Doug Johnstone - Hit and run

‘So you’re just going to drug me up, is that it?’ Billy clicked his fingers to get Jeanie’s attention. She wandered over, unfazed by the raised voices.

‘It’s not like that,’ Zoe said.

‘Sounds like it. What are they anyway?’

‘Mood stabilisers.’ Charlie showed Billy the packet. It had Tegretol stamped on it.

‘Fuck off, I’m not taking them.’

Charlie gave him a look. ‘You’ve been taking plenty of other shit. Without asking. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’ He offered up the pack. ‘Maybe you should lay off the uppers and downers, and try some of these instead.’

Billy stared at the packet for a long time, then reached out and took it from Charlie’s hand.

‘Now let’s all just fucking cool our jets,’ Charlie said.

Zoe came over and rubbed Billy’s arm. He stared at her.

‘I feel like we’ve hardly seen you,’ she said softly. ‘Come on, sit down, I’ll get you a beer.’

‘I can’t.’ Billy pulled his arm away. ‘I have to go out.’

Charlie sighed.

‘I have to meet a copper in the pub.’

Zoe looked at him. ‘Why?’

‘It’s Rose’s fuckbuddy, DI Price. He wants to talk to me.’

‘What about?’

‘Adele.’

Zoe’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why does he want to talk to you about Adele Whitehouse?’

Billy shrugged. ‘Because I got in and interviewed her, I guess. The police questioned her about Jamie Mackie. She’s Dean’s alibi. She didn’t give anything away.’

Charlie rubbed at his forehead. ‘You shouldn’t be involved in this mess. Stay out of it.’

‘I can’t.’

‘You have to, or it’ll kill you.’

Billy leaned down and ruffled Jeanie’s fur. ‘There’s one other thing you should know. The police have worked out it was a hit and run on Queen’s Drive, and they’re looking for a red car in connection with it.’

He left the room, Jeanie trotting after him, tail swishing. He heard Charlie over the sound of the television. ‘Fuck.’

He’d never been in The Montague before, despite living round the corner. In a neighbourhood awash with students on happy hour, it was a dull grey old man’s pub, populated by halfway jakeys and off-duty coppers from St Leonard’s across the road.

There were a handful of burly law-enforcement types bursting out of their shirts and guzzling pints of Best as Billy walked in, trailing Jeanie behind. The woman behind the bar had faded tattoos and a kind face.

Billy wangled a bowl of water and bought some crisps for Jeanie, opening the packet and placing it on the floor by his feet. She gobbled at them and lapped at the water, nudging the bowl across the floor with her snout so that water spilled on Billy’s trainers. He knelt down and stroked her back.

‘I’ll get you something proper to eat once we’re finished here.’

‘I didn’t know you had a dog.’ It was Rose standing over him. She was in a floral print dress. He’d never seen her in a dress before. Her breasts were spilling out the front. Beside her, DI Price couldn’t take his eyes off them.

Billy straightened up. ‘Just got her today.’

‘At the Dog and Cat Home?’

Billy nodded and Rose laughed.

‘You are really something. Sure you’re up to the responsibility of a pet?’

Billy shrugged.

Rose put a hand on Price’s chest. ‘Stuart, what can I get you?’

‘I’ll get these,’ Price said. ‘The lady never buys the first round.’

Billy followed Rose to a table, bringing Jeanie’s water bowl with him.

‘Now,’ Rose said. ‘Just play it straight with Stuart, OK? He’s one of the good guys.’

‘I like your dress.’ Billy raised his eyebrows at the low-cut front.

‘Shut it.’

Price arrived with drinks.

‘I take it Rose told you what this is about,’ he said to Billy.

‘Kind of.’

‘Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve been reasonably helpful to Rose in releasing information about the case to her early.’

‘Yeah, I noticed.’

Billy looked round. They were getting more attention now from the regulars and off-duty police. A detective inspector sharing a drink with two reporters, one of them with Double Ds on display.

‘Anyway, being helpful is a two-way street. So I want to talk to you about Adele Whitehouse.’

‘I believe you had her in for questioning.’ Billy tried to think about what he was supposed to know and what he wasn’t. He couldn’t get it clear in his head. Outside the window, shafts of evening sun lit up Salisbury Crags. Everywhere he went, the Crags were glaring down at him. He rattled the Tegretol in his pocket and took a swig of lager. Jeanie’s ears pricked up at the noise from his pocket, then she lost interest when he pulled an empty hand out.

‘Indeed,’ Price said. ‘She is providing an alibi for Dean Whitehouse for the time of Jamie Mackie’s shooting.’

‘Makes sense, the two seem almost inseparable.’

‘And yet you’ve managed to get Adele on her own, haven’t you?’

Billy paused.

‘Your interview in the Evening Standard?’

‘Of course.’

‘How was she?’

Billy slugged more lager. ‘I’m sorry, how do you mean?’

‘Just that, how did she seem when you spoke to her? She had just returned from identifying her husband’s body. She came across as measured and calm in the interview.’

‘That’s how she was.’

‘Do you think she was in shock?’

Billy considered this. The hash pipe. The sly glances. The bare feet next to his hand. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘Did she say anything about Frank? Or Dean?’

‘Nothing that didn’t go into the piece.’

Price sipped his Best. ‘It strikes me that she doesn’t seem too upset by Frank’s death.’

Billy didn’t speak.

‘What do you think of that?’

Billy took a long drink. ‘Are you suggesting she had something to do with it?’

Price shook his head. ‘I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just trying to get a feel for her.’

‘She didn’t seem that upset. I got the impression she was more sorry for Ryan’s sake than her own.’

‘That’s what I thought. But if that’s the case, why would she cover for Dean? She surely has no allegiances to him? Unless she’s been seeing him on the side. They do seem almost glued together at times.’

Billy tried to remember everything Adele had said. He imagined her fucking Dean, or Frank. Or both. He shivered. What was wrong with him?

‘I think she might be scared of Dean,’ he said.

‘He is quite a piece of work. But you would think she’d be used to it by now, married to Frank for years. Then again Frank was the brains, Dean has always been the one willing and eager to do the dirty work.’

‘What was Frank like?’

‘Quiet, but dominating. A hard man, but relatively old-school.’

Billy looked at Price. ‘You almost sound like you admire him.’

‘Far from it. I’ve seen a lot of misery in people’s lives brought about by that heartless bastard. But if I had to choose between having to deal with Frank Whitehouse or the Mackie boys, I’d take Frank every time.’

‘Really?’

Price nodded. ‘The Mackies are a whole new level of scum. There’s stuff they wouldn’t hesitate to get involved in that the Whitehouses wouldn’t even have considered.’

‘Like what?’

Price looked at Rose. ‘It doesn’t matter. Let’s just say that as the old guard of crooks die off and the new lot come in, I’m glad I’m retiring soon. If I can nail the Mackies for Frank’s death, and Dean Whitehouse for the Mackie shooting before I go, then I’ll have done a pretty decent job of cleaning up the mess in this city.’