“Eva?” A single word. But it was a voice which brought back a cascade of memories and emotions. Eva was surprised. One word, and Eva found herself smiling. The bitterness, the acrimony, it was all still there. But the biggest sensation of all was one of pure relief. The dam of time had been finally broken.
“Lauren?”
“My God, Eva. It is you! You actually called me. I honestly thought you were never going to call me back. I couldn’t blame you, of course I couldn’t. I had to hope. And here you are. Here we are!”
“Here we are, Lauren.”
“How are you?! Are you okay? Are you still with that boxing guy, solving crimes and having adventures like an Essex Starsky and Hutch...”
“Hmmm. I can’t say I ever thought of us as Starsky or Hutch...”
There was a pause. Dan shot Eva a look from the driver’s seat. Lauren’s voice became guarded.
“That was supposed to be a joke, Eva. I’m trying to break the ice here.”
“Break the ice?” said Eva. Her smile slipped, and a lump of unwelcome feelings surged to the surface “Is that the ice you created when you stopped returning my calls, and had the audacity to blank me in the street? I was a sensitive person, Lauren. I was a teenage girl, and you treated me like a leper, all for no discernible reason We were best friends. Least, I thought we were.”
“Eva, please, I was a teenager too. Teenagers make mistakes. Don’t forget that.”
“That was a mistake? A mistake that lasted twenty years. Do you have any idea what that kind of treatment could have done to me? You see cases like that these days, it’s termed abuse, Lauren. Mental cruelty.”
“Eva... like you said, it was twenty years ago. I made a mistake. I thought... I thought we could get past that.”
“Hey. Don’t sweat it, Lauren, it only really hurt for the first few years. After that, I guess I toughened up. The part of me you hurt has turned into a kind of callus.”
“A callus?”
“Yes, as in a toughened scar left by an old wound.”
“I was a girl too, Eva. I was trying to act cool. I decided I needed to move on, aim for a new life, new people.”
“You thought that was cool? Dumping your closest friend like I was a bin bag?”
“Eva...” the woman sighed, and Eva heard more than a hint of upset in her voice. “You’re talking as if we’re still fifteen or sixteen years old. But you don’t understand what’s happening in my life now. So many things have happened since then... not all of them good...”
“It’s not easy to get over what you did. I’m still the same person, Lauren.”
“Yeah? Well, good for you, Eva. Because I’m not. Damn it, I wish I was. Sorry, Eva. For what it’s worth, sorry.”
“Lauren—” But before Eva had finished speaking, the line went dead. She looked at the phone screen. Hot faced and red cheeked, she looked at Dan.
“Way to go,” said Dan, his voice full of irony. “So, did that make you feel any better? Because it really doesn’t look like it.”
“You’re telling me off for being impulsive and emotional? Seriously?” said Eva.
“Nope. I’m reminding you that she called you for help. Did you even find out what help she needed?”
“Not quite,” said Eva. “I was going to ask, but then she ended the call.”
“And now you’ll probably never hear from her again.”
Eva looked out of the window as the seafront loomed ahead. Lifstan Way took them virtually all the way from their office down towards the very patch of Southchurch seafront where Norman Peters’ body had been found. The treasure hunters were all gone, bar the last few die-hard detectorists, who weren’t going to let the small issue of a dead body get in their way. Dan turned left and they both scanned the beach beside the Marine Activity Centre. A white police tent had been erected around the entire left-hand edge of the building, stretching right across to where the upturned dinghy had hidden the body. There was a plain white van and a police squad car parked alongside it on the sand.
“Forensics will be hard at work,” said Dan, changing the subject for Eva’s sake.
Eva nodded, and her eyes returned to the present.
“Yes,” she said, quietly. “They’ll come up with something. I only wish they would put the same forensic effort into helping the living as much as the dead. No matter what anyone says, Carl Renton is in serious trouble.”
Dan said nothing. They both knew the stats. The odds of Renton being found alive worsened with every second he was unaccounted for.
“Do you think she really needed our help?”
Dan looked over at Eva.
“Lauren, I mean.”
Dan shrugged “She waited twenty years before she called you. That’s got to tell you something. Either she called you to make a pitch for forgiveness. If not you take it at face value. The woman told you she was in trouble. Subtract your personal history from the situation and that’s all you’ve got to go on.”
“It’s easier said than done.”
“You’re the sensible one here, Eva. Forget about the past for a second. Would you help her if she asked you outright?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“Then you’d better call her back. She’s in trouble. You don’t need any more regrets hanging over your life.”
Eva nodded and stared straight ahead before taking the plunge. She dialled the last number with bated breath. The ringtone came on. But then the voicemail clicked in and took control.
“Hi. This is Lauren. Sorry I can’t take your call right now. Just leave a message and your number and I’ll call you back soon as I can... BEEEEEEEEP.”
“Lauren. It’s Eva. Look. I’m sorry. It’s just that I never got a chance to say what I felt before, but I shouldn’t have done that. If you still want my help, I’ll be waiting for your call..”
Eva ended it there and took a breath. The rest of the journey passed in silence as they waited for a call that didn’t come. Dan had been right. Eva didn’t need any regrets. She was already pretty busy in that department. Now she had to hope there weren’t any more to come.
***
Aaron Clancy’s Lexus saloon was absent from his drive when they arrived at Kings Road. It was six forty-five, heading for seven. The day was hanging on, as was the heat, and the first of the city commuters had already arrived back from London, padding up the hill from Chalkwell station with their briefcases and handbags at their sides, sleeves rolled up, jackets slung over their shoulders. Eva rang the doorbell and waited as the chime subsided inside the house.
“I know it’s not late yet,” said Dan, “but isn’t Aaron Clancy supposed to be on a break from all his golden holidays?”
“Yes. That’s why he was here to hire us.”
“But look. He must have been out all day. He’s not here now.”
“Probably because he’s still chasing down his missing collection,” said Eva.
“But didn’t he hire us to do that for him?”
“True. But he seems pretty attached to those things, desperate to get them back. Maybe he’s the type who can’t help looking for himself.”
Dan nodded. “Or he just doesn’t like being at home. I know that kid gets on my nerves. I think Joe Clancy is a whiny and self-pitying little scroat... but maybe he has his reasons for that. Daddy Clancy’s behaviour suggests he cares more about his gold than he does about his son.”
Eva nodded. She watched a blurry silhouette heading their way through the glass in the front door.
“And you said his mother isn’t in his life either?” said Dan.
“Not much, according to Mr Clancy.”
“Makes you wonder why some people bother to have kids,” said Dan.
“People get drunk and do stupid things.”
“You get drunk...” said Dan.
“If we had children, the business would be gone inside a year.”
“You think I couldn’t run it by myself?” said Dan.
&nbs
p; Eva pursed her lips to stop herself from replying.
“I think we like working more than we let on. Besides, I can’t stay at home all day. I’d go nuts.”
The shadow reached for the door handle. Eva raised an eyebrow at Dan. “Can we do this another time, please?”
Dan smirked, and Eva shook her hair straight to cleanse her mind of troubling thoughts. When the door opened they saw it wasn’t Joe.
“Georgie,” said Eva.
“Do you ever go home?” said Dan.
The girl blushed. “Not very often, if I’m honest.”
“Does Clancy Senior know?” asked Dan.
The girl made a face and gave a little shrug.
“Can we come in?” said Eva.
“Sure.” The girl stepped back to make way and Dan closed the door behind them.
“You said you found something. I should get Joe. He should hear about it,” she said.
“Thank you,” said Eva.
They waited in the lounge. Eva stalked around the room, perusing a bookshelf beside the big black fireplace. Dan stared out of the window towards the shining estuary far beyond. A moment later, Joe Clancy appeared at the door, he looked pale as ever, but perhaps a little brighter from expecting good news.
“Georgie said you found something? Something belonging to Carl? I was starting to think I was never going to hear from him again.”
Eva saw a gloss of tears in the young man’s eyes. But it was too late to hold back now
“You really liked Carl, didn’t you?” she said.
“I did. But Carl liked me. That was more to the point. I wasn’t a disappointment to him, well... hardly ever. He always saw the best in me, no matter what.”
“I’m sure you’re not a disappointment to anyone, you mustn’t think that, Joe. Thinking like that can bring you down.”
“When you’ve walked in my shoes, then we can talk about that. Anyway. What did you find?”
Eva nodded.
“The police have it now.”
“The police? Why?” said Joe.
Eva carried on without giving an answer. “It’s a small silver tin. It was engraved with laurel wreaths inside a rectangular border. In the centre of the design was a cross.”
“Carl’s tin? You found that?” The young man looked perplexed, and his eyes flashed with concern. “But Carl wouldn’t have ever let go of that, I know he wouldn’t. That tin was almost a part of him.”
Eva nodded. “Hmmmm.”
“So where did you find it?”
She looked at Dan and hesitated for a moment before she told the truth.
“We found a body on the beach. But don’t go jumping to the wrong conclusion.”
“A body?!” Now the young man’s mouth dropped open. He looked aghast, and shook his head slowly as if to say, ‘don’t say it’.
“Joe, it wasn’t Carl. I promise you that.”
“What? Then who...? I don’t understand.”
“Turns out it was a market trader by the name of Norman Peters. Does that ring any bells to you?”
The young man remained perplexed. A furrow appeared in his brow. He looked down and shook his head. “No. Not at all. Should it?”
“He was found with Carl’s silver tin. The dead man also had a few Uber pills in his pocket when he died, too.”
“Ubers? Drugs, you mean? Carl hated all of that stuff. Oh no!”
“Don’t jump to any conclusions, Joe. We don’t know anything else yet. There could be any number of reasons why that man might have had the tin.”
“Really? I can’t think of any good ones, can you?” said Joe. Georgie began to look upset too.
“I can’t stand to think what might have happened to him.”
Eva watched the young man’s eyes fill with tears. He wiped them away with the back of his arm.
“You saw Carl shortly before he disappeared, didn’t you?”
“I saw him on Thursday night. Last night. The last night he was around, yes.”
“How did he seem?” said Eva. The boy seemed to be drifting away from her. Probably his emotions.
“Same as ever. Caring. Helpful. Maybe a little more fired up than usual,” said Joe.
“Fired up?” said Dan.
“Yes. He told me he was going out on another one of his vigils. He’d heard that some of the really bad drugs could have been coming in via the beach at Southchurch. It was a just a rumour, but Carl had narrowed it down to a couple of places, and he was keeping watch.”
“What did he hope to achieve?” said Eva.
“First, he said he wanted to reach out to the dealers. To tell them they were wrong. Tell them the harm they were doing and get them to change their ways.”
“To repent?” said Eva.
“Yeah, but Carl didn’t use language like that. He was a modern man. A modern Christian. He used to pray for people to change. Pray for the evil in them to be turned to good.”
“Praying?” said Dan.
“I know how it sounds, but Carl said it worked. And they didn’t just pray. Carl liked being a man of action. He said if nobody else stopped these people – the dealers and traffickers – then he would.”
Eva and Dan exchanged a glance. “Did you get the impression he was going to do anything dangerous last night? Was he planning a confrontation?”
“Carl said he was ready for that. But he was a good talker, a nice guy. Carl could always talk himself out of trouble.”
Dan nodded, but the scepticism showed in his eyes.
“But not all people like talking,” he said. “Some people strike first and think later.”
Eva winced at Dan’s words and kept her eyes on the young man. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up in his throat.
“Did anything else happen that night, Joe? Your dad was out. You saw Carl Renton, before he disappeared. Then you went to bed...” Eva changed tack and softened her voice. “And... Georgie was here?”
The girl glanced at Joe and tugged a lock of hair from her eyes. Joe sighed. He looked like a guilty schoolboy as he nodded his head.
“Yeah. I think you guessed it already. Georgie stayed the night.” He stared down at the floor before he looked up to meet their eyes. “The truth is that Georgie stays here a lot of nights. She worries about me, like Carl does.”
“And why does everyone worry about you, Joe?” said Dan.
“Because I’m a loner. Because I get kind of depressed. Because I get left alone and my dad really doesn’t give a shit. Something along those lines, take your pick. People seem to treat me like a long lost puppy. But I don’t mind too much. At least some of them care.”
“Was Georgie here when you saw Carl?” said Eva.
“Not really. Georgie knows to give me space when Carl is here, don’t you, Georgie? Carl likes praying for people, so Georgie gets out of the way in case Carl wants to pray with me.”
“And did he?”
“No. Not last night.”
“Then what did you talk about? Did he seem okay?”
“Carl is level headed. He’s always okay. But I was tired last night. I wasn’t at my best, and unfortunately, Carl chose that night to give me one of his special lectures.”
“Lectures?” said Dan.
The boy paused and took a breath. “About not letting my dad shape my life in a bad way. About not being self-pitying. As if it’s my fault he doesn’t care. Sometimes I tolerated all that holy righteous crap because I liked Carl’s company or because I was lonely and I needed it. But last night, I was really down. I felt ill. I wanted to go to bed. I wasn’t in a good place for a lecture. I wasn’t very friendly to Carl.. But now...” his voice drifted. “Now I might always regret it. It looks like I might never get the chance to make things right.”
It was Eva’s turn to swallow on some unpleasant feelings
“Don’t make such predictions, Joe,” said Eva. “He might be out there somewhere, lost or in trouble.”
“But you don’t believe that, do you?”
The young man nodded and his eyes glazed.
“But there is one thing I still don’t get,” said Dan. “That night, you had a break-in, and the best of your father’s collection went missing.”
Joe Clancy nodded.
“The way I hear it, you didn’t even hear a sound. Not even the sound of the glass breaking. You were upstairs in bed sleeping as sound as church mice. I assume you were both in the same room...?” he said, looking at them.
The coy look on their faces told Dan they were definitely in the same room and in the same bed. “And neither of you heard anything?”
“Georgie was fast asleep... but I wasn’t,” said Joe. “I heard the glass break. I was in the toilet, taking a pee. When I heard the glass breaking I just panicked.”
“And?” said Eva.
“I didn’t know what to do. I started freaking out. What if they had a knife or maybe even a gun? I wasn’t going to stand in their way. Not over taking some of my dad’s stupid artefacts... I ran back to bed and I pushed my chair against the door and I stayed with Georgie until it was over.”
Dan and Eva looked at the girl.
“When Joe came back, I woke up and saw he was scared. It was so frightening,” she said.
“I bet,” said Eva. “But why didn’t you admit this before?”
“Because of my father. I’m supposed to be his insurance policy, his cheap homemade security guard. But when the chips were down, I failed, didn’t I? How could I ever admit that to him? You must have seen how he is. He’d probably disown me...”
“He wouldn’t disown you, surely?” said Dan.
“Maybe not literally speaking. But he wouldn’t let me ever forget about it. Not ever.”
“The burglary then. You heard it all?” said Eva.
Joe nodded. “They were quiet. Very quiet. Professional, I guess,” said Joe. “We just stayed up in my bedroom until it was all over with.”
Eva nodded. “And Georgie – you’re here with Joe every night?”
“Almost every night. To make sure he’s okay.”
“She lets me off for good behaviour every now and then,” said the boy. Georgie gave him a look, but Joe softened his words with a smile.
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