The Tower Read Online Free PDF Page B

learner. You need to go inside now, keep yourself intact.’
    â€˜Intact?’
    â€˜You’re evidence.’
    He looked down at his hands, covered in dirt and blood. McIver’s blood. At that moment something felt like it wanted to burst out of his chest.
    â€˜You’ve closed down the site?’
    â€˜We’re working on it,’ she said. ‘I’m trying to get the civilians out.’ She turned to go. ‘But I don’t have enough officers yet. It’s a nightmare.’ All the same, she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.
    Troy went back to the screens around the car and into the enclosure, where the government contractor was asking Little if it was all right to bag the body. Crime scene had finished and gone upstairs. Little looked at Troy, who nodded.
    The sergeant said, ‘I suppose we need the autopsy as soon as?’ He looked at the woman on top of the car. ‘A face would be nice.’
    â€˜And I guess your constables would like their vehicle back.’
    Several people sniggered and Little smiled. I can handle this, Troy thought. I am going to be okay.
    He left the enclosure while the contractors got on with their job. The crowd at one of the barriers parted and a van reversed towards him. Troy saw Sean Randall wandering around, holding a big orange coat like the one he’d been wearing upstairs. He had a bandage around his head and looked distracted. When he saw Troy, his face lit up as though he’d found the missing piece to a puzzle. He came up and thrust out the coat.
    Troy put it on and drew up the zip, and found himself shivering violently for almost a minute. When it was over, he felt warm again, and nodded his thanks to Randall, who was staring at him anxiously.
    â€˜Bazzi disappeared at eight thirty—just after we went upstairs,’ the engineer said. ‘As far as we can make out. Just walked out of the office and left the site.’
    â€˜His mobile?’
    â€˜Still on his desk.’
    Thinking about the man who’d taken McIver’s gun, Troy said, ‘Did anyone see a lift come down after the guy took your pass?’
    â€˜When I called, Harmer was right next to the console. She and one of the guards saw it was coming down. It went to car park one.’
    â€˜So the guy with the gun’s down there?’ Troy said, pointing to the ground.
    â€˜Your colleagues are searching.’
    Randall went back onto the site. Troy was about to follow when Little appeared, and said he’d been directed by Harmer to stay with him until Internal Affairs arrived. Because of the time of night, this might be a while.
    â€˜She wants you out of the rain,’ Little said, looking dubiously at the coat Troy was now wearing. They began to walk and he said, ‘Bloody McIver, eh? Man’s had a charmed life.’
    â€˜I guess.’
    â€˜Anyone who could do that to Bobby Logan and survive, I mean, the guy’s got balls.’ Troy nodded, shifted his mind back to McIver. ‘You know what I’m talking about?’ Troy nodded again. Little looked unconvinced, but said no more as they walked across the road.
    Troy did know about the Logan brothers, who were two of the city’s most effective criminals. In the late eighties McIver had been a junior detective on an investigation that had locked up Bobby for ten years for manslaughter. McIver’s evidence in court had been crucial and, from what Troy had heard, partly fabricated. That had been common in the old days, but it was harder to do now, and not Troy’s thing. Cops had to make a decision about all that early on and stick to it, and Troy had made his.
    â€˜You think what he did was right?’ he asked Little. It was nice to know where the people you worked with stood on these things. But the sergeant didn’t seem to have heard him. He was preoccupied, working his cigarette hard to finish it before they got to the entrance.
    Troy thought about