Now, she put a surprisingly slim hand on my arm. Kate, you know I sympathize. If that was Peter in there, Id be moving heaven and earth to get him out. I have no doubt whatsoever that Richards first demand will be that I get you on the case. And Ill back that one hundred per cent. But give me space to do what Im best at. As soon as Im through here, Ill come straight round and brief you, I promise.
I shook my head. I hear what youre saying, but thats not enough, Im sorry. If Im going to do what Im best at, there are questions I need to ask that wont necessarily have anything to do with what you need to know. Ruth, its in your clients best interests.
Ruth put an arm round my shoulder and hugged me. Nice try, Kate. You really should have stuck to the law, you know. Youd have made a great advocate. But the answers still no. Ill see you later.
She let me go and walked across the police car park towards the entrance, the heels of her boots clicking on the tarmac. Youd better believe it, I said softly.
Time to exploit the irregular verb theory of life. In this case, the appropriate one seemed to be: I am creative, you exaggerate, he/she is a pathological liar. I gave Ruth ten minutes to get through the formalities. Then I walked across to the door and pressed the intercom buzzer. Hello? the intercom crackled.
Giving my best impression of a panic-stricken, very junior gopher, I said, Im with Hunter Butterworth. I was supposed to meet Ms Hunter here; Im her trainee, you see, only, my car wouldnt start, and I got here late, and I saw her car outside already. Can you let me through? Only, Im supposed to be learning how to conduct interviews by observing her, and when she rang me she said Mr Barclays case sounded like one I could learn a lot from, I gabbled without pause.
Miss Hunter never said anything about expecting a trainee, the distorted voice said.
Shes probably given up on me. I was supposed to meet her twenty minutes ago. Please, can you let me through? Ill be in enough trouble just for being so late. If she thinks I havent showed up at all, my life wont be worth living. Ive already had the clients rely on us for their liberty, Ms Robinson lecture once this week!
Giving my best impression of a panic-stricken, very junior gopher, I said, Im with Hunter Butterworth. I was supposed to meet Ms Hunter here; Im her trainee, you see, only, my car wouldnt start, and I got here late, and I saw her car outside already. Can you let me through? Only, Im supposed to be learning how to conduct interviews by observing her, and when she rang me she said Mr Barclays case sounded like one I could learn a lot from, I gabbled without pause.
Miss Hunter never said anything about expecting a trainee, the distorted voice said.
Shes probably given up on me. I was supposed to meet her twenty minutes ago. Please, can you let me through? Ill be in enough trouble just for being so late. If she thinks I havent showed up at all, my life wont be worth living. Ive already had the clients rely on us for their liberty, Ms Robinson lecture once this week!
Id struck the right chord. The door buzzed and I pushed it open. I stepped inside and pushed open the barred gate. The custody sergeant grinned at me from behind his desk. Im glad Im not in your shoes, he said. She can be a real tartar, your boss. I had a teacher like her once. Miss Gibson. Mind you, she got me through O Level French, which was no mean feat.
He asked my name, and I claimed to be Kate Robinson. He made a note on the custody record, then led me down a well-lit corridor. I took care not to trip over the cracked vinyl floor tiles whose edges were starting to curl. It was hard to tell what colour theyd started out; I couldnt believe someone had actually chosen battleship grey mottled with khaki and bile green. Halfway along the corridor, he paused outside a door marked Interview 2 and knocked, opening the door before he got a reply. Your trainees here, Miss Hunter, he announced, stepping back to usher me in.
Like a true professional, Ruth didnt bat an eyelid. Thank you, she said grimly. Typically, it was Richard who nearly gave the show away. His whole face lit up in that familiar smile that still sends my hormones into chaos.
He got as far as, What are you before Ruth interrupted.
I hope you dont mind, Mr Barclay, but my colleague is a trainee who is supposed to be learning the tricks of the trade, she said loudly. Id like her to sit in on our consultation, unless you have any objections?
N-no, Richard stammered, looking bewildered.
I stepped into the room and the sergeant closed the door firmly behind me.
Simultaneously, Richard said, I dont understand, and Ruth growled softly, I should walk out of here right now and leave you to it.
I know. Im sorry. I couldnt not. Its too important. But look on the bright side; if I can blag my way into the secure interview room of a police station, arent you glad youve got me on the team? I added an apologetic smile.
Before Ruth could find an answer for that particular bit of cheek, Richard said plaintively, But I dont understand what youre doing here, Brannigan.
Im here because you need help, Richard. I know you spend most of your time on another planet, but here on earth, its considered to be a pretty serious offence to drive around in a stolen car with enough crack to get half Manchester out of their heads, I told him.
Look, I know it sounds like Im in deep shit. But its not like that. He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. I keep trying to tell everybody. It wasnt a stolen car. It was our car. The one we bought in Bolton on Tuesday.
Chapter 4
Before I could pick the bones out of that, Ruth interrupted. Lets just hold everything right there. Kate, you are here on sufferance. I, on the other hand, am here because Richard asked me to be. Ive got a job to do and I intend to do it, in spite of your interference. So let me ask my questions, and then if theres anything we havent covered, you can have your turn.
It wasnt a suggestion, it was an instruction. I knew what Id done was bang out of order. Id taken a big risk on the strength of my friendship with Ruth, and I didnt want to risk damaging those bonds any further. Besides, I like watching people who are really good at what they do. Thats absolutely fine with me, I said.
You mean she really isnt meant to be here? Richard asked, his grin irrepressible even in the face of Ruths frown.
If you werent facing such serious charges, Id have bounced her out of the door. It didnt seem like a good time to generate even more suspicion on the part of the police. Now, Richard, lets get to it. I dont have all night. Ruth picked up her pencil and started to write. Lets start at the beginning. What happened tonight?
Richard looked uncertain. Well, the beginning isnt tonight. I mean, depending on what you mean, the beginnings either Tuesday night or three weeks ago.
It was my turn to grin. I didnt envy Ruth her task. I love him dearly, but the only time Richard can tell a story in a straight line from beginning to end is when hes sat in front of a word processor with the prospect of a nice little earner at the end of the day.
Ruth squeezed the bridge of her nose. Maybe you could give me the short version, and Ill stop you when I dont understand something.
Its this job Kates got on. Ive been helping her out with it. We have to buy these cars, you see, and then we give them back to the car company. Richard paused hopefully.
Ruths grey eyes swivelled round and fixed on me. Perhaps youd like to elaborate?
I nodded. My clients are the finance arm of the Leo Motor Company. They suspect some dealerships of committing fraud. Its our job to provide them with evidence, so Richard and I have been posing as a married couple, buying cars with money supplied by Leo, who then take the cars back from us, I said.
Thanks. So, youve been buying these cars. What happened on Tuesday night? she asked.
Wed picked up this really ace motor, the Gemini turbo super coupé, Richard said enthusiastically. Anyway, I had to go into town, and I decided to treat myself and drive the coupé, since wed only got it for a day or two. Then when I came out of the club, the car was gone. So I came home and reported it stolen to the police.
Ruth looked up from her pad. Did they send anyone round?
Yeah, a copper came round about an hour later and I gave him all the details, Richard said.
And I informed my client first thing on Wednesday morning, if thats any help, I added.
This time Ruth didnt scowl at me. She just made another note and said, So what happened next?
Richard took off his glasses and stared up at the ceiling. A line appeared between his brows as he focused his memory. I went into town about nine tonight. I had to meet a couple of women in the Paradise Factory. Theyre the singers in a jazz fusion band, and theyve just signed their first record deal. Im doing a piece on them for one of the glossies. It was too noisy in the Factory to hear ourselves talk, so we left and went round to Mantos. Trust Richard to spend his evening in the trendiest café bar in the North West. Looking at his outfit, I was surprised the style police had let him in. We stayed till closing time, he went on. The girls were going on to the Hacienda, but I didnt fancy it, so I went off to get my car. Id parked it off Portland Street, and I was walking past the gardens on Sackville Street when I saw the car. He put his glasses back on and looked expectantly at Ruth.
Which car, Richard? Ruth asked patiently.
The coupé, he said, in the injured tones of someone who thinks theyve already made themselves abundantly clear. Poor misguided soul.
You saw the car that you had reported stolen in the early hours of Wednesday morning?
Thats right, he said. Only, I wasnt sure right away if it was the same one. It was the right model and the right colour. but I couldnt see if it was the right registration number. It had trade plates on, you see.
Trade plates, Ruth repeated as she scribbled. I was intrigued. Any self-respecting car thief would have smacked fake plates on a stolen car right away. I couldnt for the life of me see why theyd use the red and white plates garages use to shift untaxed cars from one place to another. It was just asking to be noticed.