on it or two. And, I’ll be honest, my employers would probably prefer it if there were two of Porter’s top men on the slab in the morning, rather than just one, although personally I’d much prefer it if you’re still around to help run the operation. I’ve got big plans for you.’
‘Fear and greed, I get it.’
‘Exactly. It’s a brilliant management tool, isn’t it? A universal language, like. Works every time. Now you’d better get going. The colleagues who are warming him up for you aren’t what you’d call patient men, Alan. And take my tip about one thing.’
‘Aye, what’s that?’
‘Don’t get into a conversation with him, all right? The troops like to see decisiveness, and I do too. Myself, I like to look them in the eyes as I do it, but that’s probably just me. And just remember the options. Either it’s him, or it’s him and you. You choose, mate.’
Friday, November 28th
10.11 am Major Incident Room, Carlisle Divisional HQ
Sandy Smith was still talking, so everyone else kept quiet. There was a strange smell in the room, like exotic fruit rotting in a waste paper bin. It was too hot as well. And the images on the screen were raw and blood-soaked.
‘He took a very heavy beating first, but it was the stabbing that killed him. The initial PM results are clear about that. A number of tentative attempts, or maybe it was some kind of torture on the poor bastard, then one clean blow to the heart. Almost as if there were two perpetrators. Dumping him at the rubbish tip like that may have been intended to be symbolic or some shit like that, but it was certainly effective in terms of reducing the amount of reliable forensic material that’s available. But he wasn’t killed there of course, that’s obvious. And before any of you ask, yes there is CCTV at the tip, but no, it wasn’t working. Disabled at just after 7pm last night, perpetrator unknown.’
DI Jane Francis, sitting next to Mary Clark, decided to take a risk, and proceed on the potentially risky assumption that Sandy was now open to questions and comments. ‘But the initial PM says time of death between 10.30pm and midnight, so the CCTV was knocked out in advance?’
‘Exactly. You’re the detectives, but it looks like the dump site was chosen before Peter Roberts was murdered. They seem like right master criminals, this lot, in comparison with our usual brand of have-a-go-heroes.’
‘Makes sense that it was done by a pro,’ added Pepper, ‘because Roberts was John Porter’s right hand man, had been for years. Looks like we’ve got some kind of power struggle kicking off here, ma’am.’
‘I agree’ said Jane Francis quickly, and Pepper smiled at her encouragingly. Perhaps they were going to be able to work together on this after all, despite everything she’d heard about Jane’s schoolmarm manner. ‘Our information is that a crime syndicate centred in Glasgow, the details are already in the case background on the system, is intending to move into this area, as a precursor to hitting the major conurbations of northern England. This killing may well be an initial skirmish, if you like.’
‘With respect, ma’am,’ said Pepper quickly, ‘I don’t think we’re talking about latter-day Border Reivers here. I think that a local man named Dai Young is very intimately involved in this.’
‘Thanks, Pepper’ said Jane Francis, not looking as if she meant it. ‘I saw your file note on Young, and we’ll certainly establish his whereabouts for yesterday evening. But, to be honest, there’s nothing in his record to suggest that he’d have anything to do with a murder, let alone the killing of a significant criminal player. As you’ll all know Roberts was suspected of involvement in three killings between 1980 and1994, and there have been persistent rumours about all three, but we’ve never had sufficient evidence to proceed. So whoever took Roberts out has to be a significant player and
‘Fear and greed, I get it.’
‘Exactly. It’s a brilliant management tool, isn’t it? A universal language, like. Works every time. Now you’d better get going. The colleagues who are warming him up for you aren’t what you’d call patient men, Alan. And take my tip about one thing.’
‘Aye, what’s that?’
‘Don’t get into a conversation with him, all right? The troops like to see decisiveness, and I do too. Myself, I like to look them in the eyes as I do it, but that’s probably just me. And just remember the options. Either it’s him, or it’s him and you. You choose, mate.’
Friday, November 28th
10.11 am Major Incident Room, Carlisle Divisional HQ
Sandy Smith was still talking, so everyone else kept quiet. There was a strange smell in the room, like exotic fruit rotting in a waste paper bin. It was too hot as well. And the images on the screen were raw and blood-soaked.
‘He took a very heavy beating first, but it was the stabbing that killed him. The initial PM results are clear about that. A number of tentative attempts, or maybe it was some kind of torture on the poor bastard, then one clean blow to the heart. Almost as if there were two perpetrators. Dumping him at the rubbish tip like that may have been intended to be symbolic or some shit like that, but it was certainly effective in terms of reducing the amount of reliable forensic material that’s available. But he wasn’t killed there of course, that’s obvious. And before any of you ask, yes there is CCTV at the tip, but no, it wasn’t working. Disabled at just after 7pm last night, perpetrator unknown.’
DI Jane Francis, sitting next to Mary Clark, decided to take a risk, and proceed on the potentially risky assumption that Sandy was now open to questions and comments. ‘But the initial PM says time of death between 10.30pm and midnight, so the CCTV was knocked out in advance?’
‘Exactly. You’re the detectives, but it looks like the dump site was chosen before Peter Roberts was murdered. They seem like right master criminals, this lot, in comparison with our usual brand of have-a-go-heroes.’
‘Makes sense that it was done by a pro,’ added Pepper, ‘because Roberts was John Porter’s right hand man, had been for years. Looks like we’ve got some kind of power struggle kicking off here, ma’am.’
‘I agree’ said Jane Francis quickly, and Pepper smiled at her encouragingly. Perhaps they were going to be able to work together on this after all, despite everything she’d heard about Jane’s schoolmarm manner. ‘Our information is that a crime syndicate centred in Glasgow, the details are already in the case background on the system, is intending to move into this area, as a precursor to hitting the major conurbations of northern England. This killing may well be an initial skirmish, if you like.’
‘With respect, ma’am,’ said Pepper quickly, ‘I don’t think we’re talking about latter-day Border Reivers here. I think that a local man named Dai Young is very intimately involved in this.’
‘Thanks, Pepper’ said Jane Francis, not looking as if she meant it. ‘I saw your file note on Young, and we’ll certainly establish his whereabouts for yesterday evening. But, to be honest, there’s nothing in his record to suggest that he’d have anything to do with a murder, let alone the killing of a significant criminal player. As you’ll all know Roberts was suspected of involvement in three killings between 1980 and1994, and there have been persistent rumours about all three, but we’ve never had sufficient evidence to proceed. So whoever took Roberts out has to be a significant player and
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