Simon Kernick - The Murder Exchange

He walked back round the other side of the bed, switched the drill on again, then shoved it into Case’s other cheek, this time pushing hard and twisting it around a bit before retrieval. Case didn’t scream at all this time, he just turned his head from side to side, alternately coughing and moaning.

‘So, did you nick my money then, Warren?’ Nothing. Case didn’t even open his eyes. Instead, he vomited again. Krys’s face darkened. ‘I said, did you nick my drugs?’ Then, louder: ‘Did you nick my fucking money, you fucking cheap dirty lying cunt? Well, did you? I’m fucking talking to you, you piece of shit, fucking answer me!’

And then the rage came surging up like a wave in a storm and, with his face carved into a terminally unforgiving sneer, Krys Holtz pushed the drill into Case’s left eye, at just the moment when the weather girl came on to say that heavy rain was on the way.

Some time afterwards, while they were standing drinking beers and wondering whether to call a doctor for Case or patch what was left of him up themselves, Slim Robbie made an interesting point. ‘What if he was telling the truth all along, and he hadn’t ripped you off?’

Krys shrugged. ‘Fuck it. I never liked the bald cunt anyway.’

Gallan

‘This is beginning to become worryingly regular,’ said Joe Riggs with a slight smile as he led us into Tiger’s cramped offices and took us into a back room where the window above the street was wide open and a desk fan tried in vain to disperse the intense heat. Quarter to eleven and it was already excruciatingly hot, the last hurrah of the heatwave before the expected storms came in.

Riggs went out and brought in another chair for Berrin, then sat behind the small, untidy desk facing us. Unlike the other day, he didn’t ask if we wanted anything to drink. ‘Before last week, I’d never had a visit from the police in my life and, as you’re no doubt aware, I’ve got no criminal record. Now three times in five days.’ He didn’t sound particularly worried, just mildly curious as to why we’d come again.

‘The name of your company and individuals who work for it just keep coming up in our inquiries,’ I told him, a smile of my own playing round my lips. It was all very civilized.

Riggs was a powerfully built individual with very muscular, tattooed arms. He had a thick moustache and a vaguely rural Home Counties accent, and there was no mistaking the fact that he looked like a soldier. Not necessarily an officer, which I knew he’d been, because there were no obvious airs and graces, but definitely a soldier. I suppose women would have found him quite attractive in a rugged sort of way. He looked the outdoor type. He also looked a fairly upfront bloke although, as a copper, I knew that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

‘So, how can I help you this time?’

‘It’s about your partner, Mr Iversson.’

‘Have you found him yet?’

‘I presume that means you haven’t heard from him?’ put in Berrin.

‘You presume right. And I’ve got no idea where he is either, before you ask. I haven’t seen him since last Thursday. He was meant to come in on Friday and he didn’t. He called in to say he was feeling under the weather and that was the last I heard from him.’

‘You supply security, don’t you?’ I said. ‘Bodyguards for celebrities and business people.’

‘That’s right, as I mentioned to you when we met on Monday.’

‘Do you ever supply doormen?’

He shook his head. ‘No.’

‘Why not? I’d have thought it was quite a lucrative trade. There are plenty of bars and nightclubs out there, and plenty of trouble.’

‘There are specialist companies who do that sort of thing.’

I nodded. ‘I’ve heard.’

‘Look, no offence, Mr Gallan, but I’m a busy man. Particularly now that Max has gone AWOL. So, if you could let me know what all this is about, I’d appreciate it.’

‘Do you know a Shaun Matthews?’ asked Berrin.

He shook his head. ‘Never heard of him.’

‘How about a Roy Fowler?’ I asked, and I thought I caught a tiny glimmer of recognition in his eyes, though I couldn’t be a hundred per cent sure.

‘No, no one of that name either.’ He sat back and folded his arms. ‘I think I’m entitled to know what this is all about, don’t you?’

‘We found a bloodstain belonging to Mr Fowler in the back of Mr Iversson’s car. That’s why.’

‘Really? Are you sure?’ I gave him a look that said of course I’m sure, I’m not sitting here making it up as I go along. ‘It’s just I’ve never heard of this bloke, and it doesn’t sound at all like Max. I mean, he’s a tough guy, I won’t deny that, but he’s no murderer.’

‘How do you know Mr Fowler’s been murdered?’

He fixed me with a moderately annoyed expression, the first time in both my meetings with him that he hadn’t looked like he was trying to help. ‘I don’t,’ he said firmly. ‘I’m guessing. But a substantial bloodstain in the back of a car … It doesn’t sound promising, does it?’

‘But you still don’t think Mr Iversson’s capable of murder?’ said Berrin, looking up from his notebook.

‘It’s certainly not in character,’ he said wearily. ‘But then again, it’s not in character for him to lash out at police officers either.’

‘Has he been acting at all strangely recently?’ I asked.

‘In what way?’

‘In a way that suggested that something might have been bothering him.’

‘We’re business partners but we don’t tend to socialize much outside work these days, and we certainly don’t talk like we used to. I’d say that at one time we were good friends, but ironically enough, since we’ve been in business, we’ve drifted apart. I haven’t noticed him acting particularly out of the ordinary lately but I’m not sure I’d have noticed if there had been something bothering him. He’s always been quite a cool customer. Someone who’s good at keeping his emotions to himself.’

We talked for another ten minutes, Berrin and I trying to squeeze out of him any possible motives Iversson might have had for killing Fowler, but he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, provide us with any further information. According to Riggs, Iversson was as normal as normal could be, totally above board, not one to get involved in anything dodgy. Or, even worse, to talk about it.

‘Have you heard anything from Eric Horne?’ I asked eventually.

‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Not a dickie bird.’

‘You don’t think he’s connected with all this, then?’ asked Berrin.

‘With all what?’ said Riggs. ‘I haven’t seen Eric in two weeks, maybe even longer. Long before Max went missing. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you any more than that.’

I got to my feet and Berrin followed suit. ‘Well, thank you for your time, Mr Riggs. If Max Iversson does make contact with you then I’d strongly suggest you advise him to give himself up. Because we’re after him, and we’re going to get him. And the longer he stays out there on the run, the more we’re going to assume he’s responsible for Roy Fowler’s disappearance, and possibly worse.’

‘I will,’ he said, leading us to the door. ‘I don’t want him getting in any more trouble than he’s already in.’

When we were back out on the street and walking along the Holloway Road in the direction of Highbury Corner, Berrin said that he wasn’t sure about Riggs. ‘He reminded me of what Fowler was like the first time we interviewed him,’ he said. ‘Very keen to help, but never actually said one thing that we could use.’

‘No, I know.’

‘Plus, I think he was lying. He was good at it, but I reckon he was definitely giving us the runaround. Especially that bit when he let slip about the murder.’