Kiss Me When I'm Dead
Page 38
Olivia says goodbye to both of us and arranges for a car to take us both back to my place. In chivalrous fashion, I insist upon carrying Anjukka’s holdall for her.
On the way back, I run through the loose ends in my mind. Blue Tie and Orange shirt are a problem, but only if Orange Shirt dies. If that doesn’t happen, I’d expect both of them to make themselves scarce until they can find employment elsewhere. I don’t think that Orange Shirt is the type to go howling to the police accusing me of GBH. He’s far too much of a man for that.
I have no idea where the police will start as far as charging Fisher is concerned. There’s his involvement in setting Viola up in the first place, his presence in the hotel room when she died and his collusion in hiding her body. I’m sure they can get him on something just for that lot, though I’m not sure what. I’m also pretty sure he knew about Rosabel, even though he wasn’t around when it happened, so that’s conspiracy to conceal yet another death and probably perverting the course of justice, too. He shot and killed Raleigh, of course, which will be involuntary manslaughter.
Then there’s what he did to Anjukka, which must include abduction, sexual assault and the threat of death, not to mention GBH or attempted murder against Sakura, which could turn into a murder charge proper if she dies.
And then there’s me. Assault with a stun weapon, grievous bodily harm, threat of death, torture, attempted murder…
Oh fuck it. I’ll just leave it to the police. I’m sure if they dig around a little in his past, they’ll find lots of other stuff, too. I’m just concerned that when it goes to court I’ll have to testify against him for what he did to me and I’d prefer not to be that conspicuous. I guess I’ll just have to brazen it out. Of course, he may want to press charges against me, for hammering him like that, but I somehow doubt he’ll bother.
*
When we get back to Exeter Street, I let Anjukka have the first soak in the bath, and I graciously allow her to use the last of my Radox Herbal Bath Muscle Therapy. I throw her ruined clothing in the bin, swallow the dihydrocodeine the paramedic gave me and start to make some coffee. I had considered going down to some of the still-open shops and getting her a new dress, plus some other things, but we can always do that tomorrow.
Besides, I don’t want to give the shop assistants a fright. I don’t feel that bad, but as DS Bream so kindly mentioned, I look like death warmed up and the left side of my face is swollen thanks to Fisher’s efforts. I’ll get myself fully checked out with a doctor as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
I zip open Anjukka’s holdall, take the money out and hide it in one of the kitchen cupboards behind a load of tinned food that I’ve never bothered to eat. I can’t remember how far I’d got with the coffee. Not far. I’d loaded up the Siemens with beans but hadn’t switched the damn thing on. I place some cups and saucers on the kitchen surface and go into my bedroom to lie on the bed for a few seconds, just to rest my eyes.
I don’t wake up until the next morning.
27
LOOSE ENDS
‘She’s still very weak,’ says the bearded doctor who looks too young to have grown a beard. ‘She lost a lot of blood and her heart stopped twice. She was in theatre for two hours. We had to give her three transfusions. I’m sorry, but I can only allow you five minutes with her. She needs to sleep.’
Sakura was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. She had to be resuscitated in the ambulance. This guy clearly thinks she is very lucky indeed to be alive. I’m only allowed to see her because Olivia gave the hospital a call and told them I was the closest thing she had to a relative and that I had saved her life and that she’d be pleased to see me. She obviously wasn’t taking the state of my face into account. When I finally had the nerve to inspect myself this morning I looked like I’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer who was being assisted by Bruce Lee.
‘Will she be OK? I mean…’
‘There’s no lasting damage. Very tricky op on an artery in the shoulder. Bit of awkward internal stitching, but she’ll be as good as new in a few months. She’d been attacked by some maniac, according to the police. Normally, we wouldn’t allow visitors for a few days, but someone from the police rang and said we should make an exception with you.’
‘So everything’s fixed now.’
‘Yes. She’ll have to have her upper arm and shoulder in a cast for a couple of months, just to stop unnecessary movement and to encourage efficient healing. Remember. Five minutes. It’s for her benefit.’
He looks quizzically at my face. I can tell he’d like to know the story behind it but it would take far too long and he’d probably think I was making it all up.
She’s in a clean, white recovery room on her own. I’ve brought her some Muscadet grapes, a big bunch of sunflowers, a copy of Vogue and a dark red lipstick called Private Party. The nurse who’s in the room when I arrive looks at me as if I’m insane. She takes the flowers from me and goes off somewhere.
Sakura is propped up in the bed as if she’s been reading, but her eyes are closed. She’s attached to a drip and a heart monitor. She’s wearing a blue and white hospital robe and there’s a shitload of bandaging over her shoulder, along with traces of dried blood, felt pen marks and what I assume are iodine stains.
I sit down next to her to her and look at her face; still beautiful and sexy despite everything. I place a hand over the one of hers that isn’t wired up to everything. After about a minute her eyes flicker open and she turns her head so she can see who it is, smiling when she sees it’s me.
‘When can I see the baby?’ I say, as sincerely as I can manage.
‘You are not to make me laugh, Daniel.’
‘I’ve brought you some lipstick.’
‘Thank you. I’m going out tonight. I was afraid I’d have to borrow some off one of the nurses.’
‘How do you feel?’
‘Drugged. It’s not unpleasant. I’ve always been fond of diamorphine.’
‘Have you been told what happened?’
‘No. No one’s spoken to me apart from medical staff.’
‘Do you remember stabbing Fisher in the leg?’
‘Just about.’
‘I don’t know what happened, whether it was the gun or whatever, but he shot Raleigh. Raleigh’s dead. Fisher’s probably here somewhere, but don’t worry, he’s in no condition to do anything and won’t be for a long, long time.’
She nods her head. ‘Good. I’m glad Raleigh’s dead. I wish I’d done it.’
‘Well, you did in a way, if that’s any consolation.’
Tears start to fill her eyes. ‘Seeing Viola like that. So shocking. It didn’t really register at the time because of everything else. Her whole life, ruined because of him, and even after she was dead he couldn’t leave it be. He was a monster.’ She sniffs and smiles at me. ‘My heart stopped a few times, the doctor told me. I told him that couldn’t be. I don’t have one.’
‘You’ll be back to normal in a few months. A few weeks of physio and you’ll be able to beat me up again.’
She smiles and holds my hand tightly, but tears start to form in her eyes.
‘I knew Viola was unhappy, but I did what I could for her. I knew I could never cure her of whatever was eating away at her. I felt so sorry for her. Whenever I used to think of what she went through when she was with Novak, it upset me greatly. He and his friends, they treated her as if she was an animal; less than an animal.’
God Almighty, I’d almost forgotten about Novak and Jeremy. It seems ages ago, rather than at the beginning of the week. At the time, I remember being repulsed by his glee in what he’d done to Viola, as if she hadn’t had enough by that time.
When I think about what he told me about Jeremy and his mates from the snooker club, my mouth goes dry and I feel a ball of loathing in the centre of my chest. If anyone was less than an animal it was Novak and his boy. I keep thinking about Viola crying and praying on her mattress each night during Novak’s training
. I keep thinking about her having to lick the toilet clean while Novak filmed her debasement at the hands of Jeremy and his mates.
She was like a pig at a trough.
She was like a filthy fucking pig.
She had been totally and utterly debauched.
All the fun of the fair.
‘Have you seen a doctor yet, Daniel?’
‘Sorry? Er, no. Not yet. I need a complete check-up, but I think I’m going to see my dentist first. I’ve got a shaky tooth courtesy of Fisher.’ I tap the side of my face. Ouch. ‘It feels like it’s cracked. Hurts to touch it.’
‘Your face is very swollen on one side.’
The nurse returns with the sunflowers in a huge vase. She gives me an order to shut up and get out using only her eyebrows.
‘I’m going to have to go, Sakura. I’ll come and see you tomorrow. Try and get some sleep.’
‘Bring some eye shadow. It’s difficult to flirt with the doctors and nurses without makeup. Dior 5 Couleurs Iridescent will be fine. You can get it in John Lewis. I’ll pay you back.’
‘You don’t have to. It’ll be my pleasure. After all, you saved my life.’
‘And you saved mine. They told me what you did.’
‘Then we’re square.’
‘Yes. We’re square.’
I shouldn’t be telling you this, but there were tears in my eyes when I left that room.
*
By the time I’m walking towards Coptic Street it’s past eleven and there are a lot of people about. It’s pretty boisterous and most of the noise comes from the pissed crowds leaving the pubs after chucking out time. There’s also the comings and goings from the Pizza Express and a nice-looking Greek restaurant that has a smartly-suited, smiling guy out the front reluctantly turning people away.
On the other side of the road from me, there’s a man of about forty throwing up in the gutter while a much younger girl in a red leather jacket rubs his back and talks encouragingly to him. There are lots of groups of girls, usually four or five strong, wandering around in the sort of gear that tells me there must be a club around here somewhere. I can hear a distant bass thump about five hundred yards away, so maybe that’s the place they’re looking for.
Four guys in their twenties pass by me and one of them notices my face. ‘Walk into something, did you, mate?’ he says. His friends laugh, but I don’t think they knew what he was referring to. Further up the road, a solitary man is singing in Welsh.
The snack bars either side of Firmheath Enterprises plc are both closed, although one of them is still dimly lit from the inside with what looks like Christmas tree lights. I stand at the door fiddling with my keys. People walk past me but nobody really pays me any attention.
It takes me about thirty seconds to get the door open, go inside and close it quietly behind me. As I tap the five numbers into the keypad and open the reinforced steel door, I can already smell the chlorine from the pool. I keep thinking about DS Olivia Bream and her reasons for joining the police force.
Doing the right thing. And stopping people doing the wrong thing.
Ten minutes later, I’m walking down Shaftesbury Avenue towards Covent Garden. My mobile rings. It’s Jodie, the blonde birthday girl from the bar in Tavistock Street. We arrange to meet for a drink next week. Hopefully, most of my cuts, bruises and swellings will have disappeared by then and my appearance won’t alarm her too much.
THE END
Books by Dominic Piper
Kiss Me When I’m Dead
Death is the New Black
Femme Fatale
Dominic Piper’s Amazon page
Table of Contents
Books by Dominic Piper
1 THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
2 PORTRAIT OF A LADY
3 A MISSING PERSON
4 SELECT METROPOLITAN ESCORTS
5 BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE LAUGHS
6 KINGPIN OF A BAD CROWD
7 ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR
8 A PIN-UP COME TO LIFE
9 BURNED IN LIBERTY’S
10 L’OPINION D’UN ARTISTE
11 AN UNEXPECTED BEATING
12 CHERRY BLOSSOM
13 THE OVERNIGHT OUTCALL
14 A LITTLE TRIM OF LACE
15 THE BOLTON MAYFAIR
16 WICKED THOUGHTS
17 RETRO GIRL
18 CHAMPAGNE AND OYSTERS
19 COFFEE AND CIGARETTES
20 THE DEAL
21 FERME TES YEUX
22 BLUE TIE, ORANGE SHIRT
23 THE COOL ROOM
24 A MOUTHFUL OF BLOOD
25 CHOKE-OUT
26 A MAN OF MANY SUSPICIOUS TALENTS
27 LOOSE ENDS
Books by Dominic Piper