Read Online The Burning Girl-4 by Mark Billingham - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mark Billingham
Tags: Fiction, General, Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Mystery Fiction, Police, England, London, Police Procedural, London (England), Murder for hire, organized crime, Gangsters, Police - England - London, Thorne; Tom (Fictitious character)
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ignored him, pressed on. "It's nothing we haven't seen before. Subtler than some I've come across lots of stuff about the dangers facing new businesses. But basical y it's a simple protection scheme. Only problem is they were moving in on someone who was already protected."
'"They"', Thorne said, 'being Bil y Ryan."
"To the best of my knowledge, yes."
"The "best of your knowledge"?"
Tughan smiled thinly and turned away from Thorne. "We're moving forward on the basis that this letter originated from the Ryan family, or from criminals closely associated with them."
Thorne let it go, but it stil bothered him. It wasn't like threatening letters were sent out on headed notepaper. How could Tughan be so sure that this one came from the Ryan family?
Thorne caught Brigstocke's eye, but the DCI did not al ow him to hold it for very long. Brigstocke's attitude to the entire SO7 operation basical y involved keeping his head down until they disappeared. Thorne had a lot of time for the man he was hard and principled, caught far too often between those above and below him but he stil had an irritating predilection for hedging his bets. At the same time, of course, Thorne was wel aware that his own refusal to do the same thing had often landed him in plenty of trouble .. .
Yvonne Kitson was less afraid than some to speak her mind. "It doesn't make a lot of sense," she said. "They send a threatening letter. They send the bul y boys round to chuck a bin through the window. Then they have the owners kil ed.}"
Hol and looked up from the letter. "Right, that's quite an escalation, sir."
"It's not complicated," Tughan said. His smile took him way over the line that separated informative from patronising. "This was a straightforward campaign of intimidation. It might wel have got nasty eventual y, but it wouldn't have gone as far as kil ing. Then the Ryans discovered that the video shop was protected by the same people responsible for the murder of Mickey Clayton and the others. The same people that are paying the X-Man."
"A bit coincidental, isn't it?" Hol and asked.
Tughan had been waiting for this. "I don't think so .. ."
"It was the letter," Thorne said. "That's what started everything."
"It was probably the letter." Tughan couldn't keep the irritation off his face at having his thunder stolen. "It doesn't real y matter now how it started .. ."
Thorne took Tughan's expression as his cue to get stuck in. "Whoever was protecting Izzigil's business took major offence at the Ryans trying to move in."
"Major offence?" Hol and said. "That's putting it bloody mildly. They've had four of Bil y Ryan's top men kil ed."
Brigstocke agreed: "Whatever happened to breaking somebody's legs?"
"It's about a lot more than territory now," Thorne said. "It probably always was. We're presuming they're Turks, right? Whoever's been hitting the Ryans .. ."
"We can't presume anything," Tughan said. "The fact that the video business was Turkish needn't be significant."
"It needn't be, no. But I stil think it is."
"We've heard nothing from the NCIS .. ."
"They're not infal ible. We're probably talking about somebody relatively new here. Maybe an offshoot of an existing gang."
"Granted, it's a Turkish area, but other groups might stil try their luck."
"They'd be idiots if they did .. ."
"The Ryans did."
"Right," Thorne said. "And look what they got for their trouble."
Tughan seemed to decide suddenly that a physical barrier between himself and Thorne might be a good idea. He moved behind the desk and slid into the chair. He looked at his computer, affecting an air of thoughtfulness, but, to Thorne, it seemed more like regrouping.
"We're assuming that on one side we've got the Ryans, right?" Thorne continued quickly before Tughan had a chance to pul him up: "If we assume that on the other side we've got an as yet unknown Turkish operation, it al starts to add up. If you're a ne wish gang, looking to establish yourself, you don't go up against
'"They"', Thorne said, 'being Bil y Ryan."
"To the best of my knowledge, yes."
"The "best of your knowledge"?"
Tughan smiled thinly and turned away from Thorne. "We're moving forward on the basis that this letter originated from the Ryan family, or from criminals closely associated with them."
Thorne let it go, but it stil bothered him. It wasn't like threatening letters were sent out on headed notepaper. How could Tughan be so sure that this one came from the Ryan family?
Thorne caught Brigstocke's eye, but the DCI did not al ow him to hold it for very long. Brigstocke's attitude to the entire SO7 operation basical y involved keeping his head down until they disappeared. Thorne had a lot of time for the man he was hard and principled, caught far too often between those above and below him but he stil had an irritating predilection for hedging his bets. At the same time, of course, Thorne was wel aware that his own refusal to do the same thing had often landed him in plenty of trouble .. .
Yvonne Kitson was less afraid than some to speak her mind. "It doesn't make a lot of sense," she said. "They send a threatening letter. They send the bul y boys round to chuck a bin through the window. Then they have the owners kil ed.}"
Hol and looked up from the letter. "Right, that's quite an escalation, sir."
"It's not complicated," Tughan said. His smile took him way over the line that separated informative from patronising. "This was a straightforward campaign of intimidation. It might wel have got nasty eventual y, but it wouldn't have gone as far as kil ing. Then the Ryans discovered that the video shop was protected by the same people responsible for the murder of Mickey Clayton and the others. The same people that are paying the X-Man."
"A bit coincidental, isn't it?" Hol and asked.
Tughan had been waiting for this. "I don't think so .. ."
"It was the letter," Thorne said. "That's what started everything."
"It was probably the letter." Tughan couldn't keep the irritation off his face at having his thunder stolen. "It doesn't real y matter now how it started .. ."
Thorne took Tughan's expression as his cue to get stuck in. "Whoever was protecting Izzigil's business took major offence at the Ryans trying to move in."
"Major offence?" Hol and said. "That's putting it bloody mildly. They've had four of Bil y Ryan's top men kil ed."
Brigstocke agreed: "Whatever happened to breaking somebody's legs?"
"It's about a lot more than territory now," Thorne said. "It probably always was. We're presuming they're Turks, right? Whoever's been hitting the Ryans .. ."
"We can't presume anything," Tughan said. "The fact that the video business was Turkish needn't be significant."
"It needn't be, no. But I stil think it is."
"We've heard nothing from the NCIS .. ."
"They're not infal ible. We're probably talking about somebody relatively new here. Maybe an offshoot of an existing gang."
"Granted, it's a Turkish area, but other groups might stil try their luck."
"They'd be idiots if they did .. ."
"The Ryans did."
"Right," Thorne said. "And look what they got for their trouble."
Tughan seemed to decide suddenly that a physical barrier between himself and Thorne might be a good idea. He moved behind the desk and slid into the chair. He looked at his computer, affecting an air of thoughtfulness, but, to Thorne, it seemed more like regrouping.
"We're assuming that on one side we've got the Ryans, right?" Thorne continued quickly before Tughan had a chance to pul him up: "If we assume that on the other side we've got an as yet unknown Turkish operation, it al starts to add up. If you're a ne wish gang, looking to establish yourself, you don't go up against
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