She's Out Page 11

  ‘This is entrapment, you know,’ Donaldson whined.

  ‘You fuckin’ do the business, Jimmy, or you’ll be trapped and for longer than you got in the first place.’

  He moved off on his own, walking through entrance B and heading, as he had been told, to the hoopla stand. When he got there he couldn’t see Dolly so he went over to the shooting arcade and paid over two quid for three shots. ‘Let her find me,’ he said to himself as he took aim. ‘Let her bloody find me.’

  Dolly walked casually around, enjoying the stands, looking at the amazing rides. It was all beyond anything she had ever come across when she was a kid, and it all cost a hell of a lot more. She fingered the hoops, fifty pence a throw. In her day as a kid it had been threepence but she paid over her money and took aim with the wooden hoop.

  ‘Rawlins is at the hoop-la stand. She’s throwing hoops now.’ Palmer wandered past, not even looking at Dolly as she threw her third hoop and was presented with a goldfish in a plastic bag. As she reached for the fish, she caught sight of Julia, hovering at another stand. She did a double-take and stared.

  Julia sighed. She was hopeless at it and she was so tall she stuck out like a sore thumb. As Dolly walked towards her, she smiled weakly. ‘I was following you,’ she said lamely.

  ‘Well, you just won yourself a prize. Here, take it back to the manor.’ As Julia took the goldfish bag, Dolly looked up at her, ‘Why you following me?’

  ‘Ester told me to.’

  ‘Oh, I see, and what she tells you to do, you do, is that right?’

  ‘Yeah. Well, now you’ve caught me at it, I’ll push off.’

  ‘You do that, love. I’m only here for the entertainment.’

  Julia couldn’t help but smile but Dolly remained poker-faced, watching the tall woman as she threaded her way out of the area. Dolly was piecing it all together: they were, as she had suspected, after her diamonds. Well, they were going to be in for a shock. They wouldn’t get anything out of her. As soon as she had them, she would be on her way and they could all rot in hell as far as she was concerned. Apart from Angela: she liked that little kid.

  Dolly wondered if she’d missed Jimmy Donaldson – maybe he’d got tired of waiting.

  ‘She’s looking around now, handed a fish to a woman who’s walked out. Should be coming through exit E, check her out.’

  Julia made her way to the courtesy bus stop and waited, unaware she was being monitored. She had decided she would go and see her mother. It had been a long time since she had seen her.

  Dolly saw Donaldson and walked off in the opposite direction towards a Ferris wheel.

  ‘I think she saw him but she’s walked off, straight past him. Now at the Ferris wheel. She’s talking to the boy on the ticket box.’

  Dolly smiled at the spotty young kid and slipped him a tenner. ‘I’ll be back for a ride in a bit and you’ll get another if you make sure I get a nice view from the top of the wheel. Say about five minutes’ worth of view, all right, love?’

  He grinned. It was not unusual, he often had requests, and for twenty quid, why not? He watched as she strolled back into the crowds of kids and families. It was not a busy day – midweek and not during school holidays it was often quiet, apart from the shooting arcade that was a constant battle with the eardrums.

  Donaldson had another three shots. On his last he got a bull’s-eye and the stall owner begrudgingly handed over a stuffed white rabbit. He turned to see Dolly standing directly in front of him.

  ‘Okay, they’re together. He’s just won a white rabbit so we can’t miss them. He’s walking off with her to the other stands.’

  She didn’t speak for a while and he chatted on. ‘You’re looking well, long time no see.’

  ‘I am well, Jimmy, very well. How’s your wife?’

  ‘Oh, she’s her usual. Gone to see her sister in Brighton.’

  ‘That’s nice for her. Would you like a ride?’

  He looked at the Ferris wheel. ‘No. Can’t stand those things.’

  ‘Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. I’m here to enjoy myself. Reason I chose here is because I saw an article. Princess Diana brings the princes here, did you know?’

  He nodded. ‘That’s the big theme rides over the other side. This is another part, a fairground. It’s not part of the main park.’

  ‘I fancied that water ride, down a chute. I saw them in the paper. Never mind, we’ll make do with this now we’re here.’

  Dolly winked at the spotty boy and paid for the ride, slipping him another tenner. He unbuckled the seat bar and helped her sit down.

  ‘Dolly, I’ve not got a head for heights.’

  ‘Oh, get in, Jimmy, I want to see the view.’

  Donaldson was ushered into the seat and locked into his safety harness; below, the static interference was breaking up on the radios. Jimmy’s and Dolly’s voices were coming and going with a crackle and a buzz.

  ‘They’re on the Ferris wheel,’ a droll-voiced officer said into his radio.

  ‘We can see that,’ DCI Craigh muttered back. They could see them, hear them just about, and so far not one word about the diamonds. Mike was in the car, listening on the radio, clocking the time, wondering if his mother had picked up the fakes yet, getting more and more agitated. He hadn’t even seen Rawlins yet; he didn’t know how he’d deal with it if he did.

  ‘They’re on the ride,’ crackled his radio.

  Mike pushed his earpiece further into his ear, wincing as the static caused by the steel girders on the Ferris wheel deafened him.

  Donaldson clung to the safety bar as the wheel turned slowly. ‘There’s nobody else getting on,’ he panted.

  ‘Oh, there will be,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘Why are they doing it so slowly?’ he gasped, as they inched higher.

  ‘They got to allow for the punters to get on. So, have you got them for me?’

  She said it so casually, he felt even sicker. ‘Er, not with me, it’s too dangerous.’

  She stared ahead, and the wheel turned higher until they were almost at the top.

  ‘You’ve not got them, is that right?’

  ‘Yes – no – I’ve got them but not on me. You crazy? I couldn’t carry them around … Oh, oh, holy shit, is this bleedin’ thing safe?’

  They remained poised at the top of the wheel and Dolly leaned forward, looking down, around and out to the views ahead. ‘Oh, isn’t it lovely? Isn’t it lovely, Jimmy?’

  ‘No, I’m gonna be sick.’

  She faced him, her eyes like those of a small angry ferret. ‘You will be sick, Jimmy, if you’re trying it on. Are you trying it on with me, Jimmy?’

  ‘No, no, I swear. Listen, is there an alarm? I’m feeling sick, really I am. I hate swings, I hate heights, I’m dying, Dolly.’

  She pushed at the seat with her feet. It swung backwards and forwards. ‘Where are they?’

  ‘At home! I got them at home!’ He was shaking in terror, his knuckles white from gripping the safety bar.

  She looked down, waving cheerfully to the boy, and the wheel began to move down. ‘I’ll come for them tomorrow. I’ll call you.’

  ‘All right, all right, anythin’ you say …’

  She nodded, and then leaned closer. ‘Life is too short to mess around, isn’t it? You won’t mess with me, will you, Jimmy? You see, I’ve been waiting eight years.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I got to get a good fence. I’m nowhere near big enough. I mean, you’re talking millions so you’ll need the very best.’

  ‘No, love, you won’t get anything but what belongs to me. I’ll do the rest and you’ll get your cut.’

  DCI Craigh was ripping out his hair. They still had not mentioned the word ‘diamonds’. ‘Jesus Christ, say it, woman, say it.’

  She never did. She left a white-faced Jimmy Donaldson leaning against the fence, throwing up, as she went out of the exit, carrying the white rabbit. They couldn’t lose her, couldn’t miss her, but she had not said the word diamonds, and neithe
r had the stupid bastard Jimmy Donaldson.

  Julia arrived at the station and put in a call to Ester, who when she was told that Dolly had spotted Julia, went into a screaming fit. Julia yelled back, saying that if she wanted to follow Dolly then she should have done it herself. ‘I’m going to see my mother, okay?’ Then she slammed down the phone, picked up the goldfish Dolly had given her and walked on to the platform to wait for the train. She wished she’d never agreed to the Dolly Rawlins business. She wished she didn’t know Ester, she wished she had not fucked herself up so badly, she wished she could start her life over again. She was such an idiot, such a stupid bitch to have got herself into such a mess.

  It was after eight by the time Gloria arrived at her old place, which looked even more run-down in the dark. Just as she got out, Mrs Rheece came out of the front door. Gloria ran up the path. ‘Mrs Rheece, it’s me, Gloria Radford. I just come to pick up my stuff. Is that okay?’

  ‘You can do what you like, no business of mine. I don’t give a shit what anyone does. The council have been round askin’ after you and that bloke was here last night again, the one with the squint. I said to him you wasn’t here and he was fuckin’ abusive.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry. You tell him to sod off the next time.’

  ‘There won’t be a next time, Mrs Radford, ’cos I’ll call the law on him.’

  The old woman went off with her shopping trolley down the road, still muttering to herself about the council, as Gloria slipped round the back of the house to the old coal hut. It had been used as a bike shed, and rubbish bins were stacked up inside and out. She shone a torch round and began to move aside all the junk, ripping her tights and swearing. She was filthy as she squeezed her way into the back of the hut and then eased away old wooden boards. She was scared of being disturbed so she switched off the torch and fumbled around in the inky darkness. Then she felt the big canvas bag and began to heave with all her might. It was very heavy, but she managed to drag it out. She went back three times for two more bags before she shut the coal-hut door. She dragged each bag out to the Mini Traveller and hauled them inside, terrified that someone would see her, but no one even passed her in the street. Then she went up into her old flat, washed her hands and face, and collected a suitcase full of clothes before she left. She drove slowly, frightened of every passing police car. She knew that if she was stopped and the car was searched, she’d be arrested. Eddie’s stash, Eddie’s retirement money, was all in the back of the Mini: thirty thousand pounds’ worth of weapons.

  She headed on to the motorway towards Aylesbury, her hands gripping the steering wheel, her whole body tense. ‘Please God, nobody stop me, please God, don’t break down, please God, let me get to the manor safely.’

  Ester heard the front door slam and looked over the banisters. Connie, still wearing her dark glasses and headscarf, was dragging in her case.

  ‘Where the hell have you been all day?’

  ‘I need a fiver for the taxi, Ester.’

  Ester thudded down the stairs. ‘I’m not a bloody charity, you know. I paid for everyone’s taxi yesterday.’ Ester stopped in her tracks as she saw Connie’s face. ‘What the hell happened to you?’

  Connie burst into tears and ran past her, up the stairs, so Ester had to go out and pay off the taxi driver.

  Audrey was in a right state. She had twice paged Mike on his mobile and he’d not returned her call. She now had the fake diamonds from Tommy and just having them in the flat made her freak. She kept on opening the pouch bag and looking at them, closing it up again, then standing over the telephone. ‘Ring, come on, ring me. I’ve got them, I’ve got them.’

  Mike didn’t call until after ten. He was just coming off duty and he’d come round to collect them. As he put the phone down, Angela paged him. He arranged to meet her outside Edgware Road tube station, then called his wife to tell her he would be late. He had just replaced the phone when DCI Craigh wandered to his desk.

  We’ve got Donaldson back at his place. He says that maybe we should take him over to his shop, maybe they’ve not been looking in the right place. I said to him, “You drew the map, Jimmy, we’re looking just where you told us to look.”’

  Mike could feel the sweat trickle under his armpits. ‘You want me to go over there and see who we’ve got searching the shop? They may have missed them, you know.’

  Craigh rubbed his nose. ‘Yeah, okay, I’m taking myself off home. We’ve been over all the tapes from the fairground. Useless. They could have been talking about anything. He’s a smart-arsed prick, you know, Donaldson.’

  Mike nodded in agreement. ‘Yeah, well, we know what she meant though, don’t we?’

  ‘Yeah, we know, but it wouldn’t stand up in court. Still, we’ll see what we get tomorrow – she’s calling him again then. Goodnight.’

  Mike dragged on his coat. It was another hour, sitting in traffic, before he picked up Angela. As far as she knew, she told him, the women were all still together at the manor; Dolly had bought it from Ester, paid her by cheque. She had not heard any mention of diamonds but they were all edgy, especially Ester.

  Mike paid her a tenner. She wanted him to take her out for a hamburger, but he refused. ‘When will I see you again, then?’

  Mike cleared his throat. She was too close to Rawlins and tied in even closer to him. It made him nervous but he didn’t want her to get suspicious of anything he was doing so he grinned. ‘Soon as I get some free time. It’s getting a bit heavy with Susan right now – she’s asking a lot of questions about where I am. We just have to cool it for a bit.’

  She started to sniffle and he hugged her. ‘Come on, now, don’t start. I’ve got to be on duty in half an hour otherwise I could see you, but right now it’s too difficult.’

  ‘You just used me.’

  He turned away from her. ‘I’m sorry if it looks or feels that way but I didn’t, and you knew I was married right from the start, Angela, I got kids.’

  She sniffed again and opened the car door. ‘All the same, you used me, Mike. I give you all that information and you can’t spare ten minutes for me. How do you think that makes me feel?’

  ‘Look, let me get this Rawlins business sorted. I’m doing this for my sister, Angela. Let me do what I have to do and then I promise I’ll call you, okay?’

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. She gave a sweet smile and closed the door, watching as he drove off. She felt cheated and slightly guilty. Mrs Rawlins had seemed quite nice, not like the others. She hunched her shoulders and went back into the tube station to head for her mother’s place.

  Audrey showed Mike the fake diamonds. Two grand I paid. They’re very good, Tommy’s a professional. What do you think?’

  Mike was tired out. He stuffed the bag into his pocket. ‘Okay. Now you should get packed and out of here as soon as you can. I’ll stash these tonight.’

  ‘Did she meet up with Jimmy, then, today?’

  ‘Yeah, but they played games.’

  ‘She’s clever, Mike. Watch out for her, don’t trust her.’

  He looked at his mother. ‘You mean like I trusted you?’

  ‘How can you say that? You know why I did it! You know why!’

  He pursed his lips. ‘You did it for the money so don’t give me the sob story about Shirley because it won’t wash any more. I’m doing this tonight and then that is it, you hear me? I want you out of here, out of my life.’

  ‘You don’t mean that, do you?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘But the villa! You and the kids can come for holidays.’

  ‘No, Mum, I don’t want to know about the fucking villa. You got it, you stay in it. Now pack your bags, like I said, get your ticket sorted and leave.’

  Audrey burst into tears and started talking about Shirley but Mike walked out. She followed him. ‘I had a right to them. I had every right. She killed Shirley! You know she did. She should have gone down for life, that’s what she should have got.’

  He ran do
wn the stone steps, hearing his mother’s grating, screeching voice, and he hated her. At this moment, he even hated his sister. If he was caught replacing the stones at Jimmy Donaldson’s antique shop he’d be arrested and it would all be whose fault? Dolly Rawlins’s!

  By the time he got back into his car, he hated Dolly Rawlins as much as his mother did. Crashing the gears, he sped off down the road. The pouch bag of fake diamonds felt like a red-hot coal in his jacket pocket.

  Chapter 5

  Julia kissed her mother’s soft powdery cheek and then stepped back, holding up the goldfish. ‘I got you a present.’

  Mrs Lawson smiled and gently stroked Bates the cat. Well, I’ll have my time cut out watching that Bates doesn’t eat it.’

  ‘We used to have a fish bowl somewhere, didn’t we? I remember it.’ Julia searched in the kitchen and eventually found it, filled it with water and tipped in the fish. Then she carried it into the drawing room. Her mother was still stroking Bates, sitting in her wheelchair, a cashmere shawl wrapped round her knees. The room was oppressively hot, the gas fire turned on full.

  ‘So, how are you?’ Julia said as she sat down, peeling off her sweater.

  ‘Oh, Mrs Dowey takes good care of me and her husband still looks after the garden.’

  Julia could think of nothing to say so she got up and looked over a stack of bills placed in a wooden tea-caddy on the sideboard. ‘Are these for me?’

  ‘Yes, dear. I was going to send them to your accountant as usual but as you’re here …’

  They were the usual telephone, gas and electricity bills, Mrs Dowey’s and her husband’s wages, and bills for repairs and maintenance to the house. Julia even paid for the groceries.

  ‘You know, dear, if this is too much for you …’

  Julia turned the wheelchair round to face her. ‘If it was I’d say so. Besides, who else have I got to look after?’

  ‘I always hope you’ll meet someone nice, marry and settle down. It would be nice to have a grandchild before I die.’