The Fourth Friend (DI Jackman & DS Evans #3)(58)

‘And we can all guess who she’s worried over.’

Jackman mustered a smile. ‘Thanks, Marie, now you’d better go before the closed door causes comments.’

*

Two hours later, Carter and Marie were sitting in a seedy backstreet café talking to an even seedier man.

Carter had told her that Sidney was one of his oldest snouts, and unlike most of the street people he used, he actually trusted him. Sidney had taken a bit of finding, but the promise of food and a hot drink had tempted him out of his hole.

Now, with a full English breakfast inside him, he looked almost human.

‘He’s a creep, Mr McLean, no other word for him. Danny’s had these “things” about women before, but he’s never gone as far as snatching them. Silly bugger.’

‘You’re certain he was acting alone when he arranged to take the girl?’

‘Well, he used a couple of the lads to do the actual snatch.’ He winked at Carter. ‘As I think you know. But, yes, he was going to take her away with him.’

‘Where?’

Sidney shrugged. ‘No idea. But of course, it wasn’t him that started the whole thing.’

‘So he says.’ Carter’s eyes narrowed.

‘He isn’t lying, Mr McLean. The word on the streets is that a certain well-known family — one that’s headline news at present — were just saying “thank you” to the rozzer that put three of them in the cells.’

Marie’s eyes widened. ‘The Cannon family?’

Sidney tilted his head. ‘Maybe.’

That would make all kinds of sense. In her head, Marie went over the reports on the arrests and yes, Ruth Crooke had been the OIC. ‘Do you reckon that they never meant Danny to go as far as he did?’

The old man looked shrewdly at Marie. ‘They are in enough trouble, miss. It was just meant as a sort of “gesture.” Not intended to be linked to them, but still, an irritating thorn in said rozzer’s side.’

Carter shook his head. ‘Well, they certainly chose the wrong man for the job.’

‘I dunno. Even in our community, not many people know about Danny Hurley’s dark side.’

Carter pulled a face. ‘That’s true. I’ve never had dealings with him personally, but it never came up on the radar.’

‘And I’m guessing there will be no way to connect what happened to Leah with the Cannon family?’ asked Marie.

Sidney rolled his eyes. ‘Not in a million years. And as soon as I leave this place, I’m forgetting every word that was said.’ His face broke into a rather sad smile. ‘I’d do the same if I were you, miss, for all our sakes. No one goes up against the Cannons. But I’m thinking that as long as Danny is in your care, your young woman will be safe to return to her life again.’

They ordered Sidney more tea, and thanked him. Marie walked ahead, turned to say something to Carter and saw him mutter a few words into Sidney’s ear and pass him a small fold of notes.

Back in the car, she turned to him and raised an eyebrow. ‘Money well spent?’

‘Oh yes, I think so, don’t you?’ His face lit up. ‘Now we can get back to doing some real police work.’

He started the car. Marie watched him as he drove. From the set of his jaw, she knew that one way or another, Carter McLean was going to get to the truth of what happened in Holland Cottage. Was it to see justice done, or to rid himself of a ghost?





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Robbie looked down at his growing pile of reports. He had been meaning for some time to visit Joanne Simms, the late Ray Barret’s fiancée, but there weren’t enough hours in the day. At last he picked up the phone, wondering if it was really the lack of time that was holding him back. Or was it his reluctance to talk to a woman whose future husband had died just days before their wedding.

Robbie arranged to meet her outside the DIY store where she worked. He drove across town, marvelling at how resilient people were. A terrible tragedy occurs and, somehow, those left behind pick up the threads and move on. He thought of his old crewmate, Stella, gunned down as she tried to protect innocent bystanders. He thought of Marie, continuing to be a damned good copper after the love of her life had died in front of her, racing his favourite vintage motorbike. Then he considered Carter McLean, and his mind went into overload.

He drew in a deep breath. Don’t even go there, Melton!

Joanne waited for him in a small park beside the store. She looked nervous. Robbie knew that he didn’t look like a police officer, which helped a lot in situations like this. He adopted his “little brother” persona, and Joanne began to relax. In no time at all, they were chatting away like old friends.

‘It seems unbelievable that the wife of one of five such close friends could be attacked and removed from her home, and not one of them, including her husband, had the slightest idea that she was even missing.’ Robbie shook his head.

Joanne nodded. ‘But poor Tom had been staying with us, hadn’t he? He hadn’t been back to the house for fear of meeting Suzanne.’ She shuddered. ‘Initially I thought, thank God he didn’t. It would have been terribly shocking to find all that blood. But now,’ she tugged at her earlobe, ‘I wonder if he had gone back, then the stag trip would have been cancelled, and they’d all be alive.’