Free Get Cartwright by Tom Graham

Darby. That’s what Annie’s unearthing in those old files.’
    Gene’s face was very pinched and serious. Slowly, he said: ‘Do you remember our little chat in my office? The one about letting sleeping dogs lie?’
    ‘I do, Guv. But the dog
isn’t
sleeping, is it. It’s up and about and running round town biting ex-coppers.’
    ‘And your soppy tart with the files, she’s the one what woke it up. Just like I said.’
    ‘Annie’s not responsible, she’s just uncovering the back-story.’
    ‘Oh aye? And she just
happened
to uncover that back-story about a bunch of ex-coppers right before somebody pops up and starts knocking ’em off? Or are you going to tell me it’s just a coincidence?’
    Sam looked for an answer, but couldn’t find one. He knew that Gould was drawing closer and ever closer to Annie, and that Annie – with all her researches and her slowly recovering memories – was drawing steadily towards
him.
Gene was right; it
was
no coincidence. But it was too complicated and too cosmic and too damned surreal for Sam to have a hope of explaining to him.
    Trying to sound like he meant it, Sam said: ‘It’s a coincidence, Guv.’
    ‘And the fact that this copper whose death got covered up was called PC
Cartwright,
that’s just a coincidence an’all, is it?’
    Feebly, Sam nodded.
    ‘Then why, Tyler, did she say this private investigation of hers was – and I quote –
personal
?’
    Gene was edging towards violence. His rough, unshaven cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes were glittering dangerously.
    ‘Why didn’t you step in, Sam? Why didn’t you stop her before she sparked this whole thing off? Thinking with your dick, that’s what you’ve been doing!’
    ‘It’s more complicated than that.’
    ‘So you keep telling me!’
    ‘Guv, I … I don’t think right here, at the bottom of a bloody great chimney that’s about to come down, with a flayed corpse grinning at us, is the time and the place to have this conversation.’
    ‘Oh, I don’t know, I’ve been to wedding receptions that were worse.’
    ‘Guv, there’s flamin’ Fred Dibner over there waiting to bring this lot down! This is just not the time for it! Listen, it really is complicated – and I don’t know how much of it you’d understand or how … how you’d react if you did.’
    ‘So you thought it best to carry on behind my back, is that it?’
    ‘Guv, you make it sound like I was having an affair.’
    ‘What you did’s
worse
than an affair!’ Gene barked at him, ignoring another fall of bricks close by. ‘A DCI and his DI are closer than a bloke and his ball ’n’ chain, closer than brothers, closer than a muvva an’ her brat!’
    ‘Stop being melodramatic.’
    ‘Shut it!’ Gene ordered him. ‘
I’m
the guv’nor round here and
I’ll
decided what’s what. Right, Tyler, I’ve let you muck me about long enough. I’m taking action. Here and now.’
    ‘What do you mean, "taking action"?’
    ‘You and me are going straight back to that ruddy church.’
    ‘The church? You mean the one Mickey Carroll’s holed-up in?’
    ‘No, I mean Westminster bloody Abbey so I can frenchy the Queen Mum.
Of course I mean the one with Carroll in it, you dopey dipstick
!
That siege has gone on long enough. We’re not fannying about no more. We’re going to go in there, nick Carroll, and we’re going to contain this story, Tyler – we are going to
contain it
!
Kill it!
Bury it!
’
    ‘Guv, no, please,’ Sam pleaded, rushing after him. ‘You try and storm that place, you’ll have a massacre on your hands.’
    ‘I do
not
want a scandal coming out, not on
my
watch!’ Gene hissed furiously. ‘If
half
of what you’ve been telling me is right, do you have any idea what the press would make of it? Eh? It don’t matter it was ten years ago, it’ll be yours truly what cops it.
DCI Hunt, do you really expect us to believe you knew nothing about this affair? Were you part of the conspiracy? What trust can the