TWENTY-SIX

2 P.M.

‘Hey, Jack, you ever hear of a homeless guy called Hiccup?’ Penn asked on his way through the station.

After reaching a dead end out on the streets, he’d returned to ask some of his colleagues if they knew anyone of that name, and who better to ask than their irascible custody sergeant?

Jack didn’t even need to search his memory before nodding. Great, that could have saved him some time.

‘Not a bad one. Quiet and well behaved, mental health issues, depression, I think. Not surprising.’

‘Go on,’ Penn urged him. Right now, he was hopping from a wing to a prayer in the hope that he’d identified the right guy.

‘Hiccup is in his mid-seventies but pretty fit and robust. Hard to believe when you look at him now, but he was a stockbroker back in the eighties.’

Penn knew he shouldn’t be surprised. Every person living on the streets had a story.

‘His real name is Anthony Parsons. Intelligent guy, educated and living it large. Had a great house, wife, couple of kids. And then came the recession. Interest rates up to fourteen per cent. He lost his house and the wife and kids. He suffered a complete breakdown, and adult services were never able to get a handle on him.’

‘How likely is he to go off with a stranger offering hot food and a blanket?’

Jack nodded. ‘No-brainer for Hiccup.’

‘You know this much about all the homeless guys?’ Penn asked.

‘Nah, only the ones that take a piss right in front of officers to get themselves banged up for the night.’

‘How often does Hiccup do that?’ Penn asked.

‘Weekly, most often on a Saturday night if the shelters are full. Weird, no one ever wants to spend Saturday nights alone, even?—’

‘Was he here last night?’ Penn asked, holding his breath. If Hiccup had been in the cells last night, he was back to square one.

‘Hang on,’ Jack said, taking a quick look at the activity log.

With a look of surprise, he began to shake his head. ‘Nope. He must have found a warm bed somewhere else.’

Penn thanked him and headed up to the squad room. It was starting to look more and more likely that the Jester had Hiccup.

Penn’s only question now was what did the seeker intend to do with him next?