Greg turned and saw the man himself striding towards him, holding a large box, and felt his fists clench.
‘Jamie. Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for some time now.’ He pointed at the parking space.
‘You after a new car, mate? It’s about time you upgraded and got yourself a decent ride.’
Greg had dreamt about being mayor for a long time and now that he was, it was nothing like what he’d expected. He’d pictured people being in awe of him, bowing down to him and grovelling. Imagined local business owners falling over their own feet to get in favour with him, bending over backwards to get his approval. Admittedly some people did all of that, but most of them didn’t, especially Jamie, and it irked him more than he’d like to say.
He stared at the much shorter man standing in front of him. What he lacked in stature, though, he more than made up for in confidence. As Greg stared at him, he imagined drawing back his fist and punching him square in the nose. How satisfying it would be listening to the cartilage crunch.
‘Why would I need a new car? This is a classic Aston Martin DB4. I doubt very much you could ever afford to buy the tyres.’
‘Look I can’t stand around chatting, sorry. I have to get back to the office. Apparently they’ve found bodies at a house on Easdale Road and I need to get someone out there as soon as possible.’
Opening the boot of his car with his key fob, he threw the box inside, pressed a button for it to glide shut and climbed in. Sticking his head out of the window, he shouted: ‘Soon as I have a spare ten minutes I’ll take you out for a spin. You can have a test drive and see what you think.’
Greg lifted his hand, stepping out of the way as Jamie began reversing towards him.
‘I’d rather chop both my legs off and shove hot pins in my eyes.’
‘What?’
‘Yeah, that would be great.’
He watched as Jamie roared into the distance, driving way too fast. Another example of how bloody selfish the man was. Part of him wanted to return to his car and move it into the reserved parking space, but the other didn’t want anyone to know how much it bothered him, in case they all started to park there on purpose to annoy him. After a moment’s debate, he continued on into the town hall.
Inside the building, which functioned as a magistrate’s court, council chambers and a women’s centre, he made his way upstairs to his office. Wondering what had happened on Easdale Road, he went into his office, closing the door behind him, and sat down behind the large mahogany desk. The chair was old and comfortable, if a little creaky. The oak-panelled walls had various portraits of the previous mayors along the walls. It looked more like a rogue’s gallery to Greg. Despite the ornate gold frames surrounding them, they looked a right bunch.
Picking up the phone on his desk, he dialled the direct number to the police station he had for Chief Superintendent Adrian Quinn.
He answered on the first ring. ‘Greg. What can I do for you?’
‘Adrian, hi. I’ve heard there have been bodies found on Easdale Road. I know you can’t tell me much but I’d appreciate a heads-up on what you know.’
‘An entire family have been found dead. Well, almost: one of them is still alive, just.’
Greg let out a whistle. ‘Accidental?’
‘Not from the information we have up to now, but you know I can’t say. It’s all still hush-hush at the moment.’
‘Jamie Stone already knows and is on his way to the scene. Thought I’d give you warning.’
‘Christ. When I find out who is passing information on to the press, I’ll have them on suspension before they can hand me their badge.’
‘Well, as our esteemed editor of the local newspaper, maybe you should ask Jamie who his contact is. But about the bodies, is it anyone I know and is there anything about it that will put tourists off? You know what the local businesses are like, any whiff of a scandal and they’re up in arms.’
‘Greg, I don’t know if you’re acquainted with them. An entire family are dead, dying. I don’t care what the owner of Rocks and Socks thinks. All I care about is finding out what happened to them and why.’