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Authors: Ian Rankin
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mouth, he knew he’d made a mistake: the combined glower from Fox and Kaye intimated as much.
‘You mean he’s out?’ The pale eyes in the paler face had widened.
‘You should have been told,’ Fox said quietly.
‘He’s …?’ Collins got to her feet and padded over to the window, staring down on to the street.
‘He’s been warned not to come within half a mile of you,’ Fox tried to reassure her. ‘If he does, he’s back inside pronto.’
‘Well that’s just dandy,’ she said, voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘Carter’s bound to stick to that , isn’t he? Law-abiding prick like him …’
She spun away from the window. ‘What if I say it’s all a lie? I made it up to get him into bother?’
‘Then you’ll be the one under lock and key,’ Fox cautioned her. He placed his business card on the arm of the chair. ‘My number’s there – any sign of him, call me.’
‘You’re here to threaten me,’ Teresa Collins stated, pointing a trembling finger. ‘Three of you – that’s intimidation enough. Plus your story about him being out … This is me being told, isn’t it? Scholes and Haldane and Michaelson, and now you three.’
‘I can assure you we’re—’
‘I’ll go to the papers! That’s what I’ll do! I’ll scream blue murder.’
‘Will you calm down, Teresa?’ Fox had his hands held up in a show of surrender. He took a step forwards, but she had spun round again and pulled the window open.
‘Help!’ she screamed. ‘Somebody help me!’
Fox saw that Kaye was looking at him, waiting for a decision.
‘I’ll call you,’ Fox told Collins, raising his voice in the hope she might hear. ‘Later, when you’ve had a chance to …’
He signalled to Kaye and Naysmith that they were leaving. The neighbours upstairs were looking down at them from the landing.
‘She’s hysterical,’ Fox explained, starting his descent. Nobody from the ground-floor party had heard – or if they had, they couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. But the kids were outside on the pavement, facing Fox and his colleagues as they emerged. Fox had his warrant card out for them to see.
‘Back off,’ he told them.
‘Youse’ve raped her,’ one voice said accusingly.
‘She’s just upset.’
‘Aye, and who did that, eh? Youse did …’
‘For Christ’s sake,’ Tony Kaye burst out. ‘Look at my car!’
The contents of a waste bin had been tipped over the bonnet and windscreen: fast-food cartons, cigarette butts, crushed beer cans, and what looked like the remains of a dead pigeon.
‘Car wash down the road, only three quid,’ one of the gang suggested.
‘Five if you tell them you’re a pig,’ another added.
There was laughter, for which Fox was grateful. The situation was being defused – and Teresa Collins had stopped yelling and closed her window.
Tony Kaye, however, looked furious. He lunged at the youths, Fox hauling him back by his arm.
‘Easy, Tony, easy. Let’s just get out of here, eh?’
‘But these wee wankers—’
‘In the car,’ Fox commanded. Kaye waited another couple of beats before complying, using the wipers to brush aside some of the debris, and reversing hard to dislodge more from the bonnet.
‘Swear to God I’m coming back here with a bat,’ he muttered, as the gang jogged along by the side of the car, giving it the occasional kick or slap. He revved the engine and shot away in first, doing a U-turn that got rid of almost all the remaining rubbish.
‘Forget it, Kaye,’ Joe Naysmith said. ‘It’s Gallatown.’
‘Think you’re funny, eh?’ Tony Kaye leaned over and gave him a hard punch to the side of his head. ‘Laugh now, ya wee shite-bag …’
9
‘That was quick,’ Malcolm Fox said into his phone. Evelyn Mills was on the other end of the line. The eavesdropping operation had been given the green light.
‘My boss decided we didn’t need to refer it upwards,’ she explained.
‘Why not?’
‘My guess is, he reckons it
‘You mean he’s out?’ The pale eyes in the paler face had widened.
‘You should have been told,’ Fox said quietly.
‘He’s …?’ Collins got to her feet and padded over to the window, staring down on to the street.
‘He’s been warned not to come within half a mile of you,’ Fox tried to reassure her. ‘If he does, he’s back inside pronto.’
‘Well that’s just dandy,’ she said, voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘Carter’s bound to stick to that , isn’t he? Law-abiding prick like him …’
She spun away from the window. ‘What if I say it’s all a lie? I made it up to get him into bother?’
‘Then you’ll be the one under lock and key,’ Fox cautioned her. He placed his business card on the arm of the chair. ‘My number’s there – any sign of him, call me.’
‘You’re here to threaten me,’ Teresa Collins stated, pointing a trembling finger. ‘Three of you – that’s intimidation enough. Plus your story about him being out … This is me being told, isn’t it? Scholes and Haldane and Michaelson, and now you three.’
‘I can assure you we’re—’
‘I’ll go to the papers! That’s what I’ll do! I’ll scream blue murder.’
‘Will you calm down, Teresa?’ Fox had his hands held up in a show of surrender. He took a step forwards, but she had spun round again and pulled the window open.
‘Help!’ she screamed. ‘Somebody help me!’
Fox saw that Kaye was looking at him, waiting for a decision.
‘I’ll call you,’ Fox told Collins, raising his voice in the hope she might hear. ‘Later, when you’ve had a chance to …’
He signalled to Kaye and Naysmith that they were leaving. The neighbours upstairs were looking down at them from the landing.
‘She’s hysterical,’ Fox explained, starting his descent. Nobody from the ground-floor party had heard – or if they had, they couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. But the kids were outside on the pavement, facing Fox and his colleagues as they emerged. Fox had his warrant card out for them to see.
‘Back off,’ he told them.
‘Youse’ve raped her,’ one voice said accusingly.
‘She’s just upset.’
‘Aye, and who did that, eh? Youse did …’
‘For Christ’s sake,’ Tony Kaye burst out. ‘Look at my car!’
The contents of a waste bin had been tipped over the bonnet and windscreen: fast-food cartons, cigarette butts, crushed beer cans, and what looked like the remains of a dead pigeon.
‘Car wash down the road, only three quid,’ one of the gang suggested.
‘Five if you tell them you’re a pig,’ another added.
There was laughter, for which Fox was grateful. The situation was being defused – and Teresa Collins had stopped yelling and closed her window.
Tony Kaye, however, looked furious. He lunged at the youths, Fox hauling him back by his arm.
‘Easy, Tony, easy. Let’s just get out of here, eh?’
‘But these wee wankers—’
‘In the car,’ Fox commanded. Kaye waited another couple of beats before complying, using the wipers to brush aside some of the debris, and reversing hard to dislodge more from the bonnet.
‘Swear to God I’m coming back here with a bat,’ he muttered, as the gang jogged along by the side of the car, giving it the occasional kick or slap. He revved the engine and shot away in first, doing a U-turn that got rid of almost all the remaining rubbish.
‘Forget it, Kaye,’ Joe Naysmith said. ‘It’s Gallatown.’
‘Think you’re funny, eh?’ Tony Kaye leaned over and gave him a hard punch to the side of his head. ‘Laugh now, ya wee shite-bag …’
9
‘That was quick,’ Malcolm Fox said into his phone. Evelyn Mills was on the other end of the line. The eavesdropping operation had been given the green light.
‘My boss decided we didn’t need to refer it upwards,’ she explained.
‘Why not?’
‘My guess is, he reckons it
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