Necessary as Blood

talk to your partner. I‘m sorry, but Naz Malik is dead.‘
    ‘What?‘ She stared at him, and her dark skin seemed to go slightly grey. ‘You‘re joking.‘ She swallowed, pressing her fingers to her lips as she shook her head. ‘No. You said “police". You don‘t joke. But I don‘t understand. When? How? Was it an accident?‘
    ‘We think not.‘
    ‘But...‘ Reaching for a packet of Silk Cut on her desk, Phillips fumbled a cigarette free and lit it with a cheap plastic lighter. Through an exhaled stream of smoke, she squinted at him. ‘No, it wouldn‘t be, not if you‘re Scotland Yard. And you said you were a superintendent. Major-crimes unit, I should think.‘
    Kincaid fought the impulse to cough as the smoke reached him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cullen, who had got out his notebook, glance at the window. Giving Cullen an infinitesimal shake of the head, he said, ‘Ms Phillips, when did you last talk to your partner?‘
    ‘Friday. Friday afternoon. We‘ve been working on a case that goes to trial next week. We had a meeting with the barrister in his chambers. Naz was...‘ Her voice wavered. ‘I can‘t believe it.‘ She ground out the barely smoked cigarette, then lit another. ‘I‘d been trying to ring him since yesterday. Couldn‘t figure out why his phone was turned off — it went straight to voicemail. I left him a message this morning. I couldn‘t believe he was late.‘ She looked at them in appeal. ‘What‘s happened to him?‘
    ‘We‘re not sure, Ms Phillips,‘ Kincaid answered. ‘Do you know of any reason why your partner would have been in Haggerston Park?‘
    ‘Haggerston? No. Except Naz and Sandra used to take Charlotte to the farm sometimes, or for walks...‘
    ‘Did the park have any special significance for them?‘
    ‘No, not that I know of. They often had family outings to places in the area. But Naz isn‘t really the nature type on his own...‘ Louise Phillips stood and began to pace in the small space behind her desk. ‘Look, you‘re absolutely sure it‘s Naz? There could be a mistake--‘
    ‘Detective Inspector Weller, who investigated Sandra Gilles‘s disappearance, identified the body.‘
    ‘Weller.‘ Phillips grimaced. ‘Yes, he would know Naz. But why are you asking about Haggerston? Is that where he was . , . found? What happened to him? You still haven‘t told me.‘
    Patiently, Kincaid said, ‘Mr Malik left his daughter with her nanny on Saturday afternoon, saying he would be back shortly. His friend Tim Cavendish reported him missing when both he and the daughter‘s nanny began to worry. Mr Malik‘s body was found by a passer-by in Haggerston Park yesterday morning. The pathologist has not made a ruling on the cause of death.‘
    ‘Yesterday?‘ Louise Phillips whispered. ‘Why didn‘t anyone tell me?‘
    ‘I believe you‘re ex-directory, Ms Phillips? Unless DI Weller had your home number?‘ Kincaid remembered Gemma telling him she‘d tried without success to find Phillips‘s home number.
    ‘Oh, no. Weller never asked. It never occurred to me that he‘d need it. And I — I never imagined... I never imagined anything happening to Naz...‘
    ‘Did your partner seem particularly upset about anything the last time you spoke?‘
    She hesitated. ‘I wouldn‘t say upset. We‘d been... It‘s this case.‘ Phillips sat down again and lit another Silk Cut. With an apologetic glance at Kincaid, Cullen set his notebook on a file case and went to the window.
    ‘Do you mind?‘ he asked Phillips.
    ‘Stuck shut,‘ she answered. ‘Naz was... Naz nagged at me to get it fixed, but I — I didn‘t want — I don‘t know why I was so bloody-minded about it.‘ She stubbed out the cigarette, and Cullen retreated to his chair, having scored at least a minor victory.
    ‘The case?‘ Kincaid prompted.
    ‘We‘re representing a Bangladeshi restaurant owner named Ahmed Azad. He owns a curry house just off Brick Lane. He‘s accused of importing young people and forcing them to work without pay in his home and restaurant.‘
    ‘House slaves?‘ Cullen looked surprised.
    ‘Well, the home charge will be harder for the prosecution to prove. He‘s sponsored these young men and women — they would have to testify that he‘s forcing them to work without pay, and not allowing them to seek employment elsewhere.‘
    ‘But they won‘t?‘ guessed Kincaid.
    Phillips rolled her eyes. ‘It‘s alleged that he threatened to rescind his