A Time for Hope

by Anna Jacobs

When at last they let him go, with apologies for the delay, he could have murdered a drink of whisky, but decided to wait till later. He just wanted to get the hell out of here. And he had some very good whisky in his flat.

  He left the airport as quickly as he could, shivering as a cold, damp wind tugged at his unfamiliar, cheap-looking clothes and ruffled his hair. He wished Radka had given him a warmer coat, but there was one in his flat. Nearly summer and yet it felt more like winter. He took the Tube into London and went straight home.

  He stopped in disappointment just inside the door. The tiny flat felt shabby and alien to him after the luxury and spacious elegance of Radka’s apartment. Whatever she was doing was certainly paying well. He scowled round the small, stuffy room, living and kitchen combined. He sometimes told people airily that he had a service flat, which was perfect for someone who travelled a great deal. But, actually, it was all he’d been able to afford when he’d won a chunk of money once.

  He intended to keep this place. It was a sign that Lady Luck did smile on you sometimes.

  The mortgage was the first account he’d made a payment on from the casino winnings in Prague. He’d fallen behind, should have paid the whole mortgage off when he got his settlement from the divorce, but he’d been certain he was on a winning streak and hadn’t done it.

  He had to control himself better financially, would do that from now on. He hated being dependent on Radka.

  He opened the cheap suitcase she had given him, then stopped and looked round again. The flat felt slightly wrong, as if … It was as if someone else had been in here.

  He started to look round carefully, worried, though he didn’t know what exactly he was worried about. He had nothing illegal here and everything seemed to be in its usual place. And yet …

  There was a knock on the door and he flung it open, not wanting to be disturbed.

  The caretaker stood there. ‘Begging your pardon, Mr Dixon, but I thought I should tell you that we had to have the water people in to check all the flats. There was a leak in one of the other flats and it caused a right old mess, so we had everything in the building gone through. They tried not to disturb your things, but you might notice and worry.’

  ‘I did notice. Thanks for letting me know.’ He slipped a small tip into the old man’s always-ready hand and closed the door in relief. Someone had been here, but not the police or one of Radka’s minions. He was seeing dragons round every corner.

  Pull yourself together, Dixon!

  He unpacked and grimaced at the stale sheets and used towels, then faced the annoying necessity of doing some washing. This meant a couple of trips down to the machines in the communal laundry area.

  When he got back, he dusted, then went to fetch his washing from the dryer and put his underwear away, feeling virtuous.

  A glance at his watch told him his friend Carson might be around, so he left to chase him up. He wanted Gabi’s money transferred from her bank account as quickly as possible. He didn’t even try to get into the account himself. He knew his own limitations, wanted to leave no trace.

  He found Carson in a seedy little all-night bar and offered him fifteen per cent of the total amount.

  Carson laughed. ‘Fifty per cent or nothing doing, Stu.’

  ‘Look, I really need that money.’

  ‘So do I. And I’ll be the one running all the risks.’

  ‘Thirty per cent, then.’

  ‘Forty. And that’s my final word.’

  ‘Oh, very well.’ But wait till Carson wanted a favour from him next time. Just wait!

  ‘You might as well stay here, Stu. It’s a small job and won’t take me long.’

  Half an hour later Carson came back to the bar. ‘No such account. She’s moved her money to another bank.’

  ‘Damn! Can’t you trace her?’

  ‘I can. But not today. I want to do that from another computer. Meet me here tomorrow night, same time.’ He grinned. ‘Don’t worry. If she’s made any financial transactions, I’ll find her.’

  ‘Good.’

  Could have been worse, Stu decided, drinking the last of his whisky. This gave him a day’s grace, and even Radka couldn’t blame him for what someone else would and would not do.

  He turned to see if Carson wanted another drink, but he’d already finished his wine and left. One minute he was there, the next he wasn’t. Stu had always envied him that ability to slip through life almost unnoticed.

  He stared down at his glass. Should he order another? A woman a few tables away was giving him the eye. No, better not. If Radka found he’d been near anyone else, she’d throw a fit. Who’d have thought she’d be the jealous type?

  Besides, this bar was distinctly shabby. Not his sort of place at all. And the woman wasn’t exactly young.

  He walked out and stood on the pavement, wondering whether to go to the casino and watch the play. Watching cost nothing.

  No, better not. He might be tempted to have a flutter, and his luck hadn’t been good lately. He wasn’t doing any more gambling until it felt right and only when he was away from Radka.

  Anyway, he was tired. He went home to bed.

  His last thought before he fell asleep was: see, he could kick the gambling habit if he had to.

  Gabrielle drove to the antiques centre, looking forward to her day with Emily.

  The young woman on reception showed Gabrielle into Emily’s office.

  Over a cup of coffee, the two women talked about Gabrielle’s work experience, then took a leisurely walk round the complex, with Emily explaining various details of how things were organized.

  She also pointed out the secured exhibits, too valuable even to trust to the surveillance cameras. ‘Chad has a knack of finding rather special pieces. He won’t hide them away, says people should be able to see beautiful things, but I must admit I worry sometimes about thieves breaking in.’

  ‘I’d have thought he’d be better selling such items in London, if you don’t mind me saying so.’

  ‘He had a big gallery in London, but he was looking to take things easier – not exactly retire, but not work as hard.’ Emily gave a wry smile. ‘I suppose he has slowed down a little, but he’s still very busy. He and I like to make a virtue out of a necessity, so when he has to travel to check out a new piece, I want to go with him, if I can. My friend sometimes helps out but she’s in Australia visiting her son and his family.’

  ‘Sounds as if you’re making a great lifestyle for yourselves.’

  Emily’s smile was glowing. ‘Yes. Chad and I only found one another a couple of years ago, so we’re not wasting a minute.’ She cocked her head on one side. ‘Tell me to mind my own business, but how long have you known Dan?’

  ‘Only a few weeks.’

  ‘It doesn’t take long to fall in love, does it?’

  Gabrielle could feel her cheeks heating up. ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘For both of you, yes. Something in the way you look at one another, or the way your eyes soften with fondness. I like to see people in love.’

  ‘Did Dan tell you about my possible problem?’

  ‘He did mention that he was a bit worried about your safety.’

  ‘Yes. It’s my ex. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop worrying about him. We split the property and he got more than his fair share, so he ought to have headed for the hills with it. But he’s a gambler and often runs out of money. He knows I have some left from the house sale and I’m afraid he’ll come after it.’

  She flushed. ‘He fooled me into marrying him, but the so-called love didn’t last long. I didn’t leave a forwarding address and changed my bank account, but you know what things are like these days. If someone wants to find you, they only have to go online.’

  Emily patted her arm gently. ‘Rose King’s houses come in useful for women in crisis, which is what she hoped. She gave shelter to my birth daughter, you know, before Libby and I found one another. I gather you’re a distant blood relative, while Libby was a sort of
adopted granddaughter to Rose – no less loved for that.’

  ‘Yes. I only just found out from her diaries. Small world, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes. Let’s go to the snack bar and grab a coffee. They make much better coffee than I do.’

  When they were sitting down, Emily said with a smile. ‘I think you’d fit in well here, so I’m happy to give you a try-out. But I wonder if you could come in straight away and dive in at the deep end, so to speak. You see, Chad and I want to inspect a collection of old silver in Ireland. Quite rare and by a valued maker. They’ll only hold it for three days.’

  Gabrielle beamed at her. ‘That’s wonderful! I’d love to work here, if you think I won’t make a mess of things. I’m hardly trained.’

  ‘But you seem to love antiques.’

  ‘I do.’

  The young man Gabrielle had seen before came into the café with a young woman and they ordered a cappuccino each.

  They stopped to say hello to Emily.

  ‘Do you remember Gabrielle?’

  Toby nodded, then frowned at her. ‘Yes. I remember you. Be careful, Gabrielle. Be careful of the bad people.’

  Ashley tugged at his sleeve. ‘Come and sit down. They want to talk.’

  He followed her meekly.

  ‘She looks after him like a little mother,’ Emily murmured.

  ‘Why did Toby warn me about bad people?’

  ‘I don’t know. But he’s usually right when he talks in that tone. In some ways he’s an idiot savant. He can pick out a valuable antique from a pile of junk, you know. It’s quite amazing to watch him do it. And he can sense things.’

  Gabrielle was glad about the job, but what Toby had said worried her.

  She hoped Dan would ring tonight. She wanted to tell him she had a job.

  Most of all, she wanted him back. She couldn’t get Toby’s words out of her mind.

  Sixteen

  While he was waiting to see Carson again the following evening, Stu got busy on Radka’s business. He phoned Tania first to see if she knew where Gabi was.

  Her voice was curt when she found out who it was. ‘Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.’ She slammed down the phone.

  Which meant she probably did have some idea – and knowing how scatty Tania was, she’d have written it down somewhere.

  He decided to get his car out of the basement and drive down to Worton. It needed a spin if the battery wasn’t to run down.

  He’d see if he could get into Tania’s flat and have a good poke round. Serve the bitch right if he trashed it! He wouldn’t, of course. He wasn’t a vandal. He just wanted to find his ex, so that he could get hold of her furniture to placate Radka. Though how the hell a man was supposed to control what he said in his sleep, Stu couldn’t work out.

  Surely if he proved himself, she’d find him a better job and forget about Gabi?

  As he drove through the village, he sighed. He should have stayed in Worton and put up with a more pedestrian lifestyle. When he looked at his marriage in retrospect, he decided that Gabi had a lot of good qualities. Even Radka’s sex appeal had worn thin now, and he admitted to himself that he wished he need never see her again.

  There was no one in at any of the flats, so he felt along the top of the lintel of the rear door, which opened into a small courtyard. He smiled when he found the key. The silly bitch had even boasted about where she kept her spare key one evening when she’d had too much to drink. How stupid was that?

  He opened the door and strolled inside, but his smile faded as a search of the small flat failed to disclose any sign of an address book. He did find a crumpled pile of twenty pound notes stuffed in her knicker drawer, so he took a couple out for himself, on principle.

  When he noticed a light blinking on an old-fashioned answer phone, out of curiosity he played back the single recorded message.

  ‘Bingo!’ He played it again, just in case he’d missed anything.

  Gabi’s voice echoed round the room, sounding tinny and blurred, but it was definitely her. ‘Tania, I forgot to tell you not to give anyone my new mobile number, especially Stu. I don’t want him to find out where I am.’ She chuckled. ‘He’ll never think of me finding a job in an antiques centre in Littleborough, let alone such a famous one.’

  ‘You always did give away too much information,’ Stu muttered as he erased the message.

  He called in to see Gabi’s old neighbour again, in case she had any more details, but Mrs Starkey hadn’t heard from his ex, so that was a wasted half hour. It would be his last visit to the old hag, he hoped. What a yawn!

  He drove back to his London flat and grabbed something to eat. Tinned corned beef on bread that had been in the freezer wasn’t exactly gourmet dining, but the sandwiches filled the gap.

  Sipping a second cup of coffee, he got online and soon found where this Littleborough place was. He had a bit of luck, finding an article in the local newspaper that mentioned the latest show in a well-known antiques centre, which had opened up there the previous year from London.

  The name Chadderley Antiques meant nothing to Stu, but if the place had been in London before and rated such an effusive article, there was a fair bet this was the place where Gabi was working.

  He had such a strong feeling that he was on the right track that he called Josef and told him to drive up to Littleborough the following day with Nada and wait for further instructions.

  It wasn’t late, but Stu wasn’t driving up to Lancashire tonight. Not only was it raining, but he was tired. Besides, he had to meet Carson again. He had to get some money behind him, in case things went pear-shaped with Radka, and the only person he knew with money was Gabi.

  After a moment or two’s thought, he also phoned Radka to report progress. To his relief, she didn’t linger to chat, just said ‘Good’ and hung up.

  He wondered who she was sleeping with tonight. Perhaps if the fellow was able to satisfy her, she’d consider releasing Stu.

  And perhaps not. He owed her money. Very fond of money, was Radka.

  Stu watched a TV programme till it was time for his meeting.

  The bar was dimly lit, as usual, and Stu didn’t see Carson till he slid into the next seat.

  ‘Well, did you find her new account?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘What you said, Stu. Sixty per cent of her money is now in a new bank account, which I opened in your name yesterday.’ He handed over a piece of paper. ‘Here are the details. Learn them by heart and burn this.’

  ‘Thanks. Can I buy you a drink?’

  But Carson had gone. Strange, that. He usually stayed for a drink.

  Stu stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket and sipped his drink. For a moment he thought a guy standing by the bar was staring at him, but then a young woman walked across to join the guy. As she gave him a hug, they turned away from him, and he realized he was getting jumpy.

  He looked at the empty glass regretfully as he set it down. Not the time for a booze-up, and, anyway, it wasn’t the same drinking on your own. Besides, he had a long drive the next day, not to mention important business to attend to, so he’d better go home and get some rest.

  As he passed the bar, the young woman swung round without looking and bumped into him, spilling some of her wine over him.

  ‘Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking what I was doing. We’re celebrating our anniversary, you see. Can we buy you a drink to apologize?’

  Who cared about a ratty old jacket like this one? Stu dredged up a smile. ‘No need. You didn’t spill much. Enjoy your celebrations.’

  The young woman cuddled up to her partner and watched Dixon leave. ‘I planted the bug on him. We’ll be able to track where he goes.’

  ‘Clever girl. Drink up and we’ll go home. This is not my idea of a fun place.’

  Dan was woken by Leon’s ring tone. He came instantly awake as he picked up his phone from the bedside table. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Dixon has been down to Worton and
broken into Gabrielle’s friend’s flat. Do you know this Tania woman?’

  ‘I’ve heard Gabrielle mention her, that’s all.’

  ‘Any idea what he might be after? Did Gabrielle leave anything there?’

  ‘She had nothing to leave. The thieves took everything.’

  ‘Maybe he was searching for information.’

  ‘Perhaps he was after Gabrielle’s address. Tania knows where we are. That settles it: I’m going back to Lancashire straight away.’

  ‘Yes, I was thinking maybe you should. We’ll send our operative over from Yorkshire to keep an eye on Brook House as well.’

  ‘No need. I’ll be there.’

  ‘Better safe than sorry. Two of the Black Widow’s most adaptable and ruthless workers have also arrived in England, pretending to be husband and wife, driving a truck. Our operative is armed.’

  ‘Maybe I should be, too. Something’s clearly brewing.’

  ‘I reckon. And our Interpol liaison thinks so too.’

  ‘Oh, hell. And Gabrielle is right in the middle of it all.’

  ‘Yeah. Not only that, but there’s another matter of interest for you to add to the mix. Someone has emptied Gabrielle’s bank account. We can’t pin this to Dixon – yet – because the money was skilfully moved overseas and simply vanished. But the coincidence of this happening the day after Dixon’s return to England strongly suggests a connection.’

  ‘You’d think so.’

  ‘She’ll get her money back from the bank, because they let themselves be hacked.’

  ‘That’s not the point. Her ex is still hounding her.’

  ‘It was very cleverly done. We haven’t been able to trace the money to anything but an internet café and a service provider in the Middle East. Is Dixon that good with computers?’

  ‘I doubt it. From what Gabrielle has said, he’s too impatient.’

  ‘Then that’s someone else who needs removing from the action afterwards. I don’t need to tell you to keep out of sight in Lancashire, Dan. We want to catch them, not chase them away. Do not mess this up by joining Gabrielle unless her life is actually threatened, because if they see you, they’ll back off.’