Page 68 of Twisted Lies

‘You must have really enjoyed watching us chase our own tails,’ Kim said.

And sometimes she just couldn’t keep them in.

The dark brown eyes that met hers were impossible to read.

‘There was no entertainment for me, Inspector. I was simply doing my job, exactly as I have been trained.’

‘But you’re part of a team…’

‘I have no team. I work alone, and I do what I’ve been trained to do, and nothing is more important than the safety of the people I’m being paid to protect.’

There was so much that Kim wanted to say, but doing so would only prolong the woman’s presence, which Kim was already developing an aversion to. There was no apology in her expression, and Kim guessed they would have to agree to disagree on the conduct of a police officer.

‘Okay, tell us everything you can about Keith Phipps,’ Kim said, moving to the top of the office and crossing her arms. The words ‘and then you can leave’ hung between them.

‘Jacko—’

‘Keith,’ Kim interrupted, informing the woman they would stick with the names they knew.

Leanne rolled her eyes but obliged. ‘Keith was born into abject poverty in the East End of London. He was the youngest of five brothers and learned quickly how to take care of himself. By the time he was fifteen, he’d dropped out of school and was doing the only thing he did well. Fight.’

‘He was boxing at fifteen?’ Bryant asked aghast. ‘He was a kid.’

Leanne nodded. ‘But he was a tough kid. Many start before they’re ten years old, but the sport for kids is governed heavily. Not so much in the circles Keith moved. It was a blood sport, where kids knocked the shit out of each other for the enjoyment of paying adults. Once he turned eighteen, he was recruited by someone called Eddie Flint, who worked for the Tyler family.’

Kim shook her head, although the name seemed familiar.

‘The Tyler family is one of the most powerful crime families in London. Freddie Tyler and his brother, Paul, have their fingers in more pies than Aunt Bessie.’

No one laughed at her poor attempt at humour, but they were all listening intently.

‘So Keith started boxing for the Tylers. It was legit at first and the money was rolling in. Keith got himself a wife and a couple of young kids before they started telling him which fights to throw. He wasn’t keen, but he wasn’t so light on his feet anymore and the family knew it. They could make more on the betting scams, and he needed to keep making money so he did what he was told.’

‘Explains his sudden string of losses,’ Penn observed.

‘So what happened?’ Stacey asked.

‘Keith knew a fair bit of the Tylers’ enterprises, and he turned a blind eye to most things, but he did have a hatred for drugs. His oldest brother had died of a heroin overdose and another was addicted to prescription drugs. He heard a couple of guys talking about a particularly big shipment of cocaine, and he snitched.’

‘He turned informant?’

Leanne nodded. ‘His intel got three shipments caught before they reached the docks. The Tylers aren’t stupid and started taking steps to track the mole. At that point, he was pulled out and put into witness protection.’

‘Did he testify?’

Leanne nodded. ‘Got the brothers sent down for three years.’

‘And they’re out now?’

‘Oh yeah, and back running their lucrative business in our nation’s capital.’

‘Well, isn’t that the obvious place to start looking?’ Kim asked. ‘Surely the Tyler family has found him and suitably punished him. They must have police officers on their payroll. Someone has given them the information.’

‘Possible but unlikely,’ Leanne said, cutting her off. ‘Our records are—’

‘Kept remotely and as secure as the Crown Jewels. Yeah, I know that, but our killer got his information from somewhere.’

‘Our files show no evidence of being hacked, and it’s not their style.’