Time to try again: ‘Sure you don’t want to give us your name?’
‘Darryl. Darryl Merickson. I stay with my nan in Headland Court. On account of Dad being a man with “strong opinions” and Mum being dead with cancer.’
Logan leaned back against the iron railings, checking his phone as an elderly lady laid a small wreath of paper flowers outside Balmain House Hotel.
TARA:
Rearranged the P/T meeting for tomorrow night so you’re not getting away with it THAT easy.
Well, she was still speaking to him, so that was good.
He thumbed out a reply:
I’m still at the crime scene. One of them anyway.
Am I too late for chips?
SEND.
PC Kent emerged from the MCU, wafting her face with a leaflet on ‘HOW TOSPOTA TERRORIST’. ‘PNC checks out. Darryl Merickson, 423 Headland Court, no priors, lives with his grandmother.’ She jerked her head in the vague direction of town. ‘Had a sneaky look at his dad. Talk about “a man of strong opinions” – currently doing four years for assault. Didn’t like the way an Asian gentleman “barged in” at karaoke to sing “Livin’ On A Prayer”. Cos apparently that’s his song.’ Her expression soured. ‘Oh, aye: Dad’s got “strong opinions” all right.’
Logan frowned at the van. ‘What do we think about Darryl’s story?’
She looked both ways, then leaned in, voice all whispery, as if she was about to share a massive secret. ‘Just between me and you, Guv, Ithinkwe might be witnessing a racist tosser coming to terms with the fact that brown people don’t deserve to be firebombed.’ Then back to normal again, in the shadow of a burnt-out hotel. ‘Just a shame it took ten litres of unleaded, one dead, and eight injured to get there.’
‘Urgh...Why does tragedy bring out all thedamagedpeople? If it’s not kids with abusive dads, it’s racists and wanknuggets. Sometimes all three.’
‘That’s moths for you.’ She did a bit more wafting. ‘You want me to let him go?’
Logan’s phoneding-buzzed in his hand.
TARA:
We’ve had our tea.
Half an hour and the Lizz-Ness Monster is going to bed.
FINGER OUT if you want to read her a story!
‘Sod.’
‘Guv?’ PC Kent was staring at him. ‘What do you want me to do about Darryl Merickson?’
‘Hmm...? Oh, right. Well, it’s not like we’reholdinghim, or anything. Free to go any time he likes.’
A nod. ‘Guv.’
She disappeared into the MCU again, and Logan had a bash at composing a reply to Tara’s text.
Don’t think I’m going to make it home for storytime. Tell Elizabeth I’m sorry.
Honestly, this case is
His thumbs stopped as little hairs pricked across the back of his neck.
Someone was watching.
Logan raised his eyes from the screen.
