Parsons’s bodyguard moved forward when he heard Sperring speak.
‘Don’t, sunshine,’ said Sperring, holding up his warrant card. The bodyguard looked at Parsons and then at Sperring again. Backed down. ‘Clever boy.’ Sperring stepped in front of Parsons. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘what have we got going on here?’
Khan couldn’t even bring his eyes up to meet his colleague’s.
‘Mr Sperring,’ said Parsons, as if greeting an old friend. ‘Been too long.’
‘Not long enough,’ said Sperring. He looked between Parsons and Khan. Eyes settling on Khan. He sighed, shook his head. ‘I thought better of you, Nadish. I really did.’ His voice held real sadness, genuine hurt.
Khan looked away.
‘So you going to tell me what’s going on, then?’
‘It’s him,’ said Khan, jabbing his finger at Parsons, still not looking up. ‘He wanted… wanted to know about the investigation. What was happening, where we were looking.’
Sperring stared at Parsons. ‘Did he now. And what did you tell him?’
Khan sniffed. Sperring realised he was crying. ‘The…’ He sighed. ‘Everything.’ His voice had shrunk. ‘The club. The building. Who owns it, everything…’ He shook his head like he couldn’t believe those words were coming out of his mouth.
‘And what did Mr Parsons have to say to that?’
‘Look,’ said Parsons, ‘I’m sure this can all be settled —’
‘Shut it, you,’ said Sperring, with an angry look that almost matched Parsons’s of a few minutes ago. ‘I’ll deal with you in a minute.’ He turned back to Khan. ‘What did he say?’
‘He said to, to divert attention away from it… look somewhere else…’
Parsons was on his feet, furious. ‘You little fucker…’
Khan looked up. Eyes red-rimmed, pain-filled. Face contorted through tears and self-hatred. ‘He said he’d give my mum money… That’s why I said I’d do it. Since my dad…’ He didn’t finish the sentence. ‘It’s been really hard.’
‘And you believed him? He said he’d give your mother money and you believed him?’
Khan’s eyes couldn’t meet Sperring’s. ‘Yeah. Why not? He gave my dad enough.’
Parsons was still on his feet. Sperring squared up to him. Stared straight at him. Their raised voices were attracting attention, but people gave them a wide berth. No one wanted their enjoyment of the evening to be tainted.
‘I hate bent coppers,’ said Sperring. ‘But you know what I hate more? The scum that bend them. You’re nicked, Parsons.’
Hearing those words, the bearded bodyguard moved forward. Sperring turned to him. Smiled. There was no happiness in it. ‘You want to do this, son?’ he said. ‘Really?’
The bodyguard stared at Sperring, unblinking. But something in Sperring’s gaze made him look away. He backed away again. Sperring nodded. ‘Good lad.’ He turned back to Parsons. ‘You’re a piece of shit. But you’re an old piece of shit. You wouldn’t survive going back inside, which is where I want to send you. Not for long. And while I might get some enjoyment out of that, I have to ask myself, is it worth it? All the time-consuming bollocks I’d have to go through. All the paperwork, compliance, building a case for the CPS, not to mention dragging young Nadish’s name through the shit.’ He stared at Khan. ‘Not that he doesn’t deserve it for what he’s done.’ He turned back to Parsons. ‘I’d enjoy seeing you rot in prison, make no mistake. Dying in prison, too. And don’t get me wrong, I’d do it, but it’s a lot of work. So.’ He stepped in nearer, so that Parsons had no choice but to look at him. ‘What can you tell me to make me change my mind?’
Parsons cleared his throat. Sperring looked straight into his eyes. Saw that the old man was beaten and he knew it.
Parsons sighed. ‘It’s… it’s about my son. All about my son.’
‘Who, Grant?’
‘Yeah,’ said Parsons. ‘Sort of. But mainly about Ben…’