Out of the Night by Dan Latus Read Free Book Online
Authors: Dan Latus
pub. In fact, it was very pleasant. Not that I was in the mood for frivolities. We sat in a corner of the very quiet bar and Bill bought a couple of pints.
‘So what’s going on?’ he asked.
‘Fucked if I know.’
‘No idea?’
I sighed wearily and made a start.
‘When I came home the other day I found two guys trying to break into my house. I stopped them. Things got a bit out of hand but Jimmy came to the rescue with his shotgun.’
‘His legally held shotgun?’
‘Of course.’
I certainly hoped it was.
‘And it was them again?’
‘So Jimmy said.’
‘Boy!’ Bill sighed and swigged his beer. ‘Didn’t even think of me? Sometimes I don’t know why I bother calling you a pal.’
‘You were busy with bodies on the beach,’ I protested. ‘You had enough to do.’
‘There’s a whole police force behind me.’ He held his beer up to the light and squinted at it before adding, ‘Maybe two, if it’s serious enough.’
‘I thought I could handle it. I thought I had handled it.’
‘Yeah. You did. Terrific.’
‘What’s wrong with your beer? Got floaters in it?’
‘Real ale, eh?’ he said, putting his glass down.
‘What’s wrong with that? Anyway, I’m hungry. Do they have any crisps at the bar?’
He just looked at me. Then he carried on with what he wanted to say.
‘Humour me,’ he said. ‘Forget I’m a cop. Just for the moment. These two tough guys? Any idea who they were?’
I shook my head. ‘I’d never seen them before.’
‘That’s not the same thing, is it?’
‘What do you want me to say, Bill? I have no more idea now than I had the other day, when they were trying to break into my house.’
He changed the subject. ‘Where have you been today?’
‘To see a client – a potential client. Business development.’
‘Connected with this?’
I shook my head. ‘She’s a friend of Lydia’s. She has an art gallery in Middlesbrough.’
‘She?’
‘Yes, she’s a she.’
‘Nice. And nothing to do with this?’
‘I’m going to see if they have any crisps. Another pint?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m on duty.’
They had only cheese and onion, which suited me well enough. I got a packet for Bill, too, hoping they wouldn’t interfere with his sense of duty.
When I got back to my seat, Bill said, ‘I wonder what those fellers were looking for. There must have been something, the way they turned everything over.’
‘Just intent on maximum damage, probably. They got the worst of it the other day. Besides, they must have realized quite quickly there was no hidden treasure at Risky Point.’
‘Really? Nothing else to help explain it?’
We seemed to have reached a crossroads. Either we continued down the road together or we went our separate ways. I didn’t struggle with that for long.
‘I might be able to help you a bit there,’ I said carefully. It seemed time to let him in on the secret. ‘They were searching for a woman. At least, I think they were.’
I didn’t like the way Bill looked at me then. It was with a mixture of fury and contempt.
‘Why ever would they look for a woman in your house?’
‘Well, it’s not what you think.’
‘It never is, where you’re concerned. Here I am, doing my best to try to help you, and—’
‘I know, I know!’ I said soothingly. ‘Let me explain.’
So I told him about my nocturnal visitor.
He shook his head afterwards. ‘It just gets worse,’ he said bitterly. ‘I’ve got this shitty case at Port Holland to deal with, a chief constable that wants me out of the way, and you want to complicate my life further by telling me—’
‘You did ask!’
‘Yeah. I did. You’re right. And now I wish I hadn’t.’
We talked a bit more. Bill calmed down and said he thought it was probably a coincidence, that there was no connection between my visitor and what had happened at Port Holland a few miles to the south. That’s what he said, at least. I didn’t argue, partly because I had no
‘So what’s going on?’ he asked.
‘Fucked if I know.’
‘No idea?’
I sighed wearily and made a start.
‘When I came home the other day I found two guys trying to break into my house. I stopped them. Things got a bit out of hand but Jimmy came to the rescue with his shotgun.’
‘His legally held shotgun?’
‘Of course.’
I certainly hoped it was.
‘And it was them again?’
‘So Jimmy said.’
‘Boy!’ Bill sighed and swigged his beer. ‘Didn’t even think of me? Sometimes I don’t know why I bother calling you a pal.’
‘You were busy with bodies on the beach,’ I protested. ‘You had enough to do.’
‘There’s a whole police force behind me.’ He held his beer up to the light and squinted at it before adding, ‘Maybe two, if it’s serious enough.’
‘I thought I could handle it. I thought I had handled it.’
‘Yeah. You did. Terrific.’
‘What’s wrong with your beer? Got floaters in it?’
‘Real ale, eh?’ he said, putting his glass down.
‘What’s wrong with that? Anyway, I’m hungry. Do they have any crisps at the bar?’
He just looked at me. Then he carried on with what he wanted to say.
‘Humour me,’ he said. ‘Forget I’m a cop. Just for the moment. These two tough guys? Any idea who they were?’
I shook my head. ‘I’d never seen them before.’
‘That’s not the same thing, is it?’
‘What do you want me to say, Bill? I have no more idea now than I had the other day, when they were trying to break into my house.’
He changed the subject. ‘Where have you been today?’
‘To see a client – a potential client. Business development.’
‘Connected with this?’
I shook my head. ‘She’s a friend of Lydia’s. She has an art gallery in Middlesbrough.’
‘She?’
‘Yes, she’s a she.’
‘Nice. And nothing to do with this?’
‘I’m going to see if they have any crisps. Another pint?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m on duty.’
They had only cheese and onion, which suited me well enough. I got a packet for Bill, too, hoping they wouldn’t interfere with his sense of duty.
When I got back to my seat, Bill said, ‘I wonder what those fellers were looking for. There must have been something, the way they turned everything over.’
‘Just intent on maximum damage, probably. They got the worst of it the other day. Besides, they must have realized quite quickly there was no hidden treasure at Risky Point.’
‘Really? Nothing else to help explain it?’
We seemed to have reached a crossroads. Either we continued down the road together or we went our separate ways. I didn’t struggle with that for long.
‘I might be able to help you a bit there,’ I said carefully. It seemed time to let him in on the secret. ‘They were searching for a woman. At least, I think they were.’
I didn’t like the way Bill looked at me then. It was with a mixture of fury and contempt.
‘Why ever would they look for a woman in your house?’
‘Well, it’s not what you think.’
‘It never is, where you’re concerned. Here I am, doing my best to try to help you, and—’
‘I know, I know!’ I said soothingly. ‘Let me explain.’
So I told him about my nocturnal visitor.
He shook his head afterwards. ‘It just gets worse,’ he said bitterly. ‘I’ve got this shitty case at Port Holland to deal with, a chief constable that wants me out of the way, and you want to complicate my life further by telling me—’
‘You did ask!’
‘Yeah. I did. You’re right. And now I wish I hadn’t.’
We talked a bit more. Bill calmed down and said he thought it was probably a coincidence, that there was no connection between my visitor and what had happened at Port Holland a few miles to the south. That’s what he said, at least. I didn’t argue, partly because I had no