‘Then the cabbie’s lying,’ said Rachel.
‘Was he a scrote?’ Gill asked Janet.
‘Not on first impressions – regular bloke. But if the neighbour’s right,’ Janet went on, ‘Sean’s telling us he left the flat with non-existent shopping.’
‘OK,’ Gill said quickly, ‘when would someone admit to a crime they didn’t commit?’
‘Cover up something else,’ Janet said.
Like murder, thought Rachel.
‘Misdirect us,’ said Pete.
‘Protect someone else,’ Lee said.
‘Now I really need some more time,’ Janet said.
‘Too right,’ Gill said. ‘And our rodent friend has described Sean Broughton selling the phone, so you can chuck that into the mix. OK? I’ll get busy on an arrest strategy.’
* * *
Gill sought Janet out. ‘For all he’s yanking us about, we’ve still no physical evidence tying Sean Broughton to the murder itself. We’ve found him present and correct all over the body, but he can still argue innocence. They were a couple. The lubricant, the condom…’ Gill said, something she’d been musing over. ‘Suppose Lisa did have someone else in the flat. She puts Sean off, shags mystery man, who leaves, then Sean rolls up, puts it together, kills her in a jealous rage…’ She waited for Janet to raise objections.
‘If she fenced the shopping, we can assume that’s to buy drugs.’
‘Likely,’ said Gill.
‘Lover boy may have been her dealer – or it was another way to make some dosh,’ said Janet.
‘She’d gone on the game?’
‘Would he care?’ Janet said. ‘If they could buy gear as a result, he wouldn’t really mind, would he?’
‘Find out,’ Gill said. Hard to know. A lot of lowlifes pimped out their girlfriends. Sex being the only currency they had. Those without a girl to hand would sell themselves if they got desperate enough. Sex’n’drugs’n’rock’n’roll – nothing glamorous about the scene in north Manchester. Gill checked her watch. ‘If we do go for an arrest, then we go early doors tomorrow.’
Janet said, ‘Dawn raid in December, eh?’
‘Wear your thermals,’ Gill said. ‘Hey, when things are less frantic, we should get out, make a night of it.’
‘I’d like that,’ Janet said.
‘Work round any plans you and Ade have.’
‘No plans,’ Janet said, sounding a bit flat. ‘Can’t remember when we last had plans – least not plans that weren’t about school concerts and dental check-ups.’
‘You do need to get out,’ Gill said, surprised at the tone in Janet’s voice. Janet and Ade had been together for ever, high school sweethearts. And though, in later years, Janet sometimes joked about how mundane her homelife was, it was done in good humour; disparaging, but with affection. Now, there was a bitter edge.
