From his hideaway tucked up on the bank of the Kelvin Blackford had a good view of everyone who came and left Hayden’s flat. It struck him how easy it would be for the Police to monitor the house, and wondered if his past paranoia had been justified.
For the first time that day Blackford started to properly worry. He hadn’t really taken Jen’s disappearance that seriously , but as he sat watching the dealers house a chill washed over him. Angel was right, for Jen not to get in touch was way out of character, and if Hayden was involved who knew where she could have ended up. This thought was like a wedge in a crack, opening up his mind to all sorts of images. He thought of Jen’s parents, and whether he would call them or let Angel do it. Jen had gone back there for a week after they’d split up and had probably told them the lot, they had that kind of relationship. He then thought of a police interrogation room, hours of questioning leading him round and round facts he couldn’t quite recall. Most of all he thought of his own drunken stupidity and selfishness. He fingered the small square in his pocket and continued to stare intently across the river at Hayden’s door.
Davies was the first to leave the flat, his arms swinging from side to side as he barrelled down the road. Blackford let him go. After about 30 minutes the door opened again and Blackford saw the front wheel of a bike emerge, followed shortly by the rest of the bike and the dreadlocked girl pushing from the saddle. She looked left and right, closed the door and mounted the BMX.
Blackford scrambled down the bank in an avalanche of dust and debris; he hadn’t counted on her being on wheels. Hitting the ground running, Blackford fought to keep one eye on the path and the other on the bike as it undulated in and out of his vision on the other side of the river. He kept abreast of her for 100 metres or so then broke into a sprint when he saw they were approaching the tunnel under
She didn’t show. Realising his mistake Blackford spun around and pulled himself up the steps leading up to
Then through a curtain of mangled hair and tears he saw the silver BMX propped up against the wall outside a newsagent’s on the other side of the road. Without thinking he ran across the road, snatched the bike and wheeled it around the corner.
Blackford steeled himself for a fight as he stood around the corner from the shop, the bike pressed between his back and the wall. After a few moments a short gasp came from the other side, followed by a chaotic patter of flip flops as the girl started down
“Oi” he called out, a little too loudly and for want of anything better to say.
The girl turned and seeing her bike ran towards him. Relief gave way to confusion as she recognised Blackford but before she had time to react Blackford had reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close.
“What the fuck?” she cursed in his face.
Blackford spoke quickly and quietly. “I don’t want your bike, I just want some information about my friend Jenny, she’s been missing since last night. I need you to tell me what you know about her and Hayden. I hear they’ve been going around.”
She struggled in his grip, “What if she has?”
“Like I said I just want to find my friend. Did she come around to the flat last night?”
Again she resisted: “What makes you think I know anything about it?”
The girl wasn’t giving anything away in a hurry. Blackford took a gamble.
“If you want your bike back you do.”
She laughed at him.
“You take that bike and it’ll cost you your other knee. Hayden knows you stole his phone.”
Blackford went to plan B. He reached into his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out the small paper square and waved it in front of her face. She smiled and stopped struggling against him.
“You should have said. She’s been round at the flat.”
She reached for the wrap but Blackford drew it back quickly.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
The girl rolled her eyes. Blackford tightened his grip.
“Okay, Okay. Hayden and your girl were working a business arrangement.”
Blackford tried to keep the surprise out of his voice, “Drugs?”
“What do you think? Your girl came to Hayden, told him she had a pill source. Times being how they are Hayden was pretty keen on tapping it.”
“So what, she was selling bulk?”
“Not exactly. As far as I know she didn’t have that kind of cash to throw around. That’s where Hayden came into it. She was acting as a…what do you call it...?”
“Conduit?”
“Whatever, anyway the drop was scheduled for last night, only your girl didn’t show. Hayden’s been trying to call her ever since, figured she’s skipped with his cash.”
“I don’t understand,” Blackford ventured “Why would Hayden give her money up front?”
“Don’t ask me, maybe he was boning her.”
Blackford flinched,
“Do you know where the drop was supposed to be?”
“No, but I hope for her sake she’s far away now, Hayden doesn’t forget.”
He released her and pressed the wrap into her hand, stepping away from the bike as he did so.
“Me neither,” he rejoined after a pause, but the girl had already split.
Blackford slid down the wall and thought on what he’d heard with a smoke. According to dreadlock girl Jenny and Hayden were doing business. It was feasible – she had connections in
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