“What? Look, it was up to you, love. I mean, I’m not forcing you into anything you don’t want to do.”
Dolly raised an eyebrow. “Fine, just don’t bank the check until I’m sure.”
Ester moved into action, instructing the women to get the breakfast on the table and to look as if they loved the place. By the time Dolly joined them, the kitchen was filled with the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs, hot toast and coffee, all laid out ready and waiting. Their smiling faces greeted Dolly warmly as she sat down.
“I been all round the grounds. Place is in a terrible state.”
“Get a few locals to clear the gardens. It used to be beautiful, in the summer especially.” Ester continued to sell the manor, hinting time and again what a wonderful place it would be for children.
Angela gave Dolly the number for the social services but it was almost nine thirty when Dolly put in a call and arranged for a meeting at the town hall. She was still unsure and not giving much away. She had only the few things she had brought with her so she would need to do some shopping, but it would be a good opportunity to see what the local village was like.
As soon as Dolly was out of earshot, they started whispering about the diamonds. Ester hissed at them to keep their mouths shut.
“Yeah, well, that’s why we’re all here, Ester, and so far she’s not said a dickie about them. All that’s gone down is you’re two hundred grand up. What if they don’t exist?” Gloria muttered irritably.
“Oh they exist,” snapped Ester. She crossed the kitchen and looked out into the hallway, drawing the door shut. “Make her think we’re all behind the project, right? Offer to stay and help out, start clearing the place up. She’s gonna need hard cash to get this place up and rolling so we watch her like a hawk and—”
Dolly called from the stairs, asking if the boiler was working as she wanted to have a bath before she left. Ester opened the door and shouted that the water was on and hot. She waited until she could hear the thud of the old pipes before she went to give the women more instructions. She then paid off Angela and said that when they went into the village she could catch the next train home.
“I got to go and see Eddie,” Gloria said tetchily.
“Fine, you go,” said Ester.
“I need my gear.” Connie pouted.
Ester sighed. “Look, you all do what you have to but, whatever you do, keep your mouths shut about being here and especially about the diamonds. Is that clear?”
By eleven they were all waiting for Dolly, Ester out in the yard in her Range Rover. Julia was looking into the stables. “You know, this place must have been something,” she said.
“It was. What the hell is she doing in there?”
Ester paced up and down, impatient to go into Aylesbury to bank the check.
Julia came close. “You going to be okay?”
Ester nodded. “Yeah. Nobody knows I’m here and besides, I got to bank the check and get her the deeds of the house.”
Julia cocked her head to one side. “Well, you take care.”
Gloria teetered out with Connie behind her. “I’m off to see Eddie. I’m givin’ Connie a lift in. Can you take us to the garage to see if me car’s ready?”
Connie put her bag into the back of the Range Rover. “I won’t even see Lennie. He always leaves by twelve so I’ll just get my stuff and come straight back.”
Kathleen wandered out. “Where you all going?”
Ester sighed. “Into Aylesbury. Where’s Dolly?”
“She’s on the phone, the social services again, asking what they want her to bring in.”
“Are you stopping, then?” Ester demanded.
“Yeah, I got nowhere else to go, have I?” muttered Kathleen.
Angela joined them, followed by Dolly, so they all squashed into the Range Rover and drove off, leaving Kathleen alone.
Gloria’s car wasn’t ready so Connie and Angela were dropped off at the local railway station. Ester took Dolly on to Aylesbury town hall. “I’ll wait here for you.” She smiled.
Dolly nodded but seemed ill at ease. “I’ll just see what they say. I shouldn’t be too long, then I’ll need to do a bit of shopping, tights and stuff like that.”
As soon as Dolly walked into the town hall, Ester drove straight to the bank. She kept a good lookout for anyone following her and hurried inside.
Dolly waited in the anteroom and eventually a pleasant-faced woman called Deirdre Bull asked if she would come into her office. Dolly was offered a seat and coffee as Deirdre sat down behind her cluttered desk. The walls were lined with posters for foster carers and adoption societies.
“Now, it’s Mrs. Rawlins, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Dorothy Rawlins. I’ve come to ask you about opening a foster home. I’ve done a bit of research with a probation officer but I thought I’d just run a few things by you.”
Deirdre nodded and began opening drawers. “First there are some forms you’ll need to look over and fill in. Have you ever been a foster carer before?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’m buying a big house and I could accommodate up to ten or twelve kids easily.”
Deirdre was so relaxed and friendly that Dolly began to ease up, as Deirdre patiently passed her one form after another to look over.
“Are you married?”
“I’m a widow.”
“Do you have children?”
“No, but I have worked with a lot of babies recently, and I have some letters from . . .”
Ester finally handed the check to the cashier. Impatient, her eyes on the clock, she’d had to stand in a queue for ten minutes. The cashier took his time, working methodically, which Ester found infuriating. He looked first at the check, then at Ester’s paying-in slip.
“There’s nothing wrong, is there?” Ester asked sharply, leaning closer into the counter. “I’m in rather a hurry and I have someone waiting.”
The cashier peered at Ester. “It’s Miss Freeman, isn’t it? Could you wait one moment?”
“Why? All I want are the documents I’ve listed. Can’t you just get them for me? I’m in a hurry.”
“The manager will need to speak to you, Miss Freeman,” the cashier said pleasantly.
“But there’s nothing wrong with the check, is there?”
“No, not that I can see, but he will need to talk to you. Your account has been frozen.”
“I know that,” Ester retorted. It was impossible to forget what her financial situation was. She was in debt up to her eyeballs, tax inspectors breathing down her neck, and the only asset she had was the manor—and that was frozen, like her accounts.
She tried a different approach. “I just want the deeds to Grange Manor House.” She gave a soft smile. “I have a cash buyer, so part of the overdraft could be paid off. If the bank tried to sell the house, they’d not get as good a price. And I’m sure I’ll be able to cover any further outstanding debts within a few weeks.”
She was sure she sounded entirely convincing. The cashier looked up and gave her a tight nod: he was going to release the deeds of the house. He excused himself and left Ester waiting. She checked her watch again, willing him to move his arse.
Deirdre looked through Dolly’s forms, and showed not a flicker when she read that she had only just been released from prison.
“The house is well situated, with gardens and a swimming pool. It will need a lot of work and I don’t know how I apply for grants and allowances—or if I am acceptable as a foster carer,” Dolly said.
Deirdre nodded. “Well, you’ll have to go before a board of committee members—I can’t say whether or not you’ll be acceptable, Mrs. Rawlins. All this takes considerable time and your property will have to be reviewed and assessed by the committee.”
“But you don’t think it’s out of the question?”
“I can’t say. If you like, I can ask my superior, Mrs. Tilly, to come and talk to you.”
Dolly leaned closer. “I would be grateful if you would. I d
on’t want to go ahead with buying the house if I don’t stand a chance with my application—if my background goes against me, you understand?”
Deirdre smiled warmly. “Mrs. Rawlins, there are so many children in need. Obviously your background will be taken into consideration but, that said, there are so many ways we can approach the board. If you can give me ten minutes I’ll go up and have a word with Mrs. Tilly, see if she can tell you the best way.”
“I’ll wait,” Dolly said, becoming more confident by the second. As soon as the door closed behind Deirdre, Dolly inched round the desk and drew the telephone closer. She looked to the door a moment before she dialed.
Jimmy Donaldson was sitting with a mug of tea. It was almost twelve and there had not been any further contact from Dolly Rawlins. DI Palmer was sitting reading the morning paper. In the hall another officer sat on duty. Mrs. Donaldson was confused about what was going on, especially as she had had little time alone with her husband. Even when they slept, an officer sat outside their bedroom. Jimmy was nervous and twitchy, but said with a bit of luck he’d be home for good sooner than they had anticipated. The police told her to speak to no one, to remain at home and continue with her housework as if they weren’t there, which was easier said than done. Right now she was preparing lunch in the kitchen, trying to pretend the house wasn’t full of cops.
The phone rang and she turned from the sink. The door to the sitting room was closed, the officer in the hallway giving her a pleasant smile. With a sigh, she went back to making lunch.
In the sitting room, Palmer gave a brisk nod for Donaldson to pick up the phone as he slipped on his headphones to listen to the call.
“Jimmy? It’s Dolly.”
Jimmy looked nervously at Palmer who gestured for him to continue the call.
“Hello, Dolly. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’d like to collect.”
Palmer nodded and Donaldson hesitated. “Okay. When do you want to come over?”
“I won’t come to your place, you bring them to me. You know Thorpe Park?”
“What?”
“It’s a big amusement park. About four o’clock this afternoon. I’ll see you there.”
She hung up before Donaldson could reply. He sat looking at the receiver in his hand. Palmer swore, told him to hang up and then put a trace on the call.
“Have they found them yet?” Donaldson asked.
Palmer said nothing as he waited for the results of the trace. DCI Craigh came in as Palmer was jotting something down. He passed the note to Craigh. “She made contact from Aylesbury town hall, social services. She’s asked for a meet. You want to hear the call?”
Craigh nodded. “What the hell is she doing at the town hall? She’s moving fast, isn’t she? We’ve still not found the stones. They’re ripping his entire shop apart because it was so long ago he can’t remember which wall he hid the stones behind.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll just have to stall her, or Jimmy will.”
Palmer looked back to the closed door. “You think he’s spinnin’ yarns? If we’ve not found the ruddy diamonds maybe they’re not there.”
Craigh sighed. This wasn’t working out the way he’d hoped. Now they’d have to drag Donaldson out to Thorpe Park, and they’d be screwed if they didn’t find the stones by four o’clock.
“Look, see if you can get his wife shipped out—to a relative or something. I don’t like her being around. Meanwhile I’ll go and see what I can work up for the four o’clock meet. Why Thorpe Park?”
Palmer shrugged. “I dunno. She said it, then hung up.”
Tommy Malin had worked until late the previous night and went straight back to it in the morning. He reset the stones one by one, using a lot of settings from a previous little job he’d done, only then they had contained some beautiful emeralds and diamonds. He had never been asked to make up a whole bag of glass before but he wasn’t going to turn his nose up at an easy two grand cash. Audrey called to ask if they were ready and he said they’d be finished later on in the afternoon. He had some business to attend to at lunchtime.
“They’re not ready yet,” Audrey said to her son as he paced up and down the living room. “Has she called? Do you know if she’s talked to Jimmy yet?”
“No, I’m going over there now. I’ll come back later and pick them up. And for Chrissakes don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Who’d I tell? I’ve got the cash ready,” Audrey said nervously.
Mike stared at her, his anger at what she had got him involved with still close to the surface. “Just get the stones, Mum, and as soon as you’ve got them, call me on my bleeper.”
Mike walked out of the flat and hurried to his patrol car as his bleeper went off. When he managed to call in, he was instructed to meet DCI Craigh at the station and not, as he had previously been told, at Donaldson’s house.
Mrs. Tilly looked over Dolly’s forms. She then stacked them in a neat pile. “Well, I think you stand a good chance but you’ll have to be interviewed by the board and have your details assessed. It will take time for us to give you a positive answer and you’ll obviously require grants, which is another area where you’ll need to be instructed. There are so many different sections and application forms.”
Dolly was feeling good, her dream already turning into reality. Mrs. Tilly frowned as she reread the top form.
“Grange Manor House? It had a bad reputation, you know.”
Dolly looked confused. “I’m sorry? I don’t understand. It was a health farm, wasn’t it?”
“It used to belong to an Ester Freeman. Oh, I’m going back maybe five or six years. It’s been closed—I thought it had been demolished, to tell you the truth, not just because the motorway was built across the main access, but because it was such a scandal—”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean,” Dolly interrupted.
“Grange Manor House was run as a brothel. The police arrested, oh, fourteen women, I think. It was run by Ester Freeman. I think she went to prison.” Suddenly Mrs. Tilly flushed. “Did you buy it from Miss Freeman?”
“No I did not,” Dolly lied, her hands clenched tightly. “Thank you for all your help.” She managed to keep a smile on her face but she was so angry she could have screamed. This was all she needed. Trying to open a foster home as an ex-prisoner was one hurdle to get over, but now she knew that the place had been run as a brothel any association with Ester would obviously go against her.
Dolly stormed out of the town hall. Ester was not waiting as she had promised. Dolly forced herself to remain calm. She’d have to get out of this, and fast. She’d do a bit of shopping, get the next train to London, collect the diamonds and do just as she had planned: buy a small terraced house near Holloway and screw that bitch Ester Freeman.
Ester faced the bank manager, a dapper little man with a faint blond mustache. He shuffled Ester’s thick file of documents. The check from Mrs. Rawlins, he assured Ester, was cleared or would be soon as he had already contacted Mrs. Rawlins’s bank, but this still left Ester three hundred thousand pounds in debt. She would be declared bankrupt unless she had means to cover the outstanding balance.
“But I’ve just paid in a check for two hundred thousand.”
The manager nodded patiently. “Yes, I know, Miss Freeman, but the bank are holding the house as collateral for the outstanding monies. I cannot release the property deeds.”
“Fine. Then I’ll withdraw the check. The money is for the sale of the manor and you know that it won’t get that price on the open market. You sell it and the bank’ll lose out. This way, at least I’ve paid off some of it and I give you my word you’ll get the rest within a few weeks.”
He sighed. What she was saying made sense. “So, Miss Freeman, is this check from Mrs. Rawlins for the sale of the property?”
“Yes. That’s why I’ve got to have the deeds returned to me. If you refuse, there will be no sale. You then have to put it on the mark
et and—”
He interrupted, drawing back his chair, “Fine. I will, however, have to wait for the check to be cleared, Miss Freeman. That still leaves your balance over three hundred thousand pounds in the red, and unless this situation is rectified we have no alternative but to begin proceedings against you.”
She leaned on his desk. “Give me just one more month—you’ll get the money. I am waiting to be paid a considerable amount, more than enough to cover my overdraft.”
Ester would have liked to scream at him “Try three million quid’s worth of diamonds, you fuckin’ little prat,” but instead she smiled sweetly as he flipped through her bank statements.
“Well, we’ll give it three weeks, Miss Freeman, but then—”
“You’ll get me the deeds? Yes?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’m prepared to trust you, Miss Freeman.”
“You won’t regret it,” she said softly, having no intention whatsoever of paying in another penny. She was going to skip the country and fast, just as soon as she laid her hands on Dolly Rawlins’s diamonds.
Mike met up with DCI Craigh in the station corridor. “She only called from the Aylesbury social services and you won’t believe where she’s asked Donaldson to meet her.”
“Oh, they find the diamonds?” Mike asked casually, knowing it was an impossibility.
Craigh shook his head. “I’m gonna need extra men, sort this out at the bloody theme park, and we’ll get Donaldson wired up. He’ll just have to stall her or get her to implicate herself. I’m beginning to wish we’d never started this whole thing.”
Craigh had no idea just how much Mike wished he had never mentioned Dolly Rawlins’s name, let alone the diamonds.
Gloria eased her way round the visitor tables, crowded with the wives and mothers, girlfriends, kids. It never ceased to amaze her how many women were always there every visiting day. Never as many men—they were all banged up like her old man.
Eddie Radford was staring at his folded hands, a glum expression on his Elvis Presley lookalike features. Eight years younger than Gloria, he’d never even bought an Elvis record but she had. She’d been a great fan and the first time she’d set eyes on Eddie she’d seen the similarity, with his slicked-back hair. If he’d had sideburns he’d have been the spitting image.
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