Kith and Kill (23 page)

Bradley bent his head back to his paperwork. It was a dismissal. One that Rafferty was happy to accept. He gave Bradley's bent head a cynical salute and went out.

Back in his own office, Llewellyn had finished typing up the statements and had left them in a neat pile in the middle of Rafferty's desk. Rafferty took one look at them and scowled. He told Llewellyn what the superintendent had said.

‘It sounds as if Superintendent Bradley is fixated on Adam Chambers.’

‘Mmm. I can't say I'm happy at having all the team turning his life over. A certain amount of concentrating of forces, okay. But the others aren't off the suspect list, not by a long way.’ Rafferty had some bad memories of a previous case when he'd concentrated all his forces on one suspect. The wrong one. And he, for one, had learned his lesson. Pity Bradley hadn't. He banged his hand on the desk. ‘I'm damned if I will. Llewellyn, you allocate two of the team to stick with the other suspects. Check out
their
backgrounds much more thoroughly. I really don't want to risk missing anything.’

‘I agree with you, sir.’

‘Ooh. Get you. Darling, you've never said that to me before.’

‘I won't say it again, either, if you're going to start using endearments to me.’

‘What? You don't like being called ‘darling,’ darling?’

‘No. Not unless it's by Maureen.’

Rafferty grinned. ‘I'll just carry on calling you a Welsh Tosspot, then, shall I?’

‘I do have a name. You might use that.’

‘Oh. All right, then. Only I thought you, with your brothers-in-arms act towards our homosexual brethren, you might appreciate us cosying up.’

‘I might be all for equality, sir, but it is, I find, necessary to draw a line somewhere. And I think being called ‘darling’ by my superior officer might be construed as sexual harassment.’

‘Not that. Please God, save me from that. I've already been accused of all sorts, let's not drag that into the mix. Dafyd, my un-darling, shall we head off home? Ferretting into the rest of Adam Chambers’ grubby little secrets can wait till tomorrow.’

Abra's
attempt to get Mickey and Patrick Sean on the side of the dating agency idea had been doomed from the get go, she told him when he got home. Mainly because both of Rafferty's brothers were skint and only too relieved to avoid funding ma through God knew how many prospective swains at the dating agency. A piece of knock off jewellery would be cheap at half the price in comparison, as they'd told her. Abra wondered aloud if her flirting had been so subtle that they hadn't even noticed it. Certainly, it hadn't managed to persuade them to her or rather, Rafferty's way of thinking. That wouldn't have mattered so much if only Katy didn't seem on the verge of changing her preference to jewellery. So, even with Rafferty doing a volte-face they could still be at a stalemate.

‘Tell my brothers I'll pay their share of the dating agency fees,’ Rafferty said. They were waiting for the rest of his family to arrive for another conflab, though now he didn't have any great hopes that anything would be resolved. At least not the way he wanted things to be resolved..

‘Hey, Rockerfeller. Less of the spending of
our
money, if you don't mind. Anyway, if you persist on going in for bribery and corruption, you can tell ‘em. Why should I always have to do your dirty work?’

‘What's dirty about it? It's a perfectly respectable offer.’

‘Bribery and corruption, as I said, if you ask me. Shame on you Mr Plod. And trying to use your poor, innocent wife for your shenanigans.’

‘You were never innocent. I bet you knew the score from the cradle.’

‘Mmm. That's why I'm keeping out of it. I didn't mind speaking to your brothers privately. But I'm damned if I'll act as your briber in chief with the rest of them here. They'll howl me down.’

‘You're a pretty accomplished howler yourself.’

‘Shame I've got laryngitis.’

Rafferty sighed and admitted defeat. He'd have to get his brothers on side himself during the evening. He could catch each of them when they went to the bog. He'd better make sure he plied them with booze to make sure they needed to go. ‘I'll put the crisps out. They'll be here soon.’

‘And I'll put the kettle on. Could do with two kettles with the Rafferty hordes coming round.’

‘Be a gentleman and serve the ladies first, then. My brothers and the in-laws can wait.’

‘It'll only be the ladies that want tea. Knowing your brothers and brothers-in-law, the women will be the designated drivers. There's the bell. You go and let them in while I see to the kettle.’

It wasn't long before all of the family had arrived and it took no time at all for them all to be at full throttle again. Rafferty sat waiting, and waiting, for his brothers to go to the loo so he could waylay them and put his bribe to them, but neither one was drinking. He soon learned that their girlfriends – modern girls both, or perhaps taking their cue from Abra – had insisted it was their turn to indulge. So Mickey and Patrick Sean sat full of unaccustomed sobriety, sipping occasionally at the disgusting non-alcoholic lager that Abra had so thoughtfully provided.

‘Have you girls given a thought to the likely cost of this dating game mallarkey,’ Mickey asked them. ‘It could spiral out of control if ma's picky. And God, I for one, expect ma to be very picky.’

Katy looked worried. ‘Do you think so, Mickser? We haven't got the money for it to go on and on.’

Rafferty saw that his sister was wavering even more firmly towards the hookey jewellery option and quickly put in, ‘I can't see ma putting us all to vast expense. She knows how you're fixed, Katy.’

Katy, like Maggie, had three children, but she didn't have a well-paid engineer for a husband. Her old man was in the building trade like most of the Rafferty family – it had been Mickey who had introduced them – and he had been laid off in the summer. So they only had Katy's wage and she didn't earn a fortune.

‘I don't know. Dazza?’ She addressed Darren, her husband. ‘Do you think we should go for the jewellery instead? It might turn out cheaper with you not earning.’

Darren looked a bit put out at this reminder of his non-earning status, clearly not liking it being aired in public. But he plumped with alacrity for what looked like being the cheaper option. ‘Yes, I think the jewellery's the better idea. Though, I'm sure to get a job soon. I'm not worried.’

Though he clearly was. Rafferty knew for a fact that Katy was anxious about how they were going to manage to pay their heating bills with winter approaching. Already they were starting to scrimp and scrape. God, he thought, will I have to bribe her as well? He couldn't see Abra wearing that. One bribe was okay. Two was just this side of acceptable. But three… It wasn't as if they had unlimited funds. Paying for their wedding had cleared out all their savings. He found himself torn again, wishing he wasn't a copper and could throw in his lot with the jewellery crew. By the sound of it, it would certainly be a lot cheaper. But cheap didn't always end up being the least expensive. If he was found out buying hookey jewellery it was likely to be more than his wallet that was hit. The others might laugh at his predicament when it came to off-the-back-of-a-lorry goods, but Rafferty didn't find it funny. He couldn't afford to.

And so another evening passed with nothing decided. Their father's birth and death day was getting closer. If they didn't decide soon Ma would end up with nothing at all.

Maggie buttonholed him as he returned from the toilet, having indulged in a few glasses as he didn't have to drive home. ‘Can I have a word, Joe.’

‘You can have as many as you like. They're free. At least, nobody's thought of taxing them yet. Give ‘em time.’

‘I'm serious, Joe. It's about Sean.’

‘Ah. Any change after my little pep talk?’

‘No. I'm at my wit's end.’

‘Have you spoken to the school?’

‘No. I'm loathe to do it in case they suspend him.’

‘Would they do that?’

‘I don't know. But they've got a very strict policy on drugs.’

‘Can't you have a quiet word with his form teacher?

‘I would, if he was the sympathetic sort. But he's got a down on Sean. He might just be glad of an opportunity to get him suspended.’

‘What about his old form teacher? You like her well enough, don't you? At least she could give you some advice.’

‘Mmm. I suppose so. Okay. I'll have a word with her. See what she says.’

‘And what about stopping his pocket money? If he's got no dosh, he can't buy drugs. If he is buying them.’

‘I'm not stupid, Joe. Don't you think I've already done that?’

‘All right. Don't bite my head off. I'm only trying to help.’

‘Then try a bit harder. God, you're a copper. You must come across this sort of thing all the time. What do you do then?’

‘Ah, but then it's not my nephew involved.’

‘But what advice do you give the parents?’

‘The same as I've given you – to contact the school. Mr Stilson, the Head Teacher at Elmhurst Comprehensive's not a bad sort. I'm sure you'll get a sympathetic hearing.’

Maggie looked undecided and Rafferty urged her to think about it. She nodded and went past him to the bathroom.

Rafferty, back in the living room, handed his brothers more non-alcoholic lager and urged them to drink up. Eventually, two cans later, Mickey went out to the bathroom. Rafferty followed him a few moments later under the pretext of going to put the kettle on yet again. He caught Mickey outside the bathroom as he came out.

‘Mickey. About this dating agency. I'm willing to sub you if you can't afford it. It surely can't cost more than a grand.’

To his chagrin, Mickey immediately took umbrage. ‘What? You think I can't afford to sub Ma for a few dates? Think that's why I've opted for buying her jewellery?’

‘I didn't say that.’

‘You didn't have to. That was the implication. I suppose you've been discussing it with Abra? I suppose it was you who put her up to sweet-talking me into changing my mind? What's up, Joe? I thought you were all for buying Ma jewellery. Why the change of heart?’

Rafferty's lips pursed and he forced himself to say, ‘You heard Patrick Sean. He's determined to buy it from a man in the pub. How am I supposed to take that? You know what my superintendent's like. He'd be only too happy to get something on me. I don't want my own family handing him the excuse to suspend me. Or worse.’

‘For God's sake. And how would he find out?’

‘You'd be surprised. Anyway, how can you or Patrick Sean be sure this hookey jewellery is any good? It might be rolled gold for all we know and will turn ma's skin green. Rubbish, in other words and at a full monty price.’

‘Patrick Sean's not stupid, Joe. He's not going to pay our hard-earned over for rubbish. He's bought enough hookey jewellery in his time to be able to tell the difference.’

‘I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.’

‘Whatever. I'm sticking with the jewellery crew. And if you don't want to pay some dating agency God knows how much, I suggest you do likewise.’ That said, Mickey didn't wait for further argument, but slammed his way back into the living room, leaving a disgruntled Rafferty to follow after him, while he did a swift bit of mental arithmetic. Katy, Mickey and Patrick Sean were all for the jewellery, which left himself, Maggie and Neeve in favour of the dating agency. Another impasse. He just hoped he could get Patrick Sean on-board.

But Patrick Sean didn't visit the bathroom until everyone was leaving and rummaging about in the hall for their coats. No way he was going to offer to sub him in front of the rest of the family. They'd all be looking for a loan. He'd have to tackle him another time.

Once they
started delving into Adam Chambers’ affairs, they found plenty to prove him nothing like the ‘nearly’ law-abiding character that Llewellyn had described.

Adam was not only a cocaine user, they discovered, when Rafferty organized a warrant and searched his London flat, but he was also a supplier. There was a stash of the drug concealed in his cistern. And it was bookies in the plural, rather that the singular to whom he owed money, as was evidenced by the obliquely threatening letters they found there. Adam owed some twenty thousand pounds in total. And some of the letters demanding payment had been getting nastier. Had Adam been worried they'd send the boys round next? Maybe that was why he'd been so willing to remain at his grandmother's house rather than return home.

But if he'd been worried, there was no sign that he'd started to curtail his expensive lifestyle. Llewellyn had found empty champagne bottles by the score in bags in the kitchen waiting to be taken for recycling and the flat itself was luxurious, with plush leather furniture that looked brand new and pictures on the walls that, on further inspection, bore recent stickers from London galleries.

It all spoke to Rafferty. And what it said was that maybe Adam had had good reason not to be worried, good reason to carry on with his extravagant lifestyle. That good reason being that he had great expectations of the imminent kind. And there was only one way that such an expectation could be fulfilled… He thought he had enough now to bring Adam Chambers in for questioning. He left the team still searching and phoned the station to get it organized. Next, he phoned Mary Carmody to find out what she had discovered about the rest of the family. She had some interesting news for him.