Deadly Lies by Ann Girdharry (book recommendations .TXT) 📗

Sweat ran down Grant’s back. ‘Please tell me where to find Emily and Lisa.’

‘You can’t do anything for me.’

‘If you tell me where to find the children it will be in your favour.’

‘I’ve been inside for six years and I’m not going back there. It’s enough to make a man lose his mind.’

If Riley didn’t value his own life then Grant risked losing the children and Diane. They were five floors up and falling to the ground below would be lethal. And there was no way Billingham would have had time to get a sniper on scene. He must try another tactic.

‘Did Jack Glover pay you to scare off Daniel Pearson? Did he give you money and ask you to break into Pearson’s house? Is that the reason you abducted Jack’s children?’

‘The bastard set me up. I wore gloves the whole time. There’s no way my thumbprint could have shown up at Pearson’s except if Glover planted it there. I was sentenced to nine fucking years for it. And six almost killed me.’

‘So abducting Jack’s children is revenge.’

‘Glover used me then he set me up. And he paid me a pittance for the job. One million doesn’t even start to pay back for the lost time. Although taking his kids, well, that might do the trick.’

‘Emily and Lisa didn’t do anything wrong.’

‘Who gives a fuck about those brats.’

‘Please tell me where to find them.’

‘If I tell you then he’s won.’

Grant could not see a way around Riley’s twisted logic.

Riley took a few more steps until he was right at the lip of the edge. ‘Why don’t I set you a little test? Which do you want most, your officer or the children?’

With Riley’s arm choking her windpipe, Diane couldn’t speak. Grant could see her mouthing something at him. He couldn’t make it out except he knew what she was probably saying – ‘the children.’

‘I asked you a question. Answer or I’ll decide for you,’ Riley said.

‘Both. And if that’s not possible, then the children are my priority.’

‘Oh, so this one is disposable?’

Riley was teetering on the edge and there was no way Grant would be able to overpower him without endangering everyone’s life.

‘God, I could do with a final snort.’

‘Then why don’t you have one? You’re not in a rush, are you?’ Grant said. He caught a movement and forced himself not to look. Could it be McGowan scuttling out from behind the elevator shaft, running towards the cover of the ventilator?

Riley laughed. ‘You’re a smart one, aren’t you, Inspector? Don’t think you can trick me because it won’t work.’

‘There’s no trick. I’ll sit down if you like and then you can have a snort in peace. And my name’s David Grant.’

‘Okay. Grant. Keep your hands where I can see them.’

With the amount of blood which had pumped out of Diane it was a miracle she was still conscious. Grant could see she was going limp. Reaching into his pocket, Riley pulled out a small plastic bag.

‘At least you’ve got balls,’ Riley said. ‘Unlike some police fucking officers I could mention.’

Grant immediately picked up on Riley’s tone. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Since we’re having a nice chat and I’m not going to tell you where to find the brats, I might as well pass on something before I go.’

Riley stuck his finger into the bag and scrubbed powder around his gums. Breathing in deeply, he half closed his eyes. Grant saw McGowan crawling towards the nearest cover to Riley. Any closer and McGowan would be within Riley’s eyeline. What was the distance between McGowan and Diane? More than ten metres by Grant’s judgement. It was too far. By the time Riley saw McGowan coming, he’d have launched himself off the roof taking Diane with him.

‘I’m all ears,’ Grant said.

‘I bet you are. Well get a load of this. I heard a lot of stuff when I was inside. Last person I shared a cell with was Parks. Poor bastard is dead now. Pancreatic cancer.’

Grant knew the name. Parks had been the mastermind behind the jewellery heist Riley had been involved in, though he was much higher up the criminal food chain than Riley.

‘Parks was pissed off with one of your lot and I promised I’d do something about it if I could. Looks like this might be the moment.’

Riley’s eyes were bulging from the cocaine hit. His legs started jittering. ‘Parks hated this bloke called Treadgold who’s some big job at your place. Seems like Parks and Treadgold used to get on, and then Treadgold turned and he made sure Parks got put away.’

Parks and Treadgold used to get on? It could only mean one thing. Treadgold had some deal with Parks in exchange for turning a blind eye to criminal activities. This was proof of Treadgold’s corruption. Proof Grant had not been able to find before. He suddenly felt wary McGowan was overhearing this. Ruby had said McGowan met Treadgold on the stairwell and it happened just after Nick Riley’s name came up in this case.

‘If you want to fulfil your promise to Parks you’ve got to give me something concrete against Treadgold,’ Grant said.

Riley was rubbing a second dose around his mouth. ‘The jewels from the heist,’ he said. ‘They were fenced by a guy called Hector Mason. Treadgold got a cut and Mason will be able to confirm it.’

Bingo. Hector was a known fence, selling on stolen goods and sometimes turning informant if the police leaned on him hard. This would be enough to put Treadgold away. All Grant needed was to get to Mason first.

At that moment, McGowan charged out from his hiding place.

‘No!’ Grant shouted. ‘Stand down, McGowan!’

Riley was taken by surprise but he was close enough to the edge to get there first. Riley took one glance back at Grant and grinned. Then he plummeted from the roof, his arms spread out as if he was flying.

49

Lisa was too tired to cry and she was so thirsty her head and tongue hurt. Her