‘So if you didn’t know anything about this guy – and I assume you didn’t otherwise you wouldn’t have been phoning me – what is it exactly you’ve got on him?’
‘Be patient, Roy.’
‘Patience doesn’t sell newspapers, you know that.’
I put some more money in the phone, knowing that I was going to have to give him something.
‘I think I can prove a link between him, some other criminals, and the deaths of those three blokes.’
I could hear his breathing change at the other end. He was excited, but nervous at the same time in case I was bullshitting.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Deadly.’
‘So, why are you telling me? Why aren’t you arresting these people?’
‘It’s a long story, Roy, but basically you’re going to have to trust me.’
He sighed. ‘I knew it was too good to be true.’
‘I’ve resigned from the Force,’ I told him. ‘There were a couple of minor irregularities. It was with immediate effect. That’s why I haven’t arrested anyone yet.’
‘Christ, Dennis. Really? What did you do?’
‘Suffice to say I’ve had some involvement with people who know Mehmet Illan. Not major involvement, but enough to get me sacked. And enough for me to know a few things about them.’
‘Tell me more.’
‘Not now. I need you to do something else for me. It shouldn’t take five minutes.’
‘What is it?’
‘Alan Kover. Remember him?’
‘The name rings a bell.’
‘He was that child rapist who got off on a technicality. The girl’s father got arrested trying to burn his flat down and ended up committing suicide. It was about two years back, over in Hackney.’
‘Yeah, yeah, I remember.’
‘Kover’s still walking the streets and I need to find him. Urgently.’
‘Is he involved in this?’
I decided to lie. It was easier. ‘He might be, I’m not sure. Can you get me his current address?’
‘Dennis, you’re asking me to do a lot here. This sort of stuff could get me in one fuck of a lot of trouble. What the hell are you going to do to him, anyway?’
Again, I lied. ‘Nothing. I just need to speak to him. You do this for me, I promise no-one’ll ever know it was you, and you’ll get the exclusive on this story. After this, the whole of Fleet Street’ll be beating a path to your door. I promise.’
‘It might not be that easy. He might have changed his name.’
‘He had previous convictions so it’s unlikely he’ll have been able to change his name. He should be on the Sex Offenders Register.’
Roy sighed. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘It’s important, and I’m going to need the information quick.’
‘Give me more of a snifter on this story. Something to really whet my appetite.’
‘Get me Kover’s current address by tonight and I’ll tell you a bit more then.’
‘This’d better be fucking good, Dennis.’
‘I’ll call you on this number at five tonight.’
‘I’ve got a meeting. Make it six.’
‘Six it is. And same thing applies. Don’t tell anyone you’ve heard from me.’
The beeps went as he started to say something else, and I hung up without saying goodbye.
I stepped out of the phone box into the morning rush hour and made my way slowly back towards the hotel.
35
‘With you in a minute,’ came a voice from the back of the shop as I shut the door. I pushed the bolt across and switched the sign round from OPEN to CLOSED – not that I expected to be disturbed. Len Runnion’s shop is hardly a mecca for retail activity. Still, always easier to err on the side of caution.
He appeared behind the counter wiping what looked like a Chinese ornamental vase with a cloth, presumably to get rid of fingerprints. When he saw me, he attempted a smile, but it wasn’t a very good effort and his eyes started darting around alarmingly, always coming back to the vase in his hand.
‘Oh, hello, Mr Milne,’ he said as jovially as possible. He put the vase down under the counter. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Guns,’ I said, approaching him. ‘I want some guns.’
His eyes seemed to go into overdrive, and he took a step back. I think there was a look on my face that scared him. ‘I don’t know where you’d get them sort of things from,’ he said nervously. ‘Sorry, I can’t help on that one. I make it a point never to go near any sort of weapon.’
I stopped on the other side of the counter and eyed him carefully. ‘I’m no longer a police officer,’ I told him, ‘so I’m not interested in nicking you for anything. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.’
‘Look, Mr Milne, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about so I think you’d better leave if that’s the sort of thing you’ve come for.’ He was more confident now that I’d told him I was no longer with the Force.
However, the confidence was shortlived. I pulled out the gun I’d taken from Illan’s man and pointed it directly at his chest. ‘I’m not fucking about, Leonard. I need at least two firearms other than the one I’m pointing at you, preferably ones that are magazine loading. Plus a reasonable quantiity of ammunition.’
‘What the fuck is going on here, Mr Milne?’ he asked unsteadily, his eyes for once very much focused as they stared at the gun. ‘Is that thing real?’
‘Very much so. Now, I know you deal in illegal firearms, everyone knows that.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about—’
‘Yes you do. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re going to supply me the two weapons I’ve just asked for now – today – or I’m going to kill you. It’s as simple as that.’
‘I’ve got no guns. I promise.’
‘You know something, Runnion, I’ve always disliked you. And I’ll bet you shifted those tax discs from that Holloway robbery as well.’
‘No, I didn’t. I’m serious—’
‘But you know what? That’s nothing to do with me any more so I’m not even going to pursue it. I’ll leave that to other people. But
