“You left him with the gunmen?”
“He was unconscious, and we were out of options. We had to concentrate on saving the girl. She was the main target.”
“Unconscious…?”
“I knocked him out. I know, but it’s a very long story.”
“With you Dan it’s always a long story. You’ve made another mess and you want our help clearing up.”
“Rob, you’re really starting to sound like DI Hogarth. We didn’t make this mess – we’ve been lumbered with clearing it up. Now please, if you find that guy Cripps, or you hear anything about those two gunmen, give me a call.”
“I’m not so sure if that’s wise.”
“It’s wise. You’d be helping me keep this woman safe, Rob. Believe me, she might be useful. She knows a lot about some drug lord types. Maybe enough for a solid conviction. Please, just keep an ear to the ground, will you?”
“Okay, okay,” said Dawson. “Will do. Stay out of trouble and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Rob.” Dan ended the call as Alma walked out of the kitchen. She poured a glass of water down her throat and wiped her mouth with her palm.
“I bet you could put away a few pints of beer just the same,” said Dan.
“When I get the chance,” she said.
Dan leaned forward in his seat, ready to ask Mark to dig out his mobile phone, but instead he looked up to see the office door rattle in the frame. Mark jumped up and walked across. He unlocked the door, slid the bolt and let Joanne in. The young couple exchanged an awkward greeting before Joanne walked further inside and Mark locked the door behind her. Dan noticed she was dressed in a smart dark suit which under normal circumstances was smart enough to have merited comment, but Dan mostly noted the serious look on Joanne’s face as she scanned the office.
“Where’s Eva?” said Joanne. Her eyes landed on Alma Poulter, and the two women scoped each other out. Alma kept stony silent, and Joanne didn’t pass comment either.
“We don’t know yet,” said Dan. “She wasn’t here when we got in.”
“Then she must have left with Lauren Jaeger. Eva called me to come in and help her with the client, Robert Poulter.”
“Poulter wasn’t his name,” said Alma. “That’s my name. Whoever that jerk is, he’s not from my tribe.”
Joanne’s eyes sparkled at Alma with curiosity. She accepted the woman’s words with a nod, and returned her attention to Dan.
“Then Poulter, or whatever his name is, disappeared while we were talking about him in the kitchen.”
Dan nodded. “Talking about him in the kitchen?”
Joanne nodded. “He was making Eva suspicious.”
Dan nodded. “She was right to be. Right after that he came to the Albany armed with a gun. How did he get our whereabouts?”
“He spied on Eva’s phone, read her texts while we were out of the way. Didn’t you get her messages? She tried to warn you.”
“No. My phone was flat out of battery. And Mark didn’t have his phone with him.”
At mention of his name, Mark and Joanne looked at one another again. His eyes roved over smart clothing. The girl stiffened before she smiled at him. She looked self-conscious and the smile seemed to take some effort. Ouch. It was evident there was some kind of problem between them, but it wasn’t his concern.
“You came back…” said Mark. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I should, but Eva wanted me to check on my source about this Robert Poulter. To find out more about him.”
“Well, this should be interesting,” said Dan as he sat up in his chair and looked at Alma. The woman folded her arms and stared at Joanne.
“So all this trouble came through you, did it?” she said.
Joanne tensed and her face turned pink. “That’s just it. My colleague said the client came from someone he trusted. He swore it should have been genuine.”
“It was about as genuine as a Chinese Gucci,” said Dan.
Joanne nodded. “Yes, maybe… but I still don’t think it was my colleague’s fault, mind.”
“Even so, I don’t think we’ll be accepting any leads from him in the future. Who was the guy that gave you the lead, anyway?”
“Just a colleague,” said Joanne, looking at Mark. “A work friend.”
Mark didn’t pass comment, but his face spoke volumes about his doubts.
“I think Eva was hoping to know a lot more than that,” said Joanne, “but that’s all I’ve got to tell her. Will you tell her I’m sorry?”
“That’s all you could get? Because Robert Poulter doesn’t exist!” said Alma. “He used the name to get to me. You asked the wrong questions. We need to know who sent him.” She shook her head at them.
Joanne cast a glance down at her feet. “I’m sorry… I asked what I could. Anyway. It looks like you’re busy here. I’d better get back to the office. Poor Eva. That dreadful Lauren woman is eating up all her time, isn’t she?”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“She turned up here unannounced and demanded Eva’s help. I think Eva tried to put her off, but that’s the last I saw of her.”
“Then it sounds like Eva got stuck with her after all,” said Dan.
“Like I’m stuck with you,” said Alma.
Joanne looked at the woman and raised a judgemental eyebrow. “I’ll ask around again, see if I can find out anything else about the man’s true identity.”
“Yeah? And what’s the point of asking a liar?” said Alma. “Your contact is only going to lie to you again.”
“My source isn’t someone who lies, miss,” said Joanne.
“Sweetheart, don’t play dumb. You’ve already been sold a pack of lies. That’s how this started. If I were you, I’d keep whatever he tells you next all to yourself.”
Joanne’s face darkened, and her eyes flitted past Mark’s as she turned away.
“I’ll see you tonight, Mark,” said Joanne.
“Yeah. I think we need to talk.”
Joanne shot him a strange parting look, and then opened the door and headed down the street. Mark locked up after her.
Alma dropped herself into the seat in front of Dan’s desk. She crossed her thin, denim covered legs and stared at Dan across his desk.
“Listen. No offence. But after you’ve helped me find Cripps, I need to get the hell out of here. You’ve been used by the people who are after me. I can’t risk staying much longer.”
“We weren’t used, but maybe she was. Whatever source she used is clearly not to be trusted. But we can protect ourselves against that from now on. Trust me.”
“Just find Cripps, and then its best for all concerned if I just disappear.”
“How long can you keep disappearing, Alma? How long can you stay hidden and on the run?”
“As long as it takes,” she said. The office phone started to ring and Alma’s eyes snapped to Dan as they listened. Mark looked at Dan who nodded before he picked up to take the call.
“Roberts and Bradley. Dan Bradley speaking…?”
“I think you left something behind,” said the voice. It was the man formerly known as Robert Poulter. The fake who had played them.
“Cripps?” said Dan. “You’ve got him?”
“Put the woman on the line. This business is for her.”
“He better be okay,” said Dan. He passed the phone into Alma’s long, slim hand.
“Is he alive? Is he okay?” said Alma, her brow creasing with concern as she spoke.
“He’s alive and well. The question is how much do you want to keep him that way.”
“Don’t you dare make threats like that,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.
“It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. Your friend’s welfare is entirely in your hands.”
“Just don’t hurt him.”
“Put him on loud speaker,” said Dan.
Alma shook her head.
Dan raised his voice. “Alma let me put him on loud speaker! D
o you want me to help you or not?”
Alma considered it a second, before relenting. She gave Dan a hard look accompanied by a nod. She covered the mouthpiece. “Don’t you dare mess this up," she hissed. Dan reached forward and pressed the speaker button on the desk phone.
“Listen,” said Alma, “I’ve put you on speaker phone, so Bradley can hear.”
“Bradley,” came the reply, slow and careful. “You should keep your nose out. Your part in this is over.”
“Just say what you’ve got to say,” said Dan.
“Listen, both of you. I’m warning you not to try anything. Not if you want to see this man ever again.”
“Who the hell are you anyway,” said Dan. “What do you want?”
Alma’s eyes flared at Dan, urging him to shut up and back down.
“Alma. She’s what I want. And even better than her, I want what Alma’s been hiding…”
Dan’s eyes narrowed as he looked across the desk at the woman. She met his eyes without a hint of apology.
“And what’s that?”
“It’s what you saw at North Road. What you found under her bed…”
“The cash?” said Dan.
Alma Poulter stayed silent, inscrutable.
“No. I want the book. That’s all I want. You give me that book, and I’ll make sure you get your little friend back, unscathed… and totally unharmed.”
“Who do you work for?” snapped Alma. “What do you know about anything?”
“It doesn’t matter who I work for or what I know.”
“It does to me. I’ve only ever had one problem to worry about since I landed back in this country and you weren’t it.”
“There’s no need for any more problems is there? In fact, I think you’re very lucky I’m the one who got your friend. I don’t think the other guy seems as forgiving as me.”
Alma shook her head, her dark eyes looking to Dan for a response.
“Prove that Cripps is with you. Prove he’s alive,” said Dan.
“He’s alive. Wait a second,” said the man.
There was the noise of movement, a scuffing of fabric, something like the sound of the duct tape being ripped from his arm.
“Ahh!” gasped a voice.
“Cripps?!” said Alma.
The man at the other end was too busy snatching breaths to talk, but when his voice finally came on the line, it was rough-edged just like the first time Dan had heard it. Rough-edged and strained to the limit.
“Yeah, I’m here,” he said.
“That’s enough,” said the fake Poulter, and Cripps was immediately silenced.
“Who are you?” snapped Dan. “We have a right to know. You hired us under false pretences.”
“You were paid, weren’t you?” said the fake. “That advance is yours to keep. The case closes here.”
“Why? What’s worth so much that you’d give away a grand just to get at a little book.”
“Ah. That’s a question for Alma. All I want is that book. I hear it has everything I need. If you want to trade for this man’s life, be ready to make the swap when I call you again.”
“Wait,” said Dan. “We need a name. We know Robert doesn’t exist. You lied from the start.”
“Any name I could give you as a substitute would be a lie. But seeing as we’re on friendly terms, let’s stick with Robert shall we? I have your business card. Keep your lines clear and be ready for my call. Get ready for the hand over.”
The line clicked as Poulter ended the call. Dan and Alma regarded one another coolly across the desk as Dan stroked the two days’ worth of stubble on his chin.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s in that little book of yours?”
“No, I’m not.”
“I’ve seen it, you know. There are names and numbers and a whole lot of other messy junk I couldn’t understand because the handwriting was so bad. It looked like a psychotic episode transcribed to paper. I saw it too quickly. I didn’t understand what I was reading.”
“I know you saw it. That’s what got your arse kicked in the first place.”
“Is it a list of credit card numbers and targets? Details like that are virtually a cash machine in this day and age.”
The woman grimaced. “Seriously? What do you take me for?”
“I don’t know, yet. But I know you were involved with a European drugs ring. And I know someone from that ring wants to kill you. Now, it sounds like someone else wants your little book enough to kill. That’s what Robert the fake was after all the time, wasn’t it?”
The woman frowned. “But I don’t know how anyone knew about it. Cripps knew, but he didn’t leak. Simeon knew I had knowledge, but that was all in my head. The book should have been a secret.”
“Secrets can sometimes be too obvious. Or someone saw it, like I did. Or someone guessed. The other man – Blunt. Is he after that book too?”
The woman pursed her big lips in thought, then shook her head. “Not quite.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what’s happening in this mess?”
“Until just now I didn’t have a clue what that scumbag wanted. Now I know what he wants, though I don’t know why. But Blunt, I’ve always known what he wants. That little book is one of the things that’s kept me going. It’s also my insurance policy. Simeon might have guessed what I’d do, because he was always too smart for his own good. But he wouldn’t have told anyone. That was against his interests. The way I see it, that book is what’s kept me alive this long. I can’t give it away like that. If I do, I’m dead already.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Then Cripps… Cripps is dead if you think this sweaty little bastard is serious?” said Alma.
“The truth? I think he would have blown Blunt’s head clean off given the chance. Even if his nerves are shot, it looks to me that the guy’s too wired and in too deep to back down.”
“I thought the same thing. He’s wound tighter than my old nan’s clock. So I guess I haven’t got a choice, have I?”
“And I still don’t know which you’d choose,” said Dan.
“I didn’t get into this trap by choice. And I’m not going to let these bastards take me down. You still want to help me?”
“If it gives me a chance to get hold of our fake client, I’m with you all the way.”
The woman nodded. “Just one request first,” she said. “Actually, make that two.”
Dan frowned. He’d already saved the woman’s bacon, now she was putting conditions on his help?
“You can’t be babysitting when we’re up against these people.”
“Babysitting?” said Dan.
“She’s talking about me,” said Mark.
Dan’s eyes flicked to Mark.
“The kid can come if he wants to.”
“Maybe she’s right,” said Mark. “I might end up making things worse.”
“Or you might end up helping someone get out of a fix, that’s what you did before, remember?” said Dan.
“If you want him to come, that’s on you. But you’ll need to get hold of another ride. If we have to get away from these people, you can’t risk breaking down a hundred yards after we take off.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my car. Okay, it growls a little, but it saved your backside.”
“Fine, whatever,” she replied. “Take the kid and use your old knackered car. Just don’t you dare mess things up. And when Cripps gets free, keep out of the way. We’ll take it from there.”
“Any more orders or instructions?” said Dan. “If so, I’ll find my Dictaphone. I wouldn’t want to forget any.”
“Just one more,” said Alma. “Cut the bad jokes. They don’t work for me.”
“Really?” said Dan. “I’m hurt.” He stood up and made an exaggerated thinking face. “Oh wait, you’re not a paying client, are you? I tell you what, we’ll help you for free, and you stop complaining. Deal?”
The woman’s eyes flashed at Dan. At the front desk,
Mark grinned.
“Don’t know what you’re smiling about, laughing boy,” said Alma. “From here on things can only get worse.”
Something in the woman’s tone of voice made Mark’s smile fade. If Alma was joking, it didn’t much sound like it…
Seventeen
Any passion in Mark’s life occurred only in the stolen moments when his mother was away from the house. It was early evening and she was out again, and his mother’s excuse about taking up the sport of badminton with one of her girlfriends was wearing thin. Mark had come to suspect she’d taken up with a new man but she hadn’t brought him home yet and to be honest, Mark really didn’t mind at all. If she had a new boyfriend it meant she would be out more often, giving him the chance to spend more time with Joanne. At least, that had been the plan before Joanne started… drifting.
It was seven on a weeknight evening, about the time when most of the country would still be eating their oven chips in front of the television – but Mark and Joanne were alone in bed. They were together, as close as could be but Joanne still seemed distant. Mark suspected she was lying to him on several levels but didn’t know why. Even with those lies in mind, he still couldn’t resist her, and as Joanne was the one to initiate the kiss, Mark felt compelled to follow her lead. But something still wasn’t working. Naked beneath the sheets, inside the cosy twilight of his bedroom, his fingers raked through her fragrant blonde hair. He knitted his eyes shut and tried to think only of the sensation of her body, and the sweet smell of her skin, but he couldn’t help brooding on her secrecy. Mark’s eyes flicked open, and Joanne looked at him, queenly, and in supreme control. He saw the fire in her sparkling eyes, the confidence that had always attracted him to her, but the distance made him wary. He could feel her thinking. She was with him and yet she was elsewhere. The very idea she was thinking of something else as they made love – or someone else – robbed him of his desire. He sighed and lay back with his eyes open. Joanne kissed him but sensed the sudden change in his mood. She came back to the present, looked down on him and offered a warm smile.
Cuts Both Ways Page 19
