by Freer, Echo;
By three o’clock in the morning, they had searched every body in the building but no diamond had been found. Modesty stretched her shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension of the last three hours.
‘What’s your next move?’ Oz asked, as they pulled open the door of the mortuary and saw Cerys curled up asleep on the floor.
Modesty took a deep, sorrowful breath and hung her head forwards dejectedly. ‘I’m not sure. I think I’ll try phoning in the morning and see if we can negotiate some sort of deal. I’ll go nuts if I have to wait till ten o’clock tonight. Plus Mum and Dad will be back by then, so that’s really going to complicate matters.’ She looked at Oz; his hair seemed even more tousled and his eyes even darker with tiredness. He looked gorgeous and Modesty felt the telltale swarm of bees doing aerobatics in her stomach. She turned away, hoping that her feelings had not betrayed her.
‘We’ll sort something out,’ Oz reassured her. ‘You knew Gran - didn’t she always used to say Life will give you what you need?’
Modesty managed a faint smile. ‘Well, right now - Life, if you’re listening, I need a pink diamond.’
‘Something will turn up, Moddy.’ Midge picked up Cerys in his arms. ‘Try to get some sleep and I’m sure things’ll look better in the morning. Come on, I’ll carry Cerys up to bed and then I need to go home - I’m knackered.’
‘Thanks, Midge, you’ve been brilliant. We couldn’t have done it without you,’ she replied wearily.
‘Do you want me to come back for the King viewing?’ he asked as they mounted the stairs.
‘Thanks, but I think I should be OK. Dad left me in charge, so if he finds out that I had to call in assistance, that’ll only give him more ammunition.’ She paused. ‘I’m a bit worried about what we’re going to say to Glenys when she gets back though. I mean, how do you explain that one of her charges has been kidnapped?’
‘You don’t,’ Oz said. ‘You simply say that she’s staying with a friend.’
‘Friend?’ Modesty queried, incredulously.
Oz shrugged. ‘OK - she’s staying with a fiend then.’ He grinned. ‘What a difference an R makes, eh?’
After tucking up a fully clothed Cerys in bed, Modesty said goodbye to Midge. Oz was sitting on the settee and she flopped down next to him.
‘You must be exhausted,’ he said, softly.
Modesty felt a tremor of excitement as he spoke and all her tiredness dissipated. ‘A bit,’ she said, hardly daring to believe that he was here next to her on the settee. ‘But shouldn’t you be going home too? Your mum’ll be worried.’
He shook his head. ‘Mum knows where I am and she’s cool. I can stay for a while, if you like.’
Modesty went over and lit the gas fire. ‘I never did ask why you didn’t go back today. What happened?’
Oz sat up. ‘I never intended to go back,’ he said, suddenly serious. ‘That was Mum’s idea.’
Modesty looked confused.
‘As far as I’m concerned, my home is here. I told Mum that if she went back, it would be without me.’ He ran his hand through his hair. ‘I told her that I’d get myself fostered until I was sixteen if necessary but there was no way I was going to spend the rest of my life on the run from some mad mobster.’
Modesty put her hand to her mouth, shocked at the intensity of his words.
He looked into her eyes earnestly and patted the settee next to him, indicating for her to sit down again. ‘Oh, Moddy, you’ve no idea what it’s been like these last few years. I’ve had enough. I want some stability in my life. And now that Gran’s left her house to Mum, I want to stay here.’
‘And your mum agreed?’ Modesty asked.
He screwed up his nose. ‘Well, that’s what we’ve been talking about all day. She was still iffy about it at first but then at about ten o’clock last night, Archie Bigg came round. She told me to go to my room and keep out of sight, so I couldn’t hear everything they said but I heard her telling him that we were staying and she’d get an injunction against him if he didn’t leave us alone.’
‘So that’s why he drove off like a psycho,’ Modesty remarked, remembering the red Bentley roaring off in front of Midge’s car. ‘Did your mum say why he’s been trailing her?’
‘Sort of, but...’ He looked unsure. ‘I think there’s something she’s still holding back.’ He turned to face her on the settee. ‘Apparently Mum met him just after she finished university. She had a degree in business studies and one night she and her mates were out celebrating and they got chatted up by some guys. One of them turned out to be Archie Bigg and he told her that his mate was looking for someone to manage a new business he was setting up in Walthamstow.’ Modesty was listening intently. ‘He told her it was a retail business, selling white goods - you know, fridges, freezers, washing machines, that sort of thing. It operated out of a warehouse off Lea Bridge Road and Archie even told his mate to name it after Mum; it was called “Laura’s ‘Lectricals” apparently.
‘She said that it was the most boring job in the world. Business was really slack, with loads of deliveries but hardly any sales, so all she had to do was sign the delivery notes and do a bit of filing. As far as she could see it was all legitimate but just mind-numbing. Apart from a couple of guys with forklifts to do the heavy work, she hardly saw a soul all day, so she spent her time doing the crossword and looking through the situations vacant column trying to find another job.
‘At one point,’ Oz continued, ‘she said there was so much piled up in this warehouse that she thought it was going to topple over and she kept saying to the guy that it was stupid to keep buying in more merchandise when the stuff they had wasn’t shifting.’
Modesty felt a cold shudder run down her spine. ‘I think I know what you’re going to say.’
‘Go on,’ said Oz.
‘It was a long firm, wasn’t it?’
Oz looked amazed. ‘How do you know about long firms?’
‘I read a book about them. Criminals set up a legitimate business, buy in goods and pay for them to begin with so that people take them seriously, then they simply order more and more on credit so that they’ve got hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of goods.’
‘That’s it - and then, one day, they sell it all off at knock-down prices for cash and do a runner with the money. The warehouse guys were paid off in cash but poor old Mum was stitched up good and proper! It was her name on all the paperwork.’
‘What happened?’
‘She went to prison,’ Oz said sadly. ‘Nine months in Holloway. The papers were full of it apparently.’
Modesty nodded. ‘Which would explain why my dad goes on about your family being extremely undesirable.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But why didn’t she just tell the police who was responsible?’
‘Because Archie Bigg’s mate, the mastermind behind the whole thing, was none other than Harry Spinks the gangster.’
Modesty sucked in air through her teeth. ‘The guy whose daughter is holding my sister hostage!’
‘Exactly!’ Oz gazed into her eyes until she thought her insides would melt. ‘So if you imagine how worried you are for Grace, that’s what it was like for Mum. She was frightened, Moddy. Absolutely terrified. She said she’d rather just serve her sentence for being gullible than risk Harry Spinks and his mob taking revenge.’
Modesty shook her head in disbelief. ‘But that’s awful. So she’s spent the whole of her life running away just because she was a bit naive.’
Oz nodded.
‘Your poor mum.’ The questions were rattling through Modesty’s mind like an express train. ‘So how come Archie Bigg suddenly decided to come after her? She hadn’t grassed on him or his friend. And why did he leave it so long? I mean, why not stalk her from the minute she came out of prison instead of waiting over ten years?’
Oz shrugged. ‘That’s the bit I think she’s holding back on. There’s something that doesn’t fit.’ He shook his head, thoughtfully. ‘She told me that while she was in prison, Gran and Granddad changed their name and moved here from Chingford, where they used to live. And when Mum came out, she changed her name too. She lived with Gran and Granddad and, after I was born, she worked as a secretary. According to Mum, everything was fine for years but then she went on a protest march to stop the school lollypop lady being replaced by a pelican crossing and her picture was in the local paper. Some people recognised her from the photographs of when she went down and, unfortunately, Archie Bigg was one of them.’
‘Along with my dad, it seems.’ Modesty shook her head in disgust. ‘Honestly, he’s so judgemental sometimes!’
Oz gazed at her. ‘Let’s not talk about it any more.’
Modesty felt herself go into internal meltdown and lowered her eyes.
Oz gently tilted her chin up, so that she was looking at him again, and then, taking her hands in his, he asked, ‘Would you mind if I kissed you?’
Modesty thought she would fall off the settee. ‘Mind? Of course not.’ As if any girl who was even halfway to sanity would object to being kissed by Oz Appleby. But as he leant forward, she reared back. ‘But what about Claire?’
Oz frowned. ‘What about her?’
‘I thought you two were an item.’
He smiled. ‘Only in Claire’s head.’
Modesty cocked her head on one side, dubiously. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning, Claire got this sort of crush on me the minute I arrived at the school but she just didn’t do it for me. I mean - I liked her and we got on well as friends but... how can I put this?’ He raised outstretched hands. ‘She didn’t float my boat. And she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Unfortunately, Mum thought it would help me to settle if I had some sort of love interest, so she encouraged Claire in a lot of ways.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘I tell you, I couldn’t believe it when she rang up to say Mum had suggested she come to the funeral.’
‘So what was all that you were saying to her when I overheard you in the bedroom? About you really liking her and her being really pretty and clever and all that.’
Oz grimaced. ‘That was me trying to let her down in a gentle diplomatic way - for the hundredth time. And everything I said was true - I just didn’t want to take it any further with her.’
Modesty nodded, taking in everything she’d just been told.
‘Can I let you into a secret?’ Oz asked, lowering his voice.
Modesty nodded.
‘The second I stepped out of the room after arranging Gran’s funeral and saw you again after all those years, I was blown away.’
Modesty felt her cheeks flush with colour.
He dropped his voice until it was barely louder than a whisper. ‘You’re the biggest reason I have for staying.’ Then he leant forward and kissed her on the lips.
Modesty kissed him back but there was a heaviness in her heart. Everything would have been absolutely perfect if only Grace hadn’t gone and got herself kidnapped. And until that situation was resolved it would be very difficult for Modesty to be at ease - even with the boy of her dreams.
Twelve
Modesty awoke with a start. She had been lying on the settee, her head resting on Oz’s lap, and as she jolted up to sitting, Oz also woke.
‘Ooooh!’ he moaned as he stretched out his arms sleepily, then dropped them forwards and wrapped them round Modesty giving her a hug. ‘What time is it?’
‘Shhh!’ She put her finger to her lips then began pushing him away, trying to bundle him over the back of the settee.
‘What?’ Oz protested.
She spoke in an urgent whisper. ‘Quick, hide! Glenys is back.’
Suddenly galvanised into action, Oz half vaulted, half fell on to the floor then crouched down out of sight. Modesty dashed across to the mirror above the mantelpiece to check her appearance and her heart sank. Her face was flushed from the emotion of the night and the heat of the gas fire; her hair looked as though she’d been pulled through a thorn bush in a hurricane and she was still wearing the same clothes she’d had on when Glenys had left over twelve hours earlier. What a giveaway! As she frantically ran her hands over her head trying to smooth down her hair, Glenys’s face appeared round the door.
‘Oh, goodness! You’re up early. Was everything all right? You managed without me, did you? Nothing terrible happened, then?’ the older woman said without pausing for breath.
‘Yes, everything’s fine,’ Modesty replied, feeling uncomfortable at the ease with which she was able to lie. Then, to deflect attention away from herself and the events at the house, she asked, ‘How was your night?’
Glenys stood very upright and adopted a serious expression. ‘You know I’m not at liberty to discuss what goes on at the Centre, Modesty - client confidentiality.’
Modesty was about to explain that she wasn’t enquiring about individual clients, just as to how Glenys’s night had been, when she caught sight of one of Oz’s trainers protruding from the side of the settee. Her cheeks drained of their colour and she made a concerted effort not to look in that direction in case she drew attention to it.
‘So, you must be tired,’ she said, hedging backwards away from the fire towards the arm of the sofa and the trainer. ‘Would you like me to make you some coffee?’ Then she added quickly, ‘In the kitchen.’
Glenys pondered the offer for a moment and then answered, ‘No thank you, dear. I think I might go and have a little lie-down. Are the others up yet?’
Modesty sat on the arm of the settee, swinging her leg nonchalantly so that her foot caught the toe of Oz’s shoe and kicked it out of sight. ‘Er, actually,’ she said in an over-breezy manner, ‘Grace stayed at a friend’s house last night.’ And before Glenys could question her further, she continued, ‘And Cerys is still asleep. We were watching DVDs till quite late last night, so she probably won’t be awake before lunchtime. The only reason I’m up is because I’ve got that viewing at ten.’
She knew immediately that reminding Glenys of the viewing was a huge mistake. True to form, the older woman launched straight into panic overdrive.
‘Oh my goodness! I’d better stay up to help you then, dear. You’ll need a lot of support with that, won’t you? Tell me what needs doing and I’ll get on to it straight away. We can’t afford to have anything go wrong, can we? It’s such a difficult time for people who’ve lost loved ones.’
Modesty felt almost breathless with panic. ‘No, really,’ she said, ‘I’ve helped Dad with lots of viewings. I’ll be fine. You just go and get some rest.’
Glenys yawned and nodded sleepily. ‘Well, if you’re sure, dear?’
‘Absolutely. You look exhausted.’ And this time she was relieved to be telling the truth.
The spare room was on the same floor of the living accommodation as the sitting room and kitchen and as soon as the bedroom door shut, Oz crawled out from behind the sofa, one trainer on and the other in his hand.
‘Drama queen, or what?’ he commented.
Modesty raised her eyes and nodded. ‘She’s very sweet but, honestly, she could give the Royal Shakespeare Company a run for their money.’ She gave a heavy sigh. ‘I could do without this viewing this morning. With Glenys asleep, it would be perfect to get on with trying to find Grace.’ She looked at Oz, anxiously. ‘Do you think I should try to ring her?’
Oz thought for a moment. ‘What if the kidnappers answer? What will you say? It’s not as though we’ve found the diamond, so we’ve got nothing to offer them and we’re no closer to finding where they’re holding her.’
Modesty ran her hands through her hair in despair. ‘You’re right.’
‘Look, why don’t you go and get changed and I’ll help you sort out e
verything downstairs. Then while you’re doing the viewing I’ll have a scout around outside. Now that it’s daylight, I might be able to pick up some clues as to where they took her.’
‘Good idea.’ Modesty went up to her room and when she returned she was composed and demure in her black skirt and Indian blouse. ‘I’ve just remembered...’ She looked pensive. ‘I asked Grace for a clue last night and she said something really weird.’
‘From what I can gather, your sister says a lot of things that are weird,’ Oz commented.
‘Yes, but I specifically asked her for a clue about where she was and she said to groom Marley for her till she got back.’
Oz looked puzzled. ‘Marley? Are we talking Jacob or Bob?’
Modesty smiled. ‘Marley’s a stray cat that arrived a few Christmases ago and I’ve sort of adopted him. But Grace doesn’t give a monkey’s about him. In fact, the only thing Grace cares about where animals are concerned, is whether they come sweet and sour or in a bun with ketchup!’ She took his hand. ‘Come downstairs. I need to start setting up and it’ll be easier to talk.’
In the chapel of rest, Modesty showed Oz where to place the candlesticks as they continued their conversation.
‘So, you reckon there’s something in what she said that might lead us to where they’re keeping her?’ Oz asked.
Modesty shrugged. ‘Maybe, but I can’t think what it could be. It’s not like Marley has a favourite place or anything. I mean, he’s feral; he just wanders about wherever the mood takes him. Sometimes he doesn’t come round for any food for a week.’ She tutted and pulled a white carnation that was going brown round the edges from the centre of the display on the altar. ‘Honestly! These were only delivered yesterday. I’ll have to have a word with the florist.’
They went into the mortuary and wheeled Arnold King’s coffin through on the trolley, positioning it between the two candlesticks. Then Modesty took a comb and ran it through his hair before stepping back and cocking her head on one side to check what else might need attending to.
