by Martina Cole
Danny smiled genuinely. He loved hearing the old stories; there was an honesty in the old days that was gradually disappearing in the criminal world. He knew that there was a new world of villainy, and he made sure that he was at the top of his game where that was concerned. But he yearned to be a part of the days when a bank robbery was still a viable option and people still had to find a phone booth to dial 999. It seemed unbelievable now to realise that was actually not that long ago.
Danny Foster envied Patrick Kelly and his counterparts because he knew that they had lived through times that were not just exciting but were also gone for ever. Now in his forties, he wasn’t that young by today’s standards; in many respects he was seen as getting long in the tooth. He respected that Patrick Kelly and his ilk were still seen as innovators and part of the real criminal underworld, all these years later. Patrick Kelly was the last of a dying breed – not that Danny would ever point that out, of course.
He opened one of the filing cabinets and took out a bottle of Famous Grouse and two glasses. He poured them both a hefty measure, and they toasted the new business together.
Patrick settled himself in Jackie’s big leather chair and said contentedly, ‘This is the fucking life, mate. I always preferred a proper cash business. I loved going out in the morning, waiting to see what the day would bring.’ He was laughing at his own words, because those days were nearly gone, and he felt old. ‘I loved the promise of the new day and the possibility of a new earn! That must sound like fucking ancient history to you lot now.’
Danny smiled that easy smile of his and said, ‘You know that I love hearing the old stories, Pat. You’re a true raconteur, mate.’
Patrick sipped his Scotch and said happily, ‘I like this place. We did good, Danny.’
They were easy in each other’s company, as always, and Patrick knew that he had a diamond and that he should appreciate him more. His son’s arrival had been a blow to Danny, and he understood that. He also knew that he had to ensure that Danny didn’t feel left out of everything. He had relied on this man for a long time and he had never found him wanting. Loyalty was important to Patrick Kelly, and Patrick knew that Danny Foster felt exactly the same.
‘What is happening with Joseph’s wife, Pat? It must have been fucking mental.’
Patrick scowled and waved a hand, as if batting off a nuisance fly. ‘Fucking loon she is. By the way, thank you for finding that brief for me – she seems on the ball. But Kate thinks that Bella needs serious help. She has fucking previous form and all, if you please! She lost her mind before, as a young girl, and caused fucking murders. But what I don’t understand is how Joseph didn’t see it. I knew from the second I clapped eyes on her that she wasn’t the full two bob. There was something off about her – she was really rude to my Kate, and that didn’t go in her favour, as you can imagine. But I was more interested in the kids, obviously. And to be truthful, I would have put up with anything for their sakes. Bella didn’t exactly endear herself to any of us, but, as Kate pointed out, Joseph married her. I can’t argue with that, can I? He says she wasn’t like that when he met her. Oh, I don’t fucking know! I love having the kids there with us, of course. But I think it is hard on Kate.’
Danny Foster refilled their glasses and said gently, ‘Look, Patrick, I have to be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled at Joseph turning up out of the blue. I’ve always looked on you as the father I wished I’d had. You knew that, I think. But having met Joseph, I like him, and you know he is not the first man to be blind-sided by a woman. So don’t think any less of him – it’s happened to a lot of blokes. Look at Dino Renshaw! I mean, his wife seemed to be beyond reproach, and then it turned out she was putting it out for anyone who tipped her the wink. When it comes to relationships, we all make the same mistake. We see what we choose to see, because we are all loved up.
‘I feel sorry for Joseph, because this isn’t a normal situation, is it? He had to finally admit that he had picked a wrong ’un. She gave him two beautiful kids, and even you said she was a good mother. What she is guilty of is not being able to control her anger and her aggression. Fuck me, Pat – if she was a man we would have had her on the payroll. All you can do is be there to pick up the pieces. When all is said and done, he is your flesh and blood.’
Patrick Kelly listened to what Danny had to say; he was talking a lot of sense. But Patrick couldn’t help feeling that his son should have seen this coming.
Danny Foster leaned forward in his chair and, looking intently into Patrick’s face, he said, ‘Listen, Pat, he’s not you or me. He doesn’t live in our world. He thought she was a nice girl. He believed her and everything she said because, unlike us, it never occurred to him to question what she was saying. You can’t start allocating blame, because that is the road to nowhere. Then he got himself a bit of strange and fell in love with it. It happens but, unlike our world, he didn’t know how to cope. He’s a university boy, Patrick, and he worked. And he realised, like a lot of men and women before him, that he had made the mistake of his life. He had tied himself to a woman he didn’t love any more. He couldn’t know what she was capable of, could he? Let the courts sort her out, and be there for your son and those grandchildren.’
Patrick smiled gratefully. It had taken Danny a lot to come to terms with Joseph coming into his life, and for him to treat this new competitor for Patrick’s affections so magnanimously was something to be admired.
‘You are right, Danny Boy. I shouldn’t be so quick to judge Joseph, because he couldn’t have foreseen this. No one could. I think I’m just disappointed in the way this has played out. What I need to do now is get a grip and make sure that it is dealt with in such a way that my grandchildren are not too affected.’
Danny Foster nodded his agreement. ‘You need to remember that Joseph isn’t like us, Pat. He’s a civilian.’
Patrick sipped at his Scotch and felt himself relaxing.
This was exactly what he needed to hear, and it was why he had come to this yard today. He craved this normality, a reminder of what he was capable of, and of what he could still achieve, if he wanted to. He needed to remember exactly who and what he was – that he was a man to be reckoned with.
Chapter Eighty-seven
Annie Carr had come to talk to Miss Betterway again, and she wasn’t impressed with having to wait. It seemed the teacher had managed to hang on to her job for now even after revealing the details of the sex circle to Annie. But then, as the headmaster himself had been in on the cover-up, he didn’t exactly have a leg to stand on to give her the sack. Annie wouldn’t like to be in either of their shoes when it came to the next school governors’ meeting though.
Annie stood up and walked around the empty corridor and breathed in the smell of a school. Disinfectant, and the heat – combined with the closed glass doors and windows – made the whole place feel muggy. She slipped her cotton jacket off and put it into her bag, not even bothering to fold it up. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the double doors and saw that she looked very unkempt. That wasn’t unusual – she often looked untidy – but she needed to up her game and at least try to keep herself on the right side of scruffy. But until this case was over, she would eat, sleep and shit her job, if that was what it took to find the man responsible. She opened her bag up again and took out the folder with the pictures of Janet Cross in, and she held the file against her chest as if she was warding off some kind of evil.
When Miss Betterway finally invited her into her office, Annie Carr was seriously pissed off. And she was also ready to take Miss Betterway down, if the occasion warranted it. She couldn’t understand a woman who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, drop everything to try to help three of her pupils who had been murdered. It was beyond Annie’s comprehension.
As she walked into the familiar office, she said brightly but with no small amount of suppressed sarcasm, ‘Thank you for finding the time in your busy day to see me. It is very much appreciated, I can assure you.’
Miss
Betterway had the grace to look ashamed and, as she sat down, Annie saw the pile of books on her desk, and the different files that were dotted around the room.
‘I’m working on the lessons for the new term and also trying to arrange the memorials for Kylie, Destiny and Janet. It’s been a difficult time, as you can imagine, Detective Carr.’
Annie felt her anger deflate, because she knew that this had to be as hard for this woman as it was for her. Probably harder, because Miss Betterway had known them all personally.
‘Can I get you a coffee?’
Annie forced herself to smile as she said lightly, ‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
She used the time while Miss Betterway made the coffees to look around the office. She saw that a lot of time and effort went into making sure these children had the best education that their teacher could offer, and Annie felt a sliver of shame at how she had treated the woman. She saw that there was a thank-you letter being drafted for the Carters; they had once more put much-needed money into the school. From what she could see they had come to the school’s aid by paying a lot of money for what she thought said ‘gym equipment’. Annie had not realised how bad the financial state of the education system was, but then she wouldn’t, as she didn’t have any children of her own. But it seemed that schools like this, which were state-funded, struggled to make ends meet.
When Miss Betterway came back with the coffees, Annie smiled her thanks and tried to look as friendly as possible. Miss Betterway sat down at her desk, and Annie saw the way that the woman smoothed down her skirt and checked the buttons on her blouse. She was so self-contained, and Annie wondered if that was because of her job. It couldn’t be easy – Annie knew that she wouldn’t want to do it.
Smiling gently, Annie sipped her coffee a few times before saying, ‘I need to talk to you about Janet Cross again in more detail. This is the third girl from the same school in the same year. I think that whoever we are looking for has some kind of connection with either the school or the girls. It stands to reason. So I need you to tell me everything you know or can remember about Janet Cross.’
Miss Betterway licked her lips nervously. The deaths had obviously hit her hard, and that was a natural reaction. But they had investigated everyone involved with this school, and no one stood out. Every one of them had an alibi for the nights in question. It was almost impossible to believe but, after every line of enquiry, there was still nothing to tie these girls together or even give an inkling as to who was involved in their disappearances and deaths.
Miss Betterway was quiet for a few moments, thinking hard. ‘Janet Cross was a good girl. She wasn’t like Kylie or Destiny – and I mean that in the nicest possible way. She wasn’t involved with the bracelet stuff. She was nondescript really. She tried hard to fit in, but she just didn’t have what it takes. A late developer in many ways, I suppose.’
Annie took the latest photos of Janet Cross out of the file and handed them to Miss Betterway, who was stunned.
‘She certainly didn’t look like this at school! But I can see that she was starting to blossom, at last.’ She put the photos down and dropped her head into her hands in distress. ‘She never did a thing to anyone. Janet was a nice kid, and that just isn’t enough once they get to the “big school”, as we used to call it. There is so much pressure on young people – the girls especially – these days. But Janet never indulged in risky behaviour like the other girls.’
‘No attention from any boys?’ Annie asked.
‘Not that I know of. Stephen Carter was always kind to her, and that wasn’t so surprising, he is nice to everyone. I wish there were more kids like him. I asked him to help her with a history project she was struggling with as he did so well on that module last year, and they sometimes ate lunch together after that, which didn’t go down too well with a lot of the girls, as you can imagine. He is the dream boyfriend, and all the more so because he doesn’t take any interest in the so-called popular girls. But he always had time for Janet. She adored him, of course. But that wasn’t unusual, because all the girls adore him. He’s good-looking, well dressed, and his dad drives a Rolls Royce! He has what the Americans term “the full package”.’
Annie laughed despite herself, because she knew that Miss Betterway was absolutely right. Stephen Carter did seem to be a good lad.
‘Do you know he’s actually friendly with a lot of the loner kids. Because he doesn’t care about being trendy, like the majority of his peers here, he’s a breath of fresh air.’
Annie smiled. She had to admit she had found Stephen to be charming too. He had a nice family as well. She said as much, and Miss Betterway couldn’t wait to sing their praises.
‘Yes, they are good people. His father is a bit of a rough diamond, as I am sure you could tell. But he’s a self-made man and very successful. He puts a lot of money into this school.’
Annie nodded her agreement. ‘It would probably have been cheaper for them to send him to a good private school, I should imagine.’ As soon as she said the words, she wished she could have taken them back. Miss Betterway was obviously deeply offended, and Annie was at pains to explain that she didn’t mean what she said. ‘I really didn’t mean that how it came out, Miss Betterway. I wasn’t meaning that the education would necessarily be better privately. I was talking purely from a financial point of view. I know that you all do a great job here and under difficult circumstances, I am sure.’
Miss Betterway was far from happy, but Annie felt she had smoothed her ruffled feathers enough to keep the peace.
‘It is difficult, Detective Carr, and we pride ourselves on how well our pupils do.’
Annie Carr knew that she wouldn’t get anything more that would be useful now and that it would be much better to retreat on this occasion. She stood up and held her hand out.
As Miss Betterway shook her hand, the woman said seriously, ‘A private education cannot guarantee anything. My kids work because they want to. Not all of them – you can’t reach the ones who are brought up on a diet of apathy by parents who never wanted to achieve either. But we do our best here to make sure our children have the opportunities, should they want to explore them.’
Annie Carr was suitably chastened, so she said sincerely, ‘I am sure you do. Thank you for your time.’
Chapter Eighty-eight
‘It is a big no, Patrick. It is not a good idea for Christine to come here when she leaves hospital – whenever that might be. What are you thinking! These children have just lost their mother. Whatever the circumstances, you cannot bring that woman into their home.’
Patrick had expected as much, but he had promised Joseph that he would try. The truth was he had not wanted to be the one to say no to his son. It was cowardly, but he didn’t know what else to do. Joseph felt so guilty about what had happened to Christine that he felt he was honour bound to take care of her. She was going to have a long and painful road to any sort of recovery and Patrick wasn’t too sure that she actually wanted to become a surrogate mother overnight anyway. He wondered how the kids would have taken it – especially young Joey. He had sussed far more than was good for him about the circumstances. Patrick was relieved that Kate had put her foot down, as he had been counting on her to do.
Now he had fulfilled his half of the bargain and asked her. And he could tell Joseph that it was Kate who had put the kibosh on it.
‘I know you are right, Kate, but I had to ask, darling. Joseph feels responsible for what happened—’
Kate interrupted him then, shouting angrily, ‘He should feel responsible, Pat, because he is. I know he is your new blue-eyed boy, but he caused all this. How either of you could even think about bringing Christine Murray here I don’t know! Bella is banged up in a psychiatric facility for the moment with that expensive brief on the case to boot – which is costing you a bomb, I know – and we have opened our home to him and the children. I have no problem with that. But I will not let that woman into the same house with his children. It
is not only wrong, it is fucking creepy. Whatever Bella is, or whatever she has done, she is still those children’s mother.’
Patrick Kelly was now desperately trying to find the words to extricate himself from Kate’s wrath. Because when she said it out loud, it sounded even worse than he had first thought. Of course they couldn’t house his son’s bird – it was ludicrous.
Young Joey came into the office and, looking at Kate, he said quietly, ‘Thank you, Kate. And could you inform my dad that if she comes here then I will leave? My friend Peter’s parents would happily put me up.’
Patrick had the grace to look ashamed and, smiling sadly, he said to his grandson, ‘Look, Joey, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect. But you know she’s in a bad way and she needs looking after.’
Joey Junior shrugged nonchalantly. ‘My mum did a really awful thing, I know that. One day in the future I am sure we will be ready to meet with Christine. But that time is not now. I know my mum has done something very wrong but, as Kate just pointed out, she is still our mother, and we love her. Dad did something wrong too, remember.’
Patrick and Kate looked at this handsome young lad who spoke such a cartload of common sense – he was honest and not afraid to speak his mind.
‘You are going nowhere, Joey. I can categorically state now that Christine Murray is not going to come and live in this house.’
Joey looked at Kate and she could see the tears shining in his eyes, and she felt a huge surge of affection for this decent and sensible young man.
‘Thank you, Kate.’ He left the room as quietly as he had entered it.
Kate looked at Patrick and raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner.