Devil in the Detail by A.J. Cross (love letters to the dead .TXT) 📗

‘Yes, but it was very slow going. Her mind is resistant, but she made a start, talked about their afternoon hospital appointment, the restaurant, the traffic diversions and their arrival in Forge Street—’

‘She mentioned it by name?’

‘No. When I say “talked”, she gave very few actual details. I’m hoping to see her again soon. But before I do, I’ll go through what she said for anything which looks useful to us.’

‘“Useful” is what I’m after. You staying?’

‘I’m going up to the incident room to give Officer Miller details of the visit for logging, then back to the university.’ Watts was thinking that Officer Miller would be more than pleased to have anything Traynor was offering.

‘Judd’s up there. Tell her I’m off to follow up this kid, Presley Henry.’

After a journey that should have taken him fifteen minutes but took thirty-five due to heavy traffic, Watts parked and headed for a block of maisonettes close to the Bristol Road interchange. With a glance in the general direction of Forge Street, he located his destination on the ground floor and jabbed the doorbell. After some delay, the door was opened by a whippet-thin woman, black hair mixed with grey. She rolled her eyes, one hand on her hip.

‘And what do you want?’

‘Morning, Lettie.’ He got another eye-roll.

‘That’s Le-tishah to you.’ She sighed, stepped back. ‘In! The last thing I need is you hanging about out here, gettin’ my name dragged down.’

He went inside the spotless maisonette and on to the cramped lounge dominated by a massive wall-mounted television, a large sofa covered in plastic, and small tables supporting knick-knacks. He pointed at the television and its vividly coloured courtroom scene, the judge gesticulating at a hapless complainant, the studio audience grinning. ‘Mind putting that off?’

She searched for, then aimed the remote. ‘Like I said, what you wantin’?’

‘Your nephew, Presley.’

‘Presley? Why?’

‘I need to talk to him.’

‘About?’

‘That’s between me and young Presley.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘And me, as his guardian. He’s in the sixth form at his school and doing well so you’ve got no business with him. In fact, sod off now. I’m busy.’

‘You and me both, Lettie. I’m here for information and my understanding is that Presley has some.’

She glared at him. ‘Sounds like you got nothing better to do than listen to damn gossips round here.’ She left the room. Past experience of Lettie prompted him to close his eyes. She shouted upstairs from the hallway, ‘Pres-ley … Presley! You get down here, now.’ Watts picked up a distant, brief response. ‘I said, now.’ She came back inside the lounge, face averted from Watts.

‘I thought you said he was at school?’

‘If it’s any of your business, he’s got a late-morning start and whatever you’ve heard, it’s wrong.’

Watts picked up footfalls on the stairs. The door opened and a tall, neatly dressed youth came inside.

‘Hello, Presley.’ The youth made no response, his eyes moving between Watts and his aunt. ‘I’m here to check something I’ve heard which concerns you.’

‘I don’t have to talk to you.’

Watts regarded him. ‘You’re a bit misguided there, son but if you prefer, we can have a chat at headquarters. What’s your choice?’

Lettie gave Watts a furious look. ‘He’s going nowhere!’ She struck Presley on the shoulder with the back of her hand. ‘Talk to him and he’ll be gone!’

‘That’s good advice your aunt’s giving you,’ said Watts.

Presley sent him a quick glance. ‘How can I talk if I don’t have a clue what this is about?’

‘It’s about a man and his wife who’ve been shot—’

‘I knew it.’ Lettie stared at Watts. ‘As soon as I heard about it, I knew you lot would be crawling all over the neighbourhood, but you must be desperate to come here—’

‘It’s got nothing to do with me!’ Presley’s eyes darted from his aunt to Watts and back.

Watts shook his head. ‘My information says otherwise. It suggests that you know something about that shooting.’

Presley took another hit to the shoulder.

‘Word is, you’ve been spreading rumours that you know who did the “Toyota job”. He saw Presley’s eyes widen. ‘And now you’re going to tell me what you know.’

Getting a virulent look from his aunt, Presley gave Watts his full attention. ‘I never started that rumour, honest! I heard it and repeated it. That’s all I did.’

‘In that case, it’ll be dead easy to tell me exactly who and what this rumour was about.’

Presley’s face slammed shut. ‘I don’t know anything. Like I said, all I did was repeat it … I don’t even remember what it was about.’

Watts walked slowly towards him. ‘Ah, Presley, lad. Let’s keep it real, shall we? I want details. Now.’

Watts and Lettie fixed him with direct looks.

Presley’s eyes darted away. ‘It was about some bloke who knew the gun that was used to shoot that bloke and the woman.’

Watts’ head tightened at Lettie’s shriek. ‘And?’

‘And, nothing. That’s all I remember. You asked. I’ve told you. That’s it.’

Watts took a few paces from him, turned. ‘Know what happens when rumours get listened to then passed on, Presley?’ He waited out the short silence. ‘No? Then, I’ll tell you. They get added to. A word here. An action there.’

Light on his feet, he was across the room looking down at Presley, who wasn’t happy with the proximity.

He gave his aunt a nervous glance. ‘All I did was add a name then passed it on.’

‘Look at me, lad!’ Watts held the youth’s gaze. ‘Whose name did you add?’

‘It was like, a joke, right? He didn’t do it. He didn’t do anything!’

‘Problem is, Presley, I don’t know that. Name.’

‘My uncle. Huey Whyte.’

Watts got in front of Presley as Lettie flew at him, shrieking, ‘You bloody fool!’

‘Time you were at school, lad.’

He watched Presley disappear upstairs then turned his attention on Lettie. ‘Where’s Huey?’

‘You can go—’

‘Tell me and I’ll see if I can make it go easy on your nephew if we find that your brother Huey’s up to his neck in this shooting.’

She sent him a malevolent look, the fight suddenly