“Meaning I wouldn’t have to worry about future parties being gate-crashed by lager louts as happened today.”
“They weren’t gate-crashers. You told me to invite someone else.”
“The word someone has a one in it for a reason.”
“Well your lot were hardly eating anything. It would all have gone to waste if my crew hadn’t turned up.”
“The way Barry Taylor was going through it I thought I might need to order some more!”
Red smiled at the thought.“So what did you think of Jack’s new girlfriend?”
Pippa shuddered. “I am not happy about my son courting a girl called Chardonnay.”
“It’s hardly courting, Counsellor. They’re ten years old, for God’s sake. It’s not like they’re going to get married. But you’ve got to admit, she’s a beautiful girl. He could do worse.”
“Looks aren’t everything, Cassandra. She’s already a blonde bimbo, and she’ll be living in Essex before her teenage years are through, my words.” Pippa let out a weary sigh. “I am so pleased it’s a holiday tomorrow. I can’t wait for a nice lie in.”
“Not gonna happen,” Red said, pointing the remote at the television.
“Pardon?”
“Your lie in. Forget it.”
“What are you talking about, Cassandra? This dreadful trip to the Trocadero you have forced me into is not until mid-morning.”
“I’ve invited Steve round,” Red said, smugly.
“Steve?”
“The new au pair.”
“He’sstarting next Monday, Cassandra.”
“True, but he’s coming to meet the kids. Get acquainted. 0830 hours.”
“In the morning?”
“If it was in the evening it would be 2030 hours.”
Pippa glared at Red. “Wonderful. You might at least have consulted with me first. It’s nice to be forewarned what’s happening in my own home.”
“Just following your example, Counsellor.”
Chapter 52.
“Steve! You’re early,” Red spluttered through a mouthful of breakfast cereal. “We weren’t expecting you for another half hour.”
“Oh, I can come back later if…”
“No, don’t be silly. The kids are just stuffing themselves. It’s a perfect time for you to meet them when they’re not rushing off somewhere. Come on through.”
Steve followed Red down the hallway toward the excited chatter emanating from the kitchen. Stopping before the closed door, she turned to Steve, her face serious. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
The au pair smiled, lighting up handsome features. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends! Shakespeare,” he added, seeing Red’s uncertainty. He touched a finger to the corner of his own mouth, “Er, you have a little something on your lip.” Then pushing past her, Steve strode into the kitchen.
Red followed him. “Right you lot, stand to attention, the new boss is here!”
Four pairs of eyes swung in Steve’s direction.
“Oh, Mr. Robinson. Good morning.” Pippa shot a glance at the clock. “We weren’t expecting you so early,” she added, her gaze as frosty as Red’s breakfast, determined to let the new employee know the rules.
“Sorry. I thought the traffic would be heavier. I was forgetting it was a bank holiday. It seemed rather silly to be just sat in the car outside. But if it’s inconvenient…”
“Not at all,” Red jumped in. “Just ignore Pippa, Steve. She’s always a grump first thing. Coffee? Pip, get this man a coffee. Kids, this is Steve. Steve say hello to Ella, Jack and Ruby.”
“Hi, Steve,” Jack dropped his gaze back down to the Spiderman comic he was reading, then stole another quick glance as the new au pair rounded the table toward Ruby, a hint of a smile on his lips.
“And this must be the head of the family, am I right?” Steve dropped on haunches to be level with Ruby.
“You’re a boy,” Ruby wrinkled her nose up, a spoon full of milk suspended in mid-air, halfway to her mouth.
Steve laughed, “I certainly am, Miss Ruby and you, are a very pretty little girl. In fact, Red tells me that you might even be a princess?”
Ruby giggled, squirming in her booster seat.
Steve turned to a blushing and suddenly interested Ella. He held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Crichton-Ward.”
Ella turned an even darker shade of purple. “Hi.”
“Steve’s a teacher,” Red announced. “So if any of you have any problems with homework, you know where to go.”
“I don’t have to do homework,” Ruby announced.“I’m only little.”
“Good for you, Princess,” Steve grinned. “I think teachers who set homework are mean.”
Jack looked up from Spiderman. “You do?”
“Sure. You kids are forced to go to school all day long. Why should you have to do even more work when you get home?”
Jack nodded his approval. “Good choice, Mum,” he said. “If we have to have a baby-sitter at our age this guy is the bee’s.”
“The bee’s?” Pippa stared at her son. “Is that another Darren expression?”
Jack glared at his mother. “As in knees?”
Red stepped in to defuse the situation. “So, Els, does Steve meet with your approval too?”
Ella blushed again, a smile creeping across her face. She nodded hesitantly. “I guess so.” To Steve, “Cass is taking me shopping today, Steve. In Oxford Street.”
“Mr. Robinson to you, young lady,” Pippa said as she passed Steve a coffee.
“No, no. Steve is fine, I assure you.”
“Yeah, we didn’t call Deimante by her surname.” Jack said.
“That’s because no-one could pronounce it,” Ella giggled.
“Deimante?” Steve asked.
“Your predecessor.” Red explained. “It’s a long story.”
“And one best forgotten.” Pippa stated, her tone making it clear the subject was closed.
Steve looked around, a little embarrassed. Everyone seemed to be staring at the floor. In desperation he turned to Ella. “Oxford Street, did you say, Ella? Lucky you. I hope you have a really great time.”
“Two out of three,” said Red. “Now for the big one. Rubes? Is it okay if Steve looks after you?”
Ruby eyed the au pair up and down. “Well, just until Deimante comes back.”
Pippa scraped a chair back on the stone floor. “Steve, I’d like to see you in the lounge if I may, for a moment. I need to go over your contract. And explain a few ground rules.”
Steve jumped up, narrowly missing the row of spotlights above the table. “Sure thing, Mrs. Crichton-Ward.”
Pippa glanced down her nose at him, then at Red. “It’s Ms. Crichton-Ward, if you don’t mind.”
“But you can call her Pippa,” Red added. “Or Pip if you’re feeling really brave.”
The au pair leaned in to Red and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll have her eating out of the palm of my hand by the end of the week.”
“You think?” Red stared after him, shaking her head. “You poor, misguided boy.”
Chapter 53.
“Coffee, gorgeous?” Jez Harris asked, rolling out of bed. He flicked the quilt cover back across Nikki.
“Please. Fetch me my tablets too, will you?”
“More pills?”
“Skin, hair, nails. They’re not like drugs or anything” Nikki reached for the mirror on the bedside cabinet. “They give my hair a lovely sheen. You should try them.”
“Nothing wrong with my skin, gorgeous,” Harris protested. “Like a baby’s backside.”
“Yeah, well all that crap that you and Barry eat is going to catch up with you one day.”
“One day. That’s a long way off. It’s alright for you. When we have really important cases that we’re working on, like now, we don’t get time to eat properly. It’s grab what you can while you can.”
Nikki scrutinized every tiny detail of her face. “You can’t be that busy. or you’
d be working today. Coppers normally work bank holidays, don’t they?”
“Guv’s orders,” Harris said. “Three days off to recharge our batteries.” Harris padded across the bedroom and into the kitchen, scratching his torso with one hand, feeling for stubble on his chin with the other. “Did you know you left the window open last night?”
“I always do.”
“A bit risky with the fire escape right outside. Anyone could get in.”
“And do what? It’s not as if there’s anything here worth nicking.”
Harris cast his gaze around the kitchen and living room. Nikki had a point.
He tried to remember where everything was. He opened and closed cupboards, moving aside jars and tins with no labels on, picking up boxes with exotic-sounding names and writing he couldn’t decipher.
“Coffee anywhere? Give us a clue.”
“Top right, above the kettle,” said a voice from behind him.
Harris spun round. A pajama-clad Kevin stood in the doorway.
“Jesus! You frightened me to death!”
“Nescafe, Gold Blend. Second shelf, third on the right, next to the sugar,” Kevin said without blinking.
“What are you doing here? I thought you stayed at your Uncle’s last night.”
Kevin said nothing.
“Did you know your brother was here?” Harris called out to Nikki.
“Yeah, he texted to say he’d be back. Uncle Brian had a bit too much to drink and chucked him out.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“I thought you might have not have stayed if you knew.”
Too bloody right I wouldn’t have, Harris thought. He said, “Course I would’ve. I just didn’t expect to see him here, that’s all.”
Chapter 54.
“Got your Oyster card, Els?” Red said.
“Yep, it’s here.”
Pippa glanced up from her copy of Vogue. “Oyster cards? You’re not planning on using the underground, are you?”
“We sure are, and the buses!” Red put her hands to her mouth in mock horror.
Pippa flipped another page over of her magazine. “I don’t trust public transport.”
“Taxis are public transport too.”
“It’s not the same thing. Taxis are personal to use. One is not crammed in with the great unwashed like on a train or a bus.”
“Shouldn’t be too crammed at this time of morning on a bank holiday. No commuters and the tourists will still be heading in. Come on, Els. Let’s make it happen.” To Jack, “Have fun with Darren, mate, and make sure Mum buys you lots of things with e-numbers in them.”
Jack nudged Darren with an elbow. “We can go to that photo place and dress up as Wild West cowboys.”
“Cool,” Darren agreed.
“That’s a great idea,” Red agreed. “Make sure your mum has her picture taken too. We’ll put it on the wall.”
Pippa shot Red an icy look. “Thank you, Cassandra.I shan’t forget this.”
Chapter 55.
Terri Miller stared at the collage of photographs and paper spread out before her. Drummed fingers on the desk echoed around the deserted briefing room.
She made pencil notes on a loose sheet of A4. Escort agencies. The victims’ addresses. She had Google maps open on her laptop. Being a newcomer to London had its drawbacks, but Google was a great help.
The creak of a door opening made her look up. A man stood in the doorway.
“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone here today.”
“Not the best way to spend a bank holiday but I just needed to go over a few things. You know how it is.”
The man nodded.
“Is there something I can do for you?” Terri asked, one eye on Google.
“Will you be long?”
“No, flying visit.” Terri checked her watch. “I’m outta here in ten.”
“Right. So Inspector Rose is definitely not in today?”
“Tomorrow. Can I give her a message?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” Terri bent to pick up her bag. “Who shall I say called?”
No reply.
Terri looked up. The doorway was empty.
Chapter 56.
Red threw a disapproving glance at Ella through the throng of bodies snaking down Oxford Street. “Now what?”
Ella was hanging back to stare in a shop window at some teen fashions. “Can we just go in this one, Cass?”
“How many clothes shops have we been in already?”
“Not many.”
“How does five sound?”
“But Cass…”
“And what have you bought?” Red persisted.
“It’s not my fault if they didn’t have what I wanted.”
Red stared at the child, fighting mixed emotions. Part of her hated shopping. Especially clothes shopping. And especially five clothes stores in a row. The other part recalled her own childhood, wearing second-hand rags from jumble sales.
She held the door open. “After you, Els. But we’ll be late meeting your mum if we’re not careful. And it won’t be you that cops the blame.”
Dutifully Red followed Ella up the escalator to the teen section, taking a seat by the changing rooms while Ella perused the clothes racks, using the time to think through the murder inquiry. Images of the Huntsman hijacked her thoughts. She could see Richard, hands trembling, pointing the gun at Nathan Hunter. What would she have done differently?
She remembered Jack’s terrified cries when the boy thought he had killed the Huntsman. She knew there was another sleepless night ahead. Maybe she needed counselling.Maybe, she… Her thoughts were interrupted by Ella’s voice, speaking to someone behind the t-shirts rack.
“I can’t. I’m with someone,” Red heard Ella say.
“What, your mum?” It was a boy’s voice. Red’s ears pricked up.
“No, my mum’s… You know. Anyway, I’ll text you later.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Red leaned at an angle and saw a young teenage boy walking away. She smiled to herself. Her thoughts turned to her own teen years. Nathan forcing himself on her. The smile vanished. She took a stroll around the floor to clear her head.
When she came back Ella had a basket of clothes on her arm. Red managed a smile. “Hallelujah! Got everything you wanted?” She checked her mobile for the time. “I hope so, Els, because we’ve got fifteen minutes to get to the Troc’.”
“Lets pay and away,” Ella said cheerfully. “I’ll give you all a fashion show when we get home.”
“I look forward to that,” Red grinned. “Listen. I’m just going to pick up a pair of jeans, seeing as I’m here. I’ll meet you at the entrance in five.”
Ella stared at Red. “I thought we were in a hurry? There’s a queue for the changing rooms.”
“Trust me, Els, I don’t need five minutes to choose a pair of jeans, and I don’t need to try them on. Levis. Blue. Size 12, long. Done.”
Red hurried down the escalator to the adult’s floor, pausing briefly at the lingerie section. Not while Ella’s in tow, she said to herself. She grabbed a pair of jeans from the rack. Levis. Blue. Size 12, long. Made her way towards the checkout. She stopped. From the corner of her eye she saw a teenage girl slip a t-shirt into her bag, tugging at the price tag.
Shit.
Red paused at the lingerie section, handling a few lacy items, her eyes never leaving the mirror that gave her a view of the shoplifter. Sixteen. Maybe younger. Red glanced at the time. Ella would be waiting. Pippa would be waiting.
Through the mirror she could see the girl take another t-shirt from the rack, look nervously about her, then slip it into her bag. A complete beginner. Probably her first time. Red’s eyes moved up to the security cameras. There was no way the kid hadn’t been spotted. Security would pick her up as she tried to leave the shop.
Red threw down the lingerie in her hand. There was a queue at the checkout. She threw
the jeans down. Maybe next time. She headed towards the exit. It’s not my problem.
She thought of Steve at the interview. Get them young and they won’t grow up to be criminals in the first place.
She stopped, spun on her heels, and walked up to the kid stealing the t-shirts.
Red slipped her badge into her hand and discreetly slid it in front of the girl. “Police.”
Chapter 57.
“Don’t try and run,” Red said quietly. “Security are waiting at the door for you.”
The girl visibly swayed, eyes like saucers, bottom lip trembling, cheeks flushing. “Oh my God,” she said. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Red put a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Take it easy. What’s your name? Just your first name.”
“Miriam.” The girl’s voice was barely audible.
“How old are you, Miriam?”
“Fifteen,” the girl whispered.
“You been in trouble with the Police before?”
The girl shook her head. Her eyes swam with tears. She tried to speak but no words came.
Red stared at the kid, considering the options.
Finally, “Here’s what we’re going to do. There’s a security camera over there – don’t look – and it’s watching you. Watching you and me. Now we’re both going to turn slightly so we’re facing the camera. I’m going to show you my badge again. You’re going to take the t-shirts out of your bag – and anything else that shouldn’t be in there – and lay them out on the counter here in plain view. Then give me your empty bag. Understand?”
The girl nodded nervously. She turned as Red turned. Red made a show of producing her badge, this time in clear view of the camera. She pointed to the bag, saying quietly. “Now take everything out, slowly, and lay them out in plain view.”
The girl obeyed blindly, too frightened to even ask why.
Four t-shirts and a skirt materialised. Red took the bag and theatrically turned it inside out in view of the camera. She handed the empty bag back to the girl.
Saffina Desforges' ROSE RED Crime Thriller Boxed Set Page 41
