DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 (87 page)

Jessica left the briefing with Izzy, whom she hadn’t seen in anything other than passing since the smaller meeting in Cole’s office the previous week.

‘You look like you’re the one who was up until two in the morning with a sick child,’ the constable said as Jessica held the door open for her. They walked side by side towards
the stairs.

Reminded of how tired she felt, Jessica couldn’t stop herself from yawning. ‘You’re not the first to point that out.’

‘If you’re up in the early hours anyway, feel free to pop around and you can look after Amber while I get some kip.’

‘You’re very kind but I think I’ll be all right.’ They started to climb the stairs as Jessica added: ‘Did you find anything else about Nicholas Long?’

‘Not really. I’ve been so busy.’

As they reached the crossroads from where the corridor branched towards Jessica’s office one way and the area where the constable worked the other, they stopped and moved to the side.
‘Me neither.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.’

‘I thought your motto was to give up if you didn’t get it first time?’

Jessica smiled weakly. ‘It is but when someone pisses me off, I take extra care to go back for seconds.’

Jessica had no idea how much time Nicholas Long spent at his club – or even which days he was there – but a quick phone call to his house while posing as the
secretary of an industrial cleaning company had easily snared her the information. Whoever it was that told her Nicholas was already at the club ‘where he always is’ hadn’t seemed
concerned about giving out private information to a stranger.

Jessica caught the bus into the city centre and walked to the club, which looked different in daylight. In the evening, the pink and black combination, along with the neon, had made it seem
marginally more upmarket. In the fading sunlight, it just looked grubby, with grit and dirt on the bottom parts of the glass and smeared handprints along the top half. It didn’t appear as if
it had been cleaned any time recently.

She tried the front door but it was locked, so she pressed the buzzer next to it. She could hear the whirring sound from inside but there was no answer, so she tried again before resorting to
holding the button in until finally Nicholas’s voice crackled through.

He didn’t even bother trying to hide his annoyance. ‘Who is it?’ he growled.

‘Chinese takeaway.’

‘Wrong place.’ The device fizzled quiet, so Jessica held the button in again. ‘I told you, you’ve got the wrong place,’ the voice thundered.

Jessica read him the address above the door, adding: ‘Shall I put it through the letterbox?’

Perhaps fearing more cleaning up, Nicholas quickly interjected: ‘Just wait there, I’ll come down.’

Jessica leant on the glass in the smuggest way she could. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, both because she had been told to stay out of the Serious Crime Division’s business and
also because of the type of person Nicholas clearly was. But she wanted to push him, to see if he would reveal something he’d prefer to have kept to himself. She sensed his connection to
Kayleigh and Eleanor would be crucial somewhere, despite everything happening such a long time ago.

As the door opened, Nicholas poked his head out, peering in the opposite direction before noticing her.

‘You?’ His face was redder than it had been the previous time they had met, his skin wobbling in anger and confusion.

‘Did you miss me?’

He looked the other way, perhaps wondering if there was anyone else with her. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I thought I’d drop in for a chat.’

Nicholas stepped outside the club, still holding the door open. ‘I told you to make an appointment. I’ve had enough of you lot harassing me.’

Jessica stood up straighter and smiled. ‘I’m not harassing, I’m haranguing, there’s a difference.’

‘I can complain, you know, I’ve got rights.’

Jessica walked towards him, sliding under his arm and through the door. She had moved with such confidence that Nicholas hadn’t reacted. By the time he let go of the door, she was already
halfway along the corridor towards reception.

‘Where are you going, hey, stop . . .’

Jessica didn’t turn but she could hear Nicholas spluttering behind her as he closed the door and followed. Despite her bravado, she was relieved not to hear the clicking sound of the
lock.

She continued through to the bar area and hopped onto a stool, spinning to face the out-of-breath and very red-faced man as he caught up, looking every inch like someone in a government health
warning advert that involved dramatic music and words like ‘cholesterol’ and ‘chronic heart problems’.

By the time Nicholas had reached her, his eyes were wide with fury and he barely managed to gasp: ‘This is trespassing.’

‘You held the door open for me.’

‘I did not.’

Jessica raised her eyebrows in mock bewilderment. ‘That’s what it looked like. I thought you were inviting me in.’

Nicholas stared at her for a few seconds before finally recovering his composure. ‘I told you I like them feisty.’

He licked his lips and reached out to touch Jessica’s arm but she slapped him away. ‘Are you going to offer me a drink?’

Nicholas was still breathing heavily as she took a moment to fully observe how large he was. Some people held their weight well but the club’s owner certainly didn’t. She could see
the dark material of his suit straining around his thighs and belly. His top shirt buttons were undone most likely because he couldn’t have fastened them even if he’d wanted to. The
remaining hair he did have was greasily spread across his head, his teeth were yellow and crooked. He really was one of the most repulsive men Jessica had ever been close to and she struggled to
hide her disgust.

As he regarded her, she could see the interest in his eyes that went beyond anything professional. If she was a man, she would have been kicked out by now. It was why she hadn’t brought
Rowlands or anyone else with her. Sometimes being a woman was her biggest advantage.

Seemingly making his mind up to play the game she had started, Nicholas walked around the bar and picked up a small glass, flipping it over and reaching under the counter before pulling out a
bottle of whisky. A golden ribbon was wrapped around the centre with a row of stars underneath proclaiming the number of years it had spent distilling. ‘I don’t leave this on
display,’ he said, pouring himself a drink. ‘Same for you?’

Jessica knew she had to be careful but also wanted him to talk. With a smile, she raised herself up from the stool, leaning across to pick up the man’s glass and taking a large sip before
putting it on the counter in front of her.

She tried not to grimace as it burned her throat on the way down. Christ, it was horrible, like drinking paraffin, she assumed – though she’d never tried it. Why did anyone drink
this stuff?

She gasped a ‘Cheers.’

Nicholas stared on incredulously before reaching under the counter to take a second glass and fill it. ‘Feisty,’ he purred, making Jessica’s stomach churn in a way that
wasn’t simply down to the alcohol.

‘Do you know how much this costs a bottle?’ he added. When it was clear that Jessica wasn’t going to respond, he answered his own question. ‘Four hundred quid. I get it
brought down especially from Scotland. They have only made three dozen bottles each year for the past forty years. There’s a waiting list.’

Jessica didn’t know if he was genuinely trying to impress her, or if he couldn’t stop himself from boasting. Four hundred quid? She could have boiled some vinegar and it would have
tasted the same. She was definitely in the wrong business. ‘It tastes the same as any other whisky I’ve ever had.’

Nicholas downed his drink in one and refilled it. ‘There’s no accounting for taste.’ He pointed towards her glass and, against her better judgement, Jessica nodded, watching as
he poured another triple into it.

‘So why are you here, Ms Daniel?’

Jessica felt unnerved that he had remembered her name, although not entirely surprised. ‘I want to have the same chat as before.’

Nicholas put down the bottle and pulled a stool towards him, flopping onto it and wriggling uncomfortably, like an overweight frog. Even over the bar, Jessica could see he was far too big for
it.

‘I thought I’d told you that I didn’t know anything about the two women you mentioned. I’ve employed a lot of people.’

Jessica picked up her glass and took another sip. ‘But you remember the women, don’t you?’

Nicholas grinned, almost seeming pleased that she thought that. ‘Who says that?’

‘I do.’

He nodded, still shifting on the stool. ‘I don’t think you’re as clever as you think you are.’

Jessica had another drink. Each time the liquid dribbled down her throat, it felt a little less harsh, to the point that she didn’t even have to stifle pulling a face. Maybe it
wasn’t so bad after all? ‘Why don’t you tell me about Kayleigh and Ellie?’

Nicholas raised himself, finally giving up on balancing his enormous backside on the stool and instead leaning on the bar. ‘How about you tell me about yourself first?’

Jessica shook her head but he pointed towards her ring finger. ‘Who’s the lucky man?’

Suddenly feeling vulnerable, she downed the rest of the drink, swilling the liquid around in her mouth and using the glass to mask her face. She returned it to the counter with a bang and nodded
towards the bottle. ‘No one you’d know.’

Nicholas poured her another generous measure, before refilling his own glass. ‘Aah, but I know all men.’

‘Really?’

He put down the bottle and used both hands to point around the room. ‘Who do you think pays for all of this – and everything else? You should never trust a man.’

Jessica thought of what had been happening with Adam recently, wondering why she hadn’t been able to pick up his phone and have a look when she had the chance. She stayed calm, enjoying
the gentle burning at the back of her throat.

‘Is that right . . . ?’

‘While you’re working late doing whatever it is you do, he’s probably in here drinking my drink and touching up my women.’

‘Your women?’

Nicholas grinned and nodded. ‘
My
women.’

Jessica could hear the menace in his voice and knew that was exactly how he thought of the females who worked for him. ‘Were Ellie and Kayleigh your women?’

For a moment, she thought she saw his eyebrow twitch, as it had done the previous time they had met, but he reached forward and picked up his glass, taking another large mouthful. Jessica copied
him, holding the dark liquid in her mouth and feeling the fumes drifting through her.

She was already light-headed.

Nicholas met her eyes. ‘They were good-looking when they were young.’

‘What else?’

Nicholas still refused to look away. ‘Nothing, that’s all I remember.’ He lifted the bottle again, daring her to accept.

Jessica picked up her glass and downed what was left, putting it back on the bar and nodding. Nicholas poured until the bottle was almost empty, tipping the rest into his own glass, before
turning and throwing it into a large plastic container at the end of the bar. Four hundred quid gone, just like that.

‘I want to see your employment records,’ Jessica said.

Nicholas laughed. ‘Do you now?’

‘Yes.’

He nodded, as if weighing up the request, although she knew he would refuse. Jessica was fighting to keep her eyes level, knowing the alcohol was hitting her hard. She rarely drank spirits, let
alone so quickly. Her eyelids had felt tired before she had come and now they were even heavier.

‘You’re not going anywhere near my files.’

‘What if I already have a warrant?’

For the first time since he had begun drinking, Nicholas faltered. A small amount of whisky sloshed onto the counter as he wobbled, clumsily putting down his glass. ‘Why would you have one
of those?’

‘How about if I told you one of those women had died?’

Jessica couldn’t tell if she was giving him new information as there was a grey haze around her eyes that stopped her from completely taking in his reaction. He didn’t seem
particularly surprised.

Before he could reply, Jessica noticed a dribble of blood run from his nostril across his bottom lip. Nicholas quickly reached up to touch his face, recoiling as he saw the blood on his hands.
‘Oh for fuck’s sake, not again,’ he slurred, turning and picking up a napkin from the back counter of the bar.

He dabbed at his face before balling up the tissue and tossing it in a nearby bin. He touched his nostril a few times to ensure it had stopped and then turned back to Jessica.

‘What was that?’ she asked.

‘Nothing. I get them, it’s fine.’ He licked the tip of his finger, where a small amount of blood had dried, then wiped it on his trousers.

Jessica wanted to stand to assert some degree of authority as Nicholas was faltering but her head didn’t feel clear enough to attempt to get up. Instead she tried to focus on the label of
a bottle hanging behind the bar. She forced her eyes to concentrate but was struggling to figure out what was wrong, before realising it was hanging upside down in the optics. The fact she
hadn’t noticed that in the first place was worrying in itself but Jessica couldn’t stop herself giggling slightly.

Nicholas stared at her, clearly thinking she was laughing at him. ‘I don’t believe you’ve got a warrant or anything else,’ he said.

‘What would you bet on that? Imagine what else they might find. Or you could just tell me what I want to know.’

Jessica couldn’t tell if she was slurring her words. To her they sounded fine, but she had enough sense to know she was already more drunk than she had been in a very long time. She picked
up the half-full glass and could see Nicholas staring at it, daring her to finish what was left, probably thirty quid’s worth.

‘
Feisty
,’ he said with a smile, although Jessica could tell the alcohol had hit him too as his eyes were flickering off to one side and lacking focus.