The Last Dance

When calling upon a member of the public, for whatever reason, only a police officer with a phenomenal lack of self-awareness would expect a warm welcome. Nobody was ever thrilled to see you, that was a given. A copper (or even worse, two of them) on your doorstep was more or less guaranteed to put a crimp in anyone’s day, but Scarlett Ribbons star

It was a rule he tried to live by, one of the many things experience had taught him. Never get your hands dirty. Shaving your legs is a pain in the arse. If a piece of business needs doing, it’s always better to do it fast.

Miller shook his head and patted the moped’s saddle. The grimy plastic had been patched up in several places with gaffer tape. ‘This’ll do me,’ he said. ‘Cheap and cheerful, like I am.’ Xiu nodded. ‘It’s also unreliable and makes strange noises.’ ‘Was that you making a joke?’ Xiu looked a little alarmed. ‘It certainly wasn’t intentional,’ she said.

Miller tore open a bag of scratchings and got stuck in. As always, knowing how bad these crunchy slices of fried pigskin were for him and being well aware of the possibility that he might break a tooth at any moment only made the experience more enjoyable; gave it a salty frisson. It was basically Russian roulette with snacks. As far as the consump

To the casual observer, gazing down from the top of the Tower perhaps, or from a penthouse apartment in one of the expensive blocks that have sprung up in recent years, this might be Las Vegas. If that casual observer really squinted. And had never been to Las Vegas.

Miller could not always control his instincts, but he trusted them.

‘A lot of men sleep around,’ Xiu said. ‘A lot of men who aren’t married to Michelle Cutler. She’s almost certainly got “hitman” in her phone book somewhere. Right between “hairdresser” and “homeopath”.’ ‘I’m not convinced.’ ‘You’re probably right,’ Miller said. ‘I doubt she has a homeopath.’

The function room above the King’s Arms was not the most spacious in town and, as soon as the band had begun to assault their instruments, the few dozen local devotees of thrash metal willing to pay seven pounds fifty to risk permanent hearing loss had quickly coalesced into a frenzied, sweating mass of hair and leather. Men and women – mostly men

When it came to his abilities as a detective, Miller was not lacking in confidence – not usually, at any rate – but, if pushed, he might eventually concede that he was not always brilliant at reading the room. Or more specifically, the people in the room. That said, he required only a fraction more sensitivity than the average tree stump or doctor’