The Amen Cadence by J. J. Salkeld Read Free Book Online Page A

forearm on Pepper’s throat. Henry’s shoulder went in hard, and caught Young full in the chest. His head snapped back, and bounced off the radiator under the window. Then Henry was briefly aware of a roaring noise, close and loud, before Young came at him. He barely saw the fists, but he certainly felt them, his own arms up around his head now, in the last few moments before he blacked out.
     
    When Henry came round Pepper was standing over him. She was speaking, he could see that, but for a moment all he could hear was a rushing sound in his ears, like a stormy sea on shingle.
    ‘What? I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a bump on the head.’
    He tried to sit up, and knew that he was going to be sick before he was even half way there. Young’s wastepaper basket was on its side, just out of reach, but Henry was still sick in that general direction.
    ‘For fuck’s sake’ he heard Young say, and then saw him, standing near the door.
    ‘Shut it’, said Pepper. ‘You’re nicked, you bastard.’
    ‘Oh, aye. What for?’
    ‘Assaulting a police officer, of course. Christ, you could have killed him.’
    ‘Fuck off, Pepper. It was self-defence, was that.’
    ‘Bollocks, and it’ll be our word against yours, won’t it?’
     
    Young laughed, loudly, and shouted the name of one of his staff. She came in quickly, and tried to avoid looking at Henry, still slumped against the wall, with sick on his trousers.
    ‘Run off a copy of the recording for these officers, would you, love?’
    ‘What recording?’ said Pepper, before she turned, looked up at the corner of the ceiling behind her, and had her answer. There was the camera. ‘It doesn’t matter, Dai. You still beat the shit out of the lad.’
    ‘I did, aye, and he’s lucky it’s not a lot worse. So nick me for it, if you want. But I’ll be right interested to see what my brief makes of what came before, like. Anyway, son, can you hear me?’
    Henry said he could, then retched again.
    ‘Good. Now, do you want me nicked, son? And try to answer without making even more of a mess of my carpet.’
    ‘No. No, I don’t want you nicked.’
    ‘All right, and do you need an ambulance, or are you going to get up and walk out of here like a man?’
     
    Henry tried to get up, but couldn’t.
    ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake’, said Young, moving towards him. Instinctively Henry lifted his arms to protect his face, but just felt strong hands under his armpits, hauling him upright. Then he stood, unsteadily, and turned towards the door. Pepper caught him before he fell, and helped him to a chair.
    ‘It’s not his decision. You’re fucking nicked,’ she said.
    ‘Have it your own way, love, but I really do wonder what your bosses will make of the tape. The TV channels too, come to that. And your lad had a go at me too, didn’t he? So it was self defence, what I did. It’ll all be on the tape, like.’
    ‘He’s right, Pepper,’ said Henry, tasting the blood in his mouth, and feeling the sharp stump of a shattered tooth with his tongue. ‘Let’s not give him the satisfaction. Come on, let’s get out of here. His time will come.’
    ‘All of our times will come, son. Even the children’s, in the end, like.’
     
     
    Half an hour later they were at Henry Armstrong’s dad’s house in Keswick, and Pepper helped Henry up to his room so that he could get changed, and have a lie down. He was up and about, and wearing his old walking clothes when his dad returned from surgery. The two men made for the doctor’s study, and Pepper knew that Henry was in for both a physical check-up and a verbal cross-examination.
     
    She made a jug of elderflower cordial for them all, and carried it through to the living room on a tray. She took her own glass, and walked to the window. From there she could see right across the town, to Derwent Water and the fells beyond. She hardly ever came out this way, and was pretty sure that a lifetime’s familiarity with the fells and the lakes had