Read Lastnight for Free Online Page B

non-existent gap between his front bumper and the rear of the Honda CRV. He blew smoke as he considered his options, which seemed to be two-fold: wait for one of the drivers to come back and move their cars, or head off to his next interview by public transport. He looked at his watch. It was just after eleven o’clock in the morning. There was a traffic warden down the street, checking residents’ parking permits and heading his way.
    He peered through the windows of the SUV, looking for clues as to who the owner might be. There were two car seats in the rear and an iPad on the front passenger seat. If he were lucky it’d be a housewife who had just popped off to do some shopping
    The vehicle at the other end was a nearly new blue Ford Fiesta. Its nose was an inch away from his rear bumper, but there was almost three feet of space at the rear. He shaded his eyes and looked through the windscreen of the Fiesta but the car was empty. Nightingale cursed under his breath. As he straightened up he saw the traffic warden looking at the MGB.
    ‘Yours?’ asked the man. He was in his twenties, fresh-faced and gawky with shoulder-length hair that didn’t seem to have been washed in a while.
    ‘Yeah,’ said Nightingale.
    ‘Nice.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘Owned by the Chinese now, MGB?’
    ‘Yeah. Wouldn’t touch a new one.’
    ‘Why would you when you get to drive a classic.’ He looked at the gap between the MGB and the Honda. ‘You did well to get it in there,’ he said.
    ‘They came after me …’ began Nightingale, then shook his head as he realised the traffic warden was joking. ‘You got me.’
    The man grinned. ‘Now you’re thinking a traffic warden with a sense of humour, that has to be a first,’ he said. ‘You could try bouncing it out.’
    ‘Bouncing it out?’
    ‘Did it with a group at mates at uni once. We had a Mini and it got hemmed in. You all stand around the car and bounce it up and down and then you move it as it bounces.’
    Nightingale’s eyebrows shot skyward. ‘You went to university?’
    ‘Newcastle,’ he said. ‘Upper second in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies.’ He laughed when he saw the look on Nightingale’s face. ‘I know, I know, it’s not the career I’d planned for myself but what can you do? I’ve got a student loan and a young kid and this is better than walking the streets.’ He grinned. ‘Oh, wait …’
    Nightingale laughed. ‘Nice one.’ He saw the traffic warden looking at the cigarette in his hand so he took out his pack of Marlboro and offered it. The traffic warden looked around as if he feared being seen, then took one and smiled his thanks. Nightingale lit it for him.
    ‘Name’s Harry,’ he said. ‘So what do you for a living?’
    ‘I’m Jack. I used to be in law enforcement, like you,’ said Nightingale.
    Harry frowned, and then chuckled. ‘Yeah. Law enforcement. Nice one.’
    ‘I was a cop. I was in CO19, a firearms officer, and I was a negotiator.’
    ‘Yeah? Talking down suicides?’
    Nightingale nodded. ‘That and domestics, most of the time.’
    ‘I could do with a negotiator in this job,’ said Harry.
    ‘Can’t be easy.’
    ‘I’ve been hit three times.’ He shrugged. ‘It goes with the turf. So what brings you to sunny Clapham?’
    Nightingale blew smoke at his trapped MGB. ‘I’m asking around about that Goth killers case.’
    Harry pulled a face. ‘That’s some evil shit going on. But what’s the Clapham connection?’
    Nightingale pointed down the street. ‘One of the victims lived down there.’
    ‘You don’t say? They were chopped up, right? Into little pieces?’
    Nightingale shook his head. ‘They were skinned.’
    Harry shuddered. ‘Who would do something like that? A psycho?’
    Nightingale smiled. ‘Well, it’s not normal behaviour, that’s for sure. But there has to be some reason for it. It’s not random. They’re targeting a particular sort of person and doing something very specific to