before I left.’
‘Thank you for taking the trouble.’
‘That reminds me,’ Sam produced a folded piece of paper from his trouser pocket. ‘I made a list of the dates he stayed with us. Thought you might find it useful.’
‘That’s saved someone a bit of leg work.’ Dan unfolded the paper and laid it on the table.
‘According to this he slept in your place two or three times a week for eighteen months, more often in winter than summer. Any idea where he went the other nights?’ Dan passed the sheet to Peter.
‘The same place those who can’t run to our seventy-five pence fee, and the overflow we fail to accommodate, go to every night of the week.
Cardboard boxes and blankets on the beach, a shake-down in the underpasses or the multi-storeys.
Your people should have a better idea than me.’
‘Only when we’re young and on the beat. When we start working from an office we forget about the streets,’ Peter said.
‘Thank you for coming down, Sam.’ Bill went to the door. ‘I’ll see you out.’
After Bill and Sam left, Dan picked up the remote and pressed play. Tony drew on his cigarette again, his eyes darting uneasily in their sockets.
‘I’d give a night’s drinking to know what ghosts were chasing that man.’ Making the most of Bill’s absence, Peter lit his cigar.
‘My money’s still on a row between dossers over drink.’ Anna moved sideways to avoid Peter’s cigar smoke.
‘Why?’ Dan asked.
‘Sam said the old hands carry knives. Look at Tony in that second interview. He’s just the type to keep one hidden in his boot. Someone turned it and used it on him.’
‘No knife was found,’ Trevor reminded her.
‘Perhaps the killer ran down to the dock and dropped it in the water. I think we should search it.’
‘Two hundred foot of quayside so filthy a diver can’t see his hand in front of his face?’ Peter flicked his ash on the floor. ‘Remember that woman who drove into it? We didn’t find her car until a year later, and that was after five teams went down.’
‘They weren’t looking for it that far out,’ Anna remonstrated.
‘Even so, there’s a hell of a difference between a car and a knife. And if we couldn’t find a car, what chance a knife?’
‘So what do you suggest we do?’ Dan looked to Peter.
‘I’m more inclined to agree with Trevor. It was probably kids high on something looking for sick kicks.’
‘Any news on that bottle of whisky?’ Trevor asked.
‘Not that I’ve heard,’ Dan answered.
Peter stared thoughtfully at the disc Nigel Valance had left. ‘Tony wouldn’t have needed much of an excuse to lash out. It could well have been a fight over nothing in particular. You saw what he was like on that film. He could have simply taken an exception to the colour of another man’s socks. He attacked, but his victim was stronger and possibly sober. Turned the knife on him, it went into Tony’s face, gouged his cheek, sliced off his ear, and made a bloody awful mess that caused the second man to panic. He looked around, saw a car, siphoned off petrol –’
‘For which he just happened to have a can and a tube?’ Dan smiled.
‘He could have been breaking into parked cars.
Lot of charity workers like Sam carry spare cans in case of emergency.’
‘That’s right,’ Trevor concurred. ‘I ran out once down there, and Sam helped me out with a gallon.’
‘So our villain, whoever he is, tipped the petrol over Tony and tossed a match. Not bad considering you started with no evidence,’ Dan said sceptically.
‘Are we releasing that film, sir?’ Anna asked Dan. ‘There could be a witness out there.’
‘Too damned right.’ Peter ground the stub of his cigar beneath his shoe. ‘The murderer for one.’
‘We were too late for the early evening news, but we’ve booked a slot on the ten minute local at ten-thirty after the national news,’ Dan revealed.
‘Showing the film?’
‘Do you think the station would do anything
‘Thank you for taking the trouble.’
‘That reminds me,’ Sam produced a folded piece of paper from his trouser pocket. ‘I made a list of the dates he stayed with us. Thought you might find it useful.’
‘That’s saved someone a bit of leg work.’ Dan unfolded the paper and laid it on the table.
‘According to this he slept in your place two or three times a week for eighteen months, more often in winter than summer. Any idea where he went the other nights?’ Dan passed the sheet to Peter.
‘The same place those who can’t run to our seventy-five pence fee, and the overflow we fail to accommodate, go to every night of the week.
Cardboard boxes and blankets on the beach, a shake-down in the underpasses or the multi-storeys.
Your people should have a better idea than me.’
‘Only when we’re young and on the beat. When we start working from an office we forget about the streets,’ Peter said.
‘Thank you for coming down, Sam.’ Bill went to the door. ‘I’ll see you out.’
After Bill and Sam left, Dan picked up the remote and pressed play. Tony drew on his cigarette again, his eyes darting uneasily in their sockets.
‘I’d give a night’s drinking to know what ghosts were chasing that man.’ Making the most of Bill’s absence, Peter lit his cigar.
‘My money’s still on a row between dossers over drink.’ Anna moved sideways to avoid Peter’s cigar smoke.
‘Why?’ Dan asked.
‘Sam said the old hands carry knives. Look at Tony in that second interview. He’s just the type to keep one hidden in his boot. Someone turned it and used it on him.’
‘No knife was found,’ Trevor reminded her.
‘Perhaps the killer ran down to the dock and dropped it in the water. I think we should search it.’
‘Two hundred foot of quayside so filthy a diver can’t see his hand in front of his face?’ Peter flicked his ash on the floor. ‘Remember that woman who drove into it? We didn’t find her car until a year later, and that was after five teams went down.’
‘They weren’t looking for it that far out,’ Anna remonstrated.
‘Even so, there’s a hell of a difference between a car and a knife. And if we couldn’t find a car, what chance a knife?’
‘So what do you suggest we do?’ Dan looked to Peter.
‘I’m more inclined to agree with Trevor. It was probably kids high on something looking for sick kicks.’
‘Any news on that bottle of whisky?’ Trevor asked.
‘Not that I’ve heard,’ Dan answered.
Peter stared thoughtfully at the disc Nigel Valance had left. ‘Tony wouldn’t have needed much of an excuse to lash out. It could well have been a fight over nothing in particular. You saw what he was like on that film. He could have simply taken an exception to the colour of another man’s socks. He attacked, but his victim was stronger and possibly sober. Turned the knife on him, it went into Tony’s face, gouged his cheek, sliced off his ear, and made a bloody awful mess that caused the second man to panic. He looked around, saw a car, siphoned off petrol –’
‘For which he just happened to have a can and a tube?’ Dan smiled.
‘He could have been breaking into parked cars.
Lot of charity workers like Sam carry spare cans in case of emergency.’
‘That’s right,’ Trevor concurred. ‘I ran out once down there, and Sam helped me out with a gallon.’
‘So our villain, whoever he is, tipped the petrol over Tony and tossed a match. Not bad considering you started with no evidence,’ Dan said sceptically.
‘Are we releasing that film, sir?’ Anna asked Dan. ‘There could be a witness out there.’
‘Too damned right.’ Peter ground the stub of his cigar beneath his shoe. ‘The murderer for one.’
‘We were too late for the early evening news, but we’ve booked a slot on the ten minute local at ten-thirty after the national news,’ Dan revealed.
‘Showing the film?’
‘Do you think the station would do anything
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