by Ann Massey
Benny’s publicity machine had swung into action and already visitors to Tuff’s web blog were posting comments. Benny was right: people loved gossip, the more scandalous the better. According to the pundits, hers was the most clicked-on site on the web. Okay, she conceded that the majority of comments were negative, but there were a few positive ones appearing and Benny had told her they’d mushroom once he fed his journalist friends the tale of how ruthless baby snatchers had tricked her into believing her baby was stillborn.
Tuff dressed carefully for the reunion with her daughter. Benny had suggested that she wore motherly clothes when she met Mei Li for the first time and to tone down her makeup. She went through the dowdy garments his PA had chosen and picked out a full-skirted floral dress in shades from deep rose to palest pink, and knotted a rose chiffon scarf shot through with threads of gold around her neck. A pair of gold ballet flats finished off the look.
‘How do I look?’ she asked Benny. ‘Am I frumpy enough for your liking?’
Benny thought she looked breathtaking. The shoulder-length wig completely changed her appearance. ‘You look alarmingly delicious, Ducky.’ He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
‘Just as long as my fans don’t see me like this or I’m finished,’ groaned Tuff, secretly pleased by the compliment. All the same, she knew she’d hit the pits when she was down to flirting with a poncy queer in a striped blazer.
The governor escorted Mei Li and David to Tuff’s cell. Dodd was just as curious as the rest of her staff to meet Tuff’s daughter. ‘Take as much time as you need,’ she said with a friendly smile, charmed by the girl’s gentle, sweet-natured manner, and she nodded to the officer to open the cell door.
The pretty woman standing behind the bulky man, looked nothing like the posters of Tuff that Adele had stuck up on her wall before Madam Ling had made her take them down. Mei Li’s spirits rose. She’d been worrying about meeting the tough rock icon but this woman looked softer and friendlier than she’d expected. I hope she likes me, she thought, and for the first time she felt self-conscious in her drab uniform. Why hadn’t she listened to David when he’d suggested taking her shopping?
Wow, peas in a pod, thought Benny, taking in the willowy beauty’s high cheekbones, heavily fringed, almond-shaped eyes and beautiful, genuine smile.
‘Hello,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘You must be Mei Li. I’m Benny Allan, your mother’s agent.’ He flashed his winning grin. ‘I see you’ve brought a friend.’ He looked questioningly at David.
‘David Entwistle. Mei Li is my fiancée. She doesn’t speak English very well. But you understand most of what’s being said, don’t you, Mei?’
Mei Li nodded without taking her eyes off the lovely woman half hidden behind Benny’s bulky frame.
‘Let’s sit down,’ said Benny, pulling out a chair for Mei Li. ‘I hope you don’t mind sitting on the bed, David. It’s pretty spartan accommodation, I’m afraid. It’s not what you’re used to, is it, Ducky. We’re hoping it won’t be for much longer,’ he said, turning on his hundred-watt smile.’ You’ve been so excited since you got word that Mei Li was coming to see you today, haven’t you, Ducky?’ he said, giving Tuff her cue.
‘Me too,’ said Mei Li. She smiled at the woman, who looked nervous. She was relieved to know she wasn’t the only one in a flap.
Tuff was in more than a flap. She was gobsmacked. Her legs had nearly given way and she would have fallen if she hadn’t been leaning against Benny’s big, solid body. The photo she’d seen of Mei Li had been deceptive. In real life, Mei Li was exactly how Tuff remembered her own mother. The way her mother had walked and held herself, the frank gaze, the pretty scrubbed face, the casual ponytail. It was like looking at a ghost.
Benny looked across at Tuff with a touch of irritation. What was she waiting for? She knew what to say; they’d gone over and over the script. By now she should’ve burst into tears like they’d rehearsed. Okay, this was a scary situation and he could understand anyone freaking out, but this was Tuff and nothing bothered her. It was usually the other way round. Even his PA, a tall, confident Australian girl with a black belt in kickboxing had quailed at the prospect of shopping for ‘the psycho’, her nickname for her boss’s aggressive client. She’d finally said yes but only as long as she didn’t have to deliver the garments in person.
Benny gave her a little push. ‘Get on with it,’ he whispered. She rounded on him like a wild thing.
‘Don’t tell me what to do! I’m tired of pretending and I’m not going through with this charade. So back off!’ She swung around and took a step toward Mei Li. ‘Where’s that letter I sent you?’ Tuff asked, her voice so loud the prison officer looked up from her magazine and stared at the monitor.
David was alarmed. Tuff had been charged with murder and in his experience the police seldom got it wrong. ‘Here you are,’ he said, stepping forward to shield Mei Li.
Tuff grabbed the letter and tore it in half. ‘It’s nothing but a pack of lies. None of it’s true. It was his idea to trick you into helping me.’
‘No need trick me … you my mother … of course I help you.’
‘You won’t when you find out what sort of mother I really am,’ Tuff screamed, working herself into a frenzy.
She ripped off the wig and began pulling frantically at the knot in the gauzy scarf that covered her famous tattoo.
The snake gyrated like a living creature, vibrating to the thump of her mother’s fevered pulse. Mei Li knew only a woman with supernatural powers would wear the symbol of the snake on her heart. And like Rubiah before her, she backed away in horror … her mother was a witch.
Benny groaned. His orchestrated reunion had gone pearshaped; Mei Li was cowering behind her fiancé and his client was spinning out of control. He put a restraining hand on Tuff’s shoulder. ‘It’s all been too much for your mother. It might be better if you come back tomorrow.’
‘No!’ shrieked Tuff. ‘I’m tired of all the lies. I’m tired of feeling ashamed. She’s not going anywhere … not till she knows everything.’ The angry words were forced out between huge sobs and tears coursed down Tuff’s hollow cheeks. ‘Listen to me. This is the truth. When I found out I was having you I didn’t know what to do. How was I supposed to bring up a kid when I was only a kid myself? There was a couple living in Miri that wanted a baby and they were willing to pay. I signed the papers, pocketed the money and got on with my life. End of story.’
David put his arm around Mei Li. ‘It’s probably best if we leave now.’
‘That’s right, go, leave me to rot,’ Tuff shouted and threw herself down on the bunk. ‘Who needs you?’
‘We can’t leave her like this,’ protested Mei Lei, watching the possessed woman thrashing to and fro and pounding her fists on the pillow.
Fighting her fear, she got down on her knees so she and her mother were on the same level. She put her arms around the hysterical woman and rocked her back and forth. ‘Don’t cry, it’s going to be all right,’ she crooned.
The intimacy was too overpowering for Tuff. Roughly, she pushed Mei Li away. ‘Get real,’ she snarled through clenched teeth. ‘I need to convince a jury that I’m innocent and how’s that going to happen when even my own lawyer doesn’t believe a word I say?’
‘David’s a lawyer,’ Mei Li said, struggling to hold back her tears.
‘I’m only a company solicitor, but I could recommend a barrister if you’re unhappy with the way your lawyer is handling the case.’ David’s voice was flat and discouraging. There was no way he’d help Tuff after the way she had just spoken to Mei Li.
‘Thank you, we need all the help we can get,’ said Benny without his usual spark. ‘It was good of you to come. I know your mother appreciates it.’ He watched Tuff pacing up and down the cell, feeling sorry for her although he couldn’t have explained why.
Tuff stopped pacing and looked back and forth between them. It suddenly seemed to sink in that they were leaving. ‘Don’t go,’ she said, arm
s outstretched, barring the exit. ‘I’m going mad, shut up in here. I don’t think I can take much more, and if that twit I’ve got for a lawyer can’t even get me out on bail what chance have I got of being found innocent when I go to trial? You’ve got to help me.’
‘Please, David,’ begged Mei Li. ‘She’s not guilty. I know she isn’t.’
‘I don’t think you did it either, Ducky,’ said Benny.
David sighed. He just wanted to get Mei Li away from her unstable, deranged mother. He’d read psychology as well as law at Cambridge and he thought Tuff was exhibiting the classic behaviour of a criminal sociopath. He took out his notepad and looked quizzically at Tuff. ‘What were you doing in the deceased woman’s room in the first place? Were you a friend of hers?’
‘Get real! I met her for the first time at my benefit for the orphaned children of Africa. She was posing as the wife of a rich Chinese guy, but you could see she was just his whore. In front of his kids too. Disgusting! You could tell they weren’t happy having her there, particularly as their father lashed out twenty-five thousand pounds for the diamond necklace I personally donated to raise money for charity.’
‘I see. So if you, as you say, hardly knew her, what were you doing in her hotel room?’
‘Does it really matter?’
‘It certainly does and it’s the first question the Crown’s going to ask you to answer.’
‘She was blackmailing me, if you must know.’
‘Blimey,’ interjected Benny. ‘What did she have on you?’
‘She worked for the people who adopted you.’ Tuff said, looking across at Mei Li and hastily dropping her eyes when her daughter smiled. ‘I can’t remember setting eyes on the bitch but she remembered me. You were right, Benny, I never should have got that tat. That’s how she recognised me.’
‘So you killed her to stop her from talking,’ concluded David.
‘No, no!’ Tuff shouted and burst into tears.
‘Oh come on,’ said David. He thought her tears were as shallow as her pretence of caring about starving orphans.
‘I didn’t kill that woman,’ sobbed Tuff. ‘Why won’t anyone believe me? She was dying when I found her. I did my best to save her. She died in my arms.’
‘What happened to the necklace?’ asked Mei Li, her forehead wrinkled with concentration as she tried to follow the conversation.
‘I’ve no idea,’ said Tuff.
‘Was the necklace found among Rubiah’s possessions?’ asked David, his quick mind instantly grasping the point Tuff had missed.
‘How should I know?’ said Tuff. ‘Is it important?’
‘Vital,’ he answered. ‘If it’s missing, your defence could mount a strong argument that theft was the motive for the murder.’
‘But surely the police would have told Tuff’s lawyers if there’d been a robbery,’ Benny argued.
‘Not necessarily. The prosecution is not required to disclose evidence that they don’t intend to rely on in court. It’s not unknown for them to sit on evidence because it doesn’t fit in with their hunch as to who committed an offence,’ explained David.
‘The policeman who arrested me had it in for me right from the start,’ wailed Tuff.
‘Don’t worry, Ducky. We’ll sue his arse off when you get out of here,’ said Benny, his mind already calculating the damages claim he planned to mount as soon as she was released. ‘Sweetheart, you’re a genius, and I’d kiss you if your mother and fiancée weren’t watching,’ he said to Mei Li with a disarming grin
‘Does this mean I get out of this hellhole?’ asked Tuff.
‘It rather depends on what we can find out,’ said David. ‘If there’s evidence of theft your lawyer can start the appeal process immediately. I’d like to have a word with the governor to let her know our intentions. Perhaps we should leave Mei Li and Tuff to get better acquainted, Benny.’
‘A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Mei Li. You’re a bright girl. If ever you want a job don’t hesitate to let me know, though you’d be a fool to let this lovely lady loose in the big bad city, Davy. Cheerio for now, Ducky. I’m heading back to the office to compose the hottest story. Believe me, your website is going to be molten.’
Tuff signalled Don’t leave me, but Benny just grinned at her
‘So you bagged a lawyer,’ Tuff said to Mei Li once they were on their own. ‘I wish I’d had the brains to marry a rich man when I was your age. The men I fell for weren’t the marrying kind. But I never meant for you to end up living in squalor. You were supposed to be adopted by some rich expatriates. It was all agreed. What sort of monsters were they, abandoning you? I mean, really!’
‘Them not family,’ said Mei Li in a low voice, the unspoken accusation like escaping gas fumes poisoning the atmosphere, pressing down on Tuff’s chest as heavy as stones.
‘Look, I’ve said I’m sorry. I can’t change what’s happened. Why don’t we put all this behind us? Forget about all the unpleasant stuff. It’s in the past. I’d like to make it up to you when I get out of here. I’m a very rich woman. I know all the right people. I can open doors. You don’t have to tie yourself down to that stuffy solicitor. I can introduce you to some seriously rich gogetters. We’ll have fun, dating and hanging out. You’re in need of some serious fashion help. But you’re in luck. I could have had a career as a style guru if I wasn’t a rock star. You’ll be an entirely different person by the time I’m through with you. The paparazzi will wet themselves when we step out together,’ Tuff crowed, feeling happy and excited. She’d get a real kick out of launching her daughter. ‘Wait till you see my house.’ Her eyes shone as she raved about the improvements she’d made to the Elizabethan manor house, the sound studio, heated indoor pool and state-of-the-art gym.
Tuff would have been surprised if she had been able to read Mei Li’s mind. Rather than being impressed by her mother’s glitzy lifestyle Mei Li felt sorry for her, living in that big house without her friends and family around her. How rich her own life had been in comparison with her mother’s solitary existence. Mei Li remembered steamy nights, a long wooden house and Grandma Lada, tired from working in the paddy fields, gently brushing the tangles out of her long hair while she sang Mei Li to sleep. She breathed deeply for a moment and closed her eyes. She felt peaceful and quiet, as if the jungle was inside her.
‘Aren’t you listening?’
‘I beg pardon,’ said Mei Li, coming back to earth with a rush. ‘House sounds very good. I like to see one day.’
‘I just invited you to live with me,’ Tuff said with a trace of annoyance in her voice. Didn’t the girl realise what a fabulous opportunity she was offering her?
‘Sorry … cannot. I going back home, leaving very soon.’
‘Don’t be a fool. This is a great opportunity. You don’t want to spend your life in a backwater when you could be jetsetting around the world.’
‘Grandma and Granddad need me.’
‘This is where you belong, with me. You’re my daughter. Those people are not your grandparents. They’re not even family.’
What a vile thing to say, thought Mei Li. Her mother didn’t know what she was talking about. Family was more than shared ancestry. All she and her mother shared was a physical resemblance. Whoever Mei Li was, she had learned her beliefs and values from her grandmother. ‘Grandma was the one who was always there for me,’ yelled Mei Li, angry tears spilling onto her flushed cheeks. ‘I had no one and she took me in, clothed, fed and sheltered me. She was my real mother. You gave me life but she loved me.’
‘Get out,’ Tuff screeched, her face distorted with rage. ‘You know what? You’re borrring. Open the door. Open the door, yer freak. She’s leaving,’ she yelled to the guard.
Almost immediately the door opened and a prison officer strode into the cell. She put a motherly arm around Mei Li. ‘Your friend is waiting for you in reception. Come with me and I’ll show you out.’
Tuff held back her tears u
ntil the key turned in the lock.
An entry in the Protective Custody unit’s journal recorded that the prisoner had a restless night, sobbing and crying out in her sleep.
‘You won’t credit it,’ the night officer told her relief. ‘She’s got a heart, after all. Do you know, she kept the whole wing awake, calling for her daughter?’ Mei Li and Mummy … easy to confuse.
Chapter 30
ADELE WAS VEXED. Everyone had something exciting to do except her. Madam Ling, who was getting ready to go out, was impatient when she complained about having nothing to do.
‘Why don’t you go for a walk? It’s a lovely day. Who’d have thought it after yesterday’s storm. Take the dogs. You could all do with some exercise,’ said Madam Ling, eyeing the roll of puppy fat above the waistband of her chubby daughter’s lowslung jeans.
Since they’d come to England Adele had refused to wear the pastel pyjamas that made her look like a pretty China doll. Madam Ling would get Adele into more suitable clothes once they were home again, but at the moment she was too preoccupied by her husband’s blatant infidelity to put her foot down about her daughter’s inappropriate get-up.
‘You know I’m scared of dogs,’ protested Adele. She still woke up in the night in a cold sweat after one of her vivid dreams when she was chased by a ferocious black dog, even bigger and more wolf-like than Alpha.
‘Well, read a book or watch a DVD.’
Madame Ling had been looking forward to today; she needed a distraction. Her life had been a nightmare since she’d found out Joe had brought that little whore he’d been running around with for years to England; his shame was her shame too. At least the murderer was found immediately and no suspicion had fallen on the family, but she’d be glad when they were all safe home in Miri.
