by Ed James
‘Then you’ll know it was Dad who killed her.’
‘It could be you.’
‘It’s not me.’ She brushed her hair back. ‘Dad said he needed to shut her up. She was going to make things difficult for people.’
Loftus waved a hand at Fenchurch. ‘And Adrian Hall?’
‘Adrian was Mario’s son, but you knew that.’ Holly wound her hair round a finger. ‘Dad knew him, said he was a good kid. Got to know him from delivering for Mario’s. Adrian told him that Mario was dealing drugs with the pizzas. Little bags of coke baked in the crust. Nobody would blink an eye, perfect. Except, well, Dad told some people what Mario was up to and they weren’t happy.’ She glared at Fenchurch. ‘Certain people saw you flitting around that restaurant, asking too many questions. They didn’t want anyone talking. Mario had been talking to his son.’
‘You need to tell us who.’
‘It’s Younis. Okay?’ Holly sneered at him. ‘What am I getting for that?’
Loftus looked hard at her. Then he walked over to the door and left the room.
‘Superintendent Loftus has left the room.’
Unwin sat back and let out a held breath.
Holly leaned over the table, blocking the mic with her hand. ‘I should’ve killed your daughter when I had the chance.’
Fenchurch felt the old rage rising.
‘I see the men she flirts with at work. They all have something in common. They look like you.’
‘That’s rich.’
‘What?’
‘You and Kirk. He’s just like dear old Desmond, isn’t he? A criminal. What’s he doing with all those phones? Whose are they? Younis’s?’
Holly ran a finger across her throat.
Fenchurch held her gaze. ‘Chloe can handle herself.’ He smiled through the pain and the bile building in his gut. ‘Last July, your old man tried that same trick. Enraging me. Getting me to lash out. I didn’t work then, and I won’t work now.’
The door opened. Fenchurch looked round then spoke into mic: ‘Superintendent Loftus has entered the room.’
Loftus sat down and smiled at Holly. ‘You write all that down, sign it and we’ll let you walk out of here with a caution for possession of a firearm. And you’ll stand up in court and testify against Younis.’
Holly smiled at Fenchurch. ‘Deal.’
40
‘This is a huge mistake, sir.’ Fenchurch stomped along the corridor ahead of Loftus. ‘Huge.’
‘Simon, we’ll use her testimony to secure the prosecution of Younis. Isn’t that a price worth paying?’
‘Sir, she’s killed two people. She attacked me. She tried to kill my daughter.’
‘And her father died after you chased him.’
‘They were getting away.’ Fenchurch punched the wall. ‘Jesus fucking Christ. He’s—’
‘Simon!’ Loftus brushed at the battered plaster. ‘Control yourself.’
‘Control myself?’ Fenchurch wanted to punch Loftus now. ‘She killed them and now you’re letting her get off with it?’
‘Simon, this is above your pay grade. We’ve solved three murders. Desmond Webster killed those three people.’
‘This is all bollocks. This is all to tick some boxes. Close off three murders to make your spreadsheet look better.’
‘Think strategically, man.’
Fenchurch shook his head. ‘We’ve got Younis anyway. He’s going down.’
‘It’s not a done deal. This tips the balance in our favour.’ Loftus took a breath. ‘I’ve wrestled with this, but this is the best way forward. DCIs Savage and Broadfoot agree with this approach.’
‘We should be putting her away.’
‘Simon, we’ve got answers. And that’s good. I understand your frustration. I do. This distracts from your role in Webster’s death.’
‘That was an accident.’
‘Was it? You really want to go through an inquest, do you? I have and it’s a horrendous experience. I’ve saved you that.’
Fenchurch couldn’t speak. Everything felt numb.
‘Look, we’ve got Zamir for a few things now. Howard and Derek will process that, they’ve got a solid evidence trail. And we can secure the conviction of Younis.’
‘I wish I had your hope, sir.’
‘It’s not hope, it’s faith in our process. But we need to play the long game.’
‘And let a killer go free?’
Loftus jabbed a finger at him. ‘I’m warning you, Inspector.’
Fenchurch shoved his hands deep into his pockets. ‘Fine.’
‘Simon, I know this isn’t easy, but you’re a DCI now. Okay? I don’t know how you got it, but we’ve got solid intel on Younis. We’ve got a witness. Do you know how important that is? All the evidence we’ve got, his drugs, his underage camgirls and camboys, it’s all been hidden behind layers and layers of bollocks. He’s an expert at throwing us off the scent. But you…’ Loftus smiled, but it was more like a snarl. ‘You cut through it all. You’ve got this result for us. If Holly killed those people, then so be it. Younis is a price I’m willing to pay. I’m prepared to give her a second chance. We’ve got her on the firearms charge. She’s going to get a fine and a suspended sentence. We’ll keep an eye on her, keep her on the straight and narrow. I want to give her the chance to break free of this cycle of death and misery her father created. Don’t you?’
Fenchurch stared down the long corridor. Felt like it turned in on itself, the ceiling becoming the floor, twisting inside out.
But he’s right.
So many times we’ve let people repeat mistakes. Pass on the murder to another generation. Sandy doesn’t deserve to become another Holly, just like Holly didn’t have a choice about her own life.
Fenchurch nodded at Loftus. ‘Okay… Let’s play it your way.’
‘Excellent.’ Loftus looked down at his shiny shoes. ‘Simon, I’ve got a bit of a conundrum.’
‘What?’
‘The powers that be, my bosses and their equals, well. They’re pushing me to bring in a new broom as the DCI, Simon. You as Acting DCI isn’t cutting it when we’ve got assassins and what have you. They’ve asked to transition Jason Bell over to head up the East MIT and sort this mess out. Starting on Monday.’
Fenchurch tasted bile in this mouth. ‘Bell?’
‘I’m afraid so.’ Loftus looked back up, locking eyes with Fenchurch. ‘Of course, if you were to sign on as DCI permanently, then we wouldn’t have to bring him in.’
‘You and him go back, right?’
‘And that’s the problem.’ Loftus huffed. ‘He knows how to play me. One thing about you, Simon, is you’ve got different angles. You’re probing different aspects of my personality. And I need that. Likewise, I think you benefit from a different type of management.’
‘I appreciate the offer, but…’ Fenchurch gritted his teeth.
Working for Jason Bell.
‘Sod it. I’ll take it.’
SIMON FENCHURCH WILL RETURN
Sometime in the future!
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Other Books By Ed James
SCOTT CULLEN SERIES
GHOST IN THE MACHINE
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
FIRE IN THE BLOOD
STAB IN THE DARK
COPS & ROBBERS
LIARS & THIEVES
COWBOYS & INDIANS
HEROES & VILLAINS
CRAIG HUNTER SERIES
MISSING
HUNTED
DS VICKY DODDS SERIES
TOOTH & CLAW
DI SIMON FENCHURCH SERIES
THE HOPE THAT KILLS
WORTH KILLING FOR
WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU
IN FOR THE KILL
KILL WITH KINDNESS
KILL THE MESSENGER
Afterword
Thanks for buying and reading this book, it means the world to me.
This was supposed to be a novella. Just that first part. But it felt unresolved. So it grew two book-end chapters, and the novella was basically Fenchurch’s testimony. Then some little sparks ignited and, well. It grew into a full novel. I’ve got previous with this sort of thing: Cullen 3 was a short story, then became a novel; Cullen 6 was two short novellas that became a linked novel. But I’m really pleased with how this one has turned out, dotting a few Is and crossing a few Ts.
I’m changing the publishing model for my police procedural books, where I’m waiting until they hit a certain sales threshold. So if you want more Cullen, Hunter, or Fenchurch (sorry, but there won’t be any more Dodds novels), then encourage people to buy them. Seriously, it’s just so it’s financially worthwhile for me to write the books. It’s currently looking like Fenchurch 7 will be the next one, but subscribe to my mailing list for news on how that progresses. And I’ve got some ideas on how to expand out this series into something new and fresh.
Thanks again,
Ed James
Scottish Borders, February 2019
(How the hell did it become 2019?)
Acknowledgments
Without the following, this book wouldn’t exist:
Development Editing
Allan Guthrie
Procedural Analysis
James Mackay
Copy Editing
Eleanor Abraham
Proofing
John Rickards
As ever, infinite thanks to Kitty for putting up with me and all of my nonsense.