moment the Pernaskas paid for passage on Pepper’s boat, that money was going to turn up.’
Shepherd bit his lower lip. The superintendent was right. Shepherd had just been the bearer of the bad news. If Rudi hadn’t heard it from him, he’d have heard it from someone else. But that didn’t make the man’s suicide any easier to accept. He remembered how grateful he had been when he came to see Shepherd in the hospital ward. And how the man’s wife had kissed his hand. And how they’d promised that their daughter Jessica would never forget the name of the man who’d saved her life. Except that the name Shepherd had given them had been a lie. It had all been a lie.
‘What’s next?’ he asked.
‘We’ll talk to the wife,’ said Hargrove.
‘Widow,’ said Shepherd.
‘What?’
‘She’s a widow now. You’ll talk to the widow.’
Hargrove sighed. ‘I know you’re upset, Spider.’
‘I’m sorry. They were nice people, that’s all. They just wanted a better life and now he’s dead and the kid’s lost her father.’
‘There’s nothing we can do to change that. All we can do now is go after the guys he was afraid of. Chances are that he was coerced into carrying the money. The way you tell it, he might not have known there was cash in those cans. It’s not a problem. I’ll get a female officer to talk to the wife, find out what she knows.’
‘She doesn’t speak English,’ said Shepherd.
‘We’ll fix up an interpreter,’ said Hargrove.
Shepherd sighed. ‘Maybe I should be the one to talk to her,’ he said.
‘It’s not your problem.’
‘She might respond to me. She’s grateful because I saved her daughter. And I doubt that she thinks I’m anything to do with her husband’s suicide.’
‘We haven’t told her yet,’ said Hargrove.
‘What?’
‘As soon as she knows he’s dead, she’ll shut down,’ said Hargrove. ‘We’ll get nothing out of her. We’ll interview her first, then tell her. It has to be that way.’
‘It’s one hell of a world, isn’t it?’ said Shepherd.
‘We don’t make the rules,’ said Hargrove. ‘We just play by them. There’s nothing we can do to bring him back, but we can go after the men who put the family in harm’s way.’
‘And what happens then? She and her kid get sent back?’
‘If she helps us, we can fast-track her to a residency visa,’ said Hargrove.
‘And if she can’t?’
‘Then we’ll do what we can. If she’s a genuine Kosovan, there’s a good chance she’ll get refugee status anyway.’
‘We owe her,’ said Shepherd. ‘However this pans out, we owe her.’
‘Agreed,’ said Hargrove. ‘I’ll do what I can, I promise.’
‘When do we do it?’
‘The sooner the better,’ said Hargrove. ‘I’ll get Sharpe to pick you up. She’s still at the hospital so we can do the interview there. I’ll find a room and an interpreter.’
Shepherd did the calculations. It was a four-hour run up to Newcastle, even if the traffic was good. An hour for the interview. Maybe two. Four hours back. With the best will in the world he wouldn’t be home before midnight. He’d have to take a raincheck with the major. ‘I’ll be ready,’ he said. ‘How do I play it?’
‘Dead straight,’ said Hargrove. ‘Short of telling her that you’re an undercover cop, of course. Tell her you’re co-operating with the police, tell her we’ll help her stay in the country if she helps us.’
‘Okay,’ agreed Shepherd. ‘Will you be there?’
‘Your call.’
‘I guess I don’t need back-up,’ said Shepherd. ‘It’s not as if she’s likely to turn nasty. By the way, the lovely Doctor Gift dropped by this morning.’
‘Must be that time of the year again.’
‘Nothing to do with you?’
‘You’re due your biannual check, aren’t you?’
‘Just so long as that’s all it is,’ said Shepherd. ‘I thought maybe you’d sent her to see if I was suicidal after my dip in the sea.’
‘You’re not, are
Shepherd bit his lower lip. The superintendent was right. Shepherd had just been the bearer of the bad news. If Rudi hadn’t heard it from him, he’d have heard it from someone else. But that didn’t make the man’s suicide any easier to accept. He remembered how grateful he had been when he came to see Shepherd in the hospital ward. And how the man’s wife had kissed his hand. And how they’d promised that their daughter Jessica would never forget the name of the man who’d saved her life. Except that the name Shepherd had given them had been a lie. It had all been a lie.
‘What’s next?’ he asked.
‘We’ll talk to the wife,’ said Hargrove.
‘Widow,’ said Shepherd.
‘What?’
‘She’s a widow now. You’ll talk to the widow.’
Hargrove sighed. ‘I know you’re upset, Spider.’
‘I’m sorry. They were nice people, that’s all. They just wanted a better life and now he’s dead and the kid’s lost her father.’
‘There’s nothing we can do to change that. All we can do now is go after the guys he was afraid of. Chances are that he was coerced into carrying the money. The way you tell it, he might not have known there was cash in those cans. It’s not a problem. I’ll get a female officer to talk to the wife, find out what she knows.’
‘She doesn’t speak English,’ said Shepherd.
‘We’ll fix up an interpreter,’ said Hargrove.
Shepherd sighed. ‘Maybe I should be the one to talk to her,’ he said.
‘It’s not your problem.’
‘She might respond to me. She’s grateful because I saved her daughter. And I doubt that she thinks I’m anything to do with her husband’s suicide.’
‘We haven’t told her yet,’ said Hargrove.
‘What?’
‘As soon as she knows he’s dead, she’ll shut down,’ said Hargrove. ‘We’ll get nothing out of her. We’ll interview her first, then tell her. It has to be that way.’
‘It’s one hell of a world, isn’t it?’ said Shepherd.
‘We don’t make the rules,’ said Hargrove. ‘We just play by them. There’s nothing we can do to bring him back, but we can go after the men who put the family in harm’s way.’
‘And what happens then? She and her kid get sent back?’
‘If she helps us, we can fast-track her to a residency visa,’ said Hargrove.
‘And if she can’t?’
‘Then we’ll do what we can. If she’s a genuine Kosovan, there’s a good chance she’ll get refugee status anyway.’
‘We owe her,’ said Shepherd. ‘However this pans out, we owe her.’
‘Agreed,’ said Hargrove. ‘I’ll do what I can, I promise.’
‘When do we do it?’
‘The sooner the better,’ said Hargrove. ‘I’ll get Sharpe to pick you up. She’s still at the hospital so we can do the interview there. I’ll find a room and an interpreter.’
Shepherd did the calculations. It was a four-hour run up to Newcastle, even if the traffic was good. An hour for the interview. Maybe two. Four hours back. With the best will in the world he wouldn’t be home before midnight. He’d have to take a raincheck with the major. ‘I’ll be ready,’ he said. ‘How do I play it?’
‘Dead straight,’ said Hargrove. ‘Short of telling her that you’re an undercover cop, of course. Tell her you’re co-operating with the police, tell her we’ll help her stay in the country if she helps us.’
‘Okay,’ agreed Shepherd. ‘Will you be there?’
‘Your call.’
‘I guess I don’t need back-up,’ said Shepherd. ‘It’s not as if she’s likely to turn nasty. By the way, the lovely Doctor Gift dropped by this morning.’
‘Must be that time of the year again.’
‘Nothing to do with you?’
‘You’re due your biannual check, aren’t you?’
‘Just so long as that’s all it is,’ said Shepherd. ‘I thought maybe you’d sent her to see if I was suicidal after my dip in the sea.’
‘You’re not, are
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