The Tangled Web (27 page)

24

3
^rd
July

Memories of the last few days had raced through Flic’s mind
when she awoke that morning.  The knowledge that Adam now knew about her
trapping of George made her stomach churn.  Then memories of Vicky’s telephone
call to Amy asking if she was interested in paying her to do the work
privately, outwith HunE-trap Investigations came back.  Amy had been reluctant
at first and made her answer what she called security questions, which in
reality were just a couple of enquiries about the conversation “Zoe” had with
George when Flic trapped him.

Flic wasn’t entirely comfortable with Vicky’s plan.  She
knew that Vicky was desperate for a free holiday and the chance to spend time
with Christos over in Cyprus, but Flic felt it was all too risky.  Vicky’s
feelings for Christos were clearly clouding her judgement.  Flic had no desire
to see George again, even if only from a distance, nor did she wish to take any
more money from Amy.  The last payment had been donated to the homeless
shelter.  It seemed like the right thing to do in Flic’s mind.

She reminded herself the trip to Cyprus might not happen
yet.  It would only happen if Lumi was willing to go.  And she doubted that
Lumi would be up for it.  After all, she had her cupcake business to think
about.  And a boyfriend. 

‘What do you think she’ll say?  You know her better than I
do,’ Vicky scowled, peering over the steering wheel of her car from her
slouched stake-out position.

Flic ignored the comment about knowing Lumi.  ‘I’m not
sure.  I don’t think she’ll agree to it, to be honest.’

‘We’ll need a plan B then,’ Vicky reasoned.  ‘But I am
definitely going to Cyprus.’

Flic’s stomach growled as if in response to Vicky’s
stubbornness.  Flic wasn’t used to being up so early on a Sunday morning and
having no breakfast.  She admitted to herself that the nerves she felt about
the proposal they were about to put to Lumi might also be causing an upset
stomach. 

She and Vicky were parked across the street from Magnus’s
flat waiting for him to leave.  They had been there for over half an hour and
there was still no sign of him.

‘Are you sure he’s definitely going to leave?  He might
decide to have a lie in,’ Flic suggested. 

‘He’s leaving.  Soon.  He’s a good Catholic boy.  He’ll be
going to mass at some point this morning.’

Flic changed from the slumped position she had initially
adopted for their surveillance of Magnus’s flat to a more straight and
comfortable posture.  She rested her head back and stared out at the pavement. 
She could see the remains of someone’s Saturday night takeaway lying next to
the car.  It looked disgusting but she was imagining the smell of the kebab
when it had been freshly cooked and it was making her ravenous.

‘What if he already left before we got here?’ Flic thought
aloud.

Vicky became suddenly more alert and snapped her head
around to look at Flic.  ‘I hadn’t thought of that.  Shall we phone and ask if
he’s home?  Pretend we’re selling something...’

‘That would probably be the sensible thing to do.  More
sensible than sitting here waiting indefinitely.’

‘Could you pass me my phone out of the glove compartment,
please,’ Vicky asked.

Flic opened the door to the glove compartment and handed
Vicky her phone.  She noticed that there was an emergency supply of baby food,
bibs, plastic spoons and a toy phone along with a bottle of vinegar and some
stolen salt sachets from KFC.

‘For my fish and chips.  They never put enough on,’ Vicky
enlightened Flic before she got the chance to ask.  ‘And yes, you can have
something to eat.’

Flic rifled through the stash, grabbed a jar of chocolate
pudding baby food and a spoon and began slurping while she listened to Vicky’s
call to Magnus’s landline.

‘It’s ringing,’ Vicky muttered to herself.  ‘Hello!  Can I
please speak to Mr Pellicci?  My name?’

She looked searchingly at Flic who met her look with a
vacant expression and a shrug.

‘It’s Mrs Cowandgate.  From the church.’ 

Flic banged her fist against her forehead.  Mrs
Cowandgate?  Was that even a name?  Lumi would probably guess it was a fake.

‘He’s not home?  I’ll call back later.  Around six
o’clock?  Excellent!’  Vicky hung up her phone and switched it off.  ‘We’re
good to go.  He’s out all day so we have plenty of time to talk to Lumi.  Or
Diana.  Or whatever she’s calling herself this week.’

‘Ok, let’s get this over with,’ Flic grimaced.  She stuffed
the empty jar into her handbag and threw the remaining spoonful to a waiting
pigeon.

‘I don’t think you’re supposed to feed chocolate to
pigeons, Flic,’ Vicky noted.

‘Just as well I fed it to a seagull then,’ Flic countered. 
She looked directly at Vicky.  ‘Relax, I know it was a pigeon.  That was the
champagne talking the day we met.’

‘I did wonder,’ Vicky laughed. 

‘You’ve still got your sunglasses on, Vic.  Oh no wait,
keep them on.  I’ll put mine on too.  We’ll look more menacing that way,’ Flic
quipped.

‘You’re nuts,’ Vicky giggled.

‘We both are, doing this.  Before we go ahead and ask Lumi,
are you sure this is what you want to do?  I know you need a break and Christos
is going to be there and you want to see him, but what’s wrong with taking a
break later in the year?  Somewhere that you won’t be working.  Somewhere
you’ve chosen yourself,’ Flic suggested.  She was already picturing the whole
thing going wrong in her mind and Vicky’s depression spiralling deeper when the
romance with Christos she had built in her head didn’t happen.

‘I know what I’m doing,’ Vicky affirmed. 

Flic released a gentle sigh and decided not to push it any
further.  But she couldn’t help feeling that she was part of the world’s
slowest car crash.

They walked to the door and caught sight of the complicated
entry system.  There were at least twenty buttons waiting to be pushed.  Vicky
knew which flat belonged to Magnus but she realised that Lumi was unlikely to
release the outside door to let them in.

‘What do we do now?’ Flic huffed.

‘I forgot we’d have to get into the apartment building
first before we had any chance of getting to Lumi,’ Vicky scowled.

‘Could we pretend to be cleaning ladies?’ Flic wondered.

‘I don’t think she would fall for that.  Besides, Magnus
wouldn’t get a cleaner and not tell her.  There’s a fancy CCTV thing anyway. 
She’d know it was us.’ 

They loitered at the door, hoping for some inspiration. 
After almost a minute, they heard a click, saw the front door open and a man
walked past them.  He was so concerned with plugging his iPod earphones in that
he didn’t close the door behind him properly, happy to let it drift closed of
its own accord.  Flic saw a chance and grabbed it.  She brazenly pounced at the
door and made her way through.

‘Coming?’ she smirked at Vicky.

They entered the building and Flic mentally noted that the
usual smell of urine and eerie echo normally present in the foyer of her own
apartment building was missing.  This place was elegant and stylish.  The floors
were carpeted and the walls were papered.  No bare cement here.  She remembered
looking at nicer apartments than her own a couple of years ago and chose not to
buy one, instead keeping her own modest flat and having enough disposable
income to keep her in Wheels and Dollbaby and Jimmy Choos.  She wondered if she
had made the wrong decision now.  This building was right up her street.

They began to climb the stairs, Flic spending at least half
a second longer than she needed to on each step.  The closer they were to Lumi,
the closer they were to making their offer to her.  If she accepted, which Flic
suspected she just might have the balls to do, that would mean they would be
jetting off to Cyprus in a few days.  To where George was.  The thought made Flic
feel extremely uneasy.  Why did fate keep throwing her back in his direction
recently?  This was not what she wanted.  She wanted to put him behind her and
be happy again.  There was no way that she would be happy with him in the
picture.  This walk to Magnus’s door was her last chance to stop this insanity.

‘Vicky?’ 

‘Hmmm?’

‘You don’t really think we’ll get away with this, do you?’
Flic warned.

‘What do you mean?  Get away with what?’  Vicky stopped as
they reached the top of the stairs and looked at Flic.  She was clearly
puzzled.

‘This!’  Flic waved her hand towards the door.  ‘All the
secrets, and lies, and double crosses.  Everyone will find out.  Come on, you
have to admit that nothing about this HunE-trap bullshit has gone the way we
wanted it to.  There’s always a spanner in the works.  Why do you think this
trip to Cyprus will be any different?’ 

‘It just will,’ Vicky insisted and stomped towards Magnus’s
door. 

Flic sighed and bowed her head slightly, feeling defeated. 
She scuffed her increasingly heavy feet along the carpet.  She could have sworn
someone had replaced her shoes with bricks.

‘Ready?’ Flic asked, as she raised her fist to knock on the
door.

‘NO!’

Flic turned to see Vicky looking almost catatonic.  She
hoped the nerves had got to her and they would have to leave.  Please let Vicky
have changed her mind, she thought.

‘You’re right.  It’s too risky.  And I have no idea what
I’m going to say to her.  I’m chickening out,’ Vicky whispered.

‘Let’s go then.  Come on, it was a terrible idea,’ Flic
discouraged as she grabbed Vicky’s elbow and they turned to leave.  Vicky
wasn’t budging though, and Flic turned back to see the door inching open. 

‘I heard voices outside.  W-w-what do you want?’ Lumi
stammered.

Flic noticed Vicky looking Lumi up and down, taking in her
appearance.  She realised that this would be the first time Vicky had seen Lumi
since their photo shoot at Flic’s house.  She had changed a lot in those
weeks.  Flic realised that she had actually changed a lot since she last saw
her too.  Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail today, but seemed a touch
less golden and a little more strawberry blonde than it was before.  Her
complexion was more tanned and less weather beaten and she had bulked up a
little.  She’s clearly been helping herself to her own merchandise, Flic
thought.

‘We’re here to talk business,’ Flic announced, removing her
sunglasses.  The joke about appearing menacing didn’t seem quite so funny now. 
Of course Lumi would be intimidated when two people wearing dark glasses were
outside her home.  Flic added a smile to soften her approach. 

Lumi opened the door fully and stood back, gesturing with
her hand that they should enter the flat, which they duly did.  Her lips were
pressed together tightly and her eyes were focused on Flic and Vicky.  She
reminded Flic of a wary little kitten, ready to scratch if she was tested.

They stood for a moment, Lumi eyeing each of them with
suspicion.  Flic wondered if she should start speaking or sit down.  She
realised that Lumi hadn’t closed the door yet.  Smart girl, Flic thought.  She
clearly didn’t live in a hostel for all that time and not learn a thing or two
about safety.

‘You’re probably waiting for an explanation as to why we’re
visiting,’ Flic began.  Her observation was met with a sharp nod, so she
continued.  ‘We’re not here to cause trouble.  We have another business
proposition for you.’

‘I’m not interested.  I have a good life now.  I’m happy. 
Have a nice day,’ Lumi responded and faked a smile at the end.  The insincerity
was obvious from the coldness in her eyes.

‘Fair enough,’ Flic shrugged, then turned as if to leave. 
She was at the door frame then turned back and added, ‘But can I just point out
that it was our last business proposition that got you this life?  Without us,
and without Diana, you would have no boyfriend, no cupcake business, no nice
flat…’ She trailed off and looked around the room.  She turned to take a few
paces back towards Lumi.  ‘No beautiful clothes and shoes.  You DO look lovely
these days,’ Flic complimented. 

Lumi’s eyes softened and she whispered, ‘Thank you.’

‘I’d say our business propositions have been very
advantageous for you in the past.  Don’t you want to at least hear us out?’
Flic tempted.

Lumi nodded and closed the door.  She glanced at Vicky and
her cheeks coloured.  Vicky wouldn’t look her in the eye and stared at the
window instead. 

‘Please sit down.  I’ll get us some tea and cakes,’ Lumi
announced.

Flic watched her teeter across the carpet in impossibly
high heels and admired her black pencil skirt and champagne coloured lace
blouse.  She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of respect for someone who had
changed her life and appearance so dramatically in a short space of time with
nothing but pure opportunism. 

Flic walked across to a large garish red sofa and moved
backwards to sit down.  She sank deep into the sofa and almost felt herself
being swallowed into the back and engulfed by cushions.