Read Die With Me for Free Online Page B

tea in each hand.
    ‘That’s Patrick and Liam,’ he said, passing her a mug and taking his own over to the sofa, where he sank down heavily, crossing his feet under the small glass coffee table. ‘They’re my kids, Gemma’s half-brothers. I’ve had to ship them off to their nan’s until Mary’s better. She can’t cope with anything at the moment.’
    Donovan settled herself in one of the comfortable-looking armchairs and took a notebook and pen out of her bag. ‘Just for formality’s sake, could you tell me where you were on Wednesday afternoon?’
    He looked instantly affronted. ‘What, me? What’s it got to do with me?’
    ‘Just a routine question, Mr Kramer. You know how it is. We have to dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s.’ She took a sip of tea. It was good, strong stuff and she instantly felt better.
    He nodded slowly, grudgingly appearing to accept the explanation. ‘I was at Gatwick till about five. Had to pick up a regular, but his flight was delayed coming in.’
    He gave her the client’s name and phone number, which she noted down.
    ‘Perhaps you can start by giving me a little background info. You said you’re Gemma’s stepfather.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Are you Irish?’ she asked, hoping to ease him into things.
    ‘Do I bloody sound it?’
    ‘It’s just that Patrick and Liam…’ she said, wondering why he was being so prickly.
    He shook his head, interrupting. ‘That’s down to Mary. She’s from Cork but she come to London when she was ten. I was born and brought up in Elephant and Castle.’
    ‘What about Gemma’s father? Her biological father, I mean.’
    ‘Mick? Yeah, he’s bloody Irish. Him and Mary were childhood sweethearts but he didn’t stop long once she got pregnant. Mary was just eighteen and he run off a couple of months before Gemma was born.’
    ‘Do you know how we can contact him?’
    He shrugged. ‘No idea where the bugger is. Turns up like a bad penny from time to time when he wants money, when he knows I’m out at work. Mary’s always a soft touch where he’s concerned. Caught him nosing round here about a year ago. I’d come home early and we had a right punch-up. He’ll think twice about stopping by again, I can tell you.’
    The bitterness was unmistakable and Donovan suspected that behind the protectiveness for his wife, he was jealous. She wondered how Gemma fitted into the triangle. ‘What about Gemma? Did she have any contact with him?’
    He shook his head. ‘Wasn’t interested. From what I hear, he’s fathered a whole litter of kids with various women, in between being in and out of the nick, that is.’
    ‘He’s in prison?’
    ‘Well, we haven’t heard from him in a while. It’s either that, or the chinning I give him last time he come round.’ A flicker of pleasure crossed his face. ‘His full name’s Mick Byrne, if you want to check him out. That’s B-Y-R-N-E. He’s bound to be on one of your computers, given his record.’
    Donovan made a note. It would be easy to find out if the father was in prison. ‘What’s his form?’
    ‘Got sticky fingers. Can’t keep his hands off other people’s things. He’s a bit of a conman, but nothing violent, if you know what I mean.’
    ‘Is it possible that Gemma might have seen him secretly, given how you felt about him?’
    Kramer’s eyes bulged angrily and he clenched his lips. ‘No way. She never kept anything from us. Gemma was a good girl. I’ve brought her up from the age of five.’ He paused, swallowing hard. ‘I was her dad, as far as she was concerned. Her only dad. Why are you interested in Mick?’
    ‘Gemma was seen with a man shortly before she died. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, tall with dark hair. We need to find him.’
    He grimaced. ‘Well, that can’t be Mick. Last time I saw him, he was nearly as bald as me and not ’coz of a Number One. All his hair dropped out last time he was inside. Alopecia, I think they call it. Serves him