was a voyeur’s paradise but it did nothing for Winter. Addison had Rebecca stop every now and again, freezing images of likely lads but more in hope than expectation. It was a needle in a haystack job. The girls might have a quiet word with the passing customers and direct them somewhere for business to take place. When the punters disappeared into the darkness of the lanes and the doorways there was no way of knowing who did what to who. Including strangle them.
‘Even if we could identify every punter in those frames, even if we pulled every one of them in, then we have to know which of them went with Melanie,’ said Addison. ‘And we have to know which of them killed her. If it even was one of them.’
For half an hour there was a succession of stops and starts and swearing while all the time the taste of the Guinness with Winter’s name on it was tickling his mind.
‘So who do you fancy to take over Quinn’s operation?’ he eventually asked Addison. ‘McGurk? Brother Lenny?’
Addison didn’t take his eyes off the tapes but shook his head.
‘McGurk lost his balls the second he saw Malky’s head blown open by that sniper’s bullet. I saw the look on his face and I’d say there’s no way he fancies some of the same. People I talk to say he was always a natural number two. Same with wee brother Lenny. He just didn’t have the cojones for the big job in the first place and certainly doesn’t now. The gunman might as well have shot them with the bullet that took out his brother.’
‘So who?’
‘Ten-million dollar question, mate. A name that’s kept coming up since yesterday is Ally Riddle. You know him?’
Winter shrugged.
‘Young guy, maybe only twenty-five but a smart cookie. Been with the Quinns since he was in his early teens and fast-tracked through the organization. He’s been running a scrap yard of Malky’s off London Road for a few years now and there’s a helluva lot of money goes through there. Shows Quinn rated him highly. He never put McGurk or Lenny’s nose out of joint by bigging it up but word is it was well known Riddle was the coming man.’
‘He in the frame for killing him?’
‘Doubt it. He was much better off with Malky alive than the mess there is now. Might be too soon for him, too. And it’s stretching it a bit to think he did Caldwell as well. We’re keeping our eye on him though. Well, I say “we” but if I’m stuck with this one,’ he nodded towards the screen, ‘then it might be someone else’s job. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.’
Winter drank in Addison’s words and a game plan began to form in his head.
‘Biggest case round here in a long time…’ he began.
‘Like I haven’t noticed,’ Addison replied. ‘What’s your point?’
‘And it could get bigger yet. They really should have the top men on the job. Is that you?’
‘Damn right it’s me. There’s no way they should be running something on this scale without me being involved.’
‘So what you going to do about it, Addy?’
‘What do you suggest?’
‘Go see Alex Shirley. Tell him straight out that you want it. Direct approach never fails.’
Addison looked at him thoughtfully, chewing it over in his mind. Just as he was about to answer, there was a knock at the door and Cat Fitzpatrick strolled through, all flame-red hair and sparkling green eyes. The DI’s attention to the tapes was instantly forgotten and Rebecca Maxwell switched it off when she realized he was no longer watching.
‘I was told you boys were hiding in here. Got a minute?’
‘For you, Ms Fitzpatrick, I’ve got all the time in the world,’ Addison grinned.
Cat rolled her eyes and shared a mutual look of despair with the WPC.
‘Given how discerning you are, DI Addison, that’s very flattering to know,’ she replied with as much sarcasm as she could muster.
Addison took no offence whatsoever and misguidedly thought of it as flirtation.
‘You wanted to see my report as soon as I was done with it so here you go,’ Cat continued, handing him a folder. ‘Do you want details or highlights?’
‘Highlights.’
‘ Quelle surprise. My best estimate of time of death is half an hour either side of midnight. Cause of death was asphyxiation and the bruising to the neck indicates manual strangulation. There was also some internal haemorrhaging caused by the blow to the skull but that was not, in itself, fatal. The angle of the fingermarks suggests someone approximately six inches taller than the victim, so just under six foot. The body was, as you know, moved after death and that has been confirmed by lividity.’
‘That it?’
Cat smiled sweetly and shook her head, determined not to rise to Addison’s bait.
‘That’s it for now. You did ask for a rush job.’
‘Ah, don’t take offence, Cat,’ he soothed. ‘We’re going for a drink once we’re done here. Why don’t you join us?’
‘No offence, boys, but I’d rather not. Today has been rough enough without ruining it completely by drinking with you pair.’
‘She loves us really,’ Addison mouthed to Winter in a stage whisper.
Winter said nothing. Cat was about to answer instead when Addison broke in again.
‘You do love us, right?’
He was nothing if not persistent.
‘Boys, I love chocolate. I love Petit Chablis. I love Matt Damon. I love shoes. You two? I love cellulite more than I love you two. I’m dropping this back at the lab then I’m going home. You boys have fun though.’
‘Methinks she doth protest too much,’ said Addison as Cat left, the door closing behind her.
‘Sexy bitch and what an arse. Oh well, back to reality. Rebecca, you can start the tapes again.’ Maxwell rolled her eyes at Addison.
‘Addy, I’ve been thinking. If I’m going to sit through the rest of these tapes for you, there’s something I’d want in return.’
‘Guinness?’
‘No. Well, yes, but something else.’
‘Oh aye?’
‘You’re convinced there will be more killings by whoever topped Caldwell and Quinn, right?’
‘I’d bet on it.’
‘Well, if you speak to Alex Shirley about getting on the sniper case, then I want you to ask him if I can be designated to photograph anyone else that gets hit.’
‘Fuck’s sake, you don’t want much, do you?’
‘No, I just want to photograph anyone else that gets hit.’
‘Yeah, I heard you. Okay, I’ll ask.’
‘Thanks, Addy.’
‘Don’t thank me yet. I’ll try. Best I can do.’
‘Good enough.’
They both turned their attention back to the turgid task of viewing the tapes from the red-light district even though they both knew it was hopeless. If their man was in there then he was hidden from plain view. The area’s natural camouflage of shadows and alleyways came with the territory and meant it suited the hunter and the hunted a lot more than it did those viewing it through a lens. After another half-hour of fruitless observation, Addison called an end to it.
‘Enough’s enough,’ he muttered. ‘We’re out of here.’
‘Right, the Griffin it is then and not before time,’ said Winter enthusiastically.
‘Not quite yet, wee fella. I’m fed up with this game already and I’m going to do what you suggested. I’m going to see if Shirley is still in the building. You go ahead, I’ll see you in there.’
‘Good move,’ Winter replied, with more than half a mind on his own vested interest in the outcome. ‘And if he
