by Edie Baylis
Slamming his foot hard on the accelerator, Aiden hummed a tune to himself as he made his way back to his last drop. He glanced in the rear mirror at the baby on the back seat. Seth Wright had taken his brother, so now he’d take his fucking kid.
DAN FELT LIKE HE WAS part of an exceptionally bad dream as he watched the stand-off between Seth and Jason Miller unfold in front of him.
Even though Miller had caught Seth unaware when he’d barged in brandishing a gun, it had been less than a second before Seth had retrieved his own pistol from its cleverly concealed hiding place under his desk for reasons such as this.
The two men had been locked pointing weapons at each other’s heads for several minutes, with no hint of either of them backing down.
Dan eyed the steely resolve apparent in both of the men’s eyes, along with the anger and resentment and knew it was only a short amount of time before one of them fired. This was not good.
Even though Dan was reluctant to get involved because it was more than feasible that if he uttered a word, one or other of their reactions would be to fire the gun in his direction, but he’d reached the decision that someone had to say something and it looked like he was the only one who could be rational.
Dan took a deep breath. “Guys, this needs to stop.” He flinched, waiting for his head to depart from his neck, but nothing happened. It seemed neither Seth nor Miller had even heard him they were so fixated upon each other in a silent battle of wills.
“You both have your reasons, but you need to step back and look at it. You’ve both been played off against each other. This is what whoever’s been doing this intended.”
Sensing he was getting nowhere, what with the rabid expressions plastered across both of the men’s faces, Dan knew he needed to continue talking until they either took on board what he was saying, or shot him dead.
Summoning up courage he’d felt had deserted him, Dan rose from his chair and pushed between Seth and Miller. “It’s obvious! Whoever’s doing this, wants you two to finish each other. Don’t you see it’s all part of the plan? They’ve been playing you both off against each other for months and it’s worked!”
Dan looked at Seth. “Seth, you’ve been convinced Jason Miller has been behind these issues for ages and you, Mr Miller, have equally distrusted Seth which has poured fuel on Seth’s suspicions of you – especially when you publicly pulled your association.”
He sighed deeply. “For God’s sake! You’re both clever men, but you’ve played right into this person’s hands! I can see that even if you can’t! This person has been manipulating rumours through to involved set ups! Now look at you – you’re both pointing your guns at each other for fuck’s sake, when you should be pointing them at who’s done this – of which isn’t either of you!”
Dan stomped to the other side of the room. It was all getting ridiculously stupid. He no longer cared if they turned on him. At least he wouldn’t have to be party to this bullshit anymore.
“For God’s sake, look at yourselves! Seth, your daughter is about to be adopted by some fucking nutter and the guy that’s been threatening your family is still out there. Mr Miller, you’ve been set up more than once, causing you to publicly denounce Seth and act like he’s guilty.”
“He killed one of my men!” Jason Miller shouted, suddenly remembering why he was here.
“Everything links back to you and your man!” Seth raged.
“But it wasn’t Alan Barber,” Dan added quietly.
“Yeah, thanks Dan. I know that now,” Seth muttered.
“You need to be working together to sort it out,” Dan continued. Christ, it was like being at school. Was he actually getting through to either of them? “And don’t forget Seth that you’re about to be framed for that girl’s murder as well!”
Dan turned to Jason Miller. “It’s obviously a vendetta aimed at Seth, but you Mr Miller, have been unwittingly brought in to help incriminate him.” It was true. Whoever this was certainly knew how to work everyone. “Think about it rationally. You worked together fine for a couple of years and had a good thing going. Why would either of you choose to change that?”
“Why did you say you thought Alan Barber was the connection?” Miller asked, finally lowering his gun. Dan had some good points even though it all sounded far-fetched that someone would go to such meticulous detail to set Seth Wright up. He liked even less that he’d been used as party to it.
“Because he was ID’d by several people,” Seth said, also putting his gun down. “He was ID’d as the one who attacked your barmaid and the one who’s been seen with my au pair.”
“My barmaid, Billie-Jo?” Jason said incredulously. “Alan Barber would never have done that.”
Seth nodded. “He was also shagging my au pair, involved in a prostitute ring for young girls and I think he was also involved in that young girl’s disappearance, as well as sending those threatening letters.” He folded his arms. “Except it wasn’t him. I took out the wrong man.” He gritted his teeth. He hated having to admit he’d made a mistake. “It appears Barber has a double.”
Jason Miller looked even more confused. “What do you mean a double? None of this makes sense man. This sounds even more ridiculous than the rest of your conspiracy theory!”
“That’s why you’ve been blaming each other because it makes more logical sense!” Dan reasoned. Were they finally beginning to see the wood through the trees?
“Somewhere there’s a guy wandering around who can answer all of these questions and is still very much set on taking me down,” Seth said sternly. “I don’t know whether it’s for his own personal reasons, or whether he’s working for someone, but whoever it is seems to be cleverer than the pair of us. Either way, he’s a spit of Alan Barber.”
Jason frowned. Could it have been Alan Barber after all? “How can you be sure then that it wasn’t Alan Barber?”
Dan smiled. “Because Alan Barber hasn’t got a tattoo on his neck. That’s the difference.”
Jason suddenly felt quite ill. He sat down abruptly and helped himself to a glass of Seth’s whisky. It all made sense. Taking a sip out of his drink he stared straight at Seth. “Tattoo on his neck did you say? I know who it is.”
TINA HAD BEEN ABOUT to shoot up when Aiden booted her door in. Walking into her bedroom, he shoved a bundle on the bed and before she could utter a word, jumped astride her and pinned her to the mattress by her throat.
His manic eyes gleamed as he stared into Tina’s. “Where’s my money, you cunt?” he snarled.
Tina struggled for breath. She might have known this would happen. She knew he’d come for his share of the insurance pay-out and could only be fobbed off for so long. She’d have probably had a few more weeks to think of a plan if his brother’s death hadn’t sent him off the rails, but now he’d lost the plot, he was spoiling for a fight with everyone.
This made everything just that little bit worse. He certainly wasn’t about to appreciate her mother’s life insurance claim had been denied. Flatly and completely.
It wasn’t even to because she’d been murdered. It was because the old bat had failed to pay the premiums for the last five months and so unbeknownst to her, her mother’s life insurance was null and void. Aiden had done the hit for nothing.
It was typical. Even after death her bloody mother had got one over on her. Furthermore she still owed all that money...
“Well?” Aiden snarled. “Where the fuck is it Tina? Don’t try and turn me over you skanky bitch. I need that money and I need it now. I’m out of here.”
“What do you mean? You’re leaving?” Tina gasped, attempting to loosen Aiden’s grip from around her throat.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, now get me the fucking cash. I know you’ve put in for it as it’s a cut and dried case, so they’d have paid out by now. Get me the money Tina. I won’t ask you again.”
“But...”
“Oh fuck it!” Aiden raged. Jumping off Tina, he pulled out her drawers one b
y one, tipping the contents messily on the floor. “It’s in here somewhere, so I’ll find it my fucking self! Then I’ll be dealing with you for trying to turn me over you horrible junky slag!”
The sudden noise of the crashing drawers startled Toby who’d been deposited on the bed and he started crying.
“What the fuck?” Tina yelled, turning over and trying to focus her drug-addled eyes on where the noise was coming from. “What the hell is that?”
“What do you think it is Tina? A bloody hamster?” Reaching over, Aiden grabbed Toby by the ankle and picked him up.
“Aiden! Put the kid down!” Tina yelled horrified as the child howled loudly.
“I’ll put it down alright! Out of the fucking window!” Aiden yelled, moving across the room with the screaming child.
“NO!” Tina screeched, launching herself off the bed. She couldn’t let this psycho hurt a baby.
FORTY SIX
ELIZA HAD JUST ABOUT had it. She’d got more than enough on her plate as it was with the police uncovering Lacey’s body. She was shit scared it would lead back to her, without the noise she could hear from upstairs.
She needed to know whether the fibres chucked in with the body would be sufficient to lead the cops straight to Seth without them digging too far and finding a link with the Elipse or Lomond. And therefore, her and Digger.
Being as Seth already had more than enough form to last him to the moon and back, all she could hope for was that the police wouldn’t feel the need to dig further. That the obvious evidence she’d managed to plant would assure them they’d got their man and no further enquiries would be necessary. But until that happened for sure, she couldn’t rest easy.
Eliza wiped her hand across her face, irritated to find a sheen of sweat. For God’s sake. She’d got so much to be contending with and it was all very much on her right now. Digger’s assistance had waned lately and his assistance had been less than minimal. She was beginning to feel very resentful.
Plus, this stuff going on with the kid was taking it out of her. All Digger wanted to do lately was disappear and get drunk – leaving her to handle everything. He could do with remembering that adopting Grace had been a joint decision, but now he was forgetting that and she didn’t appreciate it.
Hearing the loud commotion continue, Eliza angrily got to her feet. For Christ’s sake. It was hard trying to keep the little tarts in check without dealing with additional tantrums from the staff. She could detect Tina’s voice from a mile away, the bloody stupid junkie. What the hell was her problem?
Stomping to the door, Eliza yanked it open. Tina had been useful initially, but now she was a pain in the arse. She’d done her part in what they wanted, so there was no real need for her to still be here. She was causing additional problems that no one needed and there was no way she’d be getting the bumper pay out she’d been expecting either.
The ungrateful bitch! She’d got rid of her despised mother free of charge hadn’t she? And she’d be receiving a very nice pay out from that, so what else did she want the greedy cow?
That reminded her. She’d be asking Aiden where her percentage of the cut was. Just because he was busy having a paddywack over his brother being bumped off didn’t mean he could forget about her money.
He should be bloody glad someone else took the fall for his doings, but he hadn’t even taken that on board, the stupid man. They were all bloody stupid.
She hurried along the corridor and up the flight of stairs towards Tina’s room as fast as her stiletto heels would allow, scowling as the shouting and screaming got louder.
Reaching Tina’s door, Eliza barged in. “What the fuck’s all this noi...”
Freezing to the spot seeing Tina’s blood-caked face as she grappled with Aiden, Eliza stood astounded. What was that in Aiden’s arms? Oh Christ! Is that a child?
“What in God’s name is going on?” Eliza screeched.
Aiden and Tina paused mid-scuffle and stared at her.
“He’s taken the kid. He’s taken the fucking kid!” Tina wailed. “He’s going to kill it!”
Eliza looked from Tina to Aiden, seeing the manic look in Aiden’s eyes that she hadn’t ever seen before. “Aiden, whose kid is that?”
“Seth Wright’s and I’m having it. He killed my brother so I’m having his kid. Eye for an eye...” he spat.
Eliza paled. Oh God. Seriously? How could this be possible? How could this sort of stuff happen to her? He’d fucked everything up.
“I got the kid from Anna. She clumped Jane and legged it with the kid. You’ve been threatening to take the kid for months - so there you go! Except I’m dealing with it now, not you,” Aiden growled.
Eliza glanced at Tina clearly seeing the fear in her eyes. Aiden had well and truly lost his mind. Dear God. “What do you mean threatening to take the kid? It’s the girl I’m having, not the baby.”
“That was me. I added that into the last few letters,” Tina mumbled through her smashed teeth.
Eliza sat down heavily on the end of the bed. “You what?” Was she hearing correctly?
“I wanted to scare the life out of the snotty bitch. The way she spoke to me and looked at me I wa...”
“You stupid bitch!” Eliza roared, backhanding Tina hard around the face. “For Christ’s sake! Are you insane? Oh my God! I didn’t want that! That will only give them more clues to link us to everything! You stupid, stupid... Oh my God!” She was close to hyperventilating, unable to believe the woman could have been so completely and utterly useless.
Eliza began pacing around the room. “What else did you say in these letters?”
“That you were getting their daughter...” Tina uttered. “I thought I was doing the right thing...”
“Jesus wept!” Eliza raged. They were done for. “They weren’t supposed to find that out until after things were finalised! That’s not until next week. And I never mentioned anything about the baby.” Christ. Shit. Christ!
She began to move warily towards Aiden. By the look in his eyes she didn’t trust anything he may have up his sleeve. She’d never seen him behave like this before and it unnerved her.
She forced herself to meet his angry eyes. She needed to get the kid out of his grasp. All may not be lost. It may be a blessing in disguise after all. “Don’t even think about attacking me Aiden. I’ll kill you stone dead. I suggest you get the fuck away from here. Fast.”
Eliza glanced at the small child staring at her with wide eyes, then looked back up over to Aiden. “You’d best pray Seth gets banged up before he works out you’re the cause of all of this and that this adoption goes through before Jane works out where all of this originated from.” Eliza’s eyes narrowed. “Otherwise we’re all fucking dead.”
“You think I’m that stupid?” Aiden sneered. “That shows how much you underestimate me. How much you’ve always underestimated me. I’ve had it with you lot. Turning me over all the time, getting me to do your bloody dirty work. Well fuck you! It stops here!”
Eliza eyed Aiden warily. He’d definitely turned. For the first time she felt uncomfortable and wary in his presence. He’d morphed into a loose cannon.
“It’s you that’s finished Eliza,” Aiden sneered nastily. “I’ve got the bargaining chip now haven’t I?” He held the child up by the scruff of his little top and jiggled him in front of the window. The child’s frightened face was clear for all to see.
“What are you talking about?” Eliza asked hastily, trying to keep her voice as level as possible. She refused to show him that unfamiliar tendrils of fear and uncertainty were creeping into her mind.
“I’ll be getting what’s mine this time in return for the child of course,” Aiden grinned. “And guess what? For once, you’ll be getting fuck all! And don’t try to threaten me with that ‘I’ll tell Digger about us’ crap. You think that’s going to bother me now? It won’t work!”
Eliza paled. Was she that obvious? She had been thinking about using that one. Aiden couldn’t balls up all
of this now. She had too much riding on everything. And why the hell should he be the one to suddenly demand blackmail? This whole thing had been her idea from the off. He couldn’t jump on the bandwagon now and start calling the shots as and when he saw fit. She wouldn’t have it! “Now wait a minute...”
“Wait a minute, nothing!” Aiden scowled, his voice loud. “As I said, I’ve had enough! Tell Digger about us, go on! He’ll know it was you instigated it. Everyone knows you’re a fucking slag!”
Eliza’s eyes narrowed angrily and she stepped forward. “You ungrateful piece of sh...”
Putting his hand up, Aiden smiled. “Just to piss you off, I’ll chuck this kid out of the window. No one will get anything then will they? I’m having his money and then I swear to God, I’ll tell the Wright’s everything you’ve been doing and there’s fuck all you can do about it!”
Eliza stopped in her tracks and paled further. He wouldn’t would he?
“Ha ha! It’s all sinking in now isn’t it? It’s all coming back at you!” Aiden jeered.
“Except it’s not...” Digger snarled, bursting into the room, his pistol aimed straight at Aiden’s head.
“WHY HASN’T SHE ANSWERED the door Maggie?” Seth asked worriedly as he fumbled with the key in the lock in his rush to get inside the house. He’d tried ringing Jane a while ago to give her the latest on what had gone down with Jason Miller, but she didn’t answer. In fact no one had answered, which was what had worried him.
Jane hadn’t said she was going out today. He knew she’d been set to deal with Anna, so it was no surprise that she wasn’t around, but he’d expected her to be at home.
Out of instinct he’d made the decision to pop back. He’d already arranged for Barry and Martin to reinstate their vigils of keeping an eye on things since he’d taken them off the job again the other day, but they weren’t due back out until tomorrow.