Page 36 of Killing Mind

‘Splendid,’ she said. His grand plan was not something she needed to hear. Nor was the admission he was fiddling benefits. A quick call to the benefits office later would soon put paid to that.

‘Callum, we’re far more interested in your relationship with Sammy Brown.’

He looked at his trolleys and beckoned for them to follow him. His charges were left blocking a line of six cars.

‘Err… shouldn’t you?…’

‘Nah, Bert’ll be out in a minute. He’ll move ’em.’

He stopped at the side of the building and took a pouch from his jacket pocket.

He paused. ‘Look, she was a great girl to start with, she was a laugh and sexy as f… well, you know what I mean. We had a lot of fun but then she got all serious. Started pulling a face if I forgot to meet her or if I changed my mind. And other girls…’

‘Is it fair to say you had different ideas of how the relationship was?’ Kim asked as politely as she could. This little rodent had used her for sex and strung her along.

‘Yeah, yeah. I didn’t want the hassle, so I finished it. Never really spoke to her again.’

‘And you also knew a guy called Tyler Short?’

He frowned as he opened the pouch. ‘Nah, didn’t have no mates by that name.’

Kim took out her phone and scrolled to the photo.

Kim noted a smile as his eyes first fell on himself.

‘This guy,’ she said, tapping the screen.

He looked closer. The frown dissolved as recognition dawned.

‘Oh him, my mate Spuddy knew him. Brought him along a couple of times. Never knew his name.’

Or bothered to remember it, Kim thought, as Callum opened up his pouch and took out a spliff.

‘You do realise we’re police officers?’ Kim queried, just to be sure. So far, he’d admitted to benefit fraud and was now about to light weed right in front of them.

‘I figure we’re in deep shit if you ain’t got bigger fish to fry than me, so what you gonna do, innit?’ he asked, lighting the roll-up.

Before she could stop herself she reached out, whipped the joint from his mouth and stamped it on the ground. She ground it around the tarmac so he wouldn’t be tempted to try and retrieve it.

‘What we’re gonna do about it is whip your ass down to the station to discuss in more detail your connection to both these people.’ She paused. ‘Innit?’

The lad’s eyes were wide as he glanced down at her shoe. She ground it back and forth a few times more to make her point.

Callum looked up. ‘Hang on. You saying this dude is dead too?’

She didn’t answer the question.

‘So, your recollection any clearer?’ she asked.

A memory seemed to dawn on him. He rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, the kid kept asking me questions about Sammy. Pathetic it was. Obviously, she didn’t want to know.’

‘Because he was younger?’ Kim asked. There was only one year between them.

‘Nah, cos she couldn’t stop thinking about me.’

‘Of course,’ Kim said. Obviously.

‘Had it bad, poor kid, couldn’t take his eyes off her.’ He shook his head with derision. ‘Dopey bastard would have followed her anywhere.’