by June Tate
‘Hello, son.’
‘Dad! What on earth are you doing here?’
Pat’s face looked as if it had been carved in granite. ‘I need to talk to you.’
‘How did you get in here?’ asked Johnny. ‘They are really strict about non-members.’
‘George Coleman let me in.’
This immediately put Johnny on his mettle. George hated him with a vengeance, so he must have some devious reason for his action and, looking at the expression on his father’s face, Johnny knew this meeting was not going to be a good one.
‘Let’s go to a pub, then we can talk,’ he suggested.
But Pat wouldn’t hear of it. Just to spite Coleman, he was determined to stay. His stubbornness played right into George’s hands.
‘No, we’ll stay here.’
Johnny had no choice but to follow his father and sit down. ‘What is it that demands a personal visit?’ he asked with some trepidation.
‘I hear you’ve become involved in another business just lately.’
His son frowned. What on earth was he referring to? ‘Like what?’
‘Newfangled alarm systems – or so I’m told!’
‘You’ve been to Romsey.’
‘Then it’s true! What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at? How dare you interfere in my business?’
‘No, Dad, you’ve got it wrong, you would be interfering in my business! I asked you not to pull any more jobs here and you ignored me, so I had no choice but to protect myself.’ Now it was Johnny who was angry. 'Perhaps now you’ll leave Southampton out of your schemes.’
‘If anyone else but my own son pulled such a flanker . . . well you know how I deal with such people.’ Pat was white with anger. ‘All because of a bit of bloody skirt!’
George Coleman was watching the scene from a hidden vantage point, enjoying himself because it was obvious the two men were at cross purposes. At that moment Victoria arrived.
Both Daniels saw her at the same time. Pat looked Victoria up and down as she stopped and spoke to the barman. ‘Well, I have to say, your taste has improved, but in bed all women are the same if you close your eyes.’
‘Don’t talk about Victoria like that!’ Johnny snapped. ‘She’s worth some respect, especially from you!’
The barman told Victoria that Johnny was in the club and indicated towards the table where the men sat. She walked over to them, smiling.
‘Hello, Johnny, I didn’t see you when I came in.’ She looked at Pat and smiled. ‘Good evening, I don’t believe we’ve met.’
He stood up and shook her hand. ‘Hello, Miss Teglia, how nice to meet you. I’m Johnny’s father.’
She looked surprised. ‘Mr Daniels. You’re some way from home, aren’t you?’
‘The Smoke isn’t that far, you should come and visit with us some time.’
She stared at the man, smiling at her, and noted that the smile didn’t reach his eyes that were coldly staring back and she knew she didn’t like anything about him. Even in a hand-tailored suit he was uncouth. But as she looked at him, a shiver ran down her spine. This man was menacing even as he spoke polite platitudes to her.
‘You must excuse me, I have things to see to,’ she said and walked quickly away.
Johnny rose to his feet. ‘I’ll drive you to the station,’ he said firmly. Pat had no recourse but to leave, albeit reluctantly.
George found Victoria in her office, lost in thought.
‘So, you’ve met the mighty Daniels. Take it from me, girl, that’s one mean bugger and never to be crossed unless you want to invite trouble.’
She looked at her protector. ‘I can’t believe he’s Johnny’s father, they are so different.’
‘Are you quite certain about that, Victoria? They say acorns don’t fall far from the tree. Just be very careful you don’t bring a heap of trouble on yourself, that’s all.’ He walked away and left her with her thoughts, hoping that tonight he’d seen off young Johnny Daniels.
Fifteen
‘Just keep out of my life, Dad, and I’ll keep out of yours!’ had been Johnny’s parting shot to his irate father when he dropped him at the train station. He then drove quickly back to the club and enquired as to the whereabouts of Miss Teglia from the barman. He made his way to her office and, knocking briefly on the door, walked in.
‘Look I’m sorry about inflicting my father on you like that, but I didn’t know he was coming.’
She stared at him without answering, silently comparing the two men. They couldn’t have been more different. Johnny’s features were not coarse as were his father’s, so he must take after his mother, she assumed. His speech was far more refined, too. There had not been an atom of charm about Pat Daniels and she could believe that he was a villain and a man not to be messed with, yet her lover standing before her was his son.
‘What did he want that brought him down here? It must have been important.’
‘It was about some goods he was expecting, they were delayed and he wondered if I was having the same trouble with the firm. We both deal with the same man – that’s all.’
She had the feeling he was lying to her. ‘I thought you had nothing to do with him any more – or his business.’
‘I don’t, but don’t forget, Victoria, we are both in the construction game and sometimes it can be difficult to purchase the goods that are vital to our success. It can be a serious problem. One that we share.’
She was not convinced, but what could she say? ‘Don’t ever think of recommending him for membership, Johnny, because I don’t want him on my premises.’
There was an icy tone to her voice and, at that moment, he realized that Victoria was not a woman to be messed with either. He’d really have to watch his step in the future and he cursed his father for making waves in their relationship. But he just smiled.
‘Are you crazy? I certainly don’t want him around! I’ve told you he is no longer a part of my life.’
‘I wonder if he believes that?’ she said and stared hard at him.
‘Believe me, I made that perfectly clear when I took him to the station.’ He gazed lovingly at her. ‘Come on, darling, let’s go and have a quiet drink together before you get too busy.’
‘Not tonight, I’ve got some paperwork to do and I need to get on with it.’ She picked up a pile of letters and took no further notice of him.
Johnny knew this was not the time to argue. It was obvious that his father’s visit had unsettled her and he could understand why. He would just have to give her time to get over it.
‘All right, Victoria, I’ll call you tomorrow,’ he said and left her alone.
George Coleman watched him walk out of the club with a feeling of great satisfaction. It was obvious that he’d been dismissed as Victoria didn’t follow him. Well, that was great. He’d sowed the seed and now waited for it to flourish. Job well done!
Victoria was unsettled. Here she was partner of the club on the same site with the same name as her father’s club. Her father who had been a renowned villain, she knew that, but it wasn’t until she’d met Pat Daniels that the fact became a reality. This was the world and kind of people that Vittorio had been mixed up with and she didn’t like it. Was he like the Londoner? God, she hoped not! But she had been told by her mother that he could be ruthless when necessary. How far did he go? Did he ever kill a man? She felt sure that Pat Daniels was capable of murder – just by looking into his eyes. Could Johnny be ruthless too? She remembered his reaction when he first learned she was engaged. The rough way he’d grabbed and kissed her had shocked her. She’d forgotten about it until now – and now she was filled with uncertainty. Had she made a terrible mistake?
Carefully tidying her desk, she put the letters to one side, rose from her chair and left the office. She looked for George and told him she would like to go home for the night, could he manage without her?
‘Yes, love, off you go,’ he said. ‘You look a bit peaky, are you all right?’
‘Just a bit tired, that’s all. I’ll see you in the morning.’ And she left.
Pat Daniels was furious when he got on to the London train. He was livid that a very valuable job had been scuppered by his own son and the way George Coleman had shown little or no respect towards him, knowing his reputation. But what really stuck in his craw was Johnny. To think that his own son, who, until he’d come down to Southampton, would never, never have crossed him or questioned him in any way and now was telling him to keep out of his life! Who did the little bastard think he was? Well, he needed a lesson. Daniels alighted from the train at the next station.
Max Reynolds was just about to leave his office when he had an unexpected visitor. One of his men came rushing in.
‘Boss, boss, Pat Daniels is here to see you!’
Reynolds was shaken when he heard the name. He knew all about the man and wondered what on earth he was doing asking for him. He sat back behind his desk and somewhat nervously told his man to let him in.
With a face like thunder, Pat Daniels marched into the room and sat down, glared at the other man and spoke. ‘I’ve got a job for you!’
Bruce Chapman was getting his papers up to date ready to hand over to the man taking his place. Tomorrow he was due to take over his own command. He couldn’t wait to get away. His broken engagement still weighed heavily with him and he still couldn’t understand why Victoria was behaving in such a rash manner. It wasn’t as if they had been at loggerheads. Quite the opposite. Since he’d been moved to Portsmouth they’d got along together just like they had in France. They’d enjoyed each other’s company, their sex life was great as it always had been – then suddenly it was over. Had he seen it coming it would have helped, but her decision came out of the blue and he was still reeling from it if he was honest. Now he couldn’t wait to go to sea; there was nothing to keep him here any more.
He picked up a photograph of her mounted in a silver frame and studied it before putting it in his briefcase. That just about covered everything. He took one look around the office then walked away.
The following morning he was driven to the dockyard where a cruiser was anchored and he walked up the gangway. At the top stood an officer waiting to greet him. He saluted smartly.
‘Lieutenant Mark Hattfield, sir. Welcome aboard.’
Bruce returned the salute. ‘Morning Hattfield. Right, let’s take the tour.’
Sandy, now all packed and ready to move back to Southampton, was sitting in the Smuggler’s Return having a quiet beer with the barman.
‘Won’t you miss being here, Sandy?’
‘No love, to be honest. I’ve had enough of playing in pubs to last a lifetime. Now I want some me time. I want a bit of fun in my life before I pop my clogs!’
The barman laughed. ‘So will you be looking for a nice sailor then?’
Grinning broadly, Sandy laughed. ‘Well, I do love a man in uniform, I must say. But really, I’m just tired of my old life and Southampton means a lot to me and I’ve got some good friends there. I want to be free to spend time with them.’
‘You might come across young Daniels, he’s got a business there, I believe.’
‘Yes, that’s more than likely. I haven’t seen him in here lately.’
The barman leaned across the bar. 'Rumour has it that he wants to break away from the old man. Can’t say I blame him. The boy’s cut out for a better life if he’s got any sense.’
When the barman left him to serve another customer, Sandy wondered if Johnny had decided to cut his ties with his father after he’d met Victoria. All he needed was a good woman to keep him on the straight and narrow and, liking the fellow as he did, he fervently hoped that was the case. After all, she’d broken her engagement to Bruce for him and he prayed she’d made the right decision.
At that moment Pat Daniels walked into the bar with one of his men.
‘Hello, Sandy, I hear you are leaving us,’ he said.
‘Yes, I’m retiring. I’m going back to Southampton, my old hunting ground. I expect I’ll see something of Johnny whilst I’m there.’
The smile disappeared from the other’s face. ‘That boy forgets where he came from! Since he moved there he’s got a bit too big for his boots to my mind. Anyway, I wish you luck. I’ll miss you and your entertaining ways. Just keep away from the dockyards.’ And he sat down.
Sandy frowned. He hoped that any bad feeling between father and son was not going to affect Victoria in any way. He’d keep a careful eye on her when he moved, because he knew that Daniels’ anger was legendary and it usually meant trouble for someone.
Sixteen
Max Reynolds puffed out his chest as Pat Daniels left his office. Now he was really mixing with the big boys. He was a small-time crook loaded with ambition and now he felt he was really getting somewhere. Big Pat came to him! He went over the details in his mind, trying to plan how when and . . . well, he knew where. The big man’s last words rang in his ears.
‘No way can this be traced back to me. You do well, I’ll take care of you.’
The London mobster would owe him . . . Max Reynolds! Oh, how he wished he could crow about it when he went to the pub, but of course he couldn’t. Secrecy was absolute.
Three days later, Victoria walked wearily from the taxi to her door. It had been a very busy night, her feet were killing her and she wanted a bath before climbing into bed. As she was about to put the key in her front door, she realized that it was slightly open and frowned. She knew she’d locked it earlier, but, as you do in such situations, she questioned herself. Had she been in a hurry and not closed it properly? No, she was always so careful. Then she became tense. This really wasn’t right. She looked around. The building was silent. At this hour the other tenants would be in their beds, asleep. With her heart thumping, she slowly pushed open the door and groped for the light switch before opening the door further. She gasped at what she saw. The place was a shambles.
Chairs had been tumbled over, table lamps smashed, drawers emptied and the expensive wall mirrors smashed. Her record player was broken as were many of her records. She was shocked. Quickly trying to gather her wits, she knew better than to touch anything. Searching carefully amongst the wreckage she found the telephone, thankfully intact, and rang the police.
She was sitting on the floor outside the door smoking nervously when the police arrived. A constable and a detective entered the block and found her. They took down the details and asked if she had moved or touched anything inside.
‘Only the phone, other than that, nothing.’
The two men walked gingerly into the room, stopping just inside the door. After a look round the detective spoke.
‘Have you somewhere you can stay tonight, Miss Teglia?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I can go to the Langford Hotel and stay with my mother.’ Luke would have to be told as, after all, this was his property.
‘I’ll leave the constable here, miss, until my men come and look for fingerprints. I’ll drive you over there, shall I?’
‘Thank you, that would be kind of you. Can I grab some night clothes?’
‘Best not; you could mess up the crime scene if you do.’
‘Oh yes, of course.’
During the short drive to Cumberland Place, the detective tried to cheer her.
‘We’ll go over the place with a fine toothcomb for fingerprints and when we’ve done you can look the place over and see if anything’s missing. Don’t you worry, we’ll find the perpetrators. Can you think of anyone who might have a grudge against you?’
She shook her head. ‘No I can’t imagine who would do such a thing.’ But as she spoke a mental picture of Pat Daniels invaded her thoughts. But why would he do something like this? And she dismissed the notion.
The night porter let her in at the Langford Hotel when she rang the bell and then alerted her stepfather.
Luke came rushing down to the reception, hurriedly tying the belt of his dressing gown. ‘Victoria! What’s happen
ed?’
She told him briefly.
‘You looked exhausted,’ he said. He asked the night porter for a key to a vacant room and told Victoria to go to bed. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘I haven’t a toothbrush,’ she said and thought how stupid it sounded.
‘There’s one in every room, as for make-up, see your mother in the morning. She’s asleep right now and I don’t want to wake her. Tomorrow will be soon enough to tell her what’s happened.’ He took her to her room and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Try and get some sleep, I’ll see you when you wake.’
Victoria was now so tired that she took off her clothes and climbed straight into bed, too weary to think . . . and fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning, Lily knocked on Victoria’s door and hurried in and sat on the bed.
‘Luke told me what happened, how awful for you! Are you all right?’
Rubbing her eyes, Victoria sat up. ‘Yes, just a bit shaken that’s all. It’s an awful feeling knowing that strangers have been through your things.’ Frowning she said, ‘I am so sorry but Luke’s lovely mirrors were smashed to smithereens.’
Lily dismissed her worries. ‘For goodness’ sake, darling, that doesn’t matter a fig! It’s not important. Is anything missing?’
‘I don’t know yet, the detective wouldn’t let me look until they’d been in and done their job.’
‘Yes quite right. When they say you can go back to the flat, I’ll come with you.’
‘Will you?’ Victoria looked relieved. She’d been dreading going into her flat alone. ‘I’ll ring George and tell him what happened and that I probably won’t be in today, but I need a change of clothes and some make-up.’
‘Come along to my room when you’re ready, fortunately we are much the same size and you can use my stuff. I’ll call the police station and ask when you can return if you like.’
Johnny Daniels met one of his clients in the Club Valletta where they planned to lunch and discuss business. It was the barman who told him what had happened.