The Friday Girl by R. D. McLean

Author:R. D. McLean
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black & White Publishing
Published: 2025-02-05T00:00:00+00:00

34

KELLEY’S CONSCIOUS OF THE CREASES IN HIS SUIT. He stands outside the door – third floor, One Courthouse Square – trying to flatten them out. A little late. But he still does it.

Like the Fat Man will care.

The Fat Man.

Private detective. Pain in the arse. Insurance fraud and divorce proceedings.

Kelley’s sat across from him in court a few times, usually domestics. He’s been friend and foe, depending on who’s pressing charges.

The way he looks does him no favours. He lives up to his name. Breaks a sweat walking across the room. Sorts his ties by food stains.

So why is Kelley trying to press the creases out of his suit?

Because he still might need to make an impression?

“Come on in.” The Fat Man’s voice booming from behind the door. “If you’re going to.”

The Fat Man is at a desk with chipped legs and a faded leather top. Could be aiming for antique, but hits charity-store chic.

“Mr—”

The Fat Man waves a hand. “I know you,” he says. “And I know what you call me.”

“Not exactly professional.”

“Who ever said the polis were professionals?”

Kelley can’t argue with that. “Is this how you always start interviews?”

“Never needed to interview anyone before.”

“Lone wolf?” Kelley asks.

The Fat Man shrugs. Mountains moving; slow and powerful. “Maybe I need someone for the physical side.”

“Is that what it is?”

“Or maybe I just hate making my own fucking tea in the morning.”

“I’m a little old to be a tea boy.”

“Aye. Youngest detective in CID, right? And how’d that work out for you?”

Kelley’s stuck between wanting to punch the fucker and liking him.

“I knew your dad,” the Fat Man says. Not trying to ingratiate. Merely stating facts.

“You were polis, too?”

“For five minutes.”

“Why’d you leave?”

“Reasons. Some would say I’m better suited to muckraking. And you? I hear things.”

Pushing Kelley’s buttons. Old game. You want to see who someone really is, then make them angry. Early lesson Kelley learned from his dad. One of the better ones.

“I’m not one of them.” Almost true. Almost but not quite.

“No? I remember you giving me the stink-eye in the witness box.”

“You were there to defend a shitebag.”

“I was there to stop a man going away for something he didn’t do.”

“You believe he was innocent?”

“Of killing his wife? Yes.”

“The chain of evidence—”

“Was weak at best. You wanted him to go away. Everyone in that room did. But just because someone’s an odious little prick doesn’t make them a murderer.”

“He beat her.”

“I never denied that. If he was up for beating his wife, I’d have let you throw away the key. But you hauled him in for murder.”

“Who did it then?”

“Who knows? Not him. That was all my evidence needed to say, right? Finding the guilty party? That’s down to our former colleagues?”

Kelley shakes his head.

The Fat Man drops the sparring tone. “Here’s the thing, Mr Kelley. You’re here because you’re out of options. You saw the advert, called up, thought maybe you could make something out of this job. What I do and what you did in CID, maybe you think they’re not too far apart.

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.