But she could prove nothing. He’d asked to take on the Boyle case, supposedly as unfinished business, but perhaps simply to ensure that it remained under his control. Whatever his motives, he’d appeared to make some progress. They’d gathered more intercept evidence against Boyle, they’d pinned down one or two more witnesses. A few more tiny pieces of the jigsaw had fallen into place. They were still a long way from having anything they could be confident would stand up in court. But, given that the Prosecution Service had already ended up with egg on its collective face once before, building a new case was always going to be a slow process.
It might be that Salter was simply going through the motions, recognising that he had to be seen to be doing something about Boyle. But Marie had seen and heard nothing that might confirm her suspicions.
And now this. Sending her back to the edge of Boyle’s stamping ground. Pushing protocol to its limit by assigning her to an area where she might be recognised. It wasn’t against the rules exactly, but it wasn’t standard practice.
The generous explanation was that Salter was, in his inimitable style, just jerking her around. He knew the situation with Liam. He knew how difficult things were getting. His initial promise had been that, even when it was time for her to go back into the front line, he’d find some operational role that kept her reasonably close to home. She’d accepted that, at least for the time being, it wouldn’t be possible for her to continue in an undercover position. She assumed they’d find her some investigation or enforcement job in London. It wasn’t exactly the career move she was looking for, but it would do till, one way or another, things became easier on the domestic front.
So maybe this was just Salter pulling the rug from under her, handing her a whole new set of problems to contend with. The less benign interpretation was that he was using her. If her suspicions were correct, and Salter really was on Boyle’s payroll, then maybe she’d been selected to do some of Boyle’s dirty work. As Salter had implied, any drug dealers in Chester were operating on the edge of Boyle’s territory. Perhaps Boyle was looking to expand his empire and her role was to help take out the competition.
Salter was leaning back in his chair, his relaxed manner suggesting that he was confident he’d achieved his objective, even though his words remained tentative. ‘Just give it some thought, sis. That’s all I want. Sleep on it overnight. We can chat about it again tomorrow.’
You smooth bastard, she thought. Whatever other qualities you might or might not have, you’re good at this. You know how to play people. You know I want to be back in the field really; you know the kind of work I want to be doing. You may even know that I’m just looking for a way to trip you up, to prove some link between you and Boyle. You’ve pitched this just right, going out on a limb yourself so you can lure me out after you.
And maybe, her mind continued before she could control her thoughts, he knows what you want at home, too. Maybe he realises that all your talk of wanting to stay near home, of needing to be there for Liam, is so much bullshit. Maybe he knows that you’re looking for a reason to get away.
Maybe. If so, Salter knew her better than she knew herself. She thought she’d reconciled herself to doing whatever it took to stay near Liam. To give him the support he needed. She’d come to terms with that – right up to the point where Salter had dangled this assignment in front of her.
She pushed herself up from her chair, determinedly looking Salter in the eye. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll think about it. And I’ll tell you tomorrow.’
Salter smiled back at her, his expression unrevealing. ‘That’s all I can ask of you, sis. All I can ask.’
‘Just about there,’ the DI said, pointing to an apparently unremarkable point on the hard shoulder. He gestured off towards the steady stream of traffic heading along the dual carriageway. ‘Cool bastard. It was well out in full view. Wouldn’t have been much traffic at that time of night, but even so…’ His tone sounded almost admiring.
‘You reckon a professional job?’ Brennan asked. It was a miserable day for early autumn. Not raining yet, but leaden skies low over the horizon. Pity any poor bugger who’d just arrived here on holiday. They were standing in a gateway to a field beyond the road. A bleak landscape. Flat grassland, windblown hedges. The tang of the grey sea in the air.
Sheep were munching unheedingly behind them, and Brennan was growing conscious of the layer of mud caking his expensive shoes. Should have changed into an old pair before setting off, but he hadn’t reckoned on getting brought on a field trip quite so quickly. Clearly, they were keen for him to see what he wanted and get out of their hair as speedily as possible.
‘Not much doubt,’ the DI said. ‘All very efficient. Clean as a whistle. Nothing much for forensics.’ Not a Welshman, Brennan thought. Maybe a hint of Scouser there. Come over the border to do missionary work.
‘What about the victims?’ Brennan had read the files and, in his usual way, had memorised most of the salient points. But it was always useful to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Sometimes you heard stuff that they didn’t want to write down. ‘Known?’
‘One of them. Mo Tallent. Small time freelance: runs errands for anyone with a bob or two. The pride of Rhyl. No Talent, we called him.’
‘Very droll.’ Brennan moved to stand next to the DI, who was staring at the grass before him as if the two bodies were still lying there. ‘What about the other?’
‘No record. But one of the immigration officers at the port remembered him driving a car with Tallent in the passenger seat. False passports, so the names don’t tally. False plates on the car, but a match with Tallent’s passport and with the car type and colour if anyone did a cursory check.’
Brennan nodded. ‘So they were on business.’
‘Seems like it. Someone else’s business. Tallent wasn’t connected enough to set up those kind of arrangements on his own.’
‘But we’ve an idea what the business was?’ Brannan straightened up and looked at the DI. Like getting blood from a sodding pebble, he thought, even though we both know I’ve read the bloody file.
The DI nodded. ‘Four of them in the car, according to the border records. Tallent. Mr X. And two women. Working girls, we’re assuming. Probably illegals, being taken to a nice new home in the big city – Liverpool or Manchester. That’s where Tallent did most of his bigger business.’
Brennan turned and surveyed the flat, unenticing landscape. There was some fine country in North Wales. This wasn’t it. ‘What about Tallent’s associates?’
The DI shrugged. ‘We’re pursuing that, of course. But everyone’s clammed up, as you’d expect.’
‘And the women?’ Brennan had already begun to walk back towards the road and their parked car. He couldn’t imagine that he was likely to learn much more from being out here. Other than never to wear his best shoes to work.
‘Nothing. We presume they were taken.’
‘Jesus.’ Brennan paused, his eyes fixed on the passing traffic. ‘Pieces of meat.’
‘Pretty much.’ The DI caught up with him, sounding slightly out of breath. ‘I imagine they’ve probably ended up in your neck of the woods.’ He made the words sound slightly accusatory, as if Brennan had been casting aspersions on local morality.
‘I dare say,’ Brennan agreed. ‘So