“You told my colleague that Vinny had money when he got home. He gave his mother fifty pounds. Did he say where he got it from?” asked Grace.
“Said he’d had a win at the dogs. I had no reason to suspect he was lying.”
“Does he use the betting shop down the road?”
Dave nodded.
“Can we take a look at his room?” Greco asked.
Dave led the way upstairs. Vinny’s room was at the back of the flat. It contained a single bed, a chest of drawers and a small wardrobe. It was very small and the paintwork was tatty. The window looked out onto a patch of waste ground.
“Look through what you want,” Dave told them. “I’ll have to tell Mum. She’ll wonder what you’re doing here again. She will be devastated.”
Once they were alone, Grace asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Someone tortured those lads. That means they wanted something from them. That something could be here.”
Grace went through the drawers while Greco looked in the wardrobe.
“Nothing in these but clothes. There is a suitcase up there.” She pointed to the top of the wardrobe.
Greco reached up and lifted it down. It was empty. “Nothing in the wardrobe either.”
“Not here then. No money or drugs. We should check out that bookies.”
Greco’s phone rang. It was Speedy. He put the phone on speaker so Grace could hear.
“The tech boys have been on. We now have all the activity for the last few days on Vinny and Craig’s mobiles. Vinny Holt sent the picture of the packets of drugs to us. He also sent a picture of Ava Whitton’s house to someone called Marshy. One word — ‘house’ — and the image.”
“That information, plus we now know they did a forty-mile round trip in the car, which could have taken them out to Handforth,” Greco said. “Ava Whitton. Got anything?”
“She has no online presence, sir. No Facebook, no Twitter, nothing. Unusual in this day and age.”
“Check if she has Wi-Fi at that house of hers. Maybe she uses another name.”
“Still like her?” Grace said dryly.
* * *
Once the class broke up, Marshy squared up to Dee. “The lecky bill came today and I’ve got nowt to pay it with.”
She smirked at him, her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Jeans so tight that, along with the skin-hugging top she wore, Dee looked like a stick insect with a spiky head.
“You said you’d help. You doss down at the place often enough. You said you’d share the rent and the bills, remember?”
“You’ll have to wait till the end of the week. I’ll get some money then. My fella will help us out.” She nudged him in the chest. “What happened to that neat little scam you had going? Not ballsed it up, surely?”
His face had fallen at the mention of her boyfriend. Now it fell further. “That had nothing to do with me. I told you. I was never part of it. It was down to that pair of losers.”
“Rubbish! You are up to your neck in something. I know you. Whatever it is, it’s come unstuck.”
Marshy didn’t want to talk about it. “Take this.” He handed her a gold necklace. “Surely you can lend me something on this? It’s valuable.”
He watched Dee examine the piece. It was a gold chain bearing a round pendant with a ruby border. “Got to be worth a oner.”
“I’ve not got a oner to give you. If you want that much, you’ll have to sell it yourself.”
“I can’t do that. The police would be on my back within hours. I’ve got history, remember. Every pawnbroker in the area has got my mugshot hanging in their shop.”
She fished in her jeans pockets and pulled out two twenties. “This will have to do. If you need more, you’ll have to sell summat else. Some of that stuff you smoke. Those kids outside will pay good money for class gear.”
“Can’t do that. Promised Graham I’d give all that up.”
“Bet you haven’t. Well, more fool you if you have. In that case, get it off those mates of yours. The stupid one always has money in his pocket.”
Marshy didn’t know if she meant Craig or Vinny, but it didn’t matter, it made him angry. “Those mates of mine are dead. Murdered!” He spat the words at her. “We’ve had the police here asking questions. So get off my back, Dee. I’m in no mood.”
Dee’s face turned pale. “So that’s what the coppers wanted. Looking for answers, were they?”
“They want to know what the pair of them was up to.”
“Did you tell them?”
“I don’t know anything.”
She looked as anxious as he felt. “You’re lying,” she said. “You do know something. It’s written all over your face. What is it?”
“I told you. Nothing. Get off my back.”
“Whatever it is, my advice is, keep quiet. If the cops get wind they won’t let you off the hook so lightly. If they find out you know something about who killed that pair, they’ll have you.”
Marshy shook his head. “Keep your mouth shut, Dee. I don’t know anything, not really.”
“No worries, bro. But show an interest and they’ll poke around in your past. Given your record, next thing they’ll pin the lot on you. You’d be handing them an easy way out. Stick to what you’re good at, Marshy.”
“What about the lecky bill?”
Dee shrugged her narrow shoulders and walked off. Marshy felt cheated. The necklace was a bonus. He knew what Dee was like. She’d give it a few days, then sell it.
Chapter 7
“You might have given me more notice, Stephen,” Pat Greco complained. “Anyway, I’ve done roast beef, with apple pie for afters. What d’you think?”
Greco kissed her cheek. “It’ll be great. Your food is always wonderful.”
“What about Grace? She isn’t veggie or anything, is she? Only she’s a skinny one.”
“Grace will eat anything,” he assured her.
“You’ve asked her mother along too?”
Greco knew that his aunt was fishing for more information. This was all last minute, not like him at all. Greco’s usual way was careful planning. Events were marked on the calendar weeks in advance, and every detail worked out well before. Impromptu gatherings were just not his thing.
“I thought it would be a nice thing to do.”
“No, you didn’t. Something’s going on. I know you, Stephen, and this isn’t like you. You don’t hide things well. Ever since you and Grace took off to Brighton, you’ve been different.”
“We didn’t take off. It was work. You’re right, though,” he admitted, “there is something. But I can’t say anything until Grace and her family get here. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Greco saw the smile. Pat was pleased. She was jumping to conclusions again. His aunt would like nothing better than to see him settled down with a woman. And she liked Grace.
“Will we need that bottle of champagne we didn’t open on my birthday?” she asked.
He smiled. “We might.”
Greco’s six-year-old daughter, Matilda, rushed into the room. She was wearing a flouncy, yellow taffeta and lace dress. She did a twirl. “My Belle dress. Holly is going to wear hers. We’re going to be twinnies,” she announced, and ran towards Pat, who was setting the dining table.
Greco followed her. “You like Holly, don’t you?”
“She’s my bestest friend. We want to go on holiday together next summer. We’ve been doing about the seaside at school and we decided.”
The front doorbell rang. Matilda let out a whoop. They were here. Greco’s stomach tightened. This was it, no going back.
* * *
“There was a helluva ruck going on. That one,” the desk sergeant nodded at Dave Holt, “had one poor bugger pinned down and was about to lamp him with a beer bottle. If our lot hadn’t been called, he could’ve killed the bloke.”
“Was this in the Grapes?” Speedy knew that this was likely to be Holt’s preferred pub.
“No, the Ashtree on Gorto
n Road.”
“Do we know what it was about?” Speedy asked.
“No. Holt has been tight-lipped since we brought him in. I thought you should know, given you’re working on his brother’s murder. Also, the bloke Holt was arguing with is a well-known fence. The Ashtree is his local. Holt usually drinks in the Grapes. It struck me that he went looking for the bloke.”
“What sort of stuff does he fence?”
“Specialises in antiques and jewellery,” the desk sergeant replied.
Speedy nodded. “Okay. Holt should have calmed down by now. I’ll have a word. See if he’ll tell me what’s going on.”
But Dave Holt wasn’t saying anything much. He sat looking at the floor. “Bloke annoyed me, simple as that. Said our Vinny deserved what he got.”
“Not nice.” Speedy shook his head. “You know the bloke. He fences jewellery. Did you go looking for him? Perhaps you were you trying to sell him something? Something Vinny left behind before he went missing? Or something he gave you to look after?”
Holt’s head shot up. “That’s not how it was. You’ve got it all wrong. I’ve got nowt to sell. Vinny didn’t have anything of value.”
“Are you sure? Maybe something he acquired recently, at a house in Cheshire, for example?”
“You’re talking out of your backside, copper. Our Vinny had a win on the dogs, nowt else.”
A uniformed officer tapped on the interview door. “The bloke he attacked, Bert Banister. He isn’t pressing charges. And the landlord reckons there was no damage done.”
So that was that. They couldn’t keep him. This was going nowhere. “You’re lucky this time, Dave. You can go.”
Speedy had no idea what it all meant, but he decided to ring Greco and tell him anyway. The boss liked to know things ASAP.
* * *
“Pregnant!” Emily Harper exclaimed, looking first at Grace, then at Greco. “How long?”
“About three months, Mum,” Grace replied.
“And you’re all right with it? After what happened before?”
Grace looked at Greco for support. “Well, yes. Stephen and I will be fine. He isn’t Jack, Mum. He won’t run out on us.”
Emily Harper had a worried frown on her face. Greco could see that she was not convinced. She was afraid for her daughter, and given the history, that was only natural. Grace had raised Holly on her own. The child’s father had run off before she was even born. Emily had had to step into the breach, and had done it wonderfully. Greco’s auntie Pat, on the other hand, was delighted.
“Just what you need, Stephen! A fresh start.” She beamed. “I’m so pleased for you both.”
“I won’t let Grace down,” Greco assured Emily. “We’ll be a family, all of us.”
“Will you get married?” Pat asked.
Trust her to come out with that one. But the truth was, Greco wasn’t sure. He was considering his reply when his mobile rang. It was Speedy.
Without answering Pat, he left the table and went into his study to take the call. Guessing it was work, Grace followed him. They left the others talking, thrashing out between them what they had just been told.
“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Greco told his sergeant. “Holt is a tricky one. His behaviour suggests that he knows more than he’s told us.”
“I had to let him go. No one wanted to take it further.”
“Typical. We’ll have a word tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Grace had been looking round. “I don’t think I’ve been in here before,” she said when he’d finished talking.
This was Greco’s private place. His neat little haven away from the turmoil of the rest of the house. His desk was in here and his laptop, everything carefully laid out in its place.
“What are these?” Grace had noticed a series of charts on the wall.
“Family history stuff. It’s my thing.” He saw the little smile that hovered on her lips. “I know what you’re thinking. Boring and all that.” He folded his arms. “But it keeps me sane.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything. I think it’s fascinating stuff. How far back have you got?”
“With the Greco line, not as far as I thought. It’s an unusual name, so I expected it to be relatively easy. I was wrong. But I keep fishing.”
Grace changed the subject. “I think tonight is going okay, don’t you?”
“We’ll see. Your mum might have something to say when she gets you alone.”
“She’ll be fine. She likes babies.” Grace laughed.
They returned to the dining room. The mood was lighter. Emily Harper was laughing. She had a copy of the scan picture in her hands and was showing it to Holly.
“We are going to have a baby sister,” Matilda told him. “It’s growing in Grace’s tummy.” She paused for a moment, a puzzled look on her young face. “Won’t that mean it’s Holly’s sister, not mine?”
“No, Tilly,” Greco bent down. “You see it takes a mummy and a daddy to make babies, and I’m the baby’s daddy.”
“That’s okay, then.” She smiled.
“But it might not be a sister. We might have a brother for you both. How would you feel about that?”
Matilda pulled a face. “I suppose a brother would be okay. But he’ll have to play proper with us.”
“That was work,” Greco explained to the adults. “My sergeant wanting to keep me in the loop.” He turned to Grace. He hadn’t actually told her about the conversation yet. “Dave Holt has been brought in. He was fighting in a pub with a well-known jewellery fence. It could have something to do with his brother. We will speak to all parties tomorrow.”
Grace looked tired. The evening had obviously taken its toll.
“I’m falling asleep,” she admitted. “It’s been a lovely evening but we’d better go. This pair has school tomorrow too.”
Greco leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll get your coats.”
Chapter 8
Day 3
Nadia Pakulski was frantic. The two uniformed men had been at her front door for over thirty minutes, banging, ringing the bell, and calling her name. She had no idea who they were or what they wanted. Nadia had rung her husband, Vasili, but he was working and could do nothing. His command of English was no better than hers, so it was doubtful he’d be much use anyway. What Nadia needed was one of her teenage daughters.
She rang their school, East Manchester Academy. She didn’t understand what the woman on the line was asking. Nadia kept repeating, Zosia, Elena! Her tone was urgent — surely the woman had to understand? Finally she heard her eldest daughter’s voice.
“Elena, you must come home at once,” Nadia shouted into the phone in Polish. “There are men at the door. They won’t go away. They have paperwork. It looks official. They put a letter through the letterbox, but I don’t know what it means. They bang and shout, and I am afraid.”
“Don’t let them in,” Elena urged. “I think I know who they are. I have been expecting this. You and Papa have had these letters before. They are from the courts. I think Papa has been hiding them. The landlord wants us out. He gave us notice three months ago. I told Papa, but he said it would be okay. I think that is what the men want.”
“They want to throw us out onto the streets?” Nadia was even more worried now. Where would they go? She knew no one who could help them.
“I’ll come home. I’ll speak to someone. It will be okay. Just don’t let them in.”
“Who will you speak to?”
“A young woman I know. She will help us. She has helped others in our situation. She will know what to do.”
* * *
Elena Pakulski told her teacher that her mother was ill, and needed to go to a doctor. She explained that her mother didn’t speak English well, so she would have to go with her. Mrs Pattison wasn’t happy. But given the circumstances, Mrs Pattison had little choice but to let her go.
Elena knew exactly who to go to. She made for the community centre on the Lansdowne. It wasn�
��t a place she went often. Her parents had warned her off. But there was someone there who would help her.
Elena had met Dee through her friend Maria. She lived in a block of flats on the estate and had done English lessons at the centre. On one occasion when Elena had gone to meet her friend, Maria had introduced her. Despite her unusual appearance, Dee was okay. Maria spoke well of her, told her how she helped people. Elena had no choice now but to trust her.
Dee was packing books away and tidying the room ready for the next group. Elena approached her and began to explain their problem.
“That bastard Barton wants to throw you out?” Dee said as Elena wiped tears from her eyes. “He doesn’t get any better. It’s about time someone sorted him once and for all.”
“You know him?”
“I know his methods. He does his homework and always stays within the law. He’ll have another family lined up willing to pay a lot more.”
“We can pay more. My father works hard,” Elena said.
“It doesn’t work like that. You must have done something to upset him,” Dee explained patiently. “Complained, for example.”
“We wrote a letter. The place is so damp my sister Zosia coughs all night. It makes her chest bad.” Elena was close to tears again. Despite her youth, her parents put a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. If Dee couldn’t help, she’d no idea who to try next.
Dee folded her arms. “That’ll be it then. Barton doesn’t do criticism. He doesn’t do repairs either. He will get new tenants and start again.”
“Surely, he can’t do that. We pay the rent on time, we are good tenants. We have nowhere else to go. Please, you have to tell him. We won’t complain anymore. My father will try to fix the place up. We have to stay. We cannot live on the streets.”
“He gave you a lease? Did you read it?”
“Yes, I explained it to my parents and they thought it fair.”
“Bet it wasn’t for long, was it? About six months is usual for him. How long have you lived there?”
“Nearly one year.”
Complete Detective Stephen Greco Box Set Page 59
