A Promise Between Friends (13 page)

‘I thought I was awful.’

‘No, not at all.’

Ruby turned to look at Paula who had changed into a black-and-white two-piece suit. ‘How did the silver dress go down?’

Paula just shrugged. ‘Same as usual. I don’t think I’ll be working stores much longer.’

‘Why not?’ Ruby asked.

‘The pay is a pittance. And with no extras.’

Ruby shook her head. ‘I didn’t know there were any.’

Paula turned slowly. ‘How sweet. I suppose I used to be innocent too.’ She sighed. ‘A long time ago.’

Ruby sat thinking. What did Paula mean about extras? And even if there weren’t any of these so-called extras, Ruby couldn’t ever imagine wanting to turn down work. Once the fear had
left her and she had paraded down that catwalk in the gorgeous cream dress to die for, she had been in her element. And eager to repeat her performance. There had been smiles and whispers from the
audience. A little clap came at the end, which she hadn’t expected at all. Even Elsie had nodded approvingly as she’d walked through the curtains for the second time.

It was a freezing-cold February day when Bernie helped Ruby to take her few possessions to Anna’s. He was now sitting opposite her in the El Cabala, a frown on his face.
‘You sure you’re doing the right thing?’ he asked once again. ‘It’s the big city you’re moving to. And full of sharks.’

Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes. ‘Anna isn’t one of those.’

‘Because she talks with a posh accent?’

‘No, because she has offered me the chance I’ve always wanted.’

‘I wouldn’t like to see you stitched up,’ Bernie complained. ‘There’s something about that woman I don’t trust.’

Ruby laughed. ‘Anna was very polite to you.’

‘Yes, because she has to be.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Well, she’s on to a good thing and wants to keep you sweet.’

‘Anna only wants what’s best for me,’ Ruby said, becoming irritated by Bernie’s unsupportive attitude. When he’d moved Kath out a few weeks ago, he’d been
full of smiles and jokes, telling his sister he now realized she was making a change for the better.

‘Just don’t say I didn’t warn you,’ Bernie continued, pushing away his empty coffee cup. ‘And when your life goes tits-up, don’t blame me.’

Ruby wondered what it was that Bernie didn’t like about Anna. When she had introduced them, he’d been cold and unfriendly from the off. Yet Anna, like the lady she was, had greeted
him warmly. Much to Ruby’s embarrassment Bernie had carried her luggage up the stairs to her room at 10 Dower Street without a word or a smile.

Anna had ignored his rudeness and suggested that, as Bernie had taken time off work, it was only fair that Ruby spend the rest of the morning with her friend.

That was how considerate Anna was, Ruby thought as she looked at Bernie’s solemn face.

Now Ruby wished she had said goodbye to Bernie in Dower Street. His gloomy mood was getting her down.

‘All I’m saying is,’ Bernie persisted as they sat by the misted window overlooking the busy pavements of Oxford Street, ‘you needn’t have moved your clobber out so
quick from the bedsit. I’m keeping the digs on for a bit. Just in case the usherette job don’t work out for Kath.’

‘I’m sure it will.’ Ruby took a sip of the scalding coffee and smoothed her finger around the edge of the glass cup. ‘But it is very lonely there without Kath.’

‘Beats me why you girls had to leave.’

‘Because everything changes, Bernie. And if you don’t grab the chance when you can, you ain’t living life.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ admitted Bernie dolefully.

‘You’ve got dust on your coat from my stuff.’ She reached out to brush the marks off.

Bernie looked into her eyes and smiled. ‘Thanks.’

‘You always were a messy bugger.’

‘You ain’t supposed to swear any more, remember? Or Madam will clip your ear.’

‘Don’t call Anna that.’

‘Why not?’ He laughed. ‘It’s a wonder she let the likes of me into that posh house of hers.’

‘You’re just in a bad mood.’

‘She was flitting around you, almost up your a—’

‘You didn’t even bother to talk to her.’

‘She put the mockers on me,’ Bernie snorted, sitting back and smoothing his hand over his greasy black brilliantined hair, ‘just with that snobby look of hers.’

Ruby laughed. ‘It’s what’s called sophistication.’

Bernie dug out an empty packet of Woodbines from his pocket and threw it on the coffee table. Drumming his fingers, he squashed the paper with his palm. ‘Well, this is
it,’ he said, heaving a long sigh. ‘There’s been enough goodbyes since Christmas and I hope this is the last of them.’

‘It’s not goodbye,’ Ruby said evenly. ‘We’ll still see each other.’

‘Don’t suppose you want to go to Fortuno’s this Saturday?’

She smiled. ‘You should get yourself a decent girl and settle down.’

‘I’ve been too busy doing what Pete would have wanted, trying to keep an eye on you.’

‘Yes, and you have,’ Ruby said, feeling a little sorry for Bernie now. He had done his best for her and Kath.

‘I saw a book in one of them boxes of yours,’ Bernie said suddenly. ‘It brought back a lot of memories. Pete wrote in the bloody thing all the time.’

Ruby was surprised. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I was his mate, wasn’t I? He’d say, “Oh, that’s one for the diary,” or, “That’s one for posterity.” I never understood the long words he
used, but he did show it to me one day and I kidded him about it.’

‘Did he let you read it?’

‘No. He just had this big grin on his face. He said he’d sell his memoirs to the newspapers one day.’

‘I thought I was the only one who knew about the diary,’ Ruby said, a little upset. ‘I found it in his wardrobe.’

‘Did you read it?’ Bernie asked curiously.

‘Yes, there was a girl in it called Joanie,’ Ruby explained. ‘Do you recognize the name?’

Bernie thought for a moment then shook his head. ‘Haven’t the foggiest.’

‘I was a bit upset,’ Ruby admitted. ‘If he had a special girlfriend, why wouldn’t he have told me?’

‘Just goes to show,’ Bernie said, ‘you was his sister and me his best mate and neither of us knew about Joanie.’ There was a drawn-out silence before he added,
‘Dunno if she had anything to do with it, but Pete was acting strange towards the end.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘He was quiet one minute, then the next he was all over the place. He’d say that when he was in the money he was gonna get away from all this. I never knew how to take him. He used
to love the East End once. Before he moved up to the city and worked for the rich guy. After that, all we shared was small talk.’

‘He thought you was jealous, probably,’ Ruby accused.

‘Maybe I was,’ Bernie admitted, shifting on the chair. ‘But he started mixing with a different set, not my type at all.’

‘What sort of types?’

‘Foreigners by the looks of ’em.’

‘What didn’t you like about them?’

Bernie shrugged. ‘Dunno. It’s me sixth sense, I expect.’

‘Didn’t know you had one except when it comes to chasing women.’

‘What I mean is, I never saw Pete with any of our old crowd. One night, when we was back on the island and drinking at the Quarry, I said to Pete, why did he want to meet there? I like the
pub, mind, it’s our old turf. But Pete mixed in different circles and I had accepted that. So this night he said, “You’ve been a good mate but I may have to go away for a while.
So I want you to watch out for Ruby.” I asked where was he going. “Spain,” he said. And that was it.’

‘Did you ask why he was going to go to Spain?’

Bernie nodded. ‘Said he needed the sunshine.’

‘So it was a holiday?’

‘What else could it be?’

‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ Ruby was annoyed with Bernie for having kept this to himself. Pete had never said anything about Spain to her. As far as she knew Pete had
never been out of the country.

‘Because the minute I tried to talk to you about Pete, you got miffed. Like that night at Fortuno’s. So I just shut up.’

‘Yes, but this is important.’

‘Because he told me and not you?’

‘No,’ she replied impatiently. ‘Because someone going on holiday wouldn’t want to top himself.’

Bernie was silent, then nodded. ‘You’ve got a point there.’

Ruby thought about the empty bottle she had found beside Pete and the aspirins spilled on the bedcover. ‘The coroner said he had been drinking and as a result took too many aspirin. That
it was an accident.’

Bernie sighed. ‘Yes, but Pete wasn’t a boozer, as we both know. We never drank more than a couple of beers together.’

Ruby frowned, leaning her elbows on the table and rubbing her aching temples with her fingers. Was what Bernie told her true? And if so, what did the information mean? All these new questions
seemed to gather inside her brain and fill it so much it hurt. Bernie had never expressed his doubts before. No one had about Pete or the last months of his life, which to her hadn’t seemed
much different to normal. He had a good job with a rich boss and was away a lot. He came home to the prefab odd weekends, but he never was anything other than happy. Or so she thought.

‘Did you tell the police all this?’ Ruby asked, looking up sharply.

‘Course I did.’

‘So you told them and not me?’

‘They were a bloody sight easier to talk to.’

‘I’m going back to Anna’s,’ Ruby said, getting to her feet. ‘Thanks for the coffee.’

‘What’s all the rush?’

‘There has to be something in Pete’s diary that I’m missing.’

‘Like what?’ Bernie demanded.

‘Don’t know. But you can come with me if you like. We could look at it together in my room.’

‘Not on your nelly. Not with Madam giving me the evil eye.’

‘Then I’ll fetch it and we’ll go back to the bedsit to read it.’

Bernie frowned. ‘Still feel it’s a liberty,’ he muttered, but all the same he paid for the coffee and followed her outside onto the icy street.

‘It’s taters in here. I’ll bung a bob in the meter.’ Bernie dug in his pocket for a shilling and returned to the table where Ruby was sitting,
shivering.

‘There might be a bit of paraffin left in the heater,’ Ruby said hopefully.

Bernie lit the ancient appliance and slowly the oily wick flickered and flared into action. ‘What does it say?’ he asked as he looked over her shoulder.

‘Come and read for yourself.’

He slumped down on the chair, rubbing his hands for warmth. ‘A diary’s supposed to be private.’

‘How else are we going to find out about Pete?’

Bernie stared at the diary.

‘For goodness’ sake, it ain’t going to bite you.’ Ruby opened the pages of the well-thumbed exercise book. He saw Pete’s handwriting, neat and bold with commas and
full stops into the bargain. That was Pete all over. He was the clever one, always quoting bits from books and coming out with surprising facts.

‘Read it,’ Ruby said, her elbows on the table and her eyes fixed on his face. ‘I want to hear what his voice sounds like.’

He stared into her clear hazel eyes. ‘Hey, come on, gel, you’re giving me the creeps.’

‘Go on, just try.’

Bernie heaved in a breath. He knew he was going to do what she asked. But it was unnerving.“ ‘Jan 4 1950. Today R. Westminster, then Harrow. Will call Joanie later.” ’

‘So who do you think Joanie is?’ Ruby said.

Bernie shrugged. ‘Never had the pleasure.’

‘Turn over. She’s mentioned again.’

‘ “Collect suit a.m. Barber’s. Full works this time. Joanie likes me smooth as a baby’s bottom.” ’ Bernie chuckled. ‘Christ, Pete must have fancied her
something rotten.’

‘But who is she?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Yes, course it does,’ Ruby insisted. ‘She might be able to tell us something.’

‘Does it say any more about her?’

‘Read for yourself.’

‘ “Mr R to the House of Commons today. Collect clients from Heathrow. Tight bastards. No tips.” And this, by a WC, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
What did he mean by that?’

‘Don’t know.’

Bernie didn’t want to read any more. It was depressing. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’

‘What do you suggest, then?’

‘Let sleeping dogs lie.’

‘Bernie, answer me straight,’ Ruby demanded, giving him a stern look, ‘does this sound like your best friend and my brother talking? Or rather, writing? Who is this Joanie he
never told us about?’

‘Dunno.’

Ruby gave out a long sigh. ‘I don’t really blame him for not telling me about her. I think he wanted to make certain Joanie was his girl. One thing I do know, he was happy. He had a
smile on his face as wide as Greenwich Reach. So why would he do something silly like taking all them aspirin?’

‘What if this Joanie gave him the elbow?’ Bernie suggested. ‘So he got down in the doldrums and wrote that bit about going through hell.’

‘Then he went drinking and bought the pills,’ Ruby continued. ‘But he never meant to take so many. Just enough to take the edge off his heartache.’

‘Aspirin don’t cure heartache.’

‘No, course not. But it was just a gesture.’

‘True. This Joanie could have had him by the—’ Bernie corrected himself. ‘Specially if he’d fallen hard.’

‘Oh, why didn’t he tell me?’ Ruby wailed miserably.

‘Because you’re all screwed up when you’re ditched,’ Bernie said knowingly. ‘Trust me. I’ve had a few rejections in my time. And then you find out
there’s another face in the frame. You ain’t sensible about it. You’re either bloody mad, or depressed. Which, it turns out, he was.’

Ruby nodded slowly. ‘Poor Pete. Joanie must have hurt him badly.’

Bernie sighed. ‘Don’t suppose we’ll ever know the half of it.’

And don’t want to, Bernie thought to himself. In his own private opinion, Pete was too canny to go in for all that female drama. Rather, he’d moved up in the world, obsessed with
making it big, and mixing with a dodgy crowd, Arabs, Russians and Chinese. Mr R kept him busy earning his wedge. And though Pete had only ever hinted at it, never actually said, there were a few A
listers too from closer to home. Every one of them with fingers in Mr R’s dodgy pie. As for being in love with this Joanie, Bernie couldn’t see that at all. It was the old bees and
honey Pete lusted after.