Necessary as Blood

sponsorship, which would result in their deportation. And it‘s alleged that if they seek other employment, he threatens to harm their relatives back in Sylhet. Of course they‘re not going to talk.‘
    ‘But somebody did.‘
    ‘A couple of ex-employees from the restaurant. They seem to have a grudge against him over some back wages. And there was a young man, a second cousin, I think, who was working as a dishwasher. He agreed to testify that Azad refused to pay him and had threatened them. But he seems to have, um, disappeared, so the prosecution‘s case is looking a bit weak.‘
    ‘The man sounds an obvious crook,‘ said Cullen.
    ‘He‘s our client,‘ corrected Phillips, wearily. ‘If we only represented model citizens, we‘d soon be out of business.‘
    ‘A witness disappeared, Ms Phillips?‘ Kincaid asked sharply. ‘When?‘
    ‘Two weeks ago. We only learned about it when Customs and Immigration questioned Azad. They‘d been keeping this boy, Mohammed Rahman, the cousin or nephew or whatever he was, under wraps.‘
    ‘Apparently with good reason.‘
    Phillips shrugged. ‘He probably just decided that getting his own back against Azad wasn‘t worth deportation.‘
    ‘And you don‘t think that Customs and Immigration will have offered him a deal?‘
    ‘We‘re not privy to that information,‘ Phillips said rather primly. ‘But... Naz wasn‘t happy. It was too close to home, the disappearance. We‘d had... Things had been a bit tense in the office lately. Friday—‘ Leaning forward, Kincaid schooled his face into a sympathetic expression, concealing his interest. ‘You had a row?‘
    ‘I wouldn‘t exactly call it a row.‘ She reached for the cigarettes, then stopped, as if making an effort to control the urge. Kincaid wondered how much of her smoking was due to nicotine addiction and how much was nervous habit, merely something to do with her hands. Without the easy prop, she resorted to twisting the ring she wore on her right hand. Her nails were short, the cuticles ragged, as if she bit them. ‘A disagreement, if that. It was just — Naz wasn‘t sure he wanted to go on representing Azad. I told him that was bollocks. We were committed, and we needed the money. We couldn‘t afford his scruples. He—‘ She clamped her lips tight, hands suddenly still.
    ‘He what, Ms Phillips?‘ Kincaid‘s tone was firm. ‘It‘s just that, since Sandra disappeared, Naz has been... different. Well, naturally you‘d expect that, but... We‘ve known each other since law school. We‘ve been partners for ten years. We were good together. But lately — Naz had been something of a liability. He couldn‘t concentrate. Anything would send him off on a tangent, get his hopes up about Sandra. Or make him unreasonable, like this business with Azad. But I thought he‘d adjust, somehow...‘
    ‘You thought he‘d adjust to the loss of his wife? You didn‘t think she‘d come back?‘
    ‘No.‘ Phillips‘s answer was flat. ‘Sandra Gilles wasn‘t the type to walk away from everything she‘d worked for. We had that in common, Sandra and I.‘
    ‘Not even if she‘d had an affair?‘ Kincaid asked.
    ‘An affair? No.‘ Phillips shook her head. ‘There was speculation, of course, when she disappeared, that she‘d run off with a man, but I never believed it. Sandra was no saint, and I‘m sure she and Naz had their differences over the years, but she‘d never have left. Oh, God.‘ She stared at Kincaid, wide-eyed. ‘Charlotte. What‘s happened to Charlotte?‘

    Gemma popped a CD of Handel anthems in the little player she kept in her office, hoping the music would propel her through the Monday-morning deluge of reports on her screen. But as the voices soared, she closed her eyes, mouse in hand, and let the music wash over her.
    It made her think of Winnie, and of the small and perfect wedding she‘d imagined, with Winnie officiating, and for a moment she indulged in the daydream. Then she opened her eyes and turned down the volume, chastising herself for her selfishness in putting her wishes over concern for Winnie‘s health. She would ring Glastonbury this evening and check up on her, and that, she realized reluctantly, meant she‘d have to tell Winnie and Jack about her mum as well.
    She‘d rung her mum at the hospital last night and first thing that morning, getting the chipper I‘m just fine, dearie speech both times. She‘d just made up her mind that as soon as she could