Death Trap by Patricia Hall Page A

I think most kids had a great time. No one paid much attention to us so we got away with all sorts of stuff. Georgie Robertson especially. He was a real little bugger. The farmer we were billeted with used to thrash him with a leather belt but it made no difference.’
    â€˜Odd that you caught up with Georgie Robertson again,’ Lamb said. ‘I heard a whisper that Ray’s snooping around our patch, trying to muscle in on the protection.’
    â€˜He’s always looking to expand,’ Barnard said. ‘If you gave him a pinstripe suit and a bowler hat he’d make a fortune in the City instead of on the streets.’
    â€˜Well, I don’t reckon King Devine will go along with anyone trying to move onto his patch,’ Lamb said.
    â€˜King Devine?’ Barnard played dumb.
    â€˜You must have heard of him,’ Lamb said. ‘Runs a couple of clubs up round Westbourne Grove. All these arty types seem to think it’s a laugh to mix with the blacks, dance to the jungle music, smoke the ganja or whatever they call it. And Devine’s into a lot more besides – girls, protection, you name it. Not much goes on in our manor without he has a dirty finger in it. Quite a nice little income for the nick, though, if you know what I mean.’
    â€˜Funny name,’ Barnard said, as the teams jogged onto the pitch.
    â€˜He’s a West Indian, isn’t he? You’ve got the Maltese and the Robertsons in Soho, we’ve got the West Indians down here. And Rachman for years and now Lazlo Roman, and no one seems very sure where he comes from. Another bloody foreigner, for sure.’
    â€˜What’s he into then, pornography? Should I be taking notice of him?’ Barnard asked.
    â€˜No, no, he’s the latest property man. Rumour has it he bought up a lot of Peter Rachman’s houses when he died, and is coining it by letting them out to the coons. Can’t say I know much about him. He keeps his head down. There’s not much in it for us, as it goes.’
    â€˜Friend of mine lives in Argyll Gardens, up towards Notting Hill Gate. She said she came down to the nick to complain about some of the tenants being threatened but no one there was very interested.’
    Lamb grinned knowingly. ‘Ah, yes, your pretty little bird from Liverpool. I met her all right. Tried to tell me I’d be helping you out if I rushed around and arrested some other big dog sniffing around her house.’
    Barnard scowled. ‘There’s nothing like that going on,’ he said.
    â€˜No, ’course not, Flash,’ Lamb scoffed. ‘And pigs might fly. She’s a bit of all right, though, isn’t she? Though I’m not sure I could put up with that accent for very long. Grates a bit. All the little Liver birds are coming down here as well, are they, now their Liverpool bands are making it big? Anyway, I told her. We don’t get involved in that sort of stuff, bloody landlords and bloody tenants. It sounded to me like a bloke called Stuttering Stan. He used to work for Rachman but it sounds as if he’s found another boss. But it goes on all the time. If we bothered with it we’d be doing nothing else.’
    â€˜Even if it comes down to GBH?’
    â€˜Is that what she told you?’ Lamb asked sceptically.
    Barnard nodded.
    â€˜Nah, no one ever gets seriously hurt,’ Lamb said. ‘They’d rather move out when it comes to turds through the letter box. Know what I mean? And it’s surprising how a big hairy dog can put the fear of God into people. Probably a bloody poodle at heart, just like you.’ He laughed before a loud groan from the crowd around them turned their attention back to the pitch, where the opposition had nearly scored, though Barnard reckoned he had heard enough anyway. It was obvious Kate and her friends were going to get no help from the law in Notting Hill. The sooner they got out of the reach of landlords like