Exposed

by Roberta Kray

  ‘Get a grip,’ she muttered.

  This was exactly what Annabelle wanted, to provoke and torment her, to leave her with unanswered questions. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Quickly she knelt down, pulled out the lowest drawer of the filing cabinet and began rooting through the contents, searching for the negatives of the Budapest pictures. She wasn’t going to let the likes of Annabelle – or Vic Banner, come to that – start messing with her head. In her heart she knew what she knew – her husband was innocent of the crimes he’d been charged with. All she had to do was find a way to prove it.

  37

  It was almost midday by the time Eden reached Shoreditch. Rain was falling heavily, lashing down on the road, the ice turning to slush as it was churned up by the car tyres. The sky was still full of cloud. Last night, after a long and fruitless search for the Budapest negatives, she had taken a detour on her way home and dropped a note through Tammy’s door saying she’d pick her up around twelve if she didn’t hear from her before. Caitlin’s number had been on the note but Tammy hadn’t called.

  Now as she drew up near the house, Tammy came hurrying out. The girl dashed down the path and along the road, opened the door, jumped into the passenger seat and shook herself like a wet dog. Even over the short distance she’d come, the rain was so torrential that her hair was dripping.

  ‘Jesus, can you believe this bloody weather? If it’s not snowing, it’s pissing it down.’

  ‘The great British winter,’ Eden said.

  ‘Well, you can keep it. Thanks for the note by the way. I tried to ring you on Tuesday but I couldn’t get through. Is there something wrong with your phone?’

  ‘There is no phone.’

  ‘Oh, shit, they haven’t cut you off, have they?’

  Eden indicated and pulled out. ‘Not exactly. There was a fire at the flat so I’ve had to move out. I’m staying with a friend, Caitlin, at the moment.’

  ‘A fire? Christ. How did that happen?’

  ‘With a can of petrol and a match. Some bastard set fire to the place in the middle of the night.’

  Tammy sucked in a breath. ‘What? No way! God, that’s awful. Are you okay? I mean, you’re here so you must be, but… How bad was it? Have you lost much?’

  ‘Pretty well everything. I may be able to salvage some stuff from the bedroom – a few clothes and the like – but I can’t get in until they make sure the flat’s safe. Caitlin’s been brilliant. I don’t know what I’d’ve done without her.’

  ‘Oh, Eden, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine… What do the police say? Do they know who did it yet?’

  ‘I haven’t heard anything so I’m guessing not.’

  ‘Do you think…’ Tammy stopped, lifted a hand to her mouth and chewed on her fingernails. ‘Do you think it could have been…’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘I saw the story in the paper, the one with Vera Lynch.’ Tammy gave her a sidelong glance. ‘I don’t know. Could the fire have been something to do with that?’

  ‘With Pat Lynch, you mean.’

  ‘Your name wasn’t mentioned but it was the same reporter who’s been hassling you, that toerag, Jimmy Letts. And he knows where you live. Maybe he told Vera, and Vera told Pat. He could have, couldn’t he?’

  ‘I wouldn’t put it past him.’

  Tammy shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs. ‘And that means Pat also knows that Tom’s been charged with the robbery and… and with what happened to his dad. Jesus, that’s not good! I hope Tom’s down the block. He is, isn’t he?’

  Eden knew from Caitlin that being ‘down the block’ meant in segregation, away from all the other inmates. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Well, he should be. I mean it, Eden. For his own sake. He has to have a word with the screws and get himself shifted off the wing. As soon as possible. If Pat arranged to have your flat torched, he could easily… Tom isn’t safe.’

  ‘We can’t be sure it was Lynch who arranged the fire.’

  Tammy’s brows shot up. ‘Got any other suspects?’

  ‘Not exactly.’

  ‘So there you go. Who else could have done it? Who else could have wanted to do it? Believe me, men like Pat Lynch aren’t bothered about trials and evidence. They don’t wait around to see what a jury says. If he thinks Tom left his dad to die, then… Do you have any idea how many blokes are attacked in jail every day? The screws can’t protect them; they can’t be everywhere at once. All it takes is…’ Tammy stopped, seeing Eden’s face. ‘Sorry, hon, I don’t mean to scare the hell out of you, but you have to do something. I’ve heard a lot of stuff about Pat Lynch and all of it’s bad. He’s psycho, crazy. Tom has to protect himself before it’s too late.’

  Eden felt her stomach turn over. Her fingers tightened around the wheel. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

  ‘Good. And make sure he listens. He probably won’t want to go down the block – it’s not much fun being on your own all the time – but it’s better than… well, you know what I mean.’

  Eden did know. It could be months before the case came to trial. Plenty of time for Pat Lynch to attempt to wreak his revenge. How would she cope with being worried sick about Tom twenty-four hours a day? Not that she wasn’t already, but this made it all ten times worse. ‘Do you think I should talk to Vera too, try explaining that the police have got it wrong? If I explained everything, told her about Jack Minter and —’

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Tammy screeched. ‘No way! You don’t want to go near that woman. I mean it, Eden. Don’t even think about it. For starters, she’s not going to believe a word you say, and for seconds she’ll tell her psycho son that you’ve been harassing her. She might even report you to the law, say you were trying to… what’s the word? Intimidate her or something.’

  Eden hadn’t thought of that. She wasn’t thinking clearly about anything much these days. ‘That would be a no, then.’

  ‘That would be the biggest no ever.’

  Eden sighed, a reflection of the frustration that came from feeling helpless. How was she supposed to stop the madness if she couldn’t speak about the causes of it? For as long as Pat Lynch continued to believe in Tom’s guilt, the possibility – or perhaps more accurately, the probability – remained of another revenge attack. And this time the target would be Tom.

  Tammy began chewing her fingernails again. Her face took on a nervous, panicky expression. ‘Look, you won’t tell anyone what I said, will you? If Pat Lynch ever finds out I warned you about what he might do, then…’

  ‘I won’t.’

  ‘Not even Tom,’ Tammy said. ‘Because if you tell him, he might tell someone else and… I don’t want any of this coming back on Pete. I’ve got Mia to think of too. That shit wouldn’t think twice about hurting a kid.’

  ‘I promise,’ Eden said. ‘I won’t mention your name.’

  ‘Ta.’

  Eden understood Tammy’s concerns; the girl had a child and a brother to think about as well as herself. ‘Don’t worry.’ She glanced over and it was then she noticed the bruises, dark ochre and purple, on the girl’s wrist. ‘That looks nasty.’

  Tammy quickly dropped her left hand, covering her right wrist with it. ‘Oh, it’s nothing. I fell over. I slipped on the ice. It’s fine. It looks worse than it is.’

  What it looked like, Eden thought, was that someone had squeezed the flesh so hard it had left an imprint of their fingers. A violent boyfriend, perhaps? Tammy hadn’t mentioned anyone – Mia’s father had disappeared years ago – but there could be some guy on the scene. ‘It must be painful.’

  ‘It isn’t.’ Tammy rubbed at her wrist as if she could wipe the marks away. ‘Not at all.’

  Eden could tell Tammy didn’t want to talk about it and so she dropped the subject. Instead she turned her mind to Tom and what she’d say to him. Hopefully she could persuade him to get off the wing. How would he be today? How would he be feeling? She had no good news, nothing to lift his spirits. Things were just going from ba
d to worse.

  38

  Tom leapt up from his chair as soon as Eden came into the visiting room and started walking towards her, an action that caused one of the screws to intervene and order him back to the table. She saw his expression, a combination of anger and frustration, and hurried forward before he said or did something he’d regret.

  Tom held her at arm’s length for a few seconds, gazing into her eyes, as if to reassure himself that she was actually there. ‘Are you all right? God, I’m glad to see you. I didn’t know if you’d come. I thought…’

  Eden smiled, standing on her toes so she could reach up and kiss him. ‘I’m okay. I really am. I told them to tell you.’

  Tom sat down and shook his head. ‘You can’t trust anyone here. They didn’t even say there’d been a fire until you were out of hospital.’

  ‘That was down to me,’ Eden said quickly. ‘I didn’t want you getting stressed out. I was going to wait until I came on a visit so you could see for yourself, see that I was fine, but then I thought you might hear about it from someone else so… But I’m okay. I’m dealing with things.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have to. How did it start? Was it an accident or…’

  ‘No, not an accident. Someone set fire to the hall.’

  ‘Christ,’ he said, pushing his fingers through his hair. ‘I knew it, I bloody knew it. This is all my fault.’

  ‘How is it your fault? You didn’t light the damn thing. Don’t think like that.’

  Tom covered his face with his hands for a moment. ‘You could have been killed.’

  ‘But I wasn’t, so there’s no point in… I mean, I’m here, I’m fine.’ And then, not wanting him to feel any worse than he already did, she provided an edited version of events. ‘Geoff and some other guy helped me get out. They put a ladder up. It was over in minutes. And I was only in hospital for observation; it wasn’t anything serious.’

  Tom glanced away from her and then looked back. ‘Do the police know who’s responsible?’

  Eden shook her head. ‘Not the person who actually did it, but I’m pretty certain they think there’s a link to Paddy Lynch’s son, Pat. He’s in Parkhurst and… There was a story in the paper, the Hackney Herald, last week. It didn’t mention you by name, but the reporter knows who you are; he must have been in court the day you were charged. Most of it was an interview with Paddy’s widow, Vera.’

  Tom’s fingers curled into two tight fists on the table. ‘You have to get out of London, Eden. It’s not safe.’

  ‘I’m all right. I’m staying with Caitlin. No one knows where I am.’

  ‘But they can find out. Why don’t you go up to Edinburgh and stay with your dad for a while?’

  Eden stared at him. ‘I can’t do that. I’ll never see you. Anyway, I’ve got the flat to sort out. I can’t do it from up there.’ She didn’t mention the other reason – her father didn’t even know what was going on yet. ‘And I reckon you’re in more danger than I am. You should be protected. Can’t you ask to be taken off the wing?’

  ‘And go down the block?’

  ‘Why not? God, Tom, if this Lynch bloke can organise a fire from inside prison, there’s no saying what else he can do. You’re the one who isn’t safe.’

  ‘I’m okay. I can take care of myself.’

  ‘You think?’ Eden’s eyes quickly scanned the room. ‘There could be someone here, right now, who’s just waiting to…’ She stopped and swallowed hard. ‘I’ve heard all sorts about him. He’s evil. And he thinks you killed his dad. He’s going to do everything he can to make you pay for that.’

  ‘Who’s been talking to you?’

  ‘What does it matter?’

  Tom shrugged. ‘You can’t believe everything you hear.’

  Eden frowned at him. ‘There’s that reporter, for one – Jimmy Letts, the Herald guy. He had plenty to say on the subject. I told him to push off, but he wouldn’t go until he’d told me all about Lynch.’ She hesitated, not wanting to get caught out in a lie, but determined to make her point. ‘And then there are the police. When they came to see me at the hospital, they actually asked if you were on protection. I mean, why would they do that unless they thought you were in danger?’

  ‘They don’t know anything.’

  ‘And nor do you, not for sure. It isn’t worth the risk.’

  ‘I’ve heard what it’s like down the block. Basic isn’t the word for it. And you’re in solitary confinement twenty-four hours a day. What am I supposed to do? Stay there for the next six months until the case comes to trial?’

  ‘Yes, if you have to. It’s better than being dead!’

  ‘That’s not going to happen. I’ll watch my back. I’ll be careful, I promise.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter how careful you are. If someone wants to… How can you stop them? I’ll be worried about you all the time. Won’t you think about the block? Just for a while, and then if you can’t stand it… I mean, it might only be for a few weeks. Castor could find Jack Minter and that’s going to change everything.’

  ‘It’s not going to happen.’

  ‘You don’t know that.’

  Tom gave a wry smile. ‘I don’t think we’re going to find Jack. And even if we do, he’s not going to admit to ever having been in possession of that bracelet. Not if it links him to the robbery.’

  Eden gazed at her husband, aware that his mood was a dark one. It was hardly surprising, considering the fire, but there was a pessimistic tone to his voice she hadn’t heard before. ‘We’ll see. Do you know where the negatives are for the Budapest photos? I’m afraid the picture of Jack – if it was him – went up in smoke.’

  ‘They’re somewhere in the studio.’ He raised his hands and dropped them again. ‘Sorry, that’s not very helpful. I can’t remember. In one of the cabinets, probably.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll take another look.’

  ‘I wouldn’t bother. It’s not Jack you have to worry about, it’s Archie Rudd.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘He’s the man who’s accusing me. Castor told me yesterday.’

  Eden’s eyes widened. ‘And who the hell is Archie Rudd?’

  ‘Some old lag from the East End. He’s got form for armed robbery, lots of it. He’s the one who’s going to stand up in court and swear blind I organised the Epping job, and that I dumped Paddy Lynch in a car park and left the guy to die.’

  ‘And how is he going to do that when you weren’t even there?’

  Tom smiled thinly. ‘By lying through his teeth.’

  ‘What does Castor say? What he’s going to do about it?’

  ‘All he can do – try to find a way to discredit the bloke. Try and figure out why he’s putting the finger on me.’

  ‘There has to be a connection between the two of you, something you haven’t thought of.’

  ‘I’m telling you, I’ve never met the guy. I’m sure of it. Why’s he doing this to me?’

  Eden repeated the words she’d said so many times before. ‘To get himself off the hook. To shift the blame on to someone else.’

  ‘But why me?’ Tom persisted. ‘Where did he get my name from?’

  Eden’s eyes flashed with grim determination. ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.’

  Tom sighed, his mouth turning down at the corners. ‘I don’t want you to even try, Eden. Please don’t. Just leave it to Castor. All I want is for you to get out of London.’

  ‘I’ve already told you. There’s the flat and —’

  ‘The flat can wait. It’s just bricks and mortar; it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re safe.’

  Eden was about to protest when she had a change of heart. A better idea had suddenly occurred to her. ‘If I go to Edinburgh, will you go down the block? That’s fair, isn’t it? Then we’ll both be… How about it?’ Eden extended her hand. ‘Is it a deal?’

  Tom hesitated, but then extended his hand too. ‘It’s a deal. You drive a hard bargain, Mrs Chase.’

  As they shook h
ands, Eden knew she was going nowhere. She didn’t like lying, but if that’s what it took to keep him out of danger it was a small price to pay. Getting the answers she needed meant staying in London. They had an enemy and now they had a name. She was going to find out everything she could about Archie Rudd.

  39