She's Out (27 page)

‘I’m positive, I got to see you.’

‘Who you calling?’ Ester asked.

Angela whipped round, dropping the phone back on the hook. ‘Just my mum. I’ll get you some breakfast.’

Ester continued her slow progress down the stairs; she felt terrible. She felt even worse when Norma drove into the yard, tooting the horn to herald her arrival. ‘Get rid of her, Angela,
go on, get out there.’

Angela was scared stiff. ‘But there’s a body in the car.’

‘All the more reason to get rid of her, isn’t it?’

Norma was lugging down some bags of feed for the horse and smiled as Angela approached. ‘Hi, I was just passing so I thought I’d drop this lot off.’

‘Everybody’s out,’ Angela said lamely.

‘Oh, can you just give me a hand?’

Angela began to help her take a sack out of her truck and into the stables. She could see Gloria’s dripping Mini out of the corner of her eye.

‘Did you have visitors last night? I noticed a flash Porsche parked in the lane on my way home from work but it’s not there this morning.’

‘No, we didn’t have anyone call in.’

‘Give Julia my regards. Tell her I’ll maybe drop by later, see if she wants a ride.’

‘Okay.’

That’s a nice car.’ Norma pointed to the Saab.

‘Oh yes, it’s a friend of . . . er . . .’ Angela almost wet herself she was so scared.

Norma wasn’t really listening. She was disappointed that Julia wasn’t around and returned to her truck, patting it. This is all I can afford. Ah, well, it gets me from A to
B.’

She climbed in, and drove off past the builders, who were having a tea-break, and waved. The sun had come out, they’d been paid, so they were in a good mood, and waved back.

Dolly felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she read the letter. Her application to open Grange Manor House as a children’s home had been turned down. She walked stiffly
into the drawing room as Ester appeared.

‘Just a word of advice. That little Angela’s making QT phone calls.’

Dolly nodded, not listening, so Ester went back to bed.

Angela came in a few moments later with a cup of tea. ‘That Norma brought feed for the horse. She even looked right at the Mini – I was scared stiff.’

Dolly roused herself and sighed. ‘I’ve been turned down.’

She proffered the letter to Angela, who read it and then looked at her. ‘But they don’t even say why. You should at least ask them. Why don’t you call them on
Monday?’

Dolly considered. ‘Yeah, I got a right to know why they rejected me.’

Connie drove Lennie’s Porsche across the river and to the small garage Dolly had told her would buy it without asking too many questions. She was calmer now and waited as
two mechanics looked it over. She’d told them it was her boyfriend’s and he had just got a job abroad. They continued checking the engine and left the cash negotiation to Ron Delaney,
the garage owner, a young, flashy, overconfident man wearing a bright track-suit and heavy gold chains. He didn’t waste much time: if he had any suspicions about the car he didn’t press
them but gave a cash deal price below the ‘book’. Connie accepted twelve thousand pounds in fifties and twenties, eager to get back to the manor.

Gloria waited to be searched before entering the visitors’ section at Brixton. When her name was called, she hurried over to Eddie, who was already sitting at the table.
He looked her up and down. ‘You look different,’ he said nonchalantly.

‘Yeah, it’s all the fresh air.’

‘What you brought me?’

‘Nothin’. I didn’t have any time and I’ve not got any cash.’

‘Every time you come you got a line of bullshit, Gloria. Last time you said—’

‘I know what I said. It all went wrong, there’s no payoff.’

‘No? What about the diamonds?’

‘Fakes. So now I got to sell the gear, Eddie. I’m flat broke and I got to pay her rent. There’s no need to flog the lot but if you got a contact then . . .’

‘No way.’

Gloria leaned closer. ‘Eddie, I got them at the manor. We’ve already had one bleedin’ search done – they come back and . . .’ Eddie started to peel off his papers
to roll a cigarette. Gloria bent closer. ‘Eddie, she’ll have to have a bit of a cut.’

‘Who?’

‘You know who. Dolly Rawlins. If it wasn’t for her they could have arrested the lot of us. It’s only fair.’

‘Is it?’

‘Oh, come on, Eddie, just gimme a name, I’ll do the business. You know me, you can trust me.’

‘Can I?’

Gloria pursed her lips. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

Eddie opened his baccy tin. ‘That stash is mine, my insurance for when I get out. Now, if it was just you, maybe I’d be prepared to—’

‘What you mean, if it was just me? Of course it is.’

‘No, it isn’t. Now you want to give her a cut, next she’ll want more, so if she wants to make a deal you tell her to come and see me. Maybe I’ll do a deal with her, maybe
I won’t.’

‘She won’t come in here, Eddie.’

He fingered his tobacco carefully, laying it out on the paper. Tell her she got no option.’

Dolly listened as Julia described the cemetery and the recent burials also that graves already dug and waiting for funerals were at the far side. Connie returned with the money
and passed it over to Dolly. She had seen no one at Lennie’s flat and she had done exactly as Dolly had told her. She was rewarded with a frosty smile of gratitude. Gloria arrived back later
that afternoon and told Dolly what Eddie had said.

‘He wants me to go and see him in the nick?’ Dolly was livid. ‘No way, I’ll sort something. He won’t be out, Gloria, for a very long time. In the meantime
they’re here, in the house, and I don’t like it. The sooner we’re rid of them the better.’

Tommy Malin wanted a fifty per cent cut. He agreed to arrange a buyer, one he could trust, and they would exchange that night. Gloria was furious – Eddie would go out of
his mind. Why pay some bloke fifty per cent? It was madness.

‘We pay because I want cash and I want to get rid of them.’

‘Then go and talk to Eddie.’

‘No. I can trust Tommy.’

‘You sayin’ you can’t trust Eddie?’

‘Can you?’

Gloria was gobsmacked.

‘He’s in the nick. Who knows who he’ll put you in touch with? We do as I say. We sell the guns to Tommy Malin’s contact.’

‘We could bleedin’ sell them to the Queen Mother for a fifty per cent cut,’ stormed Gloria, but Dolly walked out. Conversation over.

Mike ran along the stone corridor and up the stairs to Audrey’s flat. He banged hard on the door and she opened it with the chain still on. ‘It’s me –
come on – let me in.’

She looked at him fearfully. What’s happened?’

‘I want you to put in a call for me. I just got a tip-off about something and I can’t do anything about it but maybe we’ll get her after all.’

‘Who?’

‘
Who the hell do you think?
’

‘Dolly? What do you want me to do?’

‘Call my governor. I know he’s at the station so we’ll go to a pub and you put in a call.’

‘Why me?’

‘You won’t say your name, for chrissakes. I just want you to tip him off about something.’

‘What?’

‘Guns. Dolly Rawlins has got bags full of guns stashed at the manor.’

DCI Craigh replaced the phone. He was working overtime and was in a foul mood, but he had come in because Traffic reckoned they had now traced the vehicle used in the
hit-and-run that killed James Donaldson. The car was registered to a hire garage called Rodway Motors, but what interested Craigh was that the garage was in the Aylesbury area – close enough
to Grange Manor House.

Craigh was about to leave his office when his desk phone rang. He reached out for it just as DI Palmer walked in.

‘We might have got a trace on the vehicle,’ Craigh said as he answered the phone.

Audrey had to cover one ear because of the racket in the pub. She turned to Mike, just able to see him sitting up at the bar, watching her. He gestured for her to hurry up and
make the call, then checked his watch. When he looked at her again, she had already dialled. Audrey asked if she was speaking to Detective Chief Inspector Craigh. When he confirmed that she was,
she said her carefully rehearsed speech. ‘Dolly Rawlins is holding a stash of weapons owned by Eddie Radford. The guns are at Grange Manor House at Aylesbury, and worth at least thirty
thousand pounds.’ Then she replaced the receiver and went to join Mike at the bar.

‘What did he say?’ Mike asked.

‘Well, nothin’. You told me to just say what I had to then put the phone down.’

Mike downed his pint. ‘I’d better get back home in case he calls me there.’

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘Leave, as you were planning to.’

Audrey sipped her gin and tonic. ‘I got to wait, Mike. I’ve missed my flight again, so I’ll have to go back to the travel agent. You know, you could come with me, all of you,
Susan and the kids.’

Mike shook his head. ‘No way. You don’t seem to understand. I like my job, and I don’t want to lose it.’

Mike had only just walked into his own home when the phone rang. It was DCI Craigh, and he wanted him back at the station.

‘What’s up?’ Mike asked innocently.

‘Just get in here fast as you can,’ Craigh said.

‘Okay, I’m on my way.’ Mike hung up as Susan and the kids came into the hall.

‘Are we going to the swimming pool, Dad?’ his youngest boy said excitedly.

‘No, I’m sorry. I just got a call – they want me in.’

‘But it’s Saturday,’ Susan said petulantly.

‘I know, but . . . I got to go.’

Susan didn’t believe him. She stared at him, her face tight. ‘Oh, yes? Well, I hope they’re paying you overtime – you seem to be on duty all hours lately. You sure
you’re not just going off with that girl?’

Mike sighed. ‘Sue, don’t keep on about that, all right? You want to call the station and check? Go ahead, but this is getting me down. You question every bloody move I
make.’

She pushed the kids to the front door. ‘Maybe you give me reason to.’

DCI Craigh told Mike about the car and that it was traced to a garage near Aylesbury. We’re going over there to check it out. And there’s something else. I got a
call, a woman – she may have been your contact but she asked for me. Guns. Come on, I’ll tell you in the car.’

The builders were not around as it was a weekend. The coast was clear. Dolly ordered a disgruntled Gloria to start loading up the guns. They would use Ester’s Saab to
deliver them to Tommy Malin.

Ester became uneasy as she knew just how hot the car was. ‘I can’t let anyone drive it, Dolly. I’m the only one listed on the insurance.’

Dolly fixed her with a look. ‘So you can drive. Gloria will go with you – unless you’re planning on leaving?’

Ester said nothing and Dolly took her silence as confirmation that she agreed to help them out. ‘Pack them up, go on, get started. Julia, Kathleen and I will do the graveyard
shift.’

‘What about Connie? She got us all into this mess with her ruddy boyfriend, why can’t she help bury him?’ Kathleen moaned.

‘Because Connie will be doing something else.’ Dolly left them before they could argue.

Connie was lying on her bed reading a magazine when Dolly entered. She didn’t bother to knock. ‘That builder bloke, one that took you out?’

‘What about him?’

‘Well, you go out with him again, make him happy, understand me? Only I don’t want to fork out all the cash we got and I owe him, so you see him, give him a few more grand, tell him
the rest will be coming in.’

Connie hesitated. ‘What about all that cash from Lennie’s car?’

‘I need to pay off electricity, phone connection and keep a bit back for emergencies and groceries. Besides, I think you should earn your keep after all we’re doing for you.’
Dolly stared coldly at her.

‘Okay. He said I could go to his gym with him so I’ll call him.’

‘Good. Oh – this gym. Do they have lockers, ones you can retain the key for?’

‘I dunno.’

‘Check it out when you call him, ask about membership and if you can leave your gear there.’

‘Why?’

‘Don’t ask questions, just do what I tell you to.’

Connie turned away. Sometimes Dolly scared the pants off her. She had a nasty way of lowering her voice when she was angry. It unnerved her.

Craigh showed the receptionist his ID and waited as she thumbed through the log book. She then looked up. ‘It was hired by a Mrs Gloria Radford.’

Craigh flicked a glance at Mike, then turned back to the receptionist. She pushed the log book towards him and he read that the Volvo had been hired for one day only, the same day James
Donaldson was killed. Mrs Radford had listed her private address as a flat in Clapham.

Craigh moved aside with Mike. ‘She was at the manor, wasn’t she? The night we busted it?’

Gordon Rodway, the owner of the garage, walked in, followed by Palmer. The car had been returned, no damage recorded, and it had subsequently been hired out four times. It had also been through
a carwash three times, polished and hoovered.

‘I want no one near it. I’ll have my people check it over,’ Craigh said, none too happy as they all followed Rodway back to the garage. The Volvo was still on the ramp, the
greasy mechanic whispering to his mate and pointing at the car. Rodway studied it and then looked back at Craigh. ‘What’s the interest in this car, then? We recorded the mileage, if
that’s any help.’

Mike walked round to the front bumpers: no dents, no paintwork scratched, it looked immaculate. If this was the car that ran over James Donaldson surely there would be some evidence, but as far
as he could see there was none. The Forensic boys would comb over it; they would find something, if anyone could. Craigh decided that was enough for the weekend, until they had further information.
He’d just check out Gloria Radford’s address and take Sunday off.