'It's a vocation then rather than just a job?'
'Well, I don't know about that, the truth is I don't think I would be suited to anything else.'
'You like to make a difference and that's an admirable thing to do.'
Lasser glanced sideways and she looked at him before nodding as if confirming that she meant what she was saying.
'Sometimes I feel like walking away.'
'That's hardly surprising, I mean, it must be grim at times but you're still doing the job, so you don't give up easily.'
They moved to one side to let a bunch of cyclists glide by, the dog watching with head tilted, before setting off walking again, the wide tarmac path climbing to what used to be the stable block but now it had been transformed into a café with a few small shops taking up the rest of the courtyard.
As they walked under the arch, Lasser stopped, spotting the small art gallery to the left.
Jackie followed his gaze and then sighed. 'Naff picture huh?' she said.
Angling left they walked over and Lasser smiled as he saw a photograph of Jackie in the window, a brief biography about her work printed underneath.
A collection of her watercolours was on display and Lasser studied one of the Hall, his eyes taking in the details in admiration.
'What do you think?' she asked.
Lasser could see her face reflected in the window, gazing pensively at her own work.
'I think it's brilliant, I think they're all bloody brilliant,' he replied as his eyes took in the rest of the paintings ranging from old Wigan mills to the town centre park.
'Come on, let's get those drinks,' she said, gently tugging on his arm.
Reluctantly, he allowed himself to be led away from the shop, and a few seconds later they entered the café, Poppet waiting patiently outside.
'What do you fancy?' he asked.
'I'll get these,' she replied as she pulled a ten-pound note from her pocket.
'Oh no you don't, you made me a Horlicks so it's my shout.'
'Yes, but you fixed the van, so I insist.'
Lasser smiled and then quickly stepped to the counter. 'Can I have one hot chocolate,' he paused and turned to Jackie, 'what are you having?'
She shook her head and smiled. 'Coffee, black, please.'
'Coming right up,' the woman behind the counter replied.
He scanned the chocolate on display before grabbing a couple of Ripples.
'My favourite,' Jackie said.
Paying for the drinks, Lasser handed her the plastic cup with the lid on top and they headed back out into the wind.
The whippet wagged her tail excitedly when Jackie picked up the handle of the lead, eager to be on the move again.
Lasser glanced at the gallery window one last time as they walked back under the arch and into open parkland.
Angling left, they made their way over to a bench beneath a wooden canopy, Lasser brushed off a scattering of leaves from the seat and they sat down side by side.
When his phone started to ring, he frowned for a moment almost as if he had forgotten what the sound was.
Jackie took a sip from her cup, stroking Poppet who looked up at her with adoring eyes, tail swishing in the fallen leaves.
Suddenly, Lasser realised that he was reluctant to see who was calling, two hours ago he would have snatched the phone from his pocket, desperate to answer the call, hoping it would have been Bannister or Odette who was trying to get in touch.
'Perhaps you should answer it?' Jackie prompted.
Roused from his reverie, he nodded but as he dipped a hand into his pocket the call ended.
Pulling it out, he checked the number and almost sighed when he saw Bannister's name on the screen.
'My boss,' he explained.
'I take it he's driven like you?' she asked as she ripped back the wrapper and took a nibble at the chocolate bar.
'Think more slave driver than driven.'
When his phone started to bleat again, he tapped at the loudspeaker button.
'Morning,' he said, automatically fishing the cigarettes from his other pocket and trying, unsuccessfully, to open the packet and get a cigarette with one hand.
Taking pity on a fellow smoker, Jackie reached out and slid one free from the pack, lighting it before handing it over.
Lasser smiled in thanks.
'I need you over at the station in the next half an hour,' Bannister demanded in his usual no-nonsense style.
'I thought I was suspended?'
'That's what we want to talk to you about.'
''We''?' Lasser asked, managing a quick pull on the cigarette.
'Carole's here, and the truth is we need another set of eyes on all this shit.'
'What about Odette?'
'She's in the Lakes, she left last night.'
Lasser waited for the anguish to kick in, when it didn't materialise he felt a sense of amazement, he looked at Jackie smiling at him before she took another sip from the cup.
'You still there?' Bannister asked.
'Yeah, I'm here.'
'Thought you had gone back to sleep for a minute.'
'Are you saying I still have a job then?' he asked, ignoring the jibe.
'Just shift your arse,' Bannister barked.
When Jackie laughed, Lasser looked at her and gave a shrug.
'Who's that laughing?' the DCI demanded.
'A friend.'
'Bollocks, you don't have any friends.'
Jackie raised a hand and placed it over her mouth, her eyes shining with amusement.
'Her name's Jackie,' Lasser explained as he grinned.
'You mean she's real?' Bannister asked, his voice deadly serious.
'Oh, she's real all right,' he replied, his eyes locked onto hers.
For the first time he saw a hint of colour in her cheeks, then Poppet jumped up beside her and she turned away and kissed the dog's nose.
'Where are you exactly?'
'Haigh Hall.'
'Well, as much as I hate to ruin your day I need you back here, Sergeant, we have work to do.'
'Truth is, I've left the car back at the boat, so it'll take me a while to…'
'What boat?'
'The one Jackie lives on. It's at least an hour's walk back to Red Rock, but I'll get there as quick as I can.'
'Wait there, I'll come and pick you up.'
'But…?'
'Don't worry, your new friend can jump in and I'll drop her back at this boat she lives on.'
Lasser looked at Jackie as she turned to him. 'That's fine by me,' she replied.
'OK, we'll walk up to the car park and meet you there.'
'Good, I'll set off now.'
The screen beeped and went blank.
'I think I preferred being suspended,' Lasser said as he took another pull on the cigarette, letting the smoke out on a sigh.
'I must admit he sounds pretty full on,' Jackie agreed.
Lasser had the normal snide reply on his lips when he suddenly changed his mind. 'Believe it or not he's a good guy.'
'Sometimes, the ones who shout the most are the ones who care the most,' she replied stroking the dog's ears.
Lasser thought about what she was saying and found himself nodding in agreement. 'I've never thought of it that way, all I hear is yackety-yak, but you could well be right.'
'Well, it looks as if your suspension is well and truly over, so it's back to the grindstone for you.'
Lasser held the sigh in check, they finished their drinks and dropped the cups into the litter bin, before heading along the path.
When she slipped her arm through his, Lasser felt himself relax again, it was almost as if just being close to this woman he knew next to nothing about was enough to bring a sense of calm to his usually-ravaged mind.
Poppet ran ahead, stopping when the lead reached its limit, paws brushing through mounds of golden-brown leaves.
'I'd like to see you again if that's OK?' he found himself asking as they started the clim
b to the car park.
'Well, let's not make a solid time and place.'
'Oh right,' he felt the disappointment rise from the pit of his stomach, but then she pulled on his arm, drawing him closer to her side.
'Listen, I get the impression that the job kind of rules your life and the last thing you need is to agree to a date and then find you can't make it.'
'But…'
'You know where I live so just turn up and I'll cook us a meal.'
A gust of wind blew her hair back and Lasser caught the subtle scent of jasmine.
'What happens if I turn up and you've moved the boat?'
'Well, if that happens then just come down to the marina and I'll be there.'
Lasser felt a thrill run through his body as he absorbed her words. 'OK, it's a date – a moveable date!'
Glancing at him she smiled, and Lasser found himself grinning like the cat that had suddenly got all the cream.
85
Andrew Viner snorted the line of coke, his eyes springing wide as the drug took the shortcut to his brain.
Barry Dyer sat at the kitchen table, his nose swollen, both eyes black with bruising.
'Fuck me, that's good stuff,' Viner said with a mighty sniff.
Dyer gave him a cold stare as Viner eased back in the chair and closed his glazed eyes.
'How am I meant to snort coke with a broken nose?' Dyer complained.
'Don't care, it means more for me.'
Dyer chewed the inside of his cheek, sometimes Andrew Viner could be a prize twat, the upside was the daddy's boy didn't mind putting his hand in his deep pockets to buy the booze or the drugs.
If that hadn't been the case, then Dyer knew he would not have given Viner the steam off his shit.
Clearing his throat, Viner opened his eyes, eyes that seemed to be moving left to right and then back again. Ever since the copper had turned up at the restaurant his life had turned into a nightmare. Chances were he was going to lose his licence and all because he had been a little over the limit.
But that wasn't the thing that was worrying him the most, it was his father that was the real problem, his bastard father who always looked at him as if he were made of shit.
Going back to the apartment had been a nonstarter, he somehow knew that his father would have joined the dots and that would be the first place he looked for his son.
At last, the fear began to subside as the coke took hold, the image of his old man – closing in with fists bunched – faded, replaced by the detective with the dark eyes and his bitch of a sister.
The anger that been buried beneath the fear rose to the surface and swamped his mind.
'My fucking nose is killing me,' Dyer whined.
Viner flicked him a look with zero sympathy. 'Fuck your nose, what about me, I could lose my licence and then how the hell will I get about?'
The two men glared at one another, each feeling that they had the bigger grudge to bear.
'I'm going to give that prick a serious kicking,' Dyer snarled.
Viner opened his mouth with the intention of gazumping his friend in the vengeance stakes and then he closed his eyes again. 'And I'm going to give his sister a serious fucking,' he mumbled.
Dyer frowned as he looked at Viner, the daddy's boy had a sick smile on his face, when his tongue appeared and licked his thick lips, Barry Dyer grimaced in disgust.
86
Bannister eyed the dog's wet feet when Lasser opened the back door and the whippet jumped in.
'You did that deliberately, didn't you?' the DCI hissed under his breath.
Lasser gave him a look full of innocence but Bannister was having none of it.
'My name's Jackie,' the dark-haired woman said, her face split by a wide smile.
Despite his aggravation, Bannister found himself smiling back. 'Call me Alan.'
Seconds later, they were in the car. Lasser insisted on sitting in the back with Poppet, Jackie in the front.
'So, you live on the water?' Bannister asked.
'I'm at Red Rock at the moment.'
'I know it,' he replied, setting off across the car park. 'You know I've always fancied getting a canal barge.'
'Well, you do have a look of Captain Pugwash,' Lasser said from the back seat, and then grinned as Bannister glared at him in the rear-view mirror.
Jackie folded her hands in her lap as Bannister harrumphed.
'See what I have to put up with?' he grumbled, glancing at Jackie.
She merely smiled as the DCI drove down the country lane, the trees either side nearly meeting overhead.
'As I was saying, I quite fancy getting a boat.'
'To live on?' she asked.
'God no, I meant more as a weekend thing, you know somewhere to relax a bit.'
'Well, living on the water definitely makes you slow down and take things easy.'
Bannister nodded sagely while Lasser continued to stroke the dog's velvet-like ear.
'That's what I was thinking, somewhere to chill out and watch the world go by.'
'Well, I know a couple of boats that are up for sale, they would be ideal for that type of thing.'
'Really?'
'I can give you the details if you like?'
Bannister thought for a moment before nodding. 'That would be great,' he glanced at Lasser again, a thin smile on his face. 'What about you, Lasser, a life on the canal might suit you?'
Lasser glanced out of the window ignoring the question as he watched the trees sweep by, when they ended he saw a field dotted with sheep. One or two looked up, mouth chewing, bits of stray grass hanging down, the rest just carried on tearing up mouthfuls of grass oblivious to anything else.
'Then again you like your creature comforts, don't you, Sergeant?'
Lasser turned back to look at Bannister in the mirror. 'You haven't seen Jackie's boat, it has no shortage of creature comforts.'
'You would only sink the bugger, you don't have sea legs.'
'Sea legs?' Lasser asked with a smile.
Bannister waved a dismissive hand. 'I know it's a canal and seven feet deep max, but still deep enough to sink a boat, am I right, Jackie?'
'Well, yes, it can happen but…'
'See, Lasser, I'm right. You would be banging into things and breaking the speed limit and if you didn't sink it then British Waterways would ban you for reckless driving.'
'Don't you mean reckless steering?' Lasser asked.
Bannister sighed. 'Nit-picker.'
'It's left directly over the bridge,' Jackie said, the smile still hovering around her lips.
The DCI slowed down as he approached the red lights, twenty feet away they flicked to green and he drove slowly over the bridge before indicating and turning onto the small car park.
Pulling up alongside Lasser's car, Bannister parked up. 'I don't see a boat?'
'It's on the other side of the bridge,' Lasser explained as he clicked open the seatbelt.
'Ah, I see. Well, it's been nice to meet you, Jackie, but a word of warning, Lasser here is one of the good guys, but…'
'He said the same about you,' she interrupted.
Bannister's mouth closed with a clack. 'He did?'
The back door opened and Lasser clambered out with Poppet in tow.
'I think you two are very similar,' she said as she stepped out of the car.
Bannister watched dumbfounded as she glanced back at him. 'Do you want me to email you the boat details?'
'Er, yes that would be great. Tell Lasser to give you my details.'
'No problem, I'll send them over shortly,' she said as she closed the door.
Bannister twisted in his seat and watched as Lasser handed her the lead, when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek the DCI gawped.
Seconds later, she had vanished beneath the bridge, Lasser still had his back to the car as he watched her go.
When Bannister blasted the horn, Lasser jumped and turned to him, a wide smile on his face.
Sliding the win
dow down, the DCI pulled out two cigarettes and lit them both before reaching out and handing Lasser one.
'Are you seeing her again?'
Lasser continued to smile. 'She said I'm welcome anytime.'
'Punching above your weight again I see.'
'What's that meant to mean?'
'Come on, Lasser, you always do it. I mean, what they see in you in the first place is beyond me, she's a stunner and you're a rough-arsed Wiganer.'
'Charming,' Lasser said unfazed, the smile still in place as he took another pull on the cigarette.
'Anyway, I want to pick your brains.'
'Before we start, has the suspension been lifted?'
'You were never officially suspended, we just wanted you to have a break and…'
'Thirty-six hours is not much of a break?' Lasser commented, the smile at last slipping from his face.
Bannister leaned further out of the open side window. 'Don't go throwing your toys from the pram, if you hadn't been off then you would never have met the woman of your dreams.'
Lasser opened his mouth to fire back a retort and then he changed his mind, his face thoughtful.
'Jesus Christ, Sergeant, it was a joke.'
Lasser never uttered a word in reply.
'Anyway, get in your car and follow me back to the station, we need to get all this sorted,' Bannister demanded.
With a sigh Lasser did as he was told.
87
May drove through the town centre, slowly making her way through the stop-start traffic, her hands resting easily on the wheel, the radio on low.
Low-hanging autumn sunlight warmed the interior of the car and she slid the window down slightly to let some cool air inside.
She had spent the morning preparing her mind for the night's chase. As always, the tension inside had mounted as the hours ticked by and she had sat on her bed, her eyes closed, letting her mind go through the layout of the old mill.
She pictured the flights of stone steps leading from one floor to the next then the large open spaces with the ornate iron supports. Some of the levels contained pallets stacked with large rolls of insulation, a good place to hide for a short time should the need arise.
The insolent side of her mind had tried to dismiss the notion but May knew well enough how easily things could change, so she had quelled the over-confident voice and allowed herself to plan for the worst-case scenario.
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