36 #NonCompliant

Colin Cooper sat slumped in the interview room’s chair, looking for all intents and purposes like he couldn’t care less. He’d been left to stew for almost an hour but knew the drill better than most. When Haye and Sorrell entered the room, Cooper barely looked up. ‘The monkey and the organ grinder. I’m honoured.’

Sorrell ignored the jibe, as he was determined to keep his cool. ‘Good to see you again, Colin. Sorry to keep you waiting, things have been a little hectic today, what with the incident at your hotel.’

‘Yeah, then Lieutenant Asshole here brings me out front in cuffs and I end up on the news, with half the world and my bosses thinking I killed the English prick,’ Cooper said bitterly.

‘Scottish, dumb-ass. Bryce Horrigan was Scottish,’ Haye responded, taking the bait.

Cooper completely ignored Haye, refusing to even look in his direction.

‘We cleared that up, Colin. Released a statement saying an employee had been arrested for an unrelated matter,’ Sorrell said in his most reassuring manner.

‘Yeah, but who’s gonna believe that, captain?’ Cooper said, eyeballing his former colleague.

‘You brought it on yourself, Coops,’ Haye spat back. ‘I was being all civil. You were being an asshole.’

‘Captain, can’t you tell shit-for-brains to shut the fuck up? He’s like a yappy dog: yelp, yelp, yelp. I don’t know how you put up with that every day. I’d have stuck a slug in his head long ago. Put him out of his misery and do us all a favour.’

Haye leapt across the table, grabbing Cooper by the collar. ‘Come on then, let’s see how tough you really are.’

Sorrell pulled the men apart, and decided to play devil’s advocate. ‘Colin is just yanking your chain, lieutenant.’

Cooper laughed as he fixed his collar. ‘Jeez, these youngsters are so easily wound up. You need to relax a little, Haye. Get some relief.’

‘Yeah, maybe your hooker at the hotel could blow me,’ Haye smirked.

This time it was Cooper’s turn to leap across the table and grab Haye. ‘I don’t work no fucking hookers, okay?’

‘Gentlemen, gentlemen, please,’ Sorrell pleaded. ‘Haye, time out. Give Colin and me a moment, would you?’

Haye stared manically at Cooper, just itching to be allowed at him. Cooper responded by blowing him a kiss then silently mouthing, ‘Bye, bye.’

‘Okay, Colin, the fun and games are over,’ Sorrell announced after Haye had left the room.

‘Shame, I was just starting to enjoy myself,’ Cooper grinned.

‘I need to speak to the girl who was in room 1410 the night Bryce Horrigan was killed. I don’t care what she was doing there and I don’t care what arrangement you both have, if any. None of this will go any further. No press. Nothing said to your bosses. In fact, I can happily call your boss at the hotel and say it was all one big misunderstanding, or that you’d been lifted for unpaid parking tickets. But I need to speak to that girl now,’ Sorrell said, leaving no room for negotiation.

‘I’ll tell you what I told your bitch. I don’t know any girl and I don’t know anything about room 1410. So let me go, or give me my fucking phone call.’ Cooper sat back with his arms tightly folded, indicating it was the end of the conversation.

Sorrell sighed, stood up and left the interview room. Haye was waiting outside, having watched and listened to events unfold on the room’s CCTV.

‘What a fucking scumbag. Want me to go fuck him up? Give him a taste of his own medicine?’ Haye asked enthusiastically.

‘No, but I do need you to goad him. See if he’ll confess to beating on anyone. Get him to boast about it. We need any sort of leverage to make him hand over that girl. In the meantime, I’ll get onto vice and see if any of them recognise her,’ Sorrell said.

Haye went back into the interview room and was greeted by Cooper smirking at him again.

‘Just asked the cap’n if I could beat the hooker’s name out of you, but he says I’m not to stoop to your level. So who did you beat up when you were a detective, Coops? A couple of ten-year-old kids or something?’ Haye said, following the captain’s instructions to the letter.

Cooper’s smirk just got wider. ‘Is that all you’ve got? Trying to get me to confess to slapping around some yos? Fuck you, Haye.’

‘Oh yeah, as if a grand jury would be interested in that shit. A washed-up, old brothel creeper ex-cop says he used to beat on suspects? No, I’m just curious, Coops. I want to know if you’re as tough as they say you are. So give me a name. Any name. The toughest yo you ever fucked up. Go on, try me. I bet I’ve heard of him.’

Cooper laughed loudly. ‘Okay, let’s play your little game, if only to pass the time. I’ve got a name for you, ever heard of Tre Paul Beckett?’

‘TP?’ Haye asked. ‘No fucking way. Didn’t he once box at welterweight?’

‘Yup, could have been a contender too until I lifted him for dealing. I fucked him up good in this very room,’ Cooper said proudly.

‘Was he high? Handcuffed? Both?’ Haye asked.

‘Nope. Took the cuffs off. Just knew he was gonna swing for me. Nearly caught me too with that lethal right of his. That was his last fight and he lost fair and square. I never let no fucker take a free swipe at me. Welterweights or no welterweights.’

Haye decided to go for the sucker punch himself. ‘Try me with another?’

But Cooper shot him a suspicious look and crossed his arms again. ‘Time’s up. Charge me or let me go.’

Haye knew he’d come to the end of the line. Tre Paul Beckett was not the type who would be ready to help the police, but he was all Haye had.