The Crooked Beat by Nick Quantrill Read Free Book Online

back into her house. I matched it and moved forward a little. ‘Can you tell me what happened?’
    ‘I’ve already spoken with the police.’
    ‘I’m here to help Don.’
    She looked me up and down, like she was weighing up whether I was to be trusted or not. ‘There’s not much I can tell you. The man ran out as I shouted Don’s name.’
    ‘Did you get a good look at him?’
    ‘I’m afraid not. He was too fast for me. I’d say he was in his thirties. Big and muscular, but rough looking with it.’
    ‘Anything else?’
    ‘I heard him shout he’d be back. That’s why the police said they would step up their patrols.’ She pointed to the bag in her hallway. ‘But you can’t trust them, can you? That’s why I’m going to stay with a relative until they catch this man.’
    I told her I understood and thanked her for helping Don. She shouted after me as I walked away. ‘The policeman left his card with me.’
    I waited while she went and found it. She reappeared and held it out to me. I read the details. Acting Detective Inspector Coleman. He’d been promoted since our paths had last crossed.
     
    Starbucks in the St Stephen’s Shopping Centre was above the main row of shops, as if it was suspended in mid-air. I had a good view of people coming and going. More importantly to me, it was busy. I didn’t know what I was getting into, so it had to be done in public. There were no seats free which had a decent view of the staircase, so I sat with my back to the entrance and waited. I watched as shoppers carried bags between stores. My concentration was broken by a hand gripping my shoulder. It squeezed hard but I didn’t flinch. George Sutherland slipped into the seat opposite me.
    ‘This is a surprise, isn’t it?’ he said.
    I couldn’t help but smile. I’d been wrong about him. I’d considered him well under the radar, but there weren't many people in the city with the clout to smuggle in a quantity of cigarettes through the docks. Sutherland was obviously one of the small number who could. I remembered that his pub offered bed and breakfast. He could possibly justify importing the catering supplies which masked the cigarettes. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but it made some sense to me.
    ‘How’s the wife?’ I asked him. It was a cheap shot, but it was all I had.
    He laughed. ‘No idea, but I owe you my thanks for that. I couldn’t give a fuck about her.’ He pointed to the blonde a few tables away, flicking through a magazine. ‘Worked out for the best, I reckon.’
    I smiled. ‘At least your wife will get some well-deserved money.’
    ‘Fuck off, Geraghty. Have a look around. There’s a recession on. I’m a humble businessman trying to scratch a living. I’m sixty years old soon. I’ve got fuck all to give her.’
    ‘Right.’ I didn’t believe him.
    ‘Ask my accountant. I believe you know Mr Millfield.’
    ‘We’re already acquainted.’ I was surprised, but I didn’t let it show.
    ‘But we’re not here to talk about that, are we? Seems like your brother has been a naughty boy.’
    ‘Stupid, maybe.’
    ‘Beside the point, really, given the circumstances.’
    ‘Maybe you should have taken more care. If you trust someone like Gillespie to sort things out for you, maybe you should have kept the cigarettes somewhere else.’
    Sutherland sat back in his chair. A waitress placed a large cappuccino in front of him.
    He drank a mouthful of coffee. ‘You might have a point there. I placed my trust in people and the cunts let me down.’
    I thought about the beating my brother had been given. Sutherland must have known I was involved. He’d been playing with me, waiting for me to make a move. Maybe waiting to see if I could find the cigarettes for him.
    ‘Gillespie is a piece of shit,’ he said. ‘I don’t care for him. And I can’t say I care much for your brother. If you want to play with the big boys, you’re going to get hurt.’
    I was getting angry with him. ‘You