‘Touched a nerve, have I? Are you finished, love?’
‘I’m never finished, Dai. You shouldn’t have come back here, you do know that, don’t you? Because everyone who matters in this place remembers that you ran away, like a frightened little girl. And when push comes to shove, which it will, they’ll all leave you dangling. You see you’re just not quite frightening enough to keep your dogs in check, Dai. That’s your trouble. You’re not quite the bloody alpha male that you seem to think you are.’
‘Like you say, love, people change. So let me tell you something for nowt. I’m back in this shit-hole to take charge. It’s as simple as that.’
‘Take charge of what?’
‘Whatever I fucking want, love. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do. So why not fuck right off? And just so we’re clear, Pepper. Old times count for nowt, not any more. So if I get my chance to hurt you, love, I will. I won’t fucking hesitate. Not for a single second, like.’
Copeland noticed that Pepper seemed flushed when they met at the top of Botchergate, but he put it down to the heat in the clubs. She glanced at her watch a couple of times as she briefed him on where she’d been, and he found himself hurrying through his questions in return.
‘What was it that you just asked, Rex? Sorry, love, but all that techno or whatever it was has made me a bit deaf.’
‘Did you see any young girls? Any that looked like they might be on the game?’
‘No, sorry. It’s maybe a bit too early yet.’
‘OK. Well, I’ll check round the taxi ranks and the take-aways too.’
‘You’ll be all right? You do stick out a bit, like.’
‘What, even in the dark? So long as I don’t smile I’ll be all right.’
Pepper laughed. ‘The control rooms knows what you’re on with, in general terms. So any problems and there’ll be bobbies with you in a couple of minutes, OK?’
‘I’ll be fine, Pepper. It’s a teenage girl that I’m looking for, that’s all.’
‘I know, but those girls have friends, if you can call them that. And don’t underestimate this place, Rex. I know it’s nothing compared to London, but a vicious bastard up here is just the same as one of yours from down there. They don’t give a shit, and if you get in their way, and they think they can get away with it, they will hurt you. Trust me, it happens.’
‘You get off home, Pepper. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah? It’ll be fun hearing what music was in the charts in 1993, and finding out what the fashions were like then too, come to that.’
‘You cheeky bastard. We’ve got all the fashionable stores up here now, mate.’
‘No offence, Pepper, but where I come from even the corpses are better dressed than most of the people I’ve seen so far tonight.’
By one in the morning it was getting cold, and DC Copeland was beginning to doubt his own sartorial selection for the evening. The smell of burnt fat from the take aways and the cheap perfume from the clubs was making him feel queasy. He’d seen a few girls, all of them far too young to be out at this time, but there was no sign of Tracy. He didn’t want to show her picture or mention her name to any of the others, because she’d know that he was looking for her in the time it took for one of the other girls to send a text, so it was frustrating work. He decided to have one more turn round the clubs, and then give it up for the night.
The doormen had got used to him by now, and they all let him in to their establishments without a word. And then, finally, he saw her, outside in the street, talking to a couple of older men. Copeland didn’t call for back-up, and he didn’t have time to think about what he’d have to do to get rid of the two blokes but keep hold of the girl.
‘Girl’, he said in his best Jamaican accent, ‘what you doing? Who these two fools?’ He knew that he sounded horribly unconvincing, even to himself, but his approach had the desired effect. These country bumpkins wouldn’t know a Yardie from a back yard. And the two men moved away fast, one putting up his hands in apology or even surrender, while Tracy just looked confused.
‘I need to talk to you, Tracy’ he said, in his own north London accent.
‘Who are you?’
‘DC Rex Copeland.’
‘I ain’t done nowt. I’m over sixteen.’
‘I know that, don’t worry. I’m not here to nick you or hassle you, I promise. I won’t even try to get you to change your ways, or any of that shit. Look, let me buy you something to eat and a hot drink, how does that sound?’
‘And then?’
‘Then we talk, that’s all. Like I said, I’m a policeman. I just want to ask you about something. You’re not in any trouble at all, I promise.’
Tuesday, 8th September
Superintendent’s Office, Carlisle HQ
Detective Superintendent Collins was a tall, grey haired man. He spoke slowly, and apparently read more slowly still. So much so that Superintendent Clark found herself watching his eyes, slowly scanning each line of every page of the Afridi file. When he’d finished he flicked through the pages again, as if looking for something especially elusive. Mary Clark couldn’t take it any more.
‘Something missing, Geoff?’
‘Aye, there is. Where’s the assessment of the community impact of these proposed arrests?’
‘We’ve not had time. As DC Wilson has already explained, we consider Afridi to be a serious flight risk. And we don’t think that there’ll be a community impact, as the file makes clear. This family aren’t well regarded by anyone locally, it seems.’
‘Now hang on a minute. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. All we’ve really got at present against these lads is the unsubstantiated allegations of two young lasses, and troubled lasses at that.’
‘With respect’ said Pepper, ‘we’ve got more than that. The two accounts are independent, yet they dovetail exactly. Systematic grooming took place, from a very young age, and alcohol, drugs and physical coercion were all involved. It’s a textbook case, is this.’
‘Mebbe so, but I’m not a textbook copper. And we need to see the bigger picture here. We don’t have a problem here, not like Rotherham did. All right, so we might have the odd isolated case, but we need to think about the damage to the city of all this. We don’t want visitors getting the wrong idea, do we?’
Pepper was about to say something else, but Mary Clark touched her lightly on the arm.
‘Thanks for your view on this, Geoff, it’s very much appreciated. We mustn’t keep you any longer.’
‘Aye, well, you just take my tip, ladies. You’ll need a right lot more than this if you want to secure a conviction. But you feel free to run any other evidence past me, and I’ll give you the benefit of my experience. And all for nowt, like.’
Mary Clark smiled as if she meant it. ‘Just out of interest, Geoff, there is one question I had. If we were able to tie a third girl, possibly still a minor, to Afridi, would that be enough to make an arrest, would you say?’
Collins nodded. ‘Oh, aye, very probably. I’d be happy to discuss it, anyway. And if you could get any forensic to support the kids’ stories then that would be favourite. But I doubt you will, so don’t get your hopes up too much, will you? They’re right frustrating cases, are these. I don’t mind saying that I’ve had to give up on more than a few, these last few years.’
‘Am I allowed to call another Superintendent an utter arse?’ said Mary Clark, when Collins had gone.
‘I’d wonder about your judgement if you didn’t’ said Pepper, smiling. ‘Shall I bell Rex Copeland, and find out what he’s got for us? He’s been following up on a couple of lines of enquiry.’
‘Is he still on duty?’
‘Technically he wasn’t at work last night, and I have tried to send him back to his hotel this morning.’
‘But he wouldn’t go?’
‘Well, I didn’t try that hard, to tell the truth. He’s angry, right enough, but not so angry that his judgement’s gone.’
‘All right
, but you keep an eye on him. I don’t want our case getting canned because he makes some sort of cock-up. But yes, call him and let’s hear what he’s got.’
Mary Clark heard half of the conversation, and Pepper gave her a couple of thumbs up to emphasise how well it was going. ‘We’ve got the bastard’ she said, when she’d rung off. ‘The new girl who Tracy identified for Rex last night is only fourteen, and it turns out that she’s been groomed and sexually abused for the last six months. She’s already given a statement to one of our specialist officers, and it all ties in perfectly, according to Rex. SOCO is round at the kid’s house now, and Sandy Smith is hopeful, apparently. She absolutely hates offences like this, so she’ll leave no stone unturned.’
‘But nothing yet?’
‘No, but they’ve only just started. And remember that we’ll be able to search Afridi’s premises, including the taxi office, when we nick him. But word gets round fast round here, ma’am. We need to take him now. Right now, I mean.’
‘Let me think about this for a minute’ said Mary Clark, glancing down at her pad. When she looked up, just a moment later, she was smiling. ‘Let’s fucking have him. At last I know why I took this bloody job.’
‘But what about Collins? Don’t we need to run it by him first?’
‘I don’t see why, Pepper, do you? You’re acting DI, and you’re confident that the flight risk is real?’
‘Very real, ma’am. I think there’s a high chance that we’ve missed him already, in fact.’
‘No, you haven’t. I took the precaution of authorising a covert surveillance last night. As of twenty minutes ago friend Afridi, and his brothers, were all still tucked up in bed. They’re yours for the taking. So just tell me how many bodies you need, and you’ve got them.’
‘A van and a couple of bobbies will be fine, ma’am. Afridi won’t be any bother, I’m sure of it.’
But it was an another hour before DC Copeland returned to the CID room with the updated file, and Pepper Wilson was out of her office before the door had swung closed behind him.
‘Right, Henry, Rex, let’s go. CPS is fully onside, whether Sandy finds anything or not. They reckon we’ve already got enough to charge him.’
‘Fan-bloody-tastic’ said Copeland.
‘Are you all right to come with us, Rex? You’ve been at it for eighteen hours already.’
‘That’s a joke, right? I just hope he decides to have a bit of a do with us. That would make my day, that would.’
Pepper looked round the room, but none of the civilian staff working there that morning even looked up.
‘Shhh’ she said, ‘for Christ’s sake don’t say that, Rex. Every single thing by the book today, that’s how we play it. And that’s how we’ll get a result. Nothing they can use to try to wriggle out of it.’
‘I get you.’
‘And Henry, that goes for you too. No rough stuff, OK?’
‘Fine’ he said, looking pleased to be seen as posing a physical threat. He didn’t even notice Copeland grinning at Pepper.
Sergeant Pete Morrish got out of the van and walked slowly over to Pepper as she got out of her own car. He’d done thirty years, and he knew better to hurry at anything other than snap time. He glanced, unimpressed, at Copeland and Armstrong.
‘All right, Pepper? Do you and your lads want to hang back while we nab these three for you? You wouldn’t want to get your nice plain clothes all mucky, would you?’
‘No way, Pete. We’ll be fine doing it ourselves, like.’
The Sergeant didn’t look convinced. ‘If you’re sure, love. I know you can handle yourself, obviously. But might these Afridi lads be, you know, armed?’
‘You mean suicide vests? Queues of virgins right round the block, all that? They’re not into any of that, mate.’
The Sergeant nodded, but he looked uncomfortable. But from what he remembered of the equality course, that was pretty much how he was supposed to feel. ‘I meant sharps, firearms, anything like that. And you are all vesting up before you go in, I take it?’
‘Have you got any spares in the van?’
‘I expect so, aye. Christ, Pepper, you should know better than to do this without a proper risk-assessment. You used to instruct on this sort of stuff.’
‘Do as I say, not do as I do. Isn’t that how it goes?’
‘Aye, something like that. Come with me and we’ll get you sorted then. Will you be wanting the persuader?’
‘No, we’ll knock first. Far be it from me to spoil your bit of fun, Pete, but we do have to pay for the doors we knock down, you know.’
‘Aye, I do, worst luck. So assuming they come quietly you want me to take your suspects back to the nick, and leave a couple of my lads here until the search team and SOCO arrives?’
‘That’s about the size of the job, aye.’
Copeland’s vest was too big, and Armstrong’s was far too small, but he took the ribbing from the lads in the van with a smile, albeit a nervous one. He noticed that neither Pepper nor Copeland had their sticks or pepper spray with them, and he wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse. He’d broken up a few domestics in his time, and he’d been hit a few times too, but since he’d been attacked on that path he felt different somehow. Less in control, perhaps, and less confident that the fact that he was a cop would help him much, if at all, if and when things turned physical. He glanced across at Pepper, who seemed to have been reading his thoughts, because she smiled reassuringly at him. He didn’t think that he’d ever seen that particular expression before. It didn’t look quite right on her, somehow, like something she usually saved for her little lad.
‘Let’s do this’ said Pepper, climbing out of the van first. Copeland and Armstrong followed fast and the three of them walked the thirty yards along the pavement, and up a short path to the front door. Armstrong glanced round. They didn’t have an audience, at least not that one he could see. It wasn’t a warm morning, and spots of rain were in the air, but Armstrong could feel himself perspiring, and his face reddening. He put it down to the vest.
It was another minute before they heard on the radio that the rear of the building was covered, and Armstrong stepped forward to knock. Pepper nodded and stepped aside. He knocked, realised that he hadn’t been assertive enough, so banged again, much harder.
‘Police. Open up.’
Armstrong recognised the man who opened the door as Umar Afridi, Mo’s older brother.
‘We’re looking for your brother Mo, Mr. Afridi.’
‘He’s not here.’
‘We know that’s not true.’
‘You calling me a liar?’
‘I am, yes.’ Armstrong kept solid eye contact with Afridi, a head shorter and six inches wider than him. Afridi slammed the door in his face.
‘We’re not going away, Mr. Afridi. So open this door. Do it now or we’ll break it down.’ Armstrong didn’t even glance at his colleagues. He didn’t need their input. A few seconds passed, and he’d just raised his closed fist, when the door opened again.
‘You can’t come in. Fuck off.’
‘We can come in, and we will, unless Mo comes with us now.’
‘What you want him for? You’re racists, that’s all this is. We’re just easy targets.’
‘Step aside, Mr. Afridi, or you will be arrested.’
‘Oh, yeah? And what’s your lesbian bitch boss going to do to me then, eh?’
Armstrong didn’t reply, because he was already pushing his way past Afridi, into the narrow hall. It was gloomy, and the two doors further down it were still dark voids, even as his eyes adjusted. Pepper was through behind him, shouting ‘Police’, and when he glanced round he saw that Copeland and Umar were now grappling with each other outside the front door.
And when the two men came out of the door furthest down the corridor, screaming in a language he didn’t understand, he found himself moving forward to give Pepper some space, even as he caught sight of the long, fat kitchen knife in the fi
rst one’s right hand. He wasn’t one bit afraid, and he had absolutely no idea why.
To his own amazement he managed to dodge the first slashing motion, and his knee went in hard to the gut. As the man began to double up Armstrong hit him in the face with the back of his hand, with a movement like the backhand drive that his tennis coach had taught him when he was a kid. The man’s head jerked back, and hit the wall hard. He started to slide down it and Armstrong reached for the knife, already glinting dully on the floor.
The other man had managed to get past him, and Armstrong had the most fleeting of feelings that Pepper was actually inviting him to come on and attack her. And the man, who he knew was Mo Afridi, certainly landed the first blow, a round arm punch to the throat. Armstrong knew instantly that Pepper was hurt, because she staggered backwards, one hand coming to her neck, the other still limp at her side. And Mo Afridi seemed to know it too.
Armstrong had the knife now, and he threw it back down the hall into the darkness. He only glanced down at Nasir, who was semi-conscious, before turning back towards the light. By the time he reached Mo he was right on top of Pepper, and he was banging her head down on the tiled floor, screaming obscenities as he did so. Armstrong launched himself at Afridi, but didn’t dislodge him. Armstrong did get his arm round the man’s throat though, and he pulled back, hard. They both fell sideways, and Armstrong felt a stab of pain in his chest as his shoulder hit the wall. But he held on, and he sensed that Pepper had extricated herself from Afridi’s hold. A fraction of a second later he knew that for sure, because Afridi’s head snapped back as Pepper hit him. Instinctively Armstrong loosened his grip, just as the second and third punches rained in. They came hard and fast, and they did not miss their mark.
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