Eva kept the smile going but added a raised an eyebrow.
“And is that a problem for you? I’m Dan’s business partner. Eva Roberts. If you like, you could always come back another day.”
“Oh, no, no problem. I just like to know what I’m getting into. Who I’m dealing with.”
“Well, it looks like you’ll be dealing with me.”
The man swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down on his turkey-like throat.
“You did come highly recommended…” said the man, coming off passive-aggressive.
“I’m hearing a lot of that lately. Can I ask who recommended us?”
The man narrowed his eyes.
“Is that appropriate to ask?” he said. A careful man. A miser with information. Eva didn’t like him already.
“Yes, it’s very appropriate. It means I can thank them.”
“Only I had the feeling they didn’t want to be thanked.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” said Eva, irritated but intrigued. “Everybody likes to be thanked.”
They regarded one another for a moment, before the man seemed to settle and come to a decision. He walked towards Eva and took the seat in front of her desk, sitting down with something of a sigh. Eva looked him over. The man wore a red Pringle V-neck jumper under a blue Harrington-style jacket, not new. Both were old-fashioned garments but looked crisp and clean. The man’s veiny hands clutched a leather portfolio to his chest. He noticed Eva looking at it, and his hands slithered around the file a little tighter.
“I’ve been calling around all the local investigators. You know, some said they were local but when I got through, you could instantly tell they were from God-knows-where. Very underhand. They dupe you with their websites. Then I found a couple of genuine local businesses, one was busy, and another mentioned your services. She said you people had a track record of success. That’s what brought me here.”
“Nice to hear,” said Eva. She, thought Eva.
“She told me about what you’ve done. Hard to credit that a local Southend agency like yours could have been involved in such work.” He looked around taking in the décor, with the gaze of a snooty restaurant critic.
“Our work has evolved somewhat, but we have to be ready for anything.”
“Evolved. Yes, I see.”
But he didn’t. Eva now had her suspicions about the recommendations. They came from someone who admired their work, from someone who liked them enough to share the work around. Someone based at another local detective agency. They came from a she. I wonder who that could be, thought Eva, a wry smile forming behind her business face.
Bingo. Eva nodded. “Very kind of this woman to think of us.”
“Yes. I hope she was right,” said the man.
“So do I,” said Eva. “Now how can I help you, Mr…?”
“Robbins. George Robbins.”
“And why might you need the services of a private investigator, Mr Robbins?”
“It’s an awful business, a truly awful business…”
The man looked down at his leather file and drew his hand across it in a flourish as he got ready for the big reveal. Eva leaned back in her chair, her eyes glancing at the empty red mug in the fore ground of her desk. The clock ticked. Eva folded her arms. She wanted the man gone.
Robbins peeled the cover back to show a plastic wallet made up of individual clear plastic pockets. In each pocket was what looked like an antique coin. Some were large, some were small. Some were brass or copper, some looked silver or even gold in colour. Robbins peeled the pages back to show her more of the collection. Like a magician setting up a clever disappearing trick.
Eva could barely hide her excitement.
“You’re a coin collector.”
“Yes, indeed, I am. This particular collection is worth in the region of fourteen hundred pounds.”
Words failed her.
“I have another nineteen such files at home. At least, I did. Until someone swiped book twelve.”
“Book twelve. So you’ve come to see us about a theft?”
“Indeed.”
“You want us to track down a set of missing coins?”
“Of course. And then I want the culprit named and shamed in the newspaper.”
“Haven’t you tried the police?”
“Miss Roberts, in case you don’t know, the police are dealing with a drugs epidemic, teen gang violence, muggings, murder and people trafficking. Call me an old cynic, but I doubt my missing coin book is likely to go the top of their list.”
“You have a point there,” said Eva.
“Book twelve is my Americas collection. It’d be near impossible to replace in my lifetime. And it’s worth at least eighteen hundred and fifty pounds.”
“A tidy sum,” said Eva.
“I know my coins, Miss Roberts.”
“I’m sure you do. And you’re aware how much hiring us might cost? There’s my time to think or, not to mention my partner, any admin work we have to carry out, expenses incurred along the way. You’ve considered all that, have you?”
“The lady who recommended you didn’t mention all that.”
Eva’s eyebrow raised again. “Didn’t she? We like to work, Mr Robbins, but we like to get paid for the work we do.”
“I see…” said the man.
“How much do you want these coins back, Mr Robbins?”
“Badly. Very badly. And I want that thief shamed.”
“Shamed? Why?”
“Because chances are I know the scoundrel. Because he did it once before.”
“Wait a second. You think you know the thief?”
The man nodded. “Yes, he can’t help himself.”
“Then case closed, Mr Robbins. You don’t need a private eye. You cracked the case yourself. Good on you. You’ve just saved yourself a bundle of cash and a lot of paperwork.”
“But that’s not at all satisfactory – what I want is – what I need in fact—”
The door opened again, this time in a hurry and both Eva and Robbins looked up as the bell rang. Lauren walked in, hair billowing behind her, her eyes sharp and demanding. Eva felt a brief moment’s relief, followed by an instant sinking feeling. Lauren looked at the man then at Eva. She flashed her eyes at Eva, meaning she had something to say, and she didn’t want the stranger listening. Lauren had changed her clothes. Gone was the black hooded tracksuit, but in its place was a baggy top, leggings and boots. Eva also noted the big handbag hanging from her shoulder. The bag looked full and heavy.
“What’s this? I had no idea we would be interrupted. This is a very serious matter, Miss Roberts.”
“I’m sure it is. And I’ve just given you the best advice I can, and all for free too. You didn’t want to incur any charges, did you?”
The man opened his mouth to protest. “No. I thought not. Well, there we are, Mr Robbins. You have the outcome you wanted. Go and speak to the thief and if he won’t return your belongings, go to the police. I’m sure you’ll get their help, in time.”
“Well, really! The young lady I spoke to said you—”
“People say all kinds of things, Mr Robbins. That’s the world we live in. I’m sorry but I have some other matters I really need to attend to. So, if you don’t mind…”
Lauren opened the door for the man and stood aside. The man looked at her and Lauren gave him a glare and nodded towards the street.
“How rude! Rest assured, I won’t be recommending you to anyone!” said Robbins as he gathered his folder and walked out to the street, giving Lauren as good as he got, and glaring at her as he left. Lauren gave him a mock incredulous look and shut the door as soon as he was gone.
“I thought Basildon was bad but hanging out with you has opened my eyes to this town. When did Southend get like this?”
“I don’t know. But lately most of them are coming here.”
“No offence taken,” said Lauren. She dumped her bag with a thud on Mark’s reception des
k and took the chair Robbins had just vacated. Lauren sat down and looked at Eva.
“You said two hours. You didn’t make it, so I thought I’d come to you.”
Lauren leaned across the desk and Eva saw the tension in her eyes and the flicker of the muscles around her lips. She was wound like a coiled spring but putting a brave face on it. Eva felt herself sinking.
“I thought you might have been getting cold feet, again.”
“I never got cold feet in the first place,” said Eva.
Lauren leaned back and nodded at the door. “Sorry if that was my fault,” said Lauren. But Eva knew Lauren didn’t care. Her voice betrayed her.
“Forget it. I think you just saved me a migraine.” Looking at Lauren, the new edginess, the fidgeting, Eva felt she was about to be landed with another kind of headache.
“I was going to pick you up.”
“You sounded too vague about it. The situation I’m in, I can’t handle any more uncertainty.”
Eva sighed. “If you want me to help you stay safe, then you need to do what I say. I need to know where you are at all times. Especially now.”
“If I stay predictable, I’ll end up dead. Besides, I’ve never been one to take orders.”
“No. Not as I remember,” said Eva.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Lauren looked at the mug on her desk, and her eyes flicked the carrier bag behind Eva. “Jeez, Eva! Have you been drinking?” Lauren’s face broke into an angry smile, and Eva’s face flushed with colour.
“You have, haven’t you? And you’re talking to me about being unpredictable?!”
“What I do is my business. I had one drink. I was taking a short break until that coin collector came in – God knows I need one. And you were supposed to stay in Hadleigh until—”
“Until what? Until you drank the whole bottle?”
“You don’t have the right to talk to me like that. You don’t know me, Lauren. I keep making allowances for you, but you haven’t known me for twenty years.”
“Making allowances? I’ve been making allowances for the fact you haven’t been able get the job done ever since I hired you! I read about you! You were supposed to be warrior of a woman who finished scumbags for fun. But now when I need you, I find a woman who settles for talking when the enemy has a gun behind his back. I needed you to be the other Eva. Not some crack-up reaching for the bottle when she’s alone.”
“You wanted a drink, remember?”
“You said we’re going to meet with Boothroyd. If you can ‘t handle him sober, how do you think you’ll handle him drunk? What’s going on with you, Eva?”
“You’ve talked a lot about me. Now let’s talk about you.”
“What are you on about?”
“Making allowances, Lauren. I’ve been making allowances for the fact there’s a ten-year hole in your life history during which anything could have happened. Our last client deceived all of us. The whole thing was a sham. That can’t happen again.”
“Here we go. You still don’t trust me…”
“Lauren. This is beyond trust. This is a matter of life or death. If that isn’t a good enough reason for a drink, I don’t know what is. And before you try and push me into anything worse—”
“Push you?!”
“Yes, push. Before you even try, I need to know what happened in France. And this time I want the truth.”
“I’m only pushing you to be who you are! Who I need you to be! And as for France?! Don’t talk to me about France. The past is finished, isn’t it? I don’t ever want to go back there
“I don’t want to go there either, but it won’t go away, will it? You remember that day back at school…”
“Here we go again. The bad old days.”
“Jake Ellis. The garden fork…”
“I remember. I remember you lost it that day… Jake Ellis got the fright of his life. But then he deserved it, didn’t he?”
“What? He deserved a pitchfork throwing at him, did he?”
“Hang on,” said Lauren.
“I did that because of you, Lauren. You put me up to it.”
“What?!” said the woman, laughing. “That’s ridiculous and it’s a lie. You tell yourself whatever you want to believe, but I’ll tell you what I remember. You threw that fork because he was mocking you. Because he insulted you and he took it for granted that you wouldn’t do anything about it. That you didn’t have the guts to say boo to a goose. But you’d had enough of that. You were determined to show him, and everyone else, that you had fire in your belly, and didn’t you just? You scared the bejesus out of him and out of that damn preening peacock of a teacher. You did that because that is who you are. And when I read up on everything you’d done, I saw it again. The fire was there still. And that’s what I need now, Eva. You, with all your fire and determination, ready to do what has to be done. You did it, Eva.”
Lauren reached across the table and pointed at Eva’s chest. On instinct Eva recoiled. Lauren smiled at the reflex. “It’s all in you!”
“No. You made it happen. You said to show them who was boss.”
“So it’s still my fault is it? So where was I in all the years since? Was I there when you offed all those other people?”
“You’re exaggerating, Lauren. There’s only ever been a few. And I regret every single one.”
“And you’re understating, Eva. Don’t do yourself down. They were trying to kill you – you said it yourself. You had no choice, so you hit them first. Completely understandable. And that’s exactly who I need you to be now. Dispassionate. Ready to—”
“To do whatever it takes. I know the script.”
“Don’t pretend to be weak, Eva. It doesn’t suit you. And it doesn’t wash with me one bit.”
Eva looked at Lauren, her eyes glazed in thought. She shook her head. Lauren was right. She had done it and there had never been an excuse to hide behind. It was who she was. A villain playing the hero. The girl who did whatever it took, and then drank too much to try and make her demons go away. But they never did. They were a part of her now, and they always had been.
“It’s just the pressure, Eva. All of this. I know it is. But I’m not worried, because I know this is when you work best. I have faith in you, Eva, even when you don’t have faith in yourself.”
“I have faith,” she said.
Lauren nodded. “Then when the moment comes, you’ll do it again.”
Eva’s face hardened. “France, Lauren. I need to know.”
“The past hasn’t been kind to either us, has it?. But to me it’s been especially cruel…”
Eva waited and blinked. Lauren darkened and she shook her head before a sudden outburst.
“You want to know do you? I had a breakdown, Eva. A mental breakdown. A breakdown over a damned stupid man, no more than a boy truth be told. Is that what you wanted to know? It turns out you were the strong one, Eva. You were the one who was strong, not me. And that’s why I need you to come through… there, is that enough?”
The woman’s eyes were full of tears. Eva read her face. There was no sign of a lie. Eventually Eva gave a remorseful nod.
“Did you call him?” said Lauren.
Eva’s mind drifted. The past was a place full of painful ghosts. There was no need to excavate the graves of the past any further. They needed this over with.
“Did you call him?!” snapped Lauren.
“Boothroyd? No,” said Eva. “But I’ll do it now.” She hesitated for a moment, thinking she could have done with Dan’s counsel before her next step. But Dan was out of contact, busy with the other case. Eva told herself she needed to be as self-sufficient as she had been before.
She picked up the phone and dialled. By the time the line was picked up, Eva had found some of her old strength. She sat up straight in her chair and made her voice sound brim-full of cool confidence. Almost enough to convince herself.
“Boothroyd,” she said.
“That’s not my name,” he s
aid.
“It’s a name you’ve gone by, so it’ll do for me. I’m calling to arrange our meeting.”
“Where and when?”
“We’ll meet in one hour,” said Eva.
“Where?” said Boothroyd.
“Two Tree Island. Not far from the recycling centre at Leigh.”
“Where?”
“Google it. It shouldn’t be very hard for a resourceful man like you… See you in an hour.”
Lauren looked into Eva’s eyes with satisfaction.
***
The weather was turning. August had been a let-down for as many years as she could remember. Today, Eva saw the dodgy weather as a boon. It was a weekday, and the kids were all away from school. The nearby skate park was busy enough but on a sunny day would have been busier, and there was a small queue of cars for the tip, but other than that, the cool grey day was oppressive enough to keep most idle sunseekers locked up indoors. Eva looked up to Leigh station and the vista of the green hills of Belton Way and Marine Parade rising above it. They were a fair old distance away, the cars and people up there little more than dots, and mostly obscured by the lay of the land. Eva was far below, not much above sea level – along the lane that ran between Two Tree Island and the tip. The lane was narrow and effectively sunken between a bank of tall sea grasses on one side and the tip itself. She drove on until they had passed the busyness of the tip area, where the road thinned, and became quiet. Here the road was little more than a throughway to the driving range much further on, or back up to the hills of Leigh. Behind the ridge of sea grasses was a parking area overlooking the reedy waterfront, one made of concrete cobbles which rose up from the road, mostly hidden by the long grasses. Eva didn’t know how exposed the car park would be when seen from above, but then there was no fool-proofing anything. If the worst happened, she would have to take her chances and take them fast. Eva pulled the Alfa up onto the concrete cobbles and saw the rest of Two Tree Island spreading out to one side, ahead on the right. Across the little bridge, there were a few cars parked around the ramshackle car parking area, and one of those in view had two lads inside. Beyond the car park were acres of grassy marshes, a place beloved by bird watchers. But the car park itself was a hive of other activities. Especially at night. Eva watched the silhouettes in the car for a short time, looking closely until she saw them pass a cigarette between them. Just two potheads out for a smoky joyride. Nothing to worry about there, but she needed them gone. Eva stiffened her back, arranged her suit and set off on a slow march across the bridge. Behind her, Lauren stuck her head out of the Alfa window and whispered loudly on the breeze “Where are you going?”
Play With Fire Page 23
