Mortal Men (The Lakeland Murders Book 7) (27 page)

‘Did you hear that, officer?’ he croaked. ‘Your mate fucking threatened me.’

‘That wasn’t a threat, son. That was just a public information announcement, was that. No-one would fucking miss you anyway, would they?’

‘So you’re going to stand there and let him say that?’

‘No, I’m not. Because if it comes to it I’d be the one getting rid of the body, son. You’d be surprised how easy it is to do, if you know how, like. I could make you disappear completely in ten minutes flat. You wouldn’t be sleeping with the fishes, you’d be inside them. It only takes a day or two, if you do it right. But then we’re all only a bit of blood and bone in the end, aren’t we?’

I’ve been thinking about why they all come, the tourists. When I was a lad there were walkers in groups, young men during the Wakes Weeks, all talking too loud. You could hear them from right up on the fells, when they were still on the valley path. Deafened by all that machinery, I expect. And cyclists too, I remember them. The coach parties didn’t make it far beyond the ice cream van, but at least they had a change of view and a change of air. Of course some of them got the taste for Benidorm later on, but I can’t see why. Their ice creams must have melted in a minute. Here they’d last for bloody ages, even on a day like this.

Other than prison I’ve never been away from here. Not for more than a few days at a time. And I’ve never lived more than two miles from where I was born. Of course years ago I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else, but looking back I never had itchy feet. No imagination, maybe. I knew what was over the next fell, what the autumn trees looked like, and that was enough, really. And now my lads can stay here too, if they want. So maybe it was all for the best, in a way, what happened. Because I’d never have made all that straight money if I hadn’t gone inside first. And my kids couldn’t have stayed without the money to fight off the bloody off-comers when it came to buying a house. I nearly pissed myself laughing when I heard that London lawyer had been complaining in the pub about me out-bidding him for my son’s cottage. I’d like to have been able to do it for all of the kids he went to school with. Well, most of them, anyway.

It’s been lovely up here this morning. Watching the sun come up like that. The last time for me, I dare say, but not the last time. It’ll keep happening, whether there’s anyone to see it or not. The rocks and the sky feel nowt, don’t mourn the past, don’t dream of the future. I’ll miss all this, but it won’t miss me. Not one raindrop, not one moss campion flower. That’s probably as it should be. It’s certainly as it is, anyway.

I’m nervous today, obviously. Not for myself, but for my lad. But maybe he doesn’t want to win it as much as I need him to lift that trophy. I’ve not let on, like. Not about a lot of things. And I was probably the same when my dad watched me wrestle, all those years back. I don’t think I ever took it seriously, not really. And even if I’d known what it meant to him would I have tried any harder for that last throw? I’m not sure I would, really. Children can be bastards, sometimes. Still, I don’t want to put any pressure on him, not today. Not ever, if I can. Of course he’ll have to know, eventually. But it won’t take long to say good-bye, will it? I’m not sure that there’s anything I can tell him that he doesn’t already know, even though we never say much to each other. Actions speak louder than words, they say, and I for one hope that’s true. Anyway, I’ll just build up this cairn a bit, and then I’ll start heading down. I saw all those coppers down on the showfield last night, and I heard their dogs, but they were all much too far away to ever bother me.

‘So you were right, Andy’ said Mann, as they drove out of Kendal. ‘We haven’t had a sniff of Winder, even though Jane has had the cavalry out all night and this morning. Why didn’t you tell her that you thought he’d be up on the fells all night?’

‘Because it was just a guess, and because it’s not my case. And we still don’t know for certain that’s where he is, do we?’

‘No, I suppose not. So you reckon that he’ll just come down with the fell runners, is that it?’

‘It’s what I’d do, certainly. He’ll know that we wouldn’t want to try to snatch him when he’s in amongst all those people. They get thousands at the Sports, you know, competitors and spectators. And it’s a lovely day, so it’ll be a bumper crowd this year. Kids everywhere too, remember.’

‘So you think that Jane will stand by what you agreed? She’ll be in the control room at HQ now, chewing her finger nails to the bloody quick.’

‘She will. Of course she will.’

‘She would never have expected to have to though, Andy. You know that. If it was me, I’d be tempted to make the arrest at the first opportunity. You know how much it means to her, mate.’

‘I do. I know the pressure she’s been under. Not enough resources to get the job done, twice as many chiefs as indians, except nowadays the chiefs have access to email. Smoke signals would be more use, I can tell you.’

Mann laughed. ‘But you’re a chief now, Andy.’

‘Not really. I’ve never quite worked out how they do it, really. They’re always busy, but they never do any actual policing. You could fire most of them, me included, and it would make no bloody difference on the ground. Not one iota, honestly.’

‘Except that Jane would have fewer emails to read, mate.’

‘True enough. But you make a good point, Ian. She bloody well should do what we agreed. She’s a DI and I’m a Detective Superintendent, aren’t I?’

‘So they tell me, aye.’

Hall was right, and the Sports was busy. As they approached the showfield they could see that it was already packed with people, and they queued for a minute or two before they turned into the exhibitors’ entrance. Mann badged the steward, and asked where he should park.

‘Over there, by your vans. What’s going on, a bobbies’ day out is it?’

‘Something like that, aye.’

Mann parked the car, radioed in that they’d arrived, and they sat and waited for the call that they both knew would come soon enough. It was less than thirty seconds before Jane was patched through from HQ.

‘He’s not on the showfield, Andy. Definitely not. We’ve got people all over, and he’s not there. You’d better be right about this. I’m beginning to think he’s done a proper runner.’

‘How long until the all-weights wrestling final?’

‘Twenty minutes or so. And before you ask, yes, his lad is in the final.’

‘Good. Then Winder will be along in a few minutes. Was that the fell runners we could see coming down the hill as we drove in?’

‘Yes, I think so. Christ, Andy, you think he’s in amongst them, don’t you?’

‘It’s a possibility.’

‘What? He kipped up on the fells last night? A man in his condition? That’s not very likely, is it?’

‘I doubt he’s concerned about that. Anyway, if I’m right he’ll be on his way down now. Can you tell the troops to stand off, and give us a bit of space to work in?’

‘All right, I will. It’ll be too late to snatch him now anyway. But if there’s the first sign that he’s going to make a run for it, then I’ll tell them not to hesitate. And you be careful, love. You don’t know that he’s not armed.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ve got Ian with me, remember. He’ll look after a senior officer, if it comes to that.’

‘Senior citizen, more like’ said Mann, cheerfully. ‘Don’t worry, Jane. The job’ll be reet, don’t you fret.’

‘And you’ll wear your earpiece?’

‘I will, and I’ll tell Andy what he needs to know’ replied Mann, before Hall could start complaining. ‘Come on, boss, we’d better get moving.’

They were still fifty yards short of the wrestling ring, and still too far away to make out the identities of any of the people standing or sitting around its roped-off edges. But Mann was listening to what the spotters were saying as they pushed through the crowds.

‘He’s there’ said Mann, ‘definite. His back to us, right in front, up by the rope. Appears unarmed. You’re right, Andy, he’s in running gear with a number on his back.’

‘What number?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘No. Ignore me. I’m just nervous, that’s all.’

‘You think he’s armed? Is that it? He could still have a concealed weapon.’

‘No, nothing like that. I just want it all to be over, for Jane’s sake.’

Two young men were wrestling in the centre of the ring, their arms locked together and circling slowly. Hall just glanced at them as he walked forward, making an effort not to accelerate. When he and Mann were just a few yards away one of the men threw the other to the ground, the referee said something, and they both sprang up and shook hands. Hall noticed the grass in their hair. They both followed the referee towards the trophy tent on the far side of the ring. Hall gestured to Mann to give him some space, and Mann nodded and paused while Hall kept moving forward.

‘Did your lad do it?’ he asked, as he came alongside Winder.

‘No. He were beat, fair and square, like.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Aye, me too. But there’s always next year, isn’t there? I dare say he’ll get his name on that pot one of these days.’

‘I’m sure you’re right.’ Hall stood in silence for a moment. ‘Would you like a word with your lad, before we go?’

‘No. You’re all right. I’m ready.’

‘He doesn’t know any of it though, does he? Wouldn’t it be better coming from you? And you don’t want him to think you’re disappointed in him, do you? That would just hurt him even more.’

‘You’re right. I don’t want that. Christ, I could never be disappointed in him. However he does from now on. Life’s hard, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. No-one wins all the time.’

‘That’s right. You go. I’ll stay here. But then come straight back to me, OK? We can talk, before we go. But don’t give my colleagues any reason to step in first.’

‘Aye, I’d like that. I won’t be long.’

Hall moved quickly to Ian Mann.

‘Tell everyone to hold off. He’s talking to his boy, then coming straight back to me. Make sure that everyone keeps calm, OK? No sudden movements.’

Mann made the call, and the two men stood together and watched. John Winder was doing all the talking, and after a minute or two Hall walked back to where he had been standing, and looked up at the sky, blue from fell to fell. He could see a few floaters in his vision, but he could also see small birds high above, singing. Were they swifts, perhaps? Or skylarks? He kept looking up until his neck started to ache, and he felt John Winder’s presence next to him.

‘OK?’

Winder shrugged. ‘Life goes on. He’ll get over it. People do, don’t they?’

‘They do. It’s amazing really.’

‘What’s the alternative?’

‘There is that. So you told him about Frankie Foster.’

‘I did. And you know what? He’d guessed. Said he knew right from the second he first heard about it. Funny, isn’t it?’

‘And he knew why?’

‘Oh, aye. He knew. And I told him about, you know, my situation. He didn’t know about that.’

‘He’ll be able to visit you, on remand.’

‘Oh, I won’t be on remand, Mr. Hall. I’ll be on bail. One of the advantages of having money is that I have got the very best lawyers that money can buy. They’ve got my passport, and they’ve got my medical files too. I’m denying everything from here on in, like, and it’ll be months and months before it comes to trial. And I don’t have months and months.’

‘I see.’

‘Does it bother you? That I’ll escape justice, like.’

‘It’s not really escaping though, is it?’

‘It’s no different than what comes to us all. Even the new born bairn, like. I often wonder if people think about that, when they have a baby.’

‘Did you?’

‘No. Of course I bloody didn’t. How about you?’

‘Me neither. And I’m well known as a gloomy bastard. I’m having another kid, if you can believe that.’

‘Not that gloomy then.’

Hall smiled. ‘No, I suppose not. But before we go, can I ask you a couple of questions? Just for my own satisfaction.’

‘Aye, all right.’

‘Do you regret it now, killing Frankie Foster? I just can’t see what it achieved. Not really.’

‘I don’t regret it, no. He needed to give us all back some of the time he took from us, when he grassed us up like that. You do see that?’

‘A day for a day, then?’

‘Something like that, aye. But, like I say, I’m admitting nowt. As soon as your mate comes over.’

‘You recognised him, last night?’

‘As a copper? Aye, of course I did. But what else did you want to know?’

‘I understand why you used that particular gun, because you wanted to drop Tyson in it, at least for a while. I assume you’d have owned up, in the end?’

‘Aye. That was the plan.’

‘But why bother planting those cartridges on Jez Taylor?’

‘Easy. He deserves to be inside, doesn’t he? But I’m guessing that’s where he’s going, with no help from me. Am I right?’

‘You are. He was arrested earlier in connection with some very serious offences. And you’re right, it couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke. But how did you know about that?’

‘I know a lot of things. Too many, I dare say. But be honest, Mr. Hall, I bet you’d much rather put him away than me, like.’

Hall smiled. ‘Honestly? I don’t even think about it anymore. People who I think should be put away for life are back out on the streets in five minutes, and people who I know will never pose a threat to a soul go down for years. I’m just addicted to knowing, I suppose, and when I do, that’s it for me, really. Close the file, and move on.’

‘And you don’t think about them again? The victims, the criminals? None of them?’

‘Not usually, no. But with you it will be different, John. I’m pretty sure of that. Are you ready to make a move now?’

‘Aye. As ready as I’ll ever be, like.’

Mann looked in his mirror as they drove back to Kendal.

‘We’ve got a Police escort, John’ he said over his shoulder.

‘Oh, aye. Well I’ve done nowt, like I was telling your mate. Nowt.’

‘Save it for the tape, mate. You know how this works. Unlucky about your lad, by the way. He nearly won it, apparently.’