In for the Kill (22 page)

Miles lips twitched but his eyes glared. Why hadn’t I seen before how mad he was? The answer was because he had defended me with passion and vigour, because he was my friend.

My only friend, after all the others faded away.

And I had needed a friend so badly.

Miles said, ‘I was defending the usual thug on a charge of manslaughter. It was about fifteen years ago. His grandfather was in court and he came up to me after I got his beloved grandson off. He said, “You must be related to Hugo Wildern. I’ll never forget him. You look so alike.” I told him he must be mistaken. My grandfather’s name was Baxter. But when my mother died about two months after that I was going through her papers and I found a letter from Amelia, my grandmother, to Hugo.

‘I found the old man and asked him what he knew of Hugo. He told me he’d been in the prison service during the war when Hugo had been arrested for treason in 1940. He said that Hugo always maintained he was not a German spy but nobody believed him. Hugo told him that he had been helping Jews get out of Germany for money and that a man called Max had betrayed him and that
he
was the German spy. One of the warders was a terrible bully, he regularly beat Hugo.’

Miles expression darkened and his body tensed.

‘Hugo offered them the proceeds of his ventures if they would just stop hitting him but it didn’t do any good. My grandfather was beaten to death and then his death covered up, forgotten, swept away, where’s the justice in that?’

‘There isn’t any. But where was the justice in what you did to me? You killed my mother for God’s sake!’ I sprang up unable to sit mildly by and listen to his drivel. My body was poised for attack. ‘You took away my life, my wife, my children, everything I held dear and valued.’

‘She betrayed me,’ he said evenly.

‘No, she didn’t,’ I shouted. ‘She betrayed your grandfather, Miles. Even then she was just a kid.

Max put the idea into her and Percy’s head.’

‘And I decided their children should suffer for it as I had suffered.’

‘You! How have you suffered? You’ve got a good job, plenty of money.’

‘It’s not enough, is it, Alex, as you found out.

It’s nothing without your reputation.’

I stared at him. Incredibly through my anger and my sorrow I saw that he was right. Through the turmoil of my emotions I understood his warped reasoning.

Miles continued. ‘When I knew the truth of my grandfather’s betrayal I came looking for Percy. I found his son Steven Trentham in a terrible state after being shot down in the Gulf War. He’d had some kind of breakdown. His career was at an end and I didn’t think the fiery Scarlett would hang around him for long, rightly as it turned out. I thought he’s had his punishment, so I turned to Olivia Albury and found you.’

His voice harsher now he continued. ‘Alex Albury: a very successful businessman, wealthy, beautiful family, attractive loving wife, large expensive house, a yacht. You had the perfect life.

Not only that but you stood to inherit Bembridge House. Because of my grandfather’s fate, brought on by your mother, my grandmother had lived a life of shame and hardship, struggling to raise her daughter, my mother. My mother married a dockyard worker in Portsmouth.

Fortunately I was clever and won a scholarship to the grammar school, then university and law school. But there was no money. At least that was what I thought until the old man told me about the Jewish money. The three million pounds from Westnam, Couldner and Brookes is peanuts compared to that.’

‘You know the amount?’ I asked surprised.

‘I’m guessing, but I know where it is. My mother left me this.’

He reached into his pocket and drew out a cameo brooch. It looked vaguely familiar. I was sure my mother had worn one very similar. Then it came to me. She had been wearing it in the photograph that Deeta had taken from me.

Miles turned the brooch over to reveal a number engraved on the reverse. He said, ‘I knew at once that the money must be in a Swiss bank account and that this was only part of the number. I had to find the other two brooches.

What had happened to Edward Hardley’s? Had he passed it down to his daughter, Olivia? Or had it gone down with him on his boat when he drowned?’

Or, I thought, was it rotting with his bones in the folly? But it couldn’t have been if my mother had been wearing it in that photograph of me with the telescope. That had been taken a long time after my grandfather’s death.

Miles said, ‘With you in prison I could search your mother’s house. It wasn’t there. I asked her, but she wouldn’t say.’

I leapt forward to strike him but he was quicker.

His punch came before I could even see it, right in my stomach. I buckled over, winded.

‘She did fall. I didn’t push her.’

I didn’t believe him. I vowed silently I would kill him for that.

He said, ‘It’s not here with your mother’s jewellery, so where is it, Alex?’

‘Were you working with Deeta?’ I panted, trying to recover my breath.

‘Yes. I discovered who she was from Steven Trentham. I approached her and we joined forces to find the third brooch, yours. When I knew you were heading across the marshes to Brading the morning you were released I told her to make contact with you. If I couldn’t find the brooch then I guessed she might be able to get the information from you, after all a beautiful girl like her, and you a man who’d spent years in prison…’

‘But all she discovered was the photograph,’ I snarled.

‘Yes.’ Miles unfurled his hand and now there were two brooches. ‘I just need yours for the hat trick.’

‘You killed her for that.’

‘Yes. Where, is it, Alex?’ He clenched his fist ready to strike me again.

‘Get stuffed.’

His fist came out, but before he had a chance to hit me the door flew open and in tumbled a bedraggled and very wet Ruby.

‘Hugo!’ she cried, staring at Miles. Fear swiftly chased away the surprise on his face. Of course, she’d seen him bring me home from prison and again leaving my houseboat. It was why she had confused me with Hugo on our first encounter.

‘She’s old and she’s got Alzheimer’s,’ I said quickly, afraid for Ruby’s safety. Miles wouldn’t spare her. ‘She won’t remember and no one will believe her even if she did say anything.’

‘Not good enough.’

I saw him smile at her. She returned it.

‘I always knew you’d come back,’ Ruby said. ‘I told Livvy you would. She said she’d seen you, but I didn’t believe her. I knew you wouldn’t visit her and not me. I was always your favourite, wasn’t I?’

‘Of course you were.’

Miles took hold of her bony arm. She was soaking wet. Her pink summer dress was almost purple as it clung to her and the gloves grasping her handbag were sodden. Her sparse grey hair was plastered to her scalp. Where was Scarlett?

Did she know her mother was out? Would she come here looking for her? God, I hoped not.

‘Give me the brooch, Alex,’ Miles said, his voice heavy with menace.

‘I haven’t got it.’ It was the truth. It certainly hadn’t been in with my mother’s jewellery that I’d collected from the solicitor. Perhaps it had been thrown out when my mother died? Perhaps Vanessa had it.

‘Wrong answer.’

Miles had Ruby by the neck before I could even raise a fist. His great big hand was squeezing her throat so that her eyes bulged.

‘Let her go!’ I cried

‘That’s up to you.’

Ruby was making choking noises.

‘I haven’t got it,’ I yelled.

‘You’re lying.’

He tightened his grip on Ruby. Her body was going limp. I had to do something.

‘I’ll get it for you,’ I cried, quickly thinking.

‘When?’

‘Monday. Kerry, the solicitor’s, got it,’ I lied.

Miles relaxed his hold a little on Ruby’s throat.

The fear in her eyes tore at my heart.

‘Just let her go. She won’t tell anyone and on Monday I’ll get the brooch. In return let Vanessa and the boys go free. You can have the money, Miles, and welcome to it.’

‘You’re bluffing.’

I was, but he couldn’t know that. How could I have trusted this man? What a fool I had been.

Then an idea came to me. Just as it had with Rowde, I was playing this wrong.

‘OK, if that’s what you think, have it your own way. If you are prepared to let my boys die, then there is no point in me living. It’s no go, Miles.

No brooch.’

‘Then she dies.’

I shrugged. ‘Please yourself. She means nothing to me. She’s old and she’s got Alzheimer’s. You’d be doing her a favour.’ Think ‘prison’ I urged myself. Practice what you’d been taught.

There was silence. In it I could hear the sea washing against the boat and the wind as it roared and whistled around us. I held his gaze. After a moment he sighed and released Ruby.

She coughed. Her crying was like a soft whimper. A mixture of bewilderment and fear was in her eyes. I crossed to her.

‘On Monday the brooch will be yours.’ I held Miles eyes. ‘But I can only get it if you call off Rowde. I’m meant to be going to Zurich with him. Let Vanessa and the boys go.’

‘He’ll want the three million.’

‘Then for Christ’s sake tell him where it is.

According to you it’s nothing compared to what Hugo, Max and Edward took from the Jews. Take the bloody brooches and claim what you think is your compensation for your grandfather’s betrayal.’

I could see him thinking about it. I held my breath praying for him to agree.

‘OK.’

I didn’t trust him. He would betray me. He would leave me to face Rowde. As long as I could get Vanessa and the boys to safety before then I didn’t care. As soon as they were out of Rowde’s clutches I would go to the police and tell them everything. I would get protection from Rowde and they would arrest Miles.

I put my arm around Ruby and tried to steer her towards the door but she must have thought I was going to hurt her. She struggled against me. Then breaking free, she screamed and ran outside. I cursed. I couldn’t let her go in that state. I rushed out after her.

At the bottom of the gangway she stumbled and fell onto the shingle below. I hurried towards her and leant over to pull her up. The rain was lashing against us. She was sobbing and filthy.

She was skin and bone and trembling from head to foot. I put my arm around her, but she was screaming something, which I finally realised was: ‘My handbag! Where’s my handbag?’

‘Here it is,’ Miles said.

Something in his voice made me stiffen. I turned. The bag was open and so was his left hand. I saw what was in it. It was the third brooch.

‘That’s mine,’ Ruby cried. ‘Livvy gave it to me.’

‘Livvy’s not around anymore. She would have wanted Hugo to have it,’ Miles wheedled.

Ruby’s face puckered up as though she was trying to recall something.

‘For God’s sake, Miles, take the wretched thing and let me get her into the warm,’ I pleaded with him.

‘No. She knows too much and so do you.

Move.’

He dropped the handbag and now I saw with horror what had replaced it. He was holding a revolver and it was pointing right at us.

‘It comes in handy knowing the criminal fraternity when you want something useful like this.’ He indicated the gun.

‘Miles, you can’t do this.’ I roared.

‘Move. Round to the back of the houseboat.’

My heart was pounding. My mind racing. Was he going to shoot us there?

‘This is crazy,’ I tossed over my shoulder, the wind catching my words and carrying them into the black night. I was half carrying and half shoving Ruby and by now we were ankle deep in water. The cold took my breath away; God knew how Ruby felt. She was crying and trembling, leaning heavily against me. I could see that she was on the point of collapse. ‘You’ve got the brooches, go and get the fucking money.’

‘Gladly, I just need to tidy up a couple of loose ends. Get in the boat,’ he commanded.

I made to protest but saw there was little point.

I climbed in and then helped a whimpering Ruby in.

‘Start it up.’

I did as I was told. The engine refused to start on the first couple of tries. Perhaps if it didn’t work he might let us go, I thought in desperation.

Then the damn thing spluttered into life and was merrily chugging away.

‘Let’s go for a nice little sea journey.’

‘In this storm? You must be mad.’

‘I don’t think so.’ He slipped the line that was attached to my houseboat. ‘Out or I kill the old woman now.’

I knew he was going to kill her anyway, and me, but if I did as he asked it would buy me time to think of a way out of this. The tide was carrying us with it. It was dark and I had to navigate my way through the buoys, just as I had done with Westnam in the boat.

‘Did you kill Westnam?’ I shouted above the wind.

‘No.’

It must have been Rowde then. I prayed that we might be spotted from another boat. But on a night such as this, who would be daft enough to be on their boat? And even if they were they would certainly be down below.

‘Don’t worry, Alex, I’ve got it all worked out,’

Miles sneered. ‘You killed Ruby because she saw you follow Deeta that morning. Then you killed yourself because you couldn’t live with what you had done and you didn’t want to go back to prison.’

‘How will the police know that if I’m dead?’

We were reaching the end of the channel; soon we would be into the Solent and exposed.

‘Because I will tell them,’ shouted Miles above the wind and rain. ‘You confessed to me, your lawyer.’

The gun was rammed right up against poor Ruby but she seemed not to notice. I think she was too far gone for that. None of us were wearing protective sailing clothes; my jeans and sweater were soaked so was Ruby’s thin dress and cardigan and Miles suit. This was madness.

‘We can’t go any further,’ I shouted with difficulty against the roar of the wind and sea.

‘We’ll all be killed.’ The waves were crashing over us. For the first time I thought Miles looked worried. ‘I have to turn back or we’ll all be drowned.’

‘Keep going,’ Miles commanded, stabbing Ruby with the gun. She had stopped crying but was crumpled in the cockpit. I could see her shivering uncontrollably. I was cold and wet, and if I didn’t get her out of this soon she’d die from hypothermia.