carrying a tray. Nothing is said and each man looks as if he doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of.
As they get in the car, Josie says, ‘What did Sean Degg tell you, sir?’
‘Oh, nothing. But Bridget did.’
‘What did she tell you?’
‘That she and Sean have a secret. And she can’t have children.’
He drives them to the Alma, as he had promised, for a ploughman’s on the river, looking across to Hampton Court. Henry and all those wives and unborn heirs.
*
Sean has pulled his chair right up to the cot where Grace is lying, enclosed in a plastic dome against the germs of the world.
‘You need to tell me all about Bridget, Sean,’ says Staffe.
‘What would I know about Bridget?’ Sean Degg sighs, turns towards the baby’s monitors.
‘I’ve been thinking about why you would lie like that.’
‘Like what?’
‘Telling my constable you’ve not seen Bridget in years.’
‘Did I?’
‘But you called round to see her when Kerry disappeared.’
‘I was only there ten minutes.’
‘It’s not looking good for you, Sean. You need to stop lying to us.’
‘All I can say is, I’d never harm Kerry. Why can’t you believe that?’
‘There’s something else you need to tell me.’
Sean stands up. He goes to the cot and puts his fingers to the glass bubble. He stoops, says to Grace, ‘I won’t be long, my darling.’ He turns to face Staffe and blows out his cheeks and smiles. ‘Let’s get some air. How is Bridget?’
‘You wouldn’t think she had lost a sister. I know they didn’t get on, but Kerry was her sister.’
Sean stops in the corridor, and a trolley is pushed by. He crouches, messing with his bootlaces. He curses. When he stands, he says, ‘Siblings can be like that. Bridget wasn’t the baby, not once Kerry came along. You got any fags?’
‘Gave them up.’
‘I used to roll them for Kerry. I miss that.’
Outside, they pass a newsagent and Sean says, ‘I’m going to get some bacca.’
Inside, Sean checks what he has in his pocket and keeps a fiver and loose change back. He offers the newsagent sixty quid, whispers, ‘You have a back way, don’t you? It goes onto the estate.’
‘None o’ your business.’
Sean looks back, sees the inspector looking up and down the street.
‘Sixty quid for you. Let me out the back. That bloke out there, he’s looking for me. I was with his wife, see. Look at the size of him. He’ll kill me.’
‘Maybe you deserve it.’
‘I didn’t know she was married. She’s a tart. Honest.’ Sean proffers the money and the newsagent shakes his head. ‘Somebody once fucked my missus.’ He smiles. ‘I beat the shit outa them both.’
‘In that case –’ Sean reaches carefully into his pocket. ‘– I’ll keep my money. Treat her to dinner, maybe.’
‘What?’
Sean pulls out the scalpel he had lifted from the trolley in the hospital corridor. He makes the smallest gesture towards the newsagent, who flinches. ‘Got it from hospital. It’s used. I’m a male nurse and this has plenty of germs. It’s not the cut that’ll do for you, it’s the disease.’
The newsagent nods, wide-eyed, sidles from behind the counter and goes into a passageway, unlocks the back door. Sean pushes the newsagent outside and follows him. ‘Lock it,’ he says, and the newsagent does. ‘Now, lie on your stomach and count to a thousand.’ Sean bends down, lifts the keys from the newsagent’s hand and jangles the bunch. ‘I can slip in the back any time I want. So don’t you say a fucking thing.’
Sean puts his boot on the newsagent’s wrist and nicks the fleshy pad at the base of his thumb with the scalpel. He presses with his boot and watches the blood come.
Nine
Staffe can’t believe that Sean Degg has slipped his net and he can’t quite fathom why he would do that, when he wasn’t even under arrest. He has replayed the conversation they were having about Bridget, but it only leads him back to his own bluff. There is
As they get in the car, Josie says, ‘What did Sean Degg tell you, sir?’
‘Oh, nothing. But Bridget did.’
‘What did she tell you?’
‘That she and Sean have a secret. And she can’t have children.’
He drives them to the Alma, as he had promised, for a ploughman’s on the river, looking across to Hampton Court. Henry and all those wives and unborn heirs.
*
Sean has pulled his chair right up to the cot where Grace is lying, enclosed in a plastic dome against the germs of the world.
‘You need to tell me all about Bridget, Sean,’ says Staffe.
‘What would I know about Bridget?’ Sean Degg sighs, turns towards the baby’s monitors.
‘I’ve been thinking about why you would lie like that.’
‘Like what?’
‘Telling my constable you’ve not seen Bridget in years.’
‘Did I?’
‘But you called round to see her when Kerry disappeared.’
‘I was only there ten minutes.’
‘It’s not looking good for you, Sean. You need to stop lying to us.’
‘All I can say is, I’d never harm Kerry. Why can’t you believe that?’
‘There’s something else you need to tell me.’
Sean stands up. He goes to the cot and puts his fingers to the glass bubble. He stoops, says to Grace, ‘I won’t be long, my darling.’ He turns to face Staffe and blows out his cheeks and smiles. ‘Let’s get some air. How is Bridget?’
‘You wouldn’t think she had lost a sister. I know they didn’t get on, but Kerry was her sister.’
Sean stops in the corridor, and a trolley is pushed by. He crouches, messing with his bootlaces. He curses. When he stands, he says, ‘Siblings can be like that. Bridget wasn’t the baby, not once Kerry came along. You got any fags?’
‘Gave them up.’
‘I used to roll them for Kerry. I miss that.’
Outside, they pass a newsagent and Sean says, ‘I’m going to get some bacca.’
Inside, Sean checks what he has in his pocket and keeps a fiver and loose change back. He offers the newsagent sixty quid, whispers, ‘You have a back way, don’t you? It goes onto the estate.’
‘None o’ your business.’
Sean looks back, sees the inspector looking up and down the street.
‘Sixty quid for you. Let me out the back. That bloke out there, he’s looking for me. I was with his wife, see. Look at the size of him. He’ll kill me.’
‘Maybe you deserve it.’
‘I didn’t know she was married. She’s a tart. Honest.’ Sean proffers the money and the newsagent shakes his head. ‘Somebody once fucked my missus.’ He smiles. ‘I beat the shit outa them both.’
‘In that case –’ Sean reaches carefully into his pocket. ‘– I’ll keep my money. Treat her to dinner, maybe.’
‘What?’
Sean pulls out the scalpel he had lifted from the trolley in the hospital corridor. He makes the smallest gesture towards the newsagent, who flinches. ‘Got it from hospital. It’s used. I’m a male nurse and this has plenty of germs. It’s not the cut that’ll do for you, it’s the disease.’
The newsagent nods, wide-eyed, sidles from behind the counter and goes into a passageway, unlocks the back door. Sean pushes the newsagent outside and follows him. ‘Lock it,’ he says, and the newsagent does. ‘Now, lie on your stomach and count to a thousand.’ Sean bends down, lifts the keys from the newsagent’s hand and jangles the bunch. ‘I can slip in the back any time I want. So don’t you say a fucking thing.’
Sean puts his boot on the newsagent’s wrist and nicks the fleshy pad at the base of his thumb with the scalpel. He presses with his boot and watches the blood come.
Nine
Staffe can’t believe that Sean Degg has slipped his net and he can’t quite fathom why he would do that, when he wasn’t even under arrest. He has replayed the conversation they were having about Bridget, but it only leads him back to his own bluff. There is
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