Unquiet Souls: a DI Gus McGuire case

by Mistry, Liz

  ‘If this is the work of The Matchmaker, then there must be a leak in WP somewhere. I’ll have to find it.’

  In silence they finished their drinks. When she got up to leave, Nancy turned to Gus.

  ‘When I saw that attic on Sunday and all those children, I knew he was back. That’s why I called Jankowski and Wentworth. If we don’t find that poor kid, I dread to think what these bastards will do to her in revenge.’

  Chapter 55

  Tuesday 9:45pm, Bradford

  Gus hadn’t been in the Kings Arms for months. Heck, he’d barely had a drink in months, either; not with all the pain meds he was on. But right now he needed one desperately. So despite his misgivings he crossed the road diagonally from the station and pushed past the smokers’ club that huddled in the doorway. He didn’t recognise any of the faces, so he doubted they were police officers. Once inside he took a deep breath as the heat from the real wood fire hit him. It was busy, but not as busy as he’d seen it.

  Standing in front of the bar were the three twats who’d hassled him yesterday in front of Wentworth. He frowned and then, straightening his back he walked over to the other end of the bar and hoped he could avoid another run-in with them. When the barman, Jakey Boocock, approached with a welcoming grin and an outstretched hand, Gus grinned back and ordered a half of lager and a double Glenmorangie whisky

  ‘Heard you’ve been off on sick leave Gus. You back now?’

  Handing over a twenty he nodded. ‘Yes, back at work now, just got to watch my arm and leg but otherwise I’m fighting fit.’ Lifting the whisky to his lips, he took a sip, savouring its warm peaty flavour. A yell from the other end of the bar told him his presence had been noted by the trio of officers. Studiously, he ignored them and downed the rest of his whisky in one, before gesturing to Jakey to refill his glass. ‘Same again, Jakey.’

  Jakey nodded and then spoke under his breath. ‘Those pillocks at the end have been here for hours. If they start owt, I’ll toss them out.’

  ‘Don’t bother on my account; I’m just here for a drink. Alice been in yet tonight?’

  Jakey shook his head. ‘Nah, not yet. Too early for her.’ He laughed ‘She’s a night owl that one. Never see her before ten.’ And he placed Gus’s refilled glass in front of him.

  Glad to take the weight off his aching thigh, Gus pulled himself onto a bar stool and glanced round the bar. It was a proper old fashioned bar with empty whisky bottles sitting on a shelf that surrounded the entire room. Sepia photos of old Bradford dotted the walls showing images of the old fashioned trams that used to be a frequent sight throughout the city. Ignoring the voices from the other end of the bar rising and falling punctuated by raucous guffaws and pointed stares Gus savoured his drink, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before one of them said something directly to him. Pissed off by their pettiness in comparison to the situation of the kids they’d rescued on Sunday and the little girl who, he was sure, had been abducted by the same group of men, he growled under his breath and downed his second double whisky, before catching Jakey’s eye again. He pushed his empty glass across the bar. ‘Same again, Jakey.’

  With a shrug, Jakey filled the glass and placed it in front of Gus. As he turned to serve another customer the noise from the other end of the bar suddenly increased. DC Knowles shouted across the space to Gus. ‘Hey, McGuire, how’d you manage to turn your missus into a carpet muncher?’

  Gus caught Jakey’s eye and shook his head slightly telling him not to intervene. The other men, flushed faces and slurred voices revealing just how drunk they were, continued to throw jibes in Gus’s direction.

  ‘He’s probably not man enough to keep a woman interested. Maybe his butch sister’s more of a man than he is.’

  Hand clenching round his glass and the muscle in his cheek pulsing, Gus took another long sip.

  ‘What’s wrong, Angus? Not even man enough to defend yourself?’

  ‘Maybe he’s a poof! A fucking shirt-lifter. Maybe that’s why she went off with the butch Doctor McGuire, and I don’t mean his dozy Scottish Dad either.’

  Feeling a hand land on his shoulder and assuming it was Knowles or one of his crew, Gus jerked his arm up and spun round. Unfortunately, with whisky induced disorientation he stumbled, lost balance and fell off the stool. Stepping forward Alice applied her shoulder to his stomach and hefted him upright, her small frame tensing with the effort. Back on the stool now he peered at her through glazed eyes. ‘Hiya Al, what’re you having to drink?’

  Chapter 56

  Tuesday 9:55pm Thornton

  It was freezing outside but The Distributor didn’t care. The gas heater kept him warm and he had the TV for company. Ok, it wasn’t The Ritz. He laughed, not unless the Ritz had started putting battered old mattresses on the floor. Never mind: he had his own minibar and it was a damn sight cheaper that any posh hotel would be. A microwave meal and a few cans, that’s all he needed. And, of course, he deserved a drink after the stress of the last few days; first the fiasco over in Great Horton with the Asif boy and then today’s abduction.

  Never mind, it had all gone off without a hitch. Thank God. The Matchmaker wouldn’t have been happy if he’d fucked this up, too.

  He glanced at the screen that stood on the table. Pity those goods were out of bounds, he thought studying the little girl’s prone figure. Curly red hair mussed up over the scratty pillow, still wearing her boots, the coverless duvet half falling off her skinny frame. Maybe he should go in and take her boots off for her. Nah, won’t bother. Might be tempted to take off more than her boots. Anyway, she might wake up and then he’d have to dope her up again. Best let her wake up in her own time. That way he could avoid temptation.

  He stuck his hand down his trousers and lazily scratched his groin with one hand whilst lifting a can of cheap lager to his lips with the other. Itch suitably appeased he lifted nail bitten fingers to his nose, sniffed deeply and frowned. Maybe it was about time he risked the dilapidated shower that was cordoned off in the corner of the room.

  Chapter 57

  Tuesday 10:15pm

  ‘Fuck’s sake, Gus! How much have you had?’

  His upper body swayed slightly as he squinted at her.

  ‘Sorry Al, thought you were one of those arses.’ He jerked his head towards Knowles and his posse, nearly slipping off the stool again in the process. Alice sighed and rolled her eyes, wishing she’d come to the pub a lot earlier. Tight lipped she glared at the other officers who having noticed his near fall, were now whooping and slapping each other on the back as if they each deserved personal congratulations for Gus’s clumsiness.

  ‘Fucking wuss, can’t even hold his booze. Total tosser!’

  Seeing Alice’s stern look sent them into even more uproarious laughter. Disgusted, she drew a bar stool over and pulled herself up. Trying to deflate the situation, she leaned forward to block Gus’s view of the idiots at the other end. Ordering herself a pint of lager she tutted when, running the words together Gus said, ‘Minesawhisky.’

  Putting on her sternest face she prodded his good arm. ‘I don’t bloody think so, matey you’ve had enough as it is.’ Then turning to Jakey, she said accusingly. ‘How much has he had?’

  With intense concentration Jakey coiled a bar towel into a cone and stuffed inside a pint glass before corkscrewing it round to dry the glass. He shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes. ‘Only two.’ Then placing Alice’s pint glass in front of her added, ‘…doubles.’

  ‘Shit, he’s on strong painkillers, Jakey. He shouldn’t be drinking at all. Bring him a pint of water now, will you?’ Then turning back to Gus whose gormless lop-sided grin made her smile despite her annoyance, said ‘you’re not supposed to drink with painkillers. What the hell are you thinking?’

  Momentarily sober he stared right at her and enunciated carefully. ‘What I’m thinking, Alice, is that I don’t want to think. Not for tonight anyway. Just for tonight, I want to forget that there are eighteen damaged kids out there and another o
ne out there being subjected to fuck knows what sorts of atrocities, whilst my fucking wife’s shagging my sister.’ Defiantly, he slurped some more whisky before sloshing his glass back on the bar. Seeing her opportunity, Alice slid the glass out of his reach, replacing it with the pint of water Jakey had brought over.

  ‘Wahay, lightweight poofter can’t hold his drink. Look at him, on the water now.’

  A glance towards Gus told her that he’d fallen into an oblivious stupor and was completely unfazed by the drunken insults being thrown his way. Jakey, on the other hand, had stalked down the bar and was admonishing the men. Egged on by each other, they seemed to be beyond persuasion. A couple, sitting near the fire, sent disapproving glances at them.

  ‘Come on, boys, quieten down, you’re losing me customers,’ said Jakey

  Knowles stretched over the bar and flung an arm round Jakey’s neck. ‘Aw, come on Jakey, it’s just a bit of fun. No harm meant.’

  Extricating himself, Jakey leaned away from Knowles’s beery breath. ‘Final warning, right?’

  Mumbling and giggling like flushed schoolgirls caught necking behind the bike sheds, the three men became quiet for a short while.

  Alice, using Knowles’ quietness as a chance to leave Gus alone for a minute, said to Jakey. ‘I’m going to the loo. Don’t you dare give him any more whisky.’

  She quickly skirted past the men at the bar, ignoring their whispered taunts about her sexuality and how hanging around with a McGuire would soon turn her into a lesbo too. Minutes later, on her return their volume had increased again as they loudly listing all the homosexual insults their limited intelligence allowed.

  Furious now, Jakey vaulted the bar and tried to reason with them, but was largely ignored. Approaching them from the side, Alice grabbed Knowles’s arm and spun him towards her, whilst quickly stepping forwards and slamming the heel of her boot into his instep. ‘You are well out of order, Knowles, and I’ll be filing a written report on your appalling behaviour tomorrow morning. So right now I suggest you leave the premises or I’ll be forced to arrest you for disturbing the peace.’

  His friends circled Alice, invading her space and breathing alcoholic fumes over her. ‘Aw get lost, Cooper, we’re off duty and we’re just having a good time.’

  She held her ground. ‘You are police officers all the time and right now your behaviour is moving into homophobic hate crime territory. Just get out. The landlord’s asked you to leave and if you don’t, I will arrest you.’

  Somewhere in his drunken state DC Redmond realised she was deadly serious and grabbed his friend’s arm. ‘Come on Andy, it’s not worth the hassle. The bitch will cause trouble. Let’s just go.’

  With a final glare in Alice’s direction, Knowles turned and stumbled unsteadily from the pub. Alice heaved a sigh of relief and turned back to Gus who, head resting on the bar, snored gently.

  ‘Keep an eye on him, will you, while I get my car,’ she told Jakey

  Minutes later the pair of them pushed a semi-conscious Gus into the back of Alice’s mini. ‘Talk about playing sardines’ said Jakey, as with one final shove he managed to slam the mini’s door shut. ‘Will you be ok with him now?’

  Nodding, she got into the driver’s side. ‘If he’s sick in my car, I’ll bloody skin him!’

  Grinning, Jakey went back into the pub as Alice turned the car left and headed down Oak Lane till she could cut across to get to Gus’s house on Marriner’s Drive. Hearing snoring from the back seat, she smiled slightly. Gus had been living with his parents since he got out of hospital but Alice had no intention of taking him back there in this state.

  ‘Don’t know if you’re ready to move back into your marital home or not Gus, but tonight you’ve got no option. It’s there or the side of the road!’

  Chapter 58

  Wednesday 6am Thornton

  It was cold and dark when Molly finally woke and she wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep. Her eyes were gritty and her head felt heavy and fuzzy. She laid, eyes straining to see the ceiling that disappeared into darkness high above her. Disorientated and afraid, she knew this wasn’t her room at home. The dimness made her imagine all sorts of monsters lurking in the oppressive shadows. She didn’t really believe in ghosts or monsters but, with a choked cry, she flung the foul smelling duvet over her head to block out the things that loomed unfamiliarly at her, and tried to collect her thoughts.

  It was morning when she’d got into her dad’s car and it wasn’t that much later that he’d veered off the main roads and drove into the countryside. She’d been a bit puzzled because he’d promised to take her to Maccy D’s and then shopping, but he’d said they were going to Leeds. Frowning, she tried to remember the journey but as usual she’d been too busy wittering on about her mum and the brat to notice where they were. It wasn’t until he’d braked and pulled onto a bumpy little lane surrounded by huge buildings that she realised something was wrong.

  ‘Where are we?’ she’d asked straining in her seat to see why they’d driven in here. When he’d turned towards her with a hankie in his hand and the air filled with a metallic antiseptic smell, she’d known for sure that something was badly wrong. Flinching, she remembered his hand coming towards her like it was in slow motion. For the life of her though, she couldn’t remember a single damn thing since then. Shivering, she closed her eyes and, wrapping her arms round her body, she cried in the dank, dark room.

  Chapter 59

  Wednesday 7am Marriner’s Drive

  Gus woke with a headache to the smell of fresh coffee and the sense that things had changed in his universe. He opened his eyes and realised he wasn’t in his old room at his parents’ house. For a second he was puzzled, wondering why Gabriella was making him coffee when she hated the smell of it. Then, realisation dawned. Gabriella was gone and he was alone in their marital bed for the first time since he’d left hospital. He screwed up his face and raised a hand to his forehead and groaned.

  A vague memory of Alice pulling him out of her mini, pushing him up the hill to the front door and then him violently vomiting in the flower pot next to the open door as she laughed none to gently at him, flooded his mind. Moving even slightly elicited such a pain behind his eyes that he lay, head cocooned in a pillow as fragmented memories of The Kings Arms and Knowles and crew flitted in his head. Shit, he’d really overdone it on the booze last night. He was pissed off with himself because drinking was not how he dealt with things. ‘Fuck’s sake, Gus,’ he admonished, ‘get your head in the game.’

  At last, with some effort, he lifted the covers and saw with relief that he was still fully dressed. He couldn’t have borne it if Alice had undressed him and put him to bed. Bad enough that she’d rescued him from the pub and got him upstairs and inside the bedroom. He swung his legs round and realised that both his shoulder and thigh were throbbing viciously. A wave of dizziness washed over him. He groaned. When it passed he crawled over to the en suite, turned the shower on, stripped and got in. The warm water flowed soothingly over his shoulder and head for long minutes before he felt able to continue. Finally, nausea fading, he soaped his body, washing away the faint sick smell that hovered around him. Showered and dressed in clothes he’d almost forgotten he possessed, he followed his nose downstairs in search of coffee. Sitting at the kitchen table, one foot on the chair opposite, Alice lifted a slice of toast slathered in jam and margarine to her mouth. She grunted. ‘Oh, you’re alive then, are you?’

  Ignoring her, he made his way over to the coffee machine, poured some into a mug, topped it with a dash of milk and slammed two slices of bread into the toaster. He pulled a chair out from under the table, grimacing when it scraped across the floor, and sat down. Taking a single sip of coffee, he paused before his second, allowing it to settle in his stomach. Then, deciding it was going to remain there, he looked at Alice ‘So tell me the worst. Did I do anything stupid last night?’

  Face expressionless, Alice studied him for a full minute before grinning. ‘Nah, you got
pissed, avoided clouting Knowles, puked in a plant pot and slept through the night.’ She stood up, grabbed the toast that had just popped from the toaster, flung them on a plate and pushed it across the table to Gus with the marg and jam she’d nipped out to get from Sainsbury’s earlier.

  ‘To be honest Gus, it’s the first normal thing you’ve done since before, well…’ she waved her hand in the air. ‘Since before – you know? Take your painkillers and eat your toast and then I’ll take you to work. We’ve got a lot to do today.’

  With a melancholy look on his face he stared at the toast. ‘I think I’ll pass.’

  ‘Like hell you will. Get that damn toast down you, whilst I put my face on.’

  A sideways glance at her told him that he had no choice in the matter.

  Chapter 60

  Wednesday 8am

  The sharp sleepies dug mercilessly into Molly’s eyes making them water. She rolled onto her back, nose wrinkling at the mildew smell and opened her eyes. It was lighter than it had been earlier. Above her she could see huge metal pipes stretching across a stained brown ceiling and meeting the breeze-block walls on either side of the room. As it all came back to her she whimpered and screwed her body into a tight foetal shape. Tears welled from between closed eyes, moistening the harsh crud that had gathered there as she slept. Her mouth felt dry and the lingering clinical taste of chloroform remained. Remembering ‘him’ her eyes flew open and scoured the large room for his presence. Relieved to see no sign of him, she sat up on the filthy damp mattress, pulled her legs up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, trying to stop her small frame from shivering.