at the fighters again, one arm linked through Plummer's.
She saw him look at his watch again. He'd been doing it all evening.
'Are you expecting someone?' she asked. 'You keep looking at your watch.'
He shook his head, smiled at her briefly then returned his attention to the fight.
The younger fighter seemed to have recovered from the knockdown. Despite the blood streaming from his nose, he was driving in a series of combinations which looked to have his opponent in trouble.
'Work the body!' one of his cornermen shouted.
'Cover up!' the other fighter's trainer responded.
'Get away from him!' Plummer bellowed, watching gloomily as a body punch brought down his fighter's guard and a thunderous uppercut lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing to the canvas. 'Oh, fuck it,' murmured Plummer, as the referee started counting.
'If he counts until tomorrow night your boy won't get up, Ray,' said the tubby man sitting on Plummer's left.
Plummer nodded and glanced at his watch again.
10.46 P.M.
The referee made a sweeping gesture with his arm over the prostrate figure of the white fighter. It might as well have been the last rites.
Some members of the crowd moved away towards the bar between contests. Others were content to sit and wait, reading their programmes or gazing around. Television cameras were covering the bill and a number of those opposite the prying lenses spent the time waving at the cameras. Two men passed by and looked down at
Carol, who crossed her legs, dangling one high-heeled shoe from her toes.
She noticed with disgust that there were several droplets of blood on the patent leather. One of the perils of sitting ringside.