Diamonds Forever (25 page)

He held it up for Deano's perusal. Deano looked away.

‘I know it's not very tasteful but it's a great tit shot. Look at that angle. And the way her arse is sticking out, as if begging the man at the back to give it to her harder. Of course, she couldn't ask outright, because her mouth's full. Kayley's mouth was rarely empty back then, not to mention her pussy.'

‘Shut up,' said Deano fiercely. ‘Leave her alone.'

‘What a gentleman you are,' said Harville, with elaborate surprise. ‘Well, since you care so much for the lady's reputation, perhaps you'd like to buy these off me? The price is Harville Hall.'

‘Don't fall for it, Deano,' said Kayley breathlessly. ‘I'm a nobody. Who'd be interested in porn shots of me?'

‘I don't know,' said Harville. ‘There's a lovely parallel with certain events in Jenna's life just now. I think some people would find the link very interesting. First the woman herself is disgraced on camera, then her Girl Friday.'

‘Look, all I can do is talk to Jenna,' said Deano, sounding defeated.

‘Oh, Deano? Seriously? Would you do that?'

Kayley was clearly touched.

Harville's phone shrilled out. He tutted, but gave the screen a cursory look.

‘Oh, now!' he exclaimed. ‘This is serendipitous indeed.'

‘It's what?' said Kayley.

‘You'll never guess who …' he said, but he answered the call before finishing the sentence.

Deano and Kayley both sat up poker-straight as he spoke his first words.

‘Jenna, my dear, how
lovely
to hear from you. To what do I owe the pleasure? Yes, he is, as a matter of fact. Of course. I'll put him on.'

He handed the phone to Deano, while looking through the photographs of Kayley in an exaggerated manner and holding one up from time to time, just to keep the conversation on track.

‘All right, Jen?' said Deano, clearing his throat as a particularly lurid crotch-shot of Kayley was held up for his perusal.

‘Where are you? What have you been doing? Parker's been going insane with worry here.'

‘Well, I'm with Lawrence, as you know. We had a meeting.'

‘But where?'

‘He has a little place in the country.'

Lawrence gave him a warning look as Jenna asked the exact whereabouts.

‘Uh, not sure exactly,' said Deano. ‘Tinted glass in the car, y'know, couldn't really tell.'

‘But you're OK?'

‘I'm fine. Chillax, hey? You and Parker both. Anyway, I didn't know you cared.'

‘Of course I care if you drop off the radar and nobody knows where you've gone. Honestly, Deano. You could be a bit more considerate. Oh, no, I forgot. You couldn't. You don't know how.'

Harville was making gestures that indicated he thought Deano should move the conversation on to the subject of the Hall, but Deano thought Jenna's waspish tone didn't promise much.

Putting his hand over the speaker, he mouthed, ‘She's not in a good mood.'

Harville shrugged and held up a picture of Kayley fellating a dildo.

Deano resumed the conversation.

‘Parker's just overreacting,' he said. ‘It's what she does. Anyway … er … it's funny you should call because I've been thinking about you.'

‘Deano, I'm not here for sweet nothings …'

‘No, that's not what I mean. I've been thinking about the Hall.'

‘Harville Hall?'

‘Yeah. I had this great idea for what you could do with it, I mean, once you're done with the refurb and back from your sabbatical.'

‘Well, I was thinking hotel, but I haven't decided yet. It depends on a lot of things, especially Jason …'

‘This would be so much better than a hotel. The whole thing of being back in Bledburn and seeing how things are for the kids here has made me think.'

‘First time for everything.'

‘Ouch, my ego.'

Kayley smiled at the theatrical delivery, but she was still on tenterhooks. Seeing those enlarged pictures of herself wasn't helping either.

‘Go on, then. What's your amazing idea?'

‘We use it to open a kind of school or, or, refuge. For talented kids from underprivileged backgrounds. It would be the perfect project for both of us, and a massive boost for Bledburn.'

There was a silence. Harville leant forwards, his eyes glittering.

‘You know,' said Jenna slowly, ‘I like that. I really like it. It's a good idea.'

Deano smiled, holding his breath.

‘But … where has it come from? Have you done any research? Looked at any figures?'

‘Not yet. I mean, I only just had the idea myself.'

‘Only just? Hang on. You've been with Harville all day. Has he put this into your head? Is it some kind of ploy to get me out of the Hall?'

Deano shook his head apologetically at Harville, whose face scrunched up in anger.

‘Don't be daft, Jen, there's nothing in it for him if I turn the place into a charity school, is there? It's nothing to do with Harville.'

‘What do you mean, if
you
turn it into a charity school? It's my house, last time I checked.'

‘I mean I was thinking of buying it off you first.'

‘Why? If I think it's a good idea, I'll do it myself.'

The pause was tense, broken eventually by Jenna.

‘This
is
something to do with Harville, isn't it? Put him on.'

Deano handed the phone to Harville, who scowled throughout the entire exchange.

‘Why is Deano wanting to buy the Hall off me, Lawrence? Have you been putting ideas into his head?'

‘I haven't mentioned the bloody place all day,' protested Harville. ‘We've been talking about the talent show – I suppose that might have got him thinking. But don't you dare drag me into your petty squabbles.'

‘Petty squabbles!'

Kayley suddenly ducked her head towards the phone and cried, ‘It's on the Mansfield road, Jen.'

Deano, afraid for her safety, pulled her back and put his finger on her lips.

‘Excuse me, I have to go,' said Harville hastily, ending the call and turning to Kayley with his hand raised.

Jenna stared at Parker.

‘That was weird,' she said.

‘Oh my God, is he OK? Is he ill? Where is he?'

‘I'm not exactly sure, but there's something off about the whole thing. He wouldn't tell me where they were, then I heard a woman's voice at the end shouting something about the Mansfield road.'

‘A woman?'

‘Yes, and it sounded … it sounded like Kayley. Parker, we have to find them. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like the sound of it at all.'

‘Should we call the police?'

‘That might not be a bad idea, though I'm not sure what I'd tell them. Maybe we should take a trip up the Mansfield road and see if we can find out what's what first. Do you have a computer? I'm going to check Harville on the electoral roll, see if it has an address for him.'

There was no joy on the electoral roll, so Jenna and Parker eventually decided to take Jenna's car along the Mansfield road, in search of likely locations.

‘You're sure you don't want to call the police?' asked Parker nervously, seeming to find the Bledburn landscape threatening as she peered through the windscreen.

‘Not yet,' said Jenna. ‘But I have a feeling we might be needing them later.'

Jason's ears pricked up as he lurked outside the door at the foot of the steps. Had that been a woman's voice? It had sounded a bit like Kayley.

He had made up his mind earlier that he would wait for Harville to leave, then tackle him and release whoever was inside – almost certainly Deano, but also Kayley, it seemed – but a thud and a scream from the room beyond changed that decision.

‘Get off her!' The voice was unmistakably Deano's, then from Harville, ‘If she can't keep her mouth shut, I'll have to shut it for her.'

Jason took a breath and burst into the room, kitchen knife held high.

‘Leave her alone, Harville,' he roared, causing Harville to take his hands from around Kayley's throat and whip round to face him.

‘Oh, for fuck's sake,' moaned Harville, but he looked far from defeated.

The knife didn't seem to bother him at all, and Jason soon found out why when he reached into his inside pocket and drew out a revolver.

Deano had been about to leap on him from behind, but he subsided immediately as soon as he saw the weapon pointed at Jason.

‘Get out of here,' urged Deano. ‘Run.'

But Jason couldn't move. He'd seen guns before, but he'd never had one pointed at him. Every ounce of sense drained out of his head. All he could do was stare at the thing.

Kayley whimpered and hid her face in Deano's arm. He held her close, his own face white.

‘Where did you get that?' It was all Jason could think of to say.

‘Never you mind,' said Harville. ‘Drop the knife and get your hands up.'

Jason could only comply.

‘Now go and join your friends over there.'

He edged past Harville, but as he did so, he couldn't help making a lunge for the gun. Harville eluded him, but in the process managed to let off a shot that went straight through the door.

‘You fucking fool,' he snarled. ‘You could have got yourself killed. Sit down before I lose patience and put a bullet through you. At least that one wouldn't go to waste.'

‘What are you going to do?' asked Jason, sitting heavily on the small area of unoccupied bed.

‘I don't know yet. I'll have to find a use for you. If I can't, I'll take great pleasure in introducing you to a world of pain. Either way will suit me.'

He left, slamming the door behind him and locking it noisily.

‘Well,' said Jason, as Kayley sobbed through her shock and Deano stared bleakly ahead. ‘This is nice.'

MIA CLAPPED A
hand over her mouth and began to shudder uncontrollably.

That had been a gunshot. Surely it had been a gunshot. What else could it be?

Her mind raced through happier, but much less likely, scenarios. A party popper? A minor gas explosion? A …

No. It was a gunshot.

‘Fuck,' she whispered, fumbling for her phone with shaking fingers. ‘Fuck this. I'm calling the police.'

She ran around from the back of the cottage and stayed out of sight while she watched the goons, having finished with Ross, swaggering back to the cottage, laughing and self-satisfied.

When they were safely inside, she ran to Ross, who was just a dark bundle lying on the ground near the gate post.

She swore again once she was close enough to see the state he was in. The goons had taken full advantage of the licence Harville had granted them to deal with him and he was a limp, bloody mess. She whispered his name, put a finger to his bleeding lip, but he was unconscious.

‘Oh Christ,' she whispered, her fingers finally able to dial 999. ‘Don't die on me, Ross. Yeah, police, please.'

She looked anxiously back at the cottage. In the lit front windows, she saw figures moving to and fro. She hid herself as well as she could in the hedge by the cottage entrance, unwilling to leave Ross alone.

The police operator picked up the call after what seemed like an eternity of ringing.

‘Yeah, please, I need help, I've heard a shot fired in this cottage on the Mansfield road … yes, that's right, about eight, ten, miles out of Bledburn. It's called …' She squinted at the gate post, which held a name plate. ‘Something Lodge … Oak Tree Lodge, yeah. Yeah, a shot was fired, and can you send an ambulance anyway 'cos there's a very seriously hurt man out front as well. Beaten up. Please.'

She answered all the operator's requests for her to give a name with more Pleases, until she gave up and promised that the police were on their way.

Mia put her phone away and crawled back over to Ross, but she had to hide again very quickly when the living room lights went out and the front door opened.

Lawrence Harville hurried out of the cottage, flanked by his goons. She couldn't make out what he was saying to them, but they were in the car in seconds, revving up the engine.

For a horrible moment, Mia thought they were going to run over the crumpled body of Ross, and they swerved very close to it, then swerved back again. She could hear the laughter from inside the car and she felt a jolt of nausea.

But the car screeched around the corner into the road and was away in seconds, leaving Mia free to draw a breath and wonder what she should do first.

Ross obviously needed some attention, but what the hell had that shot been, in the cottage? Was Jason lying in there, dead?

She couldn't pluck up the nerve to go and find out. The idea that she might stumble across his body was too frightening.
Don't be a hero.

But perhaps it was time she
was
a hero. After all the crap she'd put everyone through because of Harville, perhaps she needed to put herself second for once. What if she could save Jason's life by pulling out the bullet, or putting her finger in the wound or whatever? Like in the movies?

She stood up from her cowering crouch and tried to clear her head.

Yes, Ross was injured, but he was alive. She had felt a pulse. Police and ambulance were on their way – surely they wouldn't be long. But it might just be too long for Jason.

Unbidden, her feet began to move across the weed-strewn gravel, first at a shaky walk, then she broke into a run. She hammered hard on the back door.

‘Jason!' she yelled. ‘Jason, are you there?'

She yanked a rough edged stone from a flowerbed border and used it to smash the back door window. She reached through carefully. Yes, there was a key in the lock. Yes, she could turn it and open the door.

Why hadn't he answered?