Joseph knew that would have taken Banks’s fancy. Criminal gangs were a growing problem in the area. At least in the eyes of the public. Organised criminality wasn’t a new thing. It had been an ongoing problem since trade had begun to run from the banks of the Thames. In the past, the gangs could pay off the police, keep it all off the radar, out of the public eye. Now, however, the companies that ran freight through the docklands had far more clout than any gang could dream of. And money talked. Politicians could be bought, not police, and in turn, they applied the pressure which meant that people like Banks suddenly saw it as their life’s work to rid London of its criminal gangs, whatever the probability that he might have had his palms greased way back when.
“Yes, sir,” Ray replied eagerly. “We’ll continue our focus down at the docks. Plenty of other leads we can continue to work there, and maybe we’ll send a WPC or two down to talk to Janet Scott. They might have better luck.”
“A more disarming affect, yes,” Claude agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “Right. I’m happy, gentlemen. You’re following all the right leads,” he purred, as if he could foresee how things would ultimately come together. “Tough case. Keep it up.”
*
As they returned to Boon’s Docks, entering through the main gate, they saw Harry Jones. He glanced up at them as they passed the small hut where the workers clocked in, then quickly looked away and back to whatever had him huddled over an upturned sack barrow.
“Good morning, Mr Jones,” Ray said, bending his route to approach him.
“Morning, officers.” Harry didn’t look up, just kept his eyes firmly fixed on the sack barrow.
“Have you got a spare minute?” Ray asked. Harry’s shoulders sagged briefly, just before he turned and looked at them.
“What can I help you with?”
“Some of the lads here, they make extra money, don’t they?”
“I don’t know. I, uh…” his voice tailed off as he panicked for the right answer.
“It’s all right,” Ray slowly placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder and smiled. It wasn’t something Ray did a lot of. The two of them looked uncomfortably at each other. “You’re pretty green around here, let’s be honest. The new face and all that. If anyone is going to be on the outside of that sort of thing, it’s you. That’s why I can trust you.”
There was nothing subtle about the flattery, but it did enough to coax Harry into going on. “Yeah, I guess. I hear a few bits and bobs, you know.”
“You ever hear anything about Gerald Trainer? Did he ever mention any work on the side, or ways he might be making a bit of extra money?”
“I didn’t really speak to him much at all. But he did speak a lot with Robert and Garry. I know those two were always up to something.”
“What sort of something?” Joseph had flipped open his notebook. Harry looked at it aghast, so Joseph recanted and put it back away.
“It’s all right. Off the record,” Ray soothed.
“Well, I’m not certain what. They never told me, like you said. I’m the new boy, aren’t I? But they definitely had some sort of racket going on.”
“But you’re not sure what?”
“No,” Harry replied, unconvincingly. “I… I don’t like to get involved. I can’t really.”
“Why not?”
“This job. I need it.”
“The extra money never tempted you?”
“No.” Harry shook his head firmly, which made him look like a schoolboy, earnestly trying to get his teacher to believe in his innocence.
“You’re a better man than most, then,” Ray patted Harry on the shoulder once more. “Thank you. We’ll let you get back to your work.”
*
They wandered off towards the dockside where they knew they would most likely find Garry Wise and Robert Smith.
“I’m not sure I quite believed him,” Joseph said, his voice low as they left Harry behind.
“No, me neither. But I don’t disbelieve him either and that’s a problem.”
“Do you think he knows something?”
“Maybe. But I can’t help but have the feeling that, if he did, he’d tell us.”
“He might think that he knows something but isn’t sure.”
“That’s certainly one possibility,” Ray said. Joseph knew the other possibilities, but he couldn’t imagine the nervous young lad they’d just spoken to being capable of murder. An accident, maybe. But what they’d been told by Dr Hart pointed to a deliberate act. “We’ll need to speak to him again. Away from here.” Ray added.
*
They found Robert Smith first.
“Sounds like something Gerald could have been involved in,” he admitted when they put the theory to him.
“But you don’t know for certain?”
Robert shrugged then rubbed his gloved but greasy hands on his overalled thighs. “People who are into that sort of thing, if they’re clever, they don’t go around bragging. It’s a risky business. You get found out, and then you’re out of here, probably out of all the docks. They whole thing can be very… what’s the word?”
“Cliquey?” Joseph offered.
“I don’t know, but if you say so,” Robert nodded. “They always want to know who’s been doing the wrong thing, don’t they? So they don’t end up getting bad lads themselves. Makes sense I suppose. So yeah, Gerald could have been doing it, but he never said nothing to me.”
