Maddie headed straight for the television and sought comfort in Alvin and the Chipmunks. Tom joined her. I took them in some biscuits and milkshake then got myself a cup of tea.
So now I knew. JB hadn’t been a user. Smiley had killed him. Found some way to stick a needle in his arm and pump him full of heroin. Oh, I was jumping to conclusions, but it wasn’t much of a jump. Now I had a whole new crop of questions. They all began with why. Why was asking after a runaway such a threat to Smiley? After all, I’d seen Martin myself. He wasn’t dead or anything.
Maybe he was mixed up with the drug cartels or starring in porno films. Interest in Martin might turn up information that jeopardised others. Worth killing to keep under wraps. But JB hadn’t found anything out anyway, as far as I knew.
I’d have to go to the police. What’s the point, as Leanne would say? All I had was hearsay. Impossible to prove without Leanne’s co-operation. And running counter to the official version of events. Nevertheless, I’d have to tell them what I’d heard. There was no way I was going to pursue some nutter like Smiley. Way out of my league. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to know a bit more about him. I rang Harry.
‘Sal, you’ve saved me!’
‘From?’
‘Repetitive Strain Injury. I’ve been glued to the screen all bloody day. I forget to take breaks. They’re addictive, you know.’ I didn’t. My funds didn’t stretch to a typewriter, let alone a word-processor. It was high on my list of things I’d get when-my-boat-comes-in.
‘An article?’ I asked.
‘Guardian. Selling off Salford – poorest city in the land. Dockland development for the rich, no-go areas for the poor.’
‘I get the picture.’
‘So, is this a social call?’
‘No, business. I want to find out about someone, well, he’s a gangster by all accounts.’ Harry made a murmur of surprise.
‘He was seen leaving JB’s flat the day he died.’
‘How was the funeral?’
‘Deadly.’
Harry laughed.
Maddie came out of the lounge and thrust her empty cup in my face. I nodded and pointed to the phone. She went off whining.
‘I’m not up to date on the criminal fraternity,’ said Harry, ‘but I know a man who is. What’s this bloke’s name?’
‘Don’t know. Nickname’s Smiley. Got a scar either side of his mouth. He’s done time, into heavy stuff, drugs, pornography. That’s all I know.’
‘See what I can do. No rush, is there?’
‘No. Curiosity really. I’m not about to rustle up a posse.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
Bedtime was a marathon. To make amends for the day, I treated Maddie to an extra long story about space princesses with secret powers. I didn’t get downstairs till half-past nine. The lounge was a tip. Littered with toys, empty cups, kids’ clothes. I hadn’t the energy to clear it up but I couldn’t stand looking at the clutter.
