Murder Ring (A DI Geraldine Steel Mystery)

by Leigh Russell

  ‘It’s like living in a police state. You can’t hardly take a piss without some fucking copper coming up and nicking you.’

  And the police weren’t the only ones hassling her. While they were pestering her for information, Lenny was on at her for money. When she had asked him where the hell he expected her to get hold of any cash, he had hung up. But he was just being careful. She had to remember he was going to marry her, and in the meantime he was relying on her to save him. There was only one way she could save Lenny and herself too. If she got her ring back she could pawn it and share out the cash between herself and Lenny. Once she had saved enough, she would retrieve her ring. She would have it resized and never take it off again. Grabbing her mac, she ran out of the flat and went haring up the road. Lenny needed her and she wouldn’t let him down. She would get him through this, and then they could get married.

  She went straight to the antiques shop where he took most of his gear.

  Although it was late by the time she arrived, the shop was still open. Averting her eyes from a mangy stuffed fox that seemed to be staring right at her, she approached the white-haired bloke behind the counter. He smiled at her over his rimless spectacles.

  ‘Lenny’s girl?’

  She nodded, pleased he had recognised her. That would make her task easier. She had been afraid he wouldn’t believe her when she said Lenny had sent her to fetch her ring. She did her best to sound confident, but her voice shook.

  ‘Oh yes, the diamond.’ The old man nodded. ‘I remember it, but I ain’t got it. He needed a jeweller to swap the stone for a piece of glass, so no one would be able to tell the difference. He wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity.’

  After all they had been through together Gina couldn’t believe that Lenny could be so mean. All the time he had been locked up she had stood by him, asking nothing in return, and he had given her nothing but grief. The engagement ring had made up for everything he had put her through. He knew how much that ring meant to her. It held a promise that he wanted to take care of her for the rest of her life. That was the point of being engaged. Only now he had taken even that away from her. He was more interested in converting her diamond into cash than in making her happy. If he had suggested they sell the ring and split the readies, she would have agreed. She would have accepted a different ring, if there was money in it for her. But he had lied to her, planning to pocket the cash himself and fob her off with a piece of glass.

  When she reached the car repair yard, there was no one in sight. From inside one of the lock-ups came the noise of machinery whirring and droning.

  She walked swiftly past to the end door and tapped on it.

  ‘Oy, Lenny, you in there?’

  There was a sound of scrabbling and the door lifted, just enough for her to stoop and go in. The door clanged shut softly behind her.

  ‘I got you some cash but I ain’t handing it over till you tell me where my ring is.’

  ‘Give it here and I’ll let you have your ring.’

  She handed over a twenty quid note she had kept back for emergencies. If her plan worked, there would be no more emergencies, not for her anyway.

  ‘Did you bring me anything to eat?’

  ‘Like what? I can’t afford nothing, not after you took all my dosh. I just give you all I had left. Now I got nothing.’ She glared at him, her hands on her hips. ‘Where’s my ring?’

  ‘It ain’t your ring. And keep your voice down.’

  ‘What? You give it me, that means it’s mine.’

  ‘Yeah, well, you give it back, didn’t you, so now it’s mine. I wanted to give it you, only now I need it back.’

  She took a step forward. ‘Where is it, Lenny?’

  She would never wear it as an engagement ring now. That dream was busted. But she sure as hell would sell it and be better off than she was now.

  Lenny was no different to any other man she had ever met, a cheating, lying, selfish swindler.

  ‘Give it here. It’s mine.’

  ‘Even if I had it here I wouldn’t give it to you. Now, what you still doing here?’ He walked over to the door. ‘Go on. Get out of here unless you want to get caught with me, and then they’ll bang you up too.’

  Gina panicked. ‘Where you going? You can’t leave, not just like that, not without telling me where you’re going.’

  ‘Keep your voice down, you stupid cow.’ He reached for the door control. ‘I’m going to open that door and soon as I do, you get out of here. Don’t let anyone see you or we’ll both be nicked.’

  The door rolled upwards. ‘Go on,’ he urged her. ‘Be quick for fuck’s sake, before someone sees, or we’ll both be for it.’

  Gina ducked down and scrambled out of the lock-up. The door slid shut behind her.

  Safely out of the yard she legged it up the road, relieved to have got away from there without any more bother. She was fuming. One way or another she was going to get her ring back from that thieving bastard or he’d be sorry. He had given the ring to her. It was her property. As she walked away, she knew what she was going to do. Lenny had underestimated her for the last time.

  22

  THERE WAS ONLY one person Jack wanted to impress but her phone went straight to voicemail. At first he wasn’t too bothered, and left her a cheery message.

  ‘Hi babe, it’s me. Give us a call.’

  Not wanting to spoil the surprise, he didn’t say any more. Instead he went for a drive in his new car. It was a bright day. Reaching the motorway he put his foot down, enjoying the sensitive response of his wheels. This was how life ought to be, and he deserved every scrap of it. Playing hard and fast he had earned the right to sit behind the wheel of a Mazda MX5 sports car, as smart a motor as any he’d seen, and as smooth a ride as anyone could wish for. With its glossy metallic paintwork, soft top and leather seats, it could have been brand spanking new. It was a dream car and no mistake, a car reeking of success and oozing sex appeal.

  Leaving the main road half an hour later, he left a second message. ‘Hi, it’s me. I got a surprise. Call me.’

  He was impatient to show her, but another hour went by and still she didn’t call.

  He called again and left another message. ‘Where the hell are you? I got something to show you.’

  Realising the bitch must have left her phone at home, he waited and called again when he thought she would be home but she still didn’t pick up. Annoyed that she was ignoring him, he texted her ‘WTF’ and called again. There was no reply. Swearing at her, he went for another drive but the novelty was wearing off. Driving up and down all by himself lost its appeal after a while. He wanted Sophia at his side, squealing with terror as he overtook some jerk, or gasping with excitement as he accelerated along an open stretch of road, her long thighs spread across the leather seat beside him.

  There was no light under the door of her room when he knocked. She didn’t answer. Supposing she must be asleep, he knocked more loudly.

  ‘Oy, shut it,’ one of her neighbours called out. The woman opened her door a fraction and glared at him. ‘What you making such a bleeding racket for? I don’t see no fire. Bugger off or –’

  Jack lunged forward, fist raised, and she slammed her door shut. He didn’t hear any more out of her. He gazed disconsolately along the drab corridor before he turned and knocked on Sophia’s door again, calling her name repeatedly. Even when he yelled at her, there was no answer.

  He tried her phone again. ‘Sophia, answer the fucking phone, will you? I been calling you all day. Where the fuck are you?’

  It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Several times he had gone to see her recently, only to discover she was out. When he complained, she told him that she had gone out with her girlfriends.

  ‘What’s your problem anyway? I can go out with my girlfriends any time I want. I ain’t just sitting at home in case you come by.’

  ‘You must have a lot of girlfriends. You’re never bloody in.’

  ‘We like going out. T
hat’s what girls do.’

  ‘You ought to be going out with me. Why didn’t you tell me you was going out?’

  ‘You’ll be wanting me to tell you when I breathe next.’

  She complained if he turned up at her flat unannounced, but what the hell was he supposed to do when she didn’t answer her phone? She was his girl. He should be able to see her whenever he wanted. He kicked the door in frustration until it juddered in the door frame before he loped back downstairs, thinking all the while about her pale pink duvet cover and matching pillows. Her bed was pretty and feminine, just like she was. Although he had bought her bed linen, she had chosen it. Just as well. He would never have gone for girly pink flowers.

  ‘Either it’s a gift or it ain’t,’ she had scolded him when he wanted her to choose a different design. ‘If it’s a gift, I can choose whatever I want.’

  Picturing her in bed, fast asleep, he wondered if she was lying naked between the sheets, and imagined slipping in beside her. It was agonising thinking about her, but he couldn’t stop himself. The bitch had refused to give him a key but he would get one cut anyway. He wouldn’t be shut out like that by his own woman.

  ‘Fucking bitch,’ he grumbled as he reached his car. ‘Fucking whore.’

  He ought to go out and find himself a willing bitch, one who would appreciate him and his money. Sophia didn’t deserve him. The trouble was he didn’t want anyone else, not like he wanted Sophia. With all his other bitches it was just sex. He decided to wait in his car for a while. If she was out with her mates she would be back before the last train. She didn’t like getting the night bus. He lay back in his seat and closed his eyes. It was getting late. He hadn’t heard from her all day. He didn’t even know where she was. She could be sick or injured. With a curse, he called her again.

  ‘Where the fuck are you?’

  His voice seemed to echo down the silence on the line. After that he must have dozed off because he woke with a start as a car drew up in front of him. He sat up. The driver got out, slamming his door behind him. At the same time, a familiar figure climbed out of the passenger seat. As the couple turned up the drive he caught a glimpse of the girl’s face. She was laughing.

  For a moment Jack was too angry to react, although he wasn’t surprised at seeing another guy taking Sophia home. He argued with himself as he watched the two figures walk side by side up the path. The driver could be the brother of one of Sophia’s girlfriends, as she had claimed in the past when Jack had caught her in the company of another man. There was still time for the guy to step back, wave goodbye and return to his car. Instead he waited while Sophia unlocked the front door to the block before following her inside. Jack waited, drumming his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. No one came back out. After ten minutes, he leapt out of his Mazda and ran to the other car. It was just an old banger. He keyed it viciously all along one side, then all the way back along the other. About to slash the tyres, he paused. Thrusting his knife back in his belt, he hurried back to his own car to wait.

  This wasn’t over yet.

  23

  ‘FANCY GOING FOR a drink?’ Neil asked.

  Geraldine had just slung her bag over her shoulder and was about to leave for the evening. She paused and turned to look at him.

  ‘It’s Saturday night and it’s been a long week,’ he said.

  She was standing close enough to see the delicate skin around his eyes crease in a smile. At the end of his first week at Hendon, Geraldine was flattered that Neil wanted to mull over things in her company. He had started working on a different investigation and probably wanted to compare notes.

  Doing her best to look as though she regretted her refusal, she shook her head. She felt slightly guilty. Recently arrived in London, Neil didn’t know many of their fellow officers. Probably he was hoping she would show him where they all usually went for a drink after work. She knew what it was like, trying to settle in to a new post. It wasn’t long since she had relocated to London herself.

  Her new colleague’s suggestion gave her a painful sense of déjà vu. The detective inspector who had shared her office before Neil’s arrival had nagged her for months to go out with him, just for a drink. They had finally ended up in bed together, a few nights before he was killed on a job. Of course all that had nothing to do with Neil who knew nothing about her relationship history, but his invitation reminded her of someone she was trying to shut out of her mind. She hoped her smile didn’t look forced as she apologised for having to turn him down.

  ‘Another time I’d love to, but I’ve already made plans for tonight.’

  ‘Sure. No worries. Another time then. Have a good evening.’

  He was very personable. Before long he would doubtless make connections with other colleagues, and be off drinking with them after work. It was best that way. Leaving their shared office, she went to look for Sam. They had agreed to go to Central London and get something to eat. Sam was keen to try a new Chinese restaurant that had just opened in China Town, near Leicester Square.

  ‘How do you know about all these places?’ Geraldine asked. ‘You always know where to go to eat. It’s like you’ve got a secret radar system where food’s involved. Do you belong to some kind of secret food critics’ network?’

  ‘Someone told me about it,’ Sam replied vaguely. ‘You don’t mind if Emily comes with us? I said we’d call for her on the way.’

  Geraldine had been looking forward to spending the evening with Sam, but she could hardly object.

  ‘It’ll be nice to get to know her,’ she said, hoping she wouldn’t end up feeling like a gooseberry.

  ‘You’ll really like her. She’s such fun. And she’ll stop us talking shop. To be honest, I’m beginning to go stir crazy. It’s so frustrating knowing who did it, and not being able to find him. We don’t seem to be getting anywhere looking for him.’

  ‘It’s only three days since we established his identity,’ Geraldine replied. ‘The TV announcement went out yesterday, and that might end up getting us a genuine lead. And who knows, Laura’s performance might even help. We just have to hold our nerve and be patient. We’ll get there. I’m going to talk to Adam about a reconstruction. Someone might have seen David shortly before he was shot. Laura’s already picked out a jacket that looks similar to the one that’s gone missing.’

  Geraldine thought ruefully how much more coverage Laura’s tearful interview had been given by the media than the serious statement Adam had read out on the news, urging anyone who had been in the area of Wells Mews on Friday evening to come forward. The detective chief inspector had trotted out the usual formulae. ‘Any information, however apparently trivial, might help us to catch this killer.’ Unfortunately, they all knew that such announcements prompted a host of unrelated and crazy calls, all of which had to be checked and followed up.

  ‘You’re right,’ she added, smiling at Sam. ‘It would be good to get away for a few hours.’

  They had just set off when Geraldine’s work phone rang.

  Scowling, Sam told her to ignore it. ‘It’s Saturday night, for Christ’s sake. We’re entitled to some time off. And anyway, we’ve got to eat. I’m starving. Aren’t you?’

  Geraldine didn’t bother to reply but took the call, as they both knew she would. As soon as she heard who it was, she put her hand over the phone and mouthed ‘Gina’, in a stage whisper. Sam raised her eyebrows and braked. By now Geraldine had finished with the call and was on the phone again, arranging back-up with an armed response unit.

  ‘I hope we don’t get there too late.’

  With an exaggerated sigh, Sam pulled over and called Emily to cancel their arrangement for that evening.

  ‘I don’t know what time I’ll be back,’ she was saying as Geraldine hung up. ‘Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later. Love you too.’ She turned to Geraldine. ‘Where are we going?’

  Geraldine considered for a second before giving her the address, adding that they might as well go straight the
re.

  ‘What else were you thinking of doing? We’ve hardly got time to eat now.’

  ‘It’s not far so we might be first on the scene, but we’ll have to wait until the armed unit arrives. They won’t be long. We can’t do anything before that.’

  Sam nodded. She was a martial arts expert and a match for most men, but she wouldn’t be foolhardy enough to tackle an armed man. All the same, she put her foot down. When Geraldine reminded her that they couldn’t do anything on their own, Sam grinned.

  ‘Whatever happens, we’re going to get this bastard. He can’t be allowed to walk the streets, shooting innocent passersby.’

  ‘This isn’t the Wild West,’ Geraldine laughed, slightly unnerved by Sam’s exhilaration.

  ‘I just want to get us there as soon as we can. They’re about to nail an armed killer and I don’t want to miss it. Come on, Geraldine, you’ve got to admit this is exciting.’

  ‘There’s nothing exciting about guns.’

  ‘I’m sure even your cold blood’s pumping faster knowing there’s going to be a shoot-out.’

  ‘Sam, there isn’t going to be a shoot-out. We’re going to witness the arrest of an erratic gunslinger –’

  ‘Gunslinger? Gunslinger?’ Sam burst out laughing. ‘Now who’s indulging in fantasies about the Wild West? So come on then, admit that it’s going to be exciting!’

  ‘We’ll have to agree to differ on that because I doubt very much it’s going to be exciting. Quite the opposite. If you ask me, it’ll probably turn into a long, drawn-out siege, where nothing happens for hours on end and we all just stand around waiting.’