One Dark, Two Light by Ruth Mancini

Author:Ruth Mancini [Mancini, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788543330
Publisher: Head of Zeus

*

I’m let out of a side door at the back of the police station, where I’m shown through a yard full of police cars and out of an electronic gateway to the rear. A security light blinks on and off again as the gate closes behind me, and then it’s dark, the sky above me empty and black. I’m in a narrow back street. Up ahead, there’s a single police street lamp casting a circle of light over the royal-blue railings of the station duty office below. I can see that it’s closed, the shutters down. No one’s there. They don’t keep these front offices open at night-time any more.

I walk towards the streetlight, then pause on the pavement by the railings underneath, taking in a breath of crisp, cool air while I switch my phone back on, quickly checking that there have been no missed calls. Nothing, thank God. Ben’s tucked up, fast asleep. Of course he is. It’s one thirty a.m. I consider my options: night bus or Uber. If it wasn’t so late, I’d enjoy the walk.

As my eyes adjust to the light, a figure steps out of the shadows behind me. I stiffen, and my heart races. I push my bag back onto my shoulder and tighten my grip on my phone.

‘I suppose you’ll be wanting a lift?’ says a familiar voice.

I let out a sigh of relief. ‘The way you drive?’

‘Suit yourself,’ says Burdie.

I shake my head. ‘You frightened the bloody life out of me. What are you doing here?’

‘Keeping an eye on things.’

‘Keeping an eye on me?’

He shrugs. ‘If you like.’

‘So presumably you know what’s going on?’

He takes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, taps one out and lights it. He leans back against the railing, his foot raised up against it, and puffs on his cigarette, contorting his mouth to blow the smoke out to one side.

‘Don’t you have something of a conflict of interest?’ he asks me.

‘Not necessarily.’

‘You know the victim. You seem to be pretty pally with his wife. And now you’re representing the suspect accused of trying to murder him. How’s that not a conflict?’

I push my phone into my coat pocket and pull up the zip. ‘It’s only a conflict if he’s guilty.’

Burdie peers back at me, his expression one of disbelief. ‘He’s got the wallet of a seriously injured police officer in his bedroom and he’s on camera with the weapon in his hands! He’s going to be charged. You know it.’

‘I know he’ll be charged with something.’ I look straight back at him. ‘But the question is, with what?’

He snorts. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Two things,’ I say. ‘Firstly, you’ve arrested and questioned him for attempted murder. But from where I’m looking, I see no more than a random mugging. So, where’s the intent to kill? Secondly,’ I continue, ‘what’s happened to the four-by-four? To the hit-and-run? It wasn’t even mentioned this time, but Mark got run over minutes later and you lot obviously believe it’s connected. You’ve already arrested Jerome for stealing the car.

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