Dead Of Winter (Willis/Carter #1)(44)



‘Just curious . . . You ever get a thing for one of the women?’

Sonny looked across at Carmichael. He grinned sleepily.

‘No such thing as a thing for a woman like that. Treat them like animals . . . it’s a business.’

‘You must have fathered a child or few?’

Sonny snorted. ‘Sure . . . it happens . . . get rid of it.’

‘You must get some strange requests: freaks, specialities?’

‘Digger orders something special sometimes.’

‘To work in the club?’

‘Shit, no. I mean special, weird – he passes it on to someone else.’

‘Weird? As in?’

‘Had to send her for tests – blood, that kind of thing.’

‘Anyone ever order a pregnant girl from you?’

‘Yeah, Digger wanted a pregnant one once. Now the police are asking about her.’

‘When was that?’

‘About a year ago now I got her for him. She was one of my girls.’

‘Do you know what he did with her?’

‘Nothing to do with me.’

‘What about Digger?’

‘Or him. She was for his friend. I brought her in. Digger passed her on.’

‘Who to?’

‘I never met him. What’s with the questions?’

Carmichael changed gear, the car slipped along the waterlogged streets of melting slush.

‘Just that I had a kid once.’

Sonny closed his eyes. ‘Yeah . . . nice.’

‘A kid can rip your heart out and stamp all over it, more than any woman. You make a promise to a kid, you have to keep it. They trust you. There are consequences if you let them down, if you fail them. You ever think about consequences, Sonny?’

Sonny didn’t answer. He had fallen asleep.

Carmichael pulled onto the slipway. The Thames was inky black. The water was running fast, pulling the mass of black back out to sea. A Christmas boat party was in progress. The sound of laughter and drum and bass drifted across the water. Carmichael sat for a moment watching the lights on the water before he turned and punched his fist hard into the side of Sonny’s head. He reached into the glove box and took out Sonny’s revolver before releasing the handbrake and stepping out of the car.





Chapter 25


Carter had gone to lie down in the exhibits room where they’d put up a camp bed. He left instructions to wake him in three hours. They were taking it in turns to grab a few hours’ kip through the nightshift. In the ETO, Ebony looked across at Jeanie. She looked very pale.

She was on the phone to her husband Noel.

‘I’m not going to make it back, love . . . give her a kiss from me . . . I expressed milk; it’s in the fridge.’ Jeanie closed her eyes as she listened to her partner’s silence – not hostility, just concern. But they had no choice. Noel was going to be another couple of years studying for his teaching qualifications and one of them had to pay the mortgage. Damn . . . Jeanie felt the tingling in her breasts as she heard Christa cry in the background. Jeanie snapped her eyes open and put a smile on her face as she answered: ‘No, not coming back at all tonight, I’m sorry. Looks like we’ll all be working nonstop until this case ends . . . love you.’

Her hand lingered on the phone as she finished her call and looked up from her thoughts to see Ebony pointing discreetly at a damp patch on Jeanie’s chest.

‘Oh shit.’ Jeanie brought her arm across to hide it. She stood and pushed her chair away. ‘I’ve had enough. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I need to get home and feed my baby. If Davidson asks, tell him it’s milking time back at the zoo.’ She smiled at Ebony. ‘Won’t be long. I’ll see you in a couple of hours – four max. I’ll take my nap at home.’ She picked up her bag and left.

There were only four of them in the ETO now. Ebony went to talk to Robbo, sitting on his own in the Intel room. He was on the phone to Sandford, who was at Blackdown Barn.

‘Yeah . . . I’ll ask her now.’ He held the phone away from his mouth and looked up at Ebony as she walked in.

‘Sandford wants to know whether you want to go back to Rose Cottage with him and Bishop?’

‘When’s he going?’

‘Tomorrow sometime. He’ll let you know. Yes or no?’

‘Yes. If I can.’

‘He wants you to get hold of the gardener anyway.’

‘Okay. I have his number.’

Robbo got back on the phone to Sandford. ‘She’ll come with you, if she can . . . but she’ll contact the gardener either way and speak to you tomorrow . . . By the way . . . I’ve contacted several manufacturers for plastic curtains. I’ve got the samples for you. Yeah, yeah . . . I’m alright here thanks. It’s nice and warm here in the office.’

Robbo hung up and checked his watch. ‘Although probably no good to call your gardener now at three-thirty in the morning. Right . . .’ He clapped his hands together in front of his face and snapped his eyes open wide. ‘Coffee and then back to work. You heard from Carmichael since you went to see him on the farm?’

‘No. I have a funny feeling he’s not there.’

‘Yeah . . . that was always on the cards,’ Robbo shouted over grinding coffee beans. ‘You couldn’t expect him to take it lying down. You tell him the people who killed his wife and child are back in town and you send him an open invitation to hunt for them himself. He’s got nothing left to lose. You better go back there and see if you can find out where he’s gone.’

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