Complicity Part 2 (1/4) By Nick Quantrill

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4). Part 1.

Complicity is the new crime-fiction novella set in Hull featuring Detective Sergeant Coleman and Detective Constable Maynard. The thisisull.com serialisation is accompanied by the stunning black and white photography of Roland Standaert, which illustrates the story and takes a unique look at the city. Complicity and other stories are available for free. Please contact hullcrimefiction@hotmail.co.uk. for further details. Roland can be contacted at rockgraphy@mac.com.

The rain refused to ease as Coleman made his way through Queens Gardens and on towards King Edward Street. He pulled his collar up and hurried his pace as he passed the decrepit looking Woolworths store; the crumbling of the once grand chain symbolising the decay of the street. King Edward Street wasn't particularly pleasant on the eye. The area wouldn't be improving, especially once the new St Stephen's leisure development and bus station around Ferensway were finally completed. It's all very well the major stores opening units there, but what of their other stores within the city centre? The old shops would be left to rot, unwanted and uncared for.

The local council would be complicit in the impoverishment of this part of the city centre. It didn't seem like a well balanced plan to him. The new shopping developments would simply attract the same people to one part of the centre and leave the rest to become a ghost town. It would create as many problems as it does opportunities, he thought as he passed the library and turned onto Wright Street.

He pressed the buzzer and waited. 'Can I help you?' 'It's Detective Sergeant Coleman, I've got an appointment with Simon Gale.' He waited for what seemed like an eternity in the driving rain. The door was opened and he was invited in by a woman in her early twenties. She guided Coleman into the waiting room and told him to make himself comfortable.

'Mr Gale will be with you shortly.' He looked around the room. It was quite indistinct and sterile. The walls were covered in the kind of posters you'd expect to see in such a place; bland, meaningless words about the dangers of drugs. Hardly likely to make much of an impact on most of the clientele, thought Coleman. 'Simon Gale', beamed the tall, well-groomed male as he entered the room, hand held out to be shaken. 'Detective Sergeant Coleman,' he replied standing up to meet him halfway across the room, feeling suitably ragged in comparison. 'Pleased to meet you, Sergeant'. 'Richard, please'. 'Richard it is then. Can I get you a drink? A tea or a coffee, perhaps?' 'Coffee will be fine, thanks. As it comes.' Gale guided Coleman out of the waiting room. 'Anna,' shouted Gale down the corridor. 'Can you get me a coffee for the Sergeant please? Black no sugar, thanks'.

Gale led the way down the corridor and invited Coleman to enter the boardroom. He looked around the room; the same mixture of posters and messages. He brought his eyes to rest on David Peel. Peel smiled at him. With his neatly combed hair, neatly knotted tie and expensive looking suit, he looked more like a walking advertisement for a men's lifestyle magazine than the ambitious hack that he was. 'Good afternoon, Richard. It's a shame that Detective Inspector McCormack couldn't make it personally.' said Peel as he stood up to greet Coleman. 'He did inform me that he was very busy. As this is an informal meeting to exchange views and information, we should just about manage without him.'

'That's what we all want, Richard,' said Gale, beckoning the men sit down. 'Firstly, I'd like to thank David for his excellent reporting on events so far. It's a difficult time for all concerned, but it's important that we raise awareness of the danger of drugs through responsible reporting.' Peel nodded almost piously, while Coleman found himself biting his tongue. 'With respect,' begun Coleman 'this kind of reporting isn't helpful to us when we're trying to trace and eliminate suspects. These things take time. For instance, there is CCTV footage to review and we need to request mobile telephone details. We're doing our best, but a swift response isn't always easy.'

Continued... Next Page (2/4)

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