Dancing to a New Beat 58

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CHAPTER 58
Blake was snoring, and he did smell rather strongly of stale beer. I was fuzzy-headed, to say the least, and while I dearly wanted more sleep, there was an urgent demand from my bladder I couldn’t defer. I realised I had rather overdone it the night before, and had a sudden shiver of shame and guilt as to how Dad must have felt on seeing and hearing me in what must have been quite a state of drunkenness.

Despite the number of women in the job, it seemed to remain resolutely macho. Sweet young things like Lexie and myself were quickly swept up into the habits of the men who had formed the culture, and were lost to our femininity. Women like Candice and Elaine, of course, were already immersed in the machismo before they ever joined, but…

I chuckled at those thoughts. Me? Feminine? What utter bollocks I could come up with when trying to deal with a hangover! As I flushed, I caught the smell of bacon coming up the stairs. Bless you, Mam.

Down those stairs to the living room, where three Small People were glued to some cartoon or other, the other two Powells cuddled up on the sofa. Mam appeared at the door with raised eyebrows, no need for words. Tea… I slipped into the spare seat on the sofa for a hug and a couple of grins. Lainey was as brutally direct as ever.

“Fancy cutting loose last night, did we?”

I groaned.

“No. Not really. It was when Chris started buying those rounds of shots… Going to be some blackmail-quality photos going round. Tell you what, though: some surprises last night. What with Lexie and Deb getting all touchy-feely. I didn’t have Lexie down as being on your side of the house”

Siân looked across her wife with a smile.

“My gaydar had picked it up, but I don’t think she really is, ah? I suspect she’s riding both buses, and, well, in that pub she’s far more likely to score with a woman than a lad. To be honest, I don’t think her heart was in it”

Elaine snorted.

“Her libido certainly bloody was! She went home with the girl”

“Not what I meant, cariad. I think she was just getting a bit of life back, after what happened. Don’t tell me you never did the same, eh? That girl down in Aberystwyth you told me about? No. You know I don’t worry about that. Long time ago, and you were so wound up for your sister. I know where you are now, and who you will always be with and for, so it could never be a problem. Girl nearly died. Natural to try and chase the demons away. Anyway, Di: why so surprised about Deb?”

What to tell? I decided on a severely edited version.

“Her history, Siân. Not really filled with knights in shining armour, was it? I don’t want to say anything more, but I think she might have found a little bit of her own release now Cooper’s banged away for the rest of his unnatural”

If Deb ever wanted to tell me the real reasons, that would be her decision, but I suspected it had rather a lot to do with Pig’s funeral. I looked over to the trio on the rug in front of the telly, and once more counted my blessings. Mam brought us all tea, and I answered her raised eyebrows with a comment about a husband who was still snoring. She smiled.

“And your Dad’s the same, isn’t it? Dirty stop-outs, and I don’t mean him. Go and give them both a shake, love. Breakfast is nearly ready”

As I rose, Lainey called after me.

“What happened to your boss, Di? Vanished sharpish. Don’t think he even got his tie off”

“He wasn’t wearing a tie!”

“You know what I mean”

“Talk after I slap the others, OK? Blake might know”

I did as requested, Elaine’s comment stinging a little. How pissed had I got? Rather a lot, it seemed. I was hit by an ambush memory of a karaoke session. Oh dear.

Both men grunted and turned over, but Dad was moving in the right direction as I left, and I ensured Blake was by the simple process of pulling the bedclothes off him, as the bacon smell was drawing me back downstairs. Elaine was still waiting, though, and continued her line of enquiry.

“Sammy was off a bit quick for ‘boss-at-Christmas party’ to explain, girl. He looked a bit worried as well. You got his number?”

Shit. I opened my mobile and rang.

“Hello. Can I help you? Oh. Di. Morning, mate. How did it go?”

“Morning to you, Sammy. It went very well, but so did you. What’s up?”

His reply came only after a noticeable pause.

“Who’s with you at the moment, Di?”

“Elaine and her missus, three kids on the rug, Mam in the kitchen. Why?”

“Talk neutrally, then. Anodyne replies. You know how”

The sofa was sinking beneath me, but I held it together.

“Yes, of course”

“No need to keep this from Elaine, but think about how and when, please. We have two deaths in custody, both people you know. Not related, as far as I can see, but be aware there will be a couple of inquests, and you might have to give evidence”

“Oh. Oh. Um, how?”

“One killing, one suicide, as far as I am aware. The killing was Cooper”

“Ah. I see. And?”

Sammy was breathing audibly now.

“Joe Evans. Ligature, I am told. From his bloody underpants, of all things, fuck knows how. Someone in that secure unit was asleep on their watch, and he looped them over a tap and sat down. Cooper was another inmate in his own vulnerable offenders’ unit. Both had connections to you, which is why I got the call. Now, Elaine needs to know. Can I leave it with you to do it sensibly and within the necessary limitations?”

“Er, yeah. Timescale?”

“Oh, not for a while. Coroner may simply ask for statements, leave it at that, but we’ll cross that bridge as and when. See you on Monday?”

“Yes, Sammy, you will. Some evening out for you!”

“What I get paid for, mate. Let hubby know too, of course”

“Will do. See you Monday”

I shut the phone and turned to Elaine.

“Could we have a chat? Back yard? Something we need to discuss. Just the two of us, OK?”

She nodded, Siân looking worried, so I smiled to take the edge off before leading Elaine out of the back door to the fence at the end of our back garden. She stared flatly at me.

“And?”

“Sammy had a call, love. Not going to mess about here, OK? Two deaths in custody, isn’t it?”

A narrowing of her eyes.

“Who?”

“Charlie Cooper and Joe Evans”

“Fuck! Can’t be related, they were too far apart!”

I shook my head.

“No. He wasn’t saying that. It’s just that I have connections to both of them, and you are obviously tied into what the other Charlie called ‘That wonky-eyed cunt’, innit?”

“Yeah, but… what happened?”

“Oh, from what Sammy says, Charlie got done over by another inmate. The WEC managed to hang himself, apparently with his own underpants. That isn’t what I am bothered about, woman. We are all three of us clear on those deaths, that’s me, you, Blake and Jon, yeah?”

“So what are you worried about, then?”

I took a little while to find the right words.

“Elaine, please listen, and take this as I mean it. I am not asking you a question, nor do I require an answer, but I suspect Sammy had the same thoughts. Blake and I met someone at your house, and I do not mean Annie and Eric”

“Oh. Oh fuck”

Do not mention Ellen, DC Sutton. Police, professional.

“I am aware of what happened to a certain wonky-eyed cunt after he beat up a woman, Elaine. So is Blake, so is Sammy. So, I believe, is the Super, and by ‘aware of’ I mean more than just what happened, but who may have been involved”

For the first time in my life I saw Elaine Powell looking frightened. I did my best to ease that sudden terror.

“Please listen, and I will say what I think. No replies, OK? There were four witnesses to what happened to WEC. WEC is no more, and I suspect that of the other three, one shot himself a little while ago, and another may have died on his motorcycle or in other less pleasant ways. That leaves one living person. I suspect that everyone I have mentioned so far is happy to leave things as they are, but perhaps our sole survivor may need alerting”

She nodded sharply, once more in control of herself, and suddenly hugged me, kissing my cheek.

“You are such a good woman, Di Sutton. I am honoured to be your friend, aye?”

“Aye. Yes. Now: breakfast?”

I led the way back in, the matter close, at least for the time being. I wondered what was happening in the Elliott household, so bound up in their hatred of Cooper, and resolved to take time to give Ben Nicol-Clements a call, once it was safe to do so. Shit: no wonder Sammy had left in such a hurry. A few minutes later, I was sitting down at our table, all the extending bits pulled out, as the three children worked through cereal followed by sausage and beans, the grown-ups limited to a full Welsh complete with bara lawr, counting my blessings.

Deb. I had to let her know.

“Dearest sweet husband of mine?”

“What you want, woman?”

“World peace and to work with children. And picking up later. Dad?”

“Aye?”

“Could you drop me off in the city later? I have to pop in and see how a friend is”

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Comments

two deaths

oh boy ...

DogSig.png

Unfounded

joannebarbarella's picture

It seems a real stretch to tie these deaths to any of our heroines (or thei kin).

Not so

They are both suspicious deaths, therefore there is an inquest. The point is to establish all the factors that may have led to the deaths, and as our people were involved in questioning and/or arresting the two pieces of excrement, they will be asked at least a few questions.