Dead Man's Grip

curls and a cheeky grin on her face. He felt a twinge of envy. Maybe, with luck, he’d have photos like that on his desk one day, too.
    ‘Sorry to hear that,’ Rigg said. ‘If you need any time out, let me know. How many weeks is she?’
    ‘Twenty-six.’
    He frowned. ‘Well, let’s hope all’s OK.’
    ‘Thank you, sir. She’s coming home tomorrow, so it looks like she’s out of immediate danger.’
    As the MSA came in with Grace’s coffee, the ACC looked down at a sheet of printed paper on his blotter, on which were some handwritten notes. ‘ Operation Violin ,’ he said pensively. Then he looked up with a grin. ‘Good to know our computer’s got a sense of humour!’
    Now it was Grace’s turn to frown. ‘A sense of humour?’
    ‘Don’t you remember that film Some Like It Hot ? Didn’t the mobsters carry their machine guns in violin cases?’
    ‘Ah, yes, right! Of course. I hadn’t made the connection.’
    Grace grinned. Then he felt a sudden, uncomfortable twinge. It had been Sandy’s favourite film of all time. They used to watch it together every Christmas, when it was repeated on television. She could repeat some of the lines perfectly. Particularly the very last line. She’d cock her head, look at him and say, “Well, nobody’s perfect!”’
    Then the smile slipped from the Assistant Chief Constable’s face. ‘Roy, I’m concerned about the Mafia connection with this case.’
    Grace nodded. ‘The parents are over here now, to identify the body.’
    ‘I’m aware of that. What I don’t like is that we are not in terrain we’re familiar with. I think this has the potential to go pear-shaped.’
    ‘In what sense, sir?’
    Immediately, Grace knew he shouldn’t have said that, but it was too late to retract it.
    Rigg’s face darkened. ‘We’re in the middle of a bloody recession. Businesses in this city are hurting. Tourist trade is down. Brighton’s had an unwarranted reputation as the crime capital of the UK for seven decades and we are trying to do something about it, to reassure people this city is as safe as anywhere on the planet to visit. The last thing we need is the bloody American Mafia headlining in the press here.’
    ‘We have a good relationship with the Argus so I’m sure we can keep that aspect under control.’
    ‘You are, are you?’
    Rigg was starting to look angry. It was the first time Grace had seen this side of him.
    ‘I think if we handle them carefully and give them plenty of information in advance of the national press, yes, we can, sir.’
    ‘So what about this reward?’
    The word hit Grace like a sledgehammer. ‘Reward?’ he asked, surprised.
    ‘Reward. Yes.’
    ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean, sir.’
    Rigg waved a hand, summoning Grace round to his side of the desk. He leaned forward and tapped on his keyboard, then pointed at his computer screen.
    Grace saw the banner THE ARGUS in black letters underlined in red. Beneath were the words: Latest Headlines. Updated 9.25 a.m.

    MAFIA BOSS’S DAUGHTER OFFERS
$100,000 REWARD FOR SON’S KILLER

    His heart sinking, he read on:

    Fernanda Revere, daughter of New York Mafia Capo Sal Giordino, currently serving 11 consecutive life sentences for murder, this morning told Argus reporter Kevin Spinella outside the gates of Brighton and Hove City Mortuary, she is offering $100,000 for information leading to the identity of the van driver responsible for the death of her son, Tony Revere. Revere, 21, a student at Brighton University, was killed yesterday after his bicycle was in a multiple-vehicle collision involving an Audi car, a van and a lorry in Portland Road, Hove.
    Police are appealing for witnesses. Inspector James Biggs of Hove Road Policing Unit said, ‘We are anxious to trace the driver of a white Ford Transit van involved in the collision, which drove off at speed immediately after. It was a callous act.’

    ‘You know what I particularly don’t like in this piece, Roy?’
    Grace had a pretty good idea. ‘The wording of the reward, sir?’
    Rigg nodded. ‘ Identity ,’ he said. ‘I don’t like that word. It worries me. The customary wording is for information leading to the arrest
and conviction . I’m not happy about this leading to the identity wording here. It’s vigilante territory.’
    ‘It could just be that the woman was tired – and it wasn’t actually what she meant to say.’
    Even before he had finished, Grace knew this sounded lame.
    Rigg looked back