DARK TRADE a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Helen H. Durrant

  “Don’t you find this just a tiny bit exciting? This club we’re going to is the hottest thing to hit Manchester in a while.”

  “No I don’t. I don’t do clubs. I gave up staying out half the night in my twenties.”

  “Stephen Greco! You really are a first-class bore!”

  He smiled. That’s exactly what Suzy would have said.

  “But you look bloody good in that snazzy suit. If I didn’t know you’d give me the brush-off, I’d make a move on you right now.”

  He pulled into the car park at the rear of the Windfall. “Brighton not enough for you?”

  She wagged her index finger at him. “Don’t you dare, Greco! You know as well as I do what happened and why. You got drunk, we slept together, and the rest. Just proves you’re human after all.” She grinned.

  They were approaching the entrance. “I’m trying to forget about it,” he admitted. “It’s not easy. We have to work together, and I am your DCI.”

  “What happened in Brighton was our business. The work thing is just a load of red tape. You might be a DCI but you’re a man first, and men have needs. Even you, Stephen.”

  Chapter 18

  Mickey got past the doorman, no trouble. He’d been busy arguing with a couple of blokes about the dress code, so Mickey had flashed him a smile and sidled by. Lax security, just what he needed. Once inside he made for the bar. The prices were steep. The club was a rip-off. He peeled a twenty from a roll in his pocket and ordered a beer. Time to take stock, see who was here. Mickey had done his homework. He knew all the main players currently connected to Slicer Shaw by sight. Sitting in the far corner was a doctor from some expensive private hospital. He and Slicer were said to have been pretty close recently. But would Slicer bother if he got killed? The woman he was with looked interesting. Mid-twenties, good shape, red hair and well dressed. She didn’t let the good doctor out of her sight. Wherever he went, so did she. Someone else instead, then. Mickey wanted to keep it simple.

  He drank his beer and scanned the room. There were a lot of people, all chattering away, and the place was noisy. The casino was off the main bar and entertainment area. He could see the tables were busy, with people spending money like it was water. There were a couple more doors off the main room. Mickey needed to know what was behind them.

  Leaving his beer on the bar he walked across. No one took any notice of him. The first door was locked. The second led into a corridor, and then to the fire exit. He could hear the raised voices of two men arguing. One of them sounded foreign. A few feet along the corridor on the right-hand side, there was another door. The voices were coming from behind it.

  “You should not have come here. You are a problem I can do without. How are you going to fill the order now?”

  “Leave that to me.”

  Mickey didn’t recognise either voice.

  “I had to get away. What else was I supposed to do? The police arrested me. As for the order — that is no trouble. I can get hold of new candidates to fill it tomorrow.”

  “You will have to be discreet about it. We can’t have you or them being seen going in and out of that place.” Now Mickey recognised the voice. It belonged to Slicer.

  “Give me the good doctor’s mobile number. I’ll ring him when I’m ready.”

  “No! He doesn’t know you. I don’t want him rattled. I will deal with him myself.” Mickey leaned flat against the wall by the door and listened.

  “I can be trusted.”

  “We’ll see.” That was Slicer again. “After that little setback, everything is back on track and I want it to stay that way. We stand to make a mint. What we don’t need are complications. I want you to stay out of sight. You attract too much attention — the police for a start. They have been sniffing around again.”

  “Then deal with them. If the operation is to stay tight we can’t afford loose ends. Speaking of which, how do we find that reporter?”

  “He’ll turn up,” said Slicer. “He’s mad for this story. He won’t be able to stay away for long. When he does, I’ll have him taken out.”

  Mickey had no idea what they were discussing. Slicer might trust him to kill when ordered to, but that was as far as it went. He retraced his steps back to the main room. The germ of an idea was beginning to take root in his brain.

  * * *

  Greco got the pair of them into the club by having that discreet word, and showing the doorman his badge.

  Grace thought this was a mistake. “He’ll go straight to whoever is in charge and before our feet touch, we’ll be asked to leave.”

  “That’s a little over the top. I told him we weren’t here to cause trouble.”

  “Fat chance of him believing that!”

  But Greco was looking around. “It’s very pleasant in here.” He was surprised. He hadn’t expected to like it. But it was clean, with plush carpets and good quality décor and furnishings. Each table in the bar was surrounded by semi-circular sofas upholstered in deep red velvet. There wasn’t a spilt drink or an empty glass anywhere. The lighting was subdued and relaxing. The barmen were smartly dressed and the music low-key. “Have you studied the faces on the incident board?” Greco asked Grace.

  “Of course,” she retorted.

  “Look over there.”

  “The talented Doctor Horton. Wonder what he’s doing here?”

  “He gambles,” he reminded her. “The club has a casino. Perhaps we should talk to him.”

  “No, Stephen, wait.” Grace took hold of his arm. “That woman he’s with, the one with the red hair.” She paused while Greco shifted his gaze. “Do you know who that is?”

  He shook his head.

  Grace gave him a knowing smile. “That is Sadie Costello. And don’t they look close. What do you imagine her and Horton are cooking up between them?”

  “Costello as in . . . ?”

  “Yes, she’s Vinny’s daughter. Twenty-six years old and the light of his life, if we are to believe all the intel.”

  “Could Horton be involved with Vinny Costello?”

  “Who knows? But he’s involved enough with his daughter. Look at the pair of them.” The couple were now kissing.

  Greco was trying to work out what this meant. How did it impinge on the case? “We need a word. At the very least Horton’s presence here means he knows Shaw. Plus, it adds credence to the gossip about his gambling habit.”

  “Talk of the devil.” Grace nodded at the man walking across the floor towards them. “Told you. So much for being infirm. Slicer looks fine to me. This is where we’re quietly asked to leave.”

  Ray Shaw approached them, his smile soon falling away. “Can I help? I don’t understand why you feel the need to come here. I spoke to friends of yours, and I told them all I know, which is nowt.” A few seconds of silence followed. “Found out who shot my driver yet?”

  Greco smiled at him and shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Mr Shaw. Your driver was mixed up in another case we’re investigating. A case that involves three murders, in fact. So for now, there’s nothing I can tell you.”

  Shaw scoffed. “Tanner involved in murder? Most unlikely.”

  At that moment Jason Horton joined them. “Can I get you a drink, Ray? Why not come and join us?”

  Slicer nodded at Greco and Grace. “These two are police. They’re fishing for something. God knows what, because they won’t find it here.”

  “Our colleagues spoke to you about the same matter,” Greco explained. “The event at the Millstone and the young man we found murdered in the multistorey car park.”

  “Keep your voice down!” Shaw hissed angrily. “I will not have my guests upset by all this talk of murder.”

  “Look, come across to our table, have a drink. I’ll happily answer your questions,” Horton offered.

  “Thank you,” Greco said, graciously.

  “Mingle,” he whispered to Grace, leaving her behind and following Horton, Slicer at his heels.

  Horton introduced Costell
o’s daughter. “This is Sadie, a friend of mine. I’ll get some drinks.” Horton left them and went to the bar.

  Greco smiled, taking the hand that was offered. “Nice to meet you. Interesting, finding you all here together like this.”

  Shaw’s expression was sullen. “Don’t go reading anything into that, copper. We’re open to all. I don’t pick and choose who uses my club.”

  Sadie Costello gave Greco a charming smile. “I must apologise for Mr Shaw. He’s not very good at keeping his feelings under wraps.”

  “How about you, Miss Costello? Is that an art you’ve mastered?”

  “Of course.” She patted the seat beside her. “Sit next to me. Perhaps I can help clear things up. You’re a policeman. I didn’t need Ray to let that one slip. I have an instinct for such things. Honed over time.” She smiled. “What are you investigating?”

  “Murder, Miss Costello.”

  “Nasty business, murder. I don’t envy you. But you can’t believe that Jason is involved, surely? He’d never get up to anything so gross as killing people. He’s a doctor, a surgeon. In case you didn’t realise it, Mr Policeman, his remit is saving life, not taking it. He is a talented man and an excellent surgeon. Good to have in your corner should the need arise.”

  “Tell me more,” Greco said, wondering what she meant.

  “All that treatment he doles out at that clinic of his. Plastics is his forte, but people consult him for various reasons. My own father is a patient at the Rashid Clinic.”

  Greco smiled. “Your father is not well?”

  “No, he’s not. But he’s doing fine. It won’t be long before he’s back on his feet.”

  Greco would have loved to ask exactly what was up with Vinny Costello, but he didn’t. She was unlikely to give much away. “Very useful, having someone like Jason handy when there’s a medical problem.”

  “Reassuring is what it is. Jason’s skills are needed in this world. I don’t like it when people belittle him. We are close. I know his weaknesses. This place for one.” She nodded at the gambling tables.

  “So why come here? Why not spend time in a club where there is no temptation?”

  “That is not so easy, Mr Policeman. Jason is in debt. He owes Mr Shaw. Not a good place to be. I have offered to help but he has refused. We come here, Jason uses the tables, but he has a limit. If he wins, it helps pay his debt. Ray is fine with that. He does not exert any pressure.”

  He wouldn’t dare. Greco could imagine how Vinny would react if Slicer Shaw leant on his daughter’s latest squeeze.

  Sadie Costello smiled again and shook her head. “Perhaps I’ve said too much. I shouldn’t be discussing this with you. Speak to Jason if his gambling is relevant. But I should warn you, he is terribly embarrassed about the whole business.”

  Ray Shaw had been following their conversation. “You’re discussing Jason? He’s a damn good doctor and that’s all there is to it.”

  “But flawed,” Sadie added. “And I am trying to help him with that. But I don’t think Mr Shaw is much bothered about it.” She gave Slicer a poisonous look.

  At that, Shaw turned and left them to join Horton at the bar. Within seconds the pair were deep in conversation. Greco wondered whether he was telling the good doctor that his girlfriend talked too much.

  * * *

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  Grace gave the young man a smile and shook her head. “I’m okay, thanks. I’m working, so this fizzy water is fine.”

  “Have you been here before?”

  Grace shook her head. “No, first time. You?”

  “Same. That gives us something in common.”

  She hoped this wasn’t some sort of chat-up line. Because if it was, he wasn’t very good. “I doubt I’ll be coming back. You?”

  “Me neither. Not my scene. Too far out and very expensive.”

  “So why come at all?” Grace asked.

  “I’m like you — nosey. I’ve got people to talk to. Facts to gather. You’re police. You’re not here by chance either. I heard the bloke you’re with talking.”

  He was leaning against the bar, a beer in his hand. Grace put him at no more than twenty. He was tall and skinny but not bad-looking. He reminded her of someone but she couldn’t think who. It was niggling her, on the tip of her tongue.

  “What people and what facts?” she asked him.

  “Nothing to do with you. Your best bet is to keep well out of it.”

  “Does it bother you? Me being police?”

  He sniffed and took another swig of his beer. “Depends on how clever you are.” He cocked his head to one side, gave her a grin and walked off in the direction of the cloakrooms.

  Weirdo! Grace looked around. Greco was deep in conversation with Sadie Costello. Horton was on the other side of the bar and Shaw had disappeared.

  “All on your own?” Grace sidled up to Jason Horton. “Looks like my boss and your lady friend have hit it off.”

  “Best of luck to him, he’ll need it. Sharp as a knife is Sadie.”

  Grace smiled. What did he mean by that? she wondered. “Have you met her father?” She was chancing her arm. He might not know about Costello, or if he did, he might not want to broadcast it.

  He answered straight off. “Yes, and I’ve heard the hype. Not that I believe it, not any more. Vinny isn’t a well man. He’s practically confined to his home.”

  “He can still talk, though,” Grace said. “Still issue orders, still get the job done, should the need arise.”

  “I don’t like your tone, Detective. Mr Costello isn’t the man he was. You lot have got him all wrong. You’re looking in the wrong place.”

  Grace doubted that, but it did make her wonder if Costello was ill. Was that why Sadie was so into her hotshot doctor friend? “Where’s your mate Slicer gone?” She scanned the room but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “And do you have to refer to Ray by that name? In no way is it appropriate.”

  “Perhaps you don’t know his history like we do,” Grace retaliated.

  “If what you say is true you would have him locked up by now.”

  Grace smiled back. “Not that easy. People are too scared to give evidence, you see. I’d like to know where he’s disappeared to.” She put her drink on the bar.

  Horton smiled. “Weak bladder. An age thing.” He turned away and went back to his table.

  Grace checked her watch. She didn’t want the villain slipping off without a chat. With a backwards glance towards Greco, who was still deep in conversation with Sadie, she made for the entrance and the cloakrooms. No one was taking much notice, so she ducked into the gents. Luckily it was empty.

  “Mr Shaw!” she shouted. There was no reply. He’d obviously taken himself off to some quiet corner until she and Greco had left. Grace was wondering what questions he might be avoiding when something caught her eye. From under a door at the far end of the room there was a splatter of something on the floor. Stepping nearer for a closer look, Grace’s fears were realised.

  She darted forward and pushed the door open. It swung on its hinges to reveal another room containing half a dozen washbasins. On the floor, flat on his back in a spreading pool of blood, lay Slicer Shaw.

  Chapter 19

  Day 6

  “I’ve got all the addresses and statements from last night’s clientele. Not that they help much.” Joel Hough shook his head. “Apart from Sadie Costello and Jason Horton, none of them are known to us.”

  Greco stood in the gent’s cloakroom staring at the patch of dried blood. Bob Bowers, the pathologist, had arrived within an hour of Grace finding the body. Slicer Shaw was now on a slab at the Duggan. But how had it happened, and why? But more to the point, how come no one had seen or heard anything?

  Grace walked into the gent’s cloakroom and stood beside Greco. “I think that I might be the best witness we’ve got, sir. I’ve been thinking about this all night, running it over and over in my head. You were talking to Sadie, Slicer leaves you
to it. I’m stood at the bar talking to some weirdo. I think that weirdo was our man. I think he was watching Slicer and chatting to me as a cover. He saw Slicer go towards the gents, gave me the brush-off and followed him in here.”

  “Ray Shaw was shot. One bullet to the chest. The Duggan will confirm if the bullet came from the same gun that killed Joe Tanner.”

  “Are you listening to what I’m saying? I think I spoke to him. I was as close to him as I am to you,” Grace said with feeling. “I just thought he was a bit odd. It never occurred to me that he was up to something.”

  Greco turned to look at her. “You can’t be sure though, can you, Grace? The fact of the matter is that anyone here last night could have killed Shaw.”

  “No, it was my weirdo. I know it was. I know it in my gut. Not something you go in for, but I do. The more I think about the comments he made, and his attitude, the more certain I am.”

  “In that case, help Joel pin him down on the CCTV footage he’s about to start wading through.”

  “Where is the camera, sir?”

  “At the entrance. So if he was in here, then we have him recorded.”

  “Did you get anything from Horton and the others?” she asked him.

  “Horton, no, and all Sadie Costello wanted to talk about was the good doctor’s gambling habit. I got the impression she was using that to stop me asking about other matters. Problem is, I don’t know what those other matters were.”

  “Did you not ask her?”

  “We were interrupted. Then you found the body and that was that.”

  “I had a chat with Horton about Sadie. Just my instinct twitching again, but I got the impression he was wary of her.”

  “I think our Miss Costello is smarter than she pretends. She orchestrated that conversation. She was making me think she was revealing stuff, when all the time she was steering the conversation.”

  “Well, at least we know who didn’t shoot Slicer. It couldn’t have been Horton or Sadie. The pair of them have you and me as alibis.”

  * * *

  The team were assembled in the incident room. Greco was updating the board while relaying to McCabe what had happened. The rest of them sat quietly, waiting.