Harry could hardly contain his rage. Being told about Sandy’s crime was one thing, but seeing him, knowing it was true, made his blood boil. “How the hell did you get into this in the first place? You had a good career. You had Morag, a life back home. I don’t understand why you’d risk all that.”
Harry was seething, he simply didn’t understand the man or his motives.
“Like you, laddie. I crossed Salton.” He smiled. “But unlike you, I chose a different way to deal with the fallout. I didn’t run away and hide, I changed my mind, took the money, did as he asked and for a while gave the man the information he wanted. But there is always someone bigger and uglier waiting in the wings. And tough as he is, Salton won’t last for ever. I was offered a job by a group operating in Europe, and a deal I couldn’t refuse.”
“The people traffickers. You’re a right piece of work, Sandy. This isn’t you. You were never that bent.”
“He can’t be all bad,” Jess interceded. “Lucy, the little girl, it was you that saved her, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. I found the wee lass cowering in the back of Sutton’s car. If Kamal had seen her — well, you know what he’d have done. I’m a lot of things but not a child killer, Jess. I took her to the park and let her go.”
He turned back to Harry.
“I don’t want us to argue, laddie. I’d really like us to part comfortable with each other.”
“Sandy, I can’t do that.” Harry was exasperated. “You killed people. Lucy aside, you are as bad as Salton and the rest. You pretended to be my friend, but you used me. You said you came to Ryebridge to visit me, but you were here to set things up, weren’t you? You brought the entire scam to my patch. What did you expect? That I’d fall in with your plans, give you a hand? You aren’t Sandy Munroe anymore. In fact, I don’t know who the hell you are.”
“And what about you, laddie? Who are you pretending to be?” Sandy spat this out, his eyes red and accusing.
Harry stared at him while the seconds ticked by. “Leave us, Jessie,” he said at last.
“No, lass, stay. You should hear this,” Sandy insisted, his eyes never leaving Harry’s.
“Harry? What’s he talking about?” Jess said.
Harry made an angry gesture. “It’s a load of nonsense. Take no notice.”
“He used to have a brother. Did you know that?” Sandy said.
Jess nodded.
“Bet you didn’t know they were twins, identical twins at that. No one could tell them apart when they were growing up. Even their own parents had problems.” Sandy looked at Harry. “The number of times you two swapped places. Bet you can’t count them, can you, particularly when you were teens.”
“Where’s this going?” Jess asked, looking from one to the other of them.
“Nowhere,” Harry said flatly.
“Harry Lennox was a CID officer on the trail of a villain called Mungo Salton. Salton was a cruel bastard. He wanted Harry in his pocket and when he refused, the villain threatened Harry’s family, set fire to their home. Their dad was killed. Dreadful business, nothing anyone could do. The place went up in seconds, a regular inferno it was.”
“That’s enough now, Sandy. Stop,” Harry said.
“Both young men went into that house to try to rescue their dad — Harry the detective and his twin brother, Paul. By this time the place was well alight and there was no way their father could still be alive. Nevertheless, they tried. Eventually one twin staggered out, dragging the other by the arms. The one who made it had his hands badly burned. He also had the CID warrant badge for Harry Lennox tucked into his shirt pocket. The other one died.”
Jess didn’t understand. It was a tragic story and explained a lot about Harry, but why hide it from everyone? Grief? “So, Harry made it. It was terrible about his dad and his brother, but why make such a thing of it? Harry didn’t start the fire.”
“No, he didn’t,” Sandy said. “Salton did. But the incident puzzled me. A warrant badge is one thing, but Harry’s work mobile was found on Paul’s body, we never got to the bottom of that one. And there was another thing, the twin who died had a scar on the back of his head. As a lad, Harry had cut his head badly when he fell out of a tree onto a pile of bricks. I know because it was me that took him to get it stitched. Nothing like that had happened to Paul.”
Jess glanced at Harry. “Well?”
“Well nothing. He’s lying through his teeth. Perhaps he’s trying to ruin my credibility. If you doubt my identity, Jess, check the police database. You’ll find DNA belonging to DI Harry Lennox. I’ll happily give you a fresh sample for comparison.”
Sandy Munroe laughed. “Proves nothing, lass. Think about it.”
Jess wasn’t sure what he meant, but she was too tired to work it out. “He’s lying, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” said Harry. “He’s having one last try at ruining my career. Well, it won’t work. We’re leaving.”
At the door he turned and took one last look at Sandy. “What a pity it had to end like this. I was really fond of you, you know. When I lost my dad, you took his place for a while. Good luck.”
Harry needed air and he was shaking again. He smiled at Jess. “Now you know.”
“The cut-down version is he thinks you’re your twin brother, Paul, and not a detective in CID.”
Harry took her arm and led her towards the waiting car. He shook his head ruefully. “A crazy idea. As if I could get away with that one.”
THE END
ALSO BY HELEN H. DURRANT
LENNOX & WILDE
Book 1: THE GUILTY MAN
RACHEL KING
Book 1: NEXT VICTIM
Book 2: TWO VICTIMS
Book 3: WRONG VICTIM
Book 4: FORGOTTEN VICTIM
THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES
Book 1: DEAD WRONG
Book 2: DEAD SILENT
Book 3: DEAD LIST
Book 4: DEAD LOST
Book 5: DEAD & BURIED
Book 6: DEAD NASTY
Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS
Book 8: DEAD BAD
Book 9: DEAD GUILTY
Book 10: DEAD WICKED
THE DCI GRECO BOOKS
Book 1: DARK MURDER
Book 2: DARK HOUSES
Book 3: DARK TRADE
Book 4: DARK ANGEL
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Glossary of English Slang for US readers
A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital
Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression
Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets
Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers
Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)
Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings
A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18
Auld Reekie: Edinburgh
Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.
Bar: as in The Bar, the profession of barrister.
Barm: bread roll
Barney: argument
Barrister: lawyer who argues in court
Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids
Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle
Benefits: social security
Bent: corrupt
Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)
Biscuit: cookie
Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town
Bloke: guy
Blow: cocaine
Blower: telephone
Blues and twos: emergency vehicles
Bob: money
Bobby: policeman
Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)
Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead
Bun: small cake
Bunk: do a bunk means escape
Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant
Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit
Caravan: Mobile home
Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket
Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for
Car park: parking lot
CBeebies: kids TV
Charity Shop: thrift store
Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments
Chemist: pharmacy
Chinwag: conversation
Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food
Chips: French fries but thicker
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)
Clock: punch
Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake
Cockney: a native of East London
Common: an area of park land/ or lower class
Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school
Cop hold of: grab
Copper: police officer
Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit
CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward
Childminder: someone who looks after children for money
Council: local government
Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic
DC: detective constable
Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block
Deck: hit (verb)
Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character
DI: detective inspector
Digestive biscuit: plain cookie
Do a runner: disappear
Do one: go away
Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole
Donkey’s years: long time
Drum: house
DS: detective sergeant
ED: accident and emergency department of hospital
Eagle: boys’ comic
Early dart: to leave work early
Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg
Enforcer: police battering ram
Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)
Estate agent: realtor (US)
Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982
Fag: cigarette
Father Christmas: Santa Claus
Filth: police (insulting)
Forces: army, navy, and air force
FMO: force medical officer
Fried slice: fried bread
Fuzz: police
Garda: Irish police
Gendarmerie: French national police force
Geordie: from Newcastle
Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold
Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit
GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
<
br /> Graft: hard work
Gran: grandmother
Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s
Hard nut: tough person
HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck
HMI: Her Majesty’s Inspector. Government-appointed inspector of educational establishments who reports on standards.
HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents
Home: care home for elderly or sick people
Hoover: vacuum cleaner
I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise
Inne: isn’t he
Interpol: international police organisation
Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services
Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman
ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital
Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous
JCB: a mechanical excavator
Jerry-built: badly made
Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais
Lad: young man
Lass: young woman
Lift: elevator
Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.
Lorry: a truck
Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased
Luftwaffe: German air force
M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop
Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie
MOD: ministry of defence
Mobile phone: cell phone
MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area
MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer
Naff: lame, not good
Naff all: none
National Service: compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s
Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain
THE GUILTY MAN an absolutely gripping crime mystery with a massive twist (Detectives Lennox & Wilde Thrillers Book 1) Page 20
