I drove back to Hull. I ached a little, but it was mainly my pride which was suffering. I’d been stupid to think I could reason with the Horton brothers. I was done with diplomacy. I had to change my angle of attack. I knew very little about Sutherland as a man. I had to know more if I was going to find a weakness I could exploit and get him off my family’s back. My advantage was that I’d once worked for his ex-wife, Brenda. If anyone could help me, it was her. I didn’t know where the paperwork for the case was, but it had amounted to little more than a selection of long lens photographs of her husband and his mistress. It had been very straightforward. Fortunately, I still had her contact details in my mobile. She was surprised to hear from me, but was willing to meet, even after I told her what I wanted. She lived in a flat on Peel Street, off Spring Bank.
The area had changed a lot in recent years. War and social unrest in Europe had brought people from around the world to the area. I knew Lauren’s class at school contained children from Eastern Europe, Iraq and Africa. She’d told me about them with a look of excitement on her face. When I’d been at school, new class members from the other side of the River Hull had been greeted as if they were aliens.
I arrived at Brenda Sutherland’s flat. She let me straight in and offered me a drink. I told her I was fine and sat down. The furniture was sparse and basic. A small portable television perched on a unit in the far corner of the room. She had a bookcase full of paperbacks.
‘Bit of a change since we last spoke,’ she said. ‘I’m still waiting on him to sell the house.’ She shrugged. ‘I didn’t know he’d re-mortgaged it. It’s not too bad around here, though. Everyone’s friendly enough and I’m making new friends. It’s fine for now.’
I was pleased to hear it. In fact, I admired the way she was making a go of things. It would have been easier for her to turn a blind eye and carry on living in more comfortable surroundings than this. ‘I know we never talked much about your husband when I worked for you, but I need to know more about him for something I’m working on.’
She shrugged, not interested in the details. ‘If it helps, it’ll be my pleasure. Believe me.’
‘How much do you know about how he makes a living?’ I asked.
‘I know exactly what he is, if that’s what you mean. I won’t lie to you, Joe. When I first met him, it was that edge he had which attracted me. Every girl loves a bad boy, don’t they? He was a little bit dangerous and that scared people. It meant we got special treatment when we went out, and I liked it at first. We were treated like royalty, but it wasn’t real.’
‘How much did you know about his business?’
‘Not a lot.’
‘You knew he worked for Frank Salford?’
She nodded. ‘He was the boss. If Frank called, George went running. That’s the way it was.’
‘What did he do for Salford?’
‘He always told me he looked after Frank’s businesses for him. Management.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t really know. I knew what Frank was, so I didn’t ask for the details.’ She shuffled forwards. ‘I always thought George reckoned he was entitled to more from Frank, that he didn’t get the respect he deserved.’
‘What happened?’
‘George took what he thought he was entitled to.’
‘He was skimming the cash?’
‘All but admitted it to me.’
‘What happened after that?’
‘They didn’t work together again.’
‘Never?’
‘Not so far as I know.’
I nodded. It was a reasonable assumption that they both knew where the bodies were buried. It would have been a case of mutual destruction if one or the other had gone to the police. I asked her how dangerous her ex-husband was.
She thought about the question. I waited as she lit a cigarette and took a long drag. ‘He likes to be the big man when he’s got a crowd, but he’s really nothing more than a bully and a coward. Nothing physical, just the type of comments that are designed to chip away at you and make you feel worthless. He’s a manipulator, always looking for an angle.’
Her hand was shaking slightly. I angled myself away from her so she couldn’t blow smoke in my face. She took another deep drag and put the cigarette down in an ashtray. ‘Tread carefully, Joe. But whatever he’s done, make sure he pays for it.’
I left Brenda Sutherland’s flat with plenty to think about. I wanted to give Roger Millfield another shake. I still hadn’t banked the cheque he’d given me at the KC Stadium. It was the excuse I needed.
His receptionist tried to stop me making my way in to his office, but I wasn’t going to be fobbed off. He was on the telephone as I entered. My entrance left him speechless. It took him a couple of seconds to pull himself together and tell whoever was at the other end of the line that he’d call them back.
He looked at me. ‘I thought I’d made myself clear. Our business together is finished.’
I shook my head and passed him the cheque back. ‘I’m not done yet.’ I could have used the cheque to repay some of Niall’s takings I’d lost in Goole, but I needed him to talk.
He waved the cheque away and tried to busy himself with the paperwork on his desk. ‘If I don’t require your help, I’d say we’re finished. Take the money and leave it there, please.’
‘That’s what Don said I should do.’
He stopped what he was doing. ‘Maybe you should take his advice, then.’
‘You didn’t tell me your wife knew George Sutherland.’
‘I don’t see how that’s relevant. Many of my clients are known to me personally. It’s perfectly normal.’
We sat in silence. I hoped he would crack first, but he didn’t. He busied himself on his laptop.
‘She knows him from when they were kids,’ I said, wanting his attention back.
Millfield laughed. ‘You’ve been talking to Neil Farr.’
‘It doesn’t matter who I’ve been talking to.’
‘Just so long as you realise who the man is. That’s all.’
I took the bait. ‘Who is he?’
‘The man who settled for second best. He always wanted Kath, but she never wanted him.’
I didn’t want to talk about Farr. ‘Your wife was brought up in the same street as Sutherland?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s a small city. You know that.’
‘Why do you still act for him, then?’
He was puzzled by my question. ‘He’s a client.’
‘But your wife doesn’t want you doing it.’
He wasn’t surprised that I knew. ‘Kath doesn’t like the man. Can’t say I blame her really, but it’s business. Simple as that.’
‘Even though he worked with Frank Salford?’
He tried to pretend he didn’t know the name. He was a bad liar. He was sweating and refusing to meet my eye. I wondered why a professional man like Roger Millfield was happy to associate himself with a known criminal.
I let it hang there for a moment before continuing. ‘I’ve got a problem with Sutherland,’ I leaned toward him. ‘A serious problem.’ I wanted to pressurise him a bit. Let him know the lie of the land. I was certain he’d crack. I made sure I had eye contact before speaking. ‘I need to take him down.’
Millfield cut me off and held the cheque back out to me. His hand was shaking a little. ‘Take it and leave me alone.’
I knew I was going to need to find another route in George Sutherland. I also needed to give some attention to Don’s problem. My best bet was to go back to Gerard Branning. He’d made it clear he’d help if asked. The door at the care home was answered by the same woman. ‘I’m back to see Gerard,’ I told her.
She shook her head and blocked my entrance. ‘I’m afraid not.’
‘He said I could visit him any time.’
‘He’s not receiving visitors at the moment.’
I took a step back. I didn’t understand what had changed.
She leaned in to me. ‘He changed his mind after
he had a visitor earlier.’
She was enjoying herself, so I played along. ‘Not family, then?’
‘They showed me their ID cards.’
I nodded. Police. I asked her to describe the visitor to me. She might as well have handed me a photograph of Coleman. I thanked her and headed back to my car. I was being used. Branning had led me to news of Reg Holborn’s death. And now he wouldn’t speak to me. And Coleman, the man who had pointed me in the direction of Andrew Bancroft, was closing my avenues off. It didn’t make sense.
CHAPTER TEN
I knocked on Don’s front door and stepped back. If he saw me, he was likely to pretend he wasn’t in. I was banking on him being curious enough to open up if he couldn’t see me standing there. It was the nature of the man. He’d always told me that once you were police, you were always police. It reminded me of Coleman saying they took care of their own. Don didn’t let me down. As soon as the door was open slightly, I had my foot wedged in the door so he couldn’t close it.
Once he saw it was me, he stepped back and opened the door fully. ‘No need for that, Joe. I would have let you in.’
I smiled and followed him through to the living room.
‘Put the kettle on,’ he said, as he sat down.
I did as I was told. I looked at the photographs on his wall as I waited for the kettle to boil. There were more photographs of Sarah as a child and then as a woman. There were photographs of Lauren and some of his wife. There were also photographs of them together as a family. It was all built on lies. I walked back to Don, passed him his coffee and sat down opposite him.
‘What can I do for you, Joe?’
‘Told Sarah yet?’
He leaned forwards. ‘I thought we understood each other on that.’
‘She’ll hear it from someone else,’ I told him. I knew that if Sarah found out I had knowledge of her dad’s affair with Kath Millfield and I hadn’t said anything, she wouldn’t talk to me again.
‘No one knows about it and that’s the way it’s going to stay.’ Don turned away from me. Topic closed.
I asked him if he’d spoken with Roger Millfield.
He stared at me, but didn’t answer.
‘He’s still desperate for me to stop working for him,’ I said.
‘You should listen to him, then.’
‘That’s not how I work.’
Don shook his head. ‘Got your cigarettes back yet?
‘Not yet.’
‘Any leads?’
‘One or two.’ We sat in silence with our drinks until I spoke. ‘Who attacked you Don?’ I wasn’t letting it go. Sarah was depending on me. We both knew that it wasn’t going to be the end of things. It never was. They’d be back. ‘I can help you.’ He was running scared, like Millfield was.
‘I don’t need any help,’ Don said.
‘Sure?’
‘Quite sure.’
‘I could certainly use some help,’ I said.
Don stared at me. ‘I’m not in that game now.’
‘Tell me about Reg Holborn.’ I watched for any reaction to the name.
‘What’s he got to do with anything?’
Don had played it straight. No reaction. ‘He was your ex-colleague,’ I said.
‘I know who you mean.’ He continued to stare at me. ‘Who have you been talking to?’
‘I caught up with Gerard Branning.’ I didn’t mention that he now wasn’t speaking to me.
Don smiled. ‘I trained you well.’
‘It’s my job.’ I knew I was making progress. Before getting involved, Don was leading the life of a retired man, which made his involvement with Millfield’s problems all the more puzzling, especially as he didn’t want knowledge of his affair with Kath Millfield to surface.
Don continued speaking. ‘You’ll know I didn’t see eye to eye with Holborn, then?’
‘I’ve heard that.’
‘There’s no doubting the man was a good detective, even if some of his methods were a bit out of order in my opinion. He was ruthless and wasn’t bothered who he trod on, whether it was a colleague or a criminal. He got results and that made him popular with the bosses. Once you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll. Promotion soon follows.’
‘Did he ever cause you any problems?’
‘I stayed away from him.’
‘He died in a fire recently.’
‘So I heard.’
Of course he had. It was the nature of the job.
‘I didn’t go to the funeral,’ he said. ‘It would have been hypocritical of me.’
‘Dropped a cigarette the newspaper said. The fire got a grip too quickly for help to reach him.’
‘It happens. What more can I say?’
I left it there about Holborn. He wasn’t going to say anything further. I changed the subject again. ‘Tell me about Andrew Bancroft.’
Don put his mug down and stood up. ‘It’s time for you to go, Joe.’
I walked into Niall’s bar. I had to tell him I fucked up with the Horton brothers in Goole. He spotted me and led me across to an empty table. I was still thinking over Don’s reaction to the mention of Bancroft’s name, but I wasn’t surprised. Little was surprising me at the moment. I turned to my brother. ‘I’ve lost the money,’ I said, once we were sat down. I explained what I’d done. ‘It was a stupid idea.’
Niall sighed and leaned towards me. ‘What do we do now?’
He wasn’t too disappointed. It was a minor blow in comparison to what else had happened. I told him about my visit to Sutherland’s ex-wife. ‘I’ll find a way to get Sutherland off our back. It just takes a bit of time.’
My brother wasn’t convinced. One of his mates came over and said he needed his help in the kitchen. I told Niall not to worry as he left. He was as uncertain as I felt, but I had nothing more comforting to say to him.
I stared into space, unsure of what I should do next. Sarah finished serving a customer and came over to me.
‘Any news for me?’ she said.
I shook my head and asked if Don had said anything more about Roger Millfield.
‘Nothing.’
I brought her up to date. ‘I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think I could sort things out so easily.’ I paused, deciding I had to take another chance. ‘I’ve had a name given to me. Andrew Bancroft.’
‘Who’s he?’
‘That’s the question. I asked your dad, but he wasn’t talking.’
‘I’ll ask around if it helps?’
I nodded. I knew she’d ask Don who Bancroft was. I was stirring something up. I hoped I was doing the right thing.
Sarah stood up, ready to go back to work. ‘Don’t shut me out, Joe.’
My mobile vibrated in my pocket. I read the text message from Connor. He was outside my flat and wanted to speak to me urgently. I left the bar and headed straight there.
I found him sitting on the doorstep, clearly upset. We went up to my flat. The best I could offer him was a glass of water. I told him to sit down and calm himself. ‘What’s happened?’
He ignored me and paced the room, running his hand through his hair. ‘This bloke stopped me and asked what the time was. I got my mobile out to check and he boxed me in against the wall, told me he knew all about me, that it was time to pay up.’
I was listening more seriously now. ‘He threatened you?’
‘He was right in my face.’
I told him again to sit down. We needed to go through it from the beginning. ‘So he asked you the time first, right? That was the first time you noticed him?’
Connor nodded. ‘And then he jostled me down an alleyway.’
‘Where?’
‘On High Street. I was cutting through to meet a mate from college.’
I knew the area had lots of narrow cobbled alleyways. They were quiet enough to drag someone down without it being noticed. A lot of the old warehouses were now student flats. The chances of any potential witnesses were slim. ‘What happened when he had you
out of sight? Did he take your wallet and mobile?’
‘He didn’t take anything.’
‘Nothing?’
‘No.’
‘You said he knew all about you?’
‘He said he knew what I’d done and I was to pass on a message to my dad. He said they wanted the money for the cigarettes.’
It was George Sutherland’s work. ‘You didn’t ring the police, did you?’
‘No.’
‘Good.’
‘I should tell dad the truth. It’s gone too far.’
‘Leave it for now.’ In this case, the truth didn’t seem such a good idea.
‘What are you going to do?’
I told him I was going to take him home before I did anything else. Then I had a visit to make. George Sutherland had made it clear Niall had no protection, but this was overstepping the mark. I wasn’t standing for it.
‘Order a drink first,’ the barmaid said to me.
‘I don’t want one.’ I eyeballed her and repeated that I wanted to speak to George Sutherland.
She laughed and picked up an empty glass from the bar. ‘Fuck off before I throw you out.’
I stood my ground. The drinkers weren’t making eye contact with me. I repeated myself.
‘Don’t be thinking I need any help in throwing you out,’ she said.
I smiled. ‘I believe you.’
She eventually relented and shouted out for Sutherland. I thanked her and waited.
He eventually walked into the bar. ‘What the fuck do you want?’ he said before pointing at his barmaid. ‘I hope you haven’t given this cunt a free drink?
She laughed and shook her head. ‘Told him to fuck off, didn’t I?’
‘Good.’ He told me to follow him through to his office. The only thing of interest to me was the bank of CCTV screens in the corner. One camera was focused on the till at the bar, another was watching an empty bedroom. There was a rack of DVDs on his desk. Niall’s colleague, Terry Gillespie, had a leaflet advertising gentleman’s evenings and had paid for sex here. It looked to me like Sutherland was filming the extra-curricular activities as a side-line. The man repulsed me. I pointed to the screen. ‘Peeping Tom?’
The Crooked Beat Page 10