Force Of Habit v5 (36 page)

‘You got Rawlins working for you by convincing him that he’d killed a girl by dealing her bad dope. You held it over him just as Mitch Mitchell held the Evans murder over you.’

‘My, you have been busy. Trust that useless twat to actually tell someone. It’s all you could trust him to do - blab. We needed leverage. Mitch had someone on the force see to it, I don’t know who. I never knew the full picture back then and it was a long time ago. Things changed as time went on, as we grew. I became a major player, we had a stable workforce by the short and curlies and I guess we had things far too easy for far too long. The first sign of serious trouble and we lost our cool. You go sniffing round Dipton prison and I know you're going to be on my trail for sure. Then you show up in the hospital at the whore's bedside,’ he laughed an unfunny laugh. ‘I didn't even know who she was when I picked her up. She was just another skank. It explained why the bitch had a tazer and zapped me in the church. That’s how she got away. I didn’t want to make the same mistake with you. I had to find out more about you. I dug a bit deeper, found that you are quite the special one with an untraceable police record and I realise that you've definitely been brought here for a reason and the reason is probably me. Your Columbo act had everyone fooled but I knew that it was only a matter of time before you would find me. I was finished. So I had to disappear for good. Death was the only option for me. And now it’s the only option for you.’

‘You were talking to Harris while we were following him from the Dipton bookies. You sent him to that church so you could set yourself up. After I called you, you called him and told him that he was being followed and to go there and keep out of sight until he heard from you.’

‘I needed time to think, so I sent him there to stall in the beginning. Then it became part of the plan. The church needed taking care of anyway - I had more tarts in there than Greggs the baker. I put the gang tags up there. People tend to avoid gang territory and they avoid most places when it’s raining cats and dogs. It helps mask sounds too. You were getting closer, I had to protect myself. I had to get rid of Harris and myself. And you. The Choirboys had never been at the charity before. It was the genuine article, but only used during larger campaigns as a distribution centre, most of the time it is empty so we were using it as our base. Where better? I got our shit out and some booze and games sent in, a pool table, and told the elders to say it was a treat for an ongoing job well done – and arranged to have you throw yourself into the mix and stitch you up for Harris’ murder!’ He laughed and clapped again. Did a little dance on the spot. ‘But they couldn’t even get you to jail!’ His mood flipped again. ‘Enough of this bullshit!’ Spit flew and his eyes were wild, his whole body tight, out of breath, sucking in air.

He cut Deacon free and pulled her up off the chair. She punched him but he punched back harder and she lay where she fell, across the hay bales. So that was what the bales were for. Committing the crime and destroying the evidence after. Steel flashed and clothing shredded. Skin sliced. Red ran. Mason pinned Deacon down and forced her legs apart. North was ripping his arms to shreds trying to twist and wrench himself free. Then he felt Mason’s gaze upon him.

‘I’d love for you to stay and watch but I just cannot take the risk.’

Mason reached behind the hay bales and returned with a big butcher knife. He kicked North until he went limp and hung from the wire again. He gripped the knife with both hands and raised his arms, bringing it down through the air at speed and with great force. North went numb as the twelve inch blade penetrated him. Red coated steel was pulled free from his body and went back up into the air. A horn sounded outside.

‘That will be your friends now,’ said Mason. ‘Soon they’ll be dead, like you - like
us
,’ he smiled. Then the world fell in. The wall to the right went first. Then the roof above him. Metal screeched as it tore and folded. It all fell in towards them. A bright light hit them and a glint took North’s gaze back to Mason’s hand. The blade was driven down at him once more. North heard a loud crack and his head jerked forwards.

Then everything ended.

FORTY-THREE

‘Will you be going all the way with us, madam?’ he eyed her luggage.

‘Given half a chance, sonny’ she smiled at the young purser as she handed over her ticket and winked. He blushed. She giggled. ‘I’ve never pulled before I even set a foot on board before though.’

He just stood there with his mouth open. The ships played host to all sorts these days. The exclusivity was being worn away. What was the world coming to? Dirty minded old dears cruising for casual sex on cruise liners. Some of them even had tattoos. He shuddered.

‘I’m just messing with you, Officer. I’ll be disembarking in Sydney. I’m emigrating to be with my boy and his family and take a look at a little bit of the world on the way.’

He smiled and gave her directions. She thought that maybe she should have risked the plane after all. What if everyone was like him on board. She had weeks in front of her. Maybe she could work on lightening him up a little. Get that scaffolding pole out of his derriere.

A group of people came up to her. They recognised her from her recent television appearances, the magazines and newspapers. One even got her to sign a copy of a magazine she was on the cover of. The outlook might not be so gloomy after all. The purser watched. Maybe she was some ancient actresses from before his time. She looked a bit like that Miss Marple character.

FORTY-FOUR

They didn’t call him Tonto for nothing. He had tracked for six miles before the trail finally pointed to a corrugated barn. He had crept close. The doors were locked up tight. He saw North, Deacon, James and Mason through a rust hole.

It wasn’t looking too pretty in there so he had climbed back in the caterpillar and put his foot down, honked the horn like he should be there and went in straight through the wall and set his gun blazing. By pure luck he had hit Mason with his first shot. Mason had been thrust forward and North got another gunshot victims head in his kisser. Tonto had dialled 999 and given the terrain and coordinates.

North, Deacon and Mason were rising in an air ambulance inside fifteen minutes. It took considerably longer for the police to locate Mitch George, nee Mitchell. Tonto had withheld the coordinates – and his own identity. It would remain a mystery as to who shot DCI Matthew Mason. Mason lived to read the articles commenting that earlier reports of his demise had been a tad premature. When he got out of hospital he would go inside on remand before getting sent down for life. The crazy fucker would be detained indefinitely in Broadmoor if there was any true justice done, none of that life but you’re out after ten bullshit. Mitch George was already in jail on remand. The media were still in a frenzy almost a month later and there was plenty of material to go round.

North and Deacon were on the mend and everyone was in the pub on a wet Wednesday afternoon. Even James and she was on duty.

‘You’re a bad influence,’ was her excuse to North.

‘Glad to be of service.’

‘There’s one thing I don’t get,’ said Deacon. ‘What were all the needles about? It’s all over the papers now and Dawn Ward’s mate didn’t get stuck with a bunch of needles all those years back, so why did her mam’s friend use the needles?’

‘She’s denying she did,’ said James. ‘Why would she admit to everything else she did but deny that?’

North shrugged and took up James’ offer of a pint - purely medicinal. His conscience was clear. James went off to the bar with all their requests and North lowered his voice.

‘She didn’t, but who is going to believe her after everything else she did to Lumsden? It was the desperate act of an old friend who had been trying for years, but had been unable, to get her point across. Thirty-six of them did the trick.’

‘What old friend?’ North could almost hear Ray's swede whirring. ‘We’re the only friends you’ve got. Oh, old as in aged. That sweet old dear off the telly, the one that found her?’ He whistled. ‘You just never know what's lurking inside somebody's melon, man. Are you sure it was her?’

‘Oh, I'm sure. She visited me in hospital and confessed all. She found Lumsden, saw her chance, went and got the needles, stuck them in her and then dialled 999. She was as cool as cucumber when I met her an hour later. She’s had a hell of a few weeks, earned a wad, and she didn't want to go off to a new life with it hanging over her. She put herself in my hands.’

‘And you let her go?’ said Deacon.

‘Shhh! Keep it down. James might be up for a beer at lunchtime but I don’t think she would see this my way.
Our
way. What’s the point in dragging the old dear into all this? She’s been through hell enough. She deserves to live out her remaining years in some comfort.’

She had sold her initial information to a red top then a medium brow tabloid paid her handsomely so they could use her on their bandwagon fighting for middle Britain and got herself on Breakfast TV, all inside a week. To cap it all she even got invited on one of those panel shows alongside the comedian from the awards ceremony and she had shoved it right up him. He was laughing for the camera but everyone could see he didn't like it one little bit. No one likes it up 'em. Not really.

She'd brought a terrible world out into the light for the nation to see and had sorted herself out financially into the bargain. Deacon agreed. She should be left to it. No more was ever said about it.

‘What have they got planned for you?’ said Ray.

‘They’re waiting until my physio is complete and the doc’s report goes in. I could be pensioned off or I could be put on the first train back to London.’

‘Be run out of town on a rail, eh?’

They all laughed.

‘I’ll miss you,’ said Deacon and she went red.

‘I never thought I’d see the day, but so will I,’ said James.

‘I’ll drink to that,’ said Tonto and they all raised a glass.

‘It will be a while though, won’t it? You got pretty fucked up,’ said Ray.

‘Yes it will and it will take much longer if he doesn’t get proper rest and do what he is told,’ said James.

‘You two should get married,’ said Girl.

‘You best start misbehaving so we get to see you for a good while. We've set up a gig next month and we've still got your old Gibson. What do you say? We'll put the pub windows out.’

‘Wouldn’t the landlord have something to say about that,’ said James.

‘Good point,’ said Ray. ‘What do we say lads?’ Girl and Tonto said that it was okay with them. ‘And you?’

‘Fine with me,’ said North.

James looked at them. ‘You’re not seriously saying that you own this place?’

They nodded.

‘Outright and freehold,’ said Tonto.

‘And you’re in on it too?’ she looked at North.

‘Full partner in the company,’ said Ray.

James looked around.

‘But this place is nice. Real nice. Where would you get the money to...,’ she shook her head. ‘Forget I asked. I don’t want to know. Does the met know you have other,’ she thought about it, ‘financial interests?’ She shook her head again. ‘No. I don’t want to know that either.’

They all laughed.

‘Does the pub allow dogs?’ said North.

‘It’s wall to wall dogs on a Friday and Saturday night,’ said Girl and everyone but James laughed. James tutted but didn’t start in on them.

‘Why?’ asked Ray.

North started for the back door and poked his head out.

‘Come on you two.’ They didn't budge. ‘Please.’ Up they got, trotted past him and went on inside. North closed the door and followed the pair of Rottweilers back to the others. ‘This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, boys.’ They barked and growled at him like rabid beasts. ‘Or not,’ said North.