She’s Out

Chapter 4

Dolly woke with a start, unable for a moment to orientate herself, and it scared her. Her heart thudded, she started to pant, then to talk herself down. It was the sound of birds, ravens cawing from the woods, an alien sound, one she had not heard for a long, long time.

The curtain was drawn and the fast recall of the evening made her feel good until she looked out of her window. ‘Holy shit.’ Now she took in the derelict gardens, the dank, dark poolside. ‘Oh, my God, what have you got yourself into, gel?’

She was used to rising at six and she listened at her door, could hear no sound of movement so she went out on to the landing. In the cold light of morning, she moved silently round the old manor, peeking into each unoccupied room, from the attic to the ground floor, her heart sinking at every level as the realization dawned of what she had let herself in for. The place was a monster, not only in proportion but the run-down state of the house was obvious, from the peeling wallpaper to the cracked ceilings and crumbling woodwork. The banister rail was fine, thick mahogany, but many of the pegs were missing and the carpets worn and dangerous on the old wide stairs. The smell of mould, damp and mildew made her nostrils flare but she kept on moving from room to room until she entered the old kitchen, easing back the bolts from the back door to walk outside into the stable yard.

She had inspected the pool, the woods and the run-down orchard, the vegetable garden that was a wild, overgrown mess of brambles and throttling weeds. She had muddied her shoes, her legs were scratched from the brambles, the hem of her coat sodden, before she eventually returned to the kitchen. No one was up so she put on the kettle, working out how to use the big lidded Aga, fetching a mug and making a cup of tea, her mind working overtime.

The house was a dog, she knew that — any fool could feel it — but she couldn’t help liking it. Was she really prepared to take it on? She knew she’d given Ester a cheque but that could always be stopped. Dolly sat with her hands cupping the chipped mug. The place could certainly accommodate at least ten, fifteen kids with ease; there were enough rooms and she hadn’t even been down to the basement. She went over all the old deeds and survey reports, all a few years out of date. She started to calculate on the back of an envelope just how much money it would take to get a place this size back into order. All her cash would go with the one cheque to Ester so it would mean she was dependent on the sale of the diamonds. If they had been valued at two million all those years ago, she reckoned they’d be worth maybe three and a half to four now. If she fenced them, she’d probably clear maybe one and a half million cash. The house would need a hell of a lot of money spent on it but just how much she would have to check into. From the plumbing to the decoration, she began to list all the blatantly obvious requirements. The project was much bigger than she had dreamed of but if it was fate, then maybe it was meant for her to take on such a giant enterprise. She could use ex-prisoners to help her, perhaps even the women from last night.

Dolly spent over an hour making notes and working out costs and then went down to the basement. There were saunas, steam cabinets, an old gym and a large laundry room. None of the machines appeared to be in working order and the stench of damp was even worse down there. She looked over the old boilers and knew they’d all have to be replaced. She began to doubt seriously that she would take on the project because the more she calculated, the more money she knew she would have to raise.

By the time she returned to the kitchen, Gloria was up and Ester and Julia were washing dishes in the big stone sink. Angela was clearing the debris in the dining room and passed Dolly carrying a tray filled with dirty glasses. ‘Good morning, you’re up bright and early, Mrs Rawlins.’

Dolly gave a brittle smile. ‘Yes. Is everyone else up yet?’

‘No, not yet. Do you want breakfast?’

‘Yes.’

‘Eggs and bacon coming up.’

Dolly opened the front door to look down the big wide drive.

‘Good morning, Dolly.’ Connie beamed, wrapping a silk kimono round herself.

Dolly turned round as Kathleen appeared. ‘My God, I’ve got a hell of a headache. How about you, Dolly?’

The relaxed atmosphere of the women coming and going made Dolly feel good — or better. ‘Get some coffee down you,’ she said to Kathleen, and then walked behind the old reception desk to look for a telephone directory. The shelves were dusty and old circulars had been stuffed beneath the desk so she rummaged around.

Ester appeared at the kitchen door. ‘Hi, good morning. You looking for something?’

‘Directories.’

Ester wandered to the desk. ‘Be out of date, get the operator. Who are you calling?’

Dolly sighed. Well, I should have a word with the local social services, just to see about the possibilities of opening this place up as a home.’

‘You don’t waste much time, do you?’

‘Nor do you, Ester. You certainly hustled me into this place.’

‘What? Look, it was up to you, love. I mean, I’m not forcing you into anything you don’t want to do.’

Dolly raised an eyebrow. ‘Fine, just don’t bank the cheque yet. I’m not too sure about this.’

Ester moved into action, instructing the women to get the breakfast on the table and to look as if they loved the place. By the time Dolly joined them, the kitchen was filled with the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs, hot toast and coffee, all laid out ready and waiting. Their smiling faces greeted Dolly warmly as she sat down.

‘I been all round the grounds. Place is in a terrible state.’

‘Get a few locals to clear the gardens. It used to be beautiful, in the summer especially.’ Ester continued to sell the manor, hinting time and again what a wonderful place it would be for children.

Angela gave Dolly the number for the social services but it was almost nine thirty when Dolly put in a call and arranged for a meeting at the town hall. She was still unsure and not giving much away. She had only the few things she had brought with her so she would need to do some shopping. Good opportunity to see what the local village was like.

The other women looked at Ester to know what they should or shouldn’t do, exchanging furtive glances and nudges. As soon as Dolly was out of earshot, they whispered questions to each other: Was Dolly serious? How long was she going to keep them all waiting? When would she go for the diamonds? Ester hissed at them to keep their mouths shut, no one was to mention diamonds.

‘Yeah, well, that’s why we’re all here, Ester, and so far she’s not said a dickie about them. All that’s gone down is you’re two hundred grand up. What if they don’t exist?’ Gloria was irritable.

‘They exist,’ snapped Ester. She crossed the kitchen and looked out into the hallway, drawing the door shut. ‘Make her think we’re all behind the project, right? Offer to stay and help out, start clearing the place up. She’s gonna need hard cash to get this place up and rolling so we watch her like a hawk and—’

Dolly called from the stairs, asking if the boiler was working as she wanted to have a bath before she left. Ester opened the door and shouted that the water was on and hot. She waited until she could hear the thud of the old pipes before she went to give the women more instructions. She then paid off Angela and said that when they went into the village she could catch the next train home.

‘I got to go and see Eddie,’ Gloria said tetchily.

‘Fine, you go,’ said Ester.

‘I need my gear.’ Connie pouted.

Ester sighed. ‘Look, all do what you have to but, whatever you do, keep your mouths shut about being here. You don’t say a word to anyone about us being holed up here and especially not about the diamonds. Is that clear?’

By eleven they were all waiting for Dolly, Ester out in the yard in her Range Rover. Julia was looking into the stables. ‘You know, this place must have been something,’ she said.

‘It was. What the hell is she doing in there?’

Ester paced up and down, impatient to go into the village to bank the cheque.

Julia came close. ‘You going to be okay?’

Ester nodded. ‘Yeah. Nobody knows I’m here and besides, I got to bank the cheque to get her the deeds of the house.’

Julia cocked her head to one side. ‘Well, you take care.’

Gloria teetered out with Connie behind her. ‘I’m off, see Eddie. I’m givin’ Connie a lift in. Can you take us to the garage see if me car’s ready?’

Connie put her bag into the back of the Range Rover. ‘I won’t even see Lennie. He always leaves by twelve so I’ll just get my stuff and come straight back.’

Kathleen wandered out. ‘Where you all going?’

Ester sighed. ‘Into the village. Where’s Dolly?’

‘She’s on the phone, the social services again, asking what they want her to bring in. I dunno.’

‘Are you stopping, then?’ Ester demanded.

‘Yeah, I got nowhere else to go, have I?’ muttered Kathleen.

Angela joined them, followed by Dolly, so they all squashed into the Range Rover and departed, leaving Kathleen alone.

‘I’ll need builders’ estimates, see how much the place will cost to get into order,’ Dolly said, as they bounced down the lane. ‘Get these potholes filled in,’ she said, staring out of the window. She looked back at the house. ‘I don’t know about this, Ester, I mean...’

Ester pulled on the brake. ‘Dolly, look at the place. Take a good look. It’s crying out for kids, isn’t it?’ A dull chorus of, ‘Oh, yes, kids’ll love it here.’

Gloria’s car wasn’t ready so Connie and Angela were dropped off at the local railway station. Ester took Dolly on to the Aylesbury town hall. ‘I’ll wait here for you.’ She smiled.

Dolly nodded but seemed ill at ease. ‘I’ll just see what they say. I shouldn’t be too long, then I’ll need to do a bit of shopping, tights and stuff like that.’

As soon as she walked into the town hall, Ester drove straight to the bank. She kept a good lookout for anyone following her and hurried inside.

Dolly waited in the anteroom and eventually a pleasant-faced woman called Deirdre Bull asked if she would come into her office. Dolly was offered a seat and coffee, as Deirdre sat down behind her cluttered desk. The walls were lined with posters for foster carers and adoption societies.

‘Now, it’s Mrs Rawlins, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, Dorothy Rawlins. I’ve come to ask you about opening a foster home. I’ve done a bit of research with a probation officer but I thought I’d just run a few things by you.’

Deirdre nodded and began opening drawers. ‘First there are some forms you’ll need to look over and fill in. Have you ever been a foster carer before?’

‘No, I haven’t, but I’m buying a big house and I could accommodate up to ten or twelve kids easily.’

Deirdre was so relaxed and friendly that Dolly began to ease up, as Deirdre patiently passed her one form after another to look over.

‘Are you married?’

‘I’m a widow.’

Deirdre nodded, not really listening, just passing leaflets across the desk.

‘Do you have children?’

‘No, but I have worked with a lot of babies recently, and I have some letters from...’

Ester handed the cheque to the cashier. Impatient, her eyes on the clock, she’d had to stand in a queue for ten minutes. The cashier’s pace was slow, steady, which Ester found infuriating. He looked first at the cheque, then at Ester’s paying-in slip.

‘There’s nothing wrong, is there?’ Ester asked sharply, leaning closer into the counter. ‘I’m in rather a hurry and I have someone waiting.’

The cashier peered at Ester. ‘It’s Miss Freeman, isn’t it? Could you wait one moment?’

‘Why? All I want are the documents I’ve listed. Can’t you just get them for me? I’m in a hurry.’

‘The manager will need to speak to you, Miss Freeman,’ the cashier said pleasantly.

‘But there’s nothing wrong with the cheque, is there?’

‘No, not that I can see, but he will need to talk to you. Your account has been frozen.’

‘I know that,’ Ester retorted. It was hard for her not to know just what her financial situation was. She was in debt up to her eyeballs, tax inspectors breathing down her neck, and the only asset she had was the manor — and that was frozen like her accounts. Ester had no way of getting any cash without Dolly, and it hurt to hand over the cheque.

She tried a different approach. ‘I just want the deeds to Grange Manor House.’ She gave a soft smile. ‘I have a cash buyer and surely it’s worth considering that part of the overdraft could be paid off. If the bank tried to sell the house, they’d not get as good a price. And I’m sure I’ll be able to cover any further outstanding debts within a few weeks.’

It sounded good. She just hoped the little prick would see it made sense and she knew he had when he looked up and gave her a tight nod: he was going to release the deeds of the house. He excused himself and left Ester waiting. She checked her watch again, willing him to move his arse because she didn’t want to miss Dolly.

Deirdre looked at Dolly’s neat handwriting on the forms, and showed not a flicker when she read that she had only just been released from prison.

The house is well situated, with gardens and a swimming pool. It will need a lot of work and I don’t know how I apply for grants and allowances — or if I am acceptable as a foster carer.’

Deirdre nodded. ‘Well, you’ll have to go before a board of committee members — I can’t say whether or not you’ll be acceptable, Mrs Rawlins. All this takes considerable time and your property will have to be reviewed and assessed by the committee.’

‘But you don’t think it’s out of the question?’

‘I can’t say. If you like, I can ask Mrs Tilly, who is my superior, to come and talk to you.’

Dolly leaned closer. ‘I would be grateful if you would. I don’t want to go ahead with the house if I don’t stand a chance with my application — if my background goes against me, you understand?’

Deirdre smiled warmly. ‘Mrs Rawlins, there are so many children in need. Obviously your background will be taken into consideration but, that said, there are so many ways we can approach the board. If you can give me ten minutes I’ll go up and have a word with Mrs Tilly, see if she can tell you the best way to approach it. But I would think positively if you have a substantial property and the means to open a home.’

‘I’ll wait,’ Dolly said, becoming more confident by the second. She had finances, she would be able to make the manor house look like a palace. As soon as the door closed behind Deirdre, Dolly inched round the desk and drew the telephone closer. She looked to the door a moment before she dialled.

Jimmy Donaldson was sitting with a mug of tea. It was almost twelve and there had not been any further contact from Rawlins. DI Palmer was sitting reading the morning paper. He also had a tea and chocolate biscuits. In the hall another officer sat on duty and had even opened the door earlier for Mrs Donaldson to cook breakfast. She was confused as to what was going on, especially as she had had little time alone with her husband. Even when they slept, an officer sat outside their bedroom. Jimmy was nervous and twitchy, and had said that whatever was going down meant that he’d be home for good sooner than they had anticipated. She was asked to speak to no one, to remain at home and continue her housework as if they weren’t there, so she was preparing lunch in the kitchen.

The phone rang and she turned from the sink. The door was closed, the officer in the hallway giving her a pleasant smile. Palmer on the other hand gave a brisk nod for Donaldson to pick up the phone as he slipped on his headphones to listen to the call.

‘Jimmy? It’s Dolly.’

He looked nervously at Palmer who gestured for him to continue the call.

‘Hello, Dolly. How are you?’

‘I’m fine. I’d like to collect.’

Palmer nodded and Donaldson hesitated. ‘Okay. When do you want to come over?’

‘I won’t come to your place, you bring them to me. You know Thorpe Park?’

‘What?’

‘It’s a big amusement park. About four o’clock this afternoon. I’ll see you there.’

She hung up before Donaldson could reply. He sat looking at the receiver in his hand. Palmer swore, told him to hang up and then put a trace on the call.

‘Have they found them yet?’ Donaldson asked.

Palmer said nothing as he waited for the trace to give the location of where Dolly had called from. DCI Craigh came in as Palmer was jotting something down. He passed it to Craigh. ‘She made contact from Aylesbury town hall, social services.’ Craigh took the memo. ‘She’s asked for a meet. You want to hear the call?’

Craigh nodded, his face uptight. ‘She’s moving fast, isn’t she? What the hell is she doing at the town hall?’ When he heard where Dolly wanted to meet Donaldson, he swore and gestured for Palmer to come out for a private chat. ‘We’ve still not traced the stones, they’re ripping his entire shop apart.’

‘Shit.’

‘Yeah, well, we’ll just have to stall her, or Jimmy will.’

Palmer looked back to the closed door. ‘You think he’s spinnin’ yarns? If we’ve not found the ruddy diamonds maybe they’re not there and he’s playin’ silly buggers.’

Craigh sighed. This wasn’t working out the way he’d hoped. Now they’d have to drag Donaldson out to Thorpe Park, which would mean even more officers assigned to the case and his super had only given the go-ahead because, as Craigh had said, it would be fast. As soon as she contacted them, they thought they’d have her. Well, she’d contacted faster than they’d anticipated and now they were screwed if they didn’t find the stones by four o’clock.

‘Look, see if you can get his wife shipped out — to a relative. I don’t like her being around. And meanwhile I’ll go and see what I can work up for the four o’clock meet. Why Thorpe Park?’

Palmer shrugged. ‘I dunno. She said it, then hung up.’

Tommy Malin worked until late the previous night and went straight back to it in the morning. He reset the stones one by one and he was a true professional: they looked good. He used a lot of settings from a previous little job he’d done, only then they had contained some beautiful emeralds and diamonds. Usually he melted down settings, anything that could cause aggravation. He had never, that he could remember, been asked to make up a whole bag of glass but far be it from him not to earn an easy two grand cash. He had some business to attend to at lunchtime. Audrey called to ask if they were ready and he said they’d be finished later on in the afternoon.

‘They’re not ready yet,’ Audrey said to her son, as he paced up and down the living room. ‘Has she called? Do you know if she’s talked to Jimmy yet?’

‘No, I’m going over there now. I’ll come back later and pick them up. And for chrissakes don’t tell anyone about this.’

‘Who’d I tell?’

Mike stared at her, his anger at what she had got him involved with still close to the surface. ‘Just get the stones, Mum, and as soon as you’ve got them, call me on my bleeper.’

Mike slammed out of the flat and hurried to his patrol car as his bleeper went. By the time he’d called in, he was instructed to meet DCI Craigh at the station and not, as he had previously been told, at Donaldson’s house.

Mrs Tilly looked over Dolly’s forms. She then stacked them in a neat pile. Well, I think you stand a good chance but you’ll have to be interviewed by the board and have your details assessed. Until such time, I wouldn’t do too much structural work on the house because we will have to view the property to make sure it meets our requirements. It will take time for us to give you a positive answer and you’ll obviously require grants, which is another area you’ll need to be instructed in as there are so many different sections and application forms.’

Dolly was feeling good, her dream already shaping into reality and so fast it took her breath away. Mrs Tilly frowned as she re-read the top form.

‘Grange Manor House? It had a bad reputation, you know.’

Dolly looked confused. ‘I’m sorry? I don’t understand. It was a health farm, wasn’t it?’

‘It used to belong to an Ester Freeman. Oh, I’m going back maybe three or four years. It’s been closed — I thought it had been demolished, to tell you the truth, not just because the motorway was built across the main access, but because it was such a scandal—’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re referring to,’ Dolly interrupted.

‘Grange Manor House was run as a brothel. The police raided it and arrested, oh, fourteen women, I think. It was run by Ester Freeman. I think she went to prison.’ Suddenly Mrs Tilly flushed. ‘Did you buy it from Miss Freeman?’

‘No I did not,’ Dolly lied, her hands clenched tightly. Thank you for all your help.’ She managed to keep a smile on her face but she was so angry she could have screamed. This was all she needed. Trying to open a foster home as an ex-prisoner was one hurdle to get over, but now she knew that the place had been run as a brothel any association with Ester would obviously go against her.

Dolly stormed out of the town hall. Ester was not waiting as she had promised. She forced herself to remain calm. She’d get out of this, and fast. She’d do a bit of shopping, get the next train to London, collect the diamonds and do just as she had planned to do: buy a small terraced house near Holloway and screw that bitch Ester Freeman.

Ester faced the bank manager, a small, dapper little man with a faint blond moustache. He shuffled Ester’s thick file of documents. The cheque from Mrs Rawlins, he assured Ester, was or would be cleared as he had already contacted Mrs Rawlins’s bank, but this still left Ester three hundred thousand pounds in debt. She would be declared bankrupt unless she had means to cover the outstanding balance.

‘But I’ve just paid in a cheque for two hundred thousand.’

The manager nodded, over-patient. ‘Yes, I know, Miss Freeman, but the bank are holding the house as collateral for the outstanding monies. I cannot release the property deeds.’

‘Fine. Then I have to take that cheque out. The money is for the sale of the manor and you know that it won’t get that price on the market. You sell it and the bank’ll lose out. This way, at least I’ve paid off some of it and I give you my word you’ll get the rest within a few weeks.’

He sighed. What she was saying made sense. ‘So, Miss Freeman, is this cheque from Mrs Rawlins for the sale of the property?’

‘Yes. That’s why I got to have the deeds returned to me. If you refuse, there will be no sale. You then have to put it on the market and—’

He interrupted, drawing back his chair, ‘I will, however, have to wait for the cheque to be cleared, Miss Freeman.’

She swore under her breath and asked if he could at least give her copies so she could pass them on to the buyer, then as soon as the cheque was cleared, the originals could be sent to the new owner, Mrs Rawlins.

That still leaves your balance over three hundred thousand pounds in the red, Miss Freeman, and unless this situation is rectified then we have no alternative but to begin proceedings against you.’

She leaned on his desk. ‘Give me just one more month — you’ll get the money. I am waiting to be paid a considerable amount, more than enough to cover my overdraft.’

Ester would have liked to scream at him ‘Try three million quid’s worth of diamonds, you fuckin’ little prat’, but instead she smiled sweetly as he sighed and flipped through her bank statements.

‘Well, we’ll give it three weeks, Miss Freeman, but then—’

‘You’ll get me the deeds? Yes?’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I’m prepared to trust you, Miss Freeman.’

‘You won’t regret it,’ she said softly, having no intention whatsoever of paying in another penny, not from the diamonds, not from anything. She was going to skip the country and fast, just as soon as she laid her hands on Dolly Rawlins’s diamonds.

Mike met up with DCI Craigh in the station corridor. ‘She only called from the Aylesbury social services and you won’t believe where she’s asked Donaldson to meet her.’

‘Oh, they find the diamonds?’ Mike asked innocently, knowing it was an impossibility.

Craigh shook his head. ‘I’m gonna need extra men, sort this out at the bloody theme park, and we’ll get Donaldson wired up. He’ll just have to stall her or get her to implicate herself. I’m beginning to wish we’d never started it in the first place.’

Craigh had no idea just how much Mike wished he had never mentioned Dolly Rawlins’s name, let alone the diamonds.

Gloria eased her way round the visitor tables, crowded with the wives and mothers, girlfriends, kids. It never ceased to amaze her how many women were always there every visiting day. Never as many men as women — they were all banged up like her old man.

Eddie Radford was staring at his folded hands, a glum expression on his Elvis Presley features. Eight years younger than Gloria, he’d never even bought an Elvis record but she had. She’d been a great fan and the first time she’d set eyes on Eddie she’d seen the similarity, with his thick black hair. If he’d had sideburns he’d have looked even more like Elvis.

‘You’re bleedin’ late,’ he muttered angrily.

‘Well, the back end of the van went, then I hadda get a train, missed the tube, waited fifteen minutes.’

‘Oh shuddup. Every time you come I got to listen to a bleedin’ travelogue of how you got here. You get me some fags?’

‘Yes.’

‘Books? Any cash?’

‘Yeah, in me left sleeve, can you feel it?’

Eddie leaned over and kissed her as he slipped his hand up her sleeve and palmed the money. ‘How much?’

‘Sixty quid, and that’s cleaned me out. I got to pick up me giro.’

‘Where’ve you been? I called the house three times.’ Eddie opened the cigarettes and lit one, looking around the room at the men and their visitors. The racket was mind-blowing.

‘The council have given me marching orders for nonpayment of rent.’

‘Oh, great! What you let them do that for?’

‘Could be because I’ve not got any cash and that Mrs Rheece downstairs is a bloody zombie. She let them in, found that bloke kipping down and so they said I was sublettin’.’

‘What bloke?’

‘You know, him with the squint, friend of your brother’s. I asked him to leave an’ all but he still stayed on. Pain in the arse, he is.’

‘So where’ve you been stayin’?’

‘I’m in Aylesbury, with some friends. You don’t know them, Eddie. I wish you wouldn’t grill me every time I come, it sets on my nerves.’

‘Who you staying with in Aylesbury then?’

She sighed. ‘Ester Freeman, you don’t know her. She did time with me. Julia Lawson, she was also in Holloway, Kathleen O’Reilly, a stupid cow called Connie and—’

‘Ester Freeman? They all tarts then, are they?’

‘No, they’re not. Dolly Rawlins, she’s there.’

‘Oh yeah, Dolly Rawlins, yeah, I remember Harry. So what you all there for?’

‘For God’s sake, I needed a place to doss down, all right? So we’re all sort of helping Dolly out until—’

‘Until what?’

Gloria flushed. ‘I always get a headache in here. They should keep the kids to another section.’

Eddie reached out and gripped her wrist. ‘I said, what are you doing there?’

She wrenched her wrist free and rubbed it. ‘Word is, she’s got some diamonds stashed and we’re, well, we’re waiting for her to get them.’

‘And then what?’

She smiled. ‘Well, we want a cut and if she doesn’t like it, we’re gonna take it. But you keep your mouth shut about it.’

‘Who would I tell?’ he said bitterly.

She touched his hand. ‘You’ll have some nice things, I’ll get you anything you want, Eddie.’

He eased his hand away. ‘Who’s looking after my guns?’

Gloria looked round nervously, then leaned close to whisper, ‘They’re still out in the coal hut, I ain’t touched them.’

Eddie closed his eyes. ‘Brilliant! You’re not even at the fuckin’ house, that idiot bloke is hanging around and I got thirty grand’s worth of gear stashed out back. You fuckin’ out of your mind, Gloria?’

‘I don’t want anythin’ to do with them. I get picked up again and that’s me for ten years, Eddie. I told you I don’t want to know about them, it’s too dangerous.’

Eddie stared at her, shaking his head slowly. ‘I don’t believe you, Gloria, I don’t.’

She sat back. ‘Ah, Eddie, it’s too dangerous, you know it is.’

‘You listen to me, slag, you move them out of that place. I’ll get you a decent contact, you’ll flog them when I say so, understand me? You move them, you do that, Gloria. Get the gear, stash it where you’re staying with all the tarts, then I’ll get my friends to contact you. Gimme the number there.’

‘I can’t, the phone’s not connected, Eddie, on my mother’s life.’

Her mother had been dead since she was twelve but Eddie seemed to believe her, even though he also knew her old lady was six feet under. He swore and then the bell rang for the first section of visitors to move out. He gripped her hand tightly. ‘Get them. Then next time you come I’ll arrange for you to meet someone. You do it, Gloria, they’re all I got left in the world, them and you, so I’m depending on you, understand me? I depend on you, Gloria.’

She nodded and he drew her towards him and they kissed. She always felt like crying when he did that but this afternoon she was all on edge and she’d gone and told him about Dolly Rawlins. For a second she’d hoped he’d forgotten but he suddenly smiled. ‘And if that cow don’t want to part with her diamonds, you got the gear to make her, haven’t you? Use them, sweetheart. You get me some dough and we’ll go abroad, nice holiday when I get out.’

He was already being monitored by the officers, pointing for him to return to the corridor outside and be returned to his cell.

‘I love you, Eddie,’ she said softly.

‘I hope so, Gloria. Tarra, see you next week.’

He seemed quite cheerful as he walked after the prison officer, even offering him a cigarette. He’d got eighteen years and there he was talking about when they would go on a bloody holiday together. She’d have a zimmer frame by the time he got out.

Dolly paid off the taxi and carried her purchases inside the front entrance of the manor. Ester’s Range Rover was nowhere to be seen. She went straight to her bedroom and sorted out what she would wear for the afternoon, then started to pack her few things. She was leaving and would leave without a goodbye. She would get the cheque stopped. She swore at herself: she should have done that as soon as she came home. Dolly headed down the stairs as Ester breezed in, wafting a big brown envelope.

‘Hi! They said you’d left when I went to the town hall so I did a grocery shop. Here you go, Dolly, the lease all signed, and now the place is really all yours.’

‘Oh, is it? Well, you can take it and stuff it. I don’t want this place, I don’t want anything to do with you and I’m gonna stop that cheque.’

‘What?’

Dolly glared at Ester. ‘I said, I’m stopping that cheque. You really did me in, didn’t you? Never thought to mention this place was a brothel.’

Ester tossed the envelope down. ‘You knew what I was.’

‘I didn’t know you ran a whorehouse from here, though, did I?’

‘All you had to do was ask.’

‘They all know about this place, they told me at the social services.’

‘So what?’

This place has got such a bad reputation that, along with my record, you think they’ll give us the go-ahead?’

Ester looked to the ceiling. ‘Why should they even know I’m here, for one? This is bloody stupid, Dolly. For chrissakes, look at the place.’

‘That’s just what I have been doing and I’m out.’

Dolly was about to walk back up the stairs when Ester yelled, ‘You tell me where you’ll find a better place for kids. There’s a swimming pool, stables, you can bloody have twenty kids here. They’ll be more likely to give you the go-ahead on a place like this that’s crying out for kids than any terraced place in fucking Islington or Holloway or wherever you planned to buy it — and they cost, Dolly. You’ve been away a long time, any house in that area’s gonna cost you at least a hundred and fifty grand. Here you got beds, furniture, linen, all thrown in, but if you don’t want it, then that’s up to you...’

Julia walked out and leaned on the kitchen door. ‘She’s right, you know, Dolly. This is a fabulous place for kids.’

Dolly hesitated. Julia’s soft voice seemed to calm her. ‘The orchard and the gardens, the pool doesn’t need much doing to it, then you can even get a horse for the stables... You list all those to the services and...’

Ester winked at Julia. ‘She’s right, Dolly. I mean, you’d get grants, wouldn’t you? Each kid’d bring in about two hundred a week. I’m right, aren’t I, Julia?’

‘Yep, and then you’d get grants to rebuild and convert...’

Dolly sat down on the stairs, more confused than ever. Ester glanced at her watch. All she needed was a few more hours for the cheque to go into the system then Dolly couldn’t stop it as it would have gone through.

‘Look, why don’t we make an inventory, list all the gear? There’s all the crockery, glasses, tableware — that’d cost if you started from scratch.’

Dolly frowned. ‘I got to go to London, let me think about it.’

‘You want a lift, do you? To the station?’

Dolly nodded, got up and went to her room.

‘By tomorrow the cheque will have gone through,’ Ester said quietly to Julia. ‘Where do you think she’s going?’

‘I don’t know, do I?’

Ester pulled her into the kitchen. ‘What if she’s going for the diamonds?’

Julia chewed at a fingernail. ‘If she’s got millions of quid’s worth of diamonds, how come she’s getting so hot under the collar about laying out cash for this place?’

‘Because she’s a tight-fisted old bag, that’s why!’

‘Yeah, you may be right, but if she’s tight-fisted now, how do you think she’ll feel if we were to take the diamonds off her?’

‘I don’t give a shit how she feels. If she gets them, then so do we. You make some excuse, say you got to go to London as well, see where she goes and who she talks to.’

‘Oh, for chrissakes, Ester, that’s ridiculous. You mean follow her around?’

‘What the hell do you think I mean?’

By the time Dolly came back downstairs, Julia was already sitting in the Range Rover.

‘Julia’s got to go and see her mother so she’ll catch the train with you.’

‘What’s the matter with her mother?’ Dolly asked as she followed Ester out.

‘She’s old and being kept in the lap of luxury by her beloved daughter. She has no idea Julia was even picked up and put in the slammer, never mind that she was a junkie. Julia’s been paying for her for years, she’s in a wheelchair or somethin’, so that’s housekeepers and cleaners and... you name it. That’s why Julia’s broke.’

Julia knew Ester was talking about her and she turned to stare across the stable yard. Sometimes she hated Ester. As soon as Dolly got into the car, she started asking her about her mother. ‘She’s very old, Dolly. I don’t see why she should be upset or for that matter know what a mess I’ve made of my life.’

‘Where does she think you are, then?’ Dolly asked.

‘Well, when I was in Holloway I got friends to send postcards from Malta. She thought I was working over there with the Red Cross.’

‘And now?’ Dolly asked.

‘Well, since my release, I told her I’ve been looking for a new practice. She doesn’t know I was struck off — she doesn’t know anything about me, really.’

Dolly nodded and looked at her watch: she was going to be late for the meeting with Jimmy Donaldson. She didn’t know how she was going to get all the way over to the theme park on time. Well, if he left, he left. She’d just have to rearrange the meeting.

Connie had asked the cab driver to wait. She had then hurried into the mansion block of flats. Lennie always left just before lunch, did the rounds of his girls, then checked his club for the previous night’s takings. He would then come home, change and have something to eat. Connie had usually cooked him a light meal before running his bath. He would change and leave the flat between eight and eight thirty in the evening, rarely returning until early morning. Lennie was a well-organized man — frighteningly well-organized. His girls, his club, his Porsche and his well-furnished flat came before any love or relationship. Connie knew that now. She hadn’t, not for a long time. She had truly believed Lennie cared for her. She had been with him for three years, cooking, cleaning, keeping his flat spotless. Occasionally she went to the club and they dined out frequently, but then he had started knocking her around and a few times told her to be ‘very nice’ to friends of his. When they became a regular weekly session, she knew it was all over between them, that she was no longer his ‘special’. He was getting ready for a change, as if she was part of the fixtures and fittings. He had beaten her up so badly one night, broken her nose, that he had arranged for her to have facial surgery. She had her eyes done, her nose remodelled, a cheek implant and a breast implant. She had felt wonderful. He had visited her in the clinic and been kind to her when she came home in the bandages. She had believed he’d changed, that perhaps he really did care for her, but when the bandages came off and she admired herself, preening in front of him as he lay in bed, he had said, lighting a cigarette, ‘Well, now, girl, you can make up the money, seven grand you owe. I reckon you’ve a few more years in you now so you’re going to share with Carol and Leslie.’

Connie couldn’t believe it. They were two of his girls and he was moving her out and in with them, as if there had been nothing between them. ‘But, Lennie, I want to try going straight. You know, get a proper agent and do some modelling.’

He had laughed. ‘No way. You can earn more for me than doing any bleedin’ cereal advert...’

She hadn’t said anything, not argued back, afraid he’d maybe whack her. She had simply waited for him to leave at his usual time, called Ester Freeman and said she would be free to come to the manor. She had packed fast and run off. Now Connie was back she let herself in and went straight to the kitchen. She began unplugging all the movable equipment she could lay her hands on. She then went into the bedroom and cleared out her side of the wardrobe. At least she was alone; he hadn’t moved anyone else in yet.

Lennie’s portable phone was on the stand, recharging. She was so busy filling the suitcase that she didn’t notice it. Lennie never went anywhere without his portable. Right now he was swearing as he realized he’d forgotten to put it in his pocket, right now doing a U-turn and heading back to the flat to pick it up.

The cab driver noticed the metallic blue Porsche park, watched the dapper West Indian straighten his draped suit as he headed back towards the mansion block. He returned to reading the Sun, giving a quick look at the meter. It was ticking away and he wondered how long the girl would be; she’d said about ten minutes but she’d already been gone that. He swore, wondering if she’d just done a Marquess of Blandford on him and wouldn’t be coming out, but he saw she had left a bag on the back seat so continued to read his paper.

Connie had filled two cases when he walked back in. She heard the front door slam and backed in terror. He kicked open the door and looked at her.

‘Hello, Lennie, I was just packing me gear.’

‘I can see that. You missed anything? Like the light fittings?’

‘I’ve not taken anything that wasn’t mine, Lennie.’

‘I gave you the cash for everything you’re standing up in, sweetheart. Now what the fuck do you think you’re doing and where’ve you been dossing down?’

She was terrified of him, blurting out she was staying in Aylesbury with some friends. He came closer and closer. ‘Don’t hurt me, please don’t.’

He laughed. ‘Aylesbury? You kiddin’? Who you staying there with?’

‘Dolly Rawlins, you don’t know her, but listen, Lennie, I might be on to a good thing. She’s got diamonds, a lot of diamonds and—’ Connie panicked, trying anything to stop him coming closer. His fists were clenched and she backed away, repeating what she had said, but he did not believe her and she pressed herself against the wardrobe, bracing herself for what she knew was coming. She tried to protect herself, pleading for him not to hit her in the face.

The cab driver saw the smart alec sweep out and get back into his Porsche; it roared off. He got out of his cab and opened the passenger door to peer inside. He picked up the bag Connie had left. It was full of vitamins. He tossed it on to the back seat, getting more and more pissed off, when he saw her coming out. She carried a suitcase and was wearing dark glasses and a headscarf. He took the case from her. ‘You all right, love?’

‘Take me to Marylebone station, please.’ She got into the back seat as he stashed her case up front, then he started up the engine.

‘Right, station...’ He could see her in the mirror. She had a handkerchief pressed to her face and it was covered in blood. ‘You sure you’re okay, love?’

‘Yes, yes, I’m fine, thank you.’ She could feel the swelling coming up under her eyes. Her nose was bleeding, but she didn’t think he’d broken it, her neck covered in dark red bruises. She had pretended to be unconscious so he had walked out, saying he would see her when he got back. She was never going back. She would kill him if he laid a finger on her again.

‘Kathleen? Kathleen?’ Ester shouted. Kathleen was on her bed. She’d had a few drinks and was sleeping it off. Ester barged into the room. ‘Didn’t you hear me calling you?’

‘What do you want?’

Ester shut the door. ‘I think she might be going for the diamonds today. Who do you know that we could trust to fence them?’

Kathleen lifted her head and then flopped back. ‘Well, it depends, doesn’t it? I mean, they’re still hot but I’ve got a few people I’d trust.’

Ester was pacing up and down. ‘If they were valued at two million when they were nicked almost nine years ago, what do you reckon they’re worth now?’

‘Could be double, it all depends on the quality. Soon as I see them I’ll be able to tell you the best man. Are we going to see them, Ester?’

‘I think she’s maybe doing something about them this afternoon.’

Kathleen sat up, rubbing her head. ‘Well, shouldn’t you or one of us be with her?’

‘Julia’s on her, I hope.’

‘Have you mentioned to Dolly that you know about them?’

Ester shook her head. ‘No, and we don’t. Let’s just take it stage by stage.’

‘Fine by me, but she’s such a wily old cow she might pick them up and that’s the last we see her.’

‘No, she’ll be back. All her gear’s still in her room.’

‘Ah, she might be back. I’m not that interested in her, darlin’, but will she be bringin’ back the diamonds?’

‘I bloody hope so.’

Ester walked out as Kathleen slowly got off the bed. She heard Ester tell her to stop nicking booze as she ran the cold water in her washbasin, splashed her face with cold water and patted it dry. The photographs of her three daughters were placed on the dressing-table, positioned so she could see them from her bed. They were the last thing she saw at night and the first in the morning: the nine-year-old twins, Kathy and Mary, and five-year-old Sheena. They were in care, a convent home, but how long they would remain together Kathleen couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that when she got the cut of the diamonds, they were going home, all of them, going back to Dublin. She’d be safe, the cops wouldn’t find her there. She hoped they wouldn’t find her here either. ‘You get the diamonds, Dolly, love,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Pray God you get them before the cops trace me.’

Kathleen, like every one of them apart from Dolly, was in trouble. But Kathleen’s problem was not some bloke out to make her a punch-bag: a warrant was out for her arrest on two charges of cheque-card fraud. She had simply not turned up for the hearing. Ester’s invitation to come to the manor not only gave her hope for a lot of cash, but also a safe place to hide.

Dolly trailed from one station to another until she eventually got a taxi for the last stage of the journey to Thorpe Park. Julia was right on her heels, train to train, and lastly the taxi. She didn’t have to say, ‘Follow that cab,’ but she did say, ‘You see that woman with the short haircut, the blue coat? Will you follow the taxi she’s in?’

As they arrived at the theme park Julia began to doubt that Dolly was collecting the diamonds. In fact she started to curse at the stupidity of trailing Dolly around like she, Julia, was Sherlock Holmes but, follow her she did, keeping her distance until Dolly headed towards the funfair section.

Meanwhile, positioned at each exit and entrance, were plain patrol cars and plainclothes officers. Sitting in another plain patrol car was a moody Jimmy Donaldson. They had arrived at three fifteen and he’d been in the car for over an hour and a half. They were all almost giving up when they got the contact. ‘Suspect has entered gate C, over.’

Donaldson was wired up, instructed to move slowly, and told not to approach any of the officers. He would be monitored at all times. He was still angry they had not found the diamonds because it meant that some other bugger had, and he spent his time trying to think who could have shifted them. Only Audrey and Dolly knew where they were, and maybe his wife. Could she have moved them? Did she know? Had she found them? It was possible, and they had now shifted his poor wife to stay with her sister in Brighton, so the ‘you’ll be at home, Jimmy’ was all a cock-up. He wished he’d never agreed to it but then he thought that if they could swing it for him to be in a nice, cushy, open prison, why not? What did he care? Well, he knew Dolly Rawlins was a hard-nosed cow but without her old man, just how hard could she be? It was Harry who had had enough on him to put him behind bars for years. Now he was dead. Then he got to thinking that as Dolly had shot Harry she might just whack him one, so Jimmy Donaldson was not a happy man, and getting more and more pissed off by the minute.

DCI Craigh beckoned him out of the car, pressing his earpiece into his ear, listening. ‘Okay, Jimmy. She moved to the hoop-la stand or something, so you start walking in by gate B, the one closest to us. Just act nice and casual, and don’t keep looking round. Off you go.’

Donaldson shook his head. ‘You know this won’t work. She’s not gonna like it me not having them with me, you know. She won’t like it.’

Craigh sighed. None of them liked it one little bit but they couldn’t do anything about it. ‘Just do the business. Tell her to meet you back at your place, that it was unsafe to bring them here — tell her anything.’

‘This is entrapment, you know,’ Donaldson whined.

‘You fuckin’ do the business, Jimmy, or you’ll be trapped and for longer than you got in the first place.’

He moved off on his own, walking through entrance B and heading, as he had been told, to the hoopla stand. When he got there he couldn’t see Dolly so he went over to the shooting arcade and paid over two quid for three shots. ‘Let her find me,’ he said to himself as he took aim. ‘Let her bloody find me.’

Dolly walked casually around, enjoying the stands, looking at the amazing rides. It was all beyond anything she had ever come across when she was a kid, and it all cost a hell of a lot more. She fingered the hoops, fifty pence a throw. In her day as a kid it had been threepence but she paid over her money and took aim with the wooden hoop.

‘Rawlins is at the hoop-la stand. She’s throwing hoops now.’ Palmer wandered past, not even looking at Dolly as she threw her third hoop and was presented with a goldfish in a plastic bag. As she reached for the fish, she caught sight of Julia, hovering at another stand. She did a double-take and stared.

Julia sighed. She was hopeless at it and she was so tall she stuck out like a sore thumb. As Dolly walked towards her, she smiled weakly. ‘I was following you,’ she said lamely.

‘Well, you just won yourself a prize. Here, take it back to the manor.’ As Julia took the goldfish bag, Dolly looked up at her, ‘Why you following me?’

‘Ester told me to.’

‘Oh, I see, and what she tells you to do, you do, is that right?’

‘Yeah. Well, now you’ve caught me at it, I’ll push off.’

‘You do that, love. I’m only here for the entertainment.’

Julia couldn’t help but smile but Dolly remained poker-faced, watching the tall woman as she threaded her way out of the area. Dolly was piecing it all together: they were, as she had suspected, after her diamonds. Well, they were going to be in for a shock. They wouldn’t get anything out of her. As soon as she had them, she would be on her way and they could all rot in hell as far as she was concerned. Apart from Angela: she liked that little kid.

Dolly wondered if she’d missed Jimmy Donaldson — maybe he’d got tired of waiting.

‘She’s looking around now, handed a fish to a woman who’s walked out. Should be coming through exit E, check her out.’

Julia made her way to the courtesy bus stop and waited, unaware she was being monitored. She had decided she would go and see her mother. It had been a long time since she had seen her.

Dolly saw Donaldson and walked off in the opposite direction towards a Ferris wheel.

‘I think she saw him but she’s walked off, straight past him. Now at the Ferris wheel. She’s talking to the boy on the ticket box.’

Dolly smiled at the spotty young kid and slipped him a tenner. ‘I’ll be back for a ride in a bit and you’ll get another if you make sure I get a nice view from the top of the wheel. Say about five minutes’ worth of view, all right, love?’

He grinned. It was not unusual, he often had requests, and for twenty quid, why not? He watched as she strolled back into the crowds of kids and families. It was not a busy day — midweek and not during school holidays it was often quiet, apart from the shooting arcade that was a constant battle with the eardrums.

Donaldson had another three shots. On his last he got a bull’s-eye and the stall owner begrudgingly handed over a stuffed white rabbit. He turned to see Dolly standing directly in front of him.

‘Okay, they’re together. He’s just won a white rabbit so we can’t miss them. He’s walking off with her to the other stands.’

She didn’t speak for a while and he chatted on. ‘You’re looking well, long time no see.’

‘I am well, Jimmy, very well. How’s your wife?’

‘Oh, she’s her usual. Gone to see her sister in Brighton.’

‘That’s nice for her. Would you like a ride?’

He looked at the Ferris wheel. ‘No. Can’t stand those things.’

‘Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. I’m here to enjoy myself. Reason I chose here is because I saw an article. Princess Diana brings the princes here, did you know?’

He nodded. ‘That’s the big theme rides over the other side. This is another part, a fairground. It’s not part of the main park.’

‘I fancied that water ride, down a chute. I saw them in the paper. Never mind, we’ll make do with this now we’re here.’

Dolly winked at the spotty boy and paid for the ride, slipping him another tenner. He unbuckled the seat bar and helped her sit down.

‘Dolly, I’ve not got a head for heights.’

‘Oh, get in, Jimmy, I want to see the view.’

Donaldson was ushered into the seat and locked into his safety harness; below, the static interference was breaking up on the radios. Jimmy’s and Dolly’s voices were coming and going with a crackle and a buzz.

‘They’re on the Ferris wheel,’ a droll-voiced officer said into his radio.

‘We can see that,’ DCI Craigh muttered back. They could see them, hear them just about, and so far not one word about the diamonds. Mike was in the car, listening on the radio, clocking the time, wondering if his mother had picked up the fakes yet, getting more and more agitated. He hadn’t even seen Rawlins yet; he didn’t know how he’d deal with it if he did.

‘They’re on the ride,’ crackled his radio.

Mike pushed his earpiece further into his ear, wincing as the static caused by the steel girders on the Ferris wheel deafened him.

Donaldson clung to the safety bar as the wheel turned slowly. ‘There’s nobody else getting on,’ he panted.

‘Oh, there will be,’ she said, smiling.

‘Why are they doing it so slowly?’ he gasped, as they inched higher.

‘They got to allow for the punters to get on. So, have you got them for me?’

She said it so casually, he felt even sicker. ‘Er, not with me, it’s too dangerous.’

She stared ahead, and the wheel turned higher until they were almost at the top.

‘You’ve not got them, is that right?’

‘Yes — no — I’ve got them but not on me. You crazy? I couldn’t carry them around... Oh, oh, holy shit, is this bleedin’ thing safe?’

They remained poised at the top of the wheel and Dolly leaned forward, looking down, around and out to the views ahead. ‘Oh, isn’t it lovely? Isn’t it lovely, Jimmy?’

‘No, I’m gonna be sick.’

She faced him, her eyes like those of a small angry ferret. ‘You will be sick, Jimmy, if you’re trying it on. Are you trying it on with me, Jimmy?’

‘No, no, I swear. Listen, is there an alarm? I’m feeling sick, really I am. I hate swings, I hate heights, I’m dying, Dolly.’

She pushed at the seat with her feet. It swung backwards and forwards. ‘Where are they?’

‘At home! I got them at home!’ He was shaking in terror, his knuckles white from gripping the safety bar.

She looked down, waving cheerfully to the boy, and the wheel began to move down. ‘I’ll come for them tomorrow. I’ll call you.’

‘All right, all right, anythin’ you say...’

She nodded, and then leaned closer. ‘Life is too short to mess around, isn’t it? You won’t mess with me, will you, Jimmy? You see, I’ve been waiting eight years.’

‘Yeah, well, I got to get a good fence. I’m nowhere near big enough. I mean, you’re talking millions so you’ll need the very best.’

‘No, love, you won’t get anything but what belongs to me. I’ll do the rest and you’ll get your cut.’

DCI Craigh was ripping out his hair. They still had not mentioned the word ‘diamonds’. ‘Jesus Christ, say it, woman, say it.’

She never did. She left a white-faced Jimmy Donaldson leaning against the fence, throwing up, as she went out of the exit, carrying the white rabbit. They couldn’t lose her, couldn’t miss her, but she had not said the word diamonds, and neither had the stupid bastard Jimmy Donaldson.

Julia arrived at the station and put in a call to Ester, who when she was told that Dolly had spotted Julia, went into a screaming fit. Julia yelled back, saying that if she wanted to follow Dolly then she should have done it herself. ‘I’m going to see my mother, okay?’ Then she slammed down the phone, picked up the goldfish Dolly had given her and walked on to the platform to wait for the train. She wished she’d never agreed to the Dolly Rawlins business. She wished she didn’t know Ester, she wished she had not fucked herself up so badly, she wished she could start her life over again. She was such an idiot, such a stupid bitch to have got herself into such a mess.

It was after eight by the time Gloria arrived at her old place, which looked even more run-down in the dark. Just as she got out, Mrs Rheece came out of the front door. Gloria ran up the path. ‘Mrs Rheece, it’s me, Gloria Radford. I just come to pick up my stuff. Is that okay?’

‘You can do what you like, no business of mine. I don’t give a shit what anyone does. The council have been round askin’ after you and that bloke was here last night again, the one with the squint. I said to him you wasn’t here and he was fuckin’ abusive.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. You tell him to sod off the next time.’

‘There won’t be a next time, Mrs Radford, ’cos I’ll call the law on him.’

The old woman went off with her shopping trolley down the road, still muttering to herself about the council, as Gloria slipped round the back of the house to the old coal hut. It had been used as a bike shed, and rubbish bins were stacked up inside and out. She shone a torch round and began to move aside all the junk, ripping her tights and swearing. She was filthy as she squeezed her way into the back of the hut and then eased away old wooden boards. She was scared of being disturbed so she switched off the torch and fumbled around in the inky darkness. Then she felt the big canvas bag and began to heave with all her might. It was very heavy, but she managed to drag it out. She went back three times for two more bags before she shut the coal-hut door. She dragged each bag out to the Mini Traveller and hauled them inside, terrified that someone would see her, but no one even passed her in the street. Then she went up into her old flat, washed her hands and face, and collected a suitcase full of clothes before she left. She drove slowly, frightened of every passing police car. She knew that if she was stopped and the car was searched, she’d be arrested. Eddie’s stash, Eddie’s retirement money, was all in the back of the Mini: thirty thousand pounds’ worth of weapons.

She headed on to the motorway towards Aylesbury, her hands gripping the steering wheel, her whole body tense. ‘Please God, nobody stop me, please God, don’t break down, please God, let me get to the manor safely.’

Ester heard the front door slam and looked over the banisters. Connie, still wearing her dark glasses and headscarf, was dragging in her case.

‘Where the hell have you been all day?’

‘I need a fiver for the taxi, Ester.’

Ester thudded down the stairs. ‘I’m not a bloody charity, you know. I paid for everyone’s taxi yesterday.’ Ester stopped in her tracks as she saw Connie’s face. ‘What the hell happened to you?’

Connie burst into tears and ran past her, up the stairs, so Ester had to go out and pay off the taxi driver.

Audrey was in a right state. She had twice paged Mike on his mobile and he’d not returned her call. She now had the fake diamonds from Tommy and just having them in the flat made her freak. She kept on opening the pouch bag and looking at them, closing it up again, then standing over the telephone. ‘Ring, come on, ring me. I’ve got them, I’ve got them.’

Mike didn’t call until after ten. He was just coming off duty and he’d come round to collect them. As he put the phone down, Angela paged him. He arranged to meet her outside Edgware Road tube station, then called his wife to tell her he would be late. He had just replaced the phone when DCI Craigh wandered to his desk.

We’ve got Donaldson back at his place. He says that maybe we should take him over to his shop, maybe they’ve not been looking in the right place. I said to him, “You drew the map, Jimmy, we’re looking just where you told us to look.”’

Mike could feel the sweat trickle under his armpits. ‘You want me to go over there and see who we’ve got searching the shop? They may have missed them, you know.’

Craigh rubbed his nose. ‘Yeah, okay, I’m taking myself off home. We’ve been over all the tapes from the fairground. Useless. They could have been talking about anything. He’s a smart-arsed prick, you know, Donaldson.’

Mike nodded in agreement. ‘Yeah, well, we know what she meant though, don’t we?’

‘Yeah, we know, but it wouldn’t stand up in court. Still, we’ll see what we get tomorrow — she’s calling him again then. Goodnight.’

Mike dragged on his coat. It was another hour, sitting in traffic, before he picked up Angela. As far as she knew, she told him, the women were all still together at the manor; Dolly had bought it from Ester, paid her by cheque. She had not heard any mention of diamonds but they were all edgy, especially Ester.

Mike paid her a tenner. She wanted him to take her out for a hamburger, but he refused. ‘When will I see you again, then?’

Mike cleared his throat. She was too close to Rawlins and tied in even closer to him. It made him nervous but he didn’t want her to get suspicious of anything he was doing so he grinned. ‘Soon as I get some free time. It’s getting a bit heavy with Susan right now — she’s asking a lot of questions about where I am. We just have to cool it for a bit.’

She started to sniffle and he hugged her. ‘Come on, now, don’t start. I’ve got to be on duty in half an hour otherwise I could see you, but right now it’s too difficult.’

‘You just used me.’

He turned away from her. ‘I’m sorry if it looks or feels that way but I didn’t, and you knew I was married right from the start, Angela, I got kids.’

She sniffed again and opened the car door. ‘All the same, you used me, Mike. I give you all that information and you can’t spare ten minutes for me. How do you think that makes me feel?’

‘Look, let me get this Rawlins business sorted. I’m doing this for my sister, Angela. Let me do what I have to do and then I promise I’ll call you, okay?’

He reached over and squeezed her hand. She gave a sweet smile and closed the door, watching as he drove off. She felt cheated and slightly guilty. Mrs Rawlins had seemed quite nice, not like the others. She hunched her shoulders and went back into the tube station to head for her mother’s place.

Audrey showed Mike the fake diamonds. Two grand I paid. They’re very good, Tommy’s a professional. What do you think?’

Mike was tired out. He stuffed the bag into his pocket. ‘Okay. Now you should get packed and out of here as soon as you can. I’ll stash these tonight.’

‘Did she meet up with Jimmy, then, today?’

‘Yeah, but they played games.’

‘She’s clever, Mike. Watch out for her, don’t trust her.’

He looked at his mother. ‘You mean like I trusted you?’

‘How can you say that? You know why I did it! You know why!’

He pursed his lips. ‘You did it for the money so don’t give me the sob story about Shirley because it won’t wash any more. I’m doing this tonight and then that is it, you hear me? I want you out of here, out of my life.’

‘You don’t mean that, do you?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘But the villa! You and the kids can come for holidays.’

‘No, Mum, I don’t want to know about the fucking villa. You got it, you stay in it. Now pack your bags, like I said, get your ticket sorted and leave.’

Audrey burst into tears and started talking about Shirley but Mike walked out. She followed him. ‘I had a right to them. I had every right. She killed Shirley! You know she did. She should have gone down for life, that’s what she should have got.’

He ran down the stone steps, hearing his mother’s grating, screeching voice, and he hated her. At this moment, he even hated his sister. If he was caught replacing the stones at Jimmy Donaldson’s antique shop he’d be arrested and it would all be whose fault? Dolly Rawlins’s!

By the time he got back into his car, he hated Dolly Rawlins as much as his mother did. Crashing the gears, he sped off down the road. The pouch bag of fake diamonds felt like a red-hot coal in his jacket pocket.