Читать книгу Specials: Based on the BBC TV Drama Series: The complete novels in one volume - Brian Degas - Страница 13

It took a superhuman effort for Andy McAllister, Bob Loach, Viv Smith, two PC’s and the arresting officer to force the struggling mass of a miserable prostitute by the name of Big Jess into a nearby cell.

While the weird wrestling continued, suddenly Loach let out a yell of intense pain. Big Jess had Loach’s thumb between her teeth as if she were chomping on a sausage.

Loach made a fist with his other hand and threw it into the exposed face of Big Jess.

The impact moved her entire head away from Loach’s thumb, and she slumped to the floor. The others managed to get a firm grasp on the mass of flesh, raise her off the hard floor and dump her on the bunk-bed in the cell with a great sigh of relief. Big Jess just snored and snuffled, no longer conscious of a world awake and outside her pleasant dreams.

In the meantime, Loach was examining his wounded extremity.

McAllister made a sympathetic cluck with his tongue. ‘I suppose I’d better make a report that the offender suffered an injury during the struggle.’

Loach displayed the bloody stump of his thumb. ‘She was going to bite it off!’

Sergeant McAllister restrained himself from snickering. ‘Don’t worry, laddie. That goes in the report as well. G.B.H.T.T.’

There was an inquisitive look from Loach.

‘Grievous Bodily Harm To a Thumb.’ He allowed his diagnosis time to register in Loach’s brain. ‘And get it checked.’

Then McAllister turned to the arresting officer. ‘Get the surgeon to check her.’ Truth be known, he was more concerned with Loach’s health than hers. Big Jess was the Frank Tyson of the prostitute world.

At the Byron-Newman engineering works, there was now an ambulance as well as three other patrol cars, and another vehicle belonging to the manager of the works. All of a sudden the scene had become as busy as it might be in the middle of the day.

Anjali Shah was looking down compassionately at young Raj Patel lying on the stretcher, waiting to be taken to the hospital to get some attention for his leg. He was visibly trying to contain his fear.

‘Who was the one who did this to you, Raj? What’s his name?’ She was making every effort to relate to him, not as a uniformed officer of the law but rather as a concerned human being from a similar background.

Nonetheless, he gritted his teeth and shook his head defiantly.

There was nothing left to be said for now. Anjali and Toby watched the young man being placed carefully into the ambulance, as they were joined by the manager of the engineering works.

‘Another hero,’ Toby muttered.

The manager piped up in reply. ‘If there was any justice, he should’ve broken his neck.’

Toby noticed Anjali’s reaction.

‘Bit over the top, don’t you think, sir?’ Toby gently chided him. ‘I mean – they missed the money box. And what they stole was a bit of machinery, wasn’t it?’ Of course the manager was upset, but it was time to bring his anxieties back to earth.

‘A very expensive drilling bit, officer,’ the manager explained in a patronizing tone. ‘Only about thirty-five thousand quid. Not that it makes much difference. Fat chance we’ll ever hear of it again …’

The next remark the manager aimed toward Anjali. ‘… especially since ethnics are involved.’

After staring her down, the manager was about to turn away when Anjali spoke.

‘Excuse me, sir. Will you let us try to get your property back before you press charges?’

The manager was immediately suspicious.

‘Why? You know something I don’t?’

Anjali’s response was neither timid nor equivocal. ‘I know one of the offenders. After all, I’m an ethnic myself.’ She wasn’t mincing her words, Toby noted. ‘At least let me make enquiries.’

The last comment startled Toby. The manager gave her a lingering look, which gradually dwindled into a knowing smile.

‘Why not? The head accountant won’t be back for a couple o’ days.’ His smile turned up at one corner, the equivalent of a wink at Anjali, and he moved away.

Toby waited for the manager to get out of earshot before lashing into Special Constable Shah.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ he berated her. ‘You can’t make deals!’ The request should have come from Toby, if anyone.

Anjali made no attempt to contradict him. ‘I’m sorry. I had no right to do that.’ Yet this time she did equivocate. ‘But surely it’s just as important to contain crime.’

Her statement implied a question, although Toby was sure she knew the answer as well as he did. ‘That’s not what worries me.’

He had to confront her with the larger question, the underlying issue, although he was almost sure to be misunderstood. He tried to show his concern, rather than his own attitude toward those of Asian extraction.

‘Aren’t you identifying too closely with your own kind?’

The look in her eyes was the same as she had given the manager of the engineering works.