Poison by Sally Spencer

Author:Sally Spencer [Shadow]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2021-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

The bouncer loomed up, and quickly blocked Beresford’s entry to the club. He was a big feller with broad shoulders and slicked-back hair. From the way he balanced on the balls of his feet, it was obvious that street brawling was not an entirely alien experience to him.

‘Sorry, but you can’t go in there, pal,’ he said.

‘I’m a bobby,’ Beresford told him, producing his warrant card.

‘So you are,’ the bouncer agreed. ‘Is this the point at which you produce a search warrant?’

‘No,’ Beresford admitted. ‘I don’t have one.’

‘Then I don’t care if you’re Lieutenant bleeding Kojak, you still can’t come in.’

‘Look, I’m not here on police business, it’s more of what you might call a personal matter,’ Beresford explained, trying his best to sound just a little desperate.

‘Oh yeah? What kind of personal matter?’ the bouncer asked.

‘I think my fiancée is in there.’

‘So what?’

‘I think she might be with another man.’

‘Then you should be more careful with her,’ the bouncer said. ‘And you’re still not going in.’

Beresford squared his shoulders and balled his hands into fists. ‘I am going in, and if you try to stop me, I’ll flatten you,’ he said.

The bouncer laughed. ‘So you think you could take me, do you?’

‘Maybe I could, and maybe I couldn’t,’ Beresford said, ‘but I win whatever happens.’

‘How do you work that out?’ the bouncer wondered.

‘Well, if it turns out I’m harder than you, I knock you down.’

‘True,’ the bouncer agreed.

‘And if it turns out I’m not, I’ll send some of the lads round here to arrest you for assaulting a police officer.’

‘What seems to be the trouble?’ asked a new voice.

Like the bouncer, the new arrival was wearing a dinner jacket, but his was of much higher quality, and had probably never been anywhere near a punch up.

‘Who are you?’ Beresford asked.

‘I’m Gerald Dodd, the manager. And you are …?’

‘DI Colin Beresford. I want to go inside to see if my girlfriend is cheating on me.’

‘Look, inspector, people come here for a good time,’ the manager said. ‘The last thing they want is a scene.’

‘You think that if I find her, I’ll give her a bloody good hammering then and there, do you?’ Beresford asked.

‘I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind,’ the manager admitted.

‘You’ve got no worries,’ Beresford assured him. ‘I’d much prefer to deal with the pair of them later – when there are no witnesses around to see it.’

‘Aren’t you afraid that once you’ve kicked the shit out of them, they’ll complain to the police?’ the manager asked – and then he chuckled.

Beresford laughed, too. ‘Oh, I don’t think there’s much danger of them doing that,’ he said.

‘You see, Sid,’ Dodd said to the bouncer, ‘scratch the surface, and policemen are just like us – real nasty bastards.’

‘Could I go inside?’ Beresford asked.

‘Would you have any objection to me accompanying you?’ the manager asked.

‘None at all.’

‘Then let’s begin the grand tour.’

Bunny Slade looked up at the blonde woman who had just entered the interview room, and found himself wishing he had hair like hers.

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