‘No? But they have certainly helped you.’
‘Yes. As have you. And I’m grateful.’
Cardo stopped walking. ‘But I’m not.’
‘Not what?’ Ryker said, raising an eyebrow and looking over at Cardo.
‘Not grateful. For you being here. In Spain. Sending your detective, Mr Green, okay, but you? I don’t know why they would send you.’
Cardo walked again. Ryker followed.
‘Yeah well, I’m here.’
‘I know. Like I said, you have some big friends. Bigger than me. They want you here, and there’s nothing I can do about that.’
‘The sooner I get some answers about what happened to Kim Walker, the sooner I’ll be gone.’
‘You don’t think I’ve tried?’
‘I’ve only just met you. I don’t know the answer to that yet.’
‘And Kim Walker was only just murdered. Six days ago.’
‘Seven.’
‘Okay, seven days ago. Still, it’s early. And we’re working hard. I’ve been doing this job for thirty years. I get results. But it can take weeks, months, to solve a case like this.’
‘I’m sure you’re very good.’
‘I am. That’s why I don’t like you being sent to tell me how to do my job.’
‘I’ve got no interest in doing that.’
‘I hope not.’
‘But likewise, you don’t tell me how to do mine.’
‘I absolutely won’t,’ Cardo said. ‘Because to be quite honest, I have no idea what your job here actually is.’
‘To find answers. I thought I said that already.’
They reached a black Seat hatchback. Cardo stopped and took out a remote clicker which he used to unlock the doors. ‘I’ll take you to your car. Then you should go and see your colleague, Mr Green. You work for him, not me.’
‘I don’t work for him.’
Cardo looked at Ryker questioningly but didn’t say anything. Ryker and Cardo got into the car, and the inspector started the engine and pulled away from the kerb.
‘What do you know about Andrei Kozlov?’ Ryker asked.
‘Not much,’ was Cardo’s vague response.
‘Does he have friends in high places?’
Cardo glanced over at Ryker. ‘I didn’t know of Kozlov until this investigation. I’ve looked into him. He’s worked with Patrick Walker for a number of years. Kozlov is a property developer. He’s rich. That’s it. He’s not some criminal kingpin, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
‘You know that for sure?’
‘As sure as I can be. I’ve worked in the criminal investigation department for many years. Kozlov has never been of interest to us.’
‘I’m not sure that proves anything.’
‘Why? Because you think we’re all incompetent idiots out here?’
‘I never said that.’
‘But that’s what you think?’
‘No. It’s not. What I think is someone, somewhere, is not playing ball. Those two goons were sent after me by someone.’
‘Goons?’
‘Two men. On the construction site.’
‘You were found there alone.’
‘The police were lying.’
‘Why would they do that?’
‘Exactly.’
Cardo and Ryker went silent for a few seconds. The traffic eased as they moved out of the town centre toward the construction site and the gated complex where Eva Kozlov lived with her father.
‘Would you like some advice, Mr Ryker?’ Cardo said as he pulled up alongside Ryker’s car.
Ryker laughed. ‘You’re going to tell me to be careful, right?’
Cardo frowned and glared at Ryker but said nothing.
‘You know what,’ Ryker said, opening his door to get out. ‘I’m done with getting advice around here. If I wanted to be careful, I’d have gotten a different job.’
CHAPTER 21
The four aspirins sloshing around in Ryker’s stomach kicked in within minutes. He was driving back up the steep incline into the Sierra when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fumbled around, trying to remove it, expecting – hoping – that the call was from Lisa.
His lack of attention on the twisting road nearly got the better of him. A sharp bend came up unexpectedly and Ryker jerked on the steering wheel, jolting the car to the right. He put his foot to the brake then heard a honking horn as the car behind came within inches of shunting him.
Ryker ignored the angry driver who promptly overtook him on the blind corner. He grabbed his phone before slamming on the accelerator. The engine whined as the revs peaked, trying to pull the car up the steep bank. Ryker looked at his phone. The call hadn’t been from Lisa but from Green, and Ryker felt himself deflate slightly. He wanted to talk to her, feeling increasingly anxious that they’d not spoken since he’d left home. The last thing he wanted was for her to be unnecessarily worried – or even angry – with him. She was already giving him the benefit of the doubt in having allowed him to travel to Spain to reassume a role with the JIA. He wanted to keep her on side. He was about to call her when the phone buzzed again. Green.
‘Yeah.’
‘Ryker. Are you out?’ Green sounded angry. Rushed.
‘I’m out.’
‘You need to get over here right now.’
‘Where?’
‘Walker’s house. He’s been attacked.’
Green ended the call.
With the thoughts of Lisa fading, and feeling a renewed sense of purpose and clarity, Ryker put his foot down as far as it would go.
Four minutes later, he pulled up outside the gates to Casa de las Rosas. The gates were locked shut. Ryker opened his window and pressed the call button on the intercom.
After a few seconds, the left gate slowly swung open. Ryker closed his window and drove through.
The front door to the villa was open when Ryker parked up. Green was standing there, waiting.
‘What’s happened?’ Ryker asked, walking up to the detective.
‘He’s not hurt. But he’s pretty shaken.’
‘Where is he?’
‘Inside.’
Ryker went to walk into the house but Green pushed his hand out onto Ryker’s chest to stop him.
‘First how about you tell me what happened yesterday?’
Green’s air of superiority riled Ryker. ‘I’m sure you’ve heard the details already.’
‘But I want to hear them from you.’
‘I don’t answer to you.’
‘You think? Then who bailed you out?’
‘Yeah. Thanks for that. But that doesn’t mean I work for you now.’
‘You can chalk that one down to professional courtesy,’ Green said. ‘But I won’t be bailing you out again. You understand me?’
‘I understand.’
‘Already you’ve head-butted Walker, broken into Kozlov’s house, and been arrested for carrying an unlicensed weapon.’
‘I didn’t break into Kozlov’s house.’
‘What? That’s hardly–’
Ryker barged past Green into the house, then strode through to the sitting room where he and Walker had sat the previous day. Walker was there on one of the sofas, pale, staring down at the floor in front of him.
‘What happened?’ Ryker asked.
Walker said nothing.
‘An intruder got into the house,’ Green said coming up behind. ‘A couple of hours ago. In broad daylight. Walker was still asleep upstairs at the time.’