Isaac met with Charisa, the daughter of one of the murdered women. They had arranged to meet in a café in the centre of London, some distance from Challis Street. The DCI saw a worried young woman. Inside the café, she relaxed a little but remained tense. Isaac purchased two caffè lattes; they sat towards the back of the café, away from the view of the street. ‘What is it?’ Isaac asked.
‘It’s Billy,’ Charisa said.
‘What about him?’
‘They threatened him.’
‘Who?’
‘One of the gangs.’
‘Tell me the full story.’
‘They made it clear that if you were told, it would be worse.’
‘They always say that. When was he told?’
‘Three days ago.’
‘How long have you known?’
‘He told me this morning.’
‘What did he tell you?’
‘He was on his way home from work, close to where he lives. A car pulled up, he was bundled into the back, and it took off with him inside. They said that Samuel owed them twenty-two thousand pounds and the interest was accumulating – one thousand pounds a day.’
‘Which Billy doesn’t have.’
‘He’s been stealing from where he works to get the money.’
‘How much has he?’
‘Eight thousand.’
‘What else?’
‘They told him that if he didn’t give them the money within five days, they’d take me.’
‘Did they say why?’
‘Inspector, you know what they meant.’
‘Sex, prostitution.’
‘Exactly.’
‘And Billy’s been trying to get the money to protect you?’
‘I told him that he was crazy and that he should have told you straight away.’
‘If he gets them the money, they’ll only want more. Their claim against Samuel may be bogus anyway. Did they have names, this gang?’
‘Billy said that one of the gang is known as Negril Bob.’
‘I’ve heard of him,’ Isaac said. ‘He’s been in trouble over the years, although I don’t think there are any convictions against him.’
‘I’m frightened for Billy.’
‘It’s you that I’m frightened for,’ Isaac said. ‘Where is your boyfriend?’
‘He’s gone to America for a couple of weeks.’
‘Are you staying at his place?’
‘Yes. But it’s not far from where we used to live. They’ll find me soon enough.’
‘In that case, you need to move out. Is there anywhere that you could go?’
‘Not really. Anyone we know lives in the area.’
Isaac could see the dilemma. If they protected Billy and Charisa Devon, a uniform assigned to each, then those that had threatened Billy would realise that he had spoken to the police, and that would be a death sentence for him. If the police did nothing, then Billy would be squeezed more, and they would take Charisa as a way of ensuring his compliance. Once Billy was in their control, they’d be after more money, all the while using his sister as leverage.
Isaac phoned Larry and gave him the address of the café where they were sitting. The young woman did not like the idea, but Larry had better contacts with the gangs than Isaac ever would. To them, he was a traitor to the brotherhood, a man who had deserted his race and had become a token white.
Larry arrived after fifteen minutes and made his way to the back of the café. Isaac ordered him a cappuccino. Larry would have liked a slice of cheesecake as well, but desisted. ‘Negril Bob, I’ve heard of him. He runs with a bad crowd. If they make a threat, they’ll carry it out.’
‘Then what do you suggest?’ Isaac asked. ‘We can’t let Charisa be taken.’
‘Agreed, but if she’s not around, they’ll go for Billy. These people don’t make idle threats. How long have we got?’ Isaac asked.
‘Two days maximum.’
Isaac could see the fear on the woman’s face, understandable under the circumstances. He wondered how many more were under threat from the gangs; how many more who did not have the nerve to stand up to them and to contact the police. Probably a lot, he reasoned, and if their mother and their brother had not been murdered, would she have come forward, or would Billy have been relegated to stealing and the selling of drugs, even coerced into joining the gang that had changed his life?
‘We’ll do nothing for now,’ Larry said. ‘I’ll meet with my contact first. Charisa, if there are any more threats, people loitering around, following you, then you are to call us straight away.’
‘And?’
‘We’ll pick the two of you up and make sure you're both safe for a few days.’
‘What are you thinking?’ Isaac said.
‘It’s a loose plan, but if we have to, we’ll hide them for a couple of days. That should give us enough time to round up the gang and to bring them in for questioning.’
It seemed unsatisfactory to Isaac, but there wasn’t a lot more the police could do officially. The two Devon children were not witnesses to a crime and did not justify protected witness status. He was worried for Charisa, not so much for Billy, although another beating for failing to pay the money could result in his death, and the young man was about to lose his job for theft. If he had so far managed to acquire eight thousand pounds by offloading merchandise from the shop on the black market, there was no way that theft of that magnitude would stay hidden for long.
The three left the café at intervals, Charisa first. Larry briefly caught sight of her as she slipped down the steps not far away to the London Underground. After a few minutes, Larry left, but not before phoning Rasta Joe to meet up for lunch. Isaac waited for another twenty minutes.
***
Wendy kept a close watch on Shirley O’Rourke. Her money was on the woman being involved somehow, even if indirectly, in
