Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks [68]
‘Please…no…’ She pushed down on his hands, she struggled to get away. He held her tighter. His rough hands slid up under her top. Nina screamed, struggled.
‘You’re strong.’
Nina was strong. She lifted her grandmother in and out of bed every day. She carried heavy groceries all day long. She pushed him off and lurched forward out of his grip, knocking the spoon out of the pot, showering Rizal in scalding curry.
He screamed in pain. ‘All right. All right.’ He lifted both his palms in the air as if he hadn’t meant to touch her and it was all a mistake.
There was a knock at the door. After much cursing Rizal answered it, still wiping the curry from his face. It was Shrimp and two other detectives..
‘Please…’ Nina stepped past Rizal. She kept her eyes locked on Shrimp’s, willing him to help her.
‘Are you all right, miss?’
She nodded and hurried past, disappearing down the stairs.
A dirty-faced, naked child came to cling to Rizal’s leg and there was the sound of another one crying somewhere in the flat.
‘What?’ He looked nervously at Shrimp. ‘What do you want?’ He shook the child away from his leg, irritably.
‘We just want a word. Can we come in?’
Rizal muttered under his beery breath as he turned and walked back into the flat and Shrimp and the detectives followed. Shrimp could see that it hadn’t taken long for the place to fall apart without Michelle.
‘When is she coming home? I can’t cook. My business is going down the pan. I’m lucky Nina helps.’ Rizal handed the crying child a piece of bread and pushed it protesting into another room. He threw off the papers from the couch and half fell, half lurched as he sat heavily down. He broke the top off a beer and drank it. He offered one to Shrimp. Shrimp declined.
‘Michelle’s still helping us with our enquiries. These gentlemen have come to tidy your flat for you and collect the samples that you forgot to give us downstairs. Is Lilly about?’
Rizal wiped his mouth with a disgusted growl. ‘She doesn’t come near here unless she wants money. She should be here to help me with all this.’ He swept a drunken arm around as the noise of the crying child in the next room began to rise again. ‘She should be cooking for the food stall. She should be doing something to help her family, right?’
‘Where do you think I would find her right now?’
Rizal leant the rim of his beer bottle against his cheek as he thought. ‘Right now? How the fuck should I know? Out with her boyfriend probably. The girl’s got no morals. If you know what I mean. She gives it away to a lot of boys.’ He looked at Shrimp questioningly. He got a blank face back. ‘Not just boys. She likes her men does Lilly. Way older than she looks. Likes to hang around the bars at night-time, if you know what I mean. All dressed up. Skirt up to here.’ Rizal ran a hand across his lap. Then he wiped his hand on his filthy trousers before finishing his beer and slamming the bottle down on the table.
‘I will leave these officers here to do their job. Do what they ask; otherwise you’ll be taken down the station.’
Rizal sat back on the sofa and put his feet on the table. He lit a cigarette. ‘Tell Michelle I miss her. Tell her her loving boyfriend is thinking of her and misses her,’ he said to Shrimp’s back as he left.
Shrimp looked around for Nina, she was gone. He took the stairs down to the Delhi Grill. He went to find her.
Chapter 47
It was 4 p.m. when Mann got back for the meeting. Forensics had come back with some answers.
‘Have you heard from Tammy?’ Mia asked. She looked straight ahead as she walked purposefully. Mia had a spring in her stride. She walked like a dancer, shoulders back, chin up.
‘Not since I told her to lay low. I’ve been caught up in the murder.’ Mann took out his phone and sent her a text telling her to phone him.
The incident room was full. Mann walked in with Mia. Ng and Daniel Lu were already there. Sheng joined them as Daniel picked up an e-mail he’d just printed off.
‘Saheed