Streetwise

by Roberta Kray

  ‘So why didn’t he just ask Solomon Vale if he could park it there?’ Butler asked.

  ‘Why talk to the monkey when you can talk to the organ grinder? Anyway, you can tell he’s the kind of bloke who likes to go straight to the top. And, seeing as he’s been so respectful, asking for permission and the like, I tell him it’s okay so long as he doesn’t make a habit of it.’

  ‘Right,’ Butler said. ‘And then?’

  ‘And then I tell him to take a pew. Why not?’

  ‘Very sociable of you.’

  ‘Yeah, well, that’s the way I am, Mr Butler. Plus, he looked to me like the kind of geezer who had a few bob – nice clothes, nice watch – so I figured it was worth it. I mean, he may as well spend his cash in Belles as anywhere else, right?’

  ‘You’re all heart.’

  ‘And then what?’ Valerie asked.

  Danny gave a shrug, a gesture he instantly regretted. The movement of his shoulders must have sent a pain down his arm because he visibly winced and hissed out a breath. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Did you talk to him, did he talk to any of the girls?’

  ‘Yeah, we had a chat.’

  ‘About?’

  Danny pondered on this for a moment. ‘Cars,’ he said eventually. ‘Yeah, we talked about cars for a while. And then after about ten minutes or so he looks at his watch and acts kind of surprised at what the time is. He gets up and says he has to go.’

  ‘Bit odd, isn’t it?’ Valerie asked. ‘Ten minutes? He hardly had time to appreciate the atmosphere.’

  ‘You know what I reckon?’

  ‘Enlighten us.’

  ‘I reckon he got cold feet. He was looking round all the time, checking out the other customers. I’ve come across his type before – they’ve got the hots and fancy an eyeful, but don’t want to be spotted by someone they know. Worried about it getting back to the missus or the boss or whoever pulls their strings.’

  Valerie studied him with care. Although Danny Street was a well-practised and proficient liar, he didn’t seem as cocky as he normally was. Some of that might have been down to the fact that someone had just tried to take him out, but she suspected something else. ‘That must have been a disappointment. There you were, thinking he was going to spend a bundle, and he just ups and leaves.’

  ‘It happens. Anyway, I was gasping for a fag so I decide to walk out with him, take a look at that fancy motor he’d been banging on about. And that’s when it happened.’ Danny made a shooting gesture with two fingers of his left hand. ‘We’d only been there thirty seconds and bang!’

  ‘Let’s go back a bit,’ Butler said. ‘So you’re coming out of the club. Was anyone else around?’

  ‘Only Sol on the door.’

  ‘Okay, so you’re walking away from the door and towards the street. What do you see?’

  ‘We were talking. I didn’t really notice. Bit of traffic, people going by. But it’s always busy round there.’

  ‘So you didn’t hear anything before the shots, didn’t notice anyone hanging around the gates?’

  Danny gave a snort. ‘What, some geezer with a shooter in his hand? Yeah, sure.’

  ‘If it was a man,’ Val said.

  ‘What you saying? That some bloody tart shot me?’

  Valerie could see the indignation in his face. Being shot by a man was one thing, by a woman was quite another. ‘I’ve no idea, but I’m keeping an open mind.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Danny resentfully. ‘Maybe it was some tart trying to kill the geezer. The bitch certainly couldn’t shoot straight. Maybe it was his wife.’

  ‘How do you know he was married?’ Valerie asked.

  Danny smirked. ‘Had the ball and chain on his finger, didn’t he? Anyway, you can always tell. Half the men who come to Belles are hitched.’

  ‘So you didn’t see anything?’ Butler asked.

  ‘Not a thing. One minute we were looking at the motor, the next…’

  ‘Okay, we get the picture. And after the shots, you didn’t hear anything else? Someone running away, the sound of a car accelerating?’

  ‘No. Shit, I’d just been shot. How much listening do you think I was doing? I was on my fuckin’ knees, mate, bleeding to death for all I knew.’

  Valerie looked at his bandaged arm and rolled her eyes. ‘It was only a flesh wound.’

  Danny glared back at her. ‘So, are we done here? Much as I love talking to you, I’d prefer to piss off home and get stuck into a bottle of Scotch.’

  Butler rose to his feet. ‘You know the score,’ he said. ‘We’ll need to talk to you again.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. Don’t leave the country, huh?’

  ‘You’ve got it.’

  ‘Oh, Mr Butler?’ Danny said.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Try not to be too disappointed. You know, about me still being alive and all.’

  Butler grinned. ‘We already had the champagne on ice.’

  Valerie turned to Butler as soon as the door was closed and they were back in the corridor. ‘He’s lying.’

  ‘Course he’s lying. The guy can’t help himself. Question is, which part is he lying about?’

  ‘Most of it, if past experience is anything to go by.’

  Butler scratched his forehead. ‘Trouble is, you start making a list of people who might have a grudge against him and you come up with half the population of London.’

  ‘Maybe Squires can shed some light.’

  ‘If he makes it.’

  Butler glanced up and down the corridor. ‘It’s going to be a while before he’s out of surgery. You fancy taking a look at the scene of the crime?’

  30

  Ava lay sprawled on the sofa, watching TV and enjoying the peace and quiet of the flat. Tash and Hannah had gone up West for a meal and wouldn’t be back until late. She picked up the bar of chocolate, snapped off a row and popped a chunk in her mouth. It was a sad indictment of her social life that she had nowhere to go and no one to see on a Saturday night. Sad and single. She glanced at the chocolate. And if she carried on this way – sad, fat and single.

  She flicked through a few channels, searching for something decent to watch. Well, she might be on her own, but at least she was free from Hannah’s clutches. It had not been a comfortable experience being cross-examined by her earlier. Hannah was like a Rottweiler; once she got her teeth into you, she wouldn’t let go. And Ava didn’t like lying. Not that she had lied, exactly, but she hadn’t told the truth either.

  Ava turned on her side and yawned. Back to work on Monday. Were things okay with her and Chris Street? She thought so. They’d cleared the air if nothing else. Perhaps now life could get back to normal, or as normal as it ever could be when you were working for a villain.

  She was wondering if she could be bothered to go to the kitchen and make a fresh cup of coffee when she heard the sound of the key in the lock. It was only twenty to ten and way too early for the two of them to be back – unless they’d had a row. Quickly, she sat up, ready to shoot off to the bathroom, claiming she’d been about to take a shower if the atmosphere was frosty. She’d had enough of Hannah for one day.

  There were, however, more than two voices coming from the hall. Seconds later, Tash appeared with her arm around a weeping Lydia.

  ‘You won’t believe what’s happened,’ Tash said. ‘Have you heard?’

  Ava rose to her feet. ‘What? What is it?’

  Tash gently led Lydia to the sofa and sat her down. She fussed around for a moment, plumping cushions and squeezing her on the arm, before looking up again. ‘Jeremy Squires has been shot. He’s in the hospital now. They’re operating on him.’

  Lydia made a small choking sound, burying her face in the ragged piece of tissue she was holding.

  Ava didn’t know who he was. ‘Jeremy…?’

  ‘Amanda’s husband,’ Tash said. ‘You remember, Amanda? She was at Beast on Thursday when we went to the show.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Ava recalled her now, an elegant
blonde woman Tash had rushed off to speak to.

  ‘Twice,’ mumbled Lydia. ‘He was shot twice.’

  ‘Twice,’ Tash repeated. ‘Lydia called me. She was really upset, so we called round at her place to pick her up. We didn’t think she should be alone.’

  Ava wasn’t so sure about the ‘We’. Hannah had followed them in wearing the kind of pained expression that suggested that she knew she should be feeling sympathetic but couldn’t quite summon up the energy. Instead, she had her gaze firmly fixed on Tash’s arm draped around Lydia’s shoulder.

  ‘Of course not,’ Ava said. ‘God, I’m really sorry. Is he a good friend of yours, Lydia?’

  Lydia shifted the tissue from her mouth and began twisting it around her fingers instead.

  ‘He used to… he used to come into the shop a lot. And Amanda. He’s really nice. They both are. I don’t understand why… how could…’ But then she rapidly dissolved into tears again.

  ‘It’s all right, it’s all right,’ Tash murmured.

  ‘Why don’t I make a cup of tea?’ Ava said. ‘Something hot and sweet for the shock, yeah?’

  ‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Hannah said.

  Hannah shut the kitchen door behind them and raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘God, I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but that girl’s such a drama queen. I mean, she hardly knows the guy, not really.’

  Ava switched on the kettle and got some mugs out of the cupboard. She wondered if Lydia was closer to Squires than anyone realised. Could they have been having an affair? It wasn’t impossible, and it might account for the evasiveness that Hannah had been banging on about earlier. ‘It’s still a shock, even if it’s someone you don’t know that well.’

  Hannah, ignoring the comment, carried on. ‘So there we are, right in the middle of our meal when she rings up, blubbing down the phone, and next thing Tash has promised to go straight round. I mean, why did she even call Tash? Why didn’t she call you?’

  ‘Er…’ Ava found herself caught on the hop again, and had to improvise. ‘Oh, she probably tried. My phone’s in the bedroom. It’s been re-charging.’ Ava sent a mental prayer up to the gods that her mobile, which was sitting in her bag on the kitchen table, wouldn’t suddenly start ringing. ‘I don’t think she has the landline number.’

  Hannah sat down, clearly peeved at the interruption to her evening. And then, as if not wanting to leave Tash alone with Lydia, she quickly stood up again. ‘I suppose I’d better go and offer some support.’

  She was almost at the door when Ava asked, ‘Where did it happen? The shooting, I mean. Was it in Kellston?’

  ‘No, not Kellston. It was at the club that your boss owns. Belles, is it?’

  Ava gave a start. ‘What?’

  ‘Yes, right outside. In the car park. I mean, what was the guy even doing at that place? He must be a complete sleazeball. Oh, and one of the Streets was shot as well.’

  Ava felt the blood drain from her face. Her voice, when it finally emerged, sounded thin and croaky. ‘What? Which one? Who was it?’

  Hannah gave a shrug. ‘I’ve no idea.’

  Ava shot across the kitchen and into the living room. Her heart was in her mouth. ‘Lydia, Hannah’s just told me that one of the Streets was shot. Do you know who it was?’

  Lydia raised her eyes, red-rimmed and still full of tears. ‘Erm… the younger brother, I think. Danny, is it?’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  Lydia snuffled and gave a small nod. ‘I think so. That’s what Morton said. He was the one who called me.’

  ‘Okay, thanks.’ Ava retreated into the kitchen and slumped down at the table. She felt guilty at the relief that was flowing over her. It wasn’t Chris. Thank God for that. He might be a pain in the arse, but she wouldn’t want to see him hurt.

  ‘Was it him?’ asked Hannah, sounding indifferent as to whether it was or not.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Well, that’s something. At least you’re not unemployed again. Do you need a hand with those teas or can you manage?’

  ‘I can manage.’

  ‘Okay,’ Hannah sighed. ‘I suppose I’d better go and help out.’

  As soon as she’d left the room, Ava stood up and closed the door again. She grabbed her phone out of her bag and called Chris Street.

  ‘Hi,’ she said as soon as he answered. ‘It’s me. I’ve just heard. Is Danny all right?’

  ‘News travels fast. Yeah, he’s fine. Not too bad. It was only a flesh wound. They discharged him a while back.’ He paused and then added, ‘He’s here at home, milking it for all it’s worth, expecting the rest of us to wait on him hand and foot.’

  ‘At least it’s not too serious. What about the other guy?’

  ‘Still in hospital.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what happened?’

  Chris barked out a laugh. ‘Yeah, some geezer took a shot at Danny and missed… twice.’

  ‘Not much of a marksman, then.’

  ‘You’re not wrong there.’

  There was a brief silence before Ava said, ‘Were you there? Were you at Belles when it… when he was shot?’

  ‘Why? Were you worried that it might have been me who copped the bullet instead?’

  ‘No. Why should I have been?’ And then concerned that this sounded unnecessarily defensive, she quickly added, ‘Although I have been on the lookout for a cheap Mercedes. You have to grab your chances when you can.’

  ‘Love you too, babe,’ he said.

  ‘Okay, well if you need me for anything, I’ll be around tomorrow. Just give me a call.’

  ‘Thanks, but I reckon we’re okay. See you Monday, yeah?’

  Ava said goodbye and hung up. She sat for a moment, staring down at the phone and then dropped it back in her bag. She got up, made the teas, put them on a tray and took it through to the living room.

  By now Lydia had calmed down a bit. She was still white-faced, still obviously shaken, but she had stopped crying. She wrapped her hands around the mug and mumbled, ‘Thanks. I’m really sorry about this. I didn’t… I didn’t know what else to do…’

  ‘You did the right thing,’ Tash said. ‘You should be with friends at a time like this. And you’re staying here with us tonight. I’m not having you going back to an empty flat.’

  ‘Oh, I couldn’t.’

  ‘Of course you can. We insist. Tell her she has to stay, Hannah.’

  ‘Yes, it’s probably for the best,’ said Hannah through gritted teeth.

  ‘You don’t mind do you, Ava?’ Tash asked.

  ‘No, not at all. You’re more than welcome.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Lydia, raising her wide blue eyes to them all. ‘You’re all being so… so nice… and so kind… and I know I’m behaving like a child. I can’t help it, I just…’ She bent her head again, her fair hair falling around her face.

  ‘Hey,’ said Tash, putting an arm round her shoulder. ‘Come on. I’m sure he’ll be okay. He’s in the hospital. They’ll take good care of him.’

  ‘But what if he…’

  ‘Don’t think like that. You have to stay positive.’

  While Tash was trying to reassure Lydia, Hannah stretched out her legs and took a sip of tea. She looked at Ava over the rim of the mug. ‘You’d better be careful,’ she said. ‘It could be Chris Street next.’

  31

  Chris Street had already come to the same conclusion as the police. Whoever had fired the gun outside Belles must have been aiming for Danny. It was the only rational explanation. He took the glass of Courvoisier and placed it on the small table beside his brother.

  ‘So, have you drawn up a shortlist yet?’

  ‘No need, bro. Like I said, they didn’t come looking for me.’

  Chris sat down, leaned back, crossed his legs and stared at him. It was impossible to tell whether Danny was in some kind of psychological denial or if he was just taking the piss; there was so much junk swimming around in his bloodstream that he wouldn’t know reality if it slapped him
in the face. ‘You reckon?’

  ‘Who’d want to kill a great guy like me?’ Danny sniggered. ‘It wouldn’t be natural.’

  Terry was standing at the window, looking out at the snow. ‘You know who. I fuckin’ warned you. Why didn’t you listen?’

  Danny snorted. ‘You think Delaney did this?’