"Nah, they wanted protection money. A thousand …" Rose coughed again. "A thousand a week to keep the wolf from the door. A thousand! I don't make that in a month!"
"Got a description?"
"Mid-twenties. One of them had dark hair, brown eyes. The other was blond with sunglasses."
"That's not a lot to go on," said Harriet.
"Timms the Terror saw 'em. She's the pro, go ask her."
"Timms the what?" said Harriet in surprise.
Birch smiled. "He's referring to Captain Timms, the retired officer who called this in. She was a bit of a stickler in her day."
"Too right," said Rose, with feeling. "She'll have their date of birth and shoe size by now."
"How many times did she arrest you, Lefty?" asked Birch. "Was it ten or twelve?"
Rose had a coughing fit and the paramedics, fed up with waiting, wheeled him towards the ambulance.
"We'll sort this out, Arthur," said Birch, patting him on the shoulder. "These two are good. Really good."
Rose looked at Harriet and Alice, his face red. "You give those thugs what-for. Make 'em wish they'd never been born."
"I will," said Alice, and from her expression, she meant it.
"We'll hit them with the full force of the law," added Harriet.
"Actually, I was just going to hit them," said Alice. "We'll sort out the law part afterwards."
Birch smiled. "Just like the old days, eh Lefty? By the way, the feisty one is Trainee Alice, and the sensible one is Harriet."
"Nice to meet you both," said Rose, and he half-raised his hand just before the paramedics slammed the doors.
They watched the ambulance drive off, then entered Rose's shop. A couple of people were putting things back on the shelves, and someone had a mop out to clean specks of blood off the floor.
"Do you work here?" asked Harriet.
One of the two, a woman, shook her head. "I'm next door. When I heard the ruckus I called the ambulance." She looked at Harriet's uniform. "Peace Force, is it? Thought you abandoned us years ago."
"We're from Dismolle."
The woman sniffed. "Well you should have been here sooner. The thugs are long gone now."
"Did you see them?"
"No, they drove off in a van. Black, windows all tinted." She looked sour. "Loud music, too. Nasty stuff, all that swearing."
"They're not exactly keeping a low profile," remarked Harriet.
"Why should they? Nobody around here can stop them."
"We'll deal with them, I promise you."
The woman glanced at each of them in turn. "If you say so."
"Call us if they come back. We'll be around for a while yet, and we'd like a word with these guys."
"You and me both," said the woman.
Chapter 4
They went back outside, and Harriet eyed the others. "No cameras that I could see. Pity."
Alice shrugged. "From the sound of it, we won't have much trouble finding these guys. Just follow the noise complaints."
"Who are they going to complain to?" asked Harriet. "No Peace Force here, remember."
"There's always the Residents' Association," suggested Birch. "If there's anything happening, they'll know."
Harriet shuddered. "I've dealt with the Dismolle lot. They're a bunch of nosy, stuck-up busy-bodies."
"So what are we going to do?" demanded Alice. "Fly around looking for a black van with tinted windows?"
"No, you heard Rose. He said they were after weekly protection money. That tells us two things. One, they'll be hitting other stores, and two, they're planning on sticking around."
Birch frowned. "We've got to put a stop to this, and quickly. Send them packing, and spread the word that Chirless is not some happy haven for crooks."
"Why don't I check a few stores in the area, see if anyone else has been hit?" asked Alice. "Also, if any stores around here have security cameras, I could ask for a copy. We need to ID these guys and find their base so we can round them up."
"I want to know what we're facing before we go charging in anywhere," said Harriet. "But that's a good idea about canvassing the other shops." Harriet turned to Birch. "You and I should go and see Captain Timms. Do you have a contact for her?"
"No, but it looks like we don't need one."
"What do you mean?"
"Officer?"
Harriet turned towards the road, where an elderly woman was just getting out of a cab. She was wearing a misshapen black hat and a dark grey overcoat, and had a big handbag under one arm. "I thought I'd find you here," said the woman. "I'm—"
"Captain Timms!" exclaimed Birch. He stood tall and threw a crisp salute.
"None of that, lad. I'm retired these past fifteen years." Timms smiled at him, a friendly expression on her face. "How's life treating you, sergeant?"
"Can't complain, sir." Birch gestured at the shop. "Bad business, this. Thanks for letting us know, I just wish we could have got here sooner."
"It's not your fault they closed the station down." Timms studied Harriet. "You must be the trainee I've heard about."
"Heard about from whom?" asked Harriet.
Timms smiled. "I'm retired, but I still have my sources. They told me Dismolle got their station back up and running. Is it going well?"
"We don't have any resources, we're understaffed and there's never enough money."
"Ah, me. That sounds like the old days," said Timms, with a laugh. "And who is this young lady?"
"I'm Alice, her sister. Trainee Alice, I mean. Sir."
"You don't have to salute me, dear."
"Sorry, sir."
Timms turned to Birch. "Are you using the old station while you're here?"
"Is it still standing?"
"Yes, but it's in a sorry state."
"I'm not sure I want to see the old place."
"Yes, under the circumstances … well, never mind." Timms addressed Harriet. "Why don't the three of you come to my place? It's not far, and you can use it as a base for your investigation."
"Are you sure?" said Harriet. "I mean, it's very kind of you, but we don't want to put you out."
"Don't be silly, dear. I insist." Timms waved down a cab, forestalling any arguments. They all got in, except Alice. "Are you not coming?" asked Timms.
"I thought I could ask around the other
