Buried Slaughter by Ryan Casey Page B

instant that Brian recognised the man. The bald, crinkly-headed man from the pub earlier with the bloodshot eyes. He remembered in that moment why he’d recognised him, but at the time, he’d been too caught up with David to remember.
    “Tony Mcphee,” he said, offering a hand. Realising Brian couldn’t shake it, he crouched down to untie him. “And that’s my brother, Phil.”
    He stuck a thumb in his brother’s direction. Phil was a gaunt, younger guy with narrow cheekbones and yellowing teeth. He had a gold piercing in his right earlobe, and a lone bogey stuck to the top of his mouth.
    “Well, ‘urry the fuck up, Phil, and let the other gent go.”
    Phil nodded his head in a rush, then sped over towards David Wallson, who offered a few curses in Phil’s direction before finding himself free. Tony and Phil Mcphee. Brian had arrested them a couple of times in the past for their drug dealing at various Preston pubs, not to mention their links to the international sex trade. They were shits, there was no doubt about that, but Brian wasn’t in a position to be throwing accusations at them right now, there was no doubt about that .
    The second they were free, Brian and David nodded at one another in acknowledgement. It was in that moment that Brian understood the root of the musty damp smell, as David’s trousers were clearly stained with piss. He looked like he’d gone a few shades greyer in the last however long, too. He figured he’d never been in a hostage situation before.
    “I am sorry, officer,” Tony said. He lowered his head and stared at the ground in front of Brian’s feet. “I…‌I let myself get a bit out of control. It’s just when I saw you, I was convinced, y’know? I was convinced you two shits were trying to stitch me and my brother up again. But…‌but…‌Oh, and the…‌er…‌the gun,” Tony said, waving the gun in Brian’s face. “Doesn’t work. Just a shitty old replica, officer. I swear it’s just a‌—‌”
    “Okay, okay,” Brian said. His entire body was shaking. He wanted to call back his police powers in that instant and send the pair of fuckers directly to a cell for the problems they’d caused.
    But mostly, he just wanted to get the hell out of here before they changed their minds.
    “I ain’t done no drugs for…‌for years,” Tony said. He smacked his brother on his arm. Phil flinched, then offered a half-smile in Brian’s direction. “No women either. We’re clean as owt these days, I say. We own the Grey Goose, and all. Seriously, this is just a‌—‌a misunderstanding. Tell you what, wife bought me a watch that I don’t want. You can have it. Both of you. I mean…‌I mean, you can sell it and share the‌—‌”
    “It’s okay,” Brian said. He avoided eye contact with Tony. Funny really, how they were all just as civilian as one another. Or as criminal as one another, rather. Brian was pursuing leads and withholding important information. He couldn’t rest on his “police powers”, not anymore. “Come on, David. Let’s just get out of here.”
    David nodded rapidly and shot ahead of Brian and towards the concrete steps. The closer they approached the steps, the more sound Brian could hear upstairs. Clearly a public place of some sort. Hidden in plain sight.
    “Here, couldn’t help but notice you mention those murders on Pendle Hill and Longridge Fell. Anything we should know, like?”
    Brian peered back at Tony. His eyes shot to the ground again, unable to maintain contact. “Why should you know anything?”
    Phil raised his bony hands in his brother’s defence. “Just as members of’t public, like. All he means.”
    Brian sighed and shook his head. Doing so reminded him how much it ached from the blow he’d received. That was a point‌—‌a third person had knocked him to the ground. Obviously one of Tony and Phil’s dodgy mates. Oh yeah, if he knew Tony and Phil Mcphee as well as he thought, then they had no shortage of