Dunno. It all went to shit when you guys let the Pakis and the Muslim-lovers attack us. Tommy started legging it and I followed him, cos he knows Middlesbury.
Warren had twice reminded Brandon that although the interview was voluntary, he was being recorded and that he might want to consider his choice of language. The sneer on the mans face left him in no doubt that he was choosing his words deliberately.
Then what happened?
We could hear the fighting behind us. Tommy already had a cut on his head after some bastard threw a stone at him, so we just kept on going.
Im assuming the two of you split up before Tommy disappeared. Can you describe what happened then?
I had to stop by the edge of the market square at the war memorial my asthmas been playing up lately and I let him run on. Warren let the white lie slide; he couldnt imagine the huge man being able to trot more than a few dozen paces before his massive weight and smoking brought him to a halt.
Was that the last you saw of Tommy?
Yeah, he kept going down the road between the Marks & Spencer and Next.
The protest had taken place in the market square in front of the town hall. Metal barricades had surrounded the BAP members, as they were addressed by Tommy Meegan with a loudhailer. A ring of police had kept protestors to the eastern end of the square, allowing a clear pathway to the BAPs coach parked at the edge of the bus station.
After passing between the two department stores, Tommy Meegan would have found himself on the much narrower Ackers Street, lined with smaller businesses. Turning north then took the fleeing man up the road, where a left turn led to the alleyway where he finally met his fate.
If hed continued down that alleyway hed have exited onto Stafford Road, then entered the maze of back streets leading to The Feathers pub where the marchers had agreed to meet for a celebratory drink.
Did you see anyone else run in the same direction as Tommy?
Brandon shook his head. Goldie and Jimmy legged it towards BHS but I dont think anyone else went the same way as Tommy.
The CCTV footage processed so far backed him up; Tommy Meegan was on his own when he left the square.
Was the meeting at The Feathers planned in advance?
Yeah, the landlords a mate of Tommy and Jimmys, he used to go to the footie with their old man.
You arent from Middlesbury, so how did you find your way there?
When I got me breath back, I went and hid in a beer garden at the top of the square whilst you lot finally arrested those bastards that attacked us. I tried to phone Tommy For the first time the large mans façade looked in danger of cracking and he cleared his throat before coughing ostentatiously. I tried to phone Tommy, but he didnt pick up. Then I phoned Jimmy and Goldie. Neither of them answered either.
So how did you find your way to The Feathers?
When they reopened the pubs doors I asked one of the drinkers for directions.
So far he hadnt given Warren very much in the way of new information.
He decided to change tack.
I can see that you and Tommy knew each other well. How did you meet him?
Brandon scowled. Whats it to you?
Look, Harry, my job is to find out who killed your friend. Thats all. The more I know about him, the easier it is for me to picture what happened.
Bullshit. You dont care about Tommy. Were scum to you. He raised a hand. Dont try and deny it. In the days before those helmet cameras you lot would try and wind us up and then when we stuck up for ourselves, arrest us.
Warren said nothing hed earned overtime policing such protests back when he was in uniform. The atmosphere had been nasty and brutish. The two sides had hated the police as much as each other, seeing them variously as fascist sympathisers, state-run paramilitaries or members of a big conspiracy to chase indigenous Britons from their historic homeland. Stuck in the middle, arms linked with colleagues to form a human wall, Warren had felt fear. Hed been spat at, hit, and called names hed had to look up online. Once somebody had even thrown a cup of urine over him.
It didnt matter which direction he was facing; the hatred was like a physical force. And you reacted in one of two ways. Either you turned the other cheek and rode it out, or as soon as the opportunity arose, you let go of your comrades, unhooked your baton and waded in. One thing Warren was sure of was that everyone whod ended up in the back of a police van that day had well and truly earned their seat.
Nevertheless, he needed to win Brandons trust.
Look, Im CID. I dont get involved in that sort of policing. I solve murders. I dont care what people are supposed to have done. A murder victim is just that, a victim and they deserve justice as much as anyone.
Brandon looked down at the table for a long moment, before finally meeting Warrens eyes.
I guess Ive known him getting on for ten years now. At first it was just to say hello. Hed travel down to Essex if there was a meeting on. Then he went away for a bit he meant prison and when he came back he moved down to Romford. Were about a mile apart. Im a painter and decorator and Tommy needed some work and a place to stay, so we teamed up. I guess that was about five years ago.
You lived together?
Brandon scowled. Not like that. He kipped on my couch for a couple of months until he found a flat.
Of course, I didnt think otherwise.
Brandon grunted.
After he moved out, did the two of you stay good mates?
Yeah, he repaid the favour a few months ago when me and the missus went through a rough patch. His voice cracked slightly. He was an untidy bastard, but its times like that you find out who your mates are. He paused. He wouldnt even take any rent.
But you arent living with him now?
No, I got myself a bedsit.
Did you still see each other outside work?
Yeah, we both like a bit of golf and we used to go and play on a Sunday afternoon. He smiled slightly. He was crap.
What about Jimmy?
Brandon snorted.
Youd never get Jimmy on the golf course, far more likely to find him in a wine bar with Goldie. Me and Tommy used to take the piss out of him. He had the cleanest overalls you ever saw. God knows what he used to wash them with. I swear, if he wasnt always on the pull, Id think he was batting for the other side.
So he used to work with you guys as well?
Yeah, me, Tommy, him and Goldie.
Im surprised you managed to find enough work, what with all the Poles.
If Brandon realised he was being provoked, he didnt seem bothered.
Yeah, fucking Europe. Sooner were out and can send them all packing the better. How is a man supposed to put bread on the table when he has to compete with that? They use cheap materials, charge half as much and dont pay fuck all in tax. Half of them just want to use the NHS. There are plenty of good, honest British tradesmen out there, why do we need to bring in foreigners?
Warren was beginning to wish he hadnt broached the subject, but he needed to get Brandon worked up.
But you werent up here for work?
Course not. Brandon looked at him scornfully and Warren worried his deliberately clumsy questioning had been too obvious. You know why were up here. To stop that fucking super mosque.
But you werent up here for work?
Course not. Brandon looked at him scornfully and Warren worried his deliberately clumsy questioning had been too obvious. You know why were up here. To stop that fucking super mosque.
But whats so special about Middlesbury? You didnt march on Dudley or Newham.
Some of us did. But Middlesbury is personal to Tommy and Jimmy. They grew up here. Their old lady still has to live here. Youve seen the town, its like fucking Islamabad. He leant forward, warming to his topic. You mark my words, its a slippery slope. Before you know it the local schools will be serving halal food and teaching the boys and girls in separate classrooms so they dont offend the Muslims. And what will they be teaching? Theyll be learning the Koran by heart and listening to preachers telling them to destroy the West and earn their seventy-two virgins by blowing themselves up on the underground.
Brandon was now in full flow and Warren found himself watching with a disturbed fascination. How much did he actually believe and how much was just hyperbole spouted to justify his unabashed racism?
Fancy a pint on a Friday night? Forget it, before you know it theyll be demanding pubs shut down. Itll be like Iran. Islam will be the biggest religion in the UK within twenty years the rate were letting them into the country. Theyre breeding like fucking rabbits and converting people left, right and centre. And what do we do about it? We build more mosques and give them free houses and let them use the NHS without paying. Brandon leant forward.
You and me are an endangered species, pal. Look around you. Middlesbury is supposed to be at the heart of England. If anywhere in this country should be full of white people its here, but its not. Itll be as bad as Birmingham or Bradford before you know it.
The mans face was bright red and he used the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Help me out here, Harry. Who killed Tommy? Point me towards them.
Brandon slumped back in his chair, the plastic creaking alarmingly.
I dont know. Take your pick. It could have been one of the Muslims or it could have been one of those Muslim-lovers throwing stones and making death threats on Facebook. He smirked. Hell, it could even have been a bunch of Polish painters trying to wipe out the competition.
Chapter 9
Marcus Goldie Davenport, was another person whose nickname was both unimaginative and descriptive. In addition to his gold earring and incisor, he also sported several gold sovereign rings. Like his friend, Bellies Brandon, he too wore an England shirt, although it was probably one-third the size.
Can we be quick about this? I need to get back home to feed the cat.
Davenports face was inscrutable and Warren couldnt tell if he was being serious or facetious.
Itll take as long as it takes, Mr Davenport. After all, we dont want to miss something that could let your friends killer go free.
Davenport sighed his acquiescence.
Much of his story matched that of Bellies Brandon, so Warren focused on the small details. Davenport enjoyed the audience.
Im a pacifist, me. I wasnt going to get involved in any violence. I was just there to exercise my freedom of speech. So when the police let the protestors attack us, I left quickly.
Where did you go when you left the square?
Me and Jimmy headed past the war memorial then towards BHS.
Did you go into the shop?
Nah, course not. Theyd pulled the shutters down, probably to stop the muzzers and the soap-dodgers from nicking stuff, you know what theyre like.
So where did you go?
Down the alleyway and onto the street behind.
Did Tommy and Mr Brandon follow you?
No, we split up at the war memorial. Bellies is too fat to run, so Tommy left him and headed towards Marks & Spencer.
Do you know where he went after that?
I reckon he probably cut through into the backstreet, but we were ahead of him and didnt see him again.
And that was definitely the last time you saw him?
I just said that, didnt I?
OK. Did you see anybody else in the street or around the area?
Nobody.
Where did you go after you cut past Marks & Spencer?
BHS, Davenport corrected.
Warren acknowledged the correction.
We went through another alleyway next to a key-cutters and then headed towards the pub.
Which pub was that?
The Feathers.
And you went straight there.
Yeah, pretty much. Jimmy led the way, he knows the area.
Do you know roughly what time you arrived?
No, I wasnt wearing a watch.
Were you the first to arrive or were there others there already?
We were pretty much the first.
Do you know when everyone else arrived? Was anybody late?
Most everybody else arrived at the same time. Bellies got lost and came in last.
How long did you stay for?
We were supposed to be there until about nine, then catch the coach back home. The beer was flowing and theyd laid on food. It was the shittiest chicken Kiev Ive ever eaten, even Bellies didnt finish it.
Warren looked over his notes. Despite his attitude, the man had been helpful. A picture of Tommy Meegans movements in the hours before his death was being built, but it was slow going. Large gaps remained and they had yet to identify any concrete suspects.
With that, he turned off the tape recorder and thanked Davenport for his time. The man merely grinned.
Chapter 10
Up close the similarities between Jimmy Meegan and his brother were even more striking. It was strange what death did to a person; if anything, Tommy looked younger.
Warren scrutinised the man sitting opposite him. His eyes were still bloodshot and the edges of his nostrils inflamed, but his pupils werent dilated and the nervous energy that hed radiated that morning was gone. It would seem that he wasnt high on cocaine at the moment; leaving him until last had probably been the right decision.
What remained was the anger; it seemed to infuse the very air.
Warren decided not to repeat his condolences. Theyd been thrown back in his face that morning and he saw no reason to start the interview on a negative note. It was likely to go sour all on its own.
From the outset, Meegan made it clear that he regarded the interview as a waste of time, and that he thought Warren was only going through the motions.
Why dont you tell me who you think killed him?
Warren knew exactly where this would go, but he might as well get it out of the way now.
Take your pick. Look at anybody who was behind that pathetic line of nancy boys you sent to protect our right to free speech.
There were a lot of people there, Mr Meegan, was there anyone that you recognised that may have been involved? Perhaps we could review some of the CCTV footage.