Birdman by Mo Hayder

Author:Mo Hayder [Hayder, Mo]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2012-01-31T05:00:00+00:00

30

Maddox was on the steps of Greenwich police station when Caffery arrived. He was standing in the sunlight, eating a samosa from a greasy bag and staring vacantly at students drinking bottled beer outside the Funnel and Firkin. The pronged worry lines between his eyebrows were deeper today. When Caffery asked he frowned, jerked his head towards the station and said:

“Just the little shit-for-brains in there. He arrested Gemini. Never even consulted me. That’s all.”

You surprised, Steve? Are you honestly surprised?

“I suppose the party’s off, then.”

“Oh Jesus.” Maddox pressed his forehead. “No.” He shook his head, dropped his hand, exasperated. “Fuck it. There’s no overtime left in the pot anyway. No—we’ll put Diamond at the incident room, let him make amends. Betts can kick off the interview with someone and I’ll look in on them later.”

“You only have to say the word, Steve—I’ll drop it. I’m only doing it for—”

“I know. We’re all only doing it for them. That’s the point. This is the governor’s latest initiative: happy home lives makes happy cops. No wife-beaters, no alcoholics, no suicides.”

“Very Nineties.” Jack opened the door. “Eight o’clock, then?”

Maddox finished the samosa, rolled up the bag and shot it into a council bin at the foot of the steps. “Eight o’clock it is.”

Caffery avoided the custody room. Instead he went up to the second floor, to the cluster of rooms reserved at this, and every other Met police station, for AMIP’s exclusive use. Inside Rebecca was sitting alone, staring out of the window, twirling one elegant foot in a distracted gesture of impatience, sucking the Mexican silver pendant on the chain around her neck. She wore olive-green slacks and a pale poplin shirt. When she saw Caffery she dropped the pendant and smiled tightly. “Hello.”

“It’s nice to see you.”

“Is it?”

He paused. “You’re upset?”

“Yes.”

He sat down opposite her and thoughtfully steepled his fingers. “Tell me.”

“Am I hassling you? I don’t want to appear hassley, but I was deadly serious. I think he’s important.”

“Ah. You’ve got me there. I’m lost.”

“I told your answer service.”

“My answer service?” Caffery tilted his head back. “And this was—?”

“Yesterday evening.”

“On my mobile?”

“Yes.”

Veronica. Caffery shook his head. “Rebecca, I didn’t get the message. I’m sorry.”

At that her eyes softened. “I don’t mean to push, but I’ve been awake all night. It’s what you said about it being someone very organized, someone they might trust. Someone they might trust to—” She shuddered and he could see goose bumps on her wrists. “Someone they might trust to inject them with something.”

“I shouldn’t have told you that. I hope you—”

“I haven’t told anyone.” She leaned forward and her long clean hair swung across her shoulders. “Last year Joni took me to a party. The host made no secret of the fact that he had heroin in the place and would inject it for anyone who wanted it. He’d been a doctor and he knew how to do it without hurting, exactly how much to give, that sort of stuff.” She leaned back. “There was no shortage of takers.

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