‘Out of all the places you could have asked to meet, why on earth did you pick here?’ Ruby said, glancing around the shelves of the local library.
‘Because we won’t bump into anyone from the nick,’ Downes replied, leading her to a table at the far corner of the room.
It was a good choice. Ten minutes into lunch time and there were only a handful of people there. Ruby slid a book from a shelf as she soaked up the peaceful atmosphere: so unlike her office where she sweated over files, overtime sheets and fresh leads. They sat in a shaft of morning light which peeped through the blinds above. She could see herself coming somewhere like here, if only she had the time to read.
Downes peered at the novel. ‘Wuthering Heights?’
‘Uh huh,’ Ruby said, flicking through the pages. ‘We’re in a library, aren’t we?’
Downes gently closed the book and rested his hand on the cover. ‘I’m worried about you. I’ve just spoken to Bones. I know that letter’s been sitting in your tray for a few days.’
‘Any joy with forensics?’ Ruby asked, hoping to change the subject.
Downes shook his head. ‘Not yet. Look, I’m willing to overlook the delay in finding the letter, but I’ve been hearing other things… your night vigil in the hospital being one of them.’
Ruby’s fingers drummed the table for the want of a cigarette. It was the second time in as many days she had been pulled up by a superior officer, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
‘What are you talking about?’ she said, thinking it safer to deny all knowledge.
Downes rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t give me that bollocks. I had a phone call from the matron. You stayed there overnight.’
Ruby forgot how well Downes knew the staff from attending the hospital when his wife was ill.
Downes sat back delivering a weighty gaze. His hair was tousled from running his fingers through it, his shirt creased. ‘I’m worried about your association with the Crosby family. You’re compromising your position in the police.’
Ruby pursed her lips. ‘Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. You want to know if I’m seeing him, don’t you?’
Downes shot her a glare. ‘You’re in no position to be making jokes.’
‘I’m sorry, that was out of order,’ Ruby flushed. ‘But don’t you think we should be focusing our efforts on our serial killer instead of my personal life?’
‘I just don’t want you to be the next job I’m investigating,’ he said. ‘What’s going on with you, Ruby? If you’re in any kind of trouble then tell me now, and I’ll do my best to dig you out.’
‘I appreciate the offer, but there’s nothing to sort out. Now can we get out of here? I really need a drag on my vaporiser. Or are you going to tell me they’re bad for me too?’
Jack slid his hands across the table, cupping them over Ruby’s. They were warm to the touch. Strong. His gravelly voice was laced with concern. ‘Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying. People are beginning to talk, and if you don’t have a legitimate purpose to be speaking with the Crosby family, then you should give them a wide berth.’
Ruby snorted. ‘You were asking for inside info the other day. You can’t have it both ways.’ She tried to pull her hands away, but Downes was not letting go.
‘There’s a difference between making discreet enquiries and putting your job on the line.’
The words stung, because Ruby knew he was speaking the truth. But she was far too guarded to allow him to tell her what to do. ‘Look, Nathan and I go back a long way, and as much as it pains me to say it I do care about him. But I would never put my job in jeopardy. We live in two separate worlds.’
‘C’mon Ruby,’ Downes said, with a hint of reproach. ‘You’re not kids playing with your Lego any more. Lenny Crosby is a vicious bastard and his brother isn’t far behind him. How do you think they’ve gained so much control? Do you know what happened to the last person who pissed off the Crosbys?’
Ruby drew back from his gaze. She knew about Goldie, and there had been several more victims since then. But she had enough on her plate dealing with the murderer now labelled by the media as ‘the door-knocker killer’. She did not want to hear what Downes wanted to say, but he was not letting her go until he had said his piece.
‘Turns out that one of their own was a snout. Lenny and his brother went around there and nailed him to the door. I mean they actually nailed him – hands and feet. Crucified this poor guy and left him to bleed out. Is this the sort of associate you want while you’re in the police?’
Ruby stared at the cover of the dog-eared book, her heart sinking.
‘You know what they did to the guy who testified against Lenny before he went to prison? Scooped his eyes out with a spoon.’
She glanced around as a photocopier whirred in the background. Satisfied they were not being overheard, she turned back to her boss. ‘Is Nathan wanted for any of that stuff?’ Ruby asked. ‘Is he actually wanted by the police for any offences?
‘Of course not,’ Downes said, shaking his head. ‘He’s as slippery as Teflon. But I’m telling you now, keep as far away as you can from that lot.’
‘You don’t need to worry about me. Besides, Nathan distanced himself from that sort of violence a long time ago.’
Downes snorted. ‘Take off the rose-tinted glasses and step into the real world. If you keep trying to merge the two, you’ll be up to your neck in it.’
‘I get the message,’ Ruby said, her heart heavy. ‘You’re right, Lenny is a psychopath, and I’m under no illusion as to what they do for a living. But there are rules. And they do instil order on the streets.’ She raised her hand as Downes opened his mouth to speak. ‘I’m not for a second condoning their behaviour.’ She rose from the table, her cheeks flushed. ‘I think it’s time we got back to work, don’t you?’
Downes clamped a hand on her shoulder as he stood. ‘You’re a good copper Ruby, but you need to catch yourself on. There’s no happy ending with that lot.’
As Ruby left the library his words rang in her ears.