‘Look, I was just told he got done in, that’s all. To be honest, I don’t wanna know any more. Maybe it’s connected to the fact you come in here asking me questions and the next minute, he’s had his throat cut.’
‘Is that why you kicked up when you were told I was back?’ Langton leaned forwards, resting his elbows on the Formica-topped table. ‘You see, Vernon, I don’t think that you’ve been straight with me.’
‘Shit, do me a favour. I told you all I know.’
‘No, Vernon. No, you haven’t.’ Langton got up and walked over to lean against the wall, his hands stuffed into his pockets. ‘You seem well informed about how your pal died … what else do you know about it?’
Vernon swivelled his head round to look at Langton. ‘That’s enough, isn’t it?’
‘Not really. You know anything about the two guys that did it? One held him down and the other cut his throat.’
‘No, I dunno nothin’ about them.’
‘Kid called Eamon Krasiniqe?’
‘Never heard of him.’
Langton walked on around the room and came to stand directly behind Vernon. ‘He’s not in a good state.’
Vernon swivelled his head round again. ‘Nothing to do with me. I never heard of him.’
‘But you do know Rashid Burry?’
Vernon sighed. ‘Yeah, I told you — he was in the same hostel as me, when Arthur was kippin’ down on my floor, and I tell you, I wish to God I’d told him to piss off.’
‘Tell me more about Rashid.’
‘Jesus Christ, I told you: he just came and went in the place and I dunno where he is now.’
‘I think you know a lot more about him.’
‘I don’t!’
Langton now moved to sit back at the table. ‘How well did Arthur Murphy know him?’
‘I dunno. Like I said, he was just lying low in my room. They don’t do food, you know, so I used to go out and get fish and chips and takeaway stuff for him to eat.’
‘I see. So when your room was checked out, where did he go?’
‘Hid in the toilets.’
‘So no one from the hostel knew he was there?’
‘Obvious, yeah.’
‘But Rashid Burry knew, didn’t he?’
‘I guess so. Yeah, he might.’
‘So Murphy could also have had access to Rashid, maybe talked to him?’
‘Yeah, it’s possible, but that guy is not to be messed around with. He’s a bit crazy.’
‘So you didn’t get along with him?’
‘I never said that.’
‘Did Murphy get along with him?’
‘I don’t fucking know!’
‘Okay. What about Clinton Camorra?’
Vernon was visibly shaken.
‘You do know him, don’t you?’
‘No.’
‘Sometimes he called himself Rashid Camorra?’
Vernon swallowed. ‘Never heard of him.’
Langton rocked back in his chair and then let it bang forwards. ‘Don’t fucking lie to me, Vernon, because I’ve had it right up to here!’ He hit his forehead. ‘I am sick and tired of your bullshit. I have given you every opportunity to come clean with me, isn’t that right?’
He looked to Anna. ‘I think maybe it is time we got in a solicitor for Mr Kramer, if he is withholding evidence about the murder of that little boy.’
Vernon started to panic. ‘What? What are you talking about?’
Langton smiled. ‘Reason I’m here, Vernon, is we believe that you had something to do with the murder of a small boy found in a bin bag in the canal at Islington.’
‘No, no! This isn’t right!’
‘I’d hoped you would come straight with me, but as it’s obvious you are still withholding evidence, I’ve lost my patience.’
‘No, no — wait! You can’t bring me into that. I don’t know anything about it, I swear before God I don’t!’
Anna looked as if she was starting to pack up her briefcase, placing her files into it.
‘Listen to me, I—’
‘You listen to me, Vernon! We are investigating a series of murders — Gail Sickert, her two-year-old daughter — and we think there is a connection between you, Murphy and—’
‘No! No, there isn’t!’
‘What are you so afraid of, Vernon?’
‘I’m not!’
‘You think you’ll get the same treatment as Murphy? Is that what scares you? Or what about the kid that knifed him — you heard about him?’
Vernon’s eyes were like saucers.
‘Walking dead — you scared that’ll happen to you?’
Vernon covered his face with his hands. ‘This isn’t fair, it’s not bloody fair.’
‘What isn’t?’
Vernon licked his lips and rubbed at his eyes. ‘You don’t understand,’ he said, almost inaudibly.
‘Didn’t hear you? What did you say?’
Vernon sat back and sniffed, close to tears. ‘I wish to God I had never let Arthur stay with me.’
‘Well, we know one reason: you got banged up for harbouring him and two years from your old sentence tagged on, but there’s other reasons, right?’
Vernon nodded.
It took two beakers of water and a lot of patience for Vernon at last to come clean, with a whole new story.
A while back, Arthur Murphy had paid a visit to his sister, Gail, to arrange for Joseph Sickert to stay with her as a favour to Rashid Burry. While Arthur was on the run for the murder of Irene Phelps, he discovered that Sickert and Gail had become lovers. Arthur had got very angry about it; he and Vernon had got drunk, paid them a visit and got into a big row. Frightened, Gail threw Murphy out and called the local police.
Vernon had, at first, refused to allow Murphy to hide out at his hostel, but was coerced by Murphy and Rashid Burry into letting him stay; they reckoned no one would look for him there, right under the noses of the authorities. Murphy knew Rashid Burry from a previous hostel; he also knew that Burry had a contact who would help him get out of the country. This contact was Clinton Camorra.
According to Vernon, Camorra had a big network of people who could supply passports, visas and work permits. Rashid Burry knew Camorra well because he himself had got into the country using Camorra’s forged documents. Murphy had to get some money to pay for the documents and he gave Camorra his word that he would find two thousand pounds.
Rashid had the documents from Camorra ready for Murphy at the hostel, but he wanted the money to pass on to Camorra. This was the time that Anna and the team had gone to the hostel to arrest Murphy. Rashid got very nervous and, even though Vernon told him that it had nothing to do with him, he contacted Camorra. Camorra was furious. If Murphy informed on Camorra, his network would be exposed.Camorra took his anger out on Rashid, threatening him unless he got it straightened out — and fast.
Vernon licked his lips. ‘This guy Camorra is rich; he’s got heavies working for him, and by now, he was really pissed off.’
Langton held up his hand. ‘Did Camorra arrange for Sickert to come to the UK?’
‘Yeah, along with another few hundred; he’s bringin’ illegal immigrants in by the shedload every few months. Newspapers say that there’s one immigrant coming into Britain every minute. A lot are coming in via Camorra, that’s why he’s got so much dough.’ Again, Vernon licked his lips.
Langton glanced at Anna and back to Vernon. He sighed. ‘That’s a lot of people, Vernon. I know some are just kids, but tell me: how does this Camorra manage to keep afloat without someone grassing him up?’
‘They’re too scared to ever finger him — well, they would be. One, they’re on forged papers, right? And then…’ He shrugged.
‘Then what?’
‘Depends if you believe it or not, but the darkies do, so I guess he’s got them both ways, know what I mean?’
‘No, I don’t.’
Vernon bowed his head. There was a long pause. He then looked up and faced the wall, not looking at either Anna or Langton.