Liars All Read Free Page A

come to the same conclusion, and realised how it would look; that this was a man sufficiently depraved not only to mow down a young couple in his car, not only to rob them while they lay broken-bodied in the gutter, but to make a crippled girl relive the worst moments of her life rather than admit to doing what the dogs in the street knew he’d done. They’d
had a serious word with him after opening submissions. As soon as the court reconvened they asked for the charges to be put again, and this time Carson pleaded guilty.
    The first thing Deacon did was look at his watch. But it was too late to head for Gatwick. They’d be on their way home by now. If Daniel hadn’t got lost.
    Deacon returned to his office in Battle Alley, meaning to immerse himself in work. In fact, though he had plenty to do, all he did was stare at the papers spread across his desk until the print blurred and ran. It might have been cuneiform, reporting crimes in ancient Ur.
    Finally a hand closed the file he was peering at. Deacon blinked and checked where his own had got to; but they were still where he’d left them, one each side of the anachronistic blotter, half circling the reading matter in a protective embrace like harbour walls. So someone else had recognised the pointlessness of what he was doing and rescued him from it.
    Detective Sergeant Voss said quietly, ‘Why don’t you go to her house and put the kettle on? They’ll be back soon, and she’ll be desperate for a cup of tea.’
    Deacon gave a bear-like shrug. He growled, ‘There are things that need doing.’
    â€˜Yes, there are,’ agreed Voss with a solemn nod of his ginger head. ‘And I’d be able to get on with them if you’d stop cluttering the place up. Go and meet Brodie. See if there’s any news.’
    â€˜There isn’t,’ said Deacon. He made no effort to move. ‘I talked to her last night. Nobody’s holding out much hope at all.’

    â€˜All the more reason you should be there when she gets home.’ Charlie Voss was more than twenty years younger than his boss. All they had in common was the job. In spite of which, a relationship had developed between them that was as close to friendship as Deacon was probably capable of. Voss talked to his superintendent in ways that would have prompted Deacon to throw anyone else out of his office, then follow him along the landing in order to kick him downstairs.
    This was less to do with Deacon having a soft spot for his sergeant – general consensus at Battle Alley was that The Grizzly didn’t have any soft spots: not for his officers, his partner or even his sick baby – than with Voss’s management skills. Like the best butlers he knew when to listen, when to speak and when to speak frankly; and even Deacon had eventually realised that it was no coincidence that his professional life had suddenly got both easier and more productive. A good sergeant is indispensable to a superintendent. It wasn’t just that Voss’s legs were younger than his own. Sometimes his brain was quicker. And he was better with people. Deacon thought of people as a necessary evil. Voss understood that they were what made the job worth doing.
    â€˜Maybe you’re right,’ grunted Deacon. He pushed his big body back from the desk and stood up. ‘If anyone’s looking for me…’
    â€˜I’ll let you know,’ nodded Voss. It wasn’t the first time he’d lied to his boss, and was unlikely to be the last.

Chapter Three
    Halfway across town, with sudden uncharacteristic sentimentality, Deacon thought he should take them something – flowers for Brodie, a toy for Jonathan – to welcome them home, and bring a brief smile to their weary faces.
    The flowers were easy. He went into the flower shop and pointed. But Mothercare frightened the life out of him. He grabbed a rubber ball with tentacle-like protrusions and a