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automatically opened the window.
    ‘You get caught smoking that and you will be well up Shit Street.’
    Denny shrugged. ‘Who cares? What kind of job is this anyway? They call me a champion shit-shifter down the pub.’
    ‘It’s a job, son, remember that.’
    Denny didn’t answer. In the side window he watched a woman hurrying down the street, a small boy beside her. Then, lighting up, he took a deep drag.
    ‘Fucking boring job and a boring life. That’s me.’
    They both laughed.
    John grinned. ‘Don’t knock boring, boy. The sun’s out and life is sweet enough if you think about it.’

    Jason Harper was sitting in his brand new BMW looking through his Filofax. He had fucked up two meetings in an hour. He knew he should be more organised but it was hard. The glare of the sun was blinding him through the windscreen and he slipped on his Ray-Bans. A bin van was parked in front of him; it had been there for about five minutes. He watched as a woman with a small child walked across the road. She was nothing spectacular, and he only glanced out of habit. She was tallish with blonde hair but a very average face.
    It was only when she stopped and glanced up and down the road that he looked again. Then, in pure disbelief, he saw her pick up the small child and tip him quickly into the crusher. For a few seconds Jason wondered if he was going mad. As he saw the woman striding off alone he catapulted himself from the driver’s seat.
     
    Harris heard the commotion just as he was carefully looking over a china fruit bowl. It was a good one or he would eat his binman’s gloves.
    A resounding shout made him fumble with the bowl and nearly drop it. Striding out of the alley he was amazed to be confronted by his two workmates and a bloke in a suit trying to climb into the back of the crusher.
    ‘What the fucking hell are you lot doing?’ He thought they had all gone mad. Carefully placing the bowl on the grass verge, he walked over to the men. ‘What’s going on, Den?’
    ‘Christ knows, Harris. Do us a favour - go in the flats and phone Old Bill and an ambulance, will you? We have a kid in here somewhere.’
    ‘A what?’ Then he heard a faint cry and it spurred him into action. Running back to the flats he trod on the fruit bowl. The sound and feel of the fragile object crunching under his feet lent added speed.
    His stars in the Sun had said he would receive a surprise today and they were right!
     
    Jason was in shock and Kate realised that. She took him by the elbow and sat him down on the kerb. He put his head in his hands.
    ‘I can’t believe it,’ he mumbled. ‘What woman would do something like that to a child? I mean, suppose I hadn’t been there? They would have crushed the poor little sod.’
    He started crying and Kate put an understanding arm around his shoulders. He could smell Joy perfume and cigarettes, and in some strange way, was comforted by it.
    ‘But you were there, Jason, and you saved his life,’ she said gently. ‘Without you he would have been crushed and so I think you should pat yourself on the back.’
    He hastily wiped away his tears, suddenly aware of all the bystanders watching him. One of the residents of the street had phoned the local paper and Jason saw a scruffy young man with a beard taking a photo of him.
    ‘You are a hero,’ Kate said kindly. ‘Now let’s get you into the ambulance so they can have a look at you, eh? I think you’re in shock, love.’
    Jason’s eyes were dark brown and Kate smiled into them. He tried to smile back but couldn’t. She helped him get up and walked him slowly to the ambulance. Then she turned to PC Black and sighed.
    ‘This is weird. Two cases like this in three days - what on earth is going on?’
    ‘Beats me, Guv,’ he shrugged. ‘Weird’s the word all right.’
    All Kate could think about was the child’s frightened eyes. If Jason hadn’t been parked there it would have been a murder case. She hoped they found out who the child