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By Root 318 0

bed now, the couples were out. They perched on the railings like lines of seagulls in a seaside town. The girls sat on the top, the boys took their photos. They look so young, thought Mann. He didn’t think he was ever that young. He knew you had to be young to really fall in love, unconditionally. You had to be full of compromise, still finding who you are, still trying to change into someone better. If Mann could turn back the clock he would have chosen a different route for Helen but not for himself. He couldn’t give Helen what she wanted no matter how much she loved him. He had scar tissue over his heart that never healed; he wished that she’d never fallen in love with him. But the one thing he had promised himself was that he would keep hunting down the men who had met her along the road to death. He would never stop pursuing them. Mann had killed the one who finished her life but he had yet to find the others who tortured her, who did nothing to help her.

Now something nagged at him day and night. The memory of Helen had come back screaming at him. It wouldn’t give him peace.

Mann headed away from the river and called Mia en route.

‘Where is Tammy now?’ Mia sounded tense.

‘I have just told her to stall things, sit tight. I’m suspending Operation Schoolyard. She’s at risk.’

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. He knew what Mia would be doing. He could hear her sigh. She would have closed her eyes. She would have frowned. She would be disappointed but she would respect his judgement.

‘If you think so, Mann, then okay. But it means starting all over again, it took us so long to find Tammy and get her into the school.’

‘I know. But this is uncharted territory. We’ve never put a female officer in this kind of risk before. I’d rather back out now. She’s disappointed too.’

‘Of course, she will be: big risks, big rewards. Talking of big rewards, on your way back come via the car park and look in your space. Your new car got delivered.’

‘What new car?’

‘Well, judging by the keys I have in my hand I would say it’s a brand new Maserati in your space in the car park. Someone’s given you an expensive present.’

Mann turned the corner to see the woman with the blond hair walking quickly away.

Chapter 26

Ruby left Mann at the Bruce Lee statue and texted as fast as she walked. She had done what she was asked to do. Her work was finished for the evening. She walked via the subway, through to Nathan Road and then back up the steps to the Mansions. The Africans were sat on the steps, watching. Ruby kept her head down as she passed them. She was sick of the way they sat around on the steps, talking, laughing. She was sick of the way their eyes followed her. They would regret it. They had had their day. The Outcasts would see to that. One by one they would be chased out of the Mansions or they would be picked off and slaughtered.

She passed Hafiz at the entrance to the Mansions. She hardly noticed him step in behind her but she knew he would be there. The Africans were watching him nervously too. Ruby felt Hafiz’s hand brush her arm. She turned and looked at him and smiled. He stared hard at her and then grinned. She nodded. He pulled a whistle from his pocket and let out three small beeps and one long blast and repeated it three times. Ruby walked quickly away from him. She took the stairs up to her floor. She cocked her head, pausing to listen at each landing. She heard the whistles being answered. The Mansions were coming alive with the sound of running feet.

‘He’s on the next landing,’ Hafiz shouted. This was Block C, floor twelve. Doors banged shut as the familiar whistles went up and down the landing. It was replica bag land, knock-off watches and fake designer goods, full of small factories, guesthouses, apartments.

‘Corner him,’ came a reply.

They chased their victim down the corridor. Their voices bounced off the concrete walls, their feet thundered and echoed up the piss-ridden stairwell and down the dark landings. The sickly hue of strip lighting threw their shadows up the graffiti on the walls.