Chapters (67)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
‘Fats,’ Serrailler said, ‘is the bloke who hooked up a young lad in Starly. His dad found out and came in here. I saw him. He’s been useful.’
‘Starly.’
‘Yup, it’s become home to more than the old flower power folk.’
‘Flower power?’
Simon groaned. ‘You’re too young, Denzil. Google it.’
‘So Fats is caravan man, and if he was grooming the kids to run the drugs, we’ve got the best lead we’ve ever had.’
‘Don’t get too excited. Yes, pretty sure of that, but he was a tiddler.’
‘What about the phone numbers?’
‘Chances are they won’t be anything – contacts for the kids they’re running, and some of them might be dead numbers, they change them all the time. Still, you’re right, it’s something. We need another break.’
‘This anything to do with the Chinese pharmacist?’
‘I was coming to that. This is what we have so far. The shop was torched, Wang and his family were murdered, there was absolutely nothing in their house as you know . . . clean as a whistle. We’ve got Greater Manchester on it, talking to the Chinese community up there, but my bet is they’ll find nothing because they know nothing. Wang’s people are shocked rigid . . . and the DCS is certain none of them had the faintest idea that Wang Lin was involved in anything – if indeed he was. The most likely scenario is that he and his pharmacy were being used and he was scared shitless. The whole thing stinks. The family might know nothing but there wasn’t a word I said came as news to the Manchester boys.’
‘The big bosses could be up there.’
‘They could. Or in Leeds. Or Newcastle. Or even down in the Smoke. Meanwhile, let me remind you that we are here and we’ve got something. We have an ID of sorts, we know some of Fats’s contacts and his haunts, we have the caravan he lived in and the van he drove. Denzil, you take the list of phone numbers. Donna, take your husband for a treat and a night out at the dogs. Enjoy a cheeseburger on expenses. Keep your ears open, get chatting to those who know their way about. Glam up as you would if you were a flash punter’s wife and not a DS and use Bald Graham to place your bets.’
‘Can I keep my winnings?’
‘No, but you pay for the losses out of your own pocket.’
‘Or the hubs’.’
‘I expect the forensic reports on both vehicles later today and I’ll be going through every detail right down to the invisible ones. There’s got to be something.’
‘What’s the bottom line, guv?’