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Back A Change of Circumstance
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Fifty-Nine
  61. Sixty
  62. Sixty-One
  63. Sixty-Two
  64. Sixty-Three
  65. Sixty-Four
  66. Sixty-Five
  67. Sixty-Six

‘Off a skip isn’t nicking.’

‘I want something next time then.’

‘OK.’

Tommy dug his younger brother in the ribs, then dodged away. Brookie pulled the rucksack nearer, partly because he couldn’t believe he’d got it and didn’t have to put up with any more plastic bags. But mainly because he didn’t trust his brother.

Nine

‘Guv?’

Serrailler paused on his way up the stairs.

‘Young woman brought this in ten minutes ago – just dropped it on the desk and ran. I didn’t get a proper look at her, I was dealing with a couple of scroats. Might be something and nothing.’

To the Police, Lafferton.

Regarding the photo in the Bevham Gazette, I think this may be a picture of my brother. None of my family have seen him since autumn when he called at our mum and stepdad’s house, I was there and saw him. He was in a bad way. His name is Liam, if it is him. It’s not easy to tell for sure. Please let me know what I should do next.

Yours sincerely

Lynn Vines (Mrs)

There was a mobile number beneath her name.

‘Will you ring this number, Hawkins, and ask Mrs Vines if she can come back to the station?’

DC Hawkins took the letter. Like Denzil, he was new, ambitious and annoyingly youthful.

‘Might be a good idea if you could bring her in yourself. Don’t let her ask about her brother – talk about something else. How about the weather?’

‘If she asks me any questions, guv?’

‘Still the weather.’

Lynn Vines was in her early thirties, carefully made up, wearing a good Puffa jacket and orange hat with a fur bobble. She looked so nervous that he asked his secretary to bring tea, in a pot, on a tray, with biscuits. He knew the psychological value of the gesture, which was more than the sum of its parts and gave out a signal that this was an informal visit, for a conversation not a questioning. The tea plus his soothing chat about the recent floods after the thaw and the cheering sight of the first crocuses on the Hill, took fifteen friendly minutes, by which time the young woman had visibly relaxed.

Simon set down his cup. ‘Mrs Vines, can we talk about your brother, Liam? Are you happy to?’

She nodded.

‘But first I do want to thank you and stress how good it was of you to write the note and to come in here. It’s never easy, I do understand, police stations can be intimidating places, except for those of us who work in them.’

‘I saw it in the local paper, I think I said, but even after I’d read it, and then looked at that photo, I didn’t really connect it with Liam, not straight away.’