She’s Out

Chapter 10

The mini remained in the lean-to, dripping pools of water beneath its wheels. Julia and Kathleen checked the newspapers and then went to the cemetery. Connie was already driving to London to sell the Porsche and clean Lennie’s flat. She parked it a good distance from his block, as Dolly had instructed, and set about finding the log book. Having so much to do calmed her.

Ester stayed in bed with some aspirin. Her ribs hurt and she felt dizzy if she so much as sat up. Dolly slept, the only one of them able to do so. Gloria caught the train to London and went to Brixton to visit Eddie.

Angela cleaned the kitchen; she was worrying herself into a panic about Jimmy Donaldson. As she tidied and cleared the dirty crockery, she saw the big bags of guns left by the kitchen cabinet.

Mike listened impatiently to his mother fretting because she’d missed her flight so she was now rearranging her trip to Spain.

‘You got to get out soon, Mum, I mean it.’

‘I will, Mike, but I got to pack the whole place up, you know. At least it’s over, love. She accepted the cash, said she didn’t ever want to see me again.’

He hung up and the phone rang again immediately. Mike swore when he heard Angela’s voice and would have slammed it down again immediately until she whispered, ‘Guns.’ He had to calm her down, as she seemed so hysterical, and eventually he pieced together what she was saying: Dolly Rawlins had bags full of weapons that belonged to Eddie Radford in the manor. She had moved them on the night they had come with the warrant.

Ester walked slowly down the stairs and stopped. Angela was hunched over the telephone in the hall, acting furtively.

‘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.

DCI Craigh drove into Rodway Motors’ car-hire section and he and Mike went into the reception as DI Palmer walked over to the main garage. As he walked through the open doors, he saw a red Volvo on a ramp. He called Craigh, but he had already stepped inside the reception area. Palmer moved closer to the ramp and looked underneath it. A mechanic was checking the exhaust. ‘Can you come up and have a word?’ Palmer said casually. The man glared and returned to his work. Palmer sat on his heels and showed his ID.

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.

Dolly looked at Connie in her skintight leotard. ‘Well, do they have lockers?’

‘Yes, and it’s a hundred and fifty quid for membership.’

‘Good. Join, and when you get there tonight, put this in the locker and bring me the key.’ Dolly handed her a bag, which weighed a ton.

‘What’s this?’

‘Just some personal things of mine — call them a safeguard. But not a word to any of the others. Just get John nice and happy. You don’t have to screw him, I wouldn’t ask you to do that, just string him along and lock this bag up for me.’

Connie went out to the front pathway to wait for John to collect her. It was just growing dark but not enough yet to move the body.

Angela was cleaning the kitchen when Dolly came in. ‘Julia’s looking for you, she’s out in the yard,’ she said.

Dolly opened the back door. ‘Julia?’

She came out of the stables and joined Dolly on the kitchen doorstep. ‘Yeah. Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea for Kathleen to come along tonight. She’s getting all twitchy, says she won’t be a part of it.’

Dolly sighed. She touched Julia’s arm lightly; she liked her, she was straightforward, you knew where you were with her. ‘Right, you and me will do the graveyard shift, Kathleen can stay here with Angela.’

‘What about Connie?’

‘She’s doing something else. Are the guns all loaded up?’ Julia nodded. Dolly glanced at her watch. ‘They should get moving, Tommy said his contact will be there about ten. Ester’s all right to drive, isn’t she?’

‘I think so.’

‘Is she staying on?’ Dolly asked.

‘I don’t know.’

‘If she isn’t, does that mean you won’t?’

Julia flushed. ‘I guess so, but I don’t think she’s got anywhere to go, you know, Dolly. She’s got a big mouth but... Well, maybe you should talk to her yourself.’

DCI Craigh got back into the car. Palmer was at the wheel. ‘Gloria Radford hasn’t lived there for a few weeks. Flat was taken over by the council but she returned to collect something from out in the back shed. I had a look round and it’s mostly filled with junk. Maybe she took the guns and stashed them at the manor.’

Mike leaned on the front seat. ‘What are we waiting for? If your tip-off was right and there are guns at the manor, why don’t we just bust the place?’

Craigh looked directly ahead. ‘We already made ourselves look like a bunch of arseholes, Mike. This time we do it by the book. We cover ourselves and check out the fucking information, if that’s all right with you — apart from that I’d like a day off. That all right with you, is it?’

Mike sat back, knowing not to push it. He stared out of the window as they drove down the road. Palmer gave a hooded look at Craigh. ‘So far they’ve found nothing on the vehicle, Gov.’

Craigh lit a cigarette. ‘Let’s see if we can have a chat to Eddie Radford on Monday. He might have some information. That suit you, Mike?’ he said sarcastically.

Whatever you say, Gov. Just, why wait twenty-four hours? They could shift her guns.’

Craigh checked his watch. ‘Okay — we go see Eddie Radford. Then we call it quits.’

Ester eased herself up and winced. The last thing she felt like doing was driving back to London. She wondered if she could get out of it when Dolly walked in, closing the door behind her.

‘How did you get the beating, Ester?’ She sat on the dressing-table stool and waited.

Ester was about to lie, but gave up; she didn’t have the energy. ‘Okay, last time I got sent down I also got a raw deal. When I was busted, a couple of my clients got scared — you know, that I’d plead not guilty and they’d have to prove it and name my clients. They got my little black book — well, it wasn’t little, it was a whopper, and I got K for kings, P for princes, no kiddin’. I was coining it, specials laid on for this Arab royal family. I was told that if I pleaded guilty, my fine would be paid, my back taxes paid and I’d get a few quid on top. I was assured I’d not be sent down. Well, I was. I got five years. They paid my legal costs, a percentage of my taxes and then walked away. Not one name was mentioned. So, I got pissed off.’

Dolly fingered a perfume bottle, then looked up. ‘Go on.’

‘I used to make private videos which clients would take after the show. I never made copies but on the night I got turned over, I stashed one and it was never found. When I got out, I went to them straight, said I felt I was owed some dough. They threw me out, told me that if I showed my face I’d be sorry. I then called them and said they would now be very sorry, that I had a video and I was gonna expose them.’ Dolly tutted. Ester looked at her. ‘It’s not even that bad, just a few slags rolling around with them, but you know how Arabs are. I asked for five hundred grand.’

‘And?’

‘Next thing they got some punk after me with a fucking price on my head. I mean, they’re all crazy! So I kind of hid out here. They won’t leave me alone and the result is what you can see. They beat me up and I ran like hell.’

‘Back here?’

Ester nodded. ‘Yeah, but I won’t be staying long, just enough time to get my face healed.’

Dolly stood up. ‘Okay, at least you told me the truth. So, go do the business with Gloria and you can stay on here until you’re recovered, then you do whatever you want...’

Ester smiled, and regretted it because of her cut lip. Thanks.’

Eddie Radford was really edgy. He knew word would be out he’d been lifted and that the filth were having a talk. Especially coming in to see him at a weekend. Every prisoner there would know within an hour or so — word travels fast in the nick — and he didn’t like it, didn’t like anyone even thinking he could be grassing.

‘What’s all this about?’ he snapped.

DCI Craigh drew up a chair. Mike stood leaning against the wall as Craigh proffered cigarettes. Eddie refused to take one.

‘I want to know what this is about,’ he repeated.

‘You know someone called James Donaldson?’

‘No.’

‘Dolly Rawlins?’

‘No.’

‘Gloria Radford?’

Eddie looked at Craigh. shrugged. ‘Yeah, she’s my wife.’

‘She holding something that belongs to you, is she?’

‘I dunno.’

‘You’re in for dealing in guns, armed robbery.’

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘Eighteen years.’

‘Great, you can count.’

‘Can you? That’s a long time, a very long time, Eddie. Be better spending time in an open prison — lot cushier than this dump,’ Craigh said softly.

‘Thinking of taking me out to Butlins, are you?’

Mike changed his position, staring hard at Radford. Craigh flicked his cigarette box over. ‘We think your wife was driving the car that killed Jimmy Donaldson, Eddie.’

‘Oh, yeah? Well, she was never a blinder behind the wheel.’

‘You know about it, do you?’

‘Look, I dunno this Donaldson, I don’t know what you got me up here for, I want to go back to my cell.’

‘But she could be charged with murder, Eddie.’

‘Tough luck. I want to go.’

‘If she’s picked up, who’s gonna flog your guns, Eddie?’ Eddie frowned. They’re being held for you at Grange Manor House, aren’t they?’ Eddie chewed his lower lip. ‘We know they’re at the manor so if we arrest Gloria you’re gonna lose your pension fund. All I need from you is confirmation that they’re there and in return, well, we can talk to people, recommend you get moved. We can’t make promises but we can certainly talk to the right people.’

Eddie shifted his weight on the chair and reached out for Craigh’s cigarettes. ‘I dunno anythin’ about this Jimmy Donaldson bloke or whatever Gloria’s done. I dunno any-thin’ about that.’

‘But you know about the guns, don’t you, Eddie?’

Eddie removed a cigarette, lit it, and let the smoke trail from his nostrils as he decided what he should say. He knew they were worth thirty grand, but what good was that if they were sold by that cow Dolly Rawlins? What good were they to him if he couldn’t get his hands on them? What if they were gonna arrest Gloria?

‘I want to be moved,’ Eddie said quietly.

Craigh looked at Mike. They’d already said to him they couldn’t give him a deal on that and that they didn’t have any powers of persuasion to get a prisoner moved — but they would make him think that they could anyway. ‘Open prison, swimming pool, tennis courts and, like you said, Eddie, some nicks are better than Butlins...’

Eddie flicked ash from his cigarette and rested both elbows on the table. ‘She’s staying with her, with Dolly Rawlins.’

They knew they’d got him, and were surprised at how fast, but he didn’t seem to give a damn about his wife or her possible arrest. All he seemed to care about was that he would lose out.

‘They’re worth thirty grand,’ Eddie said, hardly audible.

The same figure the anonymous caller had given to Craigh. He now reckoned the call was on the level, the tip-off legitimate. His weekend was now well and truly blown. He knew they would have to act on the tip-off now.

Dolly and Julia drove to the cemetery, which was in pitch darkness. Julia drove without headlamps, guided by the white tomb-stones as they moved slowly down the dirt-track road towards the recent graves. Flowers and wreaths were still strewn across the ground. They parked when they got as close as possible and took out the spades, zigzagging their way towards the freshly covered grave. They were obscured from sight by a tall, thick hedge. One grave was ready for its occupant, the trench dug, boards place across the deep, gaping hole.

Julia carefully moved aside the wooden planks, and said, ‘Let’s get on with it.’

They began to dig. It was not too difficult because the earth was so fresh and they worked in silence. Only the swishing of the spades could be heard in the silent cemetery. They were digging deeper to place Lennie’s body in the grave and cover him up. The coffin would then be place on top of him at the funeral. Goodbye, Lennie!

While Dolly and Julia were at the cemetery, Ester and Gloria headed for London’s West End to fence the guns. Gloria squinted at the A to Z. Ester had insisted they cut across London by various back-streets and they were now somewhere in Elephant and Castle but neither had any idea exactly where.

‘Wait a minute, go left, first left,’ Gloria muttered.

Ester drove on and turned left, then swore. No entry. She sighed and snatched the book from Gloria. ‘Let me see.’

‘It’s not my fault. Why you had to come your route I dunno, I mean, we been up and down for over an hour now.’

Ester squinted at the small squares on the map. ‘I just think that what we’ve got stashed in the boot is not necessarily a good thing to have if we should be stopped, okay?’

‘Gettin’ lost with them’s not a brilliant move neither,’ snarled Gloria.

‘Okay, I got it, we’re not too far.’ She began to do a U-turn, when, caught in the headlamps, they saw a police officer examining a locked gate. He turned and watched the car bang up on to the pavement.

‘Oh, bloody hell. Do you see what I see?’ said Gloria.

Ester looked in the mirror. He was walking towards them. She turned off the lights, careered up the road and screeched round the corner.

‘Well, that was fucking subtle,’ screamed Gloria.

Julia was waist deep and still digging.

Dolly peered down. ‘Okay, just drop him in and cover him. It’s deep enough not to smell too much, isn’t it?’

Julia started to climb out. ‘Yeah, the maggots’ll have a field day, and it’ll be deep enough, but we’ll have a lot of soil to spread around and over him.’

‘Let’s get him out of the car,’ Dolly said as she moved off, chucking aside her spade. Julia stuck hers into the ground and followed Dolly. The body was wrapped in an old carpet and polythene sheeting. They dragged it towards them and, between them, eased it from the rear of the Mini. It was very heavy and they had to resort to dragging it across the uneven ground towards the grave.

‘One shoe’s missing,’ Julia whispered.

‘Shit! Go and see if it’s in the car, and hurry up.’

Julia searched the car but found nothing. ‘Maybe it’s still in the pool,’ she said, as she helped roll the body down into the grave. They began to shovel the earth back into the hole, both working flat out, as slowly, bit by bit, Lennie was buried. Dolly stamped the earth down on top of him as Julia dragged the planks back to lay across the grave.

Gloria was blazing. She found it hard to believe Ester could be so stupid but at least she now understood why they’d kept to the back-streets.

‘Hot? This bleedin’ car’s hot and you been driving it around London, almost ran over a bloody copper. I’m tellin’ you, Ester, you need your head seeing to. If Dolly was to find out...’

‘Oh, shut up. We’re here now. Go on.’

Gloria got out of the car and knocked on a small door built into the big yard gates. It was opened by Tommy, who had a whispered conversation with her, and the main gates eased back. Ester drove, and Tommy and his contact began to unload the guns, carrying them into the warehouse.

Gloria had never met the buyer before, a small, softly spoken man wearing a camel coat, good suit and pinkish-toned glasses. His expert began to check over each weapon as Gloria placed them on the desk. A large space had been cleared, the blinds had been drawn, and they quietly got on with the business in hand.

Ester was surprised by Gloria, who was controlled and proved adept at handling the guns, making a good, strong sales pitch with each piece. The weapons consisted of two 9mm Browning pistols, semi automatic, four .38 Smith and Wessons, three .35 Magnum colts, two .44s, two .455 Webley’s specials, collector’s items, and boxes of ammunition, Westley and Richard rifles, 26-inch barrels, bead foresight and stands, two Hechler and Koch machine guns and four Kalashnikovs.

While Gloria was doing her business, Ester was selling Tommy the Saab for cash. She would take in exchange an old covered van he had parked in the yard. She admitted it was a bit ‘iffy’ but not too hot. Tommy raised an eyebrow.

‘Come on, man, you know it’s a great deal. You can switch the plates on it, get it out of the country within twenty-four hours.’

Tommy hesitated and glanced over at the gun dealers, then at Gloria who was searching one of the big bags. ‘Ester, a minute,’ she said, and Ester went to join her. Three shotguns missing. You know anything about that?’

Ester shook her head and hissed that Tommy was interested in buying the Saab.

‘Good, I’m not wheeling around in it.’ Gloria returned to the dealers.

‘No shotguns, sorry, miscalculation, but I got a desert Eagle that’s right now the gun to have. You want to see it?’

The officers in the patrol car received the information that the Saab was stolen; the owner had reported the theft two nights ago. The beat officer had succeeded in taking the Saab’s registration number and had flagged down the patrol car, whose window he was now leaning against. ‘I thought it might be, they drove off fast soon as they saw me, headed back towards Tower Bridge, but they could have turned off on any of the roads. Lot of old warehouses round that area.’

The patrol car moved off. As the officer watched them disappear, he turned to continue his street patrol. An old, green-painted van passed him and he didn’t give it a second glance. Gloria was counting the money, licking her fingers to flick through the notes. ‘Bleedin’ ripped us off. Ten grand! It’s disgusting. I couldn’t believe the cheap bastards.’

‘Well, we made up for it with the Saab.’

‘Yeah, but that’s not the point. I hate being skinned. They got a lot for their dough, you know. They were worth at least thirty grand. I mean, two of the rifles would cost you seven big ones alone.’

Ester headed over Tower Bridge. ‘Well, I’ll split the money from the car with you. Dolly needn’t know.’

Gloria smirked. ‘You mean about it being nicked?’

‘Yeah, we just divide the cash between us.’

‘No way. She gets the lot because she’ll be on the blower to Tommy checking it out, you know her. And besides...’

‘Besides what?’

Gloria stuffed the money up her skirt, wriggling it into her panties. ‘Somebody kept those shotguns — and you never know...’

‘Never know what?’

‘Maybe she’s got something in mind? I mean, she’s pulled a couple of blinders, hasn’t she? Way I see it, let’s keep her happy, see what’s going on in that old brain of hers.’

Ester laughed. ‘Why not? In the meantime, you keep that cash warm.’

‘Better to be safe than sorry,’ Gloria said, as the wad of notes eased round her panties. ‘They got bastards holding up motors to nick handbags now, you know, in a traffic jam, and they push a gun into your face and nick your wallet. Shocking world nowadays.’

DCI Craigh, DI Palmer and Mike headed towards Grange Manor House. They were accompanied by twelve local officers from Thames Valley and they had now secured a search warrant, this time not for diamonds but weapons. Some weekend!

Julia and Dolly had carried the spare earth to the hedges and scattered it around. They were filthy dirty but the job had been done. They were just stacking the spades back into the car when they heard the wail of a siren. They froze and looked towards the lane as a police car drove past, followed by two more vehicles.

‘What was that about?’

‘I don’t know and I don’t care, just so long as they’re not coming into the cemetery,’ Dolly muttered.

Julia walked round to the driving seat. She got in and turned to Dolly.

‘Connie really owes us a big favour.’

‘She’ll pay it,’ Dolly replied as they headed out of the dark cemetery on to the lane, virtually following the convoy of police and having no idea they were on their way to search the manor.