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‘Hang on, let me find a pen and paper’
The iPad was set up with a page on which the list would be ers moved quickly about the silent keyboard as he entered name, address, phone number There was a space for any other essentials which he did not fill in though he let the man drone on with details about his skills, past employment and references He needed none of them
‘I’ve had a lot of people enquire’
‘Already? Paper’s only just out’
‘Right, only jobs like this are gold’
‘Give us a chance, mate Give us an interview’
‘Go on then, I had so on, what’s the ti the lines of ‘half past, then there’s that Polish bloke, eleven, half pastOK, can you get in here for one?’
‘One when?’
‘One o’clock’
‘I mean what day?’
‘Today Tuesday’
‘Oh, fantastic, that’s terrific, thanks, ret it, you –’
‘Cheers,’ Gerry said, putting down the phone
It went on like that for the next hour and a half, until he had people booked in for most of the day At half eleven the answerphone itched on
‘Hendry’s Builders There’s no one available to take your call Leave us a e’
Simon uncramped his limbs and went out of the cabin into the yard, where he did fiveback suffered from a couple of hours spent bent on a low chair in a confined space and his legs were nuht, and they sat about on old boxes and benches, eating packed lunches Tent out on a tea run to the nearest cafe
Si out of the way, nothing that rang any bells Several were Eastern European, which ruled them out before they arrived but the men still had to be seen P O’Brien could also be ruled out Keyes would have been advised not to take an Irish, Scots or foreign na very unusual or easily twisted into a joke would also be out If Siuess from the names alone, he would have picked out an N Taylor or M Gardener
The tea boys cahnuts and three copies of that day’s red tops
In the office, Simon phoned Rachel, as not there, then sent her a text She was still at the hospital then, still sitting by her husband’s bedside, caring for hi his forehead Loving him? He wished he knew In many ways, he hoped that she did, whatever the present nature of that love He had never had any relationship with a wouilty Now, he did, theBut he could not give her up
Twenty minutes later everyone was back at their posts At ten to one, the gate opened on L Checkley, over six feet in height, burly, a And black
Gerry went out, shook thethrough the uilty How h that gate, honest, bla men who needed the work? All of theo off, crossing their fingers, touching wood, sending up prayers to the Virgin Mary and the saints that they’d be the one to get the job, never knowing there wasn’t one
The procession of applicants went on through the afternoon A photograph was taken as they caain as they approached the office, and the ih onto every screen Photofit softorked on trying to find any sort of inal picture of Alan Keyes and would send a flashing alert when there was one But the only two alerts ide of the mark Serrailler scrutinised each e stamps but there were no links He stretched as much as he could but as the afternoon went on his back ached o Earlier, one had appeared without having phoned first Word had got round about the job and he was in the area Could they see him? They saw him No one else had dropped in unexpectedly until ten to five when the gate opened on a bald and rather fat uy’
The overweightinto the yard was Anthony Tredwell
‘Pete, Lee, bar the gate once he’s in here Man is Anthony Tredwell, grandson of the last victim, Olive Tredwell I can’t move out of here unless we have a positive, he knows nised, keep out of sight’
Gerry gave a discreet thumbs up towards the hidden screen
Simon looked at thefor any ht, no arrows The man had a rubbery, jowly face, with a double chin, stubble, small dark eyes, thick eyebrows He had a tattoo on his chest, just visible a in the V of his T-shirt Keyes had had no tattoos but could easily have acquired one
‘Gerry, tell hirandave no indication that he had heard and went on writing notes with a chipped biro taking dohat Tredwell told hiuess we’ve seen quite a few but we’ll let you know either way in a day or two’ He stood up and offered his hand Then he said, ‘Tredwell Your nas a bell somehow – don’t think you’ve worked for ht Oh well, it happens Just not your everyday Sht –’
‘My grandmother was ninety and she wasoff old ladies all over the fuckin’ place Olive Tredwell Never done any harm to a soul, kindest woman on earth And why did it happen? Because the fuckin’ police are fuckin’ useless and he’s under their noses, been under their noses for weeks and they haven’t got hiran would still be alive, but they do fck all, and they know it because I’ve told them Idle stupid fuckers I’d like to do to that fuckin’ Chief Constable bitch what that bastard did to rily and walked out, shoulders up, chin jutting As he went towards the gate he shouted back across the yard, ‘So that’s where you heard ate slaain and swung open
‘Frustrating, I know, but thanks for the good work Toht Not so h the small ads yet or seen the notices in the shop s I didn’t realise there were so , when you can never get one in an e to answer this ad and coate; we’ll spot hiht and early’
These past few days I’ve been juht, no panic, no being spooked Save that for other bits of life This bit, I’ve never been jumpy But now I am Ever since the one in Chalford Road God knohy I went there But it was building and building, I was shaking inside, I’ve never been desperate like that I’ve read it’s like a junkie needing a fix I can believe that, though drugs never interested me Waste of life
Then ten years went by That’s a bloody long ti to, without it even crossing o away of course, it stayed and it nagged and it woke me up and it probed into my head like a woret back Back to who I was Who I had been Whichever
Who am I?