Gatecrasher by Robert Young Read Free Book Online Page B

Tyler watched him talk and found that even he was riled by that smirking arrogance just listening in.
    ‘Fuck off. What’s up?’
    ‘I understand you have a bit of a mystery caller down there. A very cold one.’ The line went quiet and Drennan prompted irritably. ‘Saturday night.’
    ‘Nobby-no-mates from Fulham? You heard about that?’
    ‘I did.’ A pause. ‘Who’s dealing with it? You?’
    ‘I got landed with it. How d’you know that?’ the policeman asked sounding guarded. Drennan hadn’t known but had taken a guess, which had paid off.
    ‘Not married are you?’
    ‘ No.’
    ‘Well I already know what your kids names are going to be.’
    ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know everything. You going to get to the point?’
    ‘Listen, don’t break your back trying to find out who it is.’
    ‘Do what?’
    ‘Let’s just say that it won’t reflect poorly on you should your enquiries not lead to any firm conclusions. He was a scumbag. You don’t need to waste your time and resources. You’re a busy man. Lots of other things to do.’
    Silence.
    ‘You do understand me?’
    ‘I’m not sure I want to hear more than I have, but I’m not sure I can help you.’
    ‘ You don’t need to do anything, ’ Drennan said as if he thought that perhaps the other man was stupid. ‘This case is no longer in your in tray.’
    ‘I mean, I already know. Things have, uh, developed.’
    ‘Developed how?’
    ‘Found his wallet. We already know who he is. You want to tell me what the fuck this is about?’
    The question was ignored.
    ‘Well you want to know who he is exactly…? No. No I suppose you already know that. Otherwise you wouldn’t be on the phone asking me to pretend he’s nobody.’
    ‘No I don’t suppose I would. Who knows?’
    ‘Just me and DC Samuel. We’re already checking his records and looking for known associates.’
    ‘Congratulations. Where was the wallet?’
    ‘He gatecrashed some house party in Fulham. Pissed as a fart aft er the Chelsea game. Anyway, seems he had an accident with a wine glass and managed to impale himself on the thing falling over in this guy’s kit chen. Wallet was in the garden. Dropped it climbing over the wall.’
    ‘Address?’
    Another pause, longer this time. Apprehensive.
    ‘It’s just some nobody. Some bloke having a party – never knew the guy, never seen him before.’
    ‘Address.’
    ‘For God ’s sake. Why? What happens to this guy if I give you his name? What does he know? More to the point what does MI5 care about this?’
    ‘Address.’ Firmer, impatient.
    ‘Christ. Look, I’ve spoken to him, he doesn’t know a fucking thing. He got burgled while he was in giving his statement! He’s had enough shit without you on his case too. Leave him alone Drennan you bastard.’
    ‘Burgled? That is bad luck isn’t it?’

 
14
 
 
    Monday . 6.30pm .
     
     
    ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the controller has just told me that there is a signalling problem up ahead and we are in a queue so it might be a few minutes before we get into Hammersmith station. I do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for your patience.’
    Hammersmith. Campbell was surprised that he was nearly at his stop. He had lost track of where he was as the train passed through the stations and he had stared absently into space. Stiff and cold.
    People around him groaned and shook their heads but nobody said anything and some people even smiled a here-we-go-again sort of smile. Just another tube ride.
    Campbell rolled his head back onto his shoulders and tried to grind out some of the tension in his neck. The afternoon in the office had dragged even more after that flash of memory had come stumbling in on his consciousness and nobody had complained when he up and left a little earlier than everyone else. Most people knew about the party – some of his colleagues had even been there – and about the burglary that morning. More than one person had remarked that they