by Lynda Stacey
Eve smiled. ‘Are you sure you don’t want a visit tomorrow?’ Zoe had questioned earlier as she’d helped Eve to straighten her hair. But she’d shaken her head and thought of the evening she’d planned to spend with Eric.
Chapter Thirty-Two
‘Eve, calm down,’ Kate whispered as she sat up in bed, and tried to look at the clock through eyes that were glazed and didn’t want to open. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Eric kissed me,’ Eve sobbed.
Kate switched on the bedside lamp and flopped back against the pillows. ‘Okay, and that’s a bad thing because …?’ Kate sighed as she unhappily pulled back the duvet and slid her feet out of bed. She was still at Ben’s house, and she still found it strange to feel the floor boards and rugs underfoot, rather than the carpets in her cottage.
‘Because it was a real kiss, Kate. A real passionate one, not just a peck and I really like him, but what if I’m not good enough for him, Kate? What if I’m not enough?’ Eve continued to sob down the phone. ‘One of the women at the book club, I saw how she looked at him.’ She paused and Kate heard her blow her nose loudly into a handkerchief. ‘And what’s more, she’s slim, tall and has the most perfect figure. What if she makes a move on him, Kate? What if he likes her more than me? He might take the better and easier option, don’t you think? He’s not going to want to push me around in a bloody chair forever, is he?’
Kate deliberated for a moment. Eve was more fragile than she’d thought and she needed to think carefully before giving out advice.
‘Eve, do you ever look in the mirror?’ Kate hesitated and just hoped for once that she could say something that would make her sister feel better.
Eve answered with a loud grunt. Kate waited a few moments before continuing. ‘Well, do you?’ She sounded more like their mother on one of her lectures, but she knew that being stern would be the only way to get through to Eve.
‘Yes.’ Eve’s answer was whimpered and pathetic. Kate’s heart cried out as she could feel her twin’s anguish. It was as though they were connected, heart to heart by a string that tugged between them. Every time Eve’s heart lurched, so did Kate’s.
Kate closed her eyes and wished for teleportation. She’d have given anything to be curled up with Eve, on a bed like spoons, cuddled up together, as they’d done so often over the years. At least then she’d have been able to reassure her, help her and convince her that she was beautiful and that Eric would be a fool not to see that.
‘What do you see when you look in the mirror, Eve?’ The question was direct and meant to provoke.
The phone line was silent for a few seconds. She knew that Eve was thinking about her answer and could almost guess what it would be. After all, Kate knew that when she looked in the mirror herself, all she saw was the scar. A huge, puckered red scar, something that everyone noticed, but most were too embarrassed to mention.
‘I see a great big lump of metal on wheels, Kate,’ she finally replied. ‘I just see the bloody chair.’
‘Well, that’s the problem, Eve,’ Kate snapped. ‘I never see the chair. When I look at you, I see a woman, a beautiful woman in the prime of her life, with so much to give. And do you know what, Eve? I’d say that Eric is a good man and he sees exactly the same.’
Eve sniffed loudly. ‘But—’
‘There are no buts. Tell me what happened?’ Kate asked. The words were a question that got no reply. ‘Eve, when did he kiss you?’ she continued as she once again checked the clock. It was six o’clock in the morning. So unless Eric had stayed the night the kiss must have happened the night before. She thought of the kiss that she’d shared with Ben, the kiss that had brought her so much hope for the future.
‘Last night,’ Eve acknowledged. ‘He kissed me when he brought me home from having dinner.’ She sobbed. ‘Actually, I think that I may have kissed him.’
Kate began to daydream as she perched the phone under her chin. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Ben every day, to see that sparkle light up his face and to gaze into those cavernous eyes.
‘But you said that you and Eric have kissed before?’
‘Yes, we have. But not like this. I’ve been thinking about it all night, Kate. I’ve barely slept.’
‘Okay. Let’s think rationally. Have you heard from Eric since the kiss?’ Kate said as she walked down the stairs, into the kitchen and turned Ben’s coffee machine on, before digging in the cupboard looking for coffee.
‘We’ve been texting back and forth all night,’ Eve replied.
Kate closed her eyes. The coffee machine was more trouble than it was worth and she opened the fridge and looked for the orange juice.
‘Eve,’ she said with a sigh. ‘So, you should be happy. What’s the problem?’
‘I’m frightened, Kate. We kissed, everything got a bit heated and then he got all nervous and left. I hoped he’d want to stay. I was disappointed and relieved, all at once. But then I started thinking about sex and, you know, what if he wants me to have sex with him? What if I can’t do it anymore?’ She stopped as she began to take in huge gulps of air. ‘I’m not sure how much I’ll feel.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Eve. One kiss does not equate to sex.’ Kate tried to keep calm. The phone slipped from under her chin and almost landed on the floor. Grabbing it quickly, she held it tightly in one hand, as her other picked up the juice.
‘Eve, you had sex before the accident.’ She laughed. ‘I know that for sure because I’ve lost count of how many times I walked in on you, or caught you doing it in the back of the car on our parents’ driveway.’
She heard Eve begin to laugh. ‘Oh my goodness, I did do that, didn’t I?’
‘Well,’ Kate continued, ‘it can’t be so different, can it? I mean, it’s not all about the actual sex act is it? There are so many ways of pleasing each other …’ She was suddenly aware that Ben was in the house and probably listening to their conversation. She looked over her shoulder towards the lounge, where, being the perfect gentleman, he slept on the settee.
Kate was tired. The past two days had completely drained her and all she wanted to do was go back to bed, to Ben’s bed, which still smelt of his aftershave.
‘Eve, I’d come over, but I’m not sure I could face Mother, not at this time of the morning.’
‘She isn’t here.’
Kate had begun walking back to the bedroom, but stopped in her tracks. ‘What the hell do you mean, she isn’t there?’ Kate panicked at the thought that their mother could have gone back to the cottage.
‘I’m not her bloody keeper, Kate. Father had been working away, but now he’s back and he came over yesterday. He promised to take her to see a doctor. And she said something about not staying where she wasn’t wanted, didn’t she, Max?’
Kate felt a sudden sense of relief. ‘Father, he came?’ The news that their mother had gone back home explained so much. Closing her eyes, Kate thought of the bed that was just a few paces away; she thought of how amazing it would be to crawl back in, and even wondered what it would be like to drag Ben into the bed with her, but she knew deep down that she needed to go to Eve. She needed to curl up with her, hug her and tell her that it would all be all right, even if in the back of her own mind, she couldn’t promise.
Kate glanced into the lounge and checked that Ben was still sleeping. Satisfied that he was, she went up to the bedroom and changed. ‘Eve, I’ll tell you what, give me half an hour and put the kettle on. I’m dying for a decent coffee.’
Chapter Thirty-Three
‘What do you mean, the bloody shipment’s gone?’ Isobel screamed down her mobile. She walked from lounge to kitchen, out through the back door and entered the pool house, where Roberto ran on a treadmill.
‘Half of the shipment was impounded. Martin was stupid, he’s been arrested,’ Giancarlo whispered. ‘But there’s nothing I can do. Not from here.’
Isobel panicked. ‘Where are you?’ She held the phone tight to her ear. She heard him cough and for a mome
nt she thought that he’d gone, but then realised that someone must have walked too close to where he sat. It was a signal they’d used numerous times before, to cough and to begin again once they could speak.
‘I have to leave the country for a week or two. The police are onto me and it’s me they will follow, so the further away from the rest of the shipment I am, the better.’
‘But, Giancarlo, you can’t leave. What will we do? Will Martin talk?’
‘No, it’d be the last thing he’d ever do,’ Giancarlo whispered. ‘I’ve given Roberto all the details of the next drop. Customs are watching the airports and docks for us. It’s too dangerous to bring it in that way and hopefully they’ll follow me, thinking I’m doing the pick-up. We have to bring the drop in by the alternative route. It’s all planned with the Red Lady. We’ve spoken of this. It’s more dangerous, but both Luca and Roberto know what they are doing.’
Isobel knew that the Bellandinis had always stuck together. They were like a pack of wolves, all working towards a cause and all of them did what Giancarlo said, whether they liked it or not. She actually felt sorry for Martin. Giancarlo would get his revenge and when he did, she wouldn’t like to be in his shoes.
‘So, what happens next, Giancarlo?’ Isobel questioned. ‘I have dealers screaming at me.’
‘Calm down, calm down, all will be well.’
Isobel walked around the pool, crouched down and ran her fingers through the water. ‘So, it’s still coming in by sea? Still midnight? When?’ she quizzed without looking up at Roberto who continued his run on the treadmill. He was in a zone of his own, had been for days, but Isobel still hadn’t worked out why.
Again there was a pause before Giancarlo said, ‘Roberto will tell you everything. You have to be prepared, my darling girl. I could be gone for a while.’ His voice sounded calm, yet defeated.
Isobel closed her eyes and sobbed. ‘And Elena, is she to go with you?’
Giancarlo didn’t answer, which told Isobel all that she really needed to know. She’d loved Giancarlo for years, even though she knew that he’d never love her in return. He loved his wife, and had made it very clear that he didn’t need another.
Why had she allowed it to continue? Why had she been so weak that for the small amount of attention that he chose to give her, she’d not only become deeply involved with him, but she’d ended up in deep with the drugs? And now the dealers were screaming, they wouldn’t wait forever and she feared for what they’d do to her, if the shipment didn’t arrive.
Of course, she’d played around with Luca, and with Roberto. They were all part of the same family, all conquests, like trophies she’d needed to win, but all had been to make Giancarlo jealous, although none had and now he was gone. Isobel sobbed.
‘Hey, bello piccolo fiore, do not cry for me.’ He chuckled as he spoke. ‘I’ll be back before you know it, there is a plan. If the shipment goes wrong, you need to do what Roberto says. You need to go with him to the safe house and wait for me.’
His Italian words of ‘little flower’ rang out in her ears as Isobel remembered the hushed plans often spoken between Giancarlo and Roberto. They’d looked at maps, discussed co-ordinates and had taken trips away without explanation. It was obvious that elaborate plans had been made but none of the details had ever been made clear to her and right now she was pleased that they hadn’t.
The less that she knew the better.
‘Giancarlo, I’m scared. Please promise me you’ll come back. I don’t know how we’ll survive, not without you.’
‘My girl, just do as you are told. Roberto will look after you.’
Isobel stared at where Roberto now sat on the edge of the pool, his eyes just staring into space. It was as though she didn’t exist and she immediately knew that if she were to rely on him to keep her safe, she’d be waiting a long time. She swallowed hard, and realised that if she wanted to be looked after, she’d have to do it for herself.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Kate walked in through the front door and immediately noticed that there was a different atmosphere in the office. She looked at her watch. It was still only nine o’clock and even though Ben had said she should stay at home; the early morning wakeup call she’d had from Eve had been the push she needed to leave the house. She’d spent the last two hours trying to boost Eve’s self-confidence where her love life was concerned and now felt it was time to go to work.
‘Hey, how are you?’ Kate asked Gloria with a beaming smile.
‘I’m great. More to the point, how are you?’ Gloria gave her a brief look, then walked over to a newly-installed coffee machine that now stood behind reception. ‘I don’t know why Ben bought this thing. He has one at home, you know, and says it will make my life easier.’ She tutted and pointed at the machine. ‘You want it normal, cappuccino or would you prefer one of those latte ones?’ she asked, raising her eyebrows and waiting for Kate to make a decision. ‘Now, sit down. You should rest.’ Gloria pointed to the settee with authority and Kate knew that Ben had already filled her in about the attack.
‘Normal coffee is fine, thank you. Where’s Ben?’ she asked, changing the subject.
Gloria pointed towards the wall, indicating that he was in the next door office. ‘He’s in there with William,’ she replied as Kate moved towards the door. ‘It’s about the case, I don’t think they’d mind if you joined them.’
‘Ben, do you want to fill me in? Because right now I don’t understand.’ She sat down in the tub chair that stood before William’s desk. The door opened and Gloria entered with a tray.
‘Finally, I got that damned machine to work.’ She placed the tray down on the desk. It held carrot cake, chocolate cake and three steaming mugs of coffee. ‘I’ll be going back to my kettle before the end of the day, mark my words.’ She laughed and then looked affectionately at Ben.
‘Thanks,’ they all said in unison as they picked up the mugs and immediately began to drink.
Kate felt her heartbeat calm as she sat back in the chair. It seemed so long since she’d first come to work here. Yet, in real time, it had only been just over a week. Since then her life had changed considerably. She still couldn’t believe that Rob, of all people, was involved with drugs. He’d always been so very strict about everything that he’d put into his body, even his daily amount of calories was dictated by every minute of exercise he’d done during the day. But then again, she wouldn’t have thought him capable of trying to kill her either, but he had.
‘It’s time to turn the case over. We’re done.’ Ben stared at his father. ‘We won’t put you at any more risk. It isn’t worth it.’
‘But we’re so close.’
William stood up. ‘Don’t worry. We have all the information we need. All we have to do now is pass it over and wait till the authorities take them down.’ He looked at her, lips pursed. ‘Ben’s right. We won’t put you in danger. Besides, do you remember the day in Whitby?’ He placed his mug back on the tray. ‘Well it seems that your day was quite productive. You were spot on about the Red Lady. And what’s more, those photographs you took have given us times, dates and co-ordinates. We know that the drugs are coming in by sea and it’ll be the Red Lady that picks up the load.’ He patted the evidence folder. ‘A fishing boat coming in from France will drop the drugs over the San Georgic, the wreck we spoke about before. This way they won’t have gone through customs. They’ll use a basket, similar to a lobster pot with a weight attached. It stops the basket from drifting off. From what we’ve heard the drugs will be picked up by two divers, one of them will probably be Roberto Bellandini. He will use scuba gear to retrieve the baskets and take them aboard the Red Lady tomorrow night.’
‘Who?’ Kate was puzzled.
‘Roberto Bellandini, my dear Kate. The man you know as Robert Bell, his real identity is that of a Roberto Bellandini, a twenty-eight-year-old drug dealer, related to one of the most notorious Italian families that we’ve ever heard of.’
Kate threw her han
ds in the air. Was there anything else she didn’t know about the man she’d been about to marry? ‘As far as I’m aware, he has no idea how to scuba dive. He’s quite fond of the shower, but not the sea. Trust me, I’ve had to clean the bathroom after him for over a year.’ She laughed at the thought.
‘Yes, Kate, he can. He’s a scuba diving instructor, capable of teaching people from their first breaths, right through to teaching them how to become instructors themselves. He’s quite an expert; been diving for years,’ William replied, filling her in on another part of Rob’s life that she’d known nothing about.
‘I feel so stupid. I had no idea who the hell I was engaged to.’ The thought of Rob made her shake; every part of her trembled and she wondered how long it would be before the feeling would go.
Ben stood up and walked over to where she sat. ‘You are not stupid. Far from it.’ Ben held out his hands to take hers. ‘You’re shaking. Why don’t you go home? We can manage things here.’
She shrugged him off as anger took her over. ‘Do you know what, Ben? I don’t want to go home. I mean, where is my home right now? I can’t keep staying at your house, yet I don’t feel that I can go back to the cottage either. No, I’m staying here. What I really want is to see Rob put behind bars, along with Isobel, Luca and whoever else is running this bloody circus.’
Isobel paced up and down the living room. Fear and anguish raced through her as Roberto sat on the settee, head hung, hands clasped.
‘So, they arrested him?’ Isobel asked as she desperately looked around her to find something to do with her hands. She picked up a packet of cigarettes, pulling one out. She lit it.
‘Put that out. Smoking isn’t going to change what’s happened,’ he said as he looked up at her in disgust. ‘You know how much I hate you smoking. It smells disgusting.’ He stood up and opened a window, standing beside it until Isobel relented, crushing the remnants of the cigarette into an ashtray.