‘The fuck you doing, whitey?’
McDonald moved to the table, picked up a bag of weed, said:
‘You’re busted, bro.’
The man smiled, displaying gold teeth and a scarlet tongue. He looked at Andrews, said:
‘Yo a foxy bitch, yeah?’
Andrews tried to take charge, said:
‘If you’d care to accompany us to the station.’
Even McDonald turned to look at her. In the moment McDonald looked away, Jamil put his hands under the chair, produced a sawn-off, said:
‘Surprise.’
McDonald couldn’t believe this was happening again. He remembered the last time he’d stared into the barrel of a gun. The seconds before the guy pulled the trigger, sweat pouring off his face and the fucking awful pain. The months of rehabilitation and the fear, the sickening, creeping fear. His body started to shake, and Jamil said:
‘Y’all want to turn on my music again.’
McDonald turned to the console then ran for all he was worth, expecting shots in his back, and he was in the street, drenched in sweat but unhurt.
Jamil seemed stunned that the cop had legged it, not half as stunned as Andrews, whose jaw had literally fallen. Jamil smiled, those gold teeth gleaming, the barrels swinging to her midriff, said:
‘How dat song go?… “I Got You Babe.” ‘
Well, whenever it gets too bad, I just step out and kill a few people. I frig them to death with a barbed-wire cob I have. After that I feel fine.
19
Roberts was the first to arrive at Coldharbour Lane, followed by the Heavy Mob, the tooled-up gang, ready to shoot on sight, the street sealed off and all the preparations for a siege being set. McDonald, still sweating heavily, said to Roberts:
‘He’s got a sawn-off, Andrews is there with him.’
Roberts stared at him, smelling the stink of desperation, asked:
‘How’d you get to be out here?’
McDonald had been readying this since he’d called for back-up, said:
‘I ah… managed to distract him, then went for back-up.’
Roberts’s eyes, boring through him, asked:
‘Let me see if I get this right. He has a gun, you distract him, then you take off. How’d that help Andrews?’
McDonald wiped the sweat from his eyes, said:
‘It may not have been the best plan, but it was on the spur of the moment. I mean, better than him having two hostages, don’t you think?’
Roberts looked round at the gathering force of coppers, said:
‘I’d work on that story before you tell it again. The way it is now, sounds like you fucked off
McDonald had been praying that Roberts would buy the yarn. Now, in desperation, he said:
‘I’m sure Andrews will back up my view.’
Roberts said:
‘If she comes out, you think saving your ass is going to be her first concern?’
The door opened and McDonald heard the bolts on a 100 weapons rack, a sharp intake of breath seemed to course the street. Jamil was out first, his hands behind his back. Followed by Andrews.
McDonald had wanted to roar:
‘Shoot the fucker.’
Roberts was running to the house, shouting:
‘Hold your fire.’
Jamil was handcuffed, and Andrews gave Roberts a small smile.
In moments a wave of officers were all over Jamil, and Roberts led Andrews aside, asked:
‘You okay?’
She seemed composed, said:
‘Yeah, I think so. The gun was empty. He was so stoned, he’d forgotten to load it.’
Roberts looked at McDonald, who was hovering, asked:
‘Did he actually squeeze the trigger?’
She turned, stared at McDonald for a moment, then turned back to Roberts, said:
‘Yes, he did.’
Before Roberts could say anything, she said:
‘I’m okay, really, you don’t have to do anything.’
Roberts strode over to where the cops were holding Jamil and, without a word, kneed him in the balls. Then he returned to Andrews, and she asked:
‘Would that hurt him a lot?’
Roberts nodded and she smiled. When they were hauling Jamil away, he managed to croak:
‘Hoy you, dee geezer dat ran. Yo leave dee sister to fend alone, yo dee criminal, man.’
Was heard loud and clear by all. McDonald tried to appear as if the guy was off his tree, shook his head in dismissal. Roberts said to Andrews:
‘We’ve got to get you to the station. When a firearm is discharged, the brass want you to be debriefed. But I think a large scotch en route would go down nicely, what do you think?’
She seemed to be weighing this, then said:
‘Could I have a large Vodka, with lemonade?’
Roberts held the door for her, closed it, then went to get in the driver’s seat. McDonald was standing, at a loss, and Roberts beckoned him, said:
‘The door of the house is still open. Could you close it?’ When McDonald seemed uncertain, Roberts added: ‘You know, like closing the barn door after the fucking horse has gone.’
Then he slammed his door on McDonald and burned rubber out of there.
20
Brant and Porter crossed the street, saw the curtain move in the lower window of Crew’s house, and Brant said:
‘Someone’s home.’
Porter nodded, asked:
‘What’s your gut telling you, this the guy?’
‘Yeah, this is him.’
They rang the bell and almost immediately it was opened. A man in his forties stood there, dressed in a waistcoat, pants suit, white shirt, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened. He was plain looking, not one feature to distinguish him, a face in the crowd. Full head of neat brown hair, regular features, average height. Slim build and a tension now in his body. To be expected, anyone opens the door to cops, you’re tense. He said:
‘Yes?’
Polite quiet voice but with confidence in it. They showed their warrant cards, gave their names, said:
‘We’re looking to eliminate people from our enquires, and your name came up.’
He studied them then asked:
‘What enquiries are those?’
Porter looked back at the street, asked:
‘Sir, might we do this inside?’
He nodded, stood aside, and they went in. The main characteristic of the place was how silent it was. He led them into a study lined with books, hundreds of them, shelves covering every wall. Brant said:
‘You like to read.’
Crew put his hand through his hair, said:
‘Who’s got the time?’
His voice was subdued, cultured, but with a trace of authority. He indicated two armchairs, said:
‘Please, sit down. Get you a drink? I’m about to have something myself.’
They said no, without the thanks, and while he fixed himself a scotch and soda, Brant walked along the shelves and made small sounds like ‘Hah.’ It was impossible to tell if he approved or not. Porter asked:
‘You just finished work?’
Crew dragged his eyes from Brant, said:
Yes, I am, as they say, something in the city.’
Porter found that annoyingly smug and let it show a little, asked:
‘And that would be what exactly?’
Crew smiled, a smile of tolerance, asked:
You don’t already know?’
Porter was very testy now, said:
‘If I knew, would I be persisting?’
Brant appeared oblivious to their wrangling, continued to book crawl, taking a volume down, putting it back.
Crew said:
‘I’m an accountant, have a small office in the city. Here’s my card, with the address.’
Porter took it, didn’t look at it, asked:
‘You know why we’re here?’
Crew sat, took a slow sip of his scotch, seemed to enjoy it, then:
‘I feel sure you’ll get to it, lucky you guys don’t work on a rate.’