Take Two

CHAPTER 75

Halpin picked Richards up at precisely seven o’clock. It had started to rain and the wipers flicked back and forth across the windscreen as they drove through the evening traffic. Richards lit a cigar and settled back in his seat. ‘Any joy with the birth certificate?’ he asked.

‘I’m on the case,’ said Halpin. ‘I tried to do it on line but didn’t get anywhere. I’ve got a pro on the case. It won’t cost more than a couple of hundred.’ He braked to allow a black cab to pull in front of them. ‘What’s your interest, boss?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m guessing it’s not because you want to buy her a birthday present.’

‘Spit it out, mate. What’s on your mind?’

Halpin sighed. ‘You’ll only bite my head off.’

‘If you carry on like this, I’ll rip it off with my bare hands,’ said Richards. ‘What’s bugging you?’

‘Okay, boss. It’s this. We’re in the clear. She’s at the bottom of the North Sea where no one will ever find her. We’re alibied up to the gills. Even if the cops do come sniffing around about Cohen, there’s no forensics and no witnesses.’

‘There’s still the truck driver.’

‘I’m on that case, too. Looks like he’ll be away on Wednesday, so I’ll do it then. I’ll let you know in advance, give you a chance to get your alibi set up. But once he’s gone that’s it. There’s nothing to tie us in with Cohen. And no one can tie us into the disappearance of the woman. We’re totally in the clear.’

‘So?’

‘So why go and spoil it by making waves around the sister? It’s bad enough you went around to her house. You don’t want to be doing anything that puts your name in the frame.’

‘She’s her sister. She wasn’t even in the country when we…’ He grimaced, unable to finish the sentence.

‘Exactly, boss,’ said Halpin. ‘So why are you talking to her? Why are you checking up on her? She shouldn’t even be on your radar.’

‘She’s the spitting image, it’s like she’s back from the dead.’

‘Yeah, well I can tell you for sure that’s not true. Boss, can’t you just leave it alone?’

Richards took a long pull on his cigar and then blew smoke out of the window.

‘Boss?’

Richards turned to look at him. His eyes had gone cold. ‘Time for you to shut the fuck up, mate,’ he said, his voice flat and emotionless. ‘You ever question me again like that and you and I are going to fall out, big-time. Got it?’

Halpin nodded as he stared through the windscreen. ‘Got it,’ he said.