Free The End of the Roadie (A Mystery for D.I Costello) by Elizabeth Flynn

look of distress she had no doubt was genuine clouded his features. “I think I’m still traumatized. We were talking.”
    “Right.”
    “So I’m trying to gee him up without it turning into something aggressive. You know, just a bloke-to-bloke thing. ‘People are talking, Ol,’ I said. ‘You need to smarten your act up.’ I didn’t want to get too heavy and I thought Jack might, if I left it to him.”
    “That makes sense,” said Angela. She could see Brendan relaxing, but she added another question mark to the page. “And then what?”
    Brendan steadied himself with a couple of deep breaths. “I can’t remember exactly what I’d been saying. We walked to the other end of the alley and back and I think we’d stopped. No, I’d stopped. Olly had been moving, walking to and froand suddenly his face appeared in front of mine. He said, ‘OK, Bren, I get it,’ or something of that sort. Then there was this colossal noise echoing all around us. I immediately thought of a gunshot but didn’t see how it could be. Then I thought, maybe a car had backfired. The next thing, Olly’s eyes went wide. He kind of stared like he was really puzzled by something. I think I wondered for a moment if I had dirt on my face. Then he staggered towards me, just a step, and fell. I think he might have reached out to me but I’m not sure now.” Brendan’s cheeks had become red and his breath came in short gasps. Clearly the shock was still with him. “I didn’t see any blood at first.”
    “What were you aware of?”
    Brendan calmed a little. “Not much. I think I might have heard a door bang.”
    “Yes,” said Gary. Both Angela and Brendan looked at him. “I heard a shot and what I thought was a door banging while I was standing in the street.”
    “You said so last night,” remarked Angela.
    “I think I remember you,” said Brendan, looking closely at Gary. “And Don; did he bring me a coat and a chair?”
    “Yes,” Gary confirmed.
    Brendan nodded. “I hadn’t been aware of feeling cold but I do recall suddenly feeling better with the coat round my shoulders.” He looked at Angela. “I’m sorry, that’s all I can remember.”
    “You’ve done very well,” replied Angela. “Your account is helpful. Please let us know if any other memories of the event come back to you.”
    “I will, of course.”
    “At any point in the conversation were you conscious of anybody behind Oliver?”
    “No… I…”
    “What?”
    “It’s nothing.”
    “I think I should be the judge of that, Brendan.”
    Brendan flicked a glance at her as if recognizing her authority for the first time.
    “I don’t see… oh, OK. A van was parked outside the stage door, right?”
    “Yes, I remember seeing it.”
    “It was to take some things to the O2 for tonight. I was due to sing a set at a charity gig, but I’ve cancelled. I mean, it’s a matter or respect, but the doctor also advised me to.”
    “Very wise, I’m sure. What was odd about this van?”
    “Not the van itself. There was a long, narrow flight case on top of it and a gel leaning up against that at an odd angle. And, I can’t be sure but there might have been a black bin bag up there at well.”
    “A gel?”
    “A gel is a square of, like, transparent coloured Perspex or acetate that you put in front of a spotlight to produce the different colours.”
    “Oh I get it.”
    “Yes, so a gel isn’t just stuck in front of a light, of course. It goes into a frame and is fitted on the front of the spotlight. You can have a few gels fitted onto a spot at the same time and you bring each colour on as and when needed.”
    “Oh yes,” said Gary. “There was a moment last night when the whole stage seemed to be bathed in this red light and then it went to blue and back to red all in time to some whip cracks.”
    “That’s it.”
    “It was a stunning effect.”
    Brendan smiled. “Yes, I like that moment. You can always sense the audience going, ‘Wow!’”
    “So,”