by Emma Tallon
‘Gotcha. I’ll sort it today.’
‘Good man.’
The line clicked off. Freddie stubbed out his cigarette and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Dean was his best breaker. He seemed to have it down to a real art.
Satisfied that this was being dealt with, he phoned Paul. Paul didn’t answer; the line rang through to answerphone. Freddie frowned. Paul was getting harder to get hold of lately, which was unusual. In their line of work time was sensitive – urgent issues came up constantly. No matter where they were, if Freddie rang, they answered. Not this time though. Freddie waited for the beep.
‘It’s me. Listen, we’ve got a leak on the ship. Or if not on, someone dockside. Viktor set us up with border control; he knew which ship and what to look for. We need to find out who it is – quickly. Until we’ve dealt with it I’m putting a hold on next week’s load. Call me when you get this.’
Ending the call, Freddie caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to find Anna leaning around the doorway. He could see half of her smooth, naked body pressing against the doorframe; the rest was hidden from view behind the wall. She leaned her head against the frame, smiling tiredly at him. His eyes roamed over her body. Even three years in, she was still the most beautiful, alluring thing he had ever seen.
‘Come here,’ he demanded, his voice husky.
She shook her head, her eyes bright under a fringe of dark lashes. The early-morning darkness seemed to add to her allure, her pale, creamy skin standing out from the shadows.
He cleared his throat. ‘Please?’ he asked, his voice softer. He needed her. He wanted her.
Anna’s expression was sombre, and she held his stare for a moment. He could see the sadness behind her eyes. He could see the weight of the secrets he was holding between them.
With a small smile that did not reach her eyes she turned and went back to bed. Freddie sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He prayed to God that Katherine turned up soon. Because if she didn’t, one way or another, Freddie wasn’t sure their relationship would survive.
23
‘Thea, you pair up with Dominic. Email your project outline back to me by the end of the day tomorrow and then crack on. See you all next week.’
Thea smiled at the hesitant young man she had been paired with as he came over to join her at her table. He was about average height and build, with wavy brown hair and a nice smile. She guessed that he was around her own age, which was a bonus. The age span was vast on the photography course she had joined. She didn’t fancy running around the city with an over-eager eighteen-year-old any more than she wanted to snap the local wildflowers with the retired hobbyists.
‘Hi, I’m Dominic.’ He held his hand out and Thea shook it.
‘Thea. Nice to meet you properly. Don’t think we’ve spoken before, have we?’
‘No, no. I usually just sit by myself over there.’ He trailed off awkwardly, his cheeks turning pink. Thea smiled broadly at him. He was adorable. She wasn’t used to meeting men who were so shy.
‘So, do you have any ideas what you would like to do for our project?’
‘No, not really. I haven’t given it much thought yet.’ The project they had been given was ‘life in the city’. It was purposely broad so that they could interpret it however they wanted. ‘What about you? Do you have any ideas?’
‘Actually I do.’ Thea nodded eagerly. ‘Well… It was sort of something I was going to do already anyway, but I think it would work pretty well for this too. Two birds with one stone and all that.’ She shifted her chair to face her body towards him. ‘Only if it’s OK with you though. I’m happy to do something else and just do this in me spare time.’
‘What is it?’
‘Well, my brothers are all… businessmen in the city. They run a few different businesses, and so they move around and walk the city a lot. I had the idea that I would collect photos of them on their different routes through London, over time and through the summer right up to winter. Natural ones, not posed. Same people, different streets, weather and expressions. Show them their connection to the city they love so much. Then I want to put it all together into an album. I was going to give it to them for Christmas. I think it would be ideal to use it for this too, especially as this is a long-term project. What do you think?’
Thea waited as he thought it over. She was careful not to mention what business her brothers were into. It didn’t worry her, bringing another person into her project. She had already decided that she would only follow her brothers and snap them on the main streets, never at or too close to their areas of work. There would be nothing for anyone to see except three men going about their day, lost in travel and thought. Perfectly safe. She had been in this family for long enough to know how to protect their secrets.
‘Hmm.’ He nodded sombrely. ‘That sounds perfect actually. Will you tell them that you’re doing it?’
‘No. They’ll be too guarded in their expressions if they know.’
‘OK. Well, let’s do it then.’
‘Great! So why don’t we meet for coffee tomorrow and we can put together a game plan? What time are you free?’
‘I’m free any time. I work for myself, so pretty flexible.’
Thea nodded and smiled politely but didn’t ask for any further details. Although she was curious as to what he did, she didn’t want to invite the same questions back. She worked for Freddie, keeping the books. It was a legal-enough answer – if she didn’t mention the second set of books and all the money laundering – but the less probing from strangers the better.
‘Let’s say lunchtime then. One o’clock at the Starbucks on the corner?’
‘OK, I’ll see you there then. Catch you later.’ Dominic grinned and waved his goodbye, before heading on his way.
Thea was pleased that he was on board with her idea. It saved her having to run two projects at the same time.
She checked the time and her eyebrows shot up. Time to go. She had things to do.
Freddie stared at his hands, which were wrapped around a full, hot mug of tea. He could see the cuffs restraining his wrists in his mind’s eye. He could see the cuffs around Anna’s wrists too, leading her away to the cell in which she would later be murdered. The burden of what might happen to her because of who he was weighed on him heavily. And it was becoming a bigger possibility as the days went on. They had found nothing, not one single possible trail on the missing girl. It was as though she had disappeared into thin air.
Ben Hargreaves had phoned Freddie again that morning, the voice coming down the line that of a desperate man. He had reiterated his threats, sounding close to breaking down into insanity. The desperation worried Freddie even more than the threats. Desperate men were dangerous creatures, volatile and unpredictable.
The door of the small, greasy café opened and Sammy walked in. He took the seat opposite Freddie and signalled the short, round woman at the counter. She bustled over with her pad and pen and waited expectantly.
‘Tea please, love, and… what have you ordered, Fred?’
‘Nothing, mate.’
‘Two full English with extra toast.’
‘I’m alright—’
‘You need to eat, Fred. You got a long day ahead.’ He winked and nodded at the old woman, and she disappeared to give the cook the order.
Sammy sat back and examined his friend. Freddie looked about ten years older today, the stress lines in his forehead deepened under his heavy, serious expression.
Freddie ran his hand down his face and off his chin. ‘Anna’s going to be dragged off to prison, Sammy, for no reason other than the fact she’s with me, and then they’re gonna kill her.’
‘No, she ain’t—’
‘Yes, she is, Sam. And there’s nothing I can do about it. Nothing.’ He stared his friend in the eye. ‘I can’t find this girl. She ain’t nowhere to be found. I’ve talked to all the firms we deal with and all the informants we know on the street. I’ve had scouts out everywhere a
nd nothing’s come back. There’s no blackmailer to barter with. She’s not been taken for sale. There’s no body washed up on the riverside. She ain’t run away and been picked up on any cameras. She’s just gone. Disappeared into thin air. I’ve got nothing to go on. Nothing. And Hargreaves wants blood. He’s going to bury us behind bars, and then he’s going to slit Anna’s throat just to spite me more, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. He’s possibly the one person in the world I can’t buy or manipulate. I can’t even kill him.’ Freddie stared off into the distance.
‘Alright, that’s enough.’ Sammy’s voice was stern. ‘Stop it. We will get through this, just like we do everything. Alright? Sitting here maudlin’ won’t help no one. You need to snap out of it.’
Freddie was silent for a few moments, his eyes glazing over as he stared out of the window. Then his head snapped round and he focused in on his worried friend. He straightened himself up in his chair and pulled his jacket back into place.
‘Well,’ he said finally, his voice light. ‘You’re getting mouthy these days, ain’t ya, you big Swedish lout.’
Sammy chuckled deeply, his broad, muscular body bobbing up and down as he did so.
‘I figure I’ve earned that right over the years, mate. Don’t matter who you are, if you can’t accept straight talk from your closest friends, you ain’t going to get very far.’
‘That’s true. But seriously, I’ve totally run out of ideas. Unless something comes up, short of searching the city inch by inch, there’s no more I can do.’
The waitress came over with their breakfasts, and they leaned back so that she could place the heavily laden plates down in front of them.
‘Here you go lads. Enjoy.’ She nodded and left them to it, wiping greasy hands on her apron where some of the juices had spilled over.
Freddie took a slow breath as he stared at the steaming plate with disinterest. He couldn’t take any pleasure in food these days. His appetite seemed to decrease every time he thought about the noose that was slowly tightening around Anna’s neck. He took a bite to appease Sammy and chewed the food without really tasting it.
Something needed to come up soon. Time was running out.
24
Anna walked along the South Bank warming her hands around the takeaway coffee she was nursing. Usually this place was full of tourists, but not at this time of day. It was barely seven in the morning. Only the locals making their way to work were hurrying along. It was a fairly warm summer this year, but the morning chill still had its hold as the sun sat low in the sky. She pulled the thin tan jacket she wore closer to her chest.
Westminster stood proud and tall in the weak morning sun, the river glistening in between it and her. Big red buses made their way over Westminster Bridge, back and forth. Underneath, small cargo boats sailed slowly and determinedly up the river.
Turning her back on that bridge, she walked along the riverside to the Golden Jubilee Bridge. She mounted the steps, keeping out of the way of the businessmen and -women rushing to get to their desks on time. The breeze flowed through her thick, dark hair, lifting it off her neck, and she breathed in the fresher air by the river deeply. Her shoulders relaxed in what seemed like the first time in a week. Walking to the centre of the bridge, she stopped and turned to face the view again. She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the railings of the bridge, and drank some more of her coffee.
She loved coming here. It was where she came to think and reflect. Standing on the middle of the bridge, watching the world go by felt like standing in the eye of a storm; a perfectly calm centre, while the world swirled on around her. Big Ben chimed, signalling that it was now quarter past seven. So early, Anna thought. Freddie would still be asleep; he wouldn’t stir for an hour or two yet. She had been restless all night, finally giving up trying to sleep at around six. She had thrown some clothes on and slipped out into the breaking dawn, too irritated to lie there any longer.
Anna’s eyes dropped tiredly to the surface of the murky brown water. The waves chopped and churned in the wake of one of the boats, throwing up frothy peaks. She wondered as she always did what was hidden under the dark surface. How many engagement rings lay in the mud at the bottom, thrown by the broken-hearted victims of uncovered liars and cheats? How many other tokens of love lay there; keys and wishes dropped by hopeful lovers, excited by their unknown future?
Her thoughts wandered to the darker corners of her mind. How many bodies lay rotting underneath the layers of rubbish and rusting trolleys, weighed down by chains and cement? Was Tony down there? Had Freddie disposed of her psychotic ex in this very river, after he killed him three years ago? He had to be somewhere. It wasn’t as though they could have sent him back home for a funeral with a bullet in his brain. She had never asked Freddie what they’d done with his body. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t really care. Perhaps she should, but she couldn’t find it in herself. Not after everything he had done to her. The world and every single person in it were better off without him. No one had mourned his death.
She pushed these thoughts from her mind. It was easier to push them away now. They no longer haunted her the way they used to. The trauma she experienced with Tony had forever changed her – that she couldn’t get away from. But it no longer upset her to think about it.
Her thoughts returned to Freddie. She wished for the hundredth time that she could get him to open up about whatever was worrying him so much. He was barely eating, and tossed and turned for hours each night. He was constantly distracted, and she had never seen him so tense. It made her feel uneasy. Something was very wrong – she knew it was. But this time he had frozen her out, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was starting to wonder whether they were as strong a couple as she had thought they were.
The one and only unsettling conclusion that she kept coming back to was that it must be another woman. Even the thought made her feel sick, but what else could there possibly be?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to hold herself together. If things didn’t become clear soon, she was going to have to do something she really didn’t want to do. As much as she loved Freddie, if this continued, she wouldn’t put up with it – she’d leave him. Even though it would kill her to do it. After all she’d been through, Anna had too much self-respect to stay with anyone who lost her trust. Even more so after meeting up with Amanda and hearing her tale.
Amanda’s predicament had sharply reminded Anna how awful an existence it could be, being trapped in a relationship without trust or happiness. She had been there before, but unlike Amanda she didn’t have children to think of. She wasn’t trapped this time. She only had herself to worry about. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving. But it was a possibility that she needed to consider. That was why she had come here, to think things through with a clear mind.
‘Anna?’ A soft, tentative voice broke through her thoughts, and she swung round at the unexpected intrusion. ‘I thought that was you.’ A tall, slender young woman smiled at her from a few steps away.
‘Sophie!’ Anna exclaimed, surprised. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’m on my way to breakfast. There’s a really nice vegan place around the corner which does amazing food.’
‘Ah, that’s nice,’ Anna said warmly. ‘Are you meeting your boyfriend?’
‘No, I’m still single. Haven’t met the right guy yet.’ She laughed awkwardly, her voice wistful. ‘I’m just meeting a friend. What about you? It’s really early.’ Sophie smiled.
‘Oh, I just…’ Anna motioned back towards the river helplessly, trying to think up a good reason that didn’t sound odd. ‘I come here sometimes,’ she said, smiling awkwardly, ‘to walk and stuff.’ She nodded, aware of how vague she sounded.
Sophie was one of their aerial dancers at the club. She was one of their best acts, extremely talented. She made swinging in hoops and across the room by ropes look effortless. From a drunken attempt one night after closing, Anna knew th
at it was actually very far from effortless. A kind, free-spirited soul, Sophie was also someone that Anna liked personally too. She often stayed behind for drinks after closing with herself and Tanya.
Sophie pushed a stray strand of her naturally light-blonde hair behind her ear and nodded easily in response.
‘If you fancy some food, you’re more than welcome to join us?’ she offered. The corners of her big blue eyes crinkled prettily as she smiled.
Anna smiled warmly back. ‘Thank you, but I’ve got to head back soon. Maybe next time.’
‘OK, well I’ll see you tonight then. Are you on or is Tanya?’
‘Er, I’m not sure yet.’
‘OK. If you change your mind about breakfast just give me a call. See you later.’
‘See you later.’ Anna waved her off and Sophie carried on her way to meet her friend. She turned back to look at the water again, rubbing her forehead tiredly. She wouldn’t find any answers in the water today. The mucky, dense river looked about as clear as her relationship was right now.
She straightened up and pulled her jacket around tighter. Her shoulders pulled back and her body tensed up again. Anna strode back the way she came with her head held high, leaving her thoughts behind her. There was no more time today for self-pity and brooding thoughts. She had things to do. Life went on.
25
Katherine breathed in hoarsely. Everything hurt. She was certain now that she had an infection from the festering wounds around her ankles. They just wouldn’t heal. Every time she coughed, her legs jerked involuntarily and any thin layers of scabbing that had started to form would rip back open. The pain was so bad she would scream in agony, but no sound came out anymore. The coughing and screaming and damp conditions had all but got rid of her voice.