you don’t want to talk about Tony Symes, the man who got you into this to begin with.”
“I don’t know…..”
“Harry,” Michelle said, quietly, “If you know nothing and no one, I can’t help you. But let’s say you know things. You know people because you’ve been around tony Symes a lot, and Symes likes to talk. He brags. If you knew things that could help us, we can help you.”
“I’m not grassing…”
“No one is asking you to tell on your friends, Harry. But think about it, your friends are not your friends any more. If we let you go and give you back to Eddie and his brother, what is going to happen to you? It’s an eye for an eye, Harry. You and Charlie for those two men. Scores evened.”
“It’s the only deal you’ll get, Harry.” Hazel said, “And it’s about the best one available.”
“You two bitches are a right couple of….bitches.”
“Maybe so, Harry.” Hazel said, “But you will do as we say.”
Chapter Two
“We have Dean Hudson screaming about how we’re abusing his client’s rights.” Bill Church said. “I have to go see him soon, so I hope you have something good to tell me.” Detective Superintendent Bill Church was the head of the Crime Squad. At thirty fix he was young to be in such a position. He was two years older than Hazel, several centimetres shorter and looked tough and stocky.
They sat in his office, around the conference style table that Church seemed to prefer to a desk. Hazel said, “I have practical things to tell you. I don’t know if you consider them good. If you want my honest opinion.”
“I always want your honest opinion.” Church said. “What do you think?”
“I think we should charge Harry Sanford and be done with this whole pointless idea.” Hazel said.
“Charged with….what?” Church said, “Exactly?”
“We have him for at least accessory to murder. Probably conspiracy as well. That’s for the CPS to decide isn’t it?”
“They have decided.” Church said, “Which is why we have this ‘whole pointless idea’ that you were just complaining about.”
“I think Michelle is wrong to do this.” Hazel said, “and not just with Dean Hudson having a fit in the reception area.” Hudson was a solicitor. His firm wasn’t as large or well known as, say….Ruthven Varney or Hawkins Harker and Morris, but it was well known to the police. Hudson tended to represent a lot of minor criminals. He didn’t do much in the way of legal aid, but, in truth, very few solicitors did these days. Legal aid not being so easy to come by as it once was. “Michelle wants Sanford to be the new supergrass and spill all the secrets of Eddie Symes and his brother. The problem is, when it comes to all he knows, it will take about five minutes. With four and a half of them being Sanford complaining about everything. He doesn’t know anything. Nothing worth telling us anyway. The man’s an idiot.”
“That may well be.” Church said, “But Michelle is convinced he can tell us a lot. Enough to have Eddie Symes put away.”
“She’s deluding herself.” Hazel said, “Eddie wouldn’t tell a halfwit like Harry Sanford the correct time of day unless he absolutely had to,”
“What did you tell Hudson?” Church said, not committing himself to the matter of what Eddie Symes would tell his own employees.
“I told him I just arrest people.” Hazel said, “What happens after that is none of my business.” In the strict sense of the term this was true. Once a suspect was picked up and arrested he (or, increasingly, she,) would be handed over to the charge sergeant who would do the actual work of placing them in a cell and filling out the paperwork. “He asked if it was part of my job to throw his clients into the pavement.” Evidently Hudson had already seen the social media posts that showed Hazel performing a near perfect circle throw on Harry Sanford. Several in slow motion. Hazel wasn’t sure how that effect was carried out. But, then. She had no idea how to upload a video to social media either. “I told him his client ran me down and what happened next was the result of his own stupidity.” She had pointed out that Sanford wasn’t the brightest person she’d ever met. “After that I asked him if Sanford actually was his client.”
Bill Church grinned, “You know, Hazel, that’s a very good point.” He opened printed file and glanced inside, a glance so brief, Hazel suspected it was for effect. He already knew what was there, “Hudson has represented Sanford for some years and his firm have represented Sanford’s family for quite a while.”
“The firm is also representing Eddie Symes.” Hazel said. “Hudson isn’t here for the good of Sanford’s health.”
“We both know that.” Bill Church said, “They want him out so they can hand him over to Victor Monk. Though whether Hudson knows about that I have no idea. He probably does. By now he’ll have known that a couple of Monk’s men were killed, it’s on all the news media. Eddie will have told him the details. If Charlie Harris hasn’t been handed over and killed already Eddie’s people will be looking for him. They want Sanford so he can be handed over to even up the score.”
“Before Monk decides to take two of Eddie’s men at random.” Hazel said, “That’s how it seems to be. If it was anything we’d certainly be aware of it because Eddie, his brother, and his whole gang would be dead by now.”
“Makes you wonder how the rest of Eddie’s people see this deal.” Church said, “It can’t be very reassuring to know your boss not only can’t protect you but isn’t even willing to try. And that he sees you as totally dispensable.”
“When word gets out Eddie is going to have trouble replacing those men.” Hazel said, “Who’s going to want to work for someone like that?”
“I agree. But it doesn’t solve our immediate problem of Dean Hudson.” Church said. “We can’t turn Sanford over. I am interested by the idea of who represents Sanford though.”
“It looks like we do at the moment.” Hazel said.
Church nodded, “Right, well let’s go break the bad news to the man.”
Hudson was down in the reception area when they walked in through the near riot proof security door. He was a small, neatly dressed man who clearly kept himself in good shape despite being the wrong side of sixty. He wasn’t having a fit or looking red faced or furious. But he did look pretty determined.
“Superintendent Church.” His voice was calm and civil, “I expect you have come to tell me I can see my client.”
Bill Church was equally calm and civil, “I’ve come to tell you that you don’t have a client, Mr Hudson.”
Hazel felt a touch of guilty pleasure as she watched the confident smile on Dean Hudson’s face fade to a confused frown, “Harry Sanford is my client, Superintendent Church.”
“Not today he isn’t.” Church said. “Today, and for the near future, his solicitor
