He fell in beside them as Logan marched MacGariochtowards a waiting patrol car. ‘I know it all got a bit “spirited” in there, but they were only trying to defend their friend. And the circus guys thoughttheywere being public spirited. You know, intervening in a fight?’ A shrug. ‘I mean, we’re always told that’s the mark of a healthy society, aren’t we? That good people are ready to intervene when they see an injustice?’
‘They assaultedsixpolice officers in the process of arresting a wanted man. That’s “attempting to defeat the ends of justice”, punishable by imprisonment and a dirty-big fine.’
‘Yes, and I’m sure they’re all really,reallysorry. But it wasn’t intentional, really, was it? And if Alexis gets a criminal record they might throw her off her Uni course: what film or TV company’s going to give her a second look then?’
Logan stopped and subjected Ralph Hay to a full-on Paddingtoning.
He just smiled back.
God’s sake...
Logan rolled his eyes, then turned to Tufty. ‘Constable Quirrel.’
‘Sarge?’
‘Miss Cunningham bit you.’
The wee loon grinned. ‘Yeah, but only because she didn’t recognise me with the face paint on. She’s absolutelymortifiednow.’ Giving his head a swanky wobble. ‘Never bitten afilm starbefore.’
‘Do you want to press charges?’
Tufty curled one side of his face up, then pulled back his sleeve to expose a semicircle of teeth-marks. ‘Nah. I’ll pop some Savlon on it when I get home.’
Fair enough.
Logan puffed out his cheeks. ‘Uncuff her, then. And check with the rest of the team – anyone theydon’twant to prosecutegets off with a caution and a stern talking to. Everyone else spends tonight in the cells.’
‘Sarge.’ And away he skipped to spread the good tidings: the Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Fairy.
‘Thanks, man.’ Ralph Hay nodded at Logan. ‘You’re one of the good guys.’ Magnanimous in victory.
‘Ever thought of joining the police? Or the Diplomatic Corps.’
‘Nah.’ His smile widened. ‘Going to be a merchant banker, like my Uncle Pete.’
Strange how quickly you could go off someone.
‘Yes, well...’ Logan tightened his grip on Charles MacGarioch and marched him over to the patrol car.
‘Bye, Charlie. Stay frosty, OK?’
‘Bye, Ralph.’
‘Mind your head.’ Logan squeezed him into the back, did up his seatbelt, then clunked the door shut and got in the other side.
The blue-and-white lights swirled, but because it was only ten minutes since the Great Big-Top Brawl, no one from the press had arrived yet, so there wasn’t a swarm of cameras and microphones to fight their way through – just a handful of arseholes who whipped out their phones to film the patrol car as it rolled down the access road, turned left onto Westburn Road, and slipped silently into the traffic.
MacGarioch turned in his seat, craning his neck to capture every last moment of the circus, funfair, and park. ‘Do you think they’ll let my mates visit me in prison?’
Logan frowned at him. ‘Why’d you do it, Charlie?’
The big top disappeared behind the trees, then the edges of the fair vanished, and finally even the trees faded into the distance.
A sigh, then Charles MacGarioch faced front again. ‘Dunno.’One shoulder came up. ‘Needed the money. Keira and me are gonna open a B&B in Ireland. Property’s never cheap, is it. Then there’s your overheads: food and laundry and soap and towels and wee packets of shortbread and teeny pots of jam and tea-and-coffee-making facilities in every room.’
Wow.
Looked as if Ralph Hay had been right about Charlie not winningCelebrity Mastermindanytime soon. OK, so he wasn’t exactly Lenny fromOf Mice And Men, but he was no Professor Moriarty either.
