Reginald Hill - The roar of butterflies

" 'Cos in a real emergency, the Rat's the man you turn to to get things fixed. King wasn't going to rely on Rowe to sort it. He said he'd send out one of his own guys to make Waring an offer he couldn't refuse. There's this guy called Hardman that the Rat uses when he wants to persuade people to co-operate."

"Sorry? Co- operate?"

"When he wants bribes paid or arms twisted," said Joe. "The Rat probably told Rowe that Hardman would be waiting for him somewhere along the road to Upleck. All Rowe had to do was get Waring in his car and bring him along. So Rowe wanders back and says to young Steve, Why don't I give you a lift home while we talk? Steve's got his scooter here but likes the thought of getting a ride in a comfortable posh car, and kids never worry about what they'll do tomorrow, do they?"

"No," said Porphyry. "Steve lives very much day by day. Are you saying they bribed him to keep quiet? Oh God. Poor devil. He always dreamed of being rich, you know. That would explain why he took off like that. His conscience wouldn't let him face me. Poor Steve. Can't really blame him. I've always had money. Not having it must be a terrible trial."

It broke Joe's heart to hear the YFG talking like this. Even if the boy he'd helped so much had let him down, he would find excuses, never dream of condemning him.

Joe said, "I think it could be worse than that, Chris. I think that Hardman got into the car and told Steve something like, You get a lot of money if you keep your mouth shut; you get a lot of pain if you don't. Usually works. Only this time, I don't think it does, 'cos Steve reckons he owes you. They're getting close to his lodgings now and he probably feels safe. Anyway, he's in Mr. Rowe's car, and Mr. Rowe's a member at the Hoo, a gent, so no real problem there. He says he thinks he'll just check things out with you, see if all this really is no problem like they say. He pulls out his phone and hits the speed dial-"

"That's right! I told you there was a call from him that night-"

"Yeah," said Joe, wanting to get the next bit over quick. "And when he hits that button, I think Hardman, sitting in the back, hits him."

"Good Lord! The bastard. Would he do something like that?"

"Oh yes. Probably didn't mean to hit him too hard. Or maybe Steve tried to fight back, so he thought he'd give him a bit of a bang. Doesn't matter. Steve keels over. Rowe thinks he's been knocked unconscious. They're near the lodgings in Lock-keeper's Lane now. Hardman tells him to keep going, not to stop. He feels for a pulse in Steve's neck. Can't find one. The car gets to the end of the road. Keep going, he tells Rowe. Finally he has to stop 'cos he's reached the fence in front of the old lock. And now Hardman gets the boy out of the car and tries to revive him. But it's no good. He's dead."

There, he'd said it. Whatever shocks to the YFG's system he'd administered before, this was the big one. This was reality wake-up time.

"Dead? You're saying Steve might be dead?"

His tone was incredulous.

"Can't be absolute sure, but yeah, I think it's likely."

"But surely for something like this… I mean, why would they kill him for something like this?"

"Don't think it was meant," said Joe. "You recall telling me his dad had this thin skull condition so that, when he fell over, a bang that would just have given someone else a headache killed him? Well, seems it can be inherited. I think Hardman gave him a tap with some sort of cosh maybe and it fractured his skull. There'd be bleeding in the brain. That would kill him."

Probably not instantly. Still hope with rapid treatment. But even if the lad had been alive when they stopped in Leck's Bottom, even if Rowe had wanted to call up help, by the time he and Hardman were through arguing, it would be too late, and Hardman would be able to say, He's gone, you want to call up help now and explain all this?

But he didn't want to load Porphyry with the possibility that Steve might have been saved. He was having difficulty enough accepting the possibility of the boy's death.

"Joe, this is terrible… but it's just theory, right? I mean, what makes you think this is more likely than that he accepted a pay-off and headed out somewhere?"

"Because I got a message from Ratcliffe King saying that the pressure was off you, that this cheating thing was going to go away."

This should have been the news that brought a sunburst of relief to Porphyry's face, but he remained somber.

"I don't understand-what's this got to do with Steve? Unless he's decided to give evidence… Couldn't that be it? Steve's told them he's going to come forward and tell the truth?"

"No, Chris. I'm sorry. I told Monty Wright what I thought had happened. When I got through to him that it wasn't you but Latimer who'd blackballed him and that it was probably the Triangle who framed you for cheating, I reckon he just wanted to step right away from the whole business. Probably didn't make much commercial sense for Wright-Price anyway. So I think this afternoon he rang King Rat, told him what I'd told him, and asked him to confirm or deny it. Whatever King Rat replied, it was enough for Sir Monty to realize I was telling the truth. Then he probably told King Rat he was pulling out. Not only that, if these accusations against you weren't made to go away, he'd make a public stink about it. He's a very sporting guy, Sir Monty."

"And that was enough for King to scrap the whole deal, despite all the money he must already have put into it, buying land and such?"

"I think it would be a close call. I think that King Rat would know very well that, with regard to you, they were in the clear. What proof did Sir Monty have? What proof did I have? There was a good chance they could still get you out and get their hands on your shares. Worth a fight anyway. Except-"

"Except for Steve!" cried Porphyry triumphantly. "If they knew Steve was going to tell the truth-"

"No, forget that, Chris," said Joe urgently. "They'd taken his gear and his scooter and dumped them in Leck's Bottom. They'd got his landlady to say he was still around on the Wednesday morning. But he wasn't. I think that the previous night, when they realized he was dead, Hardman put him in Rowe's big golf-bag carrier that he had in his boot, plus a few rocks maybe, zipped it up and dropped it in the lock basin. That's what tipped the balance with King Rat. When it comes to financial deals, and regulations, and legal trickery, he can run rings round anyone. Bodies are different. Bodies can't be explained away with figures. All you can do is hide them and hope they never show."

Pain was sharpening the YFG's perceptions.

"And he begins to fear your inquiries might reveal what had happened to poor…"

His voice broke on the boy's name.

"Right," said Joe. "He does his best to tidy things up. But it's not working. Getting me out of the way one way or another is a definite option. Then Sir Monty backs out and threatens to cry foul! Suddenly it's all unraveling. So King decides to cut his losses, press the restore button, and get everything back to where it was. You're in the clear, the Hoo is safe, everyone's happy."

Porphyry considered this for a moment then said, "But I'm not in the clear, Joe. Latimer's been here all afternoon and he's not said a word about me being in the clear… Perhaps that means you've got it wrong and Steve's alive after all…"

His willingness to be labeled a cheat if it meant that Waring was still living confirmed everything Joe felt about the man. He hated to remove even this dry crumb of comfort but it had to be done.

"No, Chris," he said. "Latimer's not said anything because he doesn't know that things have changed yet. This has all just happened in the last hour. King Rat's trying to get in touch with the Triangle, but they're all here with their mobiles in their cars. And I've persuaded Bert not to pass on any messages."