Necessary as Blood

of fact, it was, yes. They were old friends, I believe, and Sandra thought our association might further my business interests.‘
    ‘And did it?‘ Kincaid asked, drinking more of his
    tea.
    Azad glanced out at the restaurant and lifted his hand in an encompassing gesture. ‘It is always good to have connections. I could not run this restaurant strictly on the custom of Bangladeshis, and some of my... connections... have provided the occasional cash infusion. With a good return, I must say.‘
    ‘And yet you‘ve had trouble with the white community, I understand, Mr Azad. Vandalism, was it?‘
    ‘Do you call throwing rocks and gasoline bombs through the window ‘‘vandalism‘‘, Mr Kincaid? Perhaps you do not take it any more seriously than did your colleagues?‘ Although Azad‘s voice remained level, Kincaid sensed a deep-coursing anger.
    He wondered what it took for this man to keep it buried when he socialized with the white, City types at the club in Widegate Street — men who had never known prejudice, never experienced the violence of a Molotov cocktail, never trembled in fear of a mob.
    ‘I‘m sorry the police weren‘t more helpful, Mr Azad,‘ he said genuinely. ‘Do you have any idea who might have been responsible? 1
    Azad looked at him for a long moment, then he stood and walked over to one of the lush, green photographs on his office wall. Studying it, he said, ‘It is always our dream, Mr Kincaid. To make our fortune here, then to go home to Sylhet as rich and respected elders, the envy of all our neighbours and relatives. But, for most of us, it does not happen. Our lives are here. Our children‘s lives are here. We do not want to make difficulties with those who become our friends, our associates.‘ He fell silent.
    ‘You knew them,‘ Kincaid said quietly. ‘And you didn‘t tell the police. Who were they, Mr Azad?‘
    Azad didn‘t turn. ‘I saw their faces. They had their hoods up, like the thugs they are. But still, I recognized them. Sandra Gilles‘s brothers.‘

    Standing abruptly, Lou Phillips picked up her glass again and rattled the ice in it. ‘I‘m going for a refill. Do you want another?‘
    Gemma shook her head. ‘No, thanks. I‘m fine,‘ she said, but she stood as well and followed Louise back inside the flat. In the kitchen, as Louise broke a few more ice cubes from the tray and plunked them in her glass, Gemma asked, ‘What did you do, Louise? How did you let Naz down?‘
    Louise half-filled the glass with gin, then topped it off with tonic. ‘After Sandra disappeared, Naz rewrote his will. He asked me if I would be Charlotte‘s guardian.‘ She turned, leaning against the worktop, but didn‘t meet Gemma‘s eyes. ‘I said no.‘
    Gemma stared at her in disbelief. ‘Why?‘
    ‘Because... because I didn‘t think anything would happen to Naz. Because I thought Sandra would come back. And then, when she didn‘t, I thought — I began to wonder — I know most of these things are... domestic.‘ She looked at Gemma now, appealing. ‘It‘s my job. Yours, too. We see the worst.‘
    ‘As in it‘s usually the spouse? You thought Naz was responsible for Sandra‘s disappearance?‘
    ‘God help me.‘ Louise reached for her glass and wrapped visibly unsteady hands around it. ‘I suspected him. I didn‘t see how he could have done it. But he was so different afterwards, so distant — I thought... And I was so angry with him because he shut me out. If he talked at all, it was about this friend, this Dr Cavendish, when Naz and I had been friends for years. I was jealous. It was petty of me, and stupid. And now... now I can‘t put it right.‘
    ‘Can‘t you? Louise, couldn‘t you change things now, as executor? Isn‘t there some way you could take legal responsibility for Charlotte?‘
    Louise shook her head. ‘No. The will was witnessed. It will stand.‘ She hesitated, then said, ‘I‘m sorry I didn‘t do what Naz wanted, I really am. But even if it were legally possible, I couldn‘t take care of Charlotte.‘
    ‘I don‘t understand.‘
    ‘I — I‘m not cut out for it. I don‘t — I‘m fond of Charlotte, but she never really... warmed to me. This‘ — she looked towards the balcony — ‘this place, and Tam and Michael, this is all I‘m likely to have in the way of family. I‘m just not suited to looking after a child.‘
    ‘And you think Gail Gilles would do better?‘

    Although it was a struggle to keep her temper in check,