“Good girl. Now I want you to keep house, feed us and take care of Kathleen’s girls. And I will need you to do a few other things for me.”
The women had obviously been talking about Dolly because when she returned they fell silent. She picked up her notebook.
“Dinner’s not ready yet so let’s get this sorted before we eat.” She asked each of them about their day, making copious notes, frowning at Ester who, she felt, had not done enough. She was told to go out the next day and get more information on the carriage links.
“Good work on the cesspit, Gloria and Julia.”
They felt a little like schoolgirls and didn’t enjoy it.
Dolly then turned her attention to Connie. She was happy that the lime was on its way, but Connie’s hastily drawn diagrams were not yet good enough, and they still needed details of the alarms and codes used to contact the local police. Connie said she would have another evening with Jim—even spend the afternoon with him because he wasn’t on duty until four thirty.
“That’s not written down here, Connie,” Dolly said sternly.
“Well, I just told you.”
“That’s not good enough. I need to know everything. Is that understood?”
Dolly turned to Julia. “Do you think you could get hold of Norma’s police cape and, if possible, her hat?”
“We could hire some,” offered Julia.
“Yes, we could, and be seen doing it. I’ve seen them in the back of her car. Go and keep her friendly, just like Connie’s doing with the signal-box guy. Plus, Connie, keep your eye on those shotguns at the gym.”
Dolly continued down the list.
“Who’s looking after the kids?” Julia asked.
“Angela—and don’t argue. Until I say different, she stays. Somebody’s got to look after them.”
“I think that’s a mistake,” said Ester.
Dolly’s voice was icy quiet. “You want to question me, Ester, then you can pack your gear and leave right now. Either we do this my way or we don’t do it at all.”
Angela tapped on the door and peeped round. “Dinner’s on the table,” she said meekly, and scuttled out.
They all started to head for the door, but Dolly caught Ester by the arm. “Just a second, love, I want a word.” The others left the room.
Ester stood, hands on her hips. “Don’t get me wrong, Dolly, I’m not questioning who’s the boss. I just have a few more brains than some of the others.”
“Do you?” Dolly sighed. “I don’t call wheelin’ around in a hot car very clever, and I don’t call having blokes arrive and knock the hell out of Gloria very clever either.”
“So what do you want me to do?” Ester said angrily.
“I want you to sort out this blackmail business. We can’t afford to have loose ends. Take it back, Ester, or the whole thing is off. I mean it. Something like this could bring us all down.”
“Oh yeah? And what about you and this copper? You must have something going on with him. That’s why you got his home bugged.”
Dolly rubbed her eyes. “Just sort out the tape, Ester. Tomorrow.”
Dolly and Julia walked in darkness up through the woods and down to the railway line. “Bring her up to the line, Julia. See if she really is as bomb-proof as that Norma said.”
“Okay,” Julia replied, not sure why Dolly had brought her along.
They looked down the railway line to the small bridge, the lake, and back to the level crossing. They said nothing but both their minds were racing. Dolly was trying to visualize step by step how she intended holding up the train. Julia could see only disaster. She reckoned that with or without the horse it was going to be impossible.
“I think we’ll need a boat—that’s another expense,” Dolly said, almost to herself.
Julia looked back at the lake, trying to read Dolly’s mind. Surely she wasn’t going to hold up the train on the bridge? But if she was, why were they learning to ride?
The following morning Julia couldn’t stop sniggering. They were worse than she had anticipated—even with more than eight hours of lessons they were incapable of cantering and all still seemed very ill at ease. They were still on the leading-rein, none good enough to ride alone.
Julia rode toward Dolly and said quietly, “I hope you’ve got a plan that now excludes the horses, Dolly, because none of you could make it across the fields. There’s five sets of hedges to jump and—”
Dolly pushed her horse past Julia. “I’ll tell you when I’ve changed my mind and instead of laughing at how bad we are, why not start helping?”
Dolly wobbled precariously in the saddle as she spoke, but Julia didn’t laugh. Dolly had that dangerous look on her face.
That afternoon Julia took over the lesson and proved to be a much better teacher than the stable girl. She decided to be tough, and not let them get away with a thing, and soon had them cantering—even Gloria, who fell off but got straight back on after Julia screamed at her.
Angela had hot soup ready and waiting. The children had been given their tea and were outside, brushing and clearing the yard for more fifty pence pieces. When they were halfway through their soup, the telephone rang and Ester, as always, dived out first to see who it was. “It’s for you, Julia,” she shouted before going upstairs for a bath. She leaned over the banister as Julia went to the phone. “It must be your mother—she asked if you were in surgery!” She laughed.
Julia picked up the receiver, but it wasn’t her mother at the other end of the phone. It was the housekeeper: Julia’s mother had had a stroke, and was very ill.
“My mother’s ill,” Julia said unemotionally. The women all looked at her. “A stroke. I’ll have to go and sort it out. Can I use your car, Gloria?”
“No, you can’t,” Dolly said, clearing the bowls.
“Well, I’ll take the truck.”
Dolly turned and smiled. “Why not ask that friend of yours, Norma? Maybe she’ll drive you over—be a good chance to talk to her.”
Julia shrugged. “Okay, but I don’t know if she’s around. She may be on duty.”
Dolly ran the water in the sink. “Don’t forget we need the riding cape and her hat.”
Norma opened the front door with a smile and Julia explained what had happened. “You’re in luck, I’m off for two days so it’s no problem.”
“I really appreciate this,” Julia said, taking a step into the neat cottage hallway while Norma picked up her coat and car keys. “Just one thing, Norma, about my old lady. She doesn’t know I was in prison, she still thinks I’m a doctor.”
“Fair enough.” Norma turned into the main road and they drove off. “I hear you had another visit from the locals?”
Julia gave her a sidelong look. “Yeah, that’s right. First they thought we were hiding some diamonds, then guns. It was a ridiculous.”
Norma nodded. “Mrs. Rawlins has quite a reputation.”
“Oh, have you been checking up on us?”
Norma swore as they drew up by the level crossing. “Oh, bugger it. Let’s hope it’s not the mail train.”
They sat in silence, watching the gates clang shut, and then Julia leaned back in her seat, slipping her arm behind Norma. “They have a lot of security on for the mail train?”
Norma pointed along the road. “Yes, but as you can see, it’s quite simple. That’s why they pick on this station, no easy access for any car coming up either side of it and they’d never get as far as the motorway, the place is alarmed all along the track, with a special link to the police station. They can be here in under four minutes.”
“Really?” Julia said, trying not to sound too interested.
“You know why they use the security vans?” Norma continued.
“No?”
“Because of the vulnerability of the big stations. Last big robbery was at King’s Cross, so now they have armored trucks and a police escort to an out-of-the-way station like ours, then they put the bags on board and it’s a clear run through all the st
ations. Train goes at around eighty miles an hour.”
Julia began to massage Norma’s neck. “Well, thankfully it’s not the mail train today, and no coppers but you!” She leaned over and kissed Norma, only stopping when the gates opened again and they continued on, passing Raymond Dewey on his little stool. He waved to Julia and she waved back.
“Poor sod, what a life,” she said.
“Oh, he’s happy enough,” Norma said, and then touched Julia’s hand lightly. “I’m glad you called.”
“So am I,” Julia replied, then stared out of the window. She really did find Norma irritating. It was going to be a long drive.
Dolly asked Connie to come in for a chat. She closed the bedroom door. “You’re seeing that signal-box bloke tonight, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I told you.”
“Where’s he taking you?”
“Dinner at his place.”
“Good. Slip him a couple of these sleeping tablets. You can have a good search around his place. Maybe he’s got papers or something that’ll give us the alarm codes.”
Connie took the two tablets wrapped in a bit of tissue and slipped them into her pocket. “I’ll be down the gym first, check on the shotguns.”
“Good girl.”
“Thank you, Dolly,” she said without a smile.
As she was walking out, Dolly caught her hand. “Something bothering you?”
“What do you think? But, like you said, I owe you for Lennie so I’ll do whatever you say.”
“You make sure you do.”
Connie wouldn’t meet her gaze as she closed the door behind her. Dolly rubbed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. God, they infuriated her. She was always having to check up on one or the other of them—it was like having a house full of kids. She would have to start thinking about what she would do with them after the robbery.
Angela was in the kitchen when Dolly came in. “Want to go into London, love? Only I got to drop Gloria off for her usual visit with her husband so you might as well keep us company.”
It was not until they had left Gloria at a tube station that Dolly told Angela what she wanted her to do. She said it so quietly that Angela didn’t get nervous or even ask too many questions; she simply said yes. Not that she wanted to go into the police station, but she didn’t really have any choice.
Angela asked at the desk to speak to Mike Withey. The duty sergeant asked her name and then called the incident room. “What did you say your name was, love?”
“Angela Dunn.”
When Mike was told she was waiting in reception he marched straight out to her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out onto the street.
“I told you I didn’t want to see you again.”
“Please, Mike, I just want to talk to you, just for a minute. Look, I bought you a present. Please don’t be angry.”
“I don’t want anything from you, Angela.”
Angela held out the slim little box but he turned away so she took it out and showed it to him. “It’s a pen.”
“Great, Angela, just what I needed.” She slid it into his top pocket, and he turned away from her. “I don’t want it.”
“Please, just give me a few minutes, please, Mike. I got to tell you something—it’s important.” He rubbed his jaw. “Mrs. Rawlins said she’ll call you tomorrow morning, she wants to know what would be a good time.”
Mike faced the wall, feeling as if someone was about to ram his head into it. “What else did she tell you?”
“Nothing, just that she would be in touch but for you to tell her what time.”
He bit his lip. “Tell her I’ve nothing for her, not yet, but I’ll be at home—say in the morning about ten.”
Dolly sat in the car, the briefcase open on her lap. She adjusted the channel and could soon hear Mike as clearly as if he was sitting next to her. She had to know if she could trust him—and Angela, for that matter. So far she had said exactly what she had been told to say, and the added plus was that they were even in sight. She hadn’t reckoned on them coming outside to talk.
Angela watched him hurry back into the station before she headed toward Dolly. She could see the aerial stuck on the side of the car. “Was that okay?”
Dolly beamed. “Yes, love. Get in, I’ve a few things I want you to do for me. Can you stay at your mother’s?”
“Why? Can’t I stay on at the manor?”
“Yes, but I want you to do a few things for me first thing in the morning. Have you got a passport?”
“No.”
“Well, first thing tomorrow I want you to get one and I want you to take mine, with this letter. I’m the girls’ legal guardian and I want them put on my passport, just for a holiday. Then you come straight home. And, Angela, you don’t say a word about this to any of the others or they’ll go ape-shit—you know the way they feel about you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Oh, drive around a bit. Go on, off you go.”
“My mum won’t let me stay, Dolly.”
Dolly counted off some twenty-pound notes. “Well, here’s money for a hotel—just the one night, love, then you get yourself home.”
Dolly watched her walk off down the street, then noticed the channel light blinking in the briefcase and put in her earplug. Mike was making a phone call. She smiled to herself as she listened to Mike arranging to meet someone, and the more Dolly listened the more she smiled. She was sure she was right. She’d got the smart little bastard right by the balls. But better to be safe than sorry.
Gloria saw that Eddie was in a bad mood the moment he was let through the gate to the visiting room. She’d brought a few odds and sods for him, not much, and fifteen quid. He took them without so much as a thank you.
“So, how you keeping?”
“Oh, I’m havin’ a really good time in here, Gloria.”
She had known it would start then.
“You look different,” he muttered.
“Yeah, well, it’s all the fresh air.”
“So you’re still at the farmhouse then?”
“It’s a manor house, Eddie, and yeah, I’m still there.”
He began to roll a cigarette.
“Anythin’ gone down there?” he asked nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on his roll-up. She sat back, watching him, and then he looked up, all innocence, and in that moment she knew she was stronger than him. Maybe she always had been.
Mike had no notion that he was wired up and Dolly Rawlins was taping every word he said. It was as if she was on his shoulder when he went to visit an old mate from his days in the Army, leading her directly to the security firm that handled the money for the mail train.
He had brought a bottle of Scotch and was shown into the security firm’s office. His friend Colin had been a bit surprised to hear from Mike as it had been quite a few years and he wondered what he was after. But Mike soon got over that, saying he was putting out feelers for work if he was to leave the police force and a friend of a friend had told him that Colin had a cushy number going.
Dolly had to hand it to Mike. He was quite a smooth operator. She listened as he chatted on about his Army days, about how badly he was paid and how, with a wife and two kids to keep plus a mortgage to pay, he was getting sick and tired of the Met. She was parked fifty yards from the security firm’s main depot and would have remained there if she hadn’t seen a police patrol car cruise by. She did one slow tour round the block and then she was out of range of the transmitter. She decided to call it quits for the evening. Most important was that she felt confident that if anything was to go down from Mike’s place she’d be ready for it. She headed home, everything she was planning playing over and over in her mind. It was all coming together, and yet as the miles clocked up she became more uneasy. Was she in over her head? Did she really believe she could go through with it? Just thinking about it exhausted her. Had it been like this with the widows?
Then he began to talk to her. It didn’t take her by surprise
—Harry’s voice often came to her, not like some whispered menace, nothing like that. In fact, it was the normality of the sound of his voice in her head that had often soothed her. She used to talk to him, silent conversations as if he was in the room with her, his deep, warm tones as clear as if he was sitting in their old drawing room in their house in Totteridge. He used to sit up late many nights. Sometimes she’d take him in a warm glass of malt whisky with just a sprinkling of sugar.
“You all right, darlin’?” she’d ask him.
“I am, sweetheart, but I just need to make sure I’m covered back, front and sideways, because there’ll be nobody else looking out for me.”
Harry never told her exactly what he was working on so diligently. But she would sit close and ask him if he wanted to talk about it . . . how she loved those times. Harry would sip his drink and rest a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, darlin’, I got this tricky little situation. Not sure who to trust with an important delivery and it’s only tricky because it could have repercussions.”
She never asked names but in a roundabout way he would tell her who he mistrusted and why, and what he considered the best way to ensure they became trustworthy.
Still driving, one part of her mind concentrating on the road, the other listening to Harry, it wasn’t until Dolly stopped at a garage to fill up with petrol that his voice started to fade away. The last thing she heard him say was, “Cover your backside, Dolly, your sides and your front, before you make the next move.”
Mike remained with his pal Colin as they drank their way halfway down the bottle. He had not asked about the type of work Colin did, taking his time so as not to create any suspicion. Colin was a little ill at ease in case he was caught drinking: as he was the foreman he could get into trouble. But Mike laughed—he was, after all, a copper. Just in case, Colin slipped out to check no one was around to disturb them.
As soon as he left, Mike looked over the time sheets on the desk, and the lists of officers’ names, but found nothing pertaining to any mail train pick-up or delivery. It was a big firm and Mike was about to try one of the drawers when Colin returned.
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