The Blue Notes (12 page)

‘A Sig 9mm, with no serial number? Aye, I’ve got it. Consider it a penalty charge for my loss of sleep.’

‘All right, I will. Accept it as a gift. A golden hello, if you like.’

‘A what?’

‘A signing on present, then.’

‘Signing on with you? No offence, but I don’t think so, mate. I prefer to earn my money the hard way.’

‘I can see that. And it’s admirable as a quality, taking pleasure in hard graft. I wish I saw more of it in my own people, I really do. But tell you what, let’s leave that one, just for a minute. Because there was something in particular that I wanted to ask you.’

This time it was Hood who smiled. ‘Whether I knew that it was your mates I was nicking that diesel from?’

‘Aye. That’s it, exactly. Did you know?’

‘You really think it was a co-incidence?’

‘No, not really. Just wanted to be sure, that’s all. So if you knew, why did you target me? To get at me, like?’

‘No, not really. I just knew that you’d not want to draw attention to yourself, or any of your operations. You’d not be going crying to the cops, like.’

‘I get it, aye. But then I don’t really need the police’s help, do I? So you weren’t worried that I’d come after you, when I found out?’

‘Not really, no. I doubted that your boys would be all that effective as a private police force, to tell the truth. And so far I’ve not been proved wrong, have I?’

‘I suppose not, no.’

Young smiled again, but no more convincingly. ‘And how about Pepper?’

‘You what?’

‘Come on, mate. DS Pepper Wilson, your new mate.’

‘The copper I helped out in that pub? Attractive lass, aye. And she can certainly handle herself, I’ll say that for her, like.’

‘She can that. So you’re working with her now, are you?’

‘Don’t be daft, mate. I work for myself, doing this job. I’m not a bloody grass, or owt like that.’

Young got up from where he’d been sitting on the tail lift, and looked levelly at Hood.

‘I respect what you’ve said, but in fairness to us both I really should give you the details of my offer, just so you can consider it properly. Knowing all the facts, like. You’d look after all of our haulage operations. There’s a good basic salary, we’d start you on eighty thousand, all taxed and legit, plus we operate a profit share scheme. You get a piece of our other income, assuming you help out as and when required. That money’s paid offshore, anywhere you like, and last year someone of your grade would have earned about two-fifty.’

‘Thousand?’

‘Aye, thousand. And that’s pounds, not dollars or owt like that.’

‘And what exactly would I have to do for all that treasure?’

‘Whatever I say. As simple as that.’

‘That’s a pretty wide job description, like.’

‘It is, but you’ve got all the skills you’d need, and more. You wouldn’t struggle, not for one minute.’

‘But I can’t do much, marra. Hump stuff about, that’s about it, these days.’

‘It’s the skills that you acquired in your previous career that I’m more interested in, to tell the truth.’

‘Like that, is it? You think I’m a hired thug, a killer too, I dare say? Well, maybe you’re right, at that. So that’s the carrot, Mr. Young. Now, why don’t you tell me about the stick?’

‘The stick? No, I don’t need to tell you about that. Because you already know more about it than most, don’t you? Because in the end the stick’s always the same, anyway. It takes the things that you love most, and they never, ever get to come back. That’s the stick. So I’ll leave it with you, yeah? And you come back to me when you’ve decided. But don’t leave it too long, Mr. Hood.’

Rex Copeland had kept his distance that morning, because Hood seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, but he was still able to get a couple of decent photos of Dai Young talking to Davey Hood. And when Young had gone he looked at the pictures on the back of the camera. They looked pretty bloody pally, just chatting like old mates, and even Pepper wouldn’t be able to deny that. Young was even smiling in one of the shots, by the looks of it.

‘I’ve got you now Hood, you bastard’, he said, as he started the engine.

Friday, 17th April

10.17am, family meeting room, Carlisle Divisional HQ

Henry Armstrong waited until he thought that Josie stopped crying, started to speak, and then realised that she hadn’t. She was just coming up for air. Eventually the sobbing subsided, and then she spoke before he could.

‘Why are you helping me, Henry? Or is this some kind of trick? Have they sent you in to get me to admit it? Is that it? Well I won’t, because I didn’t do anything. I didn’t make that call.’ It all came out in a rush.

‘Of course not, love. I’d never do that. I know that you didn’t do anything wrong. Someone else used that phone. It’s bloody obvious, is that. And you’ll never be charged, whatever happens.’

‘Are you sure about that? The way that DS Jarvis was talking I’m going to be convicted for certain, and then I’ll go to prison. He said they’d eat me alive in there.’

‘Ignore him. That’s just talk. He’s trying to scare you, that’s all. You’re not going to prison, I promise you.’

‘Are you sure? And is this how you operate too, Henry? Putting innocent people under that kind of pressure. It’s sick. It’s just fucking sick.’

‘No. No, of course I don’t. But listen, love. We don’t get a lot of innocent people in here, to tell the truth. And most of the rest already know the ropes, and how to play the game.’

‘Well I don’t. And it’s not a bloody game, Henry. We’re talking about the state trying to take away my liberty. Do you even understand what that means? How serious it is?’

‘I forget sometimes, Josie. We probably all do. The job makes you, you know, cynical.’

‘Even you, Henry?’

‘Aye, I suppose so. Even me. But tell me again, exactly what Jarvis and Dixon said to you.’

Josie told him, and Henry didn’t interrupt once.

‘They checked what I told them about the email and the corrupt DVD too, Henry. It was there, just like I said it was.’

‘Of course it was, love. Christ, I’ve never doubted you. All right, let’s think this through. You’re absolutely sure that no-one saw you at about this time? There was no-one about at all? Not even the cleaners?’

‘I’m absolutely sure. The lights were out in the corridor, I do remember that. You know, the automatic lights.’

Armstrong jumped up from the sofa next to her.

‘That’s it. Shit, that’s it. The lights go on and off automatically, don’t they? Not just in the corridors, but in the offices too.’

‘Aye, they do. What of it?’

‘I bet they’re linked to the computer. This is a new building, love. The bosses are always going on about how smart it is, and how green too. So I bet you this will have been logged by a computer somewhere. Did Jarvis or Dixon not ask about it?’

‘No. They don’t really look all that tech savvy, to tell the truth. Jarvis especially, I’d say.’

‘I’m not surprised. Right, you stay here. I think Pepper wants to pop in, and have a chat, if that’s alright. So I’ll go and see what I can find out. And I’ll let you know what I find out, OK? I’m not promising, but if we find that someone triggered the lights after you were in the room where the DVD was, then we’ll know for sure, won’t we? Those bastards will have to leave you alone then.’

Armstrong ran along the corridor, then up one level and along to the office that belonged to the civilian facilities manager. He hadn’t been a copper before, in fact the word was that he’d previously run a council tip, and he seemed to regard all bobbies as being just like criminals, only a bit less trustworthy. It took Armstrong ten minutes to explain what he wanted and for Mr. Hamilton to admit, reluctantly, that the system did indeed log when the lights went on and off in all the rooms and corridors in the station. Then he told Armstrong that he’d need authorisation from his superior at HQ before allowing him access to the data, and Henry replied, rather to his surprise, that Hamilton would do it right now, or he’d have Acting DI Wilson to deal with.

This had the desired effect, and in five minutes Armstrong knew exactly what he needed to. He took a range of print outs, and told Hamilton to stand ready to give a formal statement. He complained, and Henry told him to shut up. Then he ran back to the family suite, where he found that Pepper was still there. He sensed that they’d just been talking about him, but didn’t comment. He didn’t give a shit about that now. He showed them both the printout, talking fast, and took both women through the time-line.

‘So what you’re saying,’ said Pepper, when he’d finished, ‘is that someone else triggered the lights in the corridor and the CCTV room, even though we know for certain that Josie was still looking for the DVD at the time?’

‘Yes, exactly. Because we can see that they both went off again when this other person left, and then came back on when Josie walked back out into the corridor, and then back to the CCTV room. And we know it was her who triggered them then, because the lights in the room she’d left stayed on for 90 seconds after the ones in the corridor came on for the second time, and that’s exactly what they should have done. There’s no doubt, Pepper, there was someone else there. There’s no other explanation.’

‘Great job, Henry. Nice one. So do we know who else was in the station at that time?’

‘I don’t. I thought we’d leave that to the dynamic duo from Professional Standards to find out.’

‘Sod them’, said Pepper, and picked up the phone on the coffee table. She spoke to Hamilton, who told her that what she was asking for was more than his job was worth. But five minutes later they were all looking at the list of who’d been in the building at 9.18pm.

‘Fifteen sworn officers, from the Super down,’ said Pepper, ‘plus seven full-time civilians and three contractors. They’ll be cleaners I expect. Those are the bloody suspects, Henry, right there. And don’t you worry any more, Josie love, because you’re in the clear.’

Henry got up, and Josie did too. She hugged him, and after a moment he hugged her back.

‘So what now, Pepper?’ he asked.

‘You two should probably get a room.’ She laughed. ‘Seriously, this is what happens next. Henry, you write this up, and email it all to that prat Jarvis. Then you phone Josie’s solicitor and give him a head-up, but don’t pass on the documentation. Just explain what we know, OK?’

‘Will do. Don’t worry, Josie, we’ll have you out of here in an hour or so, and then everything will go back to normal.’

Josie started crying again, but stopped after a few seconds. ‘Not for me, it won’t. This has been the worst day of my life, by a bloody mile. I’ll never forget it. And listen, thanks to both of you. I can’t thank you enough, honestly. But I can’t help thinking, what would have happened if I hadn’t had you two in my corner? Those bastards wanted me charged, not because I did it, but because I was there. That’s all there was to it. They don’t give a shit about the truth, or justice, do they? All they care about is getting a bloody result.’

DC Rex Copeland waited until Pepper had finished her second coffee of the day before he knocked on her office door. It was usually the safest plan.

‘You know the expression, don’t shoot the messenger?’ he said, when he’d sat down.

‘Aye, I do.’ She laughed. ‘What is it now, Rex? Don’t tell me you’re the bloody mole. I don’t think I could take it.’

‘No, not that. And anyway, Henry would never speak to me again if I’d tried to frame his bird.’

‘His bird?’

‘Well, she is now, isn’t she? Henry would look good on a white horse, I’ve always said so. But it’s these I wanted to show you, Pepper. And like I say, just don’t shoot the messenger, OK?’

Copeland opened the file he was carrying, and put four glossy prints down on the table, face up. Then he sat back a little and waited.

Pepper looked at them for a moment. Her expression didn’t change. ‘When were these taken?’

‘Yesterday morning.’

‘And by you, I take it?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And what does the log say you were doing, when you took these?’

‘Out on enquiries. The Pendergast fraud.’

‘And were you?’

‘I was on my way to interview a wit at the time.’

‘And you just happened to see Young talking to Davey Hood? Don’t bullshit me, Rex.’

‘I followed him. Hood I mean.’

‘Because?’

‘Because he’s at it, Pepper. You’re always saying that Dai Young is out to get you, well maybe this is how. Have you thought about that possibility?’

Pepper laughed at that. ‘You don’t know Dai, love. There’s no way on earth that he’d come up with something like that. He’s got all the subtlety of a red hot poker up the arse. And a bloke like Davey acting out a role? Some kind of Mata Hari in overalls? Come on, mate, act your age. He’s about as likely to do that as he is to take up ballet. There’s no bloody chance.’

‘So how do you explain these photos?’

‘So they talked. So what? It’s in the street, and it’s in broad daylight. And I’m assuming that it was Young who rocked up, and then approached Hood?’

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘Probably something and nothing, then.’

‘Come on, Pepper. That Hood bloke could be a bloody mass-murderer and you’d still be in his corner. Just admit it; he’s a con, just like the rest of them.’

‘He’s not, Rex. Just take my word for it, OK? And get back to your work, would you? Your proper work. You know, the stuff with a crime number, a victim, and all that unimportant sort of shit.’

‘All right, but you’re wrong, Pepper.’

He got up and turned to leave, but she called him back.

‘Sit. All right, I’ll tell you. Only me and Henry know this, so keep it to yourself. It’s Davey Hood who’s been donating that diesel to the foodbank and those other places. And guess who he’s been nicking it from?’

‘Dai Young?’

‘As good as, aye. So you see there’s no way that him and Dai Young are best mates, or anything like that. I’m absolutely certain of it, Rex.’

Copeland thought for a moment, then nodded reluctant acceptance. ‘All right, boss. If you say so.’

‘I do. But it’s good of you to keep an eye out for me, love. I appreciate that, I really do.’

‘Yeah, well. I’d better be getting back to my work, hadn’t I? I just wanted you to know what I’d seen, that’s all.’

‘Well you have, Rex. Now, was that all?’

‘Yeah. I’ll leave it with you then. But it’s not like you to see the best in people, I will say that.’

‘That’s because most people are selfish bastards, present company excepted. And I’ll talk to Davey Hood about all this. Don’t you worry about that, love.’

Pepper didn’t stray from her desk for the next two hours, and by the time she actually got up to go to the loo she was bursting. She’d barely sat back down again, having communicated her current hot beverage preference to Henry as she passed his desk by simply placing one forefinger against the other to make the shape of a capital ’T’, when her phone rang. She swore, and picked it up.

The civilians on reception were utterly crap at filtering calls, so it would probably be someone trying to sell the force something or other. The last one like that she’d taken was a bloke trying to sell security systems. She’d asked if he was taking the piss, but apparently other forces were using them on buildings that they were leaving unmanned. But this one wasn’t from a salesman, because Linda Taylor had used the false name that they’d agreed on.

‘All right, love? You’re on a pay as you go, I hope?’

‘Aye, I am.’

‘Good. Give me the number, and I’ll call you right back. This had better be important, love, because you’ve already broken rule one, like.’

Pepper called back, and Linda started talking. ‘I’m sorry, love. I know I’m not supposed to have contact with anyone from home, in case Tommy finds out. But I thought you were different, what with you being a cop, like.’

‘That’s all right, love, but don’t say any more than you have to. Like I explained, you’ve made a difficult decision, but now you need to see it through, OK?’

‘Aye, I know. I wonder how Tommy’s taking it, though.’

‘Do you really need to ask? He’s lost his cash machine, his personal cook and his walking bloody punch-bag. So he’ll be taking it badly. We’ve not nicked him for fighting yet, but give him time.’

‘He’ll be missing the kids, though. I know he will.’

‘That’s tough, love. He was shit to you, and he was no better to them. Trust me, I know the effect that dads like him have on their kids. You’re better off out of it, honestly.’

‘Aye, Pepper, I know. And I’d hate my kids to feel about their old fella the way that you do about yours.’

There was a silence. And when Linda spoke again Pepper could hear her trying to force a smile into her voice.

‘I just wanted to say thanks again. You know, for the money. It’s been a life-saver.’

‘Like I said, don’t mention it. I honestly can’t think of a better use for it, love.’

‘Well, I mean it. And I’ve got something for you. A gift, like, to say thanks again.’

‘What? There was no need to do that, love.’

‘I don’t mean a present, I mean information.’

‘Oh, aye? One for the road, like, is it?’

‘Something like that, aye. It came to me, just today. I know where Dai Young is putting up the lads who do his drug runs. You know, on the fishing boats.’

‘Really?’

‘Aye. It was something Tommy said, when these two lads came round to ours a couple of weeks back. Scottish they were. He made some joke about sailors, and one of them mentioned where he was staying. Just round the corner from us, like. They seemed like working lads, not yobs, like. And you did say that you thought Young was probably bringing his gear in on boats.’

‘Aye, but that doesn’t mean anything. Even if they were at it they wouldn’t still be around here. They’d be gone, long since. Out on the rolling waves, like.’

‘No, they won’t. That’s the thing, see. One of them said that there was a problem with the engine, and that they’d be staying for a week or two while it was fixed. The parts had to come from Sweden, or somewhere.’