Exile

Chapter 16

"So far nothing, then?"

"Yes, sir. So far fuck all," said Williams.

Dakar shook his head and stood up. He remembered himself, remembered what he would look like to Bunyan, and held in his belly until he got to the window and had his back to her. "It's a mattress, for Pete's sake. Thames Division say an object that big doesn't move far so it had to go in near the Chelsea Wharf. They're not even sure it could have made it across the river so it had to go in at that side of the river. Someone must have seen something."

"I'm sure someone did," said Williams, between bites of chicken bap, "but they're either keeping quiet about it or they didn't realize it was suspicious."

Bunyan sat forward, pressing her waist against the edge of the desk, pulling her blouse tight. Williams saw Dakar being careful not to look. "If," she said, "they dumped the mattress at four in the morning, that road could have been completely empty. Maybe no one saw anything."

"Possible," agreed Dakar. "Quite, quite possible. The husband's the only thing we've got to go on, isn't he?"

Bunyan nodded. "Can't place him in London until we talk to him, though."

Williams swung back in his chair and thought about home. They'd have to go to Glasgow and interview the husband. He hadn't been back for years, not since his dad's funeral.

"… Glasgow," finished Dakar and looked expectantly at Williams.

Bunyan was looking at him too. "We have to go to Glasgow," she said.

"Oh, right," said Williams. "Obviously."

Dakar pointed at him. "I'll approach Liaison about a spot on Crimewatch. She's a mother of four, for God's sake. Someone must have seen something."