“A drug cartel?” Josiah snorted. “Really? The guy’s an accountant.”
“And Quarterland crooks still need people to balance their books.” Mahmoud laughed. “They need to know who owes them money and how business is going. I’ve heard of this man, because he seems a very unlikely person to be running with this particular group. He always wears a suit and tie when he comes visiting. That marks him out. He gets noticed.”
“Got any details?” Josiah asked eagerly.
“The cartel is run by a gang called the Cabot, working out of the Canary Quarter. They answer to a man called Duke – not his real name.” Mahmoud gave a knowing wink, as if Josiah hadn’t figured that out by himself. He was a cheery soul, despite his sad-faced appearance and droopy moustache. “Duke’s not one of us. He uses Quarterlands scum to do his dirty work but he rarelycomes to the Quarter himself. This one will cost you. The Cabot aren’t to be crossed.”
“You know I always pay well.”
“Not enough that I can get out of the Quarterlands,” Mahmoud muttered.
“Aw, I think you’d miss it if you did.”
“Did you?” Mahmoud fixed him with a beady stare. “You were one of us once. Do you ever miss the Quarterlands, Investigator Raine?”
Josiah grunted. “Never.”
“Well, then.”
Josiah leaned towards him. “Nobody ever really leaves the Quarterlands, Mahmoud. You know the saying: the damp gets in your bones.” He stood up and tossed Mahmoud another cash card. “I’ll always be one of you, no matter where I live. Call me if you learn anything more.”
A drug cartel. Ironic, given that Noah Lytton had hired Neil specifically to look after his croc-addicted son at university. How low had Neil sunk? Yet, if Neil had access to drug money, it would at least explain why he thought he could afford to buy Alex.
Josiah set off immediately for the Canary Quarter. He was halfway there when Reed called.
“There’s someone here asking to see you.”
“I’m busy,” Josiah said tersely. “Who is it? Can’t it wait?”
“Oh, you’ll want to see him. It’s Theodore Burgis.”
“Theodore…” Ted? “I’m on my way.”
Ted looked pinched and anxious when Josiah ushered him into a meeting room, half an hour later.
“I’ve been thinking about what you and Alex said.” Ted twisted his finger repeatedly in a chain that hung with a locketaround his neck. “I’ve not been able to sleep. Trudy couldn’t stand it. Asked me what was up, so I told her.” His cheeks were sunken, his eyes dull. He looked down. “I’m ashamed of myself. I thought I was protecting Trudy and the kids, but she was furious with me. She said I had to do what’s right. She’s from the Quarterlands, too, but she never became an IS, not like me. She’d never sell herself to anyone for anything. She didn’t like the idea that Tyler had a hold on us. She didn’t realise the shop was because of him. I told her we stood to lose everything if we pissed him off, but she said she’d rather that than be in someone’s pocket. She’s not scared of anything. She’s fearless.” There was a huge sense of pride in his voice.
“She sounds like a wonderful woman,” Josiah said gently.
“She is. I’m lucky. Some don’t even find one – I found two.” Ted bit on his lip. “So, I’m here to offer my testimony, sir, if it’ll help. I’ll testify against that bastard Tyler.”
“Thank you. As for whether it’ll help… it can’t hurt.”
“I saw that you’d arrested him. I admit, I didn’t think you’d get this far. I underestimated you, sir.” Ted sat back in his chair and gazed at Josiah respectfully. “Most people don’t mess with Tyler. I thought he’d threaten you, and you’d back off, because that’s what’s always happened before. I didn’t think it was worth the risk.”
“I won’t give up on this case,” Josiah told him firmly. “I’ll do everything in my power to get justice for Solange.”
“They said on the news that you’d found her.” Ted looked suddenly sad and broken. “Is that true? Did you find her, Mr Raine?”
“I thought so, but the IS database says otherwise.” Josiah sighed. “The DNA from the skull we found doesn’t match her IS records. We think Tyler has tampered with the IS database, but we can’t prove it.”
Ted stared at him. “I’ve got something that might help. One time, back in Vertex Tower, we were messing around; it could be dead boring doing that job. I said how much I loved her hair, so she gave me a lock of it. Would it be possible to get her DNA from it?”
Josiah felt a surge of hope. “Yes, it’s possible. Where’s the hair?”
“Right here.” Ted unfastened the locket from around his neck. “I always carry it around. Trudy doesn’t mind. She’s always known about Solange, though not what happened to her, only that she died. I didn’t tell her how until now.” He opened the locket to reveal a tuft of hair. “She had beautiful hair, everyone said so.” Ted handed the locket to Josiah. “I hope it helps, sir.”
Josiah took the locket to Mel and instructed her to extract the DNA immediately, and then he returned to take Ted’s statement in full.
