CHAPTER 26
I felt a little stupid at first, but then reconsidered. What did the idiot think he was doing collaring me there and then? I could see half of the people we wanted to warm up starting to drift away.

“Kim, Nell? Look after the urn, can you? And you, copper, passenger seat now, if you don’t mind!”

He climbed in as I took the driver’s seat, slamming my door perhaps a little too loudly, turning towards PC Whatthefuck.

“You were supposed to be calling round at the house, not fucking stalking us while we’re trying to do some people a favour!”

He had both hands up in the traditional warding-off, calm-down posture, and I felt like smacking him for that.

“If I’ve stuffed up, I’m sorry, but I can explain. I hope adequately”

“Go on then, copper. Make it a good one or fuck off now”

“Nita did say you could be prickly, but, well, Who blacked your eye?”

“None of your fucking business. Explanation. Now”

He dropped his hands, and his eyes, then looked up again, trying to smile.

“I’ll start from scratch, then. I am PC Welby, Paul, as I said. I am the Community Officer for this patch, sort of working to Sergeant Harris as was. This is my beat, in a way. I’m not here to look for people breaking the rules so much as to spot those who are at the receiving end, if you get me. Bit of support for people who tend to get forgotten. You know what happens round here, don’t you?”

“Lot of people get cold and wet”

“Yeah, and some of them don’t get to wear much while they’re doing it. Mostly women”

Memories popped up, things Harry had said about the streets I was parking up on. Sparky had mentioned it as well, when the police were making a little pretence of looking for Kim. Working girls. I looked hard at the policeman.

“What do you do for them, then?”

He slumped in the seat, looking away again for an instant, and when he looked back, there was a flicker of pain in his eyes.

“Not much, to be honest. There aren’t many shelter places left. I try and keep an eye on them, let them tell me if there are any persistently nasty punters, if their pushers or pimps are getting shitty, things like that. Mostly, well, all I can really offer is a sympathetic ear and a seat in a warm car for a little while. Some of them appreciate that; some are more worried about missing available trade. I try and persuade the local ratepayers and hardworking et cetera to be a little less unpleasant to those whose luck walked out on them. Oh, and I front for a needle exchange. My job in a nutshell, really. Can’t cure their problems, so I try and make life a little less shitty”

His eyes flicked deliberately towards the partition behind our seats.

“I also look out for runaways, vulnerable kids and the like”

He caught my glare full on, and the hands came up again.

“Ms Wells, please. I said there aren’t many places in shelters, remember? From what Nita says, you’re opening up a few more, places we really need. You got any idea how many of the kids I pick up are homosexual or like those two with you? Mam and Dad don’t want poofters or fairies around, do they? Something like a third of the kids I pick up are on that bus. If you are giving them somewhere warm, I won’t be stopping you”

I took another look at him, trying to see how sincere he was, and once again I got a shy smile.

“That a good enough explanation?”

I made a quick decision.

“Has Nita given you the address? Mine?”

“Yes”

“We will be here about another hour. You wait here while I talk to my people”

I slipped out of the cab, shutting the door behind me, and walked round to the side door.

“Kim, Nell, Sparky? Want to walk over here for a sec?”

Once we were a little way off, I brought them up to speed.

“He seems genuine, so far. I’d like to see if he is kosher, how he comes across to you two. Sparky?”

“You want me along, just in case?”

“Sort of. It would also be handy to let you see the work I still need doing, and I think you might be a bit drier tonight under that tarp in my yard than out here”

“I’ve got a dry spot, Deb”

“Let someone else have it for a night or two, then. If I tell him an hour and a quarter, it will let us grab something warm at home, beans on toast perhaps, and don’t even think of saying you’ll be OK without it, Sparky! We agreed?”

I got three cautious nods, and climbed back into the cab.

“Be there in an hour and a quarter. Bye”

He took the hint and left the van, a little rush of people coming out of the side streets as soon as he was gone, and we did our best to keep up with demand, until I realised I was nearly out of sugar. Artificial sweeteners are not something you want when sleeping rough with no idea of when and where you might feed again. Sparky helped gather in the mugs in his usual way before grabbing his bedroll and settling into the back of the van. I made a quick dash into a corner shop for some basics like bread, beans and more sugar before parking up behind my house, Sparky setting up the tarp as I set beans heating and the girls set up the toaster and grill. Beans on toast for Kim and Sparky, cheese on toast for me and Nell, who had rushed upstairs as soon as we were in, reappearing in one of her new outfits.

I smiled at her in her beigeness.

“Don’t spill anything on your new clothes, girl. Tick this tea towel in just in case”

I had just stacked the plates in the sink when the knock came on the back door, and a glance through the peephole showed it was our new copper, carrying a plastic folder of some kind. I let him in after shutting the inner door.

“This is the visitor space. You don’t go through that door there until I have agreement from the others, OK?”

He nodded, and I took a quick look into the living room, getting three nods of assent. I led him in, taking a seat on the settee with the girls as he settled into the spare armchair. He looked a little embarrassed.

“I am really sorry I upset you all earlier. My mistake, all of it. I saw the van, I remembered what Nita had told me, and I thought, well, I can kill two birds sort of thing. Wasn’t my intention to alarm you”

Sparky nodded, then rose from his seat, PC Welby looking a little worried. It was Sparky’s turn to do the both-hands-up game.

“Cool, mate. I didn’t recognise you, isn’t it? I’ve heard some of the girls talk about you, though, so here’s my hand as a token, OK?”

He shook Welby’s hand before returning to his own armchair. And I saw the girls glance at Sparky once more, as if to take their lead from him. The copper coughed, and began opening his folder of papers.

“Thank you. Really appreciated that. Anyway, I’m not here to do paperwork, just to say hello, really, explain what I do, have a look at security if you don’t mind, and set out one particular ground rule”

I waved at him to continue, then thought better of it.

“Girls? Think we could all do with a cuppa? One of you do the honours?”

They both scurried out into the kitchen, and Welby opened his mouth to speak again, just as I shushed him.

“We discuss this as a household, family thing, aye? Wait till the girls are back”

Kim was at the kitchen door.

“Deb is dead right. Who wants what to drink?”

Once our hands were filled again, he put the folder to one side.

“Stuff that for now. Here’s the proposal we have for you. I am a police officer—yes, I know it’s bloody obvious, I heard that. It means I am bound by certain rules, and those rules compel disclosure of what information I am given. There’s a number of areas, one of which is what we call human intelligence. Snouts, informers, concerned members of the public, whatever. That is not what I am here for, though I can be if someone has a real worry. The disclosure bit is more delicate. For example, I know exactly who Kim is, but I don’t know, if you get my drift, because nobody has told me. Not properly. That means I am not bound to ring her Dad up and tell him where she is, and yes, I know all about that. What it does mean is that I can take a name off the at-risk register, let my colleagues spend their time looking for someone who needs finding.

“That is where you come in, Deb. You are at arms’ length from us, so you don’t have that duty of disclosure. It means we can pass you people to look after, and then it’s like Nita did. We let you know who is missing, where they’re from, and you don’t drop us any hints at all, nudge nudge, wink wink, so we can quietly mark a kid down as safe. Safe is all I need to know. Would that work for you?”

I nodded slowly, and he smiled with obvious relief.

“One more thing. There may be times when we might not want to pick someone up. Would you be OK doing it, if we need to stay at that arms’ length?”

He got our agreement, as the household I had described, and then grinned happily/

“Not often I put my foot in it that badly and manage to get it back out! Now, can I make an offer?”

“Go ahead”

“I actually don’t live that far away, and the car’s allocated to me personally, perk of my job. If I pop home and change, anyone fancy a pint?”

Sparky shook his head.

“Bit smelly, mate, my clothes. Debbie?”

“Aye?”

“Chance of a shower tonight and do some laundry while you’re out? Give me an idea of the work you want doing, and I’ll hive it a once-over while you’re out”

“You answering for me, Sparky?”

He grinned happily.

“You didn’t fancy a pint then?”

That set me laughing, and as our new friend drove off to change, I took Sparky around the other house, pointing out Nita’s idea of a crash-bar exit at the rear of the kitchen. He was nodding in appreciation.

“Makes sense. Like an old castle, with concentric layers of defence, but still a back door for a proper getaway. I’ll have a think about the front door as well. Go and get ready for that pint, girl”

Welby was back remarkably quickly, and of course we trooped off to the Clifton, where Harry beamed a welcome.

“Hiya, Debbie! Didn’t know you were acquainted with this plodder! Not seen the new girl, either. Hiya, Kim, Paul”

I shot a sideways look at Kim, who shrugged.

“Harry’s a regular at Ruth’s, Deb. This is Nell, Harry. Just moved down this way. Anyway, it’s my shout”

“Aye, girl, and for the benefit of the copper, it’s Debbie who’s actually buying the booze. What are you having?”

I looked at Kim, who was grinning and waving her purse. Sod it.

“SA for me, butt. Nell?”

“St Clement’s, please”

Paul went for an SA as well, Kim settling for a lime and lemonade, and we managed to find a table with room for four. By the time we left, still reasonably sober, PC Welby was ‘Paul’.

I found it hard to believe. I was actually warming to a bloody copper.