by P. F. Ford
'No, she didn't have to do it the way she did,' said Norman. 'She pretended to rekindle an old fling and used his feelings for her own ends. She chose to deceive a man who would have offered her shelter as a friend if she had just asked. There was no need for her to do that.'
Jerry looked suitably sheepish.
'Were you in touch with her while she was with him? You were, weren't you?'
'She had her own mobile phone, and a pay-as-you-go one so no one could trace it.'
'So you knew what she was doing all the time. In that case, I assume you knew she was going to lead him on and bed him?'
'And you were okay with that?' asked Darling before Jerry could speak.
'It was necessary!'
'I just told you it wasn't,' said Norman. 'Don't you people have any morals at all?'
Jerry's face flushed. 'Look,' he snapped. 'I know you think it's wrong, but it's happened now, and she's dead anyway. Debating the rights and wrongs isn't going to tell us who killed her, is it?'
'I suppose you're right about that,' said Norman wearily. 'So who else knew about this master plan of hers?'
'Just Jenny and me,' said Jerry.
'You didn't tell Ben?'
'I didn't see the need. I thought the fewer people who knew, the less risk there was.'
'Did it ever occur to you that Jenny could have been deceiving you, just like she deceived Dave?' asked Darling. 'She was very good at deception, wasn't she?'
'Why would she have been deceiving me?'
'Well, maybe she wasn't quite as happy about losing her career as you thought. Maybe her plan was to get into your organisation so she could inform on you.'
Jerry sighed impatiently. 'If you're talking about that Bradshaw guy asking her to set me and Ben up, she told me about that. He had asked her after the case, then when she first came to live with me, and he asked her again when she started living with Slater. I think if she'd been out to get us, we'd be locked up by now, don't you?'
'There's no need to get uptight,' said Norman. 'We're just exploring theories here. Someone must have had a reason for wanting her dead. We're just trying to figure out who that might have been. You know she was hit by a car, right?'
Jerry stared at him. 'What?'
'She was hit by a silver car when she was out jogging. That's how she came to lose her mobile phone, and that's how a kid called Spiderhair came to find it. A guy who lived near the accident ran into his house to phone for help, but by the time he got back, she had gone. We think whoever ran her down must have gone back for her.'
For the first time, Jerry looked genuinely upset. 'Jesus, so that's how she came to end up in that filthy squat. Did you have to tell me that?'
'I thought you asked us to tell you what happened.'
'Yes, but . . . well, I suppose we know who did it then. There's only one option, isn't there?'
'Is there?'
'It must be the same people who tried to abduct her before.'
'Oh, I see what you mean,' said Norman. 'But that doesn't help if we don't know who they are, does it?'
'It shouldn't be that hard to identify them.'
'Did you identify them before?' asked Darling
'Err, well, no.'
'Really?' said Norman. 'All those people on the ground, and you had no idea?'
'What are you saying?' Jerry demanded.
'I'm not saying anything,' said Norman innocently. 'I'm just thinking if you guys couldn't find out who it was, what chance have we got?'
'So what are you going to do?' Jerry asked.
'We're gonna go back into town and keep asking questions.'
'You'll tell me what you find?'
'I doubt it,' said Norman. 'You've got plenty of money. Why don't you find yourself a detective to search for you? Come on, Naomi, let's go. We've got a long walk ahead of us.'
'Dennis will drive you back into town.'
'Don't think that will make any difference.'
'I don't,' said Jerry. 'But when he brought you up here, Dennis told you he'd take you back. That was the deal. I like to keep a deal.'
Chapter Nineteen
They barely spoke as Dennis drove them back into town, and once back, they decided to stop for lunch. When they were settled at their table, waiting to be served, Norman voiced his thoughts. 'Here's the thing. According to Bradshaw, the Shapiro brothers have a huge drug operation, right?'
'Yes, except Jerry seems to think he's no longer part of it.'
'Whether he's still part of it is neither here nor there, so ignore that for a minute. My point is, whoever runs a drug operation that big must have a small army of people on the ground, and enough money to buy just about any information they want. And yet Jerry says they couldn't identify the guy who tried to abduct Jenny, or the competitor they thought might be trying to muscle in on their territory. Does that sound likely to you?'
'Yeah, I see what you mean,' Darling said thoughtfully. 'D'you think he was lying?'
'Isn't it good business to know who your competitors are and what they're up to? It must be even more important when it comes to heavy stuff like drug dealing. You don't stay on top in that world without knowing who's who and what's what.'
'But if they knew who it was, they would have done something about it, wouldn't they?'
'Well, yeah, you would think so,' Norman said. 'But maybe we're looking at it the wrong way. What if Jerry's telling the truth, and as far as he knows, they didn't find out who was responsible?'
'I don't want to appear thick,' Darling said, screwing her face up, 'but I think you might be in danger of losing me here.'
'Well, think about what we know,' said Norman. 'Jerry says Ben didn't have a problem with him having a relationship with Jenny. Consider that for a minute. Two brothers have been partners in a huge illegal business for a few years, making shedloads of money, and now one of them has decided to bring a girlfriend into their world. If you were Ben, would you be happy about that?'
'They are brothers,' Darling reminded him.
'Yeah, but don't forget – the girlfriend in question just happens to be a woman who's spent half her life working in the legal establishment. Bradshaw mentioned a possible feud, and we know Ben's not exactly the warm, cosy, user-friendly sort of drug dealer, is he?'
Darling's eyes widened. 'You think Ben sent threats to his own brother's girlfriend?'
'Is it so unthinkable? Remember what I said earlier – these people have different morals. What if Ben didn't trust Jenny? Okay, she might have saved his arse from a prison sentence, but that doesn't mean he's happy for her to come along and be part of the family business. He must have been aware of the outcry when Jenny won their case, but maybe he doesn't buy this idea she's been forced to quit the legal profession. What if he thought she could be part of an elaborate plan to finally put them behind bars?'
'So there never was a competitor trying to move in?'
Norman shook his head. 'If Ben had tried to persuade Jerry to get rid of Jenny, his feelings about her would have been obvious. By suggesting there was a turf war brewing, and then arranging for someone else to send the threats, he could put Jerry off the scent. Don't forget, Jerry doesn't get his hands dirty, so it figures he would only know what Ben told him about what goes down on the street.'
'So you think Ben was behind all the threats, and Jerry had no idea?'
'That's my thinking.'
'That means he even tried to have her kidnapped!' Darling whistled.
'And quite possibly he's behind her death.'
'But can you be sure Jerry didn't know? Don't forget, he kept the plan for Jenny to go into hiding from Ben, didn't he? Maybe that's why he was planning to leave.'
'I can't deny it's a possibility,' said Norman.
'Maybe Jerry thought he could escape without Ben finding out.'
'Yeah, you could be right. But imagine how Ben would feel about that if he did find out? He thought he'd got rid of the problem of having Jenny around the place only to find s
he's back on the scene and Jerry's sneaked off to join her, and this time she's going to take his brother away.'
'It all adds up, doesn't it?' Darling said slowly. 'He's got the motive, the means, and once she's surfaced here with Jerry, waiting to leave, he's got the opportunity. Are you going to tell Jerry about this?'
'I'm not going to tell anyone,' said Norman. 'Right now it's only a theory, and we can't prove it. I suppose I'll have to tell Bradshaw, but he can wait for now. I'll call him later.'
'So, what do we do now?'
'Right now, we're going to eat our lunch. This afternoon, I think we should call in and see how young Spiderhair is doing, and then later maybe I'll call Bradshaw. It might be an idea to find Jasper again too. I have a feeling he's not telling us everything.'
Chapter Twenty
It had been dark for an hour now, and there was a distinct chill in the air. The town was in that quiet phase after close of business, with just one or two shops still open. In an hour or two, things would liven up again, but for now all was quiet. As they walked through the town, Norman thought it seemed suitably appropriate for the sombre mood that had gripped them since they had left the hospital.
On the other side of the town centre, they turned down a narrow road. Twenty yards along, on the left, a collection of derelict factory buildings had been fenced off. Never one to miss an opportunity, the homeless Jasper had realised on his arrival in town that the site would provide enough old timber to feed a bonfire for months. He had a team of regulars who gathered every night to get warm, and this had provided him with another unexpected opportunity – this time, information gathering. He had soon discovered just how observant some of these homeless people were, and it hadn't taken long to find people willing to pay for information.
Hidden from view behind and between the buildings was a yard the size of a couple of tennis courts. If anyone passed this way at night and looked closely, they would notice an eerie red glow coming from this area. This was where Jasper had his nightly bonfire.
Norman stopped, grabbed the fence, and eased it apart, opening the gap used for access just wide enough for Darling to climb through. She then held the gap open for him to follow her.
'I wonder how hostile he's going to be tonight,' she said as they walked over to the buildings.
'I think he'll be okay until we tell him,' said Norman. 'That's when we'll find out how he really feels.'
They walked the rest of the way across the site and through to the bonfire in silence. As they emerged into the yard area, they could see a group of half a dozen or so sitting on upturned boxes close to the fire. One of the figures stood and watched as they approached. It was Jasper. They stopped just short of the small group and he stepped forward.
'You two just don't seem to be able to keep away, do you?'
Norman looked at the figures huddled together just behind Jasper, doing their best to absorb as much warmth as they could. 'D'you think we could talk?'
'It's a free country. You talk away, mate,' said Jasper, looking around confidently.
'I think it might be better if we talk in private,' said Norman quietly.
Something about his tone took the confident smile from Jasper's face, and he took a step towards them. 'Why? What's happened?'
Norman and Darling took a couple of steps back, and Jasper followed them. 'It's about Spiderhair,' said Norman. 'He's taken a turn for the worse. It turns out he's got a bleed on the brain. He's in a pretty bad way. It's touch and go.'
Even in the gloom, they could see Jasper's face had turned ashen. 'Oh shit, no!' He almost whispered the words. 'I told him he didn't need to do that.'
'The thing is, the hospital wants to notify his family, and we don't know where to find them,' continued Norman. 'I was hoping you might be able to tell them.'
'Family? I'm not even sure he had one. He certainly never mentioned them to me.'
'Would any of the others know?'
Jasper turned and shouted to the others. 'Anyone know Spiderhair's real name? Or where he came from?'
There were some mumbled replies and a lot of head shaking. None of them knew anything.
'The only one who might have known was that Ginger,' said Jasper, turning back to them, 'and you can't ask her now, can you? I told the kid he should have kept away from you two. I told him he should've kept quiet and let me do the talking.'
'Just now you said, "I told him he didn't need to do that". What did you mean?' asked Darling. 'Who didn't need to do what?'
Jasper looked at her and licked his lips. 'I think you must have heard wrong.'
'You know who did this to him, don't you?' demanded Darling, taking a step towards him.
'Don't talk rubbish,' he spat. 'Of course I don't.'
Darling was several inches shorter, but she was fearless, and she got right in his face. He took a step back, but she was relentless, and he suddenly found he had his back against a wall. Worse still, every head was turned their way, and all those people Jasper managed to keep down by bullying were watching him being bullied by a girl half his size.
'You're supposed to look out for these kids,' she hissed.
'It's your fault,' he argued. 'If you hadn't come around here asking questions and offering money, none of this would have happened'
'We've already held our hands up to that,' said Norman, angrily. 'But I seem to remember you knew what we were doing, and if you hadn't stormed off in a huff, you could have stopped him. Maybe we ought to tell the crew here what's happened to Spiderhair and how it might not have happened if only you hadn't stormed off.'
'It wasn't my f--'
Darling's eyes were blazing with a fierce intensity. 'It was as much your fault as it was ours,' she said, poking her finger in his chest to emphasis her point. 'But pointing the finger at each other isn't going to help anyone, is it? If you know who did this to him, you need to tell us so we can get something done about it!'
Such was Darling's ferocity, Jasper had involuntarily risen up onto his toes to try and escape, his arms crossed over his chest for protection.
Norman put a hand on Darling's arm, and she took a step back. 'Listen, Jasper,' he said, 'I've known Naomi for a couple of years now, but I have never seen her quite so upset before. I'm not one for advocating violence, but I'm quite sure she would feel a whole lot better if I let her beat the shit out of someone, and right now I think she'd be quite happy if it was you.'
Jasper was still pressed up against the wall, not daring to move. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and he seemed to have temporarily lost the power of speech.
Norman filled the silence for him. 'We know you're an informant for Jerry Shapiro, but we've spoken to him, and we know he has nothing to gain by attacking the kid. We also know someone is paying off the local police, and we know that's not Jerry. Are you with me so far?'
Jasper stared at Norman. He seemed to be too scared to look at Darling.
'Just nod if you can't speak,' Norman said. 'Are you with me so far?'
Jasper nodded frantically.
'That's very good, well done. Now, if you're with me so far, you should be able to see what we think this means. We think this means someone else is paying an informant, and now we think that informant is you. Are we right?'
He nodded his head again.
'So what's going on?' asked Norman. 'Is there some sort of turf war going on? Are you playing both sides at once? If you are, that's a very risky game.'
'It's not what you think,' spluttered Jasper.
Norman shook his head and smiled. 'No, it never is. It's amazing how many times I've heard that. If you're gonna persist with this bullshit, I may just have to let Naomi loose.'
'There's no need for that,' Jasper said hastily. 'Just get her away from me and I'll talk, but only to you.'
Norman sighed and smiled again. 'The thing is, me and Naomi, well, we're a team, so anything you have to say we both need to hear.'
Jasper was beginning to look like a rabbit caught in headli
ghts.
'I tell you what I'll do. I'll ask Naomi to back off, okay?'
Jasper nodded furiously again. Norman looked at Darling and she took one small step back. 'There, how's that?' asked Norman, turning back to Jasper.
'That was hardly worth the effort, was it?'
'Well, don't say I didn't offer,' said Norman, as he began to turn away. 'Don't forget, she's highly trained and she really enjoys her job. And like I said, she's already seriously upset. I'll send flowers.'
'No, wait! When I say it's not like that, what I mean is there's no feud,' Jasper cried.
Norman raised an eyebrow as he turned back. 'So what's the deal?. Who else is paying you for information.'
'I'll get a good kicking if I tell you.'
'You'll get an even better one if you don't.'
'I only know him as "Driver". I don't know if that's his real name or if it's some sort of code name.'
'Code name?'
'Yeah. He's part of the drug squad. I keep my eyes open, especially down at the harbour, and I let him know if there's anything suspicious going on. He tells me which boats to watch out for, and I tell him when they come and go.'
'How do you contact him?'
'I wait at a call box at a set time and he calls me.'
'That's a bit hit and miss, isn't it? What if you're not there?'
'I'm always there,' Jasper said.
'I think that's more bullshit,' said Norman. 'You see, Spiderhair told us you go off on your own every day. I think you've got a bolt-hole somewhere here in town, a flat maybe, and I reckon that's where you go every day, and that's when you talk to this Driver guy. I bet you have a mobile phone there. Heck, you might even have one on you now.'
Jasper held up his hands. 'Look, all I know is he calls himself Driver, and he works for the drug squad. Why would I lie about that?'
All this time, Darling had been staring menacingly at Jasper, but now she spoke. 'What does he look like, this Driver?'
'I've hardly ever seen him since he first approached me.'
'Is he invisible?' she demanded.
'No, of course not.'