‘Murder?’ Jake’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Christ, I knew it must be serious when I saw the white suits this morning, but I didn’t expect that. Who was it?’
‘Speedy.’
‘Wow, poor guy. Have they any idea who did it?’
‘Not as far as I know. But they’re still investigating, so I don’t suppose they’d tell me even if they did.’
‘Can you believe the cheek of him?’ Chrissie marched over with a furious look on her rain-drenched face. ‘Trying to push me around like I’m some kind of dog, just because I’m a woman who can stand up for myself. Arrogant, misogynistic pig! I pity his poor wife, having to put up with a prat like him! And talk about smelly . . .’ She pulled a face. ‘I’ve been in pig sties that smell fresher than him!’
Seizing the opportunity to have a word with the man while Chrissie vented her indignation, Jake walked over to Roger’s car.
‘Oh God, I hope he doesn’t kick off,’ Leanne murmured, no longer listening to Chrissie as she watched Jake squat down to speak with Roger through the window.
‘I hope he does,’ Chrissie countered angrily. ‘That prick could do with being brought down a peg or two.’
‘Not with the police standing right there,’ Leanne pointed out.
Relieved when Jake came back after a couple of minutes and Roger drove away unscathed, she said, ‘What was that about?’
‘Just letting him know that I’m not too impressed with the way he’s treating you at a time like this,’ said Jake. ‘Don’t worry, I kept my cool.’
‘Thanks, but there was no need,’ Leanne said resignedly. ‘I don’t blame him for wanting to sell up. I’d do the same in his shoes.’
Jake caught the note of desolation in her voice and peered down at her. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah.’ She nodded and forced a weak smile. ‘Just got a bit of a headache.’
‘It’ll be the shock catching up with her,’ Chrissie said to Jake. ‘And standing here getting drenched can’t be helping. We were about to go to mine for a brew, actually. You’re welcome to come with us, if you want?’
‘Thanks, but I’ve still got a few things to do,’ Jake said. ‘Probably best if I take her back to my place so she can get her head down for a while.’
‘Yeah, she could probably do with a hot bath and an early night,’ Chrissie agreed. ‘She must be wiped.’
‘Excuse me, but do I get a say in this?’ Leanne interjected.
‘Sorry,’ Jake apologized, giving her a sheepish smile. ‘What would you like to do?’
Leanne gazed over at the house again and shrugged. ‘I’m obviously not getting back in there anytime soon, so I guess I haven’t got much choice, have I? But would you mind if Chrissie came with me, only I don’t really want to be on my own if you’re going out again.’
‘Fine by me,’ Jake agreed. ‘You up for that, Chrissie?’
‘Absolutely!’ she said without hesitation. ‘But can we call in at mine on the way so I can change out of my work clothes?’
‘As long as you’re quick.’ Jake glanced at his watch. ‘I really need to be somewhere.’
‘I’ll be straight in and out,’ Chrissie promised.
‘Come on, then.’ He jerked his head. ‘I’m parked around the corner.’
11
Joan O’Brien felt like death warmed up. Her chest infection wasn’t showing any signs of letting up despite the strong course of antibiotics she’d been prescribed, and she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in ages, so she wasn’t pleased to have been woken from her afternoon nap by somebody repeatedly ringing the front door bell.
Tutting when she peeped through the spyhole and saw who was standing on the step, she shuffled to the foot of the stairs, and yelled, ‘Tina, it’s for you! TINA!’
‘No need to shout, I’m not deaf,’ Tina grumbled, tying the belt of her dressing gown as she trotted down the stairs.
‘No, but I will be if he don’t pack in ringing that flaming bell!’ Joan’s brow creased in pain when another peal echoed through the hallway. ‘I haven’t had a minute’s peace since you’ve been back.’
Ignoring her, Tina peered through the spyhole and muttered, ‘What does he want?’ when she saw her on-off lover, Eric Price, staring back at her.
‘Try opening the door and you might find out,’ Joan said, coughing into her hand as she made her way back to the living room.
Sticking two fingers up at her mother’s back, Tina yanked the front door open.
‘What are you doing here? I thought I told you to sling your hook?’
‘Don’t be like that.’ Eric’s voice was as pathetic as the imploring look in his watery eyes. ‘I just need—’
‘Viagra?’ Tina arched an eyebrow and folded her arms.
Embarrassed, Eric shoved his hands into the pockets of his faded leather jacket. ‘There’s no need to be cruel about it. You know I’ve got problems.’
‘Oh, you’ve got problems, all right, and not just in that department,’ Tina sneered. ‘I mean, come on . . . you look like a ninety-year-old garden gnome trying to be Elvis, and you seriously expect me to fancy you?’
‘You said you didn’t care about the age gap.’
‘So, I lied. Anyway, you know the rules: no money, no honey.’
‘You know I’d give it to you if I could, but it’s not that easy. I’ve already drawn out more than—’
‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Tina snapped, losing patience and shoving Eric hard in his bony chest. ‘I’m not interested, so just get lost!’
Jake pulled up at the gate at that moment, and Chrissie muttered, ‘Bloody hell, that’s all my mum needs,’ when she saw her sister pushing the man up the path.
‘Who is he?’ Leanne asked.
‘Eric Price,’ Chrissie said as she yanked her seat belt off. ‘He used to run the pub round the corner, and his wife’s an absolute nutter who weighs about fifty stone, so our Tina should know better.’
‘She’s not seeing him, is she?’ Leanne was horrified. ‘He’s ancient.’
‘Her sugar daddies usually are,’ Chrissie grunted, opening the door.
‘Why can’t you just get it through your thick head that I don’t want you?’ Tina’s screeching voice filled the car. ‘Your dick’s as limp as wet lettuce, and your breath smells like dead fish, so why don’t you do us all a favour and chuck yourself under a train!’
‘Can’t we talk about this?’ Eric whined, stumbling backwards on to the pavement. ‘You know I’d get you the money if I could, but my wife’s already suspicious.’
‘Do I look like I give a flying fuck what that fat cunt thinks?’ spat Tina. ‘You knew I needed it, and you promised you’d get it for me.’
‘Pack it in!’ Chrissie marched over and herded her sister back on to the path. ‘Mum isn’t well, and the neighbours are watching.’
‘Get off me!’ Tina snarled, struggling to get past so she could continue the argument.
‘Inside – NOW!’ Chrissie barked. ‘And you piss off home to your wife,’ she shot back at Eric. ‘You should be ashamed of yourself, a man of your age, messing round with young girls.’
Furious with Chrissie for interfering, Tina yelled, ‘This has got nothing to do with you, so keep your fuckin’ nose out. Just ’cos you’re too fat and ugly to get a bloke, you think you can—’ The rest of the sentence died on her lips when she spotted Jake watching through his open car window. ‘Who the hell is that?’ she gasped.
‘Leanne’s boyfriend,’ Chrissie told her sharply. ‘So put your eyes back in their sockets before you make an even bigger fool of yourself than you already have.’
Tina wasn’t about to take orders from her sister. Nimbly dodging her, she sashayed out on to the pavement with her lips pouted and her hips in full sway.
‘Well, hello there,’ she purred, extending her hand palm side down, as if expecting Jake to kiss it. ‘I’m Tina – her younger, better-looking sister.’ She jerked her head at Chrissie. ‘And you are . . . ?’
‘Two ticks,’ Chrissie replied smugly, delighted that he’d given her sister short shrift.
Mortified when she suddenly remembered that she was wearing Tina’s blouse, Leanne sank down in her seat and zipped her jacket up to her throat.
‘So how come I’ve never seen you before?’ Tina asked flirtatiously, not giving a damn that Leanne was sitting right there as she rested her elbows on Jake’s door and gave him a bird’s-eye view of her cleavage. ‘Do you live around here?’
Before he could answer, Chrissie popped her head back out of the house, and shouted, ‘Tina, you’d best get your arse in here! Dylan’s awake, and he’s got hold of your Chanel bag!’
‘You what?’ Tina snapped her head around. ‘That cost a ton. You’d better be joking!’
‘I’m not,’ Chrissie replied grimly. ‘He’s pulled everything out, and now he’s trying to eat it.’
‘Little shit, I’ll kill him!’ Tina squawked, pushing herself away from the car.
‘What about me?’ Eric asked as she rushed to the gate.
‘Fuck off!’ she snarled, shouldering past him and striding up the path.
‘Okay, I’ll get you the money,’ he called after her.
‘What a mug,’ Jake muttered, flicking his cigarette butt into the gutter and closing his window. ‘It’s obvious she’s using him.’
‘Oh, he knows,’ Leanne said as she watched the elderly man scuttle away. ‘But he won’t care as long as he can carry on seeing her. She’s a very pretty girl.’
‘If you like that kind of thing,’ Jake said dismissively, glancing at his watch.
Conscious that he wanted to get moving, Leanne said, ‘Give her five minutes, then I’ll knock on.’
Jake nodded and sat back. ‘So how are you feeling?’ he asked.
‘Still a bit shocked about Speedy,’ she admitted. ‘It’s crazy to think he’s been murdered. I know we didn’t get on, but no one deserves that.’
‘Well, you know what they say: live by the sword, die by the sword. He could have done all sorts that you don’t know about.’
‘I suppose so.’ Leanne sighed. ‘I just hope Maggie’s okay. If I’m feeling like this when I wasn’t even there, God only knows what’s she’s going through.’
‘I’m sure she’s being well looked after,’ Jake said, reaching out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Chrissie came out of the house just then and, leaving the front door ajar behind her, marched down the path with a scowl on her face.
‘What’s going on?’ Leanne asked when she heard raised voices coming from inside.
‘Our Tina and her fella are having a barney,’ Chrissie said as she climbed back into the car.
‘Eh?’ Leanne was confused. ‘But we just watched him leave.’
‘Not that one, the one who was waiting for her in my bed,’ Chrissie said indignantly. ‘The cheeky bitch must have been at it with him when the other one turned up. I got the shock of my life when I walked into my room and found him lying there with his soldier in his hand. Ugh!’ She gave an exaggerated shudder.
Leanne and Jake looked at each other and burst out laughing.
‘I’m glad you two think it’s funny, but I’m going to have to boil my bedding now in case I catch something,’ huffed Chrissie. ‘And that dressing gown she had on was mine an’ all, so I’ll be burning that when I get back.’
‘Heads up,’ Jake said when he spotted Eric coming back around the corner.
‘Good!’ spat Chrissie when she saw him. ‘Let’s hope the three of ’em kill each other so my mum can get a bit of peace.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay in case it kicks off?’ Leanne asked.
‘What, and miss out on seeing this amazing flat you’ve been bragging about?’ Chrissie snorted. ‘No chance. Let’s go.’
*
Half an hour later, after Jake had dropped them off and Leanne had shown Chrissie round the apartment, they opened a bottle of wine and carried it out on to the balcony. It had stopped raining by then, but the wind was still high, so they were both wearing their coats.
‘Okay, I’m sold,’ Chrissie said through chattering teeth. ‘This place is the nuts, and Jake really is Mr Perfect. And you, lady, are the luckiest bitch that ever walked the face of the earth.’
‘I am, aren’t I?’ Leanne agreed, shivering wildly but feeling warm inside.
‘So have you made your mind up about moving in yet?’
‘I don’t know.’ Leanne shrugged. ‘What do you think I should do?’
‘Hmmm, let me see,’ Chrissie drawled, gazing up at the sky as if giving it real consideration. ‘Go back to the ghetto and find another crappy little bedsit, or move in here and live a life of luxury with a gorgeous man who worships the ground you walk on . . . ? You’ll have to give me a few minutes, ’cos it’s a difficult one, this.’
‘Talk about two-faced!’ Leanne said amusedly as she uncapped the bottle and poured them each a glass of wine. ‘You couldn’t stand him a couple of days ago.’
‘What can I say?’ Chrissie shrugged. ‘He’s grown on me.’
‘Told you you’d like him if you gave him a chance.’
‘Yes, you did. And, for once, you were right.’
‘It’s still not very long, though, is it?’ Leanne said as she sat back. ‘I can’t help thinking it’s all happening a bit fast.’
‘Ordinarily, I’d agree with you,’ said Chrissie. ‘But the way I see it, you haven’t got too many options since Roger the Dodger’s already given you your marching orders.’
‘Don’t remind me,’ Leanne groaned, taking a swig of wine. ‘I wonder if the police have finished with the house yet.’
‘Doubt it, or they’d have let you know it was okay to go back,’ said Chrissie. ‘I’m just glad you weren’t there last night.’
‘Me too,’ Leanne said quietly, shuddering at the thought of what she might have witnessed if she had been. ‘I can’t stop thinking about the burglary, and those blokes you saw hanging about round the corner from mine. What if it was them, and they were planning to do it that night, but called it off ’cos you saw them?’
‘Who knows?’ Chrissie shrugged. ‘But, whoever it was, I honestly don’t think they were after you. I’ve been thinking about it, and I reckon they were probably after Speedy all along.’
‘But why would they trash my room if they were looking for Speedy?’ Leanne asked. ‘They must have known a woman lived there when they saw my stuff. And surely they would have checked the other flats once they realized they’d made a mistake?’
‘They probably got disturbed and had to leg it, then decided to wait a couple of days before going back to finish the job, in case the police were sniffing around,’ said Chrissie. ‘Either way, the police must think it’s connected, or they wouldn’t have asked you all those questions about it.’
Leanne shivered as she mulled over what Chrissie had said. If she was right and Speedy had been the intended target all along, then a cold-blooded killer had been in her home. A killer who was still on the loose.
‘I can’t go back there,’ she said decisively. ‘I’m going to ring Jake and ask him if it’s okay if I stay here while I look for somewhere else.’
‘Thank God for that!’ Chrissie said approvingly. ‘Put it on loudspeaker so I can hear what he says.’
Sure that it must be a good omen when the sun suddenly broke through the clouds, Leanne was smiling as she reached for her phone and dialled Jake’s number.
‘Sorry for disturbing you,’ she said when he answered. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I’ve decided I’m not going back to the bedsit.’
‘Are you kidding?’ Jake replied delightedly. ‘That’s brilliant! You won’t regret this, Lee. I knew you were the girl for me when I first laid eyes on you, and now I’ve got you, I’m going to make you the happiest w
oman alive.’
‘You’d better,’ Chrissie called out. ‘Or you’ll have me to deal with.’
‘Am I on loudspeaker?’ Jake asked.
‘Er, yeah,’ Leanne admitted sheepishly. ‘Sorry.’
‘Blame me,’ Chrissie shouted. ‘I wanted to hear your reaction when she told you.’
‘No worries.’ Jake laughed. ‘Anyway, this calls for a celebration, so why don’t I give Ben a ring and see if he fancies making up the numbers?’
‘That’d be nice,’ Leanne said.
‘Okay, I’ll book a table and we’ll pick you up at eight,’ Jake said.
‘It’s not fair,’ Chrissie moaned, slumping in her seat when the call was finished. ‘Why can’t I find a man like him?’
‘How about him?’ Leanne whispered, smirking as she gave a surreptitious nod at the window of the neighbouring apartment.
‘Oh, my God, is he even alive?’ Chrissie spluttered when she spotted an old man watching them.
‘Don’t stare or he’ll think he’s in with a chance,’ Leanne teased.
‘Piss off!’ Chrissie shuddered. ‘I’m not that desperate.’
Laughing, Leanne reached for her glass and the bottle and stood up. ‘Come on, let’s go in and start rearranging stuff.’
‘Are you crazy?’ Chrissie protested as she followed her inside. ‘This place is absolutely perfect as it is.’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ Leanne agreed, gazing around after closing the French doors. And I’m going to be living here, she thought, unable to believe how much her fortunes had changed in the space of a few short hours.
12
Leanne and Chrissie had been ready and waiting for an hour when Jake and Ben arrived later that evening.
Rushing straight over to Leanne, Ben gave her a big hug. ‘Jake’s told me the good news, and I’m made up that you two have decided to make a go of it. He hasn’t stopped talking about you all day.’
‘All right, don’t go overboard,’ Jake scolded. ‘You’ll have her thinking I’m some kind of sap. This is Chrissie.’
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