by Anna Jacobs
She rubbed her cheek against his hand, then became brisk as they got ready to leave.
He didn’t say anything more about what she’d told him. There were times when silence spoke more loudly than words, and the merest touch was all it needed to affirm the existence of love between them – to offer comfort, too.
Fourteen
Stu found himself living a dual life and working very hard indeed. In the daytime, he did menial jobs, helping load and unload vehicles, clean them out, deliver goods – all sorts of filthy or tedious tasks he’d not done since he was a student.
He hated it, but told himself Radka was testing him. Inside, he felt angry that she’d even feel the need to do that, especially as she still required his services every night in bed. Just once she went away and left him in the flat, with instructions where to report for the next two days.
The man he worked for hardly said a word, and then only in heavily accented English. But Stu suspected that the fellow understood English perfectly well, even though he didn’t volunteer a word that wasn’t connected to his work, because his eyes betrayed an understanding at times when Stu muttered to himself.
Radka hadn’t said where she was going. He hadn’t liked to ask. Once work was over, he spent most of the time she was away sleeping. She had exhausted him.
When she came back, she looked rather tired but seemed pleased about something.
She wasn’t pleased in the morning. ‘You talked about that woman in your sleep again! When are you going to forget her? Was she better in bed than me? Was she?’ She punched him in the chest.
He fended her off. ‘No, of course not. I haven’t even been thinking about her.’ This was a lie, because he had wondered several times how Gabi was coping without him, and as he struggled with his own washing, since he couldn’t afford the price of having his clothes laundered, he remembered with regret how well she’d looked after him and their house.
‘I don’t know why I should talk about her in my sleep. For heaven’s sake, Radka, no one can control what they say when they’re asleep.’
She scowled at him, but let her fist drop. ‘I do not like it.’ She studied him for a few moments, then said, ‘I shall require you to prove your devotion to me and to my company.’
‘Oh? How?’
She frowned as if still thinking something through. ‘I want you to run a little errand for me.’
‘Just name it.’
‘You will go back to England and find out what your ex is doing, then work out whether you can steal another houseful of furniture and goods from her.’
He gaped at her. ‘What? But she won’t have anything.’
‘She is an intelligent woman and will have received insurance money. Of course she will have household goods – new ones, too. She will have found somewhere else to live. You will discover where.’
‘But why—’
‘To show me you don’t care about her any more. And because I want it. But do not take risks. If it is not feasible, then steal the furniture from someone else. We can deal with her later.’
He gaped at her. ‘Me? Arrange a burglary?’
‘Yes, you.’
‘But Gabi will be on her guard now.’
‘Then you will have to be very clever.’
‘If she still has nothing, how the hell do I find someone else to steal from?’
She shrugged. ‘That’s your problem.’
He wondered if she’d gone mad. She was jealous of Gabi – he’d realized that a while ago, just couldn’t understand why. ‘Look, darling, even if I found a house where people were away, I don’t have a removal truck. And if I stole one – I’m not sure I’d know how to do that, by the way – the police would soon pick it up. They’ve got everything on computers these days, you know. They just call in your vehicle’s number plate.’
‘You have the sense to understand that, at least.’
‘I’m not stupid.’
She studied him. ‘No. But you are sometimes rash. I do not like rash behaviour. It can have bad consequences in my line of work.’
‘Hell, Radka, I don’t even know what your line of work is – not really. Isn’t it about time you told me?’
‘I tell you what you need to know. No more. Now, about this project. I will supply you with a removal truck and a very strong man and woman to load it and pretend to be the owners of the furniture. If anyone asks, they will say they are coming back to the Czech Republic because they couldn’t settle in England. You will supply them with a houseful of possessions to move. Then you will come back to Prague by road with them.’
‘Is there a point to this?’
‘Oh, yes. There is always a point when I do something.’
‘Such a lot of trouble to get back at Gabi. It’s not worth it. I really don’t care about her. I never did. Look how I treated her. Was that like a man who cared?’
‘It’s not just to get back at her. It is also to prove to me what you can do. There is perhaps one other thing you should know now.’ She smiled. ‘Last time we brought something else back in the removal truck – something very valuable, as you know. We shall be doing that again.’
His heart sank. ‘Not … drugs?’ He hadn’t asked what it was last time, but even though she refused to tell him what exactly she wanted bringing back, he knew it must be drugs. That had to be what her business was. No wonder she had so much money.
She continued to smile at him. ‘I don’t know why you look at me like that. It was you who gave me the idea to do this.’
He couldn’t deny that. He’d been desperate to find some way to make more money and she’d offered it, so he’d stolen Gabi’s things. He felt a bit mean about that, and he had put a few of the things aside – family treasures that insurance money couldn’t replace. They were in his flat in London. One day, he might find a way to give them back.
He shivered as Radka continued to smile at him. He hadn’t intended to get involved in drug running. If he’d had any alternative whatsoever, he’d have left there and then, and run for his life. Well, he’d have left the following day while Radka was out. But even that thought sat like lead in his brain, because he knew he didn’t dare risk it.
She’d find out where he’d gone. She’d send someone after him. She might even order him killed, because he knew about her now. Not much, but enough for her to want to keep him quiet.
Maybe if he did what she ordered about Gabi this time, Radka might let him off being directly involved in drugs afterwards.
It seemed the best he could hope for.
Hell, his luck had never been so poor!
The next day, Gabrielle and Dan moved into Brook House. The landline wasn’t connected, but would be the following morning.
As he was boiling the kettle for a coffee break, Dan’s mobile rang. He glanced at the caller ID. Leon – though of course it didn’t say that name, but Auntie Mary.
‘How are things?’ the familiar voice asked.
‘Mainly good. And you, Leon?’
‘I’m all right, but I’m afraid a drunken driver sideswiped Gabrielle’s car yesterday.’
‘No one was hurt?’
‘Thank goodness, no, but the idiot was driving a four-wheel drive and it did a lot of superficial damage. Naturally, we’ll get the bodywork repaired and it’ll be good as new, I promise. In the meantime, we’ll pay for a hire car. I know you’ll each need your own transport.’
‘I’m afraid so. We’re going to be dashing around all over the place setting up house here, plus I have a follow-up meeting with a client I can’t neglect. I promised to be there when she meets her birth son for the first time. Her parents insisted on him being adopted and she doesn’t want her husband and other children to know about him until she’s sure it’s all right between them. She won’t even tell the birth son her address. I’ve been handling the correspondence, organizing the meeting.’
‘There are some sad tangles due to forced adoptions.’
‘Yes. I’ve handled a f
ew. I don’t think Gabrielle will need a car until I leave, though.’
‘Just go ahead and hire one as soon as you like. I’m embarrassed that we’ve damaged hers. My staff are all good drivers, but when a drunk skids on a narrow country road, there’s not much avoidance action possible. You pay for the car, tell me how much and you’ll be reimbursed by bank transfer.’
Dan was used to the way Leon avoided any direct financial contact. ‘Fine. Um – you don’t think it was someone deliberately trying to hurt Gabrielle who rammed the car?’
‘Definitely not. We checked. Young fellow. Known as a heavy drinker in that district, and not his first accident. He’d only just got his licence back, too, the idiot.’
Dan put the phone down and saw Gabrielle waiting in the kitchen doorway, looking anxious. ‘Bit of bad news, I’m afraid. Someone’s crunched your car. My friend will pay for the repairs, but we’ll need to hire a car for you in the meantime. He’ll pay for that, too.’
‘How did it happen?’
‘Sideswiped by a drunk.’ He saw Gabrielle’s wary look, suspicion creeping across her face. ‘They checked and are quite sure it wasn’t your ex trying to get at you. And they’re very thorough, so it will really have been an accident.’
‘That’s a relief. And you’re still going away?’
‘Just for a couple of days. I can’t let the client down when I promised follow-up action.’
‘Do I really need to bother hiring a car?’
‘Definitely. You can’t stay out here without a vehicle. And what if I’m delayed? I don’t expect to be, but you never know, so we’ll make sure you have wheels.’
She sighed. ‘I suppose.’
‘Will you be nervous on your own?’
‘No.’
He couldn’t hide his disbelief at that. She would never have made an actress.
‘Well, perhaps I’ll be a bit nervous,’ she admitted after a slight hesitation. ‘We could have a bolt fixed to the inside of the bedroom door before you go, if you don’t mind.’
‘I can do that. I’m quite a handy fellow when it comes to small jobs. But maybe you should stay at the hotel for those two or three nights.’
‘Good heavens, no! I’m not that nervous. I’m probably being silly and will never see or hear from Stu again. But I will sleep better with a bolt on the bedroom door.’
‘I’ll put extra bolts on the front and back doors, as well as the bedroom. These old doors are pretty solid, but the locks are easy to pick. What’ll you do with yourself while I’m away?’
‘I’ll go and see Emily. A part-time job would be good, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, I do. And even if you don’t get a job, they’re nice people. It’s good to make friends.’
‘I lost a lot of friends when I married Stu. He didn’t know the meaning of the word, or care about anyone else. He only wanted to bother with “useful contacts”. There’s only Tania that I see regularly now. I must phone her and catch up.’
‘Another good idea. Oh, and how about tomorrow we fetch that box of yours from the lawyer’s? Aren’t you eager to look inside?’
‘We’ve been so busy, I’ve kept telling myself we’d get round to it tomorrow – but I kept forgetting.’
He knew she would be nervous while he was gone and would sleep badly, bolts or not. Pity he couldn’t take her with him. He’d have to see if he could set up some nearby support system for her, someone she could turn to.
He wished Joss and Libby were back from their holiday. As an ex-policeman, Joss would have been ideal in the role of protector.
But Emily and Chad would help her if she turned to them. He added calling them to explain the situation to his mental list of to-dos.
The next day, Gabrielle and Dan drove to the lawyer’s office as soon as it was open and picked up the box. It was a good thing Henry’s office was on the ground floor and they could use the caretaker’s trolley to take the box out to the car. It wasn’t heavy so much as big and awkward, and it took both of them to lift it into the car boot.
Gabrielle glanced at him. ‘Shall we just take a peek?’
‘Your box, your call – but I must admit I’m curious to see what’s inside.’
She took out her penknife and slit the tape that held the box top in place.
‘Every woman should have one,’ Dan teased.
‘What?’
‘A penknife.’
‘Oh, that. I’ve had it since I was a child and I needed it sometimes at work. There are a lot of boxes behind the scenes in supermarkets.’
When she lifted the flaps of cardboard, she found photos and diaries in small, neatly labelled packages. ‘How lovely! This is another thing I can do while you’re away: start reading these.’
‘Am I allowed to see them, too?’
‘Of course you are.’ She lifted up the edge of the top layer. ‘Oh. There seem to be other things underneath. But it’s the diaries I’m looking forward to reading.’ She beamed down at the box as she pulled the flaps over it again. ‘That’s really whetted my appetite to see what’s inside it.’
‘We said we’d sort out a hire car for you today as well. I’ll pay and Leon will reimburse me.’
The lawyer’s receptionist had given them the name of a local car hire firm, which she said was cheaper than the big chains, so they tried there first.
‘I’m all for supporting small businesses,’ Gabrielle said as they pulled up outside.
‘This one’s not exactly small.’
‘It’s not part of a soulless chain, though.’
They found the woman who handled car hires very helpful and she had the sort of medium-sized vehicle they were looking for.
Just as they were about to start on the paperwork, Dan’s phone rang.
He stood up. ‘When it rings with that tone, I need to answer it straight away. Can you finish filling in the forms, Gabrielle? I shouldn’t be long.’
‘Yes, of course.’ She glanced through the window and saw him listening intently, nodding once or twice, then explaining something with much gesticulating. She picked up the pen and tried to concentrate on filling in the forms, but kept sneaking a quick peep outside.
‘That’s all the details filled in,’ the saleswoman said a few moments later. ‘We’ll need to wait for Mr Monahan to come back before we sort out the finances. He said he was going to pay, if I remember correctly.’
Another glance showed Gabrielle that Dan was frowning and still listening intently to whoever it was on the other end. ‘It doesn’t matter who pays. You can take it off my credit card.’
Even when she’d completed the transaction, she could see that Dan was still listening and looking serious. Had something gone wrong for one of his clients? Or was it this Leon person? She turned back to the woman. ‘If you give me the keys and other stuff, I’ll go and get used to the car.’
‘Sure. I’ll come with you to point out any features you might not have noticed at first glance, and I’ll show you how the CD player works.’
‘No need. I don’t listen to CDs when I’m driving and this is only for a few days anyway.’ She didn’t want to chat, just keep an eye on Dan, so she got into the car, looked quickly at the controls and nodded. ‘I’ve driven this model before. I’ll be fine, thanks.’
‘Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Give me a call if you want to extend the hire period.’
A couple of minutes later, Dan folded up his phone and put it in his pocket.
Gabrielle waved to him and he walked across to join her.
‘I’ve already paid for the car, to save time.’
He looked at her in dismay. ‘Oh, dear! I wish you hadn’t, especially with what I’ve just found out. We don’t want anyone following your money trail. Well, it’s too late to do anything about it now, and you did say Stu wasn’t good at the finer technicalities of using the internet. But if he gets help …’ He shook his head, frowning. ‘You can trace anyone these days if you have the skills.’
She
focused on the main thing. ‘What have you just found out?’
He glanced across at a man working on another car. ‘We’ll talk about that when we get back. Will you be all right driving this?’
‘Yes, of course I will. I had to drive various cars at work.’
‘Let’s go straight home, then.’
She followed him, not even noticing that she was driving a strange car, because she was even more worried now. This phone call had something to do with her, she knew it, and perhaps to do with Stu, who still seemed to be casting a shadow over her life.
Was she imagining things? Or was he still threatening her – or, rather, threatening her finances?
When they got back, they lugged the big box inside and left it on the unused dining table.
Dan picked up the kettle to fill it. ‘Might as well have a coffee while we talk.’
‘Let’s just talk.’
He studied her face. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you that much. What Leon told me probably won’t affect you, but you need to be warned.’
She waited, biting back the urge to tell him to hurry up.
‘It seems your ex has got himself involved with a group of people suspected of drug smuggling. Well, more than suspected. No one’s been able to pin down the main players, so the authorities haven’t pounced, but they’re quite certain that’s what’s going on.’
‘Stu’s into drug smuggling?’
‘Looks like it.’
‘I find that hard to believe. He’d fiddle expenses, yes, tells lies at the drop of a hat – oh yes, he’d do that – but commit major crimes? No, not Stu.’
‘You said he was a gambler. He may not have a choice if he’s in debt to someone. They like to use people without a criminal record.’
Silence wrapped doubts round her certainty and it began to crumble.
‘There was no sign of any involvement in drugs while you were together? He wasn’t a drug user, even casually?’
‘None at all. I don’t think his highs were drug-related. There were never any marks or signs. But he did gamble and lose sometimes … well, quite often actually. He borrowed a chunk of money off me once when we were first married, and refused to pay it back. He tried to make a joke of it, us being husband and wife, but I’d never gone for joint finances. In the end, he yelled that he didn’t have the money and refused to talk about it again.’