Good Bait

8

Morning. Cold. Overcast. Upper Street and St Paul’s Road at a standstill, cars stacked up in both directions. Karen’s mobile rang just as she reached the counter in Caffe Nero. Juggling coins and loyalty card, she flipped open the phone as she gave her order.

‘Sorry,’ said the voice in her ear, ‘no lattes here. Must be a wrong number.’ The suggestion of a Midlands accent. Wolverhampton, West Bromwich. She guessed the man from Telecommunications Intel.

‘You’ve got something for me?’

‘Sugar? A sprinkling of chocolate?’

‘Information?’

‘A brand new SIM card, only five calls. Three to a Lesley Tabor, that’s Lesley with an E-Y, T-Mobile. Other two to an Orange phone registered to an Ion Milescu — I-O-N, Ion — Milescu, M-I–L-E-S-C-U. All the details in an email. On its way.’

‘Thanks. I owe you.’

‘Double espresso. Two sugars.’

‘Deal.’

By the time both addresses had been traced and verified, Mike Ramsden was on his way to Wood Green to check out a possible break in the investigation into the Derroll Palmer murder. A fresh poster campaign and some door-to-door leafleting had jogged the memory of a night cleaner who’d been making her way into work when the stabbing had occurred and she’d contacted her local station. Now it was a question of teasing out the details of what the woman had seen and heard, Ramsden only too aware of the need to proceed with caution. Push too hard and the danger is the witness becomes confused — either that or gives the answers he or she feels are wanted, only to falter later under crossexamination.

Karen picked up the phone. ‘Tim, a minute?’

He was wearing a loose-fitting casual jacket over a muddy green V-necked T-shirt, slim-line black trousers and blue-black suede shoes with a rubber sole.

Karen allowed herself a smile. Elvis and the Beatles in one.

‘Fancy a break from arms and ammo?’

‘Please.’

She brought him up to speed.

‘As far as we know, these were the last people he spoke to before he was killed. Just in case they know one another, I want them seen as close to the same time as possible. Less chance of either of them contacting the other. Concocting stories. Okay?’

Costello nodded.

‘I thought you could take the girl.’

Which meant Costello heading south across the river to a large comprehensive in Catford. Alien territory though he didn’t intend it to show.

Behind a fascia of bare, stunted trees and tall railings, its main buildings a fortress of darkening brutalist concrete, the school, Costello thought, had all the welcoming aura of a Soviet labour camp from the last century. Even the first fractures of grey sky, a timid leavening of blue, didn’t do a lot to help.

The youth who met Costello at the gate was chirpy enough, however, if a little disappointed not to find an officer in uniform.

‘You sure you’re police?’

‘Sure.’

‘You don’t look like no police.’

Costello was quietly pleased.

‘So what?’ the youth asked. ‘You here to nick someone, or is gonna be another of them lectures on drugs and gangs and knives an’ keepin’ off cheap cider?’

The deputy head, uncertain whether to shake Costello’s hand or not, settled for some vague arm flapping and a sideways nod of the head and ushered him along to what looked to have formerly been an office, but was now a depository for some outmoded filing equipment and a convocation of broken chairs.

‘You’ll be able to talk quietly in here.’

He left the door ajar and reappeared a few minutes later with the sixteen-year-old Lesley Tabor at his side.

‘All right, Lesley …’

The door closed.

Costello smiled.

‘Lesley, I’m Detective Sergeant Costello. Tim.’

No reply. Slouch shouldered, mousy haired, a school uniform of white blouse, navy jumper, navy skirt, grey tights, the girl stared determinedly at the scuffed tops of her shoes.

‘Lesley?’

Her face angled up an inch.

‘You’re not in any trouble, you realise that, don’t you? This is not about anything you might have done. Okay?’

Another inch, a first sight of pale eyes.

‘I just need to ask a few questions, that’s all. A few quick questions, then I’m out of here. Never to be seen again.’ He lowered his face, swiftly, towards hers. ‘Think you’ll miss me? When I’m gone?’

She looked at him then. Miss him? What was he on?

He winked, face creasing into a grin.

‘What say we get out of here? Go for a walk in the palatial grounds? Take in some of that winter sun?’

‘We can’t …’

‘Come on …’ Reaching past her for the door. ‘What are they going to do? Arrest us?’

There were indeed a few vestiges of sun, just visible above the turrets of a tower block to the east. Sweet papers and food wrappings from break were scattered here and there on the ground around their feet where they slowly walked. Faces, curious, appeared at windows and then were called rapidly away, back to the pleasures of citizenship or ICT, considerations of the opposite angle to the hypotenuse or the importance of the slave trade to the rise of capitalism.

‘What are you missing?’ Costello asked.

She didn’t immediately seem to understand.

‘What lesson?’

‘Oh, history.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘S’all right, it’s boring.’

History, how could it be? Wars, alliances, betrayals, dates, the movements of great powers, Costello had loved it.

‘What’s your favourite then?’

‘Um?’

‘Subject? Lesson?’

‘Dunno. English, maybe.’

She was frowning, squinting up her eyes. Last night’s eye shadow not renewed, not properly washed away. They had reached the railings alongside the gate and turned.

‘Tell me about Petru,’ Costello said.

She stopped. ‘Who?’

‘Petru. Your boyfriend. Petru Andronic.’

‘He’s not my boyfriend.’ A quick flush of embarrassment or anger.

‘You do know what happened to him?’

‘Course.’

She looked at the ground, looked away; wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

‘I’m sorry,’ Costello said. ‘For what did happen.’

She was still avoiding his eyes.

‘Had you known him for long?’

‘I didn’t. Not really.’ Her voice quiet, quieter. ‘Know him, I mean.’

He waited. Knew she’d either talk or walk away.

‘Look, he wasn’t my boyfriend, right? I only met him, like, a couple of times. It wasn’t, wasn’t like that, it …’

She faltered back into silence.

‘What was it like then?Your relationship?’

‘There wasn’t a relationship.’

‘Lesley, we need to know.’

‘Why?’

‘Because we’re trying to find out what happened. Who did that to him. I thought you’d want to help us.’

‘I can’t.’

‘Anything, anything you might tell us, it could help. Even if you don’t see how.’

‘But I told you …’

‘He wasn’t your boyfriend, yes, I know.’

‘So?’

‘So what was he?’

‘Oh, God …’ Swinging away.

‘Lesley, he phoned you, three times, the night he was killed.’

She started to walk, angling back towards the school, and he walked with her.

‘Why did he call so many times?’

‘Because he wanted to talk to her, that’s why.’

‘Her? Who’s her?’

She stopped again, faced him. ‘I can’t tell you.’

‘Just let me try to understand. He wanted to talk to somebody else, really wanted to talk to them, it was important — so why not call them, why call you?’

‘Because it was how …’ She bit down on an already jagged nail. ‘He wasn’t allowed to call her, right? Not any more. Not without … He’d call me first and I’d text her and then she’d call him. That was how it worked.’

Why? Costello asked himself and slipped the question to one side.

‘That night, then, that’s what you did? His girl? Sent a text?’

‘Yes.’

‘And did she contact him?’

‘No. That’s why he kept on. Where is she? Where is she? Tell her she’s got to ring me.’

‘And after the last time? The last time he called?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t think so, no.’

‘Do you know why? Had they fallen out? What?’

A ragged breath. ‘She was scared, wasn’t she?’

‘Of him?’

‘No, not of him.’

‘Then who?’

‘Her father, of course. Her sodding father.’

Muffled, inside the main building a bell was ringing; the rising distant sound of voices, people moving.

‘Lesley …’

‘What?’

‘Sooner or later, you’re going to have to tell me her name. You know that, don’t you?’