Private London (Private 4)

‘You didn’t have to break my nose.’

‘He took a swing.’ She shrugged. ‘What’s a girl to do?’

‘You want to tell us what you are doing here, Tim?’ I asked.

‘I don’t have to tell you anything.’

I sighed. ‘See, this isn’t one of those good cop, bad cop situations. We’re both bad cops.’

‘Right,’ he snorted derisively. ‘You’re not even cops.’

I took three paces across the room and hit him. Hard. Backhanded my fist to the left side of his head. He flew off the sofa and landed on the floor, whimpering. Tears starting in his eyes.

I was glad. Truth was I was tempted to bust him on the nose again – finish the job that Suzy had started. But I needed to get some answers first.

‘Let me explain something to you, Mister Graham,’ I said, squatting down on my heels and speaking patiently. ‘Laura and Hannah drugged my god-daughter. She was clubbed with a baseball bat like a baby seal and was left to die in the gutter.’

I bent down, grabbed him with both hands, picked him up and threw him back onto the sofa.

‘Do I have your attention now?’ I asked.

Graham nodded, holding a hand to his nose which was running with blood and drool.

‘Because of them she is lying in intensive care, fighting for life.’ That last bit wasn’t strictly true any more but I had no intention of letting the maggot squirming on the sofa know that.

‘I had nothing to do with any of it.’

I turned to Suzy. ‘I’m going outside for a cigarette. Why don’t you see if you can loosen his memory some?’

I headed for the door. He wasn’t to know that I didn’t smoke.

‘Wait!’ He practically shouted it.

I didn’t blame him. I wouldn’t want Suzy putting the hard question to me, either. And I’m a professional tough guy.

‘She wasn’t supposed to get hurt.’

‘Who wasn’t?’

‘Chloe. She wasn’t even supposed to be there. Laura slipped something in her drink. It should have knocked her out of things for a while. Not enough to do any damage.’

‘Where did she get it?’

Graham shifted nervously on the sofa. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Where do you live?’

He shrugged. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

‘Suzy, ask him again for me.’

‘Sure, boss.’ She stepped forward from the wall.

‘Okay, okay. Just keep that mad bitch away from me!’

I saw Suzy’s upper lip twitch a fraction and figured that young Tim would pay for that remark sooner or later.

‘I live across the hall,’ he said.