Page 54 of Her Last Breath

‘Strange …’ Jane mused aloud. ‘Why would an upstanding member of the community be spending time in a known criminal haunt?’

‘I know the landlady,’ DS Johnson offered. ‘Happy to introduce you, if you like?’

‘Yes, I would like,’ Jane returned, breaking into a smile as she scooped up her bag and headed for the door. She knew she had enough to arrest Kangna Kandasamy, but there was a niggling anxiety that she didn’t want to leave any loose ends before she brought her in. The last thing she wanted was for Kangna to walk free like Liam. If Kangna was hanging around a place like the Red Lion, Jane wanted to know exactly why so she could confront her when she finally did arrest her.

Chapter 33

The Red Lion was a once-proud Victorian building, now boasting blacked-out windows and a peeling facade. From the outside it looked like a stalwart of a pub that had stood proudly in Burnley for huge parts of its history. Inside it was dimly lit and stank of cigarette smoke. Obviously the owners didn’t care much for the law banning smoking.

The landlady was serving drinks to a group of old boys when they went in. She was wearing a leather miniskirt and boots, a tiger print blouse. Her hair was pulled back and short, tattoos on her neck, ankle and wrist. Close-to and underneath her garish make-up she looked as though she was easily in her late fifties, powdered foundation sitting in the aged lines under her eyes.

‘Violet Street, my name is Detective Inspector Jane Hacker.’ Jane kept her voice deliberately low so the others in the pub couldn’t hear her. There was no need to flash her badge; Violet already knew DS Johnson was a police officer. ‘We have some questions for you about one of your regulars.’

Violet didn’t even glance at Jane, her focus squarely on DS Johnson.

‘You know the rules, DS Johnson,’ she said in a thick Yorkshire accent. ‘I see nothing, hear nothing and definitely repeat nothing. Tell your new friend here that’s how it works.’

DS Johnson didn’t flinch.

‘Come on, Violet. You know the rules only work if you play ball when we need you.’

Violet looked furtively over DS Johnson’s head towards the men she had just served. They were distracted, playing cards. She spoke directly to Johnson in a fierce whisper.

‘My punters trust me and this place. They keep me in business, have done all this time.’

‘We’re not leaving until you help us,’ he replied in an equally low voice.

Jane pulled out her phone, scrolling to a picture of Kangna Kandasamy. ‘Do you know this woman?’

Violet scanned the picture, but then turned her eyes back to DS Johnson, without responding. Jane pulled up pictures of Alice next. Pre- and post-death. This time Violet’s eyes flickered as she looked at the screen, but she didn’t budge.

‘She’s got two small kids, Violet,’ DS Johnson said gently. ‘We just want answers for them, we’re not here to cause any trouble.’

Jane saw Violet’s face soften a touch as she looked at the pictures of Alice again. Again, she ignored Jane, speaking directly to DS Johnson.

‘The Asian lady comes here to meet Ian Matthews. He’ll be here from about four this afternoon as per usual.’

With that, she went into the private part of the pub Jane assumed she lived in. Interview over. Nonplussed, Jane headed out to her car with DS Johnson. He stopped to say hello to the old guys who seemed to know him.

‘Should I be offended?’ Jane asked, half amused, half fuming, when they were in her car.

‘That was Violet practically flirting, ma’am.’

‘Charming!’

‘She’s a tough lady. Doesn’t need bouncers to chuck out her drunks, does it herself.’

‘Thanks for your help, she obviously respects you. Well, as much as she can respect the police.’

‘I’ve known her a while. So what now? Do you want to bring Kangna in?’

‘Not yet. I want to build a complete picture on Kangna Kandasamy before we interview her. We have her movements locked in. She knew both our victims, had issues with them. If we can get some intel on her from this Matthews guy, it might just be the final bit of the puzzle.’

‘Is DCI Malik getting the warrant ready for a search of her home?’

‘It’s in train, but really we need more evidence before he signs off on it. Have you ever had any dealings with Ian Matthews?’

‘I’ve arrested him a couple of times,’ DS Johnson explained. ‘Minor theft and dealing in stolen goods. He’s hard to pin down, doesn’t have a fixed address. Except here.’