A Time for Hope

by Anna Jacobs

  ‘That was the only time?’

  ‘It wasn’t the only time he asked, but I refused to lend him any more money from then on. I worked too hard for it. Even with Edward, I’d kept my finances separate.’

  ‘A lot of people do nowadays. Did Stu go away on trips?’

  ‘Occasionally. But only for a day or two, usually to business conferences or meetings – ones you could check on the internet.’ And she had checked them as her love for him faded. Oh, yes.

  ‘I wish to hell I wasn’t about to go away and leave you. Leon thinks something’s brewing. Maybe I should cancel.’

  ‘No, don’t. I still can’t imagine Stu doing that sort of thing, but even if he’s involved, why should it concern me?’

  ‘He might seek shelter with you if anything goes wrong, or try to get money out of you. He doesn’t know about me.’

  ‘He doesn’t know where I live now.’

  ‘You’ve laid a trail with that credit card. You still kept the same credit card and number, didn’t you?’

  ‘I told you, it was too much of a hassle to change that. Anyway, Stu wouldn’t know how to hack into anything.’

  ‘But he knows a lot of people, and some of them might have those skills. And he is living with this Radka female, who is a person of great interest to Interpol, and to my friend Leon, as well.’

  ‘I still can’t get my head around Stu being involved in that sort of thing.’

  ‘Leon doesn’t usually make mistakes. Look, before I go away, I’m going to get you to memorize his emergency phone number. You’re to call him if you have any doubt whatsoever about your safety, or if Stu shows up here and tries to bully you, or if you think you might have useful information. Promise me you won’t let the fact that you used to be married to Stu stop you turning him in.’

  She stiffened. ‘Of course I won’t. I despise drug dealers. They sell death and misery, as far as I’m concerned.’ She repeated the phone number after him.

  ‘An electronic voice will tell you that they’ll ring back, and you put the phone down. It only takes a minute for someone to call, usually.’

  ‘OK.’

  ‘Can you remember all the places you’ve used your credit card since we left the south?’

  ‘At the supermarket. At the antiques centre. For the car hire. That’s all.’

  ‘Damn! I’d forgotten about the antiques centre. I’ll tell Leon.’ Dan beckoned her over to listen as he made the call. A mechanical voice told him to put the phone down. He waited and two minutes later his mobile chimed. He explained what had happened, nodded and disconnected.

  ‘Don’t get involved in this stuff, whatever you do, Gabrielle. Run away and hide in a hotel, if necessary. It’s big league and nasty. Let the authorities deal with it.’

  He came across to hold her and kiss her gently.

  This simple action made her feel loved as Stu never had done. So she said it aloud: ‘I love you, Dan.’

  ‘And I love you. Please … be very careful while I’m away.’

  Radka brought two people to the flat to meet Stu. She paused to let them study one another, seeming amused by the situation.

  The man was huge, at least six foot three tall and very muscular. He had the high cheekbones you often saw in Slavic countries and long, straight hair, greying. There was a suspicious expression on his face and he was studying Stu as if he didn’t trust him. Beside him stood a stocky middle-aged woman, equally suspicious.

  Radka made the introductions. ‘Josef and Nada. For our purposes, they are man and wife. They speak good English, so you will have no trouble understanding them. They will wait in London and meet you when you phone them to say where the house you’ve chosen is. Don’t take too long to find out what we need to know and work out how to take the furniture.’

  She was watching him like a cat watches a mouse, Stu thought, and every time she mentioned Gabi, her face twisted with anger. He was surprised at how jealous she was. There must be some way to exploit that. But not now. Now, he was at her mercy, deep in debt, and had to keep her happy.

  He hoped his half-smile was steady. He thought it was, since it was an expression he’d practised carefully in the mirror years ago.

  Radka continued her instructions. ‘On the way back, you will pose as their cousin. I have suitable clothes for you to wear on this trip, clothes made here, not in London. You will leave all your English clothes behind.’

  ‘Right. Yes. Clever thinking.’

  She uttered one short phrase in Czech and the two others left. The package they’d brought sat on the table, wrapped in newspaper.

  ‘Well, aren’t you going to look at your new clothes, Stu?’

  He opened the package, grimacing at the cheap trousers and jacket inside. The shirt was worn, faded. The underwear looked second-hand, which made him cringe. What would he look like in such rubbish?

  ‘Is this really necessary?’

  ‘Yes. Customs officers are trained to notice such details. Here is a Czech passport. Use it when you come back. Use your British passport to go into and out of the UK.’

  He took the passport reluctantly. What would customs officials think if they found this on him with another name on it?

  ‘This mobile is programmed to call Josef and me. You will use it for nothing else. You will use your own mobile for all other purposes. Is that clear?’

  He nodded and, when she didn’t offer, he had to ask. ‘I’ll need some money for expenses.’

  ‘You always need money. You won some at the casino the other night. Use that. Invest in my business.’

  ‘I’d like to, I really would, Radka, but I had the money paid into my bank account and then I got online and paid some more instalments off my debts.’

  Her voice rose dangerously. ‘You owe money here, even?’

  ‘No, no. Debts from my time in England. I had a run of bad luck just before I left.’

  ‘Gamblers always do. I will make sure you stop gambling from now on.’

  He ignored that remark. ‘I still need to pay a bit off the old debts every now and then, to show good faith. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble with people who are very … violent in their persuasion methods and who wouldn’t hesitate to wipe me out.’

  He couldn’t hold back a shudder. He was in over his head and didn’t know how to get out of this hole.

  She muttered something that sounded like a curse. ‘How much? And do not try to fool me. Exactly how much do you owe in England? Do not leave anything out because this is the only time I will help you.’

  When he finished telling her, she slapped him across the face, yelling and shrieking. He didn’t dare hit her back and ended up cowering in a corner of the sofa while she continued to shout and kick or punch any part of him she could reach.

  He might not understand the words she was saying, but he did understand the utter fury behind them.

  Eventually, she stopped and poured herself a drink of wine, slumping in a chair by the window.

  He got up cautiously and straightened his clothes.

  ‘Get a whisky and then sit down again,’ she ordered.

  He did as he was told, making it a generous slug of whisky.

  ‘Now, understand this, Stu. I will see that your debts are paid. This time only. And you will not gamble again – not if you value your personal valuables.’

  She patted her crotch suggestively, and he couldn’t help wincing at the implied threat to his manhood.

  ‘Thank you, Radka. I’m very grateful.’

  ‘I will give you enough money for this journey and you will keep an account of every penny of mine that you spend. Every – single – penny.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And one day, you will repay all of it to me.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I will provide the means for you to earn money, do not worry.’ She gave him a nasty smile. ‘Until it is all paid back, you are my tame monkey.’

  He swallowed back an angry retort. He didn’t dare do anythin
g to upset her. He rubbed his cheek gingerly. She could be … terrifying. The longer he was with her, the more he could sense his confidence slipping and his fear of her increasing. She didn’t love him as Gabi had. Radka loved only herself and kept him near her because he could satisfy her sexual needs.

  But surely if he got away, she’d let him be? He’d leave a promise to pay her back, and he would – he definitely would. His luck was bound to turn.

  She wouldn’t go as far as murder. Not after all they’d done together.

  Would she?

  He remembered her chill determination and it occurred to him for the first time that dealing in drugs could lead to killing. He felt sick at the thought.

  Dealing with Gabrielle would be easy in comparison – and rather fun. He’d take her money from the bank while he was at it, but not to give to Radka. No, he’d put it safely away in a bank account of his own, something for a rainy day. Well, he’d tuck most of it away.

  He might have a little flutter with Lady Luck now and then, but only when he was away from Radka.

  Fifteen

  A few days later, Gabrielle watched Dan pack his things for an early departure. He didn’t need her help, but they chatted as he packed. She was going to miss him more than she wanted to admit, for the pleasure of his company and for other reasons. She felt safe and cherished with him.

  As if he knew what she was thinking, he said suddenly, ‘I don’t feel good about leaving you on your own. This is an isolated house. Are you sure you won’t change your mind and go to the hotel?’

  ‘We’ve been over that, Dan, and the answer is still no. You’ve fitted bolts on the bedroom door and it’s a very solid one. I’ll be fine here.’

  ‘Leon has promised to keep an eye on Stu Dixon if he comes back to England. Suspects don’t often get away from Leon and his unit.’

  ‘So you keep saying.’ She could see he was still worrying about her and went to stand in front of him, a hand on his shoulder. ‘Dan, I’m an adult. I’m responsible for myself. And you’re only going to be away for a day or two.’

  ‘Very well.’ He continued packing.

  His last words as he left the following morning were, ‘Don’t forget, I can be back within three hours and—’

  She stopped him continuing by kissing him on the mouth.

  ‘Pity I have to leave,’ he murmured, keeping his arms round her and returning the favour.

  ‘A great pity,’ she agreed as she came up for air.

  It felt strange to be in the house on her own. Gabrielle strolled round the garden for a while but it began to spit with rain. The rain grew heavier, so she went back inside. She got out the diaries, looking forward to getting to know more about Cousin Rose.

  The pages were filled with beautiful handwriting, not copperplate but close. They showed a warm, caring woman pouring out her heart. Rose had been unable to have children of her own. Eventually, she’d managed to adopt a little girl, the child of a distant cousin who’d become pregnant as a schoolgirl and rejected the child in favour of continuing her education.

  Rose had written only intermittently from then onwards, mainly at crisis points in her life. She had clearly loved being a mother.

  As the pages continued, Gabrielle found that Rose had never told her daughter that she was adopted, because the birth mother had moved to Australia and deliberately lost touch with her family. She worried in the diary that this would seem too much of a rejection for the child.

  In a cruel twist of fate, Rose’s daughter had also been unable to conceive and had adopted a little girl they called Libby, a child who had appeared one day without warning. They’d been on a list for ages, they’d told everyone, but notice of the child had come through suddenly.

  Libby had grown up near her grandmother, and the two had been close till she was twelve. But then her mother had married for a second time and moved away from the area. Her stepfather had cut off all connection with his wife’s past, saying the old woman was interfering in his marriage, which had upset Rose dreadfully. He was a control freak, she decided.

  From then onwards, she’d had to pay a private investigator to get news of the child she never stopped regarding as her granddaughter. Dan had come into the picture when the first PI retired.

  What a sad tale!

  The phone rang and Gabrielle hurried to answer it. ‘Tania! How are you? Did you have a good holiday?’

  They settled down for a long conversation. Gabrielle told her about the antiques centre, and Tania had actually heard of Chadderley Antiques, because her boss dealt with them. What a small world it was sometimes. Tania’s main topic of conversation was her latest guy. She ended the call suddenly when she realized she was going to be late for a date with him if she didn’t hurry.

  Gabrielle smiled as she put the phone down. She hoped this new guy would continue to make Tania happy.

  After that, she realized it was one o’clock, so she went to get a belated lunch, sitting down with a book to read as she ate, as she’d done when living alone. Only as she was clearing up did she realize she’d forgotten to ask Tania not to give anyone her phone number.

  ‘Damn!’ She picked up the phone and pressed ‘redial’ but a couple of clicks took her to Tania’s landline answering service, where she left a message to ask her friend not to pass on her phone number, or any other information about her. Then she went back to her favourite TV programme.

  She didn’t stay up late that evening. She was going to the antiques centre the next morning to spend time with Emily, and she wanted to be bright-eyed and alert, just in case there was a chance of a job.

  Without Dan, the house was too quiet. She’d quite enjoyed the first few hours on her own, but as she lay in bed, she began to feel anxious. She didn’t know what all the night noises were and jerked to attention a few times, heart pounding. But nothing happened, so she tried to focus on something more positive.

  She was looking forward to visiting the antiques centre, rather fancied working in this area. The antiques shows on TV had been among her favourites, and she and Tania had watched them together quite often.

  If she got this job, she’d give it all she had. She yawned, and the next thing she knew, it was morning.

  Dan arrived in Shropshire to find his client very much on edge and worried sick that her birth son wouldn’t turn up, or that he’d be too like his father, who’d run away when told she was pregnant.

  After calming Marla down, Dan went ahead of her to check out the venue and the hotel, because she wouldn’t even consider going there till he’d done that. He found nothing untoward, and though the son hadn’t arrived, he booked a room for himself.

  It was probably a lot of fuss about nothing, but Marla was in such a fragile state that Dan couldn’t deny her the support she needed.

  If he had to go back to Lancashire, he’d find someone else to stay with her. He’d already alerted a friend in the industry, who lived nearby. Tom had agreed to step into the breach if necessary.

  Dan couldn’t stop worrying about Gabrielle. It wasn’t like him to imagine things going wrong. Why was he being so fanciful this time?

  He didn’t consider himself quite as foolish when he got a call from Leon to say that Stu Dixon was on his way to England.

  ‘Has he found himself another job?’

  ‘Not that we can discover. He’s still living with the Black Widow.’

  ‘What’s he coming to England for, then?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it was someone at a subsidiary of her company who booked the flight, so it seems highly likely he’s here on her business.’

  ‘Damn. And I’m away from Gabrielle.’

  ‘We have an operative in Yorkshire on another job. I’ll warn him to be ready to go to her aid if her ex shows any sign of heading north.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘The net is closing in on the group Dixon’s entangled with. Unfortunately, these things take time.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’

  ‘Inter
pol is working closely with us on this. They’ve asked us to tail Dixon when he gets to England. We won’t lose him. Don’t worry. We’ll see that your friend is all right.’

  ‘She’s more than a friend.’

  ‘Yes. I guessed that from the way you speak of her. Good luck to you with that. Finding a life partner can be a damned sight harder than any other job in life. I’ve given up on it.’

  It was unusual for Leon to confide anything about his personal life. Clearly, he had had his disappointments, too.

  Dan didn’t phone Gabrielle with the news that Stu was in the country. She wouldn’t need to know unless he headed north, in which case Dan would get her out of that isolated house quick smart, whatever she said.

  Once again he agonized over whether to return to her straight away, but Marla was so vulnerable and afraid. He’d compromise by phoning Gabrielle and enjoying a long conversation with her tonight.

  He’d only be away for three nights, after all. And Leon was keeping an eye on Stu.

  England looked grey and cold as Stu got off the plane. There was a delay in customs, and then his bag was late coming out. As soon as he picked it up, they took him aside to search it and pat him down. That annoyed the hell out of him. He was a British citizen, yet they were treating him like a foreigner.

  Was this random or … It couldn’t be because they knew about Radka and the drugs, could it? Surely not. His heart started to beat faster, but he kept a pleasant expression on his face, commenting ruefully about being delayed but doing all they asked of him with calm cooperation.

  It was a relief when he noticed a nearby female officer questioning an older woman in a similar way. Did they think someone like that old granny might be bringing in illegal substances? How stupid could you get!

  It must be a random set of searches, then. Didn’t they have anything better to do?

  On the other hand, he hoped desperately that they stayed stupid.