Strong Women

by Roberta Kray

  Ruby’s response was dramatic. For a second her whole body went rigid before a shudder ran through it. She bared her teeth, her eyes ablaze with fear and anger. Lurching forward, she raised a hand, the palm flat as if she was about to slap her.

  Jo smartly took a step back.

  ‘Get out of my house!’ she shrieked.

  Jo didn’t need telling twice. She turned on her heel and fled towards the hall. As she slammed shut the door, she was vaguely aware of Mrs Dark’s footsteps scurrying towards the conservatory.

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Jo was over halfway home before her heart rate returned to anything like normal. Her head was still scrambled though and on two separate occasions she almost ploughed into the car in front. After the second near-miss, she gripped the wheel and tried to concentrate. This wasn’t easy when all she could see was Ruby’s rage-filled face in front of her.

  Well, if she had wanted to provoke a reaction, she had certainly succeeded. And it was clear that the woman had something ugly to hide. Unfortunately, Jo was no closer to knowing what that something was. She had a few of the parts – that it was connected to Leonard Kearns, to Mitchell Strong, and that Peter had been involved – but they were just the minor pieces in what she suspected was a complicated jigsaw.

  Jo pulled into the drive in Barley Road and killed the engine. For a while she sat, unmoving, and stared up at the house. It was the part about Peter that really bothered her. What had been done that was so terrible he had not felt able to talk about it? She remembered the night he had got drunk and hurled the glass across the room. She thought about the picture of Rangoon.

  A cold shiver ran through her.

  Perhaps Leonard’s death hadn’t been as straightforward, as simply tragic as she’d thought. Perhaps … but before her imagination could slide into places she was thoroughly unprepared for, Jo quickly got out of the car. What was she doing? She had to keep a sense of proportion about all this. Peter had been a gentle man; he would never, could never, have been involved in any act of violence.

  She repeated this to herself as she opened the front door. If anything awful had happened, at worst he could only have been a reluctant witness. That much was beyond dispute. Jo nodded as she closed and locked the door behind her. Although she was not sure how much she had achieved by going to see Ruby, she didn’t regret it. Even if she was no closer to the truth, at least she had established that there was a truth to discover. And there was one bright side to the whole episode – at least she would never have to sit through one of those dreadful Sunday lunches again.

  Jo was at the top of the stairs when the phone started ringing. It could be Emerson with some information at last. She hurried into the living room, dropped her bag on the sofa and snatched up the receiver.

  ‘Hello?’

  But the voice on the other end was Carla’s. She sounded breathless and her voice, nervously excited, was a pitch higher than usual. ‘It’s me. My God, I’ve just had Tony on; he’s been getting a right earful. Ruby’s having a fit! She is so pissed off! What did you say to the old witch?’

  Jo couldn’t help smiling. News certainly travelled fast within the Strong family. ‘I’ve no idea. I just asked her about someone and she went off on one.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Some bloke who used to work for Mitchell.’

  ‘Who? Why should that bother her? I don’t get it.’

  ‘Quite. I don’t get it either. What did Tony say?’

  ‘Plenty, but nothing of any use. You know what he’s like – he never tells me more than he needs to. He just kept ranting on about how you’d called and arranged to see her this morning, claiming you were going to sell Ruby’s and then—’

  ‘I didn’t ever claim I was going to sell. I didn’t say that at all.’

  Carla gave a giggle. ‘Whoops! I think that was the impression she got. The old cow must’ve been mightily disappointed.’

  ‘She was,’ Jo agreed, ‘but she was even more dismayed when I started asking questions about Leonard Kearns. Did Tony mention that?’

  ‘No, not a word. What’s the deal with this Leonard guy?’

  ‘I haven’t a clue. I only know that he was in Burma, on a business trip with Mitchell, and he never came back.’

  There was a short pause before the penny dropped. ‘Oh God, was he the poor sod who died?’

  ‘That’s the one. Do you know anything about him?’

  Carla sighed down the line. ‘God,’ she murmured again. ‘Not really. I mean, I do remember but it was years ago. I’d forgotten his name. Didn’t he catch some kind of dreadful disease or something?’

  ‘Apparently.’

  ‘Yes, it’s all coming back now. There was a mighty fuss about what to do, about how or if they could fly the body home. Mitchell was doing his nut, going crazy. There was so much red tape – that country has got serious problems – and it all got incredibly complicated. Anyway, in the end he was buried out there … or maybe he was cremated. I’m not sure.’

  ‘Not an easy thing to explain to his wife.’

  ‘I suppose not,’ Carla said.

  ‘Constance was his wife – you know, the woman who lives downstairs from me.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘You never met her?’

  Carla sounded puzzled. ‘No, why should I? I don’t think I ever met Leonard either. Look, what’s this all about, Jo? What’s going on?’

  Jo pressed the phone closer to her ear. She nudged the toe of her shoe against the corner of the rug. ‘Was he out there when it happened?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Peter,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, I think so. Yes, all three of them were there, Mitchell, Tony and Peter.’

  ‘And Tony hasn’t ever mentioned anything?’

  ‘About what?’

  Jo was starting to feel like she was banging her head against a brick wall. Carla was clearly as ignorant as she was. ‘About what happened to … to Leonard Kearns.’

  ‘He got sick and died. What more is there to know? It’s very sad but there’s no great mystery.’ She paused. ‘Is there?’

  ‘You’re asking the wrong person. But if it’s all so straightforward, aren’t you curious as to why Ruby is kicking up such a fuss? I mean, it doesn’t make any sense.’

  Carla gave a thin laugh. ‘Yeah, well, working out why Ruby does most things is beyond me. That is one twisted lady. Maybe she thought you were accusing her of something.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Beats me. Look, I’ll have a word with Tony and see what I can find out. She was probably just mad because she was hoping to get her grubby little hands on the shop.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Jo said. But she didn’t believe it.

  They said their goodbyes and Jo put down the receiver. Well, if nothing else she had certainly stirred up a hornets’ nest. Now all she could do was cross her fingers and hope that she wasn’t the one about to get stung.

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Jo was in the process of binning the remains of her lunch, a half-eaten tuna sandwich, when the doorbell went. Two short, sharp rings cut through the silence of the flat. Her foot froze, still pressed against the pedal. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Her first thought was of Ruby and her heart sank. Please Lord, don’t let it be her! She couldn’t take another row.

  Carefully, as if the slightest sound might travel, she removed her foot and sidled over to the window. Keeping to one side, she glanced along the street. There were plenty of parking spaces but no sign of the old black Bentley. She slowly released her breath and relaxed.

  The bell went again, a longer single ring this time. She suddenly realised how pathetic it was, skulking in the kitchen, pretending that she wasn’t here. So much for the brave new Jo! One major run-in with the mother-in-law and she was already reverting to her former ways. She ran down the stairs and pulled open the door.

  Gabe Miller was standing in front of her.

  Her jaw dropped. ‘You … you’re out,’
she eventually managed to splutter. ‘They let you out.’

  He grinned. ‘I hope that’s an expression of happy surprise rather than horror.’

  ‘Yes. Sorry. I’m just …’ She was glad to see him, very glad. And he didn’t look too much the worse for wear. He was freshly shaven and wearing clean clothes. She laughed and stood aside. ‘Come on in.’

  Gabe didn’t move. ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘I’ve spent rather too long in confined spaces recently. I’ve got a yearning for fresh air. You don’t fancy a walk, do you? Preferably a walk with a pub at the end of it. I could really do with a drink.’

  ‘Just give me a minute and I’ll grab my keys.’

  Jo jogged back up to the living room, her cheeks glowing. She grabbed her bag off the chair and turned to go back down again. It was only as she caught sight of her reflection in the hall mirror that she stopped to check her face and tidy up her hair. The thought occurred to her: This was just relief she was feeling, wasn’t it? She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and frowned. Of course it was. What else could it be? If the police had decided to let him go, she was off the hook too. That was more than enough reason to celebrate. And, on a less selfish note, it would have been unbearable to see an innocent man go to prison. So there, that was all there was to it. Whatever else was making her cheeks burn so furiously had absolutely nothing to do with his presence. She gave a cursory nod to the mirror and carried on down the stairs.

  ‘There’s a decent place off the High Street,’ she said, closing the door. ‘They’ve got a courtyard so we can sit outside.’

  ‘Sounds ideal.’

  They crossed the road together and strolled on to the Green. The sun was still high in the sky, still blazing. She assumed from his appearance, from his clean jeans and crisp white shirt, that he must have gone somewhere before coming over to see her. Perhaps John Harris had picked him up from the station. ‘So what time did they let you go?’

  ‘About seven,’ he said.

  ‘They like to kick people out early then.’

  ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘It, er … it wasn’t exactly this morning.’

  Whatever warmth Jo may have been feeling towards him instantly dissolved. She stopped dead and put her hands on her hips. ‘Last night? You got out last night?’

  He pulled a face. ‘I guess I should have called you.’

  ‘You’ve been free for over eighteen hours and you couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone?’ Her eyes filled with incredulity. ‘I’ve been worried sick. I lied for you. I gave you a goddamn alibi!’

  ‘Yeah, I meant to thank you for that. Look, I’m sorry, okay? I was dead on my feet, completely shattered. You don’t get a lot of sleep in those places. I went back to Snakey’s place, crashed out and didn’t wake up again until this morning. By then, I thought I may as well just come round.’

  It took a few more seconds than it should have for her to connect John Harris, with all his snake tattoos, to his nickname. ‘Right,’ she said sarcastically, ‘why not? I mean, what’s a few more hours of stress and suffering between friends?’

  ‘Sorry, I fucked up. I wasn’t thinking straight.’

  ‘Too true,’ she said, unwilling to forgive him quite that easily. She pushed her hands into her pockets and continued walking.

  There was a long thirty seconds of silence before he said: ‘So is this how it’s going to be from now on?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You giving me the evil eye, the cold shoulder treatment. I’m not saying I don’t deserve it but—’

  ‘But you don’t think holding a grudge is an attractive trait in a woman?’

  ‘Well, that wasn’t what I was going to say but now you mention it …’ That familiar grin appeared again. ‘No, what I was hoping was that maybe you could see your way to cutting me some slack. It’s not a great deal of fun being interrogated by Old Bill – especially when they’re convinced you’re guilty. Another few hours and I’d have started believing it myself.’

  Jo shrugged, relenting a little. Perhaps she was being overly harsh.

  Gabe continued to wheedle. ‘Would it help if I offered to buy all the drinks?’

  ‘I presumed you’d be doing that anyway.’

  They’d reached the far side of the Green and turned left along the High Street. Jo didn’t cross over until after they’d passed Ruby’s. She didn’t even look at it.

  ‘Still skiving off work?’ he said.

  ‘Other things on my mind.’ Then, seeing his brows shift up, she added: ‘That wasn’t a dig. There’ve just been some … some problems recently.’ She thought of Leonard Kearns and quickly pushed the thought away. ‘You know how it is. Sometimes you need a bit of space.’

  Gabe didn’t enquire further, for which she was grateful. They walked to the end of the short alley and stepped inside The Speckled Hen. It was ten past two and although the lunchtime rush was over, there were still plenty of customers. At the bar, after a short wait, Gabe ordered a couple of cold beers and they took them through to the courtyard at the back. They found a shady spot in the corner, next to a large pot of scarlet geraniums, and sat down on opposite sides of the table.

  He clinked his bottle against hers. ‘Thanks again for what you did.’

  ‘I can’t say it was a pleasure but it was certainly an experience. So, is everything sorted now? Are you officially an innocent man?’

  ‘I’m not completely out of the frame – the cops don’t like to give up their prime suspects without a fight – but at least I’m not slap bang in the middle of it any more. Fortunately, one of my neighbours came forward, claiming to have spotted a couple of guys going into my flat on Sunday night. One of them was tall and blond, definitely Ritchie, but the other one was a good few inches shorter so that effectively ruled me out. Of course, I could still have come back, caught them in the act of burgling the place and lost my rag but there wasn’t any real evidence to support the theory.’

  ‘Oh,’ Jo said. She felt a stab of disappointment that her alibi hadn’t been the clinching factor in his release. ‘So I could have saved myself the bother of a trip down the station.’

  ‘Not at all,’ he insisted. ‘It was the two things together, your statement and the neighbour’s, that made all the difference. Even our dim-witted boys in blue could see that the evidence wasn’t exactly stacking up in their favour.’

  ‘I suppose that’s some consolation.’

  Gabe took a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, shook one out, lifted it to his lips and lit it. He leaned back and looked at her. ‘It wasn’t my idea, you know.’

  ‘What wasn’t?’

  ‘The alibi. I would never have asked you to do that. Snakey’s a good mate, and his heart’s in the right place, but he does have a habit of taking action before thinking through the consequences. I hope he didn’t put too much pressure on you.’

  ‘I’m perfectly capable of making up my own mind, thank you.’

  ‘I’m sure you are.’ His grey eyes danced with amusement. ‘Although I have to admit, I was rather surprised when I heard. Two nights of rampant passion, huh? Who’d have believed it?’

  Jo stared back at him. ‘As you previously remarked, those detectives are pretty dim-witted.’

  ‘Either that or you were mighty convincing.’

  She knew he was only teasing, that she shouldn’t allow him to get under her skin, but still she bristled. ‘What they believed,’ she said, ‘is that every poor woman can make a mistake now and again, especially when their judgement is seriously impaired by alcohol.’

  Gabe glanced at the bottle she was holding and winked. ‘Drink up! The afternoon’s still young.’

  She faked a smile. ‘How charming. I can see why you’re such a hit with the ladies.’

  ‘Ah, so you’ve heard about that.’

  Jo waved his wisecrack aside. She made a fast study of his angular face, noting his dark grey eyes, the bump on the bridge of his nose and his smiling mouth. She recalled the cruelty she had th
ought she had seen on those lips when they’d first met – but she’d been wrong. There was no cruelty in Gabe Miller. ‘Anyway, I didn’t do it for you. There’s still a missing girl out there in case you’d forgotten. She is still missing, isn’t she?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, his expression growing instantly serious. ‘Snakey got his kid, Gemma – she’s about the same age – to call up the house this morning and ask for Silver. Nina answered the phone and said she was on holiday, that she wouldn’t be back until next week.’

  ‘So the ransom hasn’t been paid.’

  ‘Looks that way.’

  ‘Are you going to try and get in touch with Susan again?’

  Gabe shook his head. ‘No, I’d rather she didn’t know I was out. She’s going to feel more confident, too confident hopefully, if she thinks I’m safely behind bars. It’s about the only advantage I’ve got at the moment.’

  ‘She called me on the night you were arrested.’

  ‘You mean the night she set me up.’ He took a drag on the cigarette and released the smoke in a long, thin stream. ‘And please don’t say I told you so.’

  ‘No point stating the obvious.’

  ‘That doesn’t stop most people.’

  Jo took a sip of her beer, wondering how much the betrayal had hurt him. Being turned over to the police by a woman you had once loved couldn’t count amongst the best experiences in the world. She searched his face but he wasn’t an easy man to read. ‘Don’t you want to know what she said?’

  ‘Let me guess: keep your mouth shut, don’t speak to the cops and consult your conscience before making a decision. Oh yes, and don’t trust a word that Gabe Miller tells you, he’s got a pretty dubious past.’ He gave a light easy laugh. ‘Did I miss anything out?’

  ‘No,’ Jo said. ‘I think that just about covers it.’

  Gabe dropped his cigarette, grinding it into one of the paving stones with the heel of his shoe. He sighed, drank his beer and studied the red geraniums.

  She decided, if only temporarily, to change the subject. ‘Can I ask you something?’