The Villain’s Daughter (23 page)

Iris was still trying to sort out her conflicting emotions as she approached the café. Situated on the corner of the High Street and Station Road, it was renowned for its decent food and drink. It was also the only place in the area that stayed open all night. As she walked in through the door, she was hit by a rush of warm air.

About half the tables were occupied, some by smartly suited businessmen grabbing their last few minutes of peace perhaps before returning home, others by groups of teenagers, all dressed in the same hooded tops and expensive trainers. Eventually she noticed her friend sitting in the corner with a load of books and papers strewn in front of her.

Iris made her way across the room.

‘Hi there.’

Rising from her seat, Vita gave Iris a quick hug. ‘Hey, how are you?’

‘Okay. Not bad. What are you doing here?’

‘Escaping,’ Vita said. ‘The Bitch is round the house, putting on the thumbscrews. I thought I’d make myself scarce before I said something I might regret.’

Iris grinned. The Bitch was Rick’s ex and Candice’s mother. Even though Joanne and Rick had split long before Vita came on the scene, the woman still insisted on treating her like a shabby little husband stealer.

‘What’s she after this time?’ Iris said, pulling up a chair.

‘Same as ever: cold, hard cash. Candice, apparently, is in danger of becoming a social outcast if she doesn’t get to attend the school skiing trip to Switzerland.
All her friends are going, she’ll be left out if she doesn’t, blah, blah, blah.
God, that twisted cow treats me like dirt - Joanne, I mean. I wouldn’t mind, but I’m the one who usually ends up paying the damn maintenance, not to mention all the latest must-have gadgets of the twenty-first bloody century. She ought to try being a bit more polite or I may just slam shut the door on my rapidly dwindling bank account.’

Iris looked at her. It wasn’t like Vita to sound so bitter; she’d long ago accepted that Rick had responsibilities and would normally be the last person on earth to complain about them. Through her work, Vita witnessed too many single mothers struggling to bring up their kids to not be aware of the difficulties they faced. Petty crime was often their last resort and when they got caught, she was always there to try to defend them. ‘And that’s the only reason you’re so pissed off?’

‘Reason enough,’ Vita huffed.

The waitress came over and Iris ordered a cappuccino. Vita asked for another espresso and the girl nodded before removing the two small empty cups already sitting on the table and returned to the counter.

‘You not planning on sleeping tonight?’ Iris said.

Vita gestured towards the heap of papers. ‘I need the caffeine. I’ve got a ton of work to catch up on.’

‘And I’m disturbing you. Sorry, I’ll just have this coffee and then I’ll be off.’

Vita sat back and sighed. ‘No, don’t go. You’re not disturbing me. I’m glad to see you, I really am. And I should be the one who’s apologising. I shouldn’t be taking any of this out on you. I’ve just had a really shitty day.’

‘And the delightful Joanne turning up hasn’t helped.’

‘You can say that again.’

Iris had come to the café intending to have a chat about Guy’s offer of help, but now she dismissed the idea. Vita had enough worries of her own. ‘So tell me about this lousy day of yours. Have a good rant - you know you’ll feel better for it!’

Vita laughed. ‘You could be right there.’

The waitress came back with the coffees and they stopped talking while she placed them on the table. After she’d gone, Vita gave another sigh, pushed her books aside and said, ‘It’s Rick.’

Iris raised her brows. ‘Rick?’

‘I think he’s up to something - you know, something not quite . . .’

Iris didn’t need her to spell it out. It had always been a worry that Rick might revert to his former ways. No matter how much he wanted to go straight, the temptation - especially in a place like Kellston - would always be hard to resist. ‘What makes you think that?’

‘Well, unless you’re going to tell me that Gerald Grand has begun paying a fortune for the stately bearing of his coffins, I can’t see any logical explanation as to why Rick should have six hundred quid stashed away in his wallet.’

‘What?’

‘Yeah, quite,’ Vita said. She drank a mouthful of espresso and went on to explain about Duggie’s visit. At the end of the story, she gave Iris a rueful smile and said, ‘I’m not sure what to be more worried about - all that cash mysteriously appearing or the fact he was in that sleazy strip joint this afternoon.’

‘You don’t know for certain he was there.’

‘As good as,’ Vita said. ‘I’ve never seen anyone backtrack as quickly as poor Duggie. I think he was trying to spare my finer female feelings.’

‘And have you asked Rick about the money?’

‘Yeah, and you know what he said?’

Iris waited.

‘That he won it on a horse,’ Vita continued, ‘a bloody horse! Although of course when I asked him what this incredible sprinting nag was called, he couldn’t quite remember. He couldn’t quite remember where it had been running either.’ She banged one of her books down on top of another and scowled. ‘He was lying through his teeth. I know he was. And he claimed that he hadn’t noticed his wallet was missing, which is ridiculous bearing in mind that he can’t go more than two hours without at least one visit to the pub.’ She stopped and took a breath. ‘And then, in the middle of it all, that bitch arrived and I just had to get out.’

‘Did you ask him about being at Belles?’

Vita shook her head. ‘To be honest, I didn’t tell him about Duggie either. I said the wallet had been dropped off anonymously at the office, that I didn’t know who’d handed it in. It probably sounds awful - shit, it is awful - but I’m still trying to make sense of it all. I figured if I mentioned Belles that he’d get even more defensive and then I wouldn’t stand a chance of getting to the truth.’

‘I can understand that,’ Iris said. Feeling the need to be more reassuring she added: ‘But none of this means that he’s involved in anything serious. He loves you too much to fuck up, Vita. He knows what the deal is. He knows you’d walk if you ever found out that he was getting in bother again.’

Vita ran her fingers through her hair. ‘Except he’s too damn stupid to think I ever
would
find out.’

Iris, seeing the pain in her friend’s face, quickly took her hand. ‘Hey, he may have made some mistakes in his life, but he’s kept out of trouble for the past few years.’

‘What do they say - leopards never change their spots? I mean, the very reason I got to know him in the first place was because the law was on his back. Just my luck that he chose my firm of solicitors to bring all his problems to.’

‘We’re not talking leopards,’ Iris said. ‘We’re talking about the man you fell in love with, the man who’s managed to stay on the straight and narrow since the two of you got hitched. Do you really believe he’s going to throw all that away for a few quid?’

‘Six hundred quid,’ Vita reminded her.

Iris acknowledged the number with a nod. ‘Okay, I can see it looks bad, but unless you talk to him properly you could be jumping to all kinds of wrong conclusions. You need to sit down, have a proper chat.’ Which was rich coming from her, she thought. She and Luke hadn’t had a decent conversation in months.

‘You know who owns Belles, don’t you?’

Iris shook her head.

‘Those twisted lowlife Streets. If he’s got himself involved with them . . .’

‘The Streets?’ Iris repeated, startled. She jumped back, letting go of Vita’s hand. After leaving Guy, she hadn’t expected to hear that name again tonight. It seemed the brothers were starting to haunt her.

‘What’s the matter?’ Vita said.

Iris took a second to think through the implications. ‘You don’t think he went there to find Danny, do you? Michael did take a bit of a beating on Saturday. The two of them are mates. What if Rick decided that some payback was in order?’

Vita laughed. ‘Who, my Rick? No, he’s not the type. He always runs a mile at the first hint of trouble. I’m not saying he can’t take care of himself - he’s big enough
and
ugly enough - but it’s really not his style. Anyway, he’s more than aware that it was Michael who started it all in the first place. You can hardly pick a fight with a nutter like Danny Street and expect to walk away unscathed.’

‘I suppose.’

Vita drank some more of the strong black coffee. ‘I’m starting to wonder if I know him at all. Maybe he spends every spare hour in places like Belles.’

‘You don’t really think that.’

‘I’m not sure what to think any more.’ She sank her chin into her hands and looked at Iris. ‘I’m starting to wonder how much he had in his wallet
before
he left the club. What’s the cost of a private lap dance these days?’

‘Oh, come on. He’s not like that.’

‘He’s a man, isn’t he?’ Vita said.

Which made Iris wonder about Luke, and what the nightlife was like was in Brussels. The city was more renowned for chocolate than steamy sex but, if you had the right company, you wouldn’t even have to leave your hotel room to get into mischief. She found herself pondering on the fair-haired girl again, about the pungent smell of perfume that had lingered on Luke’s collar.

‘Oh God,’ Vita groaned. ‘If I don’t watch out, I’m going to end up as one of those women who are always suspicious, always double-guessing what their husbands are up to. Before you know it, I’ll be going through his pockets, checking his phone and employing private detectives to follow him around.’

Iris grinned. ‘It hasn’t quite come to that, has it? Maybe he did get involved in something less than legal, but he’s very nearly been caught out. You might not be aware of all the details, perhaps you never will be, but the very fact you know about the cash means he’ll think twice about doing anything dodgy. He understands what the deal is between you two. He might take a chance once, but he won’t do it again.’

‘Yeah, you could be right,’ Vita conceded. ‘Perhaps I will have that little chat, make sure he’s clear about where I stand on the subject. Then I’ll give him the cold shoulder treatment for a few days just to make sure he gets the message.’

‘Lucky Rick.’

‘He deserves it. Anyway, enough about my wonderful life. Where have you been, all dressed up?’

Iris glanced down at her clothes. ‘I’m not dressed up.’

‘You’re telling me you went to work like that?’

‘Well, no,’ Iris admitted. ‘I had a meeting with someone this evening.’

When she didn’t go on, Vita said, ‘Are you going to enlighten me? Or it a big secret? I hope you haven’t been playing fast and loose now that Luke’s safely across the other side of the Channel.’

‘No,’ Iris retorted, feeling her cheeks redden slightly. ‘There’s no secret about it. I just thought you had enough on your plate without having to listen to my problems.’ She paused to finish her coffee. ‘Actually, I’ve been to see Guy Wilder.’

Vita frowned. ‘Lizzie Street’s son?’

‘That’s the one. Do you know him?’

‘Only by sight. He runs that bar down the other end of the High Street, doesn’t he? Tall, blond guy.’ She stopped to gaze at Iris for a few seconds before she continued. ‘Good-looking geezer. Bit of the Daniel Craigs about him, yeah?’

‘Really,’ Iris replied casually. ‘I can’t say I’ve noticed.’

‘Then you need your eyes testing, sweetie.’ Vita leaned forward and smiled. ‘Now, are you going to spill or do I have to wrestle you to the ground and force it out of you?’

‘It’s not like that. There’s nothing . . .
going on
.’

‘So why did you go to see him?’

Iris realised she’d already said too much. It was the second time tonight her mouth had run away with her. Unlike earlier, however, she didn’t have any qualms about confiding in Vita; her loyalty and friendship, along with her ability to keep a secret, was beyond doubt. Accordingly, she recited the tale for the second time. By the time she got to the end, her friend was looking aghast.

‘Jesus,’ she said.

Iris groaned. ‘I know. It’s terrible. How could he have done that?’

But it wasn’t what her father had done that was bothering Vita. ‘Shit, Iris, it’s you I’m worried about. You were threatened! You have to go to the cops, tell them what’s been going on.’

‘How can I?’ She glanced quickly round the café and lowered her voice. ‘If my dad
is
out there somewhere, he could end up being arrested. A part of me hates him for what he did, but I don’t want to see him behind bars. I can’t take that chance.’

‘You can’t take the chance of those two thugs having another go either. Next time it’s going to be more than a warning.’

Iris swallowed hard. She’d thought the same thing often enough, but hearing it said out loud made it seem even more real. ‘I know that. But Guy can talk to them; he’s their stepbrother after all. They might not get on, but that doesn’t mean they won’t listen. He can explain that I don’t have a clue where my dad is. I just want to be left alone.’

Vita narrowed her eyes. ‘I don’t like it,’ she said. ‘You’ve only just met this man. Why’s he going out of his way to help you like this? What’s in it for him?’

Iris, hearing an echo of what Guy had said earlier, lifted her shoulders in a tiny shrug. She could have explained about his history with the Streets, about how much he hated them, but knew that would only give Vita something else to latch on to. Now wasn’t the time to start talking about any of that airy-fairy stuff like ‘connections’ or ‘feelings’ either. It wouldn’t wash. Vita was in lawyer mode - and lawyers liked the cold, hard facts. ‘Does it matter? It’s not as if I’ve got that many options. If he can help, then why not?’

But Vita wasn’t convinced. Folding her arms across her chest, she took on a stern look. ‘Well, he’s either after your body or he’s got some other motive. Be careful, Iris. Don’t be too trusting. ’