Between Two Thieves

by Solomon Carter

  “Call Hogarth. That’s what we need to do next.”

  “At seven thirty?” said Eva. “I don’t think so.”

  Dan took another sip and made a face. “If he’s worth his salt as a police detective, he’ll already be hard at work. He’s got a murder case on. This is what guys like him live for.”

  “But why call him?” said Eva. “To tell him about Tommy Pink and Clive Grace?”

  “Hold fire on that. I think we need to be absolutely sure on those two before we hand them over. He’ll only have our word for what we saw.”

  “But we saw it all, Dan. A tip-off should do it.”

  “But without evidence the police could bodge the case. It happens. What we need to know is what happened to Norman Peters. That blood on the sand couldn’t have come from his head. How did Peters die? And whose blood was it?”

  “It’d be better to have some info to trade with Hogarth. That’s how he likes it.”

  “So tell him you’ve got some news on the way.”

  Eva frowned, but Dan was right. If Peters’ cause of death was clear it would fill in one more blank – one more domino in the line of cause and effect. Eva took a gulp of coffee, popped an Ibuprofen in her mouth to fend off the onset of a headache, and started to dial.

  The first sound that greeted her ears was rushing traffic, followed by the man clearing his throat. “Miss Roberts. You’re keen this morning. Got something for me, have you?”

  Eva raised an eyebrow, feeling almost caught out by Hogarth’s ESP. Then her tired mind realised it was just his sense of humour.

  “Actually, it’s a follow-up call, Inspector. Did you get anything back from the post-mortem on Norman Peters?”

  “Oh, that. Must have slipped my mind to call you back. Yes, we got something alright. The little fella was smashed to a pulp right there on the beach. Bloody aggressive it was. I saw a couple of bruises from punching, so put it down to a beating, but our pathologist says it was worse than that. The culprit knocked his front teeth out, broke his jaw, and fractured his skull. He tells me Peters was struck five times with a heavy weapon. The blow which fractured his skull is likely to have knocked him out.”

  “Knocked him out?”

  “Looks that way, because his head hit the sea wall on his way down. There’s a graze on his head which corresponds to some evidence found on the wall.”

  “You’re saying the beating didn’t kill him?”

  “No. The Ubers did that. Toxicology says Peters must have ingested three, or maybe even four pills before he died. They were only partially digested too. Looks like they were taken either just before or just after he took his beating.”

  “Three or four Ubers?”

  “I know, Miss Roberts. That’s far too much. These ecstasy pills are very potent, and the mix isn’t always safe either. If you take two of these at once, it’s a gamble. Three or more, that’s Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun.”

  “What do you make of it?” said Eva, her eyes on Dan as he listened in.

  “Same as you do, Miss Roberts. Not even the wildest raver in town would drop three of those things whilst alone on Southend beach, and certainly not after a beating. Norman Peters either decided to top himself, or someone did it for him. But the beating he sustained had to be part of it.”

  “Interesting. Tell me, do you have any suspects in the frame?”

  “We’ll be looking at some possibles this morning. No one’s been ruled out. Not his market trader mates, or anyone else. But when it comes down to the Uber business, this murder could be down to anyone in the trade. It’s a big business lately.”

  Eva swallowed. She felt the temptation to share what she knew but decided Dan’s decision to wait was for the best.

  “What is it? I can almost hear that mind of yours whirring,” said Hogarth.

  “Can you?” she said.

  “Yes, so before you ask, no, I haven’t had anything back on that patch of blood. Crime Scene and forensics have been working on it as a precaution, though I think we could be overdoing it. Blood on Southend beach at the weekend? It could have been from any set of drunken pub brawlers you care to choose.”

  “It’s the location and the timing, Inspector. I feel it has to be connected in some way.”

  “Then we’ll find out soon enough. Okay. I’m almost at the station now. It’s time to hang up before my gaffer sees me driving while on the phone.”

  “You should get a hands-free, Inspector,” said Eva.

  “There’s a lot of things I should do, Miss Roberts. I’ll add that to the list.”

  The call finished and Eva turned her chair to face Dan. He blinked at her. “I got the gist. Norman Peters was beaten to a pulp with a weapon not unlike the one we saw in Clive Grace’s hand and then he was topped by someone forcing a bunch of super-strength Ubers down his neck. Makes you wonder what the poor fool had done to warrant that...”

  “Makes me wonder what kind of scumbag you’d have to be to do it. But then I think we might have seen a few candidates already, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Tom Pink and Clive Grace fit the bill nicely. And then there’s Joe Clancy himself. The little guy wouldn’t know an honest word if it bit him on the backside, and he was effectively being blackmailed for cash by Norman Peters. That clothes credit story is for the birds. Georgie might believe it, but do you?”

  “The clothes don’t lie. And how could he be responsible for beating up Norman Peters, Dan? The boy’s in such a bad way. And Georgie will no doubt provide him with an alibi.”

  “I hear you. But we still need to check him out, big time.”

  “We’ve checked him out already. Georgie has told us everything she knows. So has his father.”

  “I only wish we could have spoken to Carl Renton about him, seen him the way Carl saw him. We need to watch him, Eva, just like we did with the jetty last night. That worked, didn’t it? We need to catch him unawares.”

  Eva sipped her coffee as the ache in her temples began to fade. The Ibuprofen was starting to kick in.

  “Okay. But Aaron Clancy won’t like it at all if he finds out.”

  “Then we’ll avoid him like the plague.”

  They finished their coffees and got ready. When Mark came in, Joanne was with him. They looked keen and ready for the battle, but the grim, haggard look on Eva and Dan’s faces soon had their smiles waning.

  “What happened to you guys?” said Joanne.

  “A stake-out, that’s what happened,” said Dan.

  “We took a leaf out of Carl Renton’s book and took up a vigil on the marine centre jetty.”

  “Did you see anything?” said Mark.

  “We saw something alright, and my bet is that Carl Renton saw it too,” said Dan. “And we’re back out this morning.”

  “Don’t you want any help?” said Joanne, pushing.

  Eva shook her head. “Not this morning. It’s Sunday. You two should go home and put your feet up. This one is going to be another sit-and-wait job. But don’t worry, we’ll keep you in the loop.”

  They made their goodbyes and left the office, weary but ready for the battle without Joanne’s questions and pushing.

  ***

  They watched Aaron Clancy drive away from Kings Road at just before nine am. As with DI Hogarth, Clancy seemed equally happy to flout the law against using a mobile phone while driving. They could see Clancy ranting into his mobile as he started the engine and reversed the car off the drive. He slapped his steering wheel and was still shouting to himself as he drove away.

  “The council, maybe?” said Dan.

  “Not on a Sunday. The police maybe,” said Eva, “And unless we find his things it’ll be us next.”

  They sat in Eva’s Alfa Romeo. The small red hatchback was far less conspicuous than Dan’s metallic blue Chrysler convertible. With Clancy gone, Eva started the engine and pulled forward until they had a good line of sight into the big front windows of the Clancy house from their position, angled across the stre
et.

  The upstairs windows bore net curtains, but they were see-through enough to reveal movement like shadows within. They caught a glimpse of a young female silhouette, the shape and outline suggesting she was naked. Georgie, of course. It seemed the young couple were taking full advantage of Clancy Senior’s recent departure.

  “Looks like we’re in for a wait,” said Dan.

  “Maybe,” said Eva, glancing at the dashboard clock.

  “Anyway – I told you, Joe’s not as ill as he claims.”

  A short ten minutes later the movement shifted downstairs. They watched the door to the living room open, and in came Georgie. She was now was fully dressed, a tall glass of water in one hand. Joe walked in behind her, and right away they saw his demeanour was different. His face was less pale, his eyes big and bright. He seemed sharper, maybe a little edgy too. Once again he was telling the girl what to do.

  “That was quick work,” said Dan.

  “Young people do everything fast,” said Eva. “Didn’t you know?”

  “And is he telling her off again? What now?” said Dan.

  They watched. They saw Georgie nodding back as Joe talked at her. The girl swished her hair, downed her glass of water and left the room. Joe followed and they disappeared from sight. They waited another full minute, and then a blurred shadow filled the window of the front door. The door opened and out came Georgie. She walked out onto the doorstep, and Eva and Dan stiffened and wished they’d parked further away. It was too late to move now. If they were seen they would have to come up with a very good excuse.

  Georgie was carrying an empty tote bag. It floated by her ankles on the breeze. She turned to face Joe as he held the door and gave her another set of firm instructions. Eva dabbed the window button and the glass slid down an inch to give them a better chance of hearing. If either of them looked across the street to the right, they would be seen. All they could do was listen.

  “Anything else?” she said.

  “Oh, yeah. And some fizzy water. The good stuff, not the cheapo own brand. Oh, and get me some of those bacon Frazzles. And a multi-pack of Mars bars... and some orange juice with the bits in it. You know that always makes me feel better.”

  “I could have picked it up yesterday, you know. I was out then.”

  “Yeah. But I forgot. Come on. It’s not that far, it won’t take you long.”

  Dan kept his voice to a whisper. “Looks as if his father’s ‘how to be an arse’ lessons are really paying off,” he muttered.

  Georgie turned away down the step, her lank hair flapping in the breeze, covering her face. Eva felt her heart beating hard with the fear of being caught out. But by the time Georgie pulled the hair from her eyes she was already walking away up the steep sloping street towards the shops of Leigh Road, and Joe Clancy had already shut the door.

  “They didn’t see us,” said Dan.

  “A spot of luck where Georgie was concerned,” said Eva. “But Joe closed that door in a real hurry...”

  “Now that you mention it...” said Dan. “Let’s go and see what we can see.”

  They got out of the Alfa, closed the doors and and walked across the street. Kings Road, a template Neighbourhood Watch zone, well-to-do and concerned with keeping its desirable status. If they were going to spy into the property through the front, they certainly couldn’t do so for long without someone intervening. As soon as they reached the house front, Dan walked to the left to the window of the cluttered living room, while Eva turned right towards the second reception room – the dining room with the recliner armchairs in each corner. She reached the edge of the window and peered in to see Joe Clancy walk into the room. Immediately, Eva pulled back, then slowly edged forward again. With bated breath, she watched Clancy sit down at the table. He set down a small baby-blue plastic chopping board, along with a small sharp kitchen knife. The kind used to peel potatoes and chop apples.

  “Dan!” whispered Eva. He glanced across and she waved him over. Dan joined her side, poking his head around the edge of the window frame before pulling away again.

  “What’s he doing?” said Dan.

  But Joe answered the question himself. He reached deep into his jeans pocket and pulled out a tight-wrapped brown manila paper bundle and laid it on the table. With a shaking hand, he peeled the torn, crumpled paper back, dipped his fingers inside and pulled a small white tablet free. He laid the tablet on the chopping board with great care. With the air of a craftsman, he took the knife and artfully pressed it to the tablet, pushing down only when he seemed certain of where to make the cut. He cut the tablet with a last second thrust, and repeated the manoeuvre, then laid the knife aside. He picked up three of the tablet pieces, dropped them back into the shabby parcel and screwed it up tight, returning it to his pocket. He picked up the last fragment of tablet and eyed it once before depositing it onto his tongue. After swallowing it down, he lifted the cutting board, wiped the crumbs to one corner, and swept them down into his mouth with his finger.

  “I knew it,” said Dan, pulling away. “The clothing arrangement was a front. The credit story a blag.”

  Eva pulled away too. “He’s taking Ubers...”

  “And he’s been taking them all along. That’s why he looks so ill. He’s hooked on the damn things.”

  “So why’s he cutting them into pieces?” said Eva.

  “Probably a good idea when you’re as weak as he is. And an even better idea when your drug dealer delivery man has been murdered and you don’t know where your next fix is coming from. His supply line has been cut off. Maybe that’s why he seems jittery as hell. He’s using small doses to get by and pretty soon he won’t have any at all.”

  “Then Carl Renton...” said Eva. “Do you think he knew Joe was using?”

  “Joe being hooked on those damned pills changes everything. But from now on we’ve got him cold. Any questions we’ve got, Joe Clancy is going to give us a straight answer to every single one.”

  “He’s never helped us before,” said Eva.

  “Trust me,” said Dan. “We know too much for him to refuse. This whole thing has had us chasing our tails, now we know why. But I think things might be about to change...”

  When they reached the other side of the road, Eva’s mobile started to buzz. A queasy feeling hit her stomach and she thought of Lauren. Eva sighed and plucked the phone from her handbag. Thankfully it wasn’t Lauren. Hogarth’s name was on the screen. The queasiness subsided a little.

  “Miss Roberts,” said Hogarth.

  “Inspector?”

  “I’ve just had little chat with my DCI. The drugs boys have told him there’s a been a delivery somewhere on our patch, and he’s adding the problem to my in-tray. The drugs squad have noticed another surge in Ubers coming into the local black market only last night,” said Hogarth, building up a head of steam. “Have you heard anything on this?” Hogarth let his question hang in the air but Eva stayed quiet.

  “Norman Peters,” Hogarth continued. “There were Ubers in his pocket and pathology told us there were Ubers in his blood, traces of them on that dinghy too. These bloody pills are already a menace but now it looks like I’ve got another problem I need to solve, pronto.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been handed a hot potato, Inspector.”

  “Put it this way. When the music stops, I’m always the one holding the bloody parcel. We spoke about favours and information sharing as I recall. I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything that can help us?”

  “Why ask me, Inspector?”

  “Because I noticed that you turned coy on me this morning. And because you two always seem to be in the loop.”

  Dan shook his head. Eva frowned back at him.

  “You’re under pressure to get some kind of result here?” said Eva, saying the words for Dan’s benefit.

  “Always. That’s how the game works at this end,” said Hogarth.

  Dan shook his head again and drew a line across his neck to tell her to cut the call.


  “At this point, Inspector, all I can say is to look at the people you already know about.”

  “We’re dropping hints now are we?” said Hogarth, the anger showing in his voice. “The people we know. Such as?” said Hogarth.

  Eva hesitated, then said it out loud. “The market traders might be a good bet. Selling clothes down the market might earn them a living, but who knows what else they’ve been up to, eh?”

  “What do you know, Miss Roberts?”

  “I’m not sure, yet. But we’re working on it,” said Eva.

  Dan winced and looked away.

  “Of course you are,” said Hogarth. “Thanks for the tip. Your better half wouldn’t have given me a bean.”

  “He’s not that bad,” said Eva.

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  The call was over. Beside Eva, Dan was frowning.

  “What did you tell him that for?” said Dan. “He’ll be all over them now. What if we can’t get close enough to them now to finish the job?”

  “I gave him a hint, that’s all. A big hint.”

  “A hint? You virtually told him.”

  “He shared with us, and he asked me to share back. Unless you want him to stonewall us in every future job we get, you’d better just accept it and move on. He has a list of suspects. If we get moving, we’ll still get what we need before the police move in.

  “Great,” said Dan. “We’re under even more pressure than before.”

  “We were always under pressure. You have met Aaron Clancy, haven’t you?”

  They climbed back into the Alfa and Eva started the engine. From high up in the Clancy house, a shadow looked out from the upper window. As the car pulled away, Joe Clancy lifted the net curtain and looked out to the street. His newly bright eyes happened upon the roof of the gleaming red car as it accelerated away. The young man turned his eyes towards the top of the hill, waiting for Georgie’s return. He felt better, but still not good. Only a quarter of an Uber pill couldn’t dull the sharp anxiety inside.