Definitely Dead by Kate Bendelow (howl and other poems TXT) 📕

back in at the moment. I’m keeping my ears to the ground as best as I can.’

‘Fuck ’em. The slightest sniff they’re looking at doing another search of my pad, I want to know, understood? You will not get a second chance after last time.’

‘I… I… I told you, Mr Donnelly, they played it close to their chests. There was no way of me finding out what they were up to. If I’d have known, of course I would have told you. Nobody on that warrant knew where they were going until they set off. Even a psychic wouldn’t have known what was going on,’ stuttered Andy.

‘A psychic? A fucking psychic? Are you taking the piss? You’re getting very close to needing a psychic to communicate with your family in future, you fucking wanker.’

Aiden leaned in close, his nose practically touching Andy’s as he glared at the man, his face flushed with anger.

‘Sorry, Mr Donnelly, I didn’t mean any disrespect, honestly.’ Andy held his shaking hands up in front of him as he shrank towards the door and away from Aiden’s glare.

‘Whatever. I need to start making arrangements to have Nowak released. The items that you accessed from the McCluskey stabbing need to be placed on a bloke called Spencer James. I’m just waiting for an opportunity to get to his place and then we’re good to go. So next time I ring you, make sure you fucking well answer, okay?’

‘Yes, Mr Donnelly.’ Andy was trembling so much now he could barely keep his knees from shaking.

Aiden surveyed him again with a look of sheer hatred and disgust on his face. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out a wodge of fifty-pound notes and threw them in Andy’s direction.

‘Here, it’s payday. Now get out of my car and fuck off,’ he snarled.

Frantically grabbing at the notes, Andy mumbled something incoherent and flung himself out of the car.

Aiden watched him go. He really did despise the man. Even though he had been useful over the past year, tipping him and Nowak off in advance about the police investigation surrounding them, he despised the fact that a man like that would grass on his own. It went against everything he believed in. He watched as the odious shit circled in the car park before driving off. Even his car appeared to slither. He shook his head again, incredulous as to what a wanker Andy Carr was.

42

Lurch was doing the following again. He had followed Spence home from the gym and had been sat outside his address since late morning. Lurch thought the house was pretty. It reminded him of the sort of thing he used to build out of Lego. The housing estate was about twelve years old and the first signs of fatigue had started to show on the flaking paint on the gutters. The shrubs that had been planted in the gardens and flower beds which lined the roads had established well though, giving him plenty of coverage.

He had watched as the lady and the little girl returned home from school. He thought the little girl looked sweet and the lady looked like Spence. Lurch had no opinion on the man. He travelled to and from the address like clockwork. He dressed conservatively and drove a spotless white car. Everything about him seemed nondescript, and the fact that Lurch had taken one look at him and established he was no physical threat meant he dismissed him relatively quickly.

He knew which bedroom Spence’s was. He had followed him home enough by now to notice which light at the back of the house switched on not long after he came home. He also knew how easy it was to break into these new houses. The problem was, they were knocked up so quickly, it wasn’t unusual for the building contractors to scrimp on certain items.

All the houses had fancy patio doors situated to the rear of the property, which opened out onto the boxy-looking gardens. Lurch knew that a bit of physical manipulation around the door, especially on a hot day, would cause the uPVC to be rocked easily from its frame, allowing the lock to pop open. Not that he would even need to bother with that seeing he had the lock-picking device Aiden had bought for him.

It was time for Lurch to go. Spence would be leaving for work soon, the following had gone well again, and he knew Aiden would be pleased. He had one other job to do and after that he would treat himself to a couple of pints.

He was determined to head back to The Eagle so he would be in his favourite seat before Spence arrived. If he was lucky, he might even get another free drink. He wasn’t going to have too many though, as he knew that any day now, Aiden would ask him to break into Spence’s house, so he knew he had to be ready.

He grinned as he saw the little girl briefly appear in the lounge window, skipping around the room with a doll in her hand. She stopped at the window, gazing in his direction as he gave her a little wave and pressed his forefinger to his lips to let her know him being there was their secret.

Goodbye little girl, he said in his head to her as he slipped out of his hiding place. He ducked past the neighbour’s hydrangea and back onto the road of the estate. Although the following lasted a long time, and made him get cramp in his lower back, sometimes it could be fun.

43

Maya and Elaine had worked quickly and efficiently at Ryan Johnson’s flat. On their arrival at the scene, they had donned their scene suits, overshoes, face masks and double-gloved. They signed themselves into the scene log and placed stepping plates throughout the one-bedroomed flat, to preserve any potential evidence on the floor. As Maya placed down a stepping plate, Elaine photographed, then videoed the scene.