Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess

Author:Melvin Burgess [Burgess, Melvin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141967516
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2011-08-03T04:00:00+00:00

Hannah

I got a call off Barbara Barking at eight.

‘They’ve picked her up. She was at the hospital, getting back on to that boy she stamped on.’

Billie – no!

‘Where are you?’

‘At home. They’re going to give me a ring when I can go and pick her up.’

‘You get down there right away. Tell them you want to see her now.’

‘But they said it could be hours yet.’

‘We don’t have to do it their way. Get down there, give her a bit of support, even if they don’t tell her now she’ll know later on you were there for her. I’ve got to finish up here. I’ll come and join you soon as I’ve sorted out some care for my Joe.’

I rushed around like a maniac getting things sorted. By the time I arrived, Barbara and Dan were sitting holding hands in the waiting room, every inch the concerned parents. I had a quick pow-wow – Billie had already been in there two hours. Her social worker had been and gone and she was still locked up. They had her just where they wanted her. As luck would have it they had Sergeant Farrell on the desk. We’re old mates, me and Sergeant Farrell. I told him a while ago.

‘Think you know it all, don’t you, Sergeant? Maybe you do. But so do I. So while I’m here – do it by the book, right?’

No point in being coy when it comes to people like that.

‘I’m here to see Billie Trevors,’ I told him.

Farrell hardly looked up from his paperwork.

‘She’s being questioned at the moment,’ he said.

‘Has she had her phone call?’

‘I’m not aware …’

‘Then I’ll do it for her, shall I? She’s still a minor. If you don’t mind.’ And I straightened up as if I was expecting to get taken through.

‘I’ll have a word when I’ve finished filling in this form,’ he told me, without looking up.

‘You have a vulnerable child locked up in there. I want to see her now.’

He looked at me as if I was made out of sick. ‘Vulnerable?’ he said. ‘Do you know what she did?’

‘She kicked a bloke in the balls. Don’t tell me you haven’t done the same thing. I don’t see you being held in the cells overnight.’

He looked away and shook his head disgustedly.

I leaned across the desk. ‘I’m having lunch with your chief constable next week, Sergeant. Let’s hope your name comes up in a positive light, shall we?’

‘I don’t see much chance of that happening if it’s you saying it,’ he told me.

‘If you stick to doing your job rather than harassing prisoners you don’t personally like, your name will come up in a positive way. Now, I’d like to know what’s going on here, please. Has she been arrested? On what grounds are you holding her?’

‘She’s helping us with our enquiries,’ he said calmly, going all formal on me. ‘Take a seat, Mrs Holloway. We’ll let you know when we’re ready for you.’

I stayed where I was. I waited.

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