The Stretch (Stephen Leather Thrillers) by Stephen Leather Page B

But this. I just don’t know. Why is that, Terry? Have you got better at telling lies, is that it? Better at covering your tracks.’
    Terry hunched forward over the table. ‘Find that slag Morrison, love. Find him and get him to tell you the truth.’
    ‘He told the court, Terry. He told them everything. He said he saw you leaving Snow’s house with a gun.’
    ‘He was lying, love,’ said Terry earnestly. ‘On my mother’s life.’
    ‘Why would he lie, Terry?’
    ‘Raquel must have put him up to it. Paid him. Offered him a deal on something else.’
    ‘Terry . . .’
    ‘You know what coppers are like. He was desperate to fit me up. Getting Morrison to roll over on me wouldn’t have been much of a challenge. Now the trial’s over, he might tell you what really happened. He might even know who really killed Snow.’
    ‘So how do I find Morrison?’ asked Sam.
    Terry looked around as if he feared being overheard. Riggs was looking in their direction but he was too far away to eavesdrop. Terry put his hand up over his mouth as he talked. ‘There’s a cop on the payroll. Has been since the year dot. His name’s Mark Blackstock. Detective Superintendent. His mobile’s in the Filofax under Blackie. If he gives you any trouble, there’s some pictures in the safe deposit box that’ll gee him up.’
    Sam shook her head in amazement. ‘Bent coppers?’ she said. ‘Now you want me to deal with bent coppers?’ Sam sat back in her chair, stunned. ‘This is going from bad to worse.’
    ∗      ∗      ∗
     
    Luke Snow was in the back of a dark green Jaguar, sucking up dirt with an industrial Hoover, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a large man in a dark overcoat peering through the open door. ‘Luke Snow?’
    ‘Who wants to know?’
    ‘I do, Luke. Now don’t piss me about. Get out of the car, yeah?’
    Luke found it difficult to understand the man’s accent, but he sensed the menace in the man’s voice.
    The man stood back as Luke clambered out of the car and switched off the Hoover. ‘What do you want?’ He tried to sound confident, but he could see that the man was a good six inches taller than he was, and looked like he worked out. The man had a hard face, and cold blue eyes that stared unblinkingly at Luke. Luke found it difficult to meet the man’s gaze and he kept looking away.
    ‘My name’s McKinley,’ said the man. ‘Just so you know who I am. I don’t hide behind anonymous phone calls, Luke. I am who I am, right?’
    ‘So?’
    ‘So your brother was a scumbag. He sold drugs to kids. You wouldn’t have caught him in overalls cleaning out the back of a rich man’s car.’
    ‘He didn’t deserve to die like a dog.’
    McKinley nodded. ‘I understand that, Luke. I can see why you’d feel the way you do. But that’s got to be between you and Terry Greene. Between men. Do you get my drift?’
    Luke said nothing. McKinley’s eyes continued to bore into him and Luke looked down. ‘She lied, man. She fucking lied.’
    ‘Everyone lies, Luke.’
    ‘She lied in court.’
    ‘So she won’t go to heaven. You married, Luke?’
    Luke narrowed his eyes, wondering if the big man was threatening his family. ‘Yeah,’ he said hesitantly.
    ‘You love her, right? Your missus?’
    Luke nodded again.
    ‘You’d lie for her, right? Of course you would. Wouldn’t matter if it was right or wrong, you do what you have to do to protect the ones you love. Look, your brother’s dead and I can imagine how that must feel, but Terry Greene’s behind bars for it. He’s gonna be seventy before he gets out. You, you’re a young guy, you’ve got a wife to go home to. Someone warm to sleep with at night. Be a man, Luke. If you want to take your grief out on someone, take it out on Terry Greene. Or me. But don’t go frightening women. Okay?’
    Luke raised his eyes and met McKinley’s gaze for about the first time since he’d come into the cleaning bay. He