Armstrong stared at him but made no move to accept the greeting.
‘Frank,’ was all he said.
‘Mr Parker, I’m DC Irvine with Strathclyde Police CID.’
Parker nodded and sat down.
Irvine walked forward and pulled out a chair from the table. She sat down. Armstrong stayed standing behind her.
‘Can you tell me what you know about Joanna Lewski?’ Irvine asked.
‘Don’t know her. Who told you that I did?’
‘What about Russell Hall?’
Parker’s eyes flicked to Armstrong. ‘I know Russell,’ he said, his eyes remaining on Armstrong’s face.
‘How do you know him, Mr Parker?’
He looked back at Irvine. ‘He used to work for me.’
‘Used to?’
‘Yes.’
‘And now?’
‘Now he doesn’t.’
One of the goons sitting off to the side laughed.
‘Do you mean because he’s dead?’
This took Parker by surprise. He leaned forward, his hands coming up on to the table. ‘What?’
‘I asked you if the reason he didn’t work for you any more is because someone killed him last night.’
Parker Junior stiffened next to his father.
‘This Joanna person,’ Parker Senior said, ‘I take it that she’s also dead. I mean, that’s why the CID is here, right?’
‘That’s correct.’
‘Did Russell kill her?’
‘What makes you ask that?’
‘He had difficulty controlling his impulses. Back when I knew him.’
‘Which was when?’
‘Russell hasn’t worked for us for the last three months,’ Junior said. ‘I run the clubs now.’
Irvine could have sworn his chest puffed out as he spoke. A look of annoyance passed across his father’s face. The message wasn’t lost on Irvine and she knew that Armstrong would have picked it up: Frank Parker Junior was now in charge of the Parker organisation’s drug trade.
14
‘So you’re saying that you fired Mr Hall, is that correct?’ Irvine asked, looking at Junior.
‘Yes,’ his father answered. ‘It wasn’t working out.’
‘He’d been with your organisation for some time?’
‘Nothing lasts for ever.’
‘So it would seem.’
Junior smirked. Irvine had taken an immediate dislike to him. She wondered if he would be quite so confident if his father wasn’t here.
‘When was the last time you saw him?’
‘Haven’t seen him since we… let him go,’ Senior answered.
‘Can you account for your whereabouts last night? All of you.’
Irvine made a point of looking around the room and making eye contact with everyone.
‘Yes. Let us know what you need.’
Senior reached into his jacket and took out a business card. He leaned across the table and held it out until Irvine took it from him. He knew the police had a job to do and he understood the rules of the game. Irvine wasn’t so sure that Junior would look at it in the same way.
Armstrong moved forward and sat next to Irvine, across the table from the Parkers.
‘What was it, Frank?’ he asked. ‘Russell not making enough money for you or something?’
Parker Senior looked at Irvine and smiled.
‘Your colleague doesn’t think that I’m a legitimate businessman.’
‘I’m not in a position to comment,’ Irvine said. ‘And right now I don’t really care. There are two murder inquiries ongoing and that’s my only concern.’
‘We had nothing to do with them,’ Junior said loudly, leaning forward. ‘So why don’t you fuck off.’
Irvine stared at him.
‘Everybody out,’ Parker Senior said sharply.
No one moved.
‘I mean now.’ His voice was even but firm.
The goons got up and shuffled to the door, followed quickly by the weasel in the glasses.
Junior stayed put, but shrank back in his seat.
‘You too, son.’
Junior glared at his father for a long moment before sliding across the leather seat and out of the booth. He slammed the door as he left.
‘I apologise for my son’s ignorance,’ Parker said. ‘That’s not how I like to do business.’
‘Frank,’ Armstrong said, ‘cut the bullshit, okay? You’re not impressing anyone here.’
Parker shrugged.
‘Who was Russell working for after he left you?’
Parker flicked at an imaginary piece of fluff on the lapel of his suit jacket.
‘If you tell us, we’ll be going after them hard. Maybe help take out some of the competition.’
‘I don’t know what you mean by competition.’
Armstrong sighed. Irvine felt that his intervention was proving counterproductive.
‘Mr Parker,’ she said. ‘I’m sure you would be just as pleased as we would be to take a killer off the streets. Make it safer for everyone. That’s my aim here. Nothing else.’
She maintained eye contact with him, hoping that Armstrong would stay quiet.
Parker looked from Irvine to Armstrong and back. ‘I appreciate what you’re trying to do,’ he said eventually. ‘If I can help I will.’
Irvine nodded.
‘Do you know who Mr Hall was working for after he left your employment?’
‘I heard it was someone… new to the business scene.’
Armstrong turned his face away from Parker and snorted.
‘Anything you can do to help us would be appreciated,’ Irvine said.
Parker regarded her silently for a moment. ‘Andrew Johnson,’ he said finally.
Irvine wondered if he was joking.
‘The Andrew Johnson who’s dead? Murdered. I mean, it was all over the newspapers. I’m one of the investigating officers.’
‘Yes, that Andrew Johnson.’
‘So what are you telling us? Did Russell Hall kill Johnson and take over his organisation?’
Parker smiled benignly.
‘I would be very surprised if Russell had big enough balls. I mean, Johnson was out of his league. A proper psychopath.’
‘I’m not following what you’re telling us.’
‘Russell worked for Johnson until his unfortunate meeting with a bullet. Now he works for the man who succeeded Johnson.’
‘And is this man still alive, or do I have another body to discover?’
