by Luke Delaney
‘What?’ King asked with a slight laugh. ‘What about your mum?’
‘She won’t be back till late tomorrow,’ she reassured him. ‘You do want to be with me all night, don’t you? I got other things I need to show you.’
He knew he should leave, but her magic was already too deeply embedded in his soul. ‘Sure,’ he told her. ‘Lead the way.’
She smiled brightly and stood, allowing her shorts and knickers to fall to the floor instead of trying to pull them up – her confidence supreme. She wrestled her crop-top over her head and revealed small, perfect breasts for the first time as she let it slip to the floor. She gave him a few seconds to feast upon her beauty and headed off across the room towards the stairs, stopping to look back over her shoulder, waiting for him. He took the hint and quickly zipped himself back up, grabbing his utility belt and heading towards the creature of hypnotizing perfection who waited for him at the foot of a council house staircase.
The sound of someone knocking hard on the front door cut through his hangover and exhaustion and dragged him slowly back into the waking world. But as his eyes opened for a moment he had no idea where he was and felt instantly disorientated. After a few seconds he realized he was naked and in a bed, but where and why still eluded him until he turned his head and saw Kelly stretched out next to him. He couldn’t help but reach out and brush perfect ringlets from her perfect face – the sight of her naked breasts stirring his groin despite himself. But more pounding on the front door quickly chased the desire away and brought Kelly closer to consciousness.
He jumped out of bed with paranoia quickly replacing lust and tiptoed through the debris of clothing strewn across the floor to the window. Flattening his back against the wall he moved the curtain just enough so he could see – his heart almost stopping at the sight of Marino waiting impatiently for an answer.
‘Shit,’ he cursed as he pressed himself even further into the wall just as Kelly sat up, stretching and yawning.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked in a quiet, sleepy voice.
‘Sssh,’ he told her, placing a finger across his own lips. There was another knock at the door.
‘Who is it?’ she asked, ignoring him.
He crossed the room quickly and knelt on the bed next to her. ‘Keep it down,’ he ordered. ‘It’s the police.’
‘Police?’ she asked in an urgent whisper. ‘What do they want?’
‘I don’t know,’ he admitted, weighing up the possibilities. ‘They can’t know I’m here,’ he told himself more than her. ‘Must be something else,’ he explained, the image of a hooded and handcuffed Swinton flashing in his mind. ‘They can’t know I’m here,’ he repeated as he began to gather strewn items of clothing and uniform.
‘I’m over sixteen,’ she reminded him. ‘I can sleep with who I like.’
‘Yeah,’ he laughed. ‘I don’t think the Met will quite see it like that.’
‘Fuck them,’ she smiled and leaned back into her pillows looking around for something to smoke.
‘No,’ he tried to bring her up to speed on the urgency of the situation. ‘I need you to go and find out what they want – why they’re sniffing round here.’
‘What you so worried about?’ she asked. ‘You’re one of their own.’
‘Kelly,’ he appealed to her. ‘I really need you to do this.’
‘OK,’ she said with a heavy sigh and slipped from the bed, taking a thin t-shirt from a coat hanger and pulling it over her head – straightening it out as if it was a Chanel dress.
‘That all you wearing?’ he questioned as she headed for the door. She just fluttered her eyelids and pouted her lips as she slipped from the room.
A few seconds later she was opening the door to Frank Marino who eyed her suspiciously. He had no intention of falling prey to a teenage honey-trap.
‘Hello,’ she told him almost sweetly.
‘Police,’ Marino informed her, holding up his warrant card.
‘I know who you are,’ she smiled.
‘Yeah,’ Marino nodded. ‘I suppose you do. Your mum or dad in?’
‘I don’t have a dad,’ she answered matter-of-factly. ‘Mum’s round at her boyfriend’s.’
‘I see,’ Marino nodded. ‘Mind if I come in and speak with you?’
‘Can’t let anyone in the house when Mum’s not here,’ Kelly lied.
‘Fair enough,’ Marino let it go, trying to see inside the maisonette over her shoulder. ‘Maybe you can help me anyway?’
‘With what?’
‘We’re just doing some door-to-door,’ he explained, ‘trying to find anyone who may have seen or heard anything last night.’
‘Why?’ she jumped in too eagerly. ‘What happened?’
‘About ten-ish,’ he told her, ‘a local man was abducted from his flat and dragged off somewhere. A while later he was found dumped on the estate barely alive.’
‘What local man?’ she asked.
‘Alan Swinton,’ Marino answered. ‘Know him?’
‘No,’ she shook her head trying to look concerned, before suddenly brightening. ‘No, wait a minute. Alan Swinton? Isn’t he that nonce always hanging around with kids?’
‘Nothing’s ever been proved against him,’ Marino argued.
‘Just telling you what I heard,’ Kelly smiled cruelly.
‘Really,’ Marino replied. ‘And what else have you heard?’
‘Well,’ Kelly told him, stretching and hooking her arm over the top of the door, threatening to raise her t-shirt above her crotch, ‘maybe I heard he got caught touching up some young girl on the estate.’
‘You heard that?’
‘I said maybe I heard.’
‘I see,’ Marino nodded. ‘And you believe the fact that some people think he may have assaulted a young girl had something to do with the attack on him?’
‘I never said anything,’ Kelly smiled, ‘but it sounds like he got what he deserved. Nobody round here’ll be crying for him.’
‘And if he didn’t touch the girl?’ asked Marino. ‘What then?’
‘If he didn’t touch her then he’s touched someone else,’ Kelly shrugged. ‘That’s what them paedophiles do – innit? They can’t help themselves.’
‘So I’m guessing you heard nothing?’ he asked anyway.
‘That’s right,’ she told him. ‘Nothing.’
‘And you saw nothing either?’
‘Right again,’ she smiled infuriatingly. ‘We done now?’ she asked, as if he’d been interrogating her.
‘Sure,’ he agreed. ‘Thanks for your time,’ he added sarcastically as the door closed softly in his face.
Kelly quickly climbed the stairs back to the bedroom as nimbly as a cat – entering the room to find King already pulling on his body armour and utility belt. ‘You leaving?’
‘Yeah,’ he told her. ‘I have to.’
‘Don’t you want to know why CID are all over the estate?’
‘I heard what he was saying,’ he replied. ‘I need to get back and keep a lid on things.’
‘What if they see you?’
‘They won’t,’ he reassured her. ‘I’ll use the rat-runs. I know this estate like the back of my hand. Besides – I need to take care of a few things before someone thinks to let a dog unit loose.’
‘So it was you?’
‘You’re surprised?’ he asked, holding her with his eyes.
‘No,’ she finally admitted, moving forward and sitting on the bed. ‘What did you do to him?’
‘I did what everyone wanted me to do,’ he answered.
‘What everyone wanted you to do or what you wanted to do?’
‘He had it coming,’ he told her as he placed his flat cap on his head and straightened it in the mirror. ‘I have to go.’
‘When will I see you again?’ she asked.
He looked into her eyes – black, swirling vortexes of life that could make any man a fool. ‘Tonight,’ he told her. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’
King entered the Unit’s office and found Brown and Williams already at work – although they both looked as if their night had been a long one.
‘About time,’ Brown started them off.
‘You think I just got here?’ King asked with bitterness in his voice. ‘I’ve already been out and about on the estate cleaning up after last night.’
‘Jesus,’ said Williams. ‘You spend the night there or something?’
King realized his slip. ‘Don’t be a clown. I got myself home and grabbed a few hours’ sleep while things calmed down – then I headed back there early.’
‘You got rid of the clothing?’ Brown whispered as loudly as he could.
‘Back in the property store,’ King allowed himself a small smile. ‘No one will ever be the wiser.’
‘Thank fuck for that,’ Williams exhaled as the relief washed over him.
‘So we’re in the clear?’ Brown asked, his voice urgent and afraid.
‘More or less,’ King deliberately tormented him.
‘More or less?’ Brown took the bait.
King waited until they were both staring at him in silent anticipation. ‘I saw Marino and some of his CID cronies sniffing around the estate this morning doing door-to-door.’
‘Oh,’ Brown threw his hands aloft, ‘that’s just fucking great. Door-to-door trying to find out what happened to Swinton – right?’
‘Of course,’ King told him calmly. ‘What else would they be there for? You haven’t forgotten our little run-in with Marino last night, have you?’
‘Not fucking likely to, am I?’ Brown argued.
‘Yet I don’t hear anyone talking about it – do you?’ King asked. ‘In the canteen this morning – the front office – the CID office – d’you hear anyone saying “Did you hear what happened to Marino last night?” No you don’t.’
‘So?’ Williams tried to follow him.
‘So he hasn’t said anything, has he?’ King explained. ‘Which means he’s not going to say anything – or at least not to anyone who could cause us a problem.’
‘I don’t like it,’ Williams exclaimed. ‘What’s his angle?’
‘Maybe he doesn’t have one,’ King suggested. ‘Maybe he just doesn’t want to get involved in our business or maybe it’s too late for him to tell anyone without hanging himself in it too – I don’t really care. What matters is that he hasn’t made anything, which means he probably won’t, and that means there’s nothing he can try to do to us that we can’t handle, so relax. I’ll deal with Marino if it comes to that.’
‘You said he was sniffing around on the estate?’ Brown suddenly changed the subject. ‘Where on the estate?’
‘Millander Walk,’ King told him.
‘And you just happened to see him while you were cleaning things up?’
‘Yeah,’ King answered cautiously. ‘Something like that.’
‘You sure you weren’t getting your head down somewhere on the estate?’ Brown pressed.
‘Why don’t you just say what you really want to say?’ King pushed back.
‘OK,’ Brown steadied himself. ‘Are you fucking someone on the estate? Have you crossed that line as well?’
‘What?’ King tried to sound incredulous.
‘You heard him,’ Williams backed Brown up.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he bluffed. ‘I wouldn’t fuck anyone on that estate with yours. God knows what you’d catch.’
‘No bullshit?’ Brown stared at him hard.
‘No bullshit,’ King lied. ‘Everything on that estate is toxic – including the women. I wouldn’t touch any of them.’ He tried to block the image and taste of Kelly from his mind as he spoke – the merest thought of her stirring his groin and twisting his stomach in a longing to be with her again.
‘Fair enough,’ Brown relented with a nod.
Before King could speak again Marino appeared at their door looking confident and unafraid, despite the previous night. ‘Not interrupting anything, am I?’
‘No,’ said King, making a show of sorting out his body armour. ‘We were just heading out on patrol, as it happens.’
‘You heard what happened last night then?’ Marino played the game.
‘Swinton?’ King asked without looking at him. ‘We heard.’
‘Maybe you can use your local knowledge to help us find whoever it was beat the crap out of him?’ Marino tried to toy with them – test their nerve now they weren’t hiding behind masks.
‘Yeah, sure,’ King casually agreed. ‘Got any idea who you’re looking for?’
‘Not much,’ Marino shrugged. ‘Best we know, it was two white men and a black guy, all in their twenties. Ring any bells?’
‘Not really,’ King pretended to dismiss it. ‘Could be anyone. But word on the estate is he’s the one who’s been attacking young girls. No one’s going to put up with that shit. I’m hearing a few of the local dads got together as vigilantes and took the law into their own hands. No names yet, but as soon as we get them I’ll be sure to pass them on to the CID.’
‘You do that,’ Marino replied, ‘because this is the second person found beaten nearly to death that’s turned up on your estate. Powers-that-be will soon start asking questions – questions that could be difficult to answer.’
‘The powers-that-be’ll leave us alone,’ King dismissed it. ‘All they’re interested in are crime figures and ours are the best on the borough. Reported crime is down to almost zero.’
‘Except violent crime,’ Marino pointed out. ‘Serious violent crime. Incidents like the one with Butler and now Swinton are making your unit look bad. Haven’t you seen the new government directives? Violent crime is top of the politicians’ wish lists. You need to find a way to make sure no more of this shit happens on your patch, before the senior management decide to close you down.’
‘We’re working on it,’ King insisted, no longer attempting to hide his irritation at being challenged.
‘I hope so,’ Marino replied. ‘I really hope so, because even now I reckon everyone can walk away from this intact.’ He spoke cryptically but clearly. ‘But it’s important there are no more unfortunate, high-profile incidents. You want my advice – disband this unit. Tell the SMT you’ve done all you can to improve the estate.’ He nodded at Brown and Williams. ‘You two go back to your uniform teams and you,’ he looked directly at King, ‘you should probably move to another borough to best facilitate your accelerated promotion. In a few weeks everything will be back to normal and Swinton will have been forgotten. At least think about it,’ he told them as he headed for the door. ‘It’s not just your best option – it’s your only option.’ He disappeared through the doorway, leaving his words hanging heavy in the air. They all waited in silence for an age before Brown broke the vigil.
‘Fuck,’ he swore. ‘That bastard knows everything.’
‘Davey could be right,’ Williams added his concerns. ‘He sounds like he knows our every move.’
‘Course he does,’ King dismissed its importance. ‘But he’s not gonna do anything about it – otherwise he already would have.’
‘That’s a big fucking risk to take,’ Brown argued. ‘He’s got nothing to lose by dropping us in it. Maybe a slap on the wrist for not saying something sooner, but that’s all.’
‘He’s no grass,’ King insisted, ‘and he’d get a lot more than a slap on the wrist.’
‘But after you gave him a smack last night maybe he figures he owes us one,’ Williams suggested. ‘Owes you one. All his talk could be bullshit – biding his time while he figures out how to fuck us properly.’
‘I don’t think so,’ King shook his head, but he could feel he was losing them.
‘What he said about disbanding sounded like an offer to me,’ Brown reminded them. ‘We should take him up on it, right now. Get back to our teams and let this shit blow itself out.’
‘No,’ King raised his voice. ‘I got too much time and energy invested in the estate to just walk away from it because
of Marino.’
‘What you talking about?’ Brown demanded. ‘We’re just here to police that shithole – not to invest anything in it. It’s not a fucking business – unless … unless you mean it is a business.’ The reality of what he was saying suddenly hit him. ‘Oh Jesus. What else have you been doing down there?’
‘Calm down,’ King warned him. ‘Everything’s under control. No one’s going to say nothing to no one. You two just do as you’re told.’
A sudden knock on the doorframe ended the conversation and they all turned to see a handsome young constable of Asian appearance looking tentatively into the office.
‘Who the fuck are you?’ King barked.
‘PC Rana Knight,’ he told them without smiling. ‘The replacement.’
‘Replacement for what?’ King asked.
‘For PC Mahajan,’ he explained.
The mention of Renita’s name momentarily stunned him. Would he have fallen as far as he had if she’d still been around? He doubted it.
‘No one told me anything about a replacement,’ King said with suspicion.
‘Inspector Johnston told me she’d informed you I was coming, Sarge,’ Knight assured him. ‘She sent you an email.’
King hadn’t read his emails for days. ‘Oh yeah,’ he lied. ‘Now you mention it. Welcome to the Unit. Grab yourself a chair and some desk space and make yourself at home. You need to know we only have one rule here – we all watch each other’s backs and we stick together, no matter what. Understand?’
‘Sure,’ Knight replied sheepishly, having been expecting the usual talk about honesty and integrity.
‘Davey here will show you around,’ King told him as he prepared to leave. ‘I need to be somewhere.’
King made his way through the ward in the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel towards one of the isolation rooms where he knew he’d find Renita still recovering. A uniformed guard sat outside her room, looking up and acknowledging King with a nod of his head as he passed him and entered the room where he found Renita sitting propped up in her bed reading a glossy magazine. Her wounds had improved dramatically since the last time he’d seen her, but she was still heavily bruised with butterfly tapes holding her deeper cuts together.
‘Hard life, eh?’ he told her.