searched.’
When I heard the door close, I stood up slowly. Paget and his men had gone inside the house. I walked to my car.
I drove aimlessly, sliding around the streets, not aware of where I was going. Things were closing in on me. If I wasn’t wanted by Cole and the law yet, I soon would be. My name was shit. I’d just killed the man who was my link with the only kind of work I could do these days. Most of all, my reputation was being shot to hell. That mattered.
I’d never trusted Kendall, but I should’ve been more careful. I’d let my guard down. Kendall was stupid enough to fuck with me. And I was stupid enough to let him.
I pulled the car over, fished Kendall’s mobile phone from my pocket and punched in King’s number.
‘The fuck is this?’ he said, his voice still croaky from sleep.
‘Joe.’
‘Shit. Hold on.’
I heard the sound of King’s wife asking who it was, and King telling her to go back to sleep. I heard the sound of King getting out of bed, a door closing. I kept my eyes on the road, and a hand on my gun. The street was deserted. The sound of any vehicle approaching would give me clear warning. I was jittery. I didn’t like being jittery – it made me jittery.
‘What is it?’ King said.
‘I need to find someone.’
‘What am I, the police?’
‘Beckett’s gone. I need to find him.’
He let out a laugh.
‘Yeah? Well, good luck.’
‘You won’t help me?’
‘What’s this about, Joe?’
‘He’s taken Cole’s money.’
‘Leaving you to take the blame?’
‘Will you help me or not?’
‘If Beckett’s gone to ground, I won’t find him. If anyone knows, they won’t tell me.’
‘They’ll tell me.’
‘Okay, sure, you can make them. But then you’d have to kill them, otherwise they’ll just call Beckett and he’ll move.’
‘I don’t mind killing them.’
‘No, I’m sure you don’t. But you’ll have a shit load of heat on you.’
I had enough heat on me. What was a little more?
‘Who might know?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know Beckett, never liked the cunt.’
‘You know some people. They know people. Call them up, ask them.’
There was a pause. When King spoke again his voice was quieter. ‘I could do that, but I’m not going to. If I start asking questions, it’s going to get back to Cole. He’s going to want to know what my involvement is. Sorry, Joe, that shit’s too heavy for me. Don’t you think Cole is going to know who to ask? If he hasn’t found Beckett, I won’t be able to.’
He was right, of course.
‘Give me a name,’ I said. ‘They won’t know it was from you. If I don’t find Beckett, I’m finished.’
There was silence down the line. He was thinking it through. His loyalty was split. He knew me, and I was known as a good man to work with, reliable. And he hated Beckett. I was pushing him. I had no choice. After a few seconds, he said, ‘Go to ground, Joe. Quit while you’re still alive.’
It was no good. King wasn’t sentimental about these things. I wouldn’t have been. I was about to hang up when I thought of something.
‘Do you know someone called Martin?’ I said. ‘Initial R.’
‘Martin,’ King said. ‘Name rings a bell. Ray Martin. An old face, I think.’
‘Why would Kendall want to find him?’
‘Fuck should I know? Ask Kendall.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Why?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
There was another pause.
‘Fuck. You’re really in it, know that?’
‘Just tell me where I can find this Martin.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Tell me someone who might. Your name’ll be out of it.’
He sighed and muttered something. Finally he said, ‘Know Jim Bowker?’
Bowker. I knew him. ‘Remember Paget?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ King said slowly.
‘I saw him tonight. At Kendall’s.’
‘So?’
‘He work for Marriot still?’
‘Not any more. Got a better offer. Works for Cole. Didn’t you know?’
‘No. Since when?’
‘Since Marriot got banged up. Paget
When I heard the door close, I stood up slowly. Paget and his men had gone inside the house. I walked to my car.
I drove aimlessly, sliding around the streets, not aware of where I was going. Things were closing in on me. If I wasn’t wanted by Cole and the law yet, I soon would be. My name was shit. I’d just killed the man who was my link with the only kind of work I could do these days. Most of all, my reputation was being shot to hell. That mattered.
I’d never trusted Kendall, but I should’ve been more careful. I’d let my guard down. Kendall was stupid enough to fuck with me. And I was stupid enough to let him.
I pulled the car over, fished Kendall’s mobile phone from my pocket and punched in King’s number.
‘The fuck is this?’ he said, his voice still croaky from sleep.
‘Joe.’
‘Shit. Hold on.’
I heard the sound of King’s wife asking who it was, and King telling her to go back to sleep. I heard the sound of King getting out of bed, a door closing. I kept my eyes on the road, and a hand on my gun. The street was deserted. The sound of any vehicle approaching would give me clear warning. I was jittery. I didn’t like being jittery – it made me jittery.
‘What is it?’ King said.
‘I need to find someone.’
‘What am I, the police?’
‘Beckett’s gone. I need to find him.’
He let out a laugh.
‘Yeah? Well, good luck.’
‘You won’t help me?’
‘What’s this about, Joe?’
‘He’s taken Cole’s money.’
‘Leaving you to take the blame?’
‘Will you help me or not?’
‘If Beckett’s gone to ground, I won’t find him. If anyone knows, they won’t tell me.’
‘They’ll tell me.’
‘Okay, sure, you can make them. But then you’d have to kill them, otherwise they’ll just call Beckett and he’ll move.’
‘I don’t mind killing them.’
‘No, I’m sure you don’t. But you’ll have a shit load of heat on you.’
I had enough heat on me. What was a little more?
‘Who might know?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know Beckett, never liked the cunt.’
‘You know some people. They know people. Call them up, ask them.’
There was a pause. When King spoke again his voice was quieter. ‘I could do that, but I’m not going to. If I start asking questions, it’s going to get back to Cole. He’s going to want to know what my involvement is. Sorry, Joe, that shit’s too heavy for me. Don’t you think Cole is going to know who to ask? If he hasn’t found Beckett, I won’t be able to.’
He was right, of course.
‘Give me a name,’ I said. ‘They won’t know it was from you. If I don’t find Beckett, I’m finished.’
There was silence down the line. He was thinking it through. His loyalty was split. He knew me, and I was known as a good man to work with, reliable. And he hated Beckett. I was pushing him. I had no choice. After a few seconds, he said, ‘Go to ground, Joe. Quit while you’re still alive.’
It was no good. King wasn’t sentimental about these things. I wouldn’t have been. I was about to hang up when I thought of something.
‘Do you know someone called Martin?’ I said. ‘Initial R.’
‘Martin,’ King said. ‘Name rings a bell. Ray Martin. An old face, I think.’
‘Why would Kendall want to find him?’
‘Fuck should I know? Ask Kendall.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Why?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
There was another pause.
‘Fuck. You’re really in it, know that?’
‘Just tell me where I can find this Martin.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Tell me someone who might. Your name’ll be out of it.’
He sighed and muttered something. Finally he said, ‘Know Jim Bowker?’
Bowker. I knew him. ‘Remember Paget?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ King said slowly.
‘I saw him tonight. At Kendall’s.’
‘So?’
‘He work for Marriot still?’
‘Not any more. Got a better offer. Works for Cole. Didn’t you know?’
‘No. Since when?’
‘Since Marriot got banged up. Paget
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