Page 34 of The Final Vow (Washington Poe #7)

Towler looked across at the paramedics helping the injured Carry On Vikings on to stretchers. He shook his head. ‘All that pent-up anger,’ he said wistfully.

Poe studied him carefully. Towler had committed two acts of extreme violence, but he was calm.

As if he did it every week. Which didn’t make sense.

If he was Archie Arreghini’s enforcer there’d be an inch-thick file on him.

Mathers would have known about him. And if he was just a mindless thug from Cumbria, Poe would have known about him.

But Poe didn’t think Towler was a mindless thug.

Despite the blood on the ground and the men on stretchers, his actions hadn’t been thoughtless.

They’d been calculated. With a headbutt to the face and a snap-kick to the knee, he’d stopped a volatile crowd from kicking off.

No one had waved around heavy replica weapons.

No one had loosed an arrow. No one but two willing participants had been hurt.

And as the Carry On Vikings crew had been crowding Bradshaw, no one else had really seen anything.

And Towler had made sure he was on CCTV when Horace the Viking had drawn his sword.

No court in the land would convict him of the first assault and no camera in the NEC had caught the second.

Poe had explained this to the security guards and then the attending police.

He said he’d witnessed the whole thing (not a lie) and that the actions Towler had taken had been proportionate (a bit of a lie) considering the circumstances.

The Brummie cops had taken his and Towler’s statements.

Poe had showed them his triple-warrant card.

Told them if he’d thought Towler had acted unreasonably, he’d have arrested him himself. That seemed to satisfy the Brummies.

‘That guy whose leg you snapped will press charges,’ Poe said. ‘He’ll try to sue you.’

Towler shrugged. ‘Probably.’

‘But?’

‘But nothing will come of it.’ He didn’t elaborate.

‘You think Archie Arreghini’s reach extends to the courts?’ Poe asked.

Towler ignored the question. He slurped his tea, glanced at Poe then said, ‘You’re ex-Black Watch.’

‘Yes.’

‘Crap hats, but a decent bunch.’

Poe looked him up and down. Saw the maroon T-shirt and desert boots. He rolled his eyes and said, ‘Oh, were you in the Parachute Regiment?’

‘I was. And I did riot control in Belfast,’ Towler said.

‘So did I.’

‘You’ll know the purpose of snatch squads then?’

‘To grab the individuals controlling the demonstration.’

‘Exactly,’ Towler yawned. He scratched his armpit. ‘Anyway, I saw you and your bookworm were in a bit of trouble. I was in a position to help, so I did.’

‘Which brings me nicely on to my next question. What are you doing here? And who the hell are you?’

Towler smiled politely. ‘That’s two questions.’

Bradshaw joined them at the tea stand. She said she wanted some fresh fruit. Poe suspected she had ulterior motives. She took a seat and pulled out her laptop.

‘His name is Matthew Towler, Poe,’ she said. ‘I’m surprised you don’t know him. He’s ex-Cumbria Police. He was forced to leave after engineering his friend’s escape from custody.’

‘Oh, you’re that guy,’ Poe said.