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  So, Troy thought, maybe he did have a better idea than skiving off to play footie.

  “So what did you and your brothers talk about last night?” Brandy asked.

  Troy stopped, his hands hovering at the hem of her skirt.

  “What d’you mean?”

  “It’s a simple question, what did you talk about?”

  “Nothing, really. Just the usual.”

  “So you didn’t tell them then?” Brandy asked, sighing.

  “Tell them what, babe?”

  “About that bitch you done in,” Brandy replied, and Troy felt his heart beating faster. Brandy looked at him, her eyes shrewd, and she groaned, pushing Troy’s hands away from her. “Do you not want to get in with them? Don’t you want to be in the gang? All you have to do is fucking tell them, and they’ll let you in. But you, fucking brain of Britain, can’t even manage that.”

  Troy felt his temper rising. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate at the moment, without her nagging him at every chance she got. And to think, he’d been about to get his leg over as well. Fuck. Maybe he would’ve been better skiving with Clint and going to play footie after all.

  “Yeah, well maybe I’m waiting for things to settle down round here first, ever thought of that?” Troy said, barely containing the anger in his voice.

  Brandy laughed, “You think that stupid fucking policewoman’s going to be on your trail? Not likely. She’s a fucking joke, a fucking puppet. I never guessed that you, of all people, would be shitting yourself about this.”

  Troy felt the anger rising inside him, and grabbed Brandy around the throat, pushing her head hard against the concrete wall behind her. His face twisted in rage, and he leaned close to her face, struggling to resist the urge to take his fist and throw it into her smug face.

  “Listen to me, you fucking slag, I ain’t shitting myself. I’m waiting until the cops calm down, and then I’m going to be in the gang, and I’m going to get to the top. And if you ever, ever, laugh at me again I’ll break your fucking neck and hang you out to dry like a fucking pair of dirty socks, get it?”

  Brandy was looking frightened now, her eyes wide. Troy felt a calm coming over him, and he slowly released his grip on her, and stepped back. Brandy took a few deep breaths, and rubbed her neck where his hand had been.

  Troy looked into her face, and realized, not for the first time, that he’d gone too far and taken things out on her.

  “Thanks, Troy, for showing how much you trust me, how much you appreciate my support,” Brandy said, her voice full of disgust, her lips curled up at him, “And if I was you, I wouldn’t be worrying about that police woman finding anything out. I’d be more worried about someone a little closer to home.”

  “What d’you mean?”

  “Clint’s been spending a lot of time with Aurora Curtis, you know, the sister of the girl you knifed? And once they get real close, who knows what Clint’s going to be telling her?”

  Troy was about to move forward, hold her in his arms, reassure her that Clint would never betray them, when she turned on her heel and marched down the landing and disappeared from view down the stairs. Troy knew it would be pointless trying to calm her down, it would only lead to more arguments. He would wait until after school, when she would have calmed down, and then he’d make peace with her. And then, maybe, he’d get a second chance to take that fancy red lace bra off.

  Until then, though, Troy was stuffed. He pulled his phone out, and dialled Clint’s number. Footie in the park it was then.

  * * *

  In the Banks’ flat, Tyrese and Trent were still sat at the kitchen table. Their mother, Keskia, had gone outside to take the rubbish down to the end of the landing, where the garbage chute was.

  “What’s on your mind, bro?” Trent asked his brother, eyeing him quizzically.

  “It’s Troy,” Tyrese replied, “Something’s up with him.”

  “Something would be up with me too, if I had a girl as fit as that Brandy,” Trent laughed.

  Tyrese grinned, and Trent sensed there was something his brother wasn’t telling him.

  “What is it?” Trent asked.

  “You don’t think Brandy’s pregnant do you? Maybe that’s why he’s been acting weird lately.”

  Trent shrugged. “I think if she’s pregnant, Troy would’ve marched her down the clinic first chance he got and had it pulled out, mate.”

  “Yeah, maybe he did, and he’s feeling bad about it?”

  “Troy, feeling bad about something?” Trent smirked, “You gotta be kidding me.”

  “Okay, well if she ain’t pregnant, what’s up with him?”

  “I dunno bro, but what does it matter?” Trent asked, lighting up a cigarette.

  Tyrese looked at him sadly, “You’re actually a fucking retard, aren’t you? He’s family, we gotta look out for our own, bro.”

  Trent thought it over for a few moments and nodded, “I guess so. Why don’t we just ask him what’s up?”

  “Because then he’ll lie to us, and I’ll have to kick his ass to get to the bottom of it,” Tyrese responded.

  “Could ask Clint? He’s his best mate, and if he don’t know, no one will.”

  “Yeah, but Clint ain’t going to tell us, he’s loyal to Troy. Unless we threaten to kick his ass, but I don’t want to have to hurt him, he could come in useful one day soon.”

  “Really? You mean you’re thinking of letting Clint into the gang?” Trent asked, the surprise in his voice barely concealed.

  “Yeah, he’s a smart kid, why not?” Tyrese answered, his eyes daring Trent to disagree.

  The two brothers had, although they would never admit it, carved roles for themselves within the gang, and had an unspoken agreement about how the gang would be run and how decisions would be made. Tyrese had muscles, but he had brains too. He was the real operator of the gang, he made the decisions, decided who they would work with and who they would work against, and controlled everything from the dealers they ran, to the mules who brought drugs in from France for them. Trent, on the other hand, had muscles but wasn’t interested in thinking things through. He was a doer. He liked getting his hands dirty, but more than that, he liked having money. But he didn’t like having to think about things, so the arrangement had worked perfectly for both brothers, and that was why they were such a good team. Tyrese made the decisions, and always let Trent know his plans before any other members of the gang, and they split the credit and the profits equally between them, with the other gang members getting a small cut. Trent knew it would do no use arguing with Tyrese over his decision to enroll Clint at a later date, but he did have something to say, and knew that it wouldn’t wait.

  “Okay, I guess Clint would be good,” Trent said, “But what about Troy?”

  “What about him?” Tyrese asked, thrown by the question.

  “What about letting Troy into the gang?”

  Tyrese sat in silent contemplation for a few seconds, and then shook his head. “No.”

  “What? He’s our bro, and he’s sixteen now.”

  “Yeah, but he ain’t got the right attitude to be in with us.”

  “How come?” Trent asked.

  “Well, look at him, bro. He doesn’t have your muscle, not yet, and he ain’t smart. He’d be a liability, we’d have to watch over him all the goddamn time!”

  “That’s the same with over half the guys we got in with us,” Trent persisted, “Come on, Ty, we can’t let his best mate in and not let Troy in.”

  Tyrese sighed.

  “Come on, Ty, he wants in. I heard him and Brandy talking about it the other night, she wants him in as much as he does.”

  “Look, we’ll see if he proves himself. If he does, he’s in. If he doesn’t, he’ll just have to deal with it.”

  “That sounds fair,” Trent said, and grinned broadly, “And we’ll need more guys in with us now that Jayden Healy’s out of the nick.”

  Tyrese grimaced, but nodded. Jayden Healy had been his friend a
t school, until they’d fallen out and both had started separate gangs. There’d been violence between the two, and things had been heading towards a turf war, when suddenly Jayden was arrested for domestic violence and sent to prison. Then, last month, he’d been released for good behaviour inside, and his gang had regrouped. Now, fresh out of prison and having made new contacts inside, Jayden was starting dealing drugs. That was fine by Tyrese, as far as he was concerned, Jayden could sell whatever he liked. But Jayden had now, according to a gang member, started dealing on their patch. Tyrese’s patch. And that, both brothers knew, wasn’t acceptable.

  “Too right,” Tyrese agreed, “We’ve gotta move fast on that one. Nip him in the bud before he causes too much trouble. A few extra pairs of hands might come in handy.”

  “So Troy’s in then?”

  “That ain’t what I said,” Tyrese said, still thinking of how Jayden could be stopped from dealing on their patches, “I said that if he proves himself, he might get in.”

  The front door opened, and Keskia stumbled into the kitchen, wiping her hands in disgust.

  “That chute needs a good cleaning,” she said, “Smells like a sewer.”

  Tyrese and Trent exchanged a dubious look, and started laughing.

  “So, what are your plans for the day then ma?” Tyrese asked, looking at Keskia.

  “Same as every other day, cleaning up after you lot,” Keskia said, but smiled. She loved all her children, and didn’t mind cleaning up after them. It was her job as a mother, and it wasn’t like she had much else to do with her time.

  “We were thinking of popping out for a bit later, do some work,” Trent said, and Keskia looked dubious.

  “Work?” she said, eyebrows raised.

  She was well aware of what her two eldest sons did for money, and she didn’t approve. Still, it made a nice change having new clothes once in a while and it wasn’t like anyone on the estate bothered them at the flat anymore.

  “How would you feel if Troy started working as well?” Trent asked, watching his mother’s reaction closely.

  Keskia looked from one son to the other, and her face crumpled slowly.

  “With you?” She asked, hoping for one answer, but knowing it would be another.

  “Maybe,” Trent replied.

  Keskia frowned then, and stood up to her full height, hands on hips, and glared at her two eldest.

  “I don’t want Troy working with you, or for any of your cronies. I know I don’t have any influence over you two anymore, but you know how I feel about your ‘work’ and I don’t want Troy going down that path. If you so much as mention this again, you’ll both be out of this flat so fast your fucking feet won’t touch the ground.”

  Tyrese hadn’t expected his mother’s reaction to be a joyful one, but he hadn’t expected that. He looked at Trent, who looked as taken aback as he was. Why had Trent said it? They didn’t even know if Troy would prove himself yet, let alone join their force. He could’ve smacked Trent right then, but controlled himself.

  “Is that clear?” Keskia asked, her chest heaving.

  Before either of them could respond, Keskia stormed into the lounge and slammed the door behind her, leaving Tyrese and Trent sitting in silence in the kitchen.

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was a Friday morning, and Serena was sat in her unmarked car, which Scotland Yard had lent to her for the investigation, and she was feeling expectant. Casey, sat in the seat beside her, looked bored and flicked through Troy’s file absentmindedly, not bothering to make conversation with Serena.

  Serena had only consented to bring him along with her to the Goldsworth because Jenkins had insisted that she not go into the estate alone. Serena had once again explained to him that she was born and raised on the estate, that she knew what she was doing. But Jenkins had been insistent. He didn’t want to lose an officer, he had said, and Serena had reluctantly agreed to bring Casey along for the ride. Not that he would be much help if anything happened, he was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, and would be more of a liability than an asset. Still, she had to respect her superiors’ orders.

  Having spent the past day re-reading the file on the Goldsworth Estate’s High-risk kids, she had become more convinced that Troy and his associates were involved in Shaniqua’s murder. Casey had, as she was beginning to think was per his nature, disagreed with her. She was sure he had only agreed to go along with her thoughts because he reasoned that she would be wrong and would get transferred off the case.

  Either way, Serena knew that she had to try. This was possibly the only lead they had, so it was worth a try.

  “So what are you actually planning to achieve here?” Casey finally asked, his voice sounding bored.

  “I’m planning on speaking to Aurora Curtis, find out some more information about Clint Jackson. Then, I want to have a word with Brandine Mason, see how much she knows about her boyfriend.”

  “So you think they’re still together, then?” Casey asked.

  “I would guess so.”

  Casey raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

  Serena sighed. She hadn’t yet told him that she had visited the estate early the previous morning, and had seen them arguing. They hadn’t seen her, but she had instantly recognized Troy from the photograph in his file. Brandine had been upset when she’d stormed away from him, and Serena had contemplated questioning her then. But she’d opted not to. She hadn’t wanted to put pressure on the girl, especially if she was still distressed. She would try again today. With any luck, Brandine and Troy wouldn’t have made up after their argument yesterday, and she would give her some useful information. Either that or she would go straight to Troy and tell him that Serena had been asking questions about him, but Serena thought it was worth risking.

  After she had finished explaining her investigations from the previous day, she caught sight of Aurora, wearing a fur-lined parka jacket over her school uniform, walking with Clint Jackson. They did make a good-looking couple, Serena had to admit. Not that it made any difference to her job.

  She climbed out of the car, and told Casey to stay where he was. The last thing she needed was him getting politically correct and ruining the working relationship she now seemed to have with Aurora.

  She approached them slowly but authoritatively, and she thought she saw Clint’s eyes widen in alarm when he saw her approaching. But he didn’t make a move or run, he just stopped beside Aurora and watched her approach.

  “Good morning, guys,” Serena said friendlily, “On your way to school, I take it?”

  “Yeah, but at least it’s a Friday,” Aurora replied, and Serena found herself remembering her school days. She too had been glad when school was finally finished for the week. “How’s the case going?”

  “It’s hard work,” Serena admitted, glancing at Clint, who averted his gaze, “But I think we have a few leads. Do you think I could have a private word with you please, Aurora?”

  Aurora looked at Clint, who nodded his consent. So, Serena thought, they could be in a relationship after all. Tread carefully, she reminded herself. Don’t alert her if she’s going to spill the beans to him the moment you leave.

  Serena and Aurora walked a short distance away from Clint, who remained in the same place, looking awkward. He glanced over at them, and Serena smiled at him, and Clint quickly looked away. Suspicious behaviour, she thought. But then again, everybody looked suspicious when they were with police, especially if you were from the Goldsworth Estate.

  “How are things?” Serena asked, and Aurora was surprised by the look of concern on the woman’s face.

  “I’m doing okay, I guess,” Aurora said, “Mum’s still on antidepressants, and she’s planning the funeral now. I think we’re having it in a few days.”

  “That’ll bring some closure for her, I’m sure,” Serena said reassuringly.

  “She’s being buried beside my dad,” Aurora said softly.

  “That’s nice. She’ll be safe with him,” Serena said,
wishing the same could be said of her own father. She hadn’t been safe with him, that was for sure.

  “So what are the leads you’ve got?” Aurora asked, changing the subject, “Have you got a suspect?”

  “I have some suspicions,” Serena replied, “We think it could have been a gang.”

  “A gang? Half the estate must be in a gang of some sort.”

  “I guess so,” Serena said, smiling slightly, “So apart from that, how are you coping?”

  Aurora looked puzzled. “I’m doing as well as I can. Clint’s been great.”

  Serena inwardly smiled. This was what she’d been waiting for.

  “Is that him over there?” She gestured towards Clint with a wave of her arm, “Clint, did you say?”

  “Yeah, that’s him,” Aurora said, and she smiled softly. So she liked him a lot.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Serena asked.

  “Oh, no, nothing like that,” Aurora said quickly, flushing slightly, “We’re just friends.”

  Serena believed her. But she could tell that Aurora wanted to be more than just friends with Clint.

  “So he’s been looking after you then?” Serena asked, not wanting to alert Aurora to her suspicions.

  “Oh yeah, I can talk to him you know, about Shan and mum,” Aurora said, “And he talks to me about things. Sort of.”

  “Well, not many boys talk to girls about their feelings.”

  “Exactly,” Aurora said knowingly, and they both laughed.

  Serena was at a loose end, and decided that she couldn’t press her for any more information just yet without seeming suspicious. At least she had confirmed Clint Jackson’s identity.

  “Well, I’ll head on up to the flat and check on your mum,” Serena said, and Aurora nodded.

  As Serena turned to go, Aurora spoke. “Thanks for everything, Detective.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Serena smiled, “And please, call me Serena.”