Hard Evidence

Melissa shrugged. 'I wish I could help, love, but I didn't hear or see a thing.' She ground out her cigarette in a small plate on the table and drained her mug of tea. 'That the official business over with, is it?'

'For now.'

'Right.' She stood up and took off her cardigan. Her voice suddenly uncompromisingly authoritarian. 'Get next door then and get on your knees.'

She reached behind her to pick up an improbable-looking object with straps and buckles from the kitchen table. Bonner nodded, the dry tip of his tongue nervously licking the corner of his lips.

Sometimes he really loved his job.

*

Later that afternoon, Delaney ground his cigarette stub with a quick flick of his shoe and watched as a police van pulled to a stop in the car park outside White City police station. The back doors swung open and a couple of uniformed officers climbed down, leading a middle-aged man between them. In his forties, he was dressed in filthy black jeans, with beads, bangles and long greasy hair. Half hippy, half Hell's Angel, more metal in his face than God or nature ever intended. Jackie Malone's elder brother. He scowled as he saw Delaney lounging against the wall and spat on the ground.

'Might have known.'

Delaney walked over to the officers. 'I'll have a quick word with him, thanks, guys.'

'All yours.'

'There was no sign of the boy?'

One of the uniformed men shook his head. 'We asked around too. Nobody has seen him for a long time.'

'Okay.'

The officers walked away, rubbing their hands as if to clean off the taint of Russell Martin.

'What do you want, Delaney?'

Delaney pushed the man against the wall and wasn't gentle about it.

'Suppose you tell me where the boy is, for a start?'

Martin struggled angrily. 'And suppose I tell you to go stick your head in a pig?'

Delaney kneed him quickly in the groin; he doubled over in pain but Delaney hauled him up by his throat and leaned in close.

'You fuck with me, Russell, and I'll make your eyeballs bleed. Do you know what I am saying to you?'

Russell Martin looked away and Delaney slapped him as hard as he could, open-palmed against the side of his head.

'Do you know what I am saying to you?'

Martin grunted and rubbed his head. 'I've got rights.'

'You've got the right to remain silent. But you exercise that right and I'll spoil you for your girlfriend. You fuck with me, you piece of pikey shite, and I'll spoil you for any woman.'

'What do you want from me?'

'I want to know where Andy is.'

'I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him for weeks.'

Delaney slapped him again on the side of the head. 'I'm telling you, don't fuck around with me.'

Martin was nearly in tears. 'I don't know where he is. I swear.'

'I don't care what you swear; you lie to me and you'll live to regret it.'

'I've been on the road for four months and he wasn't with me the last couple. He came back to his mum, that's all I know.'

'You spoken to her lately. Or your brother?'

Martin shook his head, 'I heard what happened to them, but it's got nothing to do with me.'

'Who has it got to do with, then?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know. We weren't exactly close.'

Delaney curled his lip, genuinely disgusted. 'You're a real piece of shite, you know that.'

Martin shook his head angrily. 'I know what I am and I know what they were. This has got nothing to do with me.'

Delaney leaned in angrily again. 'It's got everything to do with your nephew right now.'

Martin flinched back and shook his head. 'I wouldn't do anything to hurt the boy.'

'That's right. You're a regular Mary Poppins, aren't you?'

'I don't know where he is, Delaney. It's the truth.'

Delaney looked at him for a long moment. 'You wouldn't know the truth if it fucked you in the arse.' He gave him a rough shove towards the road. 'Stay where I can find you.'

Russell staggered and caught his balance. 'Yeah, right.'

'I mean it. Don't make me come looking for you.'

Martin hurried away out of the car park entrance without looking back. Delaney palmed a cigarette into his mouth and lit it, a dark look in his eyes as he drew the soothing smoke in and watched Jackie Malone's brother scurry away. He took a couple more drags and then walked across the car park, heading towards the road.

Pacing about on the deep-pile carpet of his office on the second floor, Chief Superintendent Walker was talking on his mobile phone, and he was far from happy.

'I don't care what your problems are. I told you I'm dealing with it.' He walked over to the window and looked out, anger sparking in his eyes like an electrical storm as he saw the person they were discussing heading out of the car park.

'I told you I'd take care of it, so just let me do my job!' He snapped the phone shut.

Kate threaded through the crowd of off-duty police already packing the Pig and Whistle at five o'clock, and made her way to the bar. Delaney was sitting on a stool in the corner, nursing a pint of Guinness, watching Sally Cartwright beat Bob Wilkinson at darts but not really paying any attention. His thoughts were elsewhere. Kate took a penny out of her pocket and slid it along the bar counter in front of Delaney. He picked it up and looked at it.

'If they were that easy to get rid of, I'd gladly give them to you.'

Kate nodded at his glass. 'That doesn't solve anything.'

'It does if you drink it.'

Kate laughed and Delaney decided he liked the sound. He'd decided that a long time back, of course, but he was beginning to admit it to himself.

Kate smiled at him. 'When you're right, you're right. Same again?'

'My turn.' Delaney gestured at the barmaid. 'Large vodka and tonic, please.'

'I've still got a bit of work to do. I can't be drunk.'

'You work with dead people. What can it hurt if you slip with your scalpel?'

Kate looked across at him. 'You are joking?'

'I am.'

Kate hesitated. 'It's just paperwork.'

Delaney looked at her thoughtfully. 'So twice in as many days. You following me?'

'I just dropped some files off and I saw you heading here.' She shrugged. 'I've had a hell of a day, and what do they say about misery loving company?'

Delaney laughed unexpectedly. 'You like to say it as it is, don't you?'

'Not a lot of call for subtlety in my job.'

'I suppose not.'

Delaney looked at her again as he took another sip of his drink. 'On Monday night, at Jackie Malone's flat…'

'Yes?'

'I was rude to you. I'm sorry.'

'There's no need to apologise.'

'I was in a bad mood. I'd spent the day at Northfields cemetery. It was our wedding anniversary.'

'I heard about your wife. I'm sorry.'

It was Delaney's turn to shake his head. 'I just wanted you to know.'

The barmaid handed Delaney the vodka and he held it out to Kate. 'So, is work over for the day?'

Kate looked at the drink and then levelled her sparkling eyes at him as she took the glass. 'Does this mean we're friends now, Jack?'

'I don't have friends. People don't like me.'

'People change.'

'Like hell they do.'

Again the laugh from Kate, and Delaney suddenly realised he had to be careful.

Kate looked at him, her smile smoothing into a serious line as she bit her lower lip. 'I haven't spoken to my uncle on a personal basis since I was nine years old.'

Delaney looked at her wide-open eyes and could feel the blood pumping in his heart. Maybe it was adrenalin kicking in, fight or flight. He came to a decision. He clinked his glass against hers.

'I think I'd like to be your friend, Kate.'

Her smile was a thousand watts now.

25.

Delaney found that he was enjoying Kate Walker's company. The first time since the death of his wife that he had enjoyed a woman's company so much. Kate glanced at her watch and Delaney felt guilty at the disappointment he felt.