Killing the Lawyers

‘How did Abe react?’

‘No problem. He reckoned I’d be ready for a real tester about now.’

‘So this is a real race? Not just an exhibition run?’ Thinking, it would be a lot easier for you to ‘lose’ in a real race.

‘It’s a real race. Lots of top trackers who wouldn’t mind showing me their bums. Abe wouldn’t have come across if he didn’t think he was needed.’

‘He’s staying with you?’

‘No way,’ she laughed. ‘We’re all full up at home, and I try not to track my business into the house anyway. No, Abe’s very comfortable at the Kimberley.’

Joe whistled. ‘With their prices, I should hope he is.’

The Kimberley was one of Luton’s top hotels.

‘He says it’s OK,’ said Zak, coming to a halt and opening a door marked Women’s Locker Room. ‘Come on in. I’ve got the place to myself at the moment. This here’s my locker.’

‘Oh yes. Great. Nice locker.’

‘Where I found the second note,’ she said gently.

He examined it carefully because that’s what she seemed to expect him to do.

‘No sign of forcing,’ he said professionally.

‘No. I checked. What about fingerprints.’

‘Left the powder in the office,’ he said. Then, recalling another of his maxims, don’t get smart with the clients, he added, ‘What I mean is, no point. Key in, turn, pull open with the key, drop the note inside, push, turn, remove key, and you’re away without laying a finger on the door. Anyone else using the Dome before it officially opens?’

‘I know the Spartans, that’s my old club, have been using the track evenings for training to help it settle. Plus there’s the workmen putting finishing touches. Plus people using other bits of the Plezz could easily stroll in here. Shouldn’t you concentrate on who’s got access to the spare keys? Can’t be too many of them.’

Oh dear, thought Joe. Like a good princess, she wasn’t going to be shy about telling the help what they ought to be working at.

He said, ‘Got your key handy?’

She passed it over. Joe moved along the wall of metal lockers. They came in blocks of eight. Zak’s was second from the left. He counted two in the next block and inserted the key. The door opened. He did the same with the next block:

‘This way the manufacturers only need eight variations on locks and keys instead of an infinity,’ he explained.

‘But it’s lousy security!’ she protested angrily.

‘Saves ratepayers’ money,’ said Joe with civic sternness. ‘As for security, your crook’s got to work it out first.’

‘You worked it out,’ she said not unadmiringly.

‘That’s my job,’ he said modestly, not thinking it worthwhile to reveal that the lockers at Robco Engineering where he’d worked nearly twenty years had suffered from the same deficiency which he’d worked out after ten.

‘So that means there’s my key, and the duplicate key and the master key plus the keys for every second locker in every block in every changing room in the complex?’

‘That’s right,’ said Joe. ‘The note that landed on your pillow is a better bet.’

‘Why do you say that?’ she asked.

‘Because,’ he said patiently, ‘getting into a house is a lot harder than getting into a changing room. Who else was in the house that night?’

She said, ‘Mum, dad, Eddie, my kid brother, and Mary.’

‘Oh yes. You were telling me about your sister but we got diverted.’

Polite way of putting it.

She looked ready to renew her objections to answering questions about her family, then she took a deep breath and said, ‘Mary’s four years older than me. When I was a kid, I hung around her all the time. Must have driven her mad but she never showed it. When I got into junior athletics she was really supportive, took me along to her gym to work out, came and shouted for me when I was running.’

‘She was into sport too?’ asked Joe.

‘Oh yes. She’s got a great eye. Squash was her thing. She won lots of junior trophies and her first season when she moved up to senior level, she got to the national semis. She was going places.’

‘But?’

‘But two years ago she was in a car accident. Her knee got busted pretty bad. They put it together again fine, but not so they felt it would stand up to the strain of training for and playing top-level squash. Otherwise though it’s completely normal.’

‘I thought she had a bit of a limp.’

‘Oh yes. No physical reason according to the doctors, but it comes on from time to time.’

Especially when you’re around? wondered Joe. But he thought it better to leave it for now.

‘She start working for Endor before he became your agent or after?’ he asked.

‘Oh, after, I think,’ she said vaguely. ‘She’s doing really well.’

‘Yeah? Take you over on her own account eventually?’

‘Could be. Main thing is she’s off work now till the New Year so it’s great we can spend time together.’

‘That’s right. Family’s important,’ said Joe. ‘Any chance I can take a look at your house?’

Take a look at the rest of your family, he meant.

‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I’ve got to finish my day’s schedule here. Why don’t you come back about four, pick me and my gear up and drive me home? That way you’ll look like you’re working for your living.’

‘OK,’ said Joe. ‘By the way, what’s happened to Starbright?’

‘Missing him already, are you?’ grinned Zak. ‘Don’t worry. He’ll be around.’

He was. First person Joe saw as he walked away from the locker room was the cuboid Celt.

‘Hi there,’ said Joe. ‘Thought you were supposed to be a minder?’