Informant

by Susan Wilkins

  Tyler opened the door to an interview room. The kid was seated at the table with a PSP he’d been given to keep him quiet. He ignored their entrance, kept zapping away at the game. Tyler looped his thumbs in his belt, stood in front of the boy.

  ‘Right, this is DS Armstrong. So put that thing down and pay attention.’ He turned to Nicci with a sheepish smile. ‘Meet Dollie.’

  Nicci stepped forward. The boy was deliberately ignoring her, but she could see that was all part of the act. Maybe Tyler was right, this was just a teenage drama queen making up stories.

  She stared at him. ‘That your real name, Dollie?’

  The boy plonked the PSP down and gave her a look of total disdain. ‘Naah course it in’t. I’m called Dollie ’cause I’m as fuckable as a girl.’

  Nicci met his defiant look with a smile. He was small and scrawny, but his large liquid-brown eyes and sculpted cheekbones did make him look very girlish.

  ‘So tell me about the phone Dollie.’

  ‘I din’t nick it.’

  ‘No one’s saying you did.’

  ‘Found it.’

  ‘Found it where?’

  There was a Coke can on the table. Dollie picked it up and shook it, gave Nicci a mischievous look. ‘Get him to get me another one of these.’

  Tyler huffed. ‘You’ll get another drink once you’ve answered the Sergeant’s question. Come on now, she’s a busy woman.’

  Dollie stuck out his chin, grinned at Nicci. ‘Where you say you from? The social? ’Cause I ain’t getting banged up in no home.’

  Tyler stepped forward and pointed a threatening index finger at the kid. ‘Listen to me boy, don’t make a fool of me here . . .’

  Dollie tossed his head. In the course of his short chaotic life he’d learnt one thing, to recognize his assets and trade on them. Nicci sat down at the table in front of him, folded her hands patiently and smiled.

  ‘Okay Dollie, what do you want?’

  ‘You mean like right now?’

  Nicci nodded.

  The boy grinned. ‘I’ll take a quarter pounder and fries and a large Coke.’

  Nicci sighed. ‘Trouble is, if we get you that, then we could be bribing you. So unless you want to talk to me of your own free will, I may as well get PC Tyler here to call child protection and ship you out.’

  Dollie pouted. ‘Fuckers, you’re all the same.’

  Nicci waited for a moment. ‘On the other hand, if I felt you’d given us your full cooperation, then I think a burger and fries might be a suitable reward . . . before we let you go on your way.’

  Dollie’s dark eyes scanned her face, then moved over to Tyler’s. He sucked his teeth. The boy sat up in his chair, adjusted his narrow shoulders.

  ‘I been sitting outside the tube station begging. Not that many people about, I was thinking of jacking it in. This bloke come along with a girl. I think they was together, sort of. Anyway, chat chat, she gives him a hug and he kisses her hand. Then I see this Beamer parked across the road, bloke got the window down taking pictures of them. I thought it was your fucking lot.’

  Nicci pursed her lips. ‘The bloke and the girl, did they see the man taking pictures?’

  Dollie shook his head. ‘No. They was just looking at each other. She went in the tube. He gets out his phone, makes a call. He crosses the road to the pub. He’s yattering away on the phone, so he don’t see these two big blokes get out the Beamer. They come up behind him, one of ’em gives him a shove, he drops the phone. They whack him in the gut, drag him off to the Beamer. Drive off. So the phone was lying there, so I went and picked it up.’

  Nicci took a deep breath.

  Dollie glanced at her nervously. ‘It’s true, I promise.’

  Nicci gave him a brief smile. ‘I know it is. What sort of Beamer was it? A big one, four-by-four? Or an ordinary car?’

  ‘Big one, black. Chrome wheels like you see on the posters. And blacked-out side windows.’

  Nicci nodded. Her face was a tense mask, but she forced another smile, patted the boy on the arm. ‘One more question. This was last night, what sort of time?’

  The kid put his head to one side and pondered. ‘Dunno. Ain’t got a watch. It was dark.’

  Tyler glanced at Nicci. ‘We picked him up at nine thirty. How long after was that Dollie?’

  The boy hunched his shoulders. ‘Dunno. Hour maybe.’

  Nicci absorbed this. She got up from her chair. ‘Thanks Dollie. Now . . . we’re going to get you a burger and fries.’

  The boy grinned. ‘Double cheeseburger?’

  ‘Yeah double cheeseburger. And PC Tyler’s going to sit with you and write all this down. Everything you can remember. I don’t want you to make anything up to make it sound better, but I don’t want you to leave anything out. Understand?’

  Dollie nodded, he puffed out his chest. He could feel that what he’d said was important and he liked that.

  Nicci glanced at Tyler. ‘All right if I leave you with this? I need to make a call.’

  Tyler’s face was grave. ‘Fine. Let us know anything else you need.’

  Nicci was halfway out the door. ‘Bag the phone as evidence.’

  As soon as she was in the corridor she pulled out her own phone, scrolled the contacts list for Bill Mayhew’s name. Her palms were sweating as she tapped the screen. She knew he’d be waiting for her call, but still it was a relief to hear his voice.

  ‘What we got Nic?’

  She took a deep breath. ‘I think the kid’s kosher. Looks to me like Joey Phelps has got Bradley. And he’s had him for over twelve hours.’

  70

  Joey had liked Woodcote Hall from the first moment he set eyes on it. The elegant Palladian mansion in its acres of parkland was exactly the kind of place he aspired to live in. Of course he imagined it not as some poxy addiction clinic but as a private residence, restored to splendour with a few extra mod cons like a swimming pool, gym, home cinema, whole-house audio and tellies in every bathroom. Joey prided himself on being a patriotic Englishman. He hated the fact that many of the nation’s stately homes, not to mention most of the truly upscale property in London, had been bought up by foreigners. In his view all these Arabs and oligarchs should be sent packing. His fantasy of himself was of the complete country gentleman, horses in his stables, a collection of vintage cars, a shotgun over his arm, a dog at his heel as he strolled down the grassy slope from his terrace to the lake, much as he was doing now.

  Tracking his sister down had been easy. He’d supplied her number to a disgraced ex-cop now in the security business; the cop got onto a contact in the phone company who put a location trace on her phone. It had cost him a measly two hundred quid to discover she was in a hotel in Leeds. The rest was guesswork.

  His first impulse had been to steam up the motorway after her, but he decided against it. This was about establishing who was boss. He wasn’t the little brother any more, which is how Kaz had been treating him. Family loyalty mattered, the old man had taught him that. He wanted Kaz back in the business with him, partners certainly, but with him in charge. She’d stepped out of line and he needed to put her straight. He’d be firm but fair, that’s what he told Yevgeny as they drove up the M1 in the early morning. Protection and authority: women needed and expected that.

  As he walked across the grass towards Natalie he opened his arms and grinned. ‘All right babes. I should’ve been up before, but y’know – stuff to do.’

  Natalie stood stock-still. She didn’t resist as he folded her in a hug, she simply didn’t move. He held her at arm’s length, scanned her pale face. ‘You’re looking much better.’ He glanced over her shoulder and beamed at his other sister, who was coming up the slope towards them. ‘She’s looking much better, ’n’t she Kaz?’

  Kaz stopped a couple of yards away from him. ‘You following me or something?’

  Joey gave her an innocent shrug. ‘Nah, course not. Nice day, I fancied a drive. Thought it was time I visited my baby sister. You could’v
e knocked me down with a feather when I seen you was here too.’

  Kaz shook her head wearily. ‘Why don’t I believe you Joey?’

  Her tone wasn’t respectful, it was patronizing. She was still talking to him as if he was a little kid. And this got Joey’s goat. After what she’d done she ought to be sweet to him at the very least. The sunny smile faded. He fixed her with a hard stare.

  ‘Well, good job I run into you. ’Cause you and me need to have a little chat.’

  Kaz nodded, she didn’t seem that bothered, which she ought to be. She ought to be worried at the very least. Instead she just gave him a dismissive look.

  ‘I need to take Natalie back to her room first.’

  Joey took a step forward. ‘No. I think Natalie should hear this too.’

  Kaz huffed, she returned his look. There was no flinching, no hint of backing down. ‘Joey, she’s not well. For fuck’s sake leave her out of this.’

  Colour was rising in his cheeks, this wasn’t what he’d planned. He needed to stay in control, but she was winding him up, she was doing it deliberately. He’d intended to be measured, give her a chance to explain, but Kaz had provoked him and so he blurted it out. ‘Police busted Marko and Leysa yesterday. Know how much that’s fucking cost me? A fucking mint. Middle of the fucking countryside, but they went straight there. How did they know where to go Kaz, that’s what I been asking myself?’

  ‘How should I know?’ Kaz put an arm round Natalie’s shoulder. ‘I can’t even remember where they live. Out Chelmsford way somewhere?’

  She steered Natalie to one side in an attempt to get round Joey, but he stepped in front and blocked them. Natalie started to cry, she buried her face in her hands.

  Kaz turned on him. ‘Now look what you done. Back off Joey!’

  Their eyes met. The tension rippled through his jaw. ‘You don’t tell me what to do. Not any more.’ His look was cold and blank. ‘I let you speak to me like this ’cause you’re my sister and I love you. Anyone else, I’d fucking deck ’em. But you’ve let me down Kaz and we need to sort that out.’

  Kaz gave him a considered look. She still didn’t seem particularly scared, which annoyed him. She sighed.

  ‘Okay, whatever you think needs sorting out, we’ll sort out. But let Natalie go back to her room. Please.’ She gave him a smile.

  He glanced from her to Natalie. Natalie was blubbing like a baby, that’s what she always did. All this money to get her clean – waste of time. She was only ever happy when she was off her head. Silly cow was completely mental, it was time they all accepted that.

  Joey put his hands on his hips, puffed out his cheeks. ‘All right all right, but she can find her own way, she’s not a fucking invalid.’

  Kaz pointed her sister in the direction of the house. She caught a glimpse of a mauve tunic on the terrace. She patted Natalie’s arm. ‘Look, I think that’s June. She’ll take you back up.’

  Natalie gazed at her, the startled woodland creature paralysed with fear. Kaz gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’ll be fine.’ She cast a defiant look at her brother. ‘Tell her it’ll be fine Joey.’

  ‘Yeah yeah, it’ll be fine.’

  Kaz gave her sister a gentle push, propelling her towards the house. Natalie glanced over her shoulder, her voice barely audible. ‘Come back, won’t you.’

  Kaz nodded. ‘’Course I will.’

  She turned to face Joey. He was staring right at her. He looked like an aggrieved, petulant kid, but she knew that didn’t make him any less dangerous.

  She gave him a weary smile. ‘So what’s going on little brother? You must’ve left London at the crack of dawn.’

  Joey shovelled his hands in his pockets. ‘Don’t call me that, I don’t like it.’

  ‘It’s a term of affection.’

  ‘No it ain’t. It’s you trying to put me in my place.’

  ‘Then I’m sorry.’

  His eyes bored into her. She could feel his untempered fury. They’d had disagreements before and she’d seen glimpses of his rage, but somehow this was different and it was directed exclusively at her.

  ‘Ever since you got out, haven’t I taken care of you? Everything you needed. Every little thing. Flat. Money. I even took care of that mess with Sean.’

  She wanted to challenge this but it didn’t seem a good time to argue the toss.

  ‘But you let me down babes. You was the one person I trusted, and you let me down.’

  ‘How?’ She held out her palms in supplication.

  ‘And you lied to me about it.’

  ‘Lied about what?’

  ‘I knew all along you was shagging that fucking copper.’

  This stopped Kaz in her tracks. She stared at him in disbelief. ‘No, you got it all wrong.’

  ‘Naah, I think I finally got it all right.’

  He pulled an iPhone from his pocket, swiped a finger across the screen and pulled up a video clip. He handed the phone to Kaz.

  The lighting wasn’t that good, but a figure on the tiny screen was slumped in a chair. His head lolled, it was bleeding and he appeared to be tied up. He moved and Kaz realized with a jolt it was Bradley. She stared at her brother in horror.

  ‘What the fuck have you done Joey?’

  He shook his head bitterly. ‘Naah, what the fuck have you done? Grassed me up to your boyfriend that’s what! I ain’t stupid, I know that’s how they got Marko and Leysa.’

  Kaz was simply stunned. ‘This is mental Joey. I couldn’t even tell you where they live.’

  ‘You been there!’

  ‘Yeah, but I was driven. I don’t know where it was.’

  Joey shook his head quickly and sharply, as if to erase any doubt. ‘Nah, you knew and you told him. He turns up mob-handed. Now the filth’re threatening them with deportation. And Leysa’s pregnant – bet you didn’t know that.’

  Kaz took a deep breath, it was vital she made him see sense. ‘However they found out, it was from someone else, because it wasn’t from me.’ She hooked into his gaze, he turned angrily away. ‘Look at me Joe, please, because I’m telling you the truth.’

  He turned back to look at her, but the eyes were icy and blank. She exhaled.

  ‘I swear to you . . . on the Bible . . . on whatever you want, he’s not my boyfriend. I hardly fucking know him.’

  Joey reached out and took the phone back. He fixed her with his laser-eyed stare. ‘That case I might as well give Tolya a bell, get him to shoot the fucker now.’

  Kaz swallowed hard. ‘No don’t do that. That’s stupid.’

  ‘Oh, so you do care about him.’

  Kaz could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She sucked in a couple of calming breaths. ‘He’s a copper. You shoot a copper you’ll never become legit, just a straight businessman. Thought that’s what you wanted.’

  Joey laughed. ‘Tell you what little sister, you get in the car, come back to London with me right now, or I ring Tol, tell him to put a bullet in your boyfriend’s head. Your choice babes.’

  71

  Nicci Armstrong stood in front of Turnbull’s desk. He was looking immaculate, a pristine white shirt, blue silk tie. Gold cufflinks peeped out from the sleeves of his dark suit. He seemed to be dressed for a wedding or a job interview. He planted his elbows on the neat pile of papers in front of him and steepled his fingers. But he was struggling to hold his temper.

  ‘Let me get this straight, you were on the phone to him, unexpectedly, middle of the conversation, the line goes dead. But you didn’t follow that up for over twelve hours? Why not?’

  Nicci took a deep breath. ‘It didn’t . . . seem necessary.’

  Turnbull rose to his feet, kicked away the chair. He leant forward, resting white knuckles on the desk, his whole frame rippling with frustration and fury. His goal was within reach, one single meeting away. But he’d never anticipated this. He’d set Bradley up to fail, not to get himself killed. The last thing he needed was another death on his conscience.

  He turned h
is wrath on Nicci. ‘Necessary? You’re supposed to be Bradley’s backup. He goes off the grid and you don’t think it necessary to find out why? I’ll have your fucking job for this Armstrong!’

  Nicci glared right back at him, the tension was burning off her. They were wasting so much time. ‘He was off on his own, he didn’t even tell me what . . .’

  She realized Turnbull wasn’t listening. His gaze had shot over her shoulder, past Mayhew, a couple of paces behind, and through the glass-panelled door to where Fiona Calder was striding towards the office, a look of thunder on her face. As she seized the handle and flung the door open, Turnbull turned to them.

  ‘You two, out!’

  The Assistant Commissioner paused on the threshold, glanced at Mayhew and Nicci. Out of uniform, in an expensive charcoal-grey trouser suit and fine string of pearls, she looked like any well-heeled executive or CEO.

  She fixed Turnbull with a glacial stare. ‘No Alan, I think all your team need to hear this.’ She checked her wristwatch. ‘Shouldn’t you have left for your meeting with the IPCC by now? They take a dim view of people being late.’

  The colour was draining from Turnbull’s face. Nicci had always seen him as tough and imperious, but confronted by this small, middle-aged woman, he seemed to shrink.

  He cleared his throat. ‘We have a situation here ma’am, which I need to deal with as a matter of urgency—’

  In spite of her size, Calder’s presence filled the room. ‘I think you’ve dealt with your last situation as a serving police officer. You’re suspended from duty.’

  Turnbull blinked a couple of times, then he came right back at her. ‘That won’t stop me making my statement to the IPCC. You sanctioned an illegal operation – you’re the one who’s finished.’

  Calder gave him a cynical laugh. ‘You chose Bradley, not me. You set up the honey trap.’

  Turnbull’s jaw tightened. ‘I was acting on your instructions ma’am and that’s what I’ll tell the IPCC. We’ll see who they believe.’

  ‘My instructions!’ Calder was seething. Turnbull towered over her in height, but she stepped forward, jabbing her index finger at his chest. ‘You lied to me and you set up your own officers to fail.’