Bodie

My brain's working overtime now and I'm still trying to put the hangover in its place. Doyle's perfectly aware the incident with Chris is linked to Atherton somehow. I remember the look he threw me as he left…

First of all, Chris mustn't die, I think.

I call Doyle as I wander down the road to get lunch. The place is deserted and it's blowing a chilly wind all of a sudden. This doesn't improve the generally dilapidated appearance of the area and I feel suddenly fed up with the world in general. I want to go home and crawl back under the duvet with Lisa.

Doyle's phone is off – he's probably in the hospital. Then my phone beeps once and I click to read the text message.

"CK OK. No major damage. Talk later. D"

I let out a long sigh of relief. Thank God. I think of Sam and the relief doubles. This means, though, that Chris'll be able to tell his side of the story so Brown's had it, or his boys have at least.

I sit in McDonald's with a burger and a strawberry milkshake – another good hangover cure – and think.

Bodie the nightclub owner says we have to get rid of Brown. I wonder if Atherton can persuade him to disappear before Sam or Doyle get to him. That buys me – us – time and I can dedicate myself to finding out exactly what is going on in the interim.

Wearing my CI5 hat, I know I should turn round, go straight back and arrest the bastard, but I can't possibly, not without knowing to what extent my partner is involved with him. And who he is for God's sake.

Then, of course, there is the Justice for Chris angle, but this is no time for principles. I'll leave that to Doyle.

Chris knew who Brown was, I realise suddenly. Chris must have recognised him – or him Chris. Even heavies like Brown don't go round knifing people for snooping. Chris knew something Brown didn't want him to know…

What though?

My brain is ticking over now. If Chris knew something, probably Sam does as well. And Doyle, come to that. An old fearful feeling flickers, before I banish it as stupid. Doyle and Sam know the score. They'll be OK. They know the score a sight more than I do, in fact.

I'm also hit by a wave of annoyance. Atherton probably knows everything too which only leaves muggins here out in the cold. This is getting ridiculous. Doyle, for starters, had better tell me what the hell's going on. And so had Atherton. I need both sides of the story, preferably before I have to meet this undercover girl.

That's a more cheery thought. Under covers … Mm, wouldn't mind meeting her there, judging by the picture …

Stop it Bodie, you dirty old man. I chuckle as I finish the milkshake and make my way back up the hill.

I saunter back through the club feeling a lot more relaxed and find Atherton in the bar.

"They've gone," he says, unemotionally. "Completely, I mean. Permanently."

"Right." That's one thing taken out of my hands then.

Atherton finishes pouring a large brandy and offers me one. God no. He grins briefly at my expression.

"I'm not stupid Bodie," he says, sipping it. "I realise we've still got trouble."

I incline an eyebrow in agreement and gesture him to come and sit at one of the tables.

"There's going to be a monumental investigation," I say.

"Yeah, I know."

He's silent for a moment.

"They won't find him," he says finally. "He'll be half way across the world, probably."

"Just leaves you for them to pick on then, doesn't it?" I say.

"Yeah."

Atherton stares down at his drink. I don't think I've ever seen him look distressed before. He's never anything but laid-back and charming, with the odd arrogant smirk. Even when he loses his temper it's beautifully played, engineered, almost. He's very polished, Atherton.

But not now.

"Are you going to tell me then?" I prompt after a few moments.

He sighs and takes a long drink, then runs a distracted hand through his hair.

"I can't tell you much, Bodie. I really can't."

"I just want to know what you're up to. And whether I'm likely to end up at the wrong end of a court summons because of it."

He stares back at his drink.

"There's a lot of stuff going back a long way," he says eventually. "That guy today, David. He's not David Brown. His name's DeBruin. I spent a lot of time with him in Namibia. Let's just say Doyle is probably very interested in him. I was rather concerned he might have recognised him at the club the other night."

"Maybe he did. Maybe Chris Keel did too," I suggest.

"Yes, Chris Keel…" Atherton looks sharply at me. "Just a coincidence he's a CI5 man, is it? I don't think I'm the only one not being upfront about a few things."

"No, you're right," I say. "There's a couple of things I have to talk to you about. In a nutshell, CI5 think there are undesirables coming in and out of this place and they want to put someone undercover here. I've agreed."

"You shouldn't have done that Bodie, not without telling me." He should sound angry but he doesn't. He just sounds drained.

"Maybe not. But you'd have had to agree, obviously. They were being pleasant but we don't have a choice, you know that."

I decide at this point that Atherton need never know that I am actively involved in the case. I reckon I'll find out a lot more this way. Best to let him think I am grudgingly tolerating the CI5 presence and am completely on his side.

"Anyway, she's young and she's beautiful," I grin. "Could be worse."

Atherton smiles. Sort of. It's a slight improvement on his previous expression anyway.

"So that's all my secrets," I go on. "Tell me about DeBruin. Why would Doyle be interested in him?"

"I might as well tell you," he says. "Doyle will know all about him anyway. He works in import and export…"

"Surprise me."

"He makes a lot of money. And I owe him."

"How much?" I ask.

"Loong story," he smiles weakly. "I used to – assist him in some business in Africa. A lot of money changed hands. A lot of it ended up in my hands and he ended up in jail. Like I said, I owe him."

"Owe him enough to see everything go down the plughole here?" I demand.

He shrugs. "Old ties, old loyalties," he says. "But it's more than that. He's never said so but he could, in theory, get me sent back there and tried. I'm a Namibian national. One word in the right ear and I'm back over there and you can imagine what might happen."

I nod, understanding perfectly.

"So what about new ties and new loyalties?" I ask. "What about this place? And me?"

"Depends who's been having words in whose ear, really, doesn't it?" Atherton says, raising an eyebrow and regaining some of his usual self-assurance.

I stare at him, thinking.

"So what happens now?" I ask.

"You tell me. You know more about what's going on than I do."

"I don't know anything about what's going on!" I say. "I know CI5 are watching this place. That's all. I don't know what they're going to find. They're curious about the gym…"

"Yeah, they would be," Atherton mutters and tops his glass up.

"So tell me about the gym."

He looks at me for a long time in silence, then, perhaps because his usual defences are unusually weak, decides to fill me in a little.

"The gym is connected to DeBruin," he says. "DeBruin does business with some Middle Eastern organisation. Don't ask me who or what, because I don't know and I have no interest in finding out. They need to relinquish their interest in the gym and DeBruin needed someone to take it over."

"They're using the gym as a cover for something," I say.

"I don't know," Atherton lies. I know he's lying. He knows I know he's lying. But it's a simple game. Simpler than saying: Stay out of this Bodie, you're stepping over the boundary.

"I've been finding all this work a bit much, to tell the truth," I say casually, stretching my legs out. "I think it would be better if you handled the gym on your own, don't you?"

He looks at me.

"Well thank you for your support," he says. "New ties and new loyalties, eh? Yours are still embedded in CI5 and Doyle."

"I don't fancy going to jail. Not even in this country, thank you. It has nothing to do with CI5. I wish they'd sod off, to be honest. I just want to earn my living and keep my family and at the moment that all looks slightly threatened."

We pause, and there's a strange tension, as if we're each deciding whether we're looking at each other across a fence or over it from the same side. We're partners – but to what extent? I don't know. At this moment I feel like ditching all my ties, to be honest – all except my domestic ones, anyway. I feel as if I'm playing some sort of strategy game and the stakes are way too high.

"All right, Bodie," Atherton says at last. "But even if it's just with this place, you're still my partner and I trust you. Mainly because I think you're too soft to contribute to sending me back there. Where was it you ended up banged up? The Congo?"

"Yeah," I say. Not something I ever talk about, or have any wish to. And yes, I know what he'd face being sent back to face drug trafficking charges or arms dealing or whatever he's got himself into, not to mention what DeBruin's associates might do.

But, I think uneasily, if he keeps playing DeBruin's game, CI5 – with my reluctant help – will pick him up at some point too. I tinker with possible strategic moves in my head. Perhaps Atherton and I can work together on this too, somehow. I consider showing him the pictures. Maybe he'll know some of CI5's targets - though if I let him know about them, that might warn them off… I smile. Yes. Then CI5's undercover girl won't see them and I've bought some more time. This thought pleases me.

Until I remember I'm supposed to be working for CI5 and the idea is to catch these people.

No, I think, firmly. Not till I've found a way to safeguard Atherton, at least, and with him my club. CI5 will get their men, but if I can engineer this correctly, they'll get them when I'm good and ready to let them have them. They can have the lot of them, but not Atherton. I need to think about this. I need to think long and hard.

"We need to decide what we're going to tell Doyle and the others," I say eventually.

"All right." Atherton thinks for a split second. "David Brown heard I was looking for a new partner for the gym as you had decided not to go ahead, and came to meet me."

"How did he know that?" I test him.

"We got talking in the club. This sort of thing isn't hard, Bodie."

"OK. When did I tell you I was pulling out then?"

"When do you want to have told me?" Atherton's smiling now. He loves this sort of thing.

I think back to when I found out about all of this and what would sound plausible to Sam and Doyle.

"Friday night. Same night you told someone and he brought DeB – erm – Brown in to meet you on Saturday. Then you met this morning to discuss the gym."

"Which is true. We did discuss the gym." Atherton drains his glass looking satisfied.

"You realise this links DeBruin rather firmly to the gym?" I point out.

"If I'm linked to the gym and they know DeBruin has dealings of some kind with me that hardly matters, does it?" he says.

True. OK. Next part of strategy. I'm doing well now.

"If I can get pictures, details, of the people CI5 are looking for, we can work out exactly what we're up against," I suggest. "Assuming you know them or can find out about them and why they might have attracted attention."

Get Atherton to do my investigation for me, feedback to Sam – selectively if necessary – and everyone thinks I'm helping them. God I'm good at this. I should have been a double agent.

"Yes, it'd be nice to know who to advise to stay away," Atherton says.

"Good," I say and grin. "We're going to be OK. We'll beat CI5 to the information and work out how to protect ourselves from there. Right?"

"Right." He smiles at me. "Bodie?" he says.

"Mm?"

His eyes, for once, are wide, unguarded and honest. "Thanks," he says with feeling and I feel a brief and unwelcome stab of guilt. Not because I don't genuinely want to help him out but because I have to say, I don't think I'm doing any of this for anyone but myself.