The Downfall Series Box Set

by Edie Baylis

  JANE SCOOPED TOBY UP in her arms and planted a kiss on the top of his thick curly hair. “See you later darling,” she said softly. “I love you. Be good for Mandy now won’t you?”

  Toby uttered a delightful string of babble and reached his chubby fingers out to grab at Jane’s earring. Handing him back to Mandy, she smiled. “I’m not sure when I’ll be home, but hopefully it won’t be too late.”

  “Not a problem,” Mandy smiled, twirling Toby around in her arms. “We’ve got plenty to do today haven’t we little man?”

  Jane pulled on her fitted black suit jacket and smiled. They had a beautiful home which Bill Benson had given them as part of the job, the business was running like clockwork and their association with the Millers had proved, as expected, extremely lucrative.

  Walking down the stairs she grabbed the keys to her BMW and picked up her handbag. The only fly in the ointment was despite all of his efforts so far, Seth had failed to locate their first child, but Jason Miller had recommended another private investigator that was supposed to be the best of the best.

  Miller had previously spoken about the results he’d got when previously tracing someone using this man and although Seth had been loath to discuss his private business regarding his daughter, he’d been forced to because they had drawn dead ends with everyone else they’d used.

  Jane sighed deeply. Getting Grace back was more important than anything. Even though Seth had continually told her it wasn’t her fault, she still felt responsible. After all, the prison authorities had taken the new-born from her, not him. It had been her who had signed away their daughter for adoption – not that she had much memory of that thanks to the cocktail of drugs they’d injected her with, but it had still been her who had done it.

  Not a day went by when Jane didn’t think about Grace and wonder how she was. She’d be six years old now and those reoccurring nightmares she’d had after her daughter was born had started again. Except now they’d changed.

  For months after she’d had her first child taken from her she’d had the same horrible dream every night: she’d been forced to watch the prison doctor drowning her perfect baby in a bucket of water in front of her very eyes. After a while she’d even begun to suspect the dream might be true, being as the whole episode of what had really occurred still remained distinctly blurred. The same dream continued like a stuck record each night for the remainder of her prison sentence and she’d dreaded going to sleep.

  Jane shuddered. Although the pain and loss had never gone away, the dream’s occurrence had gradually lessened, but over the last few months it had returned with a vengeance.

  The baby in a bucket had morphed into a beautiful little girl with raven hair and bright green eyes who looked miserable as sin. Sometimes she’d be subjected to the most appalling treatment at the hands of her adoptive parents. Other times it was abuse in a children’s home where she was kept locked in an attic and on other occasions she’d be beaten or tortured.

  Since having Toby shortly after their wedding it had brought it home even more that Grace was absent from their lives. Toby was treated like a prince and it broke Jane’s heart to think that her daughter wasn’t being treated well and wasn’t where she belonged. With them – her parents.

  LACEY GARNER STARED blankly at her reflection in the small mirror propped on her dressing table and flinched hearing the sounds of someone stomping around downstairs. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table seeing she’d got just under an hour before her first punter was due.

  Sighing, she ran her fingers through her shoulder-length dark blonde hair and scraped it back into a pony tail then touched up her lip gloss. And this was supposed to be an improvement from living with her mother and Martin was it?

  She’d been so bloody stupid. She should have known that nothing in this world came without a huge fucking price tag, but she’d been so desperate and in need of someone to help her, she’d allowed herself to believe what had been said. Maybe because she’d needed to.

  Lacey looked around the damp walls of the poxy bedroom she called hers. It wasn’t hers though was it? It was yet another cell where she could be used as a man’s toy. She may as well have stayed where she was.

  Her mother’s boyfriend had been pawing at her since he’d moved in when she was nine and by the time she was thirteen, his filthy hands groping over her pyjamas had progressed inside them, which had then moved on to having his way with her. She could still smell the stale beer and fags that were always on his breath.

  She knew there had been no point in saying anything to her mother. The woman was always so drunk she rarely remembered she even had a daughter, let alone take on board what her pervert of a boyfriend was doing.

  Lacey had become almost resigned to that way of life until one night last year had been the straw to break the camel’s back. She’d returned from school after wasting as much time as possible aimlessly walking around the housing estate, to find her mother lying on her back with vomit splattered all down her ripped top, her saggy breasts exposed and a man she’d never seen before rutting between her legs.

  She’d seen the needle on the coffee table and it didn’t take much guessing to realise her mother was back on heroin. There were two other strangers sitting on the other sofa opposite and Martin stood eagerly watching wearing a big sneer. He’d leered at her, informing her she was up next. She’d seen the lust in those grotesque men’s eyes as their gazes ran up and down her body and had known then that had been the end.

  Lacey had slipped upstairs and shoved as much as possible in a holdall and wasting no time, opened her bedroom window and jumped down onto the flat roof below to make her way carefully down to the ground. From there, she’d run as fast as possible and caught the first bus in to the city. There had been no turning back.

  On her third day of sleeping in an underpass and literally starving hungry, Lacey had been surprised, but grateful when a woman approached her offering to buy her a cup of tea and a burger. Although she’d been wary of going off with the woman as she’d looked a bit drugged up, she hadn’t been able to resist the offer of food and a hot drink.

  Whilst Lacey hungrily devoured the burger and chips the woman had said she knew of a place which would gladly give shelter to young girls like her. She’d been too desperate to be overly suspicious and had stupidly followed the woman, who called herself Tina, back to a five-storey townhouse.

  The woman she met next had appeared a little brash and the big man with his missing fingers and scarred face was intimidating, but despite appearances they were really friendly. At first...

  Lacey had been too exhausted to ask any questions and had quickly flopped into the nice clean bed with its crisp sheets and fluffy cushions.

  It was only two days later she realised she’d made a grave mistake when she’d learnt exactly what was expected of her in return for her board, but she’d been too shit scared to disappear. Besides, where would she have gone apart from home?

  At least this place was slightly cleaner than her mother’s shit-hole of a flat.

  TWO

  SETH TAPPED THE ASH from his cigarette into the ashtray on the desk and flicked through the paperwork in front of him. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with that now.

  He glanced at his diary for the day before looking at Dan sitting opposite. When he’d been put in charge of the Glint he’d given Dan more responsibility because he had the feeling that given the chance, the man would prove his worth and he’d done just that.

  “So what’s today’s plan?” Dan asked.

  Seth pursed his lips. “I’ve got a meeting with Jason Miller this afternoon. A couple of things we need to run through. Apparently someone’s been asking questions.”

  Dan nodded. It was common for clubs to get potential suppliers testing the water about opportunities, but this wouldn’t be something the Glint would entertain.

  Phil, Bill Benson’s son, Seth’s friend and associate of old dealt with theirs and the Limelight’s d
rug supply and he would be less that amused if it turned out someone was attempting to tread on his toes.

  Things hadn’t been the same between Seth and Phil since it had been discovered their mutual friend Digger had lied in his quest to keep Seth from Jane. It had turned out that Phil hadn’t known of Digger’s lies and believed Jane to be dead, but Digger’s betrayal had led to Jane being incarcerated for longer and the loss of her child as well as keeping Seth from her.

  Although Seth hadn’t blamed Phil over this chain of events, it was Phil who couldn’t handle the guilt and his men, rather than himself dealt with everything these days.

  The door knocked suddenly and Jane stuck her head through the door. “Morning boys!” she said brightly. “Just letting you know I’ll be calling that agency this morning.” She’d get the woman who Mandy had recommended over for an interview. Work was so busy. She needed to secure another live-in nanny and fast and she’d much prefer to go with recommendations rather than having to start from scratch.

  “Ok, that’s fine. How’s Toby?” Seth had left before his little boy had got up.

  “He’s fine,” Jane smiled before disappearing once more.

  Seth grinned as he turned back toward Dan and winked. “Just got to talk Jane into having a few more kids now.”

  He’d been in state of almost constant euphoria since he and Jane had got back together. Even though it hadn’t been planned when she’d fallen pregnant within a couple of weeks he’d been overjoyed and it had hit him with an almost suffocating pleasure as her belly had swelled.

  When they’d married and he’d watched her walking towards him up the aisle heavy with his child, his love had been crushing. The protectiveness and happiness he’d felt was overwhelming, but nowhere near as overwhelming as when his son came into the world especially as he’d missed the experience the first time around.

  His heart was so full of love for his family he’d quite happily give her child after child like he’d always wanted. All he needed now was to secure their first child’s return then both he and Jane would be complete.

  Happily it seemed they were finally getting somewhere on that score. Although everyone he’d tried so far had failed to locate where Grace was, he had made inroads with where they stood legally.

  The high-priced lawyer he’d brought on board several months ago had got a court to grant access to Jane’s prison records and with a few well-timed payoffs to the right people, he’d got his hands on the paperwork concerning the removal of the new-born which the prison system had tried very hard to conceal.

  Seth could now prove that Grace was taken from Jane illegally. The medical reports which had been lifted proved beyond any doubt that she’d been both sedated and tranquilised four times over the legal limit and it had been at this point which she’d been made to sign the paperwork.

  There was speculation as to whether it was even Jane’s signature on these damaging documents, but even if it was, whilst under the influence of a prison-administered overdose no court in the land would accept she had been physically or mentally able to undertake such a life-changing decision as to the permanent welfare of a child.

  This combination gave them the much needed collateral to prove the removal of their daughter was not legal and therefore would be voided, giving them back their right of full custody. What was now needed was to locate Grace before she was actually adopted because if that happened, it would make things a lot harder or maybe even impossible to overturn.

  Seth cracked his knuckles and smiled. Whatever happened he would get their daughter back one way or the other like he’d promised.

  TINA STARED BLANKLY at the dirty walls of her office at Elipse and aimlessly adjusted the photo of a topless woman hanging at a tilt on the wall in a black plastic frame. She walked slowly around her desk and sat down heavily on the chair.

  Grabbing her blue handbag from the floor she pulled out a packet from the inside zipped pocket and eyed the small amount of heroin. There should be enough here for a couple of smokes. Just.

  Should she smoke it now, or wait until later? Tina glanced at the time. She’d wait until later. She needed to speak to Eliza and Digger first and ask about a raise. She wanted more than she was getting, especially with what they expected her to do. It was no skin off her nose personally, but she knew damn well most people would expect a hell of a lot more.

  The heroin debt she’d been racking up with Aiden Barber was getting out of control and she couldn’t keep up with the repayments. She was bloody wriggling for cash and Aiden would stop giving her the gear on tick real soon if she didn’t rectify the situation. Fuck, fuck, FUCK.

  She’d phone Anna. It was about time she paid her a visit. Surely she could weigh her in a few quid? She was doing ok for herself after all, the snotty bitch. Her nose wrinkled up with ill-concealed annoyance. The way her sister looked down her nose at everyone like she was Lady-Fucking-Muck.

  It was easy for Anna. It hadn’t been her who’d ended up responsible for looking after a younger sister day and night whilst their bloody mother had wallowed in self-pity after their father had had the good sense to hang himself by a rope in the garage had it? No. It had been her.

  Anna hadn’t been the one to bear the pressure. She’d also escaped from being forever blamed for everything for the rest of time hadn’t she? Why? Because it had been her instead. Again.

  It was always her.

  Well, as far as Tina was concerned, Anna owed her - big time, so the very least she could do was to bung her a few quid now and then.

  Even now each time she had the misfortune to see or speak to her Tina was still treated like a piece of shit by their mother. The horrible old bat wouldn’t even lend her any more brass.

  Maybe she wouldn’t be so fucked up if her mother hadn’t been so wrapped up in herself rather than thinking about her daughters.

  Sighing in resignation, Tina got up from the desk. She didn’t even know where Anna was. The cow hadn’t visited her for at least two months, which of course meant she’d have to bite the bullet and phone their mother to ask of her sister’s whereabouts.

  Tina’s mouth set in determination. She’d call her now whilst she was irritated enough to face the scathing comments and usual diatribe of blame spilling from the crusty old cow’s mouth.

  ELIZA SCOWLED AS SHE opened the paper. She glanced at the picture of Seth standing with his arm around Jane as they stood next to another well-appointed and locally respected couple at some poxy charity function.

  The caption read:

  ‘Mr and Mrs Seth Wright and Councillor Roberts with his wife Julia, attended the 46th banquet last month in aid of the Sunflowers Trust....’

  Eliza scanned the rest of the article:

  ‘Owners of one of the city’s most prestigious Gentlemen’s club ‘The Glint’, Seth and Jane Wright, are well known for their generous charitable donations....’

  Eliza seethed, her teeth grating as her eyes ran over Jane’s figure in the picture, resplendent in the tight velvet evening dress she wore. As usual.

  Charitable fucking donations? Who were they trying to kid? Why did they have to get all this bloody recognition? If it hadn’t been for Bill-fucking-Benson giving them the club because he’d gone mental after his missus had got topped, they’d still be exactly where they’d come from. The fucking gutter.

  Eliza straightened down her hair extensions and pushed herself from her chair. Walking around the other side of her desk, she wrapped her arms around Digger’s massive neck and planted a kiss on his stubbly face. She ran her finger down the thick puckered scar which stretched across the whole of the left hand side of his cheek and tried not to linger on his missing ear. Although completely healed, it was a permanent reminder of the punishment he’d received, courtesy of Phil and Seth for the lies he’d told. As were the missing fingers on his right hand.

  In all truthfulness, Eliza knew Digger had been fortunate in walking away at all after what he’d done. The only reason he had was becau
se of his long history with them. He’d also managed to truthfully convince them that when he’d lied about Jane being dead it had been a snap decision. He hadn’t been in his right mind - his head was fucked. He’d immediately bitterly regretted it, but had been unable to retract the statement. It had after all been down to him Jane ended up in the nick for so long and lost her kid to the authorities in the process.

  Eliza scowled petulantly. It seemed Jane had made up for that since by having another kid in the interim so she couldn’t be that bothered about the first one could she? It was all bullshit put on for show anyhow. Jane didn’t give a fuck about anyone but herself. She never had.

  Psychos like Seth and Jane could pop out kids like peas whereas she couldn’t have them. But that was set to change very, very soon. Her inability to have kids was would be her saviour and one thing was guaranteed. Jane and Seth would not be getting that child back.

  On the flip side, Eliza knew she’d also been fortunate with how everything had turned out. It could have been very different. Trying to royally shaft Seth and Jane by threatening to expose them to Bill Benson had spectacularly backfired.

  Unbeknownst to her they’d already levelled with him about their shared unsavoury past, but in her rush to snare Seth for herself she’d unwittingly attempted to screw Benson over as well.

  She’d been hasty in opening her trap. If she’d have kept quiet she’d have been fine. She’d already done a lot for Benson by serving Charlie and Ernie Carter up– admittedly it had been to save her own skin, but she’d still done it hadn’t she? And Benson had known she’d needed compensation for that, hence her being offered to run Ernie’s gaff, but after her balls up she’d been escorted from the city and banished like a dog.

  Nothing though could have prepared Eliza to find herself having to start over again back at the bottom of the rubbish heap. And it really had been the bottom of the dump. The only good point was tempting Digger on board alongside her. Not that he’d had many options being as he’d also been shoved out. However, it hadn’t been him who had been forced to ply his wares to unclean men on the back streets had it? No. It had been her.