Read Online Country of the Blind by Christopher Brookmyre - Free Book Online
Authors: Christopher Brookmyre
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knows who the fuck these guys are, but the vibe is that they get to ask the questions and you get to do whatever the hell they say."
"G-men types?"
"If it's G for goon squad, aye. Call it a hunch, but I've got an irrational suspicion they know absolutely bugger-all more than anyone else, as the word is that the men in custody aren't saying much that anyone wants to hear, and what they are saying is posing more questions than it answers."
36
"What do you mean? What are they saying?"
I'm not getting into this, she thought. Not today.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't want to know and that's just as well, because it's pretty clear us plain old cops aren't supposed to ask. But whatever it is, it has obviously not been enlightening and constructive. That's the problem: these morons are always ten times as dangerous when they don't know what they're looking for.
"Listen to me, Jack, I knew a guy who was on duty in Brighton the night of the bomb in '84. He said they got orders to round up every Irish person they could find. I mean every Irish person. Like fucking shamrocknacht , you know?
He says they lifted pretty much anyone with an Irish accent, Irish name, anyone who'd ever visited Dublin for a stag night, anyone who'd ever drunk a pint of Guinness and anyone who'd ever been to Parkhead. Panic, Scoop. Panic and the political need to be seen to be taking massive and decisive action.
"That's what's brewing here. They've got four guys in custody with - literally - blood on their hands, but they still don't know what the fuck's going on, why the thing went down, anything. Consequently it's time for Hunt The Motive. They're already out knocking on doors across the country. Lefties, union officials, anyone they can think of. And if memory serves, you crossed swords with the corpse yourself once, didn't you?"
"Something like that."
"Well that would be enough for these eejits. Like I said, Scoop, fuck off. Keep your head down and your mouth shut. I know you've got a personal interest, but you'd be wise to stay well away from this mess."
"You know I can't do that," he said, with what would normally have proved infectious humour.
Jenny sighed. Stay out of this, Jack. Take a holiday.
"Christ, I wish I could," she said. "I've got better things to be getting on with. Another dead prostitute in Leith, and the male public being as forthcoming and cooperative as ever, the hypocritical bastards. Mother of three, but who cares, she's just a pro. Could be some nutter on the loose and I can't get any bodies on to the case because of this Voss fiasco. In fact I could hardly get out the fucking station for TV cameras. It's a media menagerie out there - I got swamped nicking out for a roll and bacon a wee while ago. I'd have had to starve if they hadn't started queuing up for their shot at this lawyer who's been making a nuisance of herself."
"Who she?"
"No idea. She showed up about half-eleven, apparently, claiming to represent one of the suspects. She knows fine she can't speak to him, so she started making noises about wanting some evidence to support the use of Prevention of Terrorism powers. Callaghan said she was getting short shrift until she pro37
duced some document, upon which she was immediately wheeched into an office by a couple of the 'tache team. They took their own stat of whatever it was, but Call says she insisted on accompanying them to the photocopier, wouldn't let the thing out of her sight. Half-an-hour later she's out front and the telly's lapping her up. She'll be all over the lunchtime news."
"Brave woman," Parlabane said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well anyone demanding rights for those guys - other than their right to be taken forth from this place and hanged by the neck until dead - is gaunny get some kicking in the press, just doing her job or not. I take it she was pretty young?"
"Yeah," Jenny said, remembering. "I only saw her from a few yards away but she looked a wee bit like her mammy probably didn't
"G-men types?"
"If it's G for goon squad, aye. Call it a hunch, but I've got an irrational suspicion they know absolutely bugger-all more than anyone else, as the word is that the men in custody aren't saying much that anyone wants to hear, and what they are saying is posing more questions than it answers."
36
"What do you mean? What are they saying?"
I'm not getting into this, she thought. Not today.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't want to know and that's just as well, because it's pretty clear us plain old cops aren't supposed to ask. But whatever it is, it has obviously not been enlightening and constructive. That's the problem: these morons are always ten times as dangerous when they don't know what they're looking for.
"Listen to me, Jack, I knew a guy who was on duty in Brighton the night of the bomb in '84. He said they got orders to round up every Irish person they could find. I mean every Irish person. Like fucking shamrocknacht , you know?
He says they lifted pretty much anyone with an Irish accent, Irish name, anyone who'd ever visited Dublin for a stag night, anyone who'd ever drunk a pint of Guinness and anyone who'd ever been to Parkhead. Panic, Scoop. Panic and the political need to be seen to be taking massive and decisive action.
"That's what's brewing here. They've got four guys in custody with - literally - blood on their hands, but they still don't know what the fuck's going on, why the thing went down, anything. Consequently it's time for Hunt The Motive. They're already out knocking on doors across the country. Lefties, union officials, anyone they can think of. And if memory serves, you crossed swords with the corpse yourself once, didn't you?"
"Something like that."
"Well that would be enough for these eejits. Like I said, Scoop, fuck off. Keep your head down and your mouth shut. I know you've got a personal interest, but you'd be wise to stay well away from this mess."
"You know I can't do that," he said, with what would normally have proved infectious humour.
Jenny sighed. Stay out of this, Jack. Take a holiday.
"Christ, I wish I could," she said. "I've got better things to be getting on with. Another dead prostitute in Leith, and the male public being as forthcoming and cooperative as ever, the hypocritical bastards. Mother of three, but who cares, she's just a pro. Could be some nutter on the loose and I can't get any bodies on to the case because of this Voss fiasco. In fact I could hardly get out the fucking station for TV cameras. It's a media menagerie out there - I got swamped nicking out for a roll and bacon a wee while ago. I'd have had to starve if they hadn't started queuing up for their shot at this lawyer who's been making a nuisance of herself."
"Who she?"
"No idea. She showed up about half-eleven, apparently, claiming to represent one of the suspects. She knows fine she can't speak to him, so she started making noises about wanting some evidence to support the use of Prevention of Terrorism powers. Callaghan said she was getting short shrift until she pro37
duced some document, upon which she was immediately wheeched into an office by a couple of the 'tache team. They took their own stat of whatever it was, but Call says she insisted on accompanying them to the photocopier, wouldn't let the thing out of her sight. Half-an-hour later she's out front and the telly's lapping her up. She'll be all over the lunchtime news."
"Brave woman," Parlabane said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well anyone demanding rights for those guys - other than their right to be taken forth from this place and hanged by the neck until dead - is gaunny get some kicking in the press, just doing her job or not. I take it she was pretty young?"
"Yeah," Jenny said, remembering. "I only saw her from a few yards away but she looked a wee bit like her mammy probably didn't
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