Chris smiles. “It had crossed my mind, I don’t suppose there’s any way I could take a look upstairs before I go? Just see if Johnny left anything?”
Steve shakes his head. “You could do me a favor, though.”
“Go on.”
“Could you stick this in Lost Property? Someone dropped it a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve asked and asked, but I don’t know who it belongs to.” He reaches into a drawer, pulls out a clear plastic wallet filled with cash, and hands it to Chris. “Five thousand euros. Some tourist must be kicking themselves.”
Chris looks at the cash, looks at Donna, then back at Steve. Would this have prints on it? Doubtful, but at least Steve is letting him know he’s right. “You don’t want to keep it?”
Steve shakes his head. “Nope, I know where it’s been.”
Chris hands the wallet to Donna, and she puts it in an evidence bag. They both know that Steve has just been very brave. Chris stands and shakes his hand.
“I know Tony Curran was a bastard,” says Steve. “But he didn’t deserve that.”
“Agreed,” says Chris. “Up to a point. Anyway, me and my gut will be back here soon.”
“Good lad.”
106.
Elizabeth leaves Stephen sleeping. Bogdan will be around after work for a game of chess. She hopes they will both be there when she gets back. She’ll need the company.
Ron had come to her with the photograph that Karen Playfair had seen. Karen would have been young at the time, but she was sure.
Elizabeth had tried to piece it all together in her head. It seemed impossible at first, but as she thought about it, it began to seem horribly true. She worked out the steps one by one.
Ibrahim had come back an hour ago with the final piece of the jigsaw, so now is the time. The case is solved, and only justice remains.
Elizabeth walks out into the cold evening air, not turning back now. The sky is getting darker earlier, and the scarves are coming out of the wardrobes. Summer is still keeping a lid on autumn, but it won’t be long. How many more autumns for Elizabeth? How many more years of slipping on a pair of comfortable boots and walking through the leaves? One day, spring will come without her. The daffodils will always come up by the lake, but you won’t always be there to see them. So it goes; enjoy them while you can.
But right now, with the job at hand, Elizabeth feels an affinity with the late summer. The leaves clinging gamely on, the last hurrah of the heat, the odd trick still up its sleeve.
She sees Ron making his way over, grim-faced but ready. Hiding his limp, keeping his pain to himself. What a fine friend Ron is, she thinks. What a heart he has. Long may it go on beating.
As she turns the corner, she sees Ibrahim waiting by the door, folder inhand. The last piece of the jigsaw. How handsome he looks, dressed for the occasion, ready to do whatever’s necessary. That Ibrahim might ever die seems absurd to Elizabeth. He will certainly be the last of them. The last oak in the forest, standing still and true, as the airplanes whiz overhead.
How to begin, thinks Elizabeth. How to even begin?
107.
Chris gets the nod. An international warrant has been issued for the arrest of Johnny Gunduz for questioning in the murder of Tony Curran. A good end to the day. The euros Steve Ercan gave them had no prints, but had been taken out at a bureau de change in Northern Cyprus three days before Tony Curran’s murder. Chris had given Joe Kyprianou the address of the bureau in case it had CCTV, but Joe had taken one look at it and laughed. No chance.
Would the Cypriot authorities ever find him? Who knew? You’d think so, but after the initial rush, how hard is anyone really going to look? Maybe Chris will even get another trip over to Cyprus. That would be nice.
Either way, he’s done all he can, and it’s up to the Cypriots now, if they fancy their chances. Whatever happens, Chris will look good.
It is a cause for celebration, but Chris has had too many nights in the pub with too many coppers over the years. What he’d really wanted was a curry at home, get Donna round, watch something on TV, bottle of wine, and send her home at ten. Maybe talk a bit about Ventham. What have they missed?
Chris had a worrying thought earlier. A stupid one, really. Only hadn’t the convent had a hospital, all those years ago? Isn’t Joyce an ex-nurse? Run the name Joyce Meadowcroft through the computer? Could he talk to Donna about it?
But Donna had a mystery date tonight. Casually dropped it into the conversation on the way back from Steve’s Gym.
So, he would go home, and have a night in by himself, with a curry.He knew that was where this was heading. There was a darts tournament on Sky.
Chris wondered if this was a tragic plan, or whether it was simply the sort of plan that people would think was tragic. Was he a content man, doing the things he liked alone? Or was he a lonely man making the best out of what he had? Alone, or lonely? This question cropped up so often these days, Chris could no longer be confident of his answer. Though if he was a betting man, his money would be on lonely.
Where was his date?
