Joel gave him hopeful eyes. “Is that useful? Because I honestly don’t know anything else.”

“We’ll see. I expect you’d be willing to swear your affydavy to all that, would you?”

“Where?” Joel said, with panic he didn’t have to feign. “I’m not going back to court. Or crossing a copper, either. He’s a sergeant, Mr. Sabini!”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Darby said. “I don’t reckon it’ll get as far as court. I reckon I bring this to certain people and your problem goes away like that.” He clicked his fight-thickened fingers.

“You can do that? Really?”

“Fowler’s only a sergeant. Some of us have friends in high places, sonny.”

“Yes, but I don’t, and you’re talking about me swearing to things and getting on the wrong side of CID, and now I don’t know what’s going on! Mr. Sabini, please.” Joel let his voice wobble. It didn’t take much acting. “Could you just tell me? Because I don’t want any of this, and if I do have to do something I’d rather not get it wrong, and I don’t understand. Please?”

Darby clicked his tongue, with almost fatherly patience. “Here’s how it works, son. You want rid of Fowler, right? Well, say there’s a certain other person of the same mind, in a position to do something about it. I pass on what you just said to him. If it’s enough for him to see Fowler off, well, that fixes my pal’s problem, and it fixes your problem too. Simple as that. See?”

“So this other person says ‘You’ve been a bad boy, consulting graphologists when you’re not allowed,’ and that makes Mr. Fowler back off me?”

“That’s right. So I’ve done you both a favour. And...?” He gave Joel a meaningful look.

“And now me and your important pal both owe you a favour?”

“You’re a bright boy,” Darby Sabini said. “All right, you can pop off now. Make sure you’re ready for a chat when I tell you, and don’t you worry, I’ll sort it out. We’ll talk more about that favour you owe me in a while. I could use a man of your talents.”

“Of course, Mr. Sabini,” Joel said faintly. “Whenever you like.”

***

JOEL WOULD HAVE LIKED nothing more than to fling himself into Aaron’s arms, blurt out the whole horrible conversation, and be reassured that he’d done the right thing and wasn’t going to find himself in permanent hock to a gang lord. Or worse. He and Aaron had agreed the lie he’d tell Sabini, but now his mind was filled with the awful prospect of being asked to testify, of his words being used against Aaron.