The Mind Hack by Stewart McDowall

Author:Stewart McDowall [McDowall, Stewart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SRL Publishing
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

‘Chambers,’ replied the detective dryly.

‘Oh, that’s right. Sorry, Reed was the handsome one.’

The policeman didn’t respond to that. ‘Been visiting Tom Lewis? I was on my way up to see him myself when I saw you sitting here, looking all lost and lonely, so I thought I’d join you.’

When McQueen didn’t answer, Chambers asked, ‘He gave you as his main contact, didn’t he?’

It was a difficult situation for McQueen. The need for revenge, powered by his own guilt, was burning a hole in his chest. What he most wanted to do was tell the detective everything and then have the animals that had attacked Tom hunted down and thrown in jail. But it was a fantasy. There was very little to go on, so all it would mean is the police would turn up asking questions, and there was a strong chance it would make things worse for Tom, which was one thing McQueen couldn’t risk. Tom had already decided to tell the police nothing, and McQueen had to respect that. The reality was there was no protection the police could possibly offer Tom that would actually keep him safe.

‘We’re old friends,’ said McQueen.

‘Did he say what happened? Did he fall or was he beaten up? Looks like deliberate injuries to me.’ He studied McQueen’s face for any reaction and saw none. He took a sip of his coffee, leaving a slight moustache of foam on his upper lip he wiped away with the back of his hand. ‘Did he have drug debts or something? He must be in a lot of pain, poor guy.’ The detective had taken on an unconvincingly friendly stance, hoping the chatty approach and a blizzard of questions would open McQueen up.

‘He doesn’t remember.’ McQueen had resigned himself to saying as little as possible.

Stony faced, all pretence of friendliness gone, the policeman nodded and made a note in his book. ‘Well, turns out there was some CCTV footage from that area set up to monitor drug activity, so we’ll be looking into it. Let’s hope you don’t turn up on it, eh, McQueen?’ When he got no response, the detective pressed on. ‘You’re a bit of a curse, aren’t you, McQueen?’ He dropped the pal act and picked up his coffee. ‘Old friends who get beaten up and a client’s husband who ends up dead. We haven’t forgotten about that, by the way.’ He stood up. ‘Inquiries are still under way, and you are still very much in the picture.’

‘Max Goodson,’ said McQueen. ‘That’s the name of my solicitor. If you need any more help from me, he’s the guy to contact.’

‘Oh, we know all about Mr Goodson. Mr Technicality. Friend and protector to low-life scum. Well, let’s go and see if young Tom can remember anything else now he’s had time to reflect on things.’

McQueen had kept quiet so long his jaw was aching. It just wasn’t his style. Some of the bitterness and frustration of the day so far came bubbling up.

‘What is your problem?’ McQueen said to the detective who was towering over his table.

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