Deadly Friends by Stuart Pawson Read Free Book Online

useful,’ I said, draining my glass and placing it carefully smack in the middle of its mat. It was time to move up a gear. ‘According to our information,’ I told him, ‘on Christmas Eve he was chatting up one of your barmaids. Know anything about that?’
    The frown returned briefly, but he’d evidently decided to play ball with us. In the balance of things keeping in with the police might be more profitable than Darryl’s friendship. ‘Yeah, that’d be Jan—Janet,’ he replied. ‘’E asked me where she lived; said ’e might walk ’er ’ome, if you know what I mean.’
    ‘So what did you tell him?’ Sparky asked.
    ‘’Ow d’you mean?’
    ‘Did you tell him where she lived?’
    ‘No. Well, yeah. I don’t know the number. It’s theend ’ouse on Marsden Road, near the light, ’bout five minutes walk from ’ere.’
    ‘And you told him that?’
    ‘Yeah, I might ’ave done,’ he admitted.
    Sparky was about to speak again but I raised a finger to silence him. ‘Has Janet been in lately?’ I asked.
    ‘No, not since that night.’ He pondered on this, then said: ‘’Ere, they ’aven’t run off together, ’ave they?’
    ‘Not that we know of,’ I told him. ‘Now we know where she lives we might call on her. Sorry, Dave,’ I added. ‘What were you about to say?’
    Sparky is as tall as me but about four stones heavier. He’s probably my closest friend, and I’d hate him for an enemy. He’s an archetypal Yorkshireman, with an attitude. He planted his elbows on the rickety table and leant forward, towards the landlord. ‘You told Darryl where Janet lived,’ he stated.
    The landlord nodded. ‘Yeah, I fink I did.’
    ‘What else did you tell him?’
    ‘Nowt.’
    ‘Nothing? Are you sure?’
    ‘Yeah, ’course I’m sure.’
    Sparky sat upright again. ‘Have you ever been to Janet’s house,’ he asked.
    The landlord cast a furtive glance at Godzilla behind the bar. She was engrossed in that morning’s tabloid. ‘Er, yeah, a couple o’ times,’ he confessed in a hushed voice.
    ‘Were you invited?’ Sparky asked.
    ‘Yeah, well, not exactly.’
    ‘You invited yourself round, was that it?’
    ‘No, not exactly. She’s all right, is Janet. I like ’er. It was raining cats an’ dogs one night, ’owling down, so I ran ’er ’ome in t’car. Then I called in a couple o’ times on a Monday night. It’s dead in ’ere, so I ’ave a night off, if you know what I mean.’
    Sparky leant forward again. ‘Did you,’ he asked, very slowly, ‘ever have sex with her?’
    The landlord shook his head. ‘No.’
    ‘But you would have liked to?’
    ‘Yeah, well …’ He cast another glance towards the bar. No other words were necessary.
    Dave heaved a big sigh and sat up, looking at me. It was my turn. I said: ‘But you tried? You offered your services?’
    ‘Yeah, well, I fought, you know, she was on ’er own, like, an’ I’m as good as, an’ everyfing.’
    ‘What did she say?’
    ‘She weren’t interested. She was good about it, though. Said she preferred to keep fings on a business footing, if you know what I mean.’
    Good for you, Janet, I thought. ‘And did you tell Darryl that?’ I asked.
    The landlord shuffled in his seat, uncomfortable.
    ‘Or,’ I continued, ‘did you just tell him that you’d been round to her house a couple of times and that she’d made you welcome, if you know what I mean? Is that what you did, eh? Make him think that Janetwas available for any fucking deadbeat who fancies a screw! Was that it?’
    I wanted to take him by the throat and shake him until his eyeballs turned to cheese. I wanted to tell him that thanks to him and his pathetic inadequacies Darryl went round and raped Janet with a Kitchen Devil carver held to her throat, while she was wrapping her daughter’s Christmas presents. But I didn’t, because I wasn’t allowed to.
    I felt Sparky’s hand on my arm. ‘Let’s go,’ he said. ‘We’ve got all we can here.’
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