Ripped (42 page)

'Stupid
cunt!'
Stewart
exclaimed
when
he
came
back
from
speaking
to
her.
His
face
was
red
with
rage.
'Peerse
phoned
a
couple
of
hours
ago.
He'll
be
wondering
where
the
hell
I
am.'

'She
did
well
finding
you
at
all,'
Murray
reminded
him.
'The
last
bloody
place
she
tried.'
He
knotted
his
tie
with trembling
fingers.
'Peerse
is
such
a
bastard.'

Murray
watched
him
with
amusement.
'Everybody's
entitled
to
a
day
off.'

'Maybe
–
but
that
stupid
bitch
told
him
I
was
in
bed
sleeping
and
she
was
just
away
to
waken
me.
Two
hours
ago!'

It
was
a
long
time
since
Murray
had
laughed
aloud
.
It
was
a
good
feeling,
and
unfortunate
that
Stewart
should
spoil
it
at
once.
Red-faced
with
the
effort
of
bending
to
tie
his
laces,
he
muttered,
'Anyway
I
don't
get
it.
What
does
Peerse
want
me
over
at
Florence
Street
for?
What's
it
to
do
with
us
even
if
they
have
found
another
body?'

Florence
Street
,
where
Billy
Shanks'
old
school
was
,
the
school
they
had
been
using
as
the
incident
room
for
the
murder
enquiry.

'You
told
me
there
had
been
a
confession,'
Murray
said.

In
the
car,
however,
having
accepted
Murray's
excuse
that
he
had
business
in
Moirhill
and
needed
a
lift,
Stewart
explained,
'The
kid
that
confessed
was
just
a
head
hanger.
He
runs
with
the
Valley,
and
they'd
picked
him
up
for
some
stupid
thing
or
other. You
know
the
style
–
a
wee
bald
head
full
of
billiard
chalk.
He
wants
to
be
a
hard
man
and
when
he
heard
them
talking
about
a
murder
he
thought
it
was
Opportunity
Knocks.'
He
snorted
reluctantly
with
laughter.
'Apparently
all
he
was
worried
about
was
getting
word
back
to
the
Valley.
"Big
Dunc'll
know?
Tommy
Merry'll
know?
They
didn't
think
I'd
any
bottle.
They'll
not
laugh
at
me
now
.
"
I
tell
you,
Murray,
they
should
never
have
abolished
hanging.
It
would
do
that
wee
cunt
good
to
get
hung
–
put
the
nonsense
out
of
his
head.'

Murray
got
out
at
the
end
of
Florence
Street
and
watched
as
the
car
picked
up
speed
and
then
swung
in
through
the
school
gate,
taking
the
turn
too
fast
so
that
the
tyres
squealed.
After
waiting
for
a
moment,
he
went
over
to
the
other
pavement
and
walked
along
until
he
was
opposite
the
yard.
People
came
out
and
in
and
some
of
them
glanced
his
way.
He
was
too
obvious
standing
there;
and
so
for
a
while
he
walked
the
length
of
the
street
back
and
then
forward,
but
he
didn't
see
anyone
he
knew
and
there
was
no
sign
of
Eddy
reappearing.
When
he
looked
at
his
watch,
an
hour
had
passed.
He
knew
what
he
was
doing
was
stupid.
If
he
was
challenged,
he
could
give
no
reason
for
being
there;
he
was
not
even
sure
he
could
explain
it
to
himself.

In
the
end,
he
gave
in
and
went
back
to
his
flat.
He
had
time
to
make
a
cup
of
the
sweet
smelling
Chinese
tea
and
then
the
phone
rang.

'I've
been
trying
to
get
hold
of
you,'
Eddy
Stewart's
voice
complained
.

'I'm
just
in.'

'It
was
John
Merchant
they
found
dead.
Bollocks
naked
not
far
away
from
where
the
first
one
was
found.
And
cut
about
the
same
way
in
the
same
place
–
only
an
awful
lot
worse.
So
the
kid's
out
of
the
frame
– not
that
he
would
ever
have
been
in
it
if
it
hadn't
been
for
that
clown
Standers.
He
was
sure
he
had
it
wrapped
up
–
all
routine
but
brilliant
with
it.'

Stewart
stopped
talking
and
Murray
listened
to
the
silence
sing in
his
ear,
'Murray?'

'John
Merchant.
I
heard
you.'

'There's
something
else
,
because
it
was
Merchant,
Peerse
and
me
are
on
the
team
now.
Blair
Heathers
is
going
to
have
to
wait.
The
thing
is,
Murray,
whatever
you
think
about
Peerse
,
he's
a
clever
bugger.'

The
telephone
static
muttered
like
a
premonition.