A Good Day To Die by Simon Kernick Page B

the North London Echo and spoken to my old mate RoyShelley, but now he'd gone, and as far as he was concerned, so had I. There was no way we'd ever be renewing our acquaintance, which was a pity, and one of the oft-forgotten disadvantages of running from the law and into exile. All your relationships are killed instantly. Both my parents were dead, but I still had a brother down in Wiltshire who I hadn't spoken to in the whole time I'd been away, and would probably never speak to again either. We'd never been that close, but it still seemed a waste.
    I phoned the Echo and asked to speak to Ms Neilson, saying my name was DI Mick Kane of the NCS. The bloke on the other end sounded suitably impressed but told me that she wasn't there. Apparently she wasn't expected in until Monday.
    'Lucky her,' I said. 'How come you drew the short straw, having to man the phones on a Saturday afternoon?'
    'The management seem to like her,' he answered, with just a hint in his tone that he didn't share their admiration. 'And she's better looking than me.'
    'I wouldn't worry about that,' I told him. 'They're all better looking than me.'
    We both had a bit of a laugh, and with small talk over and trust established, I asked him if there was a mobile number I could reach Emma on. 'It's important we get hold of her. It's to do with the murder inquiry she's been covering in her articles. I'm part of the investigating team.'
    'Er, sure, I suppose so. Hold on a moment.'
    I waited while he put me on hold, and a few seconds later he was back on. He reeled out her number, then asked if she was in any trouble. He sounded like he'd be quite pleased if she was, and I wondered what he had against her, and whether it genuinely did have something to do with her looks. If so, she'd definitely be worth meeting. More likely, though, it was down to the fact that she was better than him at her job.
    I told him she wasn't in any trouble, thanked him for his help and hung up, immediately dialling the number he'd given me.
    Three rings later and a female voice answered. 'Emma,' she announced chirpily against a background of street noise. Her accent was upper middle class and educated, with a faint northeasterly brogue. I guessed she hailed from one of the wealthier areas of Yorkshire or Humberside.
    'Hello, Emma. You don't know me but my name's Mick Kane. I'm a private detective.'
    'Sorry, I can't hear you. Can you speak up?'
    I repeated myself loudly. At the same time, the street noise faded somewhat.
    'God, that's better. Sorry, I'm on Regent Street doing a bit of shopping. What can I do for you, then?'
    'I've been retained by DCI Asif Malik's uncle to look into the circumstances surrounding his murder, and the murder of Jason Khan. I know that the police are still investigating, but my client'sgetting concerned about the lack of progress. I understand you've taken an interest in the case yourself, so I was hoping that we could meet up, perhaps on neutral ground, to discuss your take on things.'
    'How did you get my number, Mr Kane?' Her tone was firm but not hostile.
    'I'm a private detective; it's my job to find out these things.'
    'Why don't you talk to the police?'
    'You know what it's like talking to them. There's a lot of professional rivalry. They won't tell me anything. Listen, I'm happy to pay for your time.'
    She paused for a moment and I could almost hear her thinking down the other end of the phone. 'I'm meeting friends in the West End tonight, but not until nine o'clock. I can meet you round here at eight?'
    'Sure. Whatever's convenient for you.'
    'There's a pub on Wells Street called the Ben Crouch Tavern. Just off Oxford Street, at the Tottenham Court Road end. I'll meet you there.'
    'Sounds good.'
    'How will I recognize you?' she asked.
    'I'm forty, I've got a suntan, and I look as if I've just been beaten up.'
    'Oh. And have you?'
    'I have. I'll tell you about it later.'
    'Now I'm intrigued. I've got long, curly hair, by the way. Light red. And I'm