by Adele Abbott
“Only if you’re going to bring the cash.”
“Okay. Where?”
“I’ll come to your office.”
“That doesn’t work for me. I want to meet somewhere there’ll be lots of people around.”
“Don’t you trust me, Kat?”
“No.”
“Sensible girl.” He laughed. “Do you know Rita’s Café? It’s in Bloomsbury.”
“I’ll find it. What time?”
“Two o’clock. Don’t be late because I’m not going to hang around waiting for you.”
***
I caught the tube to Russell Square, and soon found the café. I was twenty minutes early.
Still feeling flush from my slot machine win, I treated myself to a millionaire’s shortbread with my coffee.
Thirty minutes later, there was no sign of Westy. What little coffee I had left was now cold, but there were no free top-ups, and I wasn’t paying for another cup of that slop. I tried Westy’s number, but there was no answer. Maybe he’d been delayed on the tube.
Another three quarters of an hour later, and the café owner was glaring at me. I couldn’t blame her; it was only a small café and I’d been sitting there with an empty cup for the best part of an hour. I’d tried to call Westy a dozen times, but with no success. The TFL website didn’t show any delays on the tube, so it couldn’t have been down to that. I doubted he’d simply stood me up because he wanted that money.
Whatever the reason, it was obvious he was a no-show, so I took my empty cup to the counter—it was the least I could do under the circumstances.
On my way back to the tube station, I gave my new assistant a call.
“How’s it going, Zero?”
“I’m cold.”
“You were the one who wanted to work surveillance. Have you seen anyone?”
“Just the one woman. She’s really old—at least fifty.”
“Ancient, then. I assume that’s Deborah Todman. Did you get a photo?”
“Yeah. Shall I send it to you?”
“Yes, please.”
Seconds later, my phone beeped with a Whatsapp message. The woman certainly looked the right age to be Todman.
“She didn’t clock you, did she?”
“Of course not. Mind you, I’m not sure she’d have noticed me even if I’d been juggling, stark naked. She looked miles away. A bit of a miserable cow too if you ask me.”
“What was she doing?”
“She nipped out to the shops. She must have gone somewhere local because she was back in twenty minutes.”
“Is that all?”
“So far, yes. What time do you want me to stay here until?”
“You can call it a day at seven, but I’m going to need you there again first thing in the morning?”
“Six o’clock?”
“I was going to say seven, but six would be even better.”
“Okay.”
I had to hand it to the lad, he was keen.
***
My Grandma Vi lived just up the road from me in New Cross, which made the fact that I hadn’t seen her in over a fortnight all the worse.
“It’s me, Vi.”
“I’m in the kitchen, Kat. Would you like a cuppa? Dinner will be ready for six-thirty.”
“Yes, please.”
Her kitchen was almost as big as my entire flat. She and my late grandfather had moved into the terraced house in the sixties, long before property prices had started to go insane.
“Can I help with anything?”
“No. Grab a seat and tell me your news.”
“There’s nothing much to report. Just the same old same old.”
“Don’t give me that old tosh. I might be getting on a bit, but I’m not stupid. I saw that boss of yours went and got himself murdered. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that you weren’t the one who did it.”
“You can rest easy. It wasn’t me.”
“Who did it, then?”
“I don’t know. The police reckon it was a burglary gone wrong, but I don’t buy that.”
“The Old Bill never did have a clue. Look what happened with my washing line.”
Not long after I’d moved in with Vi, someone had helped themselves to my underwear from the clothesline. I’d told Vi it would be a waste of time calling the police, but she’d insisted. They’d sent around a male uniformed officer who’d taken a few notes and made a few inappropriate wisecracks. We’d neither seen nor heard from him again. Fortunately, the incident had been a one-off.
“I’ve taken over the P.I. agency, Vi.”
“Good for you, girl. You can’t make a worse job of it than that loser who employed you. What does your mother have to say about it?”
“She’s not very thrilled. She reckons I should move back home and get a job in Lidl.”
“I’m surprised you told her about the murder.”
“I wouldn’t have done, but I made the mistake of mentioning it to Jen, the day after she came down here. I asked her not to say anything to Mum, but—”
“Jen came down?”
Me and my big mouth. “Err—yeah, last weekend.”
“Why didn’t you bring her to see me?”
Normally, I would have covered for Jen, but seeing as how she’d thrown me under the bus with my mother, I didn’t see why I should. “I tried to, but she was scared of what Mum might say.”
“It isn’t fair of your mother to stop my only other grandchild from visiting me.”
“You must know by now that Mum’s never going to change.”
“At least I have you.” She planted a kiss on top of my head.
Just then, Catzilla made her entrance, and gave me that look of hers.
“The cat’s here.” I shuffled my legs under the table.
“I don’t know why you’re so scared of Lulu. She’s a little darling. Why don’t you pick her up and give her a stroke?”
Because, judging by the way the cat was looking at me, she would have ripped my throat out if I’d even tried.
“I think she’s hungry.”
“Her food is in the cupboard by the door. Put her some out, would you, Kat?”
I walked gingerly across the kitchen, never once taking my eyes off Catzilla. I was convinced if I’d looked away, she would have launched an attack.
The cat food smelled awful, but Catzilla made short work of it, and then, much to my relief, she made her way out.
The corned beef hash hit the spot as it always did.
“Let me do the washing up, Vi.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’ve got a dishwasher to do that.” She walked over to the sideboard, took an envelope out of the drawer, and stuffed it into my hand.
“What’s this?”
“Just a bit of cash to keep you going.”
“I can’t take your money, Vi.”
“You’ll take it or get a slap. It can’t be easy for you now your boss has gone and got himself murdered. It isn’t much, but it’ll help you until you get on your feet.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“No, you won’t. What do I want money for? I’ve got everything I need. Except for a toy boy. You don’t know where I could find myself one of those, do you?”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled for you.”
“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Not at the moment. Leo came sniffing around yesterday.”
“I hope you told him where to go.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got enough on my plate without dating a married man. There is this one guy that I’ve seen a few times in the park when I’ve taken the dog for a walk.”
“I didn’t know you had a dog.”
“I have a part share in one.”
“How did you manage that?”
I told her all about Walt and how I’d agreed to share the dog with the Widow Manning.
“What kind of person calls a dog The Brick?”
“Walt was a bit of a one-off. We’re calli
ng the dog Rexy now, anyway.”
“The guy in the park? He isn’t married, is he?”
“No. He was engaged, but his fiancée dumped him. He’s from Canterbury.”
“Posh then?”
“A bit. I thought he was going to have a seizure when he saw the size of a Geordie’s fry-up.”
“When are you going to move in with him, then?”
“I’m not. I barely know him.”
“Don’t wait too long. Take it from me, life’s very short.”
“I’ll bear that in mind. You don’t keep a lot of cash in the house, do you?”
“Mind your own beeswax.”
“It’s just that there’s been a conman going around, talking his way into people’s houses.”
“Why are you telling me? Do you think I’m stupid enough to let some stranger in the house?”
“No, of course not. I just thought I’d mention it.”
“I might be old, but I’ve not lost my marbles yet.”
“Sorry. Do you know Rose from the fruit stall on the market?”
“Everyone does.”
“Her old mum had her jewellery nicked.”
“Phoebe? I’m not surprised. She never had any sense, not even when she was young.”
“Arthur Ballard too.”
“Arthur? That’s awful. They should string up whoever’s doing this.”
“So, you’ll be careful, then?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Kat.”
***
I bumped into Patricia Cullum who lived a few doors down from Vi. Her mother, Sarah, and Vi had been great friends for years until Sarah had passed away a couple of years before.
“Hey, Kat.” Pat took a suck on one of those electronic ciggies. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“I’ve been busy. How long have you been vaping?”
“It’s Johnny’s idea. It’s supposed to wean me off the real thing.”
“How’s that working out?”
“I’ve cut down to twenty a day.”
“From how many?”
“I was getting through double that.”
“Good for you.”
“You’ve been to see Vi, I assume?”
“Yeah. She gave me a bit of a hard time because I hadn’t been around for a while.”
“She’s a tough old bird.”
“You’re not wrong. I still worry about her, though. Living here all by herself.”
“You’ll never get her out of that house.”
“I know. You’d call me if there was ever a problem, wouldn’t you?”
“Course I would. I’ve still got your number on my phone.”
“Thanks, Pat.”
There were five-hundred pounds in the envelope. I didn’t feel too bad about taking the money because I knew Vi had a few bob, but you’d never have known it to look at her. The money would certainly help until I saw some cash coming in from the cases I was working on. And better still, the taxman couldn’t get his hands on any of it.
I walked it home because even I wasn’t lazy enough to take a bus from there. When I reached the high street, I bumped into Graham and Miles.
“I thought you said that you were working tonight?”
“There was a last minute change of plan.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s true. I was supposed to be working undercover all night, but I’ve had to drop the case.”
“Is that the truth or is it just your way of giving me the brush-off?”
“If I wanted to give you the brush-off, don’t you think I’d just do it? I wouldn’t make up silly stories.”
“In that case, can we get a drink later tonight?”
“Not tonight. I’m beat.”
“Tomorrow night, then?”
“Okay. You’ve worn me down.”
“Great. Where would you like to go? Anywhere. Just name it.”
“The Gerbil.”
“What? Seriously? It’s a dump.”
“I wouldn’t let Kenny hear you say that. He’ll set Billy on you.”
“Who’s Billy? The doorman?”
“He’s the parrot.”
“Okay, the Gerbil it is. What time?”
“It depends what happens tomorrow. I don’t work nine-to-five like you, City Boy.”
“How about I give you my number. You can call me. Or text.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 14
The next morning, I was just about to set off for the office when there was a knock at the door. If that was Leo, he’d be headed back down to the ground floor without the aid of either the stairs or lift.
It was Luke.
“Good morning, young man. Rexy’s at the Widow Manning’s.”
“I know that, Mrs.”
“What did I tell you about calling me that?”
“Sorry, Kat.”
“Are you here to say you can’t walk him this morning?”
“No. My dad said I had to tell you what happened last night.”
“What did happen?”
“I was in the park with Rexy when a bloke came up to me. He wanted to know where you lived.”
“Who was he? Do you know him?”
“No, but he reckoned that Rexy bit his kid.”
“Right. Did the man have his lying little toerag of a son with him?”
“No, he was by himself. I told him that Rexy would never bite anyone.”
“What did he say to that?”
“That I should keep my nose out and my mouth shut.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“Not really. He doesn’t scare me.”
“You should have given him my address. I don’t want you taking risks on my behalf.”
“I did give him an address.” Luke grinned. “It wasn’t yours, though.”
“Whose was it?”
“Nobody’s, probably. I just made it up.”
“Stay there. I’ll get my shoes on, and I’ll come with you to the park this morning.”
“There’s no need. I’m not scared.”
“Humour me. It will make me feel better.”
We collected the dog from the Widow Manning, and then made our way downstairs. Luke and Rexy took the lift; I took the stairs. I was no fool.
Graham was in the park with Miles.
“Hey, Kat. I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight.”
“Do you remember those kids who were taunting Rexy?”
“They haven’t been at it again, have they?”
“No, but the lad, whose coat Rexy bit, sent his father after me. He collared Luke last night to try and find out where I lived.”
“Did he pay you a visit?”
“No. The youngster gave him a made-up address.”
“Good for Luke.”
“I thought I should come with him this morning in case the guy came back.”
“If you need any help, let me know.”
“It’s okay, City Boy, I can handle it.”
“Is that your official nickname for me? City Boy?”
“Until I come up with a better one, yeah.”
“Do I get to call you by a nickname?”
“No.”
“That seems fair.”
The little toerag’s dad was a no-show.
“I’m not sure you should take Rexy out by yourself, Luke,” I said. “Not until I’ve had a word with this man.”
“I’ll be alright, Mrs, I mean Kat. Honest.”
“Do you have a phone?”
“Of course I do.”
It was a stupid question. Which kid didn’t have one these days?
“Give it here. I’ll add my number to your contacts. If you see the man again, call or text me straight away. Got it?”
“Yep.”
“And if he asks you for my address, give him the real one this time. Okay?”
“Yep.”
“Are we still on for tonight?” Graham called to me as I was on my way out o
f the park.
“Yeah, work permitting.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind about the Gerbil? I can think of a million better places to go. To be honest, I can’t think of anywhere worse.”
“The Gerbil will be fine. I’ll call you.”
***
I bumped into Sonya on my way to the Sidings.
“Hey, Kat, do you want to join me for breakfast?”
“I probably shouldn’t. I’m supposed to be on a get fit regime.”
“Stuff that for a game of soldiers.” She laughed. “Come on. Just think of all that lovely fried bread dipped in a runny egg.”
My resistance crumbled, and I joined her in Joe’s, where we both had the full English.
“It doesn’t get better than this.” She shovelled a forkful of baked beans into her mouth. “Did you get your business cards sorted out?”
“Yeah. I went to see Vic like you said. By the way, do you know what happened to his ear?”
“Not really. I did ask him once, and he said a monkey bit it off in the jungle, but I reckon he was joking.”
“I hope so. Oh, by the way, Sheila has resigned.”
“When?”
“Earlier this week. I’ve taken on a young lad.”
“Why didn’t you give me a call?”
“I thought about it, but I needed someone full-time, and I can’t be sure the business will even be here in a month. I didn’t think you’d want to take that risk.”
“Fair enough. What’s he like?”
“A bit weird, but so far, I’m impressed. His name is Zero. You might have seen him knocking around the Sidings. His hair sticks out at a weird angle; I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“I think I know who you mean. He popped into our place to hand in his CV.” She grinned. “Mind you, he soon ran away when he saw some of our stock. I think it blew his young mind. What did you say his name was again?”
“Zero.”
“He must have made that up.”
“He reckons not. Zero Smith, apparently.”
“Poor kid. I bet his school days were fun. I tell you what, it’s been ages since you and I had a night out. How about we get blotto tonight?”
“I can’t. I—err—I’ve already got something planned.”
“Oh yeah? What’s his name?”
“What makes you think it’s a guy?”