Brant came over, nodded to Falls, and she backed off. Brant took the tea from Roberts, put a glass there instead, said, ‘It’s Irish, kick like a bastard.’
‘OK, Tom.’
The others looked round.
Tom!
It never occurred to them Brant had a Christian name. His expression told them they best forget it. PC McDonald was a tall blond Scot. Falls might have felt an attraction if he wasn’t so … smug. He was wolfing down food and she asked, ‘Missed breakfast?’
He gave her a glorious smile. It was a winner, he’d been told and often made women weak at the knees. She said, ‘You’re the rising star.’
Now he was modest, toned down the smile wattage, said, ‘I got lucky.’
‘Word has it you’ll get Brant’s stripes.’
‘Oh I dunno, would I be up to his rep’?’
Now Falls treated him to
He grabbed a napkin, carefully wiped his mouth, and she thought, Uh-oh, all the moves.
He touched her arm, said, ‘When we’re done here, I wonder would you like to come back to my place?’
‘When we’re
She moved his hand away, asked, ‘And back there we’d do what exactly?’ The full smile now.
‘Oh, something will come up, eh?’
She looked full at his crotch, said, ‘If we waited for that to come up, we’d be here all week.’ And moved away.
McDonald considered following but then grabbed another sandwich, muttered, ‘Cold cunt.’
Brant and Roberts had moved to a table, a line of empty shot glasses on the counter. Roberts said, ‘God, that’s a strong drink.’
‘Aye, takes the edge off.’
They laughed at that notion. The drink hasn’t been invented that
Brant asked, ‘What the medical examiner say, guv?’
Roberts had to shake himself, focus on where he was, said, ‘That he’d been beaten with a stick … maybe a club, broke every bone in his body. A systematic beating was how he described it. Took a while. Took a while.’
They digested that, then Roberts asked, ‘What d’ya think, a baseball job?’
‘Could be a hurley, guv.’
Roberts nodded, then, ‘I know who did it.’
‘Jesus, guv, are you serious?’
‘Tony told me before he died.’
‘And you haven’t told anybody.’
Roberts raised an eyebrow, said, ‘I’m telling you.’ And he did.
When he was finished, Brant whistled, said, ‘This is what they call synchronicity, I think.’
‘What?’
‘Sting had a song about it … well he would, wouldn’t he? You know, like coincidence.’
Roberts was lost, said, ‘I’m lost.’
Brant was almost excited. ‘Guv, I’ve a new informant and guess who he says is the new kid on the block?’
Now Roberts gave a bleak smile. ‘Mr Logan?’
‘Bingo!’
Roberts stood up, swayed and Brant asked, ‘We’re going to get him now?’
‘Oh no, that’s something I want to do properly. I want to savour it. I’m going to get some more of that Irish.’
Brant sat back, said, ‘That’s the spirit, guv.’
Private investigation
Rosie, a WPC, was Falls’ best friend. When she heard of Falls’ new assignment, she snorted: ‘They had me on that.’
‘What?’ Rosie laughed.
‘Did the Super tell you he’d picked you specially.’
Falls was mortified, considered lying but thought, What the hell? Said, ‘Yeah, he gave me that whole crock.’
‘Set you up in Clapham?’
‘Uh-oh.’
‘Girl, they’re shitting you, when there were three victims, they weren’t sure he specifically targeted black women, so they put my white ass on the line. I hung out in clubs, pubs till my Jack said he’d get a divorce.’
‘Did you talk to the victims?’
‘Honey, they’re black … are they gonna open up to a white girl-a white
As she spoke, she realised, and tried to counter, ‘Oh gawd, I mean … I’m a stupid cow, I’m sorry.’
‘It’s OK. Anything else?’
‘Well, they got in a profiler … just like the telly. He said the attacker was a white male in his thirties and that the violence would escalate. It has. He used the knife last time almost as if he were working up to a kill.’
She shuddered and said, ‘Don’t do it girl, say you’re not completely recovered.’
Falls gave her the look and Rosie said, ‘Please be extra careful.’
‘I will, I promise, so there.’
‘You know that rape is about hate, not sex.’
‘I read the report.’
‘Oh … and here’s you lettin’ me prattle on. Then you know about the garlic.’
‘What?’
‘All the victims mentioned his breath stank of it.’
‘Gee, that should narrow it down. We can eliminate all young males with fresh breath.’
‘Of which, in the whole of London, there’s probably five.’
‘Five percent?’
‘No, just five.’
Falls thought about Brant, then asked, ‘Do I look different to you Rosie?’
‘You mean … since?’
‘Yeah.’
‘A little quieter.’
‘Do I look … mean?’
Rosie hugged her, said, ‘You always looked mean.’
Lodged
McDonald was summoned to the Super’s office. When he got inside, the Super came to shake his hand, did the Masonic bit. The Super sat and said, ‘Take a pew son.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
