Helen’s a mate of Linda’s and anyway, they wouldn’t be allowed to talk about the case, even if they knew anything. Right?’ She looked at Helen and shook her head, as though she herself had not been digging for dirt only five minutes earlier.
‘Paula was saying you knew him quite well,’ Thorne said. ‘Stephen Bates.’
Sweeney looked at Paula, then shook his head, chewing. ‘Pint and a game of cards in the Magpie, that’s about it. We both like rock music, so we talked about that now and again, bands we’d seen, you know. Went to see Metallica with him in Birmingham a few months ago.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, they were good, actually.’
Thorne was aware of Helen tensing next to him. Aside from the awkward exchange with Paula, she hadn’t spoken a great deal and had not touched her drink.
‘Pretty good bloke,’ Sweeney said. ‘I mean, obviously he
isn’t
, is he? Not if he did what everyone reckons he did.’ He turned to look at Paula, took her hand again. ‘Just goes to show, you can’t ever really know people, can you?’
‘Except when they’re seriously ill,’ she said. ‘No point pretending then, is there? You can really see what a person’s made of when they’re scared to death.’
‘I knew the girls as well, a bit.’ Sweeney looked at Thorne, then down to his plate. ‘I mean, I’d had both of them in the cab a few times, Poppy and Jess. When you’re the only taxi there is, you pick up everybody eventually, don’t you?’
‘Where did you take them? Can you remember?’
Sweeney thought about it. ‘I suppose Tamworth was pretty regular for all those girls. A Friday or Saturday night to some club or to one of the bars. There was usually three or four of them, all dolled up and gassing on the back seat, always asking if they could smoke out of the window and moaning at me when I said no. They split the fare, you know, so it was probably just as cheap as getting the bus. Not the same when they were on their own though.’ He raised the can to his lips. ‘Maybe if they’d had a couple more quid in their pockets, Poppy and Jess might still be alive.’
Paula looked at him. ‘Hang on, we don’t know they
aren’t
still alive.’
‘Yeah,’ Sweeney said. ‘All right.’
‘Top of the stairs?’ Helen stood up suddenly. ‘The bathroom?’
Paula nodded. ‘Lock’s a bit iffy though,’ she said.
Thorne turned to watch Helen leave the room, while Sweeney belched softly behind him.
SIXTEEN
Danny slammed the lid of the laptop computer down hard. ‘Fucking wankers!’ He leaned back and pushed the machine away, across the top of the small table that one of the coppers had carried up from downstairs for them. ‘Cheap piece of shit, anyway. When are we going to get our own computers back? It’s not fair.’
Charli was lying on the bed. ‘I told you not to look.’
‘I want to know,’ Danny said. ‘I want to know what people are saying about him.’
‘Facebook’s just full of retards,’ Charli said. ‘They’re just trying to get a reaction. That’s the whole point of it.’
Danny pushed his chair back, walked across and dropped on to the end of the bed. ‘They know nothing,’ he said. ‘They’re going to look really stupid when this is all over.’ His jaw was set and Charli could see the muscles working in the side of his face, but there were tears brimming at the corners of his eyes too.
‘Do you want to see what’s on TV?’ she asked. She noddedtowards the portable TV on a chest of drawers in the corner of the room. Something else the coppers had brought up for them.
‘Trying to get on our good side,’ Danny had said. ‘Make up for the fact that they’ve fucked our lives up.’ Now, he shook his head. ‘It’s going to be on TV too.’
‘I’m not suggesting we should watch the news.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘Might be a film on or something.’
‘Can’t be arsed,’ Danny said.
Charli put down her book, folded over the page she had been
‘Paula was saying you knew him quite well,’ Thorne said. ‘Stephen Bates.’
Sweeney looked at Paula, then shook his head, chewing. ‘Pint and a game of cards in the Magpie, that’s about it. We both like rock music, so we talked about that now and again, bands we’d seen, you know. Went to see Metallica with him in Birmingham a few months ago.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, they were good, actually.’
Thorne was aware of Helen tensing next to him. Aside from the awkward exchange with Paula, she hadn’t spoken a great deal and had not touched her drink.
‘Pretty good bloke,’ Sweeney said. ‘I mean, obviously he
isn’t
, is he? Not if he did what everyone reckons he did.’ He turned to look at Paula, took her hand again. ‘Just goes to show, you can’t ever really know people, can you?’
‘Except when they’re seriously ill,’ she said. ‘No point pretending then, is there? You can really see what a person’s made of when they’re scared to death.’
‘I knew the girls as well, a bit.’ Sweeney looked at Thorne, then down to his plate. ‘I mean, I’d had both of them in the cab a few times, Poppy and Jess. When you’re the only taxi there is, you pick up everybody eventually, don’t you?’
‘Where did you take them? Can you remember?’
Sweeney thought about it. ‘I suppose Tamworth was pretty regular for all those girls. A Friday or Saturday night to some club or to one of the bars. There was usually three or four of them, all dolled up and gassing on the back seat, always asking if they could smoke out of the window and moaning at me when I said no. They split the fare, you know, so it was probably just as cheap as getting the bus. Not the same when they were on their own though.’ He raised the can to his lips. ‘Maybe if they’d had a couple more quid in their pockets, Poppy and Jess might still be alive.’
Paula looked at him. ‘Hang on, we don’t know they
aren’t
still alive.’
‘Yeah,’ Sweeney said. ‘All right.’
‘Top of the stairs?’ Helen stood up suddenly. ‘The bathroom?’
Paula nodded. ‘Lock’s a bit iffy though,’ she said.
Thorne turned to watch Helen leave the room, while Sweeney belched softly behind him.
SIXTEEN
Danny slammed the lid of the laptop computer down hard. ‘Fucking wankers!’ He leaned back and pushed the machine away, across the top of the small table that one of the coppers had carried up from downstairs for them. ‘Cheap piece of shit, anyway. When are we going to get our own computers back? It’s not fair.’
Charli was lying on the bed. ‘I told you not to look.’
‘I want to know,’ Danny said. ‘I want to know what people are saying about him.’
‘Facebook’s just full of retards,’ Charli said. ‘They’re just trying to get a reaction. That’s the whole point of it.’
Danny pushed his chair back, walked across and dropped on to the end of the bed. ‘They know nothing,’ he said. ‘They’re going to look really stupid when this is all over.’ His jaw was set and Charli could see the muscles working in the side of his face, but there were tears brimming at the corners of his eyes too.
‘Do you want to see what’s on TV?’ she asked. She noddedtowards the portable TV on a chest of drawers in the corner of the room. Something else the coppers had brought up for them.
‘Trying to get on our good side,’ Danny had said. ‘Make up for the fact that they’ve fucked our lives up.’ Now, he shook his head. ‘It’s going to be on TV too.’
‘I’m not suggesting we should watch the news.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘Might be a film on or something.’
‘Can’t be arsed,’ Danny said.
Charli put down her book, folded over the page she had been
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