Streets of Darkness by A. A. Dhand

Author:A. A. Dhand [Dhand, A. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473540446
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2016-06-15T23:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

A DENSE WHITE ghost had suddenly descended across Bradford and it took double the normal twenty minutes for Harry to reach Undercliffe Cemetery.

He arrived after six, just as the moon had been swallowed by the mist. He had dropped Saima at home, ignored her request for him to change out of his best suit and promised he would call regularly.

It was an important day for Saima. Normally she would have been surrounded by family: feasting, celebrating and creating memories. All the things she wouldn’t experience any more. Things Harry wouldn’t. And instead of making sure she never felt alone, Harry was out tracking shadows.

It was the blueprint of his life. Doing penance for rash decisions.

Harry was on edge. On the way he had passed more patrol cars than he ever had seen. There was a large police presence circling the streets. Harry had tried calling several of his colleagues, none of whom had answered. Either they were ignoring him or they were busy.

The wrong kind of busy.

Harry parked the BMW across from the main entrance of the cemetery. He was in a blind spot, between two fused streetlights, with only the mist for company.

Undercliffe was predominantly an Asian neighbourhood, part of a twenty-five-acre estate, one of the largest English Heritage parks in England.

The cemetery had once been the resting place for wealthy wool merchants in Bradford. An exclusive burial ground. It had become run-down in the nineties, ending up a derelict ruin until Bradford Council took over its upkeep. Nowadays anybody could be buried there. It mirrored the fortunes of the city – wealth and exclusivity had been eroded.

Harry killed the engine and turned off the lights. A quiet, calming darkness surrounded him.

There was a sudden tap on the driver-side window. Harry nearly jumped out of his seat. He turned to see Lucas Dwight staring in at him, his knuckles pressed against the glass. Harry saw the familiar tattoo of ‘Love’ and, underneath it, ‘Hate’. He hadn’t fancied his chances of finding Lucas but he’d had no other place to start.

Harry released the locks and Lucas jumped in the back. The two men stared at each other in the rear-view mirror.

‘Surprised?’ Lucas said finally.

‘Damn right.’

‘At the house.’ Lucas pointed a finger at the mirror. ‘What the fuck happened?’

‘Not sure.’ Harry looked away, scanning the immediate area.

‘I’m here to clear my name. All kind of places and things I could have gone and done. You need to level with me.’

Harry didn’t reply.

‘You know something and you’re not sharing. Not how this works, Harry. You in or am I walking?’

‘I got nothing concrete,’ Harry said. ‘My wallet – the one that was stolen on Lumb Lane – somehow ended up in my boss’s hands. Only one way it got there.’

‘No way those deadbeats got to your boss directly.’

‘Exactly. Which means it went up the chain of command until someone – on a street level – had access to my boss.’

‘He dirty?’

‘Not a chance.’ Harry put his eyes back on Lucas. ‘Most stand-up guy I know.

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