by Caz Finlay
Grace had just switched on her laptop when her mobile phone started to vibrate on the desk beside her. She glanced at the screen and saw Leigh Moss’s number.
Picking it up, she swiped the screen to answer. ‘Hi, Leigh.’
‘Grace. There’s been a development. Can we talk?’
‘What kind of development?’ Grace asked.
‘I’d rather not say over the phone. You’ll want to hear about this though. I can promise you that.’
‘Is there something I need to know about right now?’ she asked sharply.
‘Can we meet this afternoon?’ Leigh suddenly started to talk in a whisper making Grace wonder if one of her colleagues had come within earshot.
Grace glanced at her watch. ‘I have to pick Oscar up from nursery at five. I can give you an hour. Where do you want to meet?’
‘How about one of your quieter restaurants?’ Leigh asked. ‘Stefano’s?’
Grace considered the time. It was after the lunchtime rush at their restaurant on Hope Street on the other side of the city centre. Stefano’s did most of their business in the evening, so she supposed it would be quiet enough for them to sit at a table and be relatively unnoticed and undisturbed.
‘Okay. I’ll meet you in fifteen minutes. If you get there before me, ask them for my usual table.’
‘I will, and thank you, Grace.’
Grace ended the call and rubbed her temple to stem the throbbing of the headache that had been threatening for the past half-hour. She rummaged around in her desk drawer and found a box of paracetamol. Popping two into her mouth, she washed them down with the remains of the glass of water on her desk. What the hell did Leigh have for her now? Grace had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. From the tone of Leigh’s voice and her desire to meet as soon as possible, Grace had a feeling that she was about to be dragged further into the ongoing murder investigation, whether she wanted to be or not.
Chapter Fourteen
Stacey walked through the back of the restaurant to the bar area.
‘You okay?’ Lena, the assistant manager, asked with a sympathetic tilt of her head.
‘Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,’ she replied. ‘What do you need me to do?’
Lena smiled. ‘Table fourteen are waiting to order.’
Stacey pulled her notepad from her apron. ‘I’ll go and take that now,’ she said before walking across the restaurant to the table near the window where the grey-haired couple in the finely tailored clothes were sitting. Stacey forced her warmest smile and began to take their order. She noted it down and passed it to the kitchen before taking some cleaning materials and starting to wipe down some of the tables in her section. She had done it earlier after the lunchtime rush, but the restaurant was quiet and she needed something to focus on – something that didn’t require too much brainpower. Her conversation with Grace had her rattled. Anything to do with Sunnymeade made her feel on edge. Then she thought about Nerys. She remembered the scrawny little freckle-faced girl from Wales who’d arrived at Sunnymeade with the loudest voice of anyone Stacey had ever met before. Little Nerys could have cleared a room with the gob on her, but her time in the home soon knocked that out of her, as it knocked out most of the spirit of anyone who was unlucky enough to be sent there.
She wondered if Nerys had ever regained some of that fighting spirit she had once been renowned for – if only for a few short months. Did she fight her attacker? Or had she simply tried to comply with any demands, in the hope that it was the surest way to keep herself safe?
Stacey supposed that she had been lucky to escape Sunnymeade relatively unscathed, at least compared to a lot of the kids there. But the place had left its mark. When Danny had been released from prison when she was fifteen, he had fought to get her back, but children’s services said he was unfit to be a guardian after his stint in prison. How bloody ironic! She had finally managed to leave when she turned sixteen and had lived on her own for a few months, until her little flat had been broken into and Danny had convinced her to move in with him. She had enjoyed being back living with her older brother. It had been nice to see Luke almost every day too as she’d had a massive crush on him back then. But soon, the guilt of what Danny had done to protect her started to eat away at her. Every time she saw his face, she was reminded of the sacrifices he had made for her. He had come out of prison a very different person to the one who had gone in. She supposed he’d just been a child when he’d gone away, and had become a man whilst he was in there. He was still her loving big brother, but he was different too. He no longer had any patience for anyone except her and Luke, and he was constantly getting into fights. If that wasn’t enough to contend with, he had become so protective of her, it was almost unbearable. He questioned her every move. He interrogated every boy she so much as spoke to. It had been suffocating.
In an attempt to escape both her guilt and her overbearing brother, she had enrolled in college in Manchester and moved there when she was eighteen. It should have been the end of her worries – the start of a new, exciting life. Except it had been the start of a nightmare.
‘You’re going to remove a whole layer of wood from that table if you clean it any longer.’ The voice snapped her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Lena standing beside her. ‘You sure you’re okay?’
‘Yeah. Sorry, I’m just a bit distracted.’
‘Well, speaking of distracted, here’s your fine-looking brother and his hot mate,’ she said as she gave Stacey a gentle nudge in the ribs.
Stacey looked up to see Danny and Luke walking through the doors of Sophia’s Kitchen, smartly dressed in suits and looking every inch the pair of respectable businessmen they claimed to be. ‘Oh, and look who else is making an appearance,’ Lena said as she sucked the air in through her teeth. ‘Jake Conlon,’ she said, almost panting his name. ‘God, he is fit,’ she said as she started to adjust her blouse to ensure maximum cleavage.
Stacey started to laugh. ‘It’s a pity he’s gay, isn’t it?’
Lena stared at her open-mouthed. ‘What? No way,’ she gasped.
Stacey felt her cheeks redden. Danny had told her that and now she couldn’t recall if it was supposed to be a secret. She didn’t think so. She was usually so discreet. God, she hoped she hadn’t just outed Jake Conlon. ‘Maybe I misunderstood?’ Stacey offered.
‘Well, if it is true, what a waste of a man,’ Lena said as she continued staring at the three men as they stood talking to the maître d’.
‘What’s a waste of a man?’ their colleague Jamie suddenly piped up behind them.
Stacey groaned inwardly and wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
‘Jake,’ Lena whispered. ‘Stacey reckons he’s gay.’
‘I never—’ Stacey started but Jamie interrupted her.
‘That is incredibly offensive, you know. I think most gay men would disagree with you.’
‘That he’s gay?’ Lena asked.
‘That it’s a waste if he is,’ he said with a roll of his eyes.
‘You’d just be happy that a fitty like him was less competition for you, Jay,’ Lena teased him.
‘Can we stop talking about him being gay,’ Stacey whispered as Danny, Luke and Jake started to walk over to them.
‘Hey, sis,’ Danny said with a flash of his trademark smile before nodding a greeting to Lena and Jamie.
Luke smiled at her and she felt her skin flush pink again.
‘Do any of you know where my mum went? Did she say if she was coming back?’ Jake asked them.
Stacey shook her head. She hadn’t even noticed that Grace had left.
‘She never said where she was going, but she said she’d see us tomorrow, so I don’t think she’s planning on coming back,’ Lena replied.
‘Shit!’ Jake muttered.
‘Anything I can help you with, Jake?’ Lena said with a flutter of her eyelashes and her killer smile. If Jake noticed her flirting, nothing in his demeanour suggested it. ‘Nah, it’s okay, thanks,’
he replied as he turned to his companions. ‘We’ll have to catch her later at home. Fancy a quick bite to eat while we’re here?’
Luke nodded.
‘Yeah, okay. I’m sure our Stace will be happy to wait on us hand and foot, won’t you?’ Danny said with a grin.
Stacey forced a smile in return. ‘Of course, Sir,’ she replied sarcastically. ‘Sit wherever you like.’
Danny laughed and the three men walked to a table near the bar.
‘He must be gay,’ Jamie said with a laugh. ‘You gave him your best come-on then, Lena, and not even a flicker.’
Lena gave Jamie a gentle shove. ‘You just get back to work,’ she said good-naturedly.
Stacey listened to her colleagues chatter as they walked away and she made her way over to Danny, Luke and Jake. God, she really hoped that she hadn’t blown Jake’s secret.
Jake looked over the menu as Luke and Danny placed their order with Stacey. His cousin Steph was the head chef and she was constantly changing the menu. He wished she’d stop. He couldn’t find his favourite dish and he frowned.
‘And for you, Jake?’ Stacey asked as she smiled sweetly at him.
‘I want the steak and mushroom tagliatelle,’ he said.
Stacey frowned at him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she stammered, ‘I don’t think we do that dish.’
‘Just tell the chef it’s for me. They’ll be able to knock it up,’ he replied with a smile.
She blushed. ‘Okay, I’ll ask,’ she said before taking their menus. ‘I’ll be back with your drinks soon.’
Jake sat back in his chair.
‘What do you think your mum will say about our proposal?’ Luke asked.
‘She’ll be fine about it. It’s business, isn’t it?’ he said with a shrug. ‘I’m more bothered about where she is. She’s not answering her phone and I just texted Michael and he didn’t know where she was either. She’s always at this place during the day and it’s too early for her to pick up Belle and Oscar.’
‘I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably gone to see a mate,’ Luke offered.
‘You’re probably right. But I told her we might call in, and it’s just unusual for her to not let me know if she’s not going to be around, that’s all.’
‘Do you want to go and look for her?’ Danny offered.
Jake shook his head. ‘Nah. She’ll kill us if she thinks we’re checking up on her,’ he said with a roll of his eyes.
‘I’m sure she’s fine, Jake,’ Luke repeated.
‘Your sister seems to be enjoying working here,’ Jake said in an attempt to change the subject.
‘She fucking loves the place. And at least she’s working somewhere I know she’ll be looked after if there’s a kick-off.’
Jake was about to answer when Stacey walked back towards the table. ‘The chef said he can’t make your dish if it’s not on the menu,’ Stacey said as the flush crept over her cheeks again.
‘Who is the chef today?’ Jake asked.
‘Tony,’ Stacey said quietly.
‘For fuck’s sake,’ Jake muttered as he stood up from the table. He stormed into the kitchen, flinging open the door with such force that he almost knocked over a waitress. ‘Get out,’ he barked to her and she scurried out of the kitchen.
‘Tony!’ Jake shouted. ‘Do you have steak?’
‘Yes,’ Tony replied defiantly as he stood there staring at Jake, his muscular arms bulging through the sleeves of his chef’s whites.
‘Do you have mushrooms? And tagliatelle? And every other fucking ingredient that goes in that dish?’
‘Of course I do,’ he snapped.
‘Then why won’t you make me my fucking dinner then?’ Jake said as he took a few steps towards him.
‘I love it when you get angry,’ Tony answered with a grin.
‘Is that why I’m back here?’ Jake snarled.
Tony nodded. ‘Let’s face it, I need to take any chance I can get to see you these days.’
‘Tony,’ Jake said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. ‘I told you I don’t do this. We had a bit of a laugh together, but that’s all it was.’
‘I know,’ Tony said. ‘But it would be nice if you could not pretend like I didn’t exist next time you come in here, Jake. A few weeks ago you could hardly keep your hands off me. Right in this very kitchen.’ He gestured towards the steel counter. ‘And today you come in here and don’t even bother saying hello. I have to find out you’re here from the waitress.’
‘I’ve only been in here ten fucking minutes! Now stop acting like a like a tool and making me look like a cunt and just do your fucking job!’
‘Okay. Point taken,’ Tony said with a sigh. ‘I’ll make your bloody steak and mushroom.’
‘Thank you!’ Jake said as he straightened his jacket and walked out of the kitchen.
Jake arrived back at the table and took a seat. The assistant manager, Lena, had made her way over to their table now and was openly flirting with Danny. Jake laughed to himself; it made a welcome change from her throwing herself at him.
Luke caught Jake’s eye and grinned. Danny must have seen the look they exchanged as he turned his attention back to them. ‘We’ve got some business to talk through,’ he said to Lena. ‘I’ll catch up with you later,’ he said with a wink.
‘Later, Danny,’ she purred as she walked away, sashaying across the restaurant and back towards the bar.
‘You’re such a slut,’ Luke said to him good-naturedly. ‘Can we not go anywhere without you trying to pick up some poor unsuspecting woman?’
‘To be fair, I’m not sure you can entirely blame Danny for this one,’ Jake said with a laugh. ‘You want to be careful with her, she’ll eat you alive, mate,’ he warned.
Danny shook his head. ‘No need to worry about me. Nothing I can’t handle, lads. Anyway, are you getting your dinner, or what?’ he said to Jake.
‘Yeah. Tony has a bit of an issue with me ignoring him after me and him had a bit of a thing a few weeks ago.’
Luke started to laugh. ‘Fucking hell. You’re even worse than he is. So, you and Chef Tony, eh?’
From the corner of his eye, Jake thought he saw the flicker of a scowl cross Danny’s face, but when he looked directly at him, Danny was smiling. ‘There is no me and fucking Chef Tony,’ Jake said.
‘But you were fucking Chef Tony?’ Luke said with a flash of his eyebrows.
‘Fuck off!’ Jake snapped as Stacey approached their table with some small plates of tapas. ‘Compliments of the chef,’ she said.
Jake glared at Luke before he had a chance to comment. Luke heeded the warning and simply grinned at him instead.
Danny remained quiet for most of the meal while Jake and Luke talked about football.
‘You okay, mate?’ Jake asked him when Luke went to find Stacey to pay the bill.
‘Yeah,’ Danny said. ‘I’m fine.’
‘You going to get Lena’s number then?’ Jake said as he finished the last of his bottle of Budweiser.
‘Nah. Maybe some other time.’
‘Wise move.’
Danny smiled at him and Jake wondered at the change in his mood. It had happened after he’d come back from the kitchen after seeing Tony. Surely Danny didn’t have a problem with him being gay? No. Jake had told him shortly after they’d started working together and Danny had been fine with it, not that Jake would have cared if he hadn’t. He didn’t give a shit if people objected to his sexuality. He’d spent far too long denying who he really was and as far as he was concerned, if other people had a problem with that, then it was entirely theirs. But he’d worked closely with Danny and Luke these past few months, and they were good business partners. But they were more than that, they were good mates too – or so Jake had thought. So why did Danny seem to have an issue with him and Tony? Only one other possible explanation popped into Jake’s head and he dismissed it as quickly as it had occurred. Danny loved women. All women.
Chapter Fifteen
G
race arrived at Stefano’s just over fifteen minutes later to find Leigh already seated at Grace’s favourite booth at the back of the restaurant. It was quiet and discreet and the perfect place to have a private conversation. She noticed two steaming cups of coffee on the table too and wondered how long Leigh had been there. Grace frowned. She must have been close to the place to get there so quickly and order coffees. Had this meeting in fact been planned well in advance rather than appearing like a last-minute arrangement?
‘Hi, Grace,’ Leigh said with a faint smile.
‘Hi,’ Grace replied as she slipped into the booth opposite. ‘You been here long?’ she asked, indicating the two coffees.
‘I was on my way back to the station and I was only around the corner from here. It was why I suggested the place. I figured you’d be at Sophia’s, so it seemed ideal.’
That made sense. St Anne’s Street police station was just up the road and that was where Leigh and her team were based. She picked up her coffee and blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip. ‘So, what’s this new development I need to know about?’ Grace asked.
Leigh sat forward in her seat. ‘I was chatting to a DI friend of mine from Manchester, and they had a case like this about two years ago. Melanie Simmonds. Similar MO but there was only one victim. They never caught the perp and assumed they were looking for a disgruntled customer or pimp with a grudge.’
‘And you think this is connected to the girls in Liverpool?’
‘It’s a strong possibility. Manchester is only up the road. Maybe it was the killer’s first time? A trial run?’
‘But why wait so long before striking again?’