Tony Black - Murder Mile

McGuire started to rub at his arms, ‘Jesus, brass-monkeys out here isn’t it?’ He seemed to register Brennan’s lack of interest in communicating. ‘Right, I’ll get away, boss…’

‘OK.’

McGuire opened the station door, said, ‘Look, do you want me to tell Benny that Gallagher’s in… not right away, obviously, I mean when you’ve had a chat with him.’

Brennan kept his face front, ‘No, Stevie, I need to see Benny about something else…’

‘Oh, right… What’s that?’

Brennan turned, a thin smile played on the side of his face, ‘Just something.’

McGuire winked, made for the door, ‘Say no more.’

Left oh his own, Brennan turned to the folder he had been handed, started to go through it. He had seen much of the information on Crawley earlier, but as he turned the pages over he alighted on a piece of information that jabbed at him like a knife point.

‘Jesus Christ!’ said Brennan.

The DI shut Crawley’s file and started to thumb through the early pages of DI Jim Gallagher’s file; he was closing down on the information he sought when a navy-blue Mondeo drove into the car park and pulled up before the station’s entrance.

Bri exited the passenger’s door and nodded to Brennan, ‘How goes it, boss?’

As Brennan replied, Lou left the driver’s side and went to open the back door; DI Jim Gallagher was sitting in the back seat. ‘Where do you want him, sir?’

Brennan snapped the blue folder shut, roared, ‘Get him in the fucking door, now!’ He turned for the entrance, jerked the handle and stomped into the station. As he stood waiting for the others he wondered if he would be able to face Gallagher and then the thought became a sounding board in him that he knew he would have to test. As Lou and Bri led in the DI, Brennan turned to face him squarely, said, ‘What were you doing at Crawley’s house, Jim?’

Gallagher’s eyes were glassy under his moist brow, then he flashed a weak smile across his face, ‘Rob, for crying out loud… I heard the call on the radio and went to check it out. Is that what all this is about?’

Brennan watched the others exchange glances, then he fixed his glare on Gallagher. ‘No you never, Jim… Because we didn’t put that on the radio.’

‘But, I–I…’

‘Take him down to the cells, lads.’

Gallagher bridled, seemed to dig in his heels where he stood. ‘The cells? Is that really necessary, Rob, we can talk this through surely

…’

Brennan nodded towards the steps, ‘Not my orders, Jim… That comes straight from Benny.’

As Lou and Bri led Gallagher away, he turned, tried to catch Brennan’s eye, but the DI dipped his head towards the folder in his hand. He let them get out of sight before he started to follow them. As he did so, he glanced towards the front desk; Charlie sat silently, his mouth clamped tight shut. Brennan acknowledged the desk sergeant and proceeded towards him.

‘Give me that keyboard there,’ he said.

Charlie handed over the grey office keyboard and turned the monitor screen to face Brennan. ‘Anything else I can do?’ he said.

‘No, this is fine… Just need to check something out on the database.’

Brennan reached over and picked up the mouse, placed it on the counter. He started to scroll through a few screens and then opened the blue folder to the page he was reading from earlier. He wanted to check the dates Jim Gallagher had attended Dungarn Boys Home, and cross-reference them with an idea that was germinating inside him. He located the dates, then closed down the screen, returned the keyboard to Charlie.

‘All OK?’ said Charlie.

Brennan nodded, lifted the phone and dialled Incident Room One. ‘It’s Rob, give me Stevie.’

‘Yes, sir.’

The phone’s receiver clunked on the hardwood desk and then was picked up a few moments later, ‘McGuire.’

‘Stevie, I want you to check something out for me… Now, you’ll have to do this right away. Get into the files and search for Dungarn Boys Home…’

‘Why on earth…’

‘Don’t fucking ask, I need to know about the place, just get me the full SP… Can you do that?’

‘Yes, sure… I just don’t see the…’

Brennan cut in, ‘You don’t need to, Stevie… I’m going to see Gallagher, I’ll be downstairs, so anything you turn up, bring it in right away. I don’t have long with him before I’ll have to hand him over to Benny.’

‘OK, Boss. I’ll get right on it.’

Brennan hung up the phone; he put a stare on Charlie as he turned from the desk and headed for the back steps towards the cells. He knew that the fount of all station gossip would have plenty to say on this matter one day, but he also knew he could rely on him to keep it to himself right now — some subjects, by their very nature, rendered themselves above gossip and Brennan knew that instinctively; even Charlie understood that.

As he descended the stairs towards the cells, Brennan played over in his mind the moments that had led up to this point. He had been suspicious of Jim Gallagher from the first but had no real evidence to back up his assumptions. He knew Gallagher was a glory hunter and he had witnessed his cozening of the Chief Super at first hand; however, what he had never considered was that Gallagher’s involvement was criminal. He had covered up vital evidence in a triple murder case that had attracted widespread media attention; the force would not be kind to him, never mind the law. What really galled Brennan, however, was the fact that the murderer was still out there, and Gallagher knew it. Why would he sabotage the case like this? How many lives of innocent young girls did he want on his hands?

Brennan felt his stomach tighten, then turn sharply. He felt a sickening grip his heart and threaten to topple him. He steadied himself on the grey wall, reached out a hand and then placed the flat of his back on the cold plaster. For a moment everything spun; thoughts of the case laced with thoughts of Gallagher’s actions. Nothing made sense any more; perhaps, above everything, that was what wounded Brennan. He felt like he had lost his edge, like the job was no longer within his ken.

He stood before the cell door where the word GALLAGHER had been chalked up, looked down the hallway and nodded towards the duty officer, ‘Want to open up this one, Davie?’

The broad officer padded towards Brennan and removed a bunch of keys attached to a chain on his belt. He looked like he might speak, pass comment on the cell’s occupant, but then he thinned his lips as if suddenly thinking better of it. Brennan spoke as he entered the cell, ‘I’ll give you a shout when I’m done.’

‘OK, sir.’

In the cell, Gallagher sat on the edge of the narrow bed with his sleeves rolled up and his shirt open at the collar. His laces had been removed from his grey shoes and their tongues sat upwards like gravestones. He looked at Brennan when he walked in the room but then lowered his head as if resigned to his fate. He displayed a bald patch at the back of his head, stray hairs scraped over the pate showed like fence palings. For a moment Brennan stood before Gallagher, listened to the key turning in the door, and then he paced towards him.

‘There’s no way back, Jim,’ said Brennan; he reached into his pocket for a cigarette and then recalled he had finished the pack. ‘The Chief Super knows all about your antics…’

Gallagher huffed, ‘Antics?… And what would they be, Rob?’

Brennan positioned himself on the adjacent wall, planted the sole of his shoe there to support him, ‘Crawley… You cut him out the investigation. Why?’

Gallagher brought his hands up to the sides of his head; he splayed out his fingers and touched the temples. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’