Her Father's Daughter

by June Tate

  But he had no idea how persistent the young man could be when he had something – or someone – in his sights. Johnny Daniels didn’t like losing.

  During the following week, Daniels made discreet enquiries about the men who’d been gambling at the Club Valletta and discovered they were indeed wealthy. One had a large impressive residence in nearby Romsey, another lived in Basset – a very salubrious area – and the third was a minor member of the aristocracy. All of whom had priceless antiques in their homes and the latter was a collector of fine art. He’d hit pay dirt, as the Americans would say. His father would be delighted with this knowledge. Johnny would leave the rest to him. He had to make sure he was beyond reproach with an unbreakable alibi for the times the burglaries would take place. He would go up to London this weekend and pass on the information to Pat.

  It was Saturday night at The Smugglers Return and Sandy was doing his piece when Johnny arrived. The young man walked quietly to the bar and ordered a drink as he listened to the pianist perform.

  Sandy was on form this night and the laughter filled the bar as he sang a song full of double entendres. Johnny laughed along with the others and when Sandy had finished he took him over the usual half of beer.

  ‘You were very naughty tonight, you old queen,’ he said, joking.

  ‘Well you know what Mae West says, “When I’m good I’m very, very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better!”’

  Laughing, Johnny said, ‘You’ll never go to heaven when you die.’

  ‘No, darling, I’ll go below with all my friends . . . might meet your old man there!’

  Johnny walked away shaking his head at the man’s audacity and sat beside his father. From his pocket he took out an envelope.

  ‘Here you are, Dad, a list of very likely clients.’ And he proceeded to tell him what he’d discovered.

  ‘Well done, son! I’ll go through this and then I’ll send a couple of my men down to Southampton to check out the houses. I’ll let you know when it’s going down so you can be in evidence somewhere. Right?’

  ‘Give me as much notice as you can so I’ve time to make my own plans.’

  ‘How you getting on with the Teglia girl?’ asked Pat.

  ‘She’s tied up with some flashy naval officer at the moment, but I can wait. He’s probably on leave and that can’t last for ever. Then I’ll move in on her.’

  ‘You be careful.’

  Sandy, sitting at his piano watched the scene between father and son, but tonight there was no way he could hear what they were saying, there was too much noise and he was too far away. But he’d seen Johnny hand over an envelope and would have given his right arm to have known the contents.

  The following day, Pat talked to three of his trusted criminals and told him of his plan.

  ‘Take yourself down to Southampton, find a cheap bed and breakfast and check out these houses. Find out as much as you can about the residents, how many in the household, when they go out and, whenever possible, get inside and take a look around. We need to know what’s there. Be careful, we don’t want the punters to know you’ve been inside. You know what to do.’

  These men were practised at their work; they’d been at it for years. No house was impregnable to them. They knew exactly what to look for and were very knowledgeable about antiques and their worth. Sometimes, when the house was not empty during the time they had to check it out, they would knock on the door quite blatantly, pretending to check the phone line or look for a gas leak. Residents were gullible and once they flashed an official-looking card at them, were never refused entrance and so they set off to do the groundwork for their boss.

  It was the last day of Bruce’s leave and he’d taken Victoria to Bournemouth.

  During the two weeks of his leave, they had regained the intimacy of their relationship and, as they dined, Bruce caught hold of her hand.

  ‘I’ve so enjoyed being with you again, darling, and thank God I’m going to be around, I can’t bear the idea of us being parted again.’

  Victoria said softly. ‘It’s been great. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed you, but you do realize, Bruce, that I may not always be free when you are. The club is still very new and I’ve got to continue to work hard to make it a success.’

  ‘I do understand, Victoria, and you deserve to do well, you work so hard and you’re good at what you do. But remember, you must take some time to smell the daisies. You have to have a life after all.’

  She squeezed his hand and chuckled. ‘Listen if you were around too long all the time, I wouldn’t have the energy to work!’

  He burst out laughing. ‘Having sex is great exercise, it keeps you fit!’

  ‘Fit for nothing with your appetite!’

  ‘Listen, I had a lot of catching up to do, if you will leave me alone for so long you have to pay the price.’

  ‘You, Captain Chapman, are insatiable!’

  ‘You can sleep on the train on the way home. After all, tonight is my last night with you and I don’t know when next I’ll be free.’

  The following evening, when Johnny Daniels entered the club, he was delighted to find Victoria on her own and when she walked over to greet him he questioned her.

  ‘No handsome naval escort tonight?’

  ‘No, his leave is over. Why?’

  ‘I’ve missed talking to you, that’s all. I didn’t want to encroach on another man’s patch.’ His eyes twinkled mischievously as he looked at her.

  ‘I wouldn’t have thought that would have made any difference to you, frankly!’

  He had to laugh because she was absolutely right. Normally he’d still have stepped in, but with her he was treading carefully. ‘Would you have objected if I had?’

  He was flirting outrageously with her and she knew it, but there was something about this man that could not be denied. She got a certain pleasure out of playing his game.

  ‘I might not have but my friend wouldn’t have been too pleased.’

  ‘Had I been in his place I would be furious,’ he said. ‘But sadly I was not and that is my loss.’

  ‘You have such a silver tongue, Mr Daniels. I bet you’ve left a trail of broken hearts behind you.’

  He grinned at her. ‘A few.’

  ‘Well, you won’t break mine!’

  He caressed her cheek. ‘I would never do that to you,’ he said, with great sincerity.

  Cocking her head on one side she looked at him. ‘You sounded as if you really meant that. You are a dangerous man to know, I think.’

  ‘Why don’t you try and get to know me better and find out?’

  ‘That might be interesting, Johnny, but I have a club to run and don’t really have the time.’

  ‘You know you don’t really mean that. From the very first moment we met there has been a chemistry between us, I know it, and if only you would be honest with yourself, you know it too.’ His steady gaze never left hers.

  Staring back at him, Victoria knew he spoke the truth. Whatever it was between them, this man drew her like a moth to the flame and she knew that eventually she would go out with him again.

  ‘I have to work,’ she said.

  ‘I can wait, Victoria, because I know in the end it will be worthwhile.’ He leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly with his, then he got off the bar stool and left the club.

  She watched him walk away, willing him to turn round . . . but he didn’t.

  Five

  Lily was waiting at the railway station for the train from Waterloo to arrive. Sandy had called her two days ago and said he wanted to see her and she wondered what was the reason behind his visit. Whatever it was, she would be delighted to spend a few hours with her old and trusted friend, and when he emerged from the exit and climbed into her car, she kissed his cheek.

  ‘Hello, you old tart, where do you want to go?’

  ‘You’ll think I’m mad but let’s go to the pier, sit in a deck chair and eat fish and chips out of a paper.’

  ‘Oh
, Sandy, that would be great! It’s been a few years since we last did that together and then only if the punters had been generous after I’d sung and you went round the bar with the hat.’

  ‘Don’t you even forget those days, darling, they made you into the person you are now. You know what hard grind is and therefore you appreciate the good things in life.’

  A little later, both Lily and Sandy were huddled together in deckchairs in a sheltered spot, tucking into fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. Fortunately the day was dry but, in early March, the sea breeze was cool to say the least. But the two of them ignored it as they ate and chatted. When eventually they had finished, Lily collected all the paper and deposited it in a waste bin, then came back and sat down.

  ‘Now, Sandy, what’s on your mind?’

  ‘It’s young Victoria as a matter of fact.’

  Lily frowned. ‘Victoria?’ She gazed at her friend, puzzled by his remark.

  ‘She’s getting involved with a young geezer called Johnny Daniels, son of a major London gangster who uses the pub that I play in at weekends and I heard a whisper, that’s all.’

  ‘How involved is she? Only, she’s been seeing a naval captain who seems not only an old friend but a lover, too, and from what I’ve seen Victoria was pretty smitten.’

  ‘That’s as might be, Lily, but young Johnny is a very charming young man and I do believe he’s keen on her. I just don’t want her to become involved with the low life as her father was, that’s all.’

  ‘Right, I’ll have a word with George Coleman and see what’s going on, thanks, Sandy. I never go to the club, as you know.’

  ‘Maybe you should, Lily, and see this young man for yourself before anything happens and it’s too late to stop it. You’re a pretty shrewd judge of character, look him over. I know it won’t be easy for you, after all, that’s where Vittorio died, but try and remember the good times there. I wouldn’t ask this of you, but frankly I’m worried.’

  ‘Victoria is far more important than my feelings, Sandy. I’ll talk to George, find out when this man will be there and I’ll do as you ask. I promise. Come on, let’s live it up and have a pot of tea at the cafe and then I’ll drive you back to the station.’

  As she drove home, Lily pondered over Sandy’s words. It was her one fear that somehow Victoria might be drawn back into the criminal world like Vittorio and, with the club retaining its name, she always felt that one day this would happen. Well, she would put a stop to it, one way or another.

  Later that evening, Lily rang the Club Valletta and asked to speak to Coleman. He confirmed what Sandy had told her and she arranged to meet him the following morning at the hotel, where he could give her all his information. She replaced the receiver and sighed. It was as she had predicted, the worms had started crawling out of the woodwork. Well, if she had anything to do with it, they could crawl right back again! Victoria would not be plagued by them; she wanted her to have a good life, unsullied by the sort of men she had had to deal with in hers. Hopefully Victoria would settle with Bruce, the naval officer. He looked man enough to cope with her wilful daughter.

  The following morning, George Coleman arrived at the Langford Hotel and was shown into Lily’s private sitting room, where she sent for a pot of coffee.

  ‘Now tell me about this young man Sandy was talking about.’

  ‘He’s good looking, well dressed, oozes charm and to be honest is very personable, but in my gut I felt from the beginning he was dodgy. When he became a member I did some digging. His old man, Big Pat Daniels, is a big London villain. He and the boy are in the construction business, all legal and above board, very professional and some of our members speak highly of his work.’ He rubbed his nose thoughtfully. ‘So far so good but . . .’

  ‘But what?’ Lily urged.

  ‘Two things, girl. He’s got some other reason for being a member. Let’s face it, lots of the clients are wealthy, from the top drawer. Victoria set out to get the best and she succeeded. What better set of victims for a criminal element? Apart from which, he’s taken a shine to Victoria.’

  Lily sipped her coffee as she collected her thoughts. ‘But what about Captain Chapman? I thought he and Victoria were pretty close.’

  ‘Ah, the naval chappie. Now there is a real man, our girl could do far worse. But you know Lily; this young Johnny Daniels has a way with the ladies, that much I’ve learned. He’s cut quite a swathe across the female population in London.’

  ‘Mmm. I’ve met his type but then I expect so has Victoria. After all she’s been in the navy for long enough to know about men.’

  He chuckled. ‘You should know, darlin’, that the dangerous ones are the most attractive.’

  She smiled to herself as she remembered. How often had she been warned against Vittorio? But he had such charisma. He was also dangerous to know and that had added to the attraction, but she had been lucky. He’d treated her well, given her a child and eventually she had fallen in love with him . . . and then sadly he’d died. But not all men were like him. The criminal element were hard and could snuff out a life if it got in the way without compunction – and that was even more of a worry. No, she would have to see for herself.

  ‘When he next comes into the club, call me. I want to meet him.’

  George knew what it would cost Lily to walk through the doors of the club and his admiration for her grew even more. She had been through so much during the years he’d known her and she’d never shirked when it came to facing her demons.

  He rose from his seat. ‘I’ll do that. It’s usually at the weekend. You know, don’t you, that as long as I draw breath, that girl will be safe.’

  ‘I know, George, and I’ll always be grateful – you know that too.’

  The following Saturday evening, Johnny Daniels entered the club and took his usual place at the bar. It was early and he hoped he’d be able to chat up Victoria before she got too involved with her customers. He’d decided to move in on her. The naval captain was off the scene and now was his chance to begin to cement a relationship that he was really looking forward to. And he was lucky; as he ordered his drink, Victoria emerged from the kitchen and, seeing Johnny, walked over to him.

  ‘You’re in here early.’

  ‘Thought we might have a quiet drink together before the rush, that’s all. What will you have?’

  ‘Just a tonic water, please, I’ve got a long night ahead.’

  Whilst they were talking, George rang the Langford Hotel and informed Lily of the young man’s arrival. Then he waited.

  Johnny was regaling Victoria with some story that she obviously found amusing and, as she was sitting with her back to the entrance, was unaware that her mother had entered the premises until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Hello, darling, thought it was time I came to see what you’d done to the old place.’ She nodded at Johnny. ‘Good evening, I don’t think we’ve met . . .’

  For a moment Victoria was speechless. ‘Oh, oh . . . sorry. Johnny, this is my mother, Mrs Langford. This is Johnny Daniels, one of our members.’

  He held out his hand. ‘How do you do? I’ve seen you in your hotel, can I get you a drink?’

  ‘Thank you, but not at the moment, I want to look around but after would be nice.’ Turning to her daughter she said, ‘How about a guided tour?’

  Victoria climbed down from the bar stool and took Lily’s hand. ‘I never thought you’d come here, but I’m so very happy that you did.’ She was delighted. ‘I so wanted you to see what we’ve done, George and me. Come on.’

  With great enthusiasm she showed her mother over the establishment, room by room, introducing her to the chef and the other staff. All of them were slightly in awe of this elegant, sophisticated woman, with an air about her. Then they returned to the bar.

  ‘Now, Mr Daniels, I would like a gin and tonic with ice and lemon, thank you.’ Lily informed him as she sat on the stool beside him.

  Johnny nodded to the barman who stood waiting
. ‘What about you, Victoria?’ But at that moment she was called away, leaving him and Lily alone.

  ‘So, Mr Daniels, as a member, what are your impressions of this establishment?’

  ‘It’s well run, the staff are very efficient, the ambience is lovely, the clientele are quality, which is down to your daughter – who is wonderful with people. I’m sure she’ll be a huge success.’

  Lily sipped her drink as she listened. Yes, she could see the attraction here. Johnny Daniels was well groomed, good mannered, personable . . . and quite fascinating to a young woman. He was smooth, far too smooth, and she knew immediately why George Coleman was worried. This was a younger version of Vittorio, but did he have the good qualities that made Vittorio different from other villains?

  ‘What line of business are you in, if I may ask?’

  ‘Construction. I’ve done quite a lot of business for several of the members here.’

  She raised her eyebrows. ‘So it’s a good hunting ground for you?’

  There was something in her voice as she made this remark that put Johnny on his guard. This woman was smart, he knew she’d been the mistress of The Maltese and therefore was not unfamiliar with the seamy side of life, the life he’d been born into, and he knew he’d have to watch his step.

  ‘Well, Mrs Langford, you are a shrewd business woman so you’ll understand that it’s often not what you know but who you know that helps you succeed in the world of business.’

  ‘Absolutely! But of course to build a good reputation, you have to have one. Do you have one, Mr Daniels?’

  Was she mocking him? He wasn’t quite sure how to handle this woman and that was a first for him. ‘I certainly hope so, Mrs Langford.’

  ‘So do I, because I believe you have an interest in my daughter. Therefore, I have an interest in you. Victoria is very precious to me and if I thought you might hurt her in any way at all, I would be more than a little displeased.’

  Johnny realized by the steel in her voice that this was no idle threat. Lily Langford was throwing down the gauntlet to him and he had better be careful how he answered.