Big Boy Did It and Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyre

Author:Christopher Brookmyre [Brookmyre, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780349116846
Amazon: 0349116849
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 2001-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

the place of many bampots.

‘Oh good, a riot.’ said McIntosh chirpily.

‘Christ, that’s just what I need right now, Tosh: you in Pollyanna mode.’

‘Ach, come on Angelique, it adds a wee bit of colour to the morning to see the local populace in high spirits.’

‘Knock it off or I’ll kill you, all right?’

‘Heard that,’ he acknowledged.

They pulled up short of Ash’s house on Kintore Road; or rather, short of the placard‐wielding crowd spilling on to the road from the pavement on Ash’s side of the street. Being held back by a couple of uniformed PCs. Angelique could see Mellis from CID standing outside the semicircle of headcases, talking to another uniform she didn’t recognise.

‘Look at these fuckers. I see Mellis; hope he’s brought a stack of outstanding warrants. This kinna gathering’s usually four‐deep with crims.’

‘Idiosyncratic spelling of paedophile,’ McIntosh observed, looking at the placards protesting variously against Peedafile’s, Pedafile’s and Pedofil’s. Another demanded ‘Hang child mullester’s’, while still another proposed ‘Castrait all pervert’s’.

‘It’s not even nine o’ clock yet, either. Amazing what can motivate some people to get out of their scratchers when they don’t have jobs to go to.’

They walked over to Mellis, who welcomed them to the madhouse with a subtle twitch of his brow.

‘Sergeant McIntosh, Special Agent X,’ Mellis said loudly, over the hubbub of angry shouting five yards behind. ‘What brings you two to this morning’s carnival?’

‘We’re here to talk to a witness who lives in one of these houses, a Raymond Ash.’

‘Are you DI de Xavia?’ asked the uniform, a sergeant, she could now see. There was surprise in his tone. As per.

‘In the flesh,’ Mellis said, before Angelique could answer for herself. ‘I take it her reputation precedes her.’

‘Save it for the Lodge, Inspector,’ she warned Mellis, then turned to the sergeant. ‘And don’t tell me – you thought I’d be taller.’

‘I … eh … I’m Sergeant Glenn. We spoke yesterday, about—’

‘Oh right. The exploding budgie, aye.’

‘Eh?’ asked Mellis.

‘So what the hell’s this about? Has a paediatrician moved into the neighbourhood?’

‘You need to stop reading those big papers, Angel,’ Mellis said, handing her a copy of the Daily Recorder and pointing out the second story on the front page.

Angelique speed‐read the text. ‘Oh, balls.’

‘And big dicks too, according to the weans. Hence this show of enthusiastic public‐mindedness.’

‘How did they all get here? Are they running buses or something?’

‘Looks like it, doesn’t it? I’d say it’s about half from Burnbrae and half from round here. They’re still arrivin’ as well.’

‘I came by here yesterday,’ said Angelique, incredulous.

‘Ash’s missus said if I didn’t want to hang about, first thing in the morning was good because they’re up early with the wean.’

‘I thought you were going to the school yesterday.’ said Glenn.

‘No. I phoned there to warn him I was coming, but they said he’d walked out. That’s why I tried him here. I figured he’d said “fuck it” and gone home, or at least to the pub. Not sure I’d have lasted the day at work myself if somebody had taken a shot at me the night before.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.