Inspector Stone Mysteries Volume 1

4-3

“IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE to report?” Detective Chief Inspector Collins asked of his subordinate.

“Not at the moment,” Stone answered, uncrossing his legs in preparation to leave his superior’s office. “Hopefully, Justin will get a quick response to his appeal for help in identifying his hit-and-run victim, not that it’s likely to help much in finding the person who ran him down.”

“What about the gentleman who reported the accident? Could he possibly have been responsible?”

Stone shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Justin about that.”

“I will. What’s your next step with the robbery?”

Before Stone could answer there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Collins called out.

The door swung open to reveal DS Burke, who quickly apologised for the intrusion. “Excuse me, sir, but I’ve got a possible lead.”

“What is it?” Stone asked.

“I was talking with a couple of the uniforms,” Burke said. “It seems that one of our favourite lags recently got himself some new ink.”

Stone thought about who Burke would include on a list of their favourite lags – it wasn’t a long list – and who would be of interest in regard to their current case. “You’re not talking about the Ice-cream Boys, are you?” he asked, thinking of Ben and Jerry Logan, whose first names had resulted in them being given the most obvious of nicknames. When Burke nodded, Stone remarked. “They’re out on license, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they got out three, four months ago,” Burke said. “I think they’ve both got about three and a half years, a little less maybe, on license.”

Stone didn’t doubt his partner had the information right, Burke was very good at that kind of thing. “So, which one of our pains-in-the-ass got the new ink?” It wasn’t something he wanted to guess at for both seasoned criminals were fans of tattoos and had many adorning their bodies.

“Jerry, apparently,” Burke answered. “According to PC Williams, he gave the Logans a tug the other week for a broken light on their car – not a blue Vauxhall,” he said quickly, seeing the question in his superior’s eyes. “He recognised the Ice-cream Boys and made a note of Jerry’s new ink, he said it’s an eagle, about two inches by three, on the left side of his neck.”

Stone smiled at the news. “Shall we go and have a chat with Jerry then, and perhaps his brother as well?”

“Sure, we probably won’t get much out of them, but it should put the wind up them.” Burke was as keen to speak to the Logans as Stone; nailing them for armed robbery would, he thought, make up for the early releases Ben and Jerry had somehow secured.