Necessary as Blood

Gemma cast a worried glance at the ceiling. ‘Melody saw him going into the club,‘ she said, a little hurriedly. ‘She didn‘t know it was him, just that he looked familiar — she thought she‘d seen him in a news story. Then, when she tracked it down — he‘d complained publicly that he‘d been vandalized by white gangs and that the Met had failed to investigate properly — she recognized his name from what I‘d told her about the case. Azad didn‘t mention to you that he knew Lucas Ritchie?‘
    ‘No.‘ Duncan ran a hand through his hair, pushing damp locks back from his forehead. ‘But then I didn‘t ask. And I certainly didn‘t think to ask Lucas Ritchie if he knew Azad. This puts rather a different slant on things. We knew that Sandra and Naz knew Azad, and that Sandra and Naz knew Ritchie, but not that those two had a connection.‘
    ‘There was something else—‘ A loud crash from upstairs interrupted what Gemma was going to say about Ritchie and Pippa Nightingale.
    ‘Mummy!‘ came Toby‘s wail.
    ‘Oh, Lord.‘ Gemma handed Duncan her glass with a sigh. ‘He‘s been practising jumping ship from the bed again.‘

    On Thursday afternoon, not having found any mention of a van in either the statements or the witness reports relating to Naz Malik‘s case, Kincaid had put Sergeant Singh and her team at Bethnal Green onto tracking down any known associates of the Gilles brothers with a vehicle fitting that description.
    ‘Just a van?‘ Singh had asked, a bit dubiously. ‘Like a transit van?‘
    ‘All I know is it had to be big enough to transport a full-sized sofa, a love-seat and an armchair,‘ Kincaid told her.
    Singh gave him a look through narrowed eyes. ‘And you know this how, exactly?‘
    ‘A completely reliable source.‘ He tried his best grin on her, but she looked unconvinced.
    ‘And how do you suggest we do this, without stepping on Narcotics‘ toes?‘
    ‘Some discreet enquiries, to start with. Ask the officers who were watching the brothers‘ purported places of work, and the sister‘s flat, if they saw anything. You‘re inventive, Sergeant. I‘m sure you‘ll come up with something.‘
    ‘Maybe they really did move furniture,‘ she said. ‘I think it‘s likely they did,‘ he agreed. ‘But if that‘s the case, they also had access, through the afternoon and evening, to a vehicle in which they could have held Naz Malik, and then transported him to Haggerston Park. And I want it found. Now.‘
    Singh got the message. ‘Sir.‘ She had charged into the incident room, figurative guns blazing, and Kincaid had gone to look for Neal Weller, stopping off at the canteen to pick up a cup of execrable coffee.
    Weller was in his office, suit jacket off, reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He took them off, rubbing his eyes, when Kincaid came in. ‘You‘ve put a serious dent in my manpower, you know. And now what‘s this about a van?‘
    ‘News travels fast.‘ Kincaid didn‘t sit down.
    ‘I have my means. Just what do you intend to do with this van, if you find it? You can‘t order a search based on unsubstantiated information from an unidentified source. And even if you could, Narcotics would have your bollocks.‘
    ‘There‘s always a traffic stop,‘ Kincaid said. He‘d had to take Weller into his confidence, but they weren‘t broadcasting information about the drugs investigation to the rank and file. ‘Let‘s cross that bridge when we come to it.‘ Now he perched on the arm of the spare chair, looking round for a place to set the undrinkable liquid in his polystyrene cup. He squeezed it into a bare spot on the edge of Weller‘s desk. ‘Did you know that Ahmed Azad knew Lucas Ritchie?‘
    ‘Ritchie of the mysterious club?‘ Weller looked surprised.
    ‘Azad seems to be a member of the club, as a matter of fact. And Ritchie had an employee who‘s gone missing, like Azad‘s nephew. I‘ve got Cullen working on tracing her.‘
    ‘A woman?‘
    ‘A young woman named Kylie Watters.‘
    Weller shrugged. ‘Never heard of her. But you‘re stretching a connection, don‘t you think?‘
    ‘Maybe.‘ Kincaid straightened the crease in his trouser leg. ‘Or maybe Azad had the ability to help Ritchie get rid of an inconvenient employee. Or Ritchie had the means to help Azad with a more-than-inconvenient nephew.‘
    ‘What does any of this have to do with Naz Malik, or Sandra Gilles?‘ asked Weller. He didn‘t, to Kincaid‘s relief,