M. Arlidge - Little Boy Blue

‘Odd how?’

‘Well, it was a bloke for a start. I thought she… he was a bird at first. Long legs, long hair, nice clothes and that. But the voice was too low and he had an Adam’s apple, so…’

‘So what specifically was odd?’

‘You mean apart from that?’ the cabbie replied, laughing.

‘Come on, there are lots of gay pubs and cabaret bars in that area. You must see stuff like that all the time.’

‘It was more the state of him,’ he conceded.

‘Go on.’

‘I could hardly understand where he wanted to go at first. He was white as a sheet and he’d been crying. He was trying to suck it in, but his make-up was a horrible mess,’ he laughed again. ‘I wasn’t going to let him in, but he gave me a twenty up front, so…’

‘Where did you take him?’

‘To an address in St Denys – Newton Street. Only cost a tenner, but he didn’t care. Got straight out of the cab when we got there and didn’t look back. You ask me, he was about to puke. I don’t know what they take in these places but -’

‘Can you describe him to me?’

The cabbie paused, then said:

‘Tall, like I said. Thin, very thin. He was dressed in a kind of cat suit, so you could see there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Hairless too – no stubble or anything.’

‘Can you describe his face to me?’

‘Dark eyes, no eyebrows except what was drawn on -’

‘Anything on the sides of his face?’

‘Yeah, now you mention it, he had a little scar on the right side of his face. Make-up couldn’t hide that.’

Charlie nodded, then pulled a photo from the file on her lap.

‘Was this the person you picked up on Tuesday night?’ she asked, offering the cabbie the photo. He took it between his greasy fingers, then after a moment’s consideration handed it back.

‘Yeah, that’s him.’

Charlie took the photo and, having confirmed the address of the drop-off, thanked the cabbie and hurried on her way. Finally they had something to work with.

Her cabbie had just placed Samantha near the scene of the first murder.

‘Thank you for seeing me straight away,’ Helen said, her confident tone failing to conceal her anxiety.

‘My door is always open,’ Gardam assured her calmly. ‘How bad is it?’

‘Bad. He’s definitely our second victim.’

‘How can you be sure?’

‘The MO is slightly different, but the victim was made to suffer as much as is humanly possible and it was a highly “professional” execution. This was a statement killing, just like Elder’s.’

Gardam took this in – he looked as sick as Helen felt. Then he said:

‘So the flat is owned by this Max Paine? How sure are we that he’s our victim?’

‘One hundred per cent.’

‘Right,’ Gardam replied. ‘I thought we were still trying to contact his next of kin -’

‘We are, but I know him. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’

‘I see. Have you come across him in a case before, or… ?’

The ‘or’ was left hanging and Helen knew she had to fill the gap. If she didn’t say it now she would lose the confidence to do so.

‘This is very difficult for me to say… but it would be unprofessional of me not to do so,’ Helen said, just about getting the words out.

Gardam said nothing. He was watching her intently, which only made it worse.

‘I know Max Paine, in fact I know both victims, because I’ve used their services.’

Gardam’s face didn’t move at all, but Helen could tell he was shocked by what she’d just told him.

‘I used Paine’s services twice, about a year ago. Before that I used to visit Jake Elder on and off, but I haven’t seen him in over two years.’

This wasn’t the whole truth. Helen had decided to omit the beating she’d given Paine – this was difficult enough without admitting to a criminal act.

‘Right. I see,’ Gardam finally responded, not quite finding the words.

‘I don’t really want to go into the details,’ Helen continued. ‘But I thought you ought to know.’

‘And you didn’t think this was worth telling me after Elder’s death?’

‘No, I didn’t,’ Helen replied firmly. ‘I hadn’t seen him in ages and couldn’t add anything useful to the investigation by doing so. But now that a second man known to me… well, I wanted to be upfront with you and offer to remove myself from the case – if that’s what you’d like.’

Helen had debated long and hard whether to offer this up, but she knew she was duty-bound to. It was the only thing she could do, given the circumstances.

There was a long silence. As Gardam processed his response, Helen examined his face for signs of an instinctive reaction. What was he thinking? Had she irreparably damaged herself in his eyes?

‘Thank you for sharing this, Helen,’ Gardam finally replied. ‘This can’t have been an easy thing to bring up.’

‘It wasn’t, believe me.’

‘Can I ask if anybody else knows of your connection to the victims?’

Helen paused, then, closing her eyes, bit the bullet.

‘Emilia Garanita knows about my connection to Jake Elder.’

‘Bloody hell.’

‘But she obtained this knowledge illegally and if she’s smart she’ll keep quiet. She knows nothing of my connection to Paine.’

Helen could have said more but didn’t. In reality it was highly unlikely she’d be able to stop Emilia with the threat of prosecution – the original offence having been so long ago – but she had to play any card she could with Gardam in order to try and stay on the case.

Gardam pondered his response. Impatient, Helen now blurted out:

‘Look, if this is awkward, I can obviously take sick leave. I don’t want to, but if you feel it would be for the best, then obviously it’s something we should consid-’

‘Well, let’s review what we’ve got,’ Gardam interrupted. ‘You knew both victims and have a personal connection to the case. Were you in a relationship with either of them?’

‘No. Of course not. I liked Jake as a human being, but that’s it. Paine meant nothing to me.’

‘Right.’

What was that in his tone? Was it pity?

‘And do you think you’ll be able to discharge your duties in this investigation as normal?’ Gardam continued.

‘Definitely.’

‘You’re not too invested in it?’

‘I don’t think so. I’d tell you if I was.’

‘And how sure are we that Garanita will keep shtum?’

‘Fairly, though there’s no guarantee of course,’ Helen lied quickly.

Gardam looked at her, his mind turning. Helen was suddenly aware she was holding her breath and exhaled gently, trying to calm herself.

‘Well, it’s not an easy decision. But… I’m minded to keep things as they are for now,’ Gardam said decisively. ‘These deaths are alarming and I need my best people on it.’

Helen nodded, more relieved than she could say. She was embarrassed to feel tears pricking her eyes.

‘And don’t worry, Helen,’ Gardam reassured her. ‘This will remain between us.’

Helen thanked him and went on her way, keeping her eyes to the floor. Outside in the corridor, she leant against the wall and brushed the offending tears away. Odd though it was, she almost felt happy. It had been a tough conversation to have to have, but she was pleased she’d grasped the nettle. It had cost her something to take Gardam into her confidence – to reveal her weakness to him – but she now felt free to drive the investigation forward. Marching towards the incident room, Helen pulled her mobile out and dialled Meredith’s number. There could be no more delays, no more setbacks now. Jake Elder and Max Paine deserved justice and Helen was determined to see that they got it.