Guts for Garters

by Linda Regan

  ‘We are doing everything to find your daughter’s killer,’ Stephanie told her. ‘And if you didn’t kill her then you will want to help us.’

  ‘One of my officers is missing,’ Banham said, clearly at the end of his tether. ‘The last sighting of her was with your son. Now you need to tell me where you think he might be.’

  Mrs Ghaziani put her hands to her ears.

  Stephanie leaned over and pulled them away gently. ‘Mrs Ghaziani?’ she asked in a tone more calm than she felt. ‘Where might he be? Who are his friends? Where does he go socially?’

  Mrs Ghaziani shook her head. She looked very frightened. ‘He works, and then he comes home. He is a good boy, unlike his sister.’

  ‘He must have close friends?’ Banham pushed.

  ‘Only his family.’

  ‘I’ve got a picture of your son with Harisha Celik, a known criminal and drug baron, so stop lying,’ Banham told her, his voice was loud and authoritative.

  Mrs Ghaziani folded her arms and became silent again.

  Banham glared at her.

  ‘Mrs Ghaziani, help us find your daughter’s killer, please,’ Stephanie tried.

  ‘I will say nothing,’ Mrs Ghaziani said and then turned and looked away.

  After a few seconds, Banham turned to Stephanie. Before he had time to say anything, she leaned in and told the tape: ‘Interview terminated.’

  The interview with Mr Ghaziani went even worse. He sat staring at the wall, with his hands on his ears. Again Stephanie turned the tape off just before Banham, very understandably, lost his cool.

  Once outside the interview suite, Stephanie put her hand on Banham’s arm.

  ‘Off the record, sir,’ she said. ‘I completely understand your concerns, but Alison’s only been out of range for a few hours. Let’s not panic or jump to conclusions.’

  He shook his head. ‘I know her. She wouldn’t do that.’

  Stephanie thought different, but decided not to tell him. ‘I’ve got every available uniform trawling through CCTV in the area around the Ghazianis’ shop,’ she assured him. ‘We’ll find both of them soon, I am confident of that.’

  ‘Try Forensics again,’ he said to her. ‘See if there’s any news on the blood on the screwdriver.’

  It had been hard work for Georgia getting Alysha to give her information. Alysha had reminded her how much she’d done for her in the past twenty-four hours, and how little she had got for it. Georgia then reminded Alysha of the three times she had stood as a character witness in the past three years, which had kept her out of youth offenders. That hadn’t washed, Alysha had shrugged it off by arguing Georgia had only done it to keep Alysha on the estate as she needed a police snout, which was putting Alysha’s life in constant danger. She went on to say Georgia didn’t have a clue what living around here was like, that she took all the information Alysha and her friends got her for granted and paid them too little.

  ‘There’s gonna be less crime on this estate if kids grow up wiv somethin’ to do, yeah? Which means less work for you an’ better lives for us. You need to keep on at that council, get us the money to fix everythin’ up.’

  Deep down Georgia agreed and admired her thinking, but she kept professional and asked Alysha for the information she had asked her for.

  ‘Right, yeah, look … it was a lot of trouble to get this, but we got that Melek’s number for you.’ Georgia was delighted and listened as Alysha told her that Lox, Tink, and Panther had been of great help acquiring the number, so they all needed paying for their time and trouble.

  ‘Look, Alysha, I just don’t have wads of money to give you. You’ll have to wait a bit.’

  ‘OK, yeah, that’s fine, then you’re gonna have to wait for a bit to get Melek’s mobile number.’

  When Georgia told them that she needed the number urgently, Alysha told her that they would accept a written guarantee, written out there and then, that she, personally, would go to the council and fight their case for a new play area for their kids on the estate. Alysha then added that they also could tell her where she could pick up Wajdi Ghaziani, providing she acted quickly.

  ‘Do that and we can tell you where you can pick up Wajdi Ghaziani. If you work fast, innit.’

  Georgia had no choice. She agreed to Alysha’s terms.

  Lox handed her a written agreement to sign, agreeing to help them fight the council. Georgia knew if she said she’d rather pay for the information from the account that the Met kept for paying their informants, then she might lose Wajdi Ghaziani. She needed the information and very urgently, so she signed their agreement. Georgia thought they should all be on Dragon’s Den. She also agreed, after hard negotiation with Lox, to also give them a cash bonus if their info led to finding both Melek and Alison, on the condition the money would be used for the girls’ expenses, to train as hairdressers or nail technicians.

  As she left the flat Georgia was unsure if any of the things that she had promised were within her power, but she didn’t have time to think about it right now. She was on the phone to Stephanie to get her to ring TIU to put an immediate trace on the new number.

  ‘And find Andrew Ubdali, get him to take uniform backup over to the mosque and arrest Wajdi Ghaziani.’

  She hurriedly called Banham’s number.

  Sixteen

  Harisha Celik was livid. He was back in his cell, pacing up and down. The food that had been offered to him in a polystyrene cup and plate he wouldn’t feed to the rats round his block of flats.

  Prezzioni had assured him he was doing all he could to get him out, but as Harisha had been accused of rape there was no way he could get him released until the forensic tests were complete, which could be another twenty hours, or even more.

  Harisha had really lost it then.

  ‘Do your fucking job and get me out of this shithole now, or you can find another mug to feed your little coke habit.’ He reminded the now trembling solicitor what a powerful man he was, how he was held in high esteem out on the streets, and that if Prezzioni didn’t get him out then soon he would find himself out of a job.

  ‘An’ some stroppy female fed gave me this cup of cold tea and a slice of cold fucking toast on a plastic plate. How fucking insulting is that? So, when I get out of this hole,’ he said, ‘I am gonna track down that same mouthy female fed and squeeze her fucking throat until her face goes blue, unless you get him out of this khazi fucking sharpish!’

  Prezzioni assured him he would do all he could, and then hurriedly disappeared. It was another couple of hours before he returned, bringing the news that Wajdi Ghaziani was the chief suspect for the murder of his sister, and now also the old couple on the Aviary.

  ‘No one can find Ghaziani, so if you know where he is that’s your ticket out of this cell.’

  Harisha looked at him confused.

  ‘Melek Yismaz has gone missing. There’s talk that you had her kidnapped along with a detective named Alison Grainger. Now I understand your thinking, Harisha, and she deserved a good slapping, getting herself up the spout like that. Word is she was even sleeping with your cousin … anyway, look, you know that kidnapping a police officer is a serious offence, and one that’ll be hard to talk our way out of.’

  Harisha immediately flew into another rage, denying knowledge of any of it. ‘That’s a load of shit! No way would Burak bounce on any of my women, uninvited, and I didn’t give the word. That skank Melek is lying, as usual. Ain’t it clear she’s a liar? Accusing me of raping ’er. Like I needed to! Doubt that little skank is even up the duff anyway.’

  Prezzioni smiled his crooked smile, displaying his yellowing teeth. He nodded agreement. ‘But could you think again? Do you know where the detective and Melek might have been taken? I will personally assure Melek is punished. Just like Burak was.’

  Harisha looked him in the eye and shook his head. ‘I don’t know nothing about it. Now, fuck off!’

  Prezzioni hurriedly obeyed.

  Harisha paced his cell for five full
minutes before banging his fists hard on the door.

  ‘Get me one of them detectives,’ he shouted. ‘I’ve got information that will interest them, and I’m gonna make a deal.’

  Stephanie was on the phone to Ralph, a fat little ex-lover of hers who worked in the TIU. She was telling him that if he dropped everything that he was doing and put a trace on this latest number she was giving him for Melek Yismaz then she would make it up to him any way he wanted. She looked up and blushed the colour of a postbox when she noticed Banham standing by her desk. He couldn’t have avoided hearing the filthy suggestions she offered as payment, nor the raucous laugh that echoed from the other end of the phone after she made the offer.

  She held the phone to her ear while Ralph told her he was on it. She then thanked him, replaced the receiver, and still blushing, turned her attention to Banham.

  Before Banham had time to speak Stephanie told him that three uniform cars were at the mosque, where Wajdi Ghaziani’s presence was confirmed. ‘They’re surrounding all entrances, waiting on DI Johnson’s arrival and instruction, sir. I’ve already alerted DC Abdali, he’s on his way over to the mosque and will make the arrest on Ghaziani.

  ‘Grab your coat,’ Banham told Stephanie, pulling his car keys from his pocket and turning in the direction of the car park. ‘Let’s join them.’

  As they made their way to the exit, Stan Gayle hurried after them.

  ‘Harisha Celik has information on Wajdi Ghaziani’s whereabouts,’ he shouted as Banham was about to disappear through the door. ‘Shall I put him back in an interview room, sir?’

  ‘No, tell him to go to hell,’ came the reply.

  ‘Would you like me to drive?’ Stephanie asked, aware how pent-up Banham was, and catching her breath as she hurried down the fire exit stairs to keep up with him.

  ‘You know I don’t like women drivers,’ he told her politely. He was obviously totally unaware of the chauvinism in his remark. She watched him aiming his key at his car door and wondered what he would say if she offered him a blowjob.

  Stephanie quickly made her way into the passenger seat, silently telling herself to keep her dirty thoughts to herself.

  ‘Let me know as soon as you get a reply from TIU on that new mobile number Georgia found,’ he said firing the ignition after checking that Stephanie was strapped in.

  ‘They are making it a priority, guv,’ she told him.

  ‘So I heard,’ he said lifting his eyebrows and curling the side of his mouth into the hint of a smile, which disappeared as he asked, ‘Did they mention any update on Alison’s phone?’

  She shook her head. ‘Still switched off,’ she told him gently.

  ‘I’m worried sick,’ he said.

  Her heart went out to him. The vulnerability in his voice was pitiful, and fully understandable.

  ‘She’s pregnant with our baby. If anything happens to her …’

  ‘Let’s get Wajdi Ghaziani in,’ Stephanie said, butting in to help him hold it together. ‘That may give us a lead. Personally I think …’

  ‘Indie 999 are on standby,’ he interrupted.

  Stephanie nodded, ‘Yes, guv, I know. She looked him square in the face. ‘Look, sir, off the record, Alison is pregnant and has just witnessed another burns murder, yes?’

  ‘Yes, and?’ His tone sharpened.

  Stephanie chose her words carefully. ‘She left the murder department after she saw a colleague burned in a fire before.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So it is possible it’s had an effect again and she’s gone off to get herself together.’

  Banham shook his head, ‘No, that’s not Alison,’ he snapped. ‘I know her, you don’t.’ He pulled the gear into reverse, then pushed hard on the accelerator, reversing the car with so much force that Stephanie nearly shot back through to the passenger seat. She just stopped herself telling him he was the last person who should be criticizing women drivers.

  He turned the car and roared off towards the barrier. Stephanie held her breath; for that one second she thought he was going to drive straight through it, but he hit the brakes just in time for the barrier to open. The car shot up the ramp and out into the road.

  He paused at the top and opened the window, then pulled a siren from under the car seat. He placed it on to his roof, set it to on. It immediately screamed its urgency.

  ‘Let’s get Wajdi Ghaziani,’ he said.

  Alison opened her eyes but couldn’t see. The pain in her head felt as if she’d been hit by an express train. Panic raced through her. Where was she? Was she blind? There was a smell she couldn’t quite make out: a mixture of mould, dirt, damp, and grime. She could hear water running, very faintly. She was sitting leaning against something. She patted around her. Damp and something uneven like stones. As she took her hand away she could feel slime clinging to her hand. She lifted her hand. Something was immediately above her. So. A box, or a tunnel. That would account for the darkness, but as well as a pounding head, her eyes stung. Then she realised what it was – she had been sprayed with CS gas. She’d experienced that before, when it first came in and police officers were allowed to carry the spray. She’d gone on a training course to learn how to use it safely. Fortunately she had enough experience of the substance to know the blindness that it causes wears off of its own accord, as does the headache, given a little time. She had seen people react strongly, panicking when they couldn’t see, screaming that their eyes were on fire, but their sight always came back, though slowly, and the criminals in question had never been permanently affected.

  She started to turn her head but the sharp throbbing pain at her temple halted her. She lifted her right arm, her coordination was way off too, but carefully she managed to get her right hand to the right side of her head to touch her temple. It was sticky and there was a round bump. She brought her hand to her nose and sniffed. It was blood. So she had been knocked on the side of her head and sprayed with CS gas, but by who? And how long ago? She remembered nothing. Then her head shot upright and her hand instinctively went to her stomach as she remembered she was pregnant. Had her baby been harmed? Hot tears suddenly sprung out of her blinded eyes. She bit hard into her lip to stop herself, she knew the stinging increased with tears. She gave her belly a reassuring rub. Her hormones were all over the place, she needed to get a grip and work out where the hell she was. Did Banham know she was here, wherever it was, she wondered? She couldn’t bear to think of the panic he would be in if he did. She had to sort this and get out of wherever she was. She tapped her body, but she couldn’t feel her phone anywhere about her.

  She sat still, trying to piece everything together. She had taken a phone call from the Turkish girl to whom she’d given her mobile number. Melek had called her in a highly distressed state, saying she had been raped again by Harisha Celik, was pregnant and bleeding. The girl said she was afraid to go to the station to make a formal statement, because the last time she had Harisha had seen her and beaten and then raped her. Now she was scared for her life. Alison had said she would meet her and escort her to a secure rape unit in the area to give her statement. They had arranged to meet in a McDonalds, near Lambeth. Alison would first talk to her, take her statement, and then take her to the rape unit.

  She remembered being in the McDonalds with Melek. Then she remembered she had taken the call from Melek while she was attending the post-mortem with Sergeant Stephanie Green, so she had told Stephanie Green where she was going. Good, that would be a help. It was all coming back now. In the McDonalds, Melek had dropped the bombshell that Harisha Celik had had Zana killed, that he had also threatened to kill Melek too, to stop her talking, but he knew she was pregnant with his child, so he had raped her, Melek thought to bring on a miscarriage.

  Melek made a statement confirming that she had been beaten and raped by Celik, and she was also going to give a statement saying he had discussed the killing of Zana in front of her. She told Alison that although she wanted to make this official statement, she was af
raid of what Harisha would do to her. He was a powerful man, he had contacts everywhere and she knew the feds couldn’t protect her twenty-four hours a day.

  Alison had been sympathetic, and in the interest of gaining the girl’s confidence, she had confided to her about her own pregnancy, and the two had got on like a house on fire. Melek had then agreed to go with Alison to the rape unit, after making a statement alleging rape.

  Alison could remember the look of relief on Melek’s pretty face when she assured her that Celik would go down for a very long time if Melek could prove that he had murdered Zana. Melek then dropped the bombshell that not only could she prove that he had murdered Zana, but also Burak, his cousin. She said she thought it was because Zana’s brother Wajdi had something to do with it. Then Melek dropped another bombshell, telling Alison that Harisha took over un-used garages around the area to use for storing the weapons he imported. When he thought the feds might be on to him, he moved his gear on, and took over another garage in order to stay one step ahead of the feds.

  Harisha, she said, had stolen a car from the old couple on Magpie block, a Mr and Mrs Wilkins, and then taken possession of their garage. The Wilkins had then, accidentally, discovered the weapons in the garage, and because they were afraid of the consequences, and had no idea how powerful Harisha Celik was, they had told Harisha that if he didn’t remove the weapons they would inform the police – so Harisha had killed them. His weapons were now moved to another hiding place, under a river. Alison felt a shiver run through her veins as she realised that this was where she was at this very minute – under the river.

  She also remembered asking Melek for the exact location of this hiding place under the river. Melek had told her it was difficult to describe, she didn’t know the exact name of the streets, it was near Lambeth, but she knew where it was and she would take her there.

  Alison had told her that she would need to phone for backup, in case any of his gang were around, and they had weapons, she couldn’t take chances, or put Melek in danger. Melek had asked Alison not to phone till they were in the car, telling Alison she was afraid someone might hear. Harisha had over a hundred soldiers and they were all over the area.