Between Two Thieves

by Solomon Carter

  “Clancy’s gold, Eva,” she whispered to herself. “It’s already gone...”

  Joanne shook her head and turned for the exit. She swept out of the pub and skipped down the station steps but the man had already turned the distant corner onto the high street, and Eva was nowhere in sight.

  Eva walked side by side with Lauren, a woman she hadn’t been friends with for twenty years. The same old bright eyes were there, the same cheeky smile, the same striking looks, but much else had changed. There was a sadness behind the brightness, and those eyes were far more tired than she remembered. There were new age lines too, lines set into her brow and around her mouth. The Lauren she knew was still there, but the new Lauren was a fuller, battle-hardened beauty than the girl Eva remembered. Every time she looked at Lauren, she found herself searching for traces of the girl she remembered and found herself being shocked at how much life had already left its mark. Lauren must have been feeling the same.

  “It’s so good to see you, it really is,” said Lauren. She squeezed Eva’s arm the way she used to when they were fourteen and fifteen, trying to act like the coolest girls in school, when the truth was they were anything but. Lauren had always tried harder to fit in with the it girls. Eva pretended she wanted to fit in with them, but deep down she knew she never had a chance, and to be honest, she didn’t mind that much. Not even then. Looking back, she knew the it girls were the ones who had mostly screwed around with older men when they were far too young. The men should have been rounded up by the police and prosecuted, but then it was a different era. And most of those girls got married before they reached nineteen. Life was funny like that, and not always in a good way. Some of those girls would be women now, lives filled with regret. Eva’s early naivety – some called it childhood innocence – had protected her from wanting to grow up too fast. Lauren hadn’t always felt the same.

  “It’s good to see you too,” said Eva, her smile wavering on her face.

  “You don’t sound so sure,” said Lauren. “But I can understand why.”

  Eva winced and forced herself to smile a little brighter. Despite their past she had no intention of being mean to the woman. Even a stage-managed rapprochement meant compromising and at least trying to play along.

  “No, I am glad to see you, Lauren. I’ll be happier still when we can put the past behind us.”

  But only Eva’s second statement was true and Lauren seemed to sense it. Lauren blinked and her voice changed as she looked around the busy high street as they walked along.

  “I haven’t been here for so long,” said Lauren.

  “This town is changing. But then we weren’t from round here, were we?”

  “No. Basildon was the epicentre of our lives. Back then Southend seemed glamorous!”

  “Well I guarantee that glamour fades once you’ve seen what we’ve seen,” said Eva. “I take it you don’t live in Basildon anymore?”

  “No. I was doing well, so I moved on. Brentwood appealed, you know, The Only Way Is Essex and all that, but when I got with Jamie I moved in with him. In Loughton.”

  Eva nodded along, but small talk wasn’t going to pay the bills and friendship wasn’t on the menu. The Clancy case was eating into her peace of mind. It was time to get down to business.

  “I feel for you, and your situation, but I’m not sure what a private investigator can do to help, let alone a friend.”

  “You are changing your mind?”

  “No. I didn’t say that. But it is something to think about. How do you think I could help?”

  “Don’t worry, I have thought about that. I spent a little time reading some of your web profile, and I’ve seen some old news clippings about you,” she said.

  Eva gave Lauren a sideward glance. She couldn’t help a defensive narrowing of the eyes. “You read up on us? Why?”

  “Eva, it wasn’t the first time I’ve followed what you do from afar.”

  “But you made it sound like you’d only just found out what we do for a living,” said Eva.

  “I suppose I was trying to play it cool again. Play it down. Funny how playing it cool always seems to backfire when I’m the one doing it. Come on. We were friends. I know I blew it. But I was always interested in you, and I always wished you well. A while back you started making some big waves, something to do with a London criminal network, and then there was a terrorist incident. Didn’t you two help prevent a major attack?”

  “Things get overblown,” said Eva. “That’s the modern media for you.”

  “No, they didn’t. I read about those things when they happened. You were always smart, and you’re tougher than I ever gave you credit for, but I had no idea what you were really capable of.”

  “I don’t feel tough, Lauren. Never did. But life makes us what we are.”

  Lauren sighed. “I guess it does.” She gave Eva a thin smile and glanced across the street towards a busy coffee shop. “Coffee?”

  “No thanks,” said Eva. “I think I’m all coffeed out. Another one and I’ll end up bouncing off the walls like a pinball.”

  “I’m glad you said that, because I need a proper drink. What about that wine bar – the downstairs cellar one back on the corner there?”

  Eva narrowed her eyes. “I’m a little pushed for time, Lauren.”

  “It won’t take long. I need a drink, and I think it might help thaw the ice between us.”

  “It’s still a little early for drinks, Lauren.”

  “It’s almost twelve. Maybe they’ll take pity on us.”

  Eva thought of Clancy and Renton. The case was calling, and Eva wasn’t sure how much she wanted the ice to thaw. Keeping her distance from people was a trick Lauren had taught her very well. But it was hard to say no. They took two minutes to double back along the high street, then hooked a left down the road which cut through the centre of the precinct. Right on the corner was the door of the basement wine bar. Eva was surprised to see the door open. They walked into the twilight of the doorway and descended the steps into aromas of cooked meats and the wood of oaky wine barrels. They took their seats, and a grey-haired man with a shiny red face came to take their order. They ordered wine and nothing more and the man nodded with a drinker’s approval. Lauren scanned the wine list while she kicked idly at the pieces of straw scattered over the wine bar floor. She supposed it gave the place a rustic, French kind of air.

  “Lauren,” said Eva. “If you’re stuck in a rut with a violent man, you need to grab your things and walk away. You make your preparations, you shift your cash, get your belongings together and just go. I don’t see how you could need me for that.”

  “Then maybe you didn’t hear what I said. Jamie Blane is never going to let that happen.”

  “Lauren, I’ve heard it all. Guys talk trash. And those kinds of men, the violent ones, they talk more trash than most. It’s bluster, Lauren. You need to see through that and you need to walk away.”

  Lauren stared at Eva with frustration in her eyes. Their glasses of wine arrived, and Lauren took a long slow sip.

  “Jamie isn’t going to let that happen. I’ve seen him ruin ex-colleagues just for fun, Eva. For fun. And he’s threatened to ruin me, maybe even get me jailed. And that’s not all. If I leave him he will go for my family. He’s met them. They think he’s great, because he’s got money, and I’ve never told any of them how much of a bastard he really is. He’s hurt me, Eva. Next he’ll ruin me, and then he’ll go for my family. This is not your average domestic breakdown.”

  “But they’re lies surely,” said Eva, taking a sip.

  “No. I know Jamie now. He’ll do exactly what he says because he always does.”

  “Then what did you ever see in this man, Lauren?”

  “He’s not the same man I met. It took two years for me to see it, but it’s like he’s got two different personalities. He’s a closet psycho. I mean it.”

  Eva nodded. “Okay, okay, I believe you. But you’re still going to have to show me how I can help you. B
ecause, to be frank, I don’t see how I can.”

  “Eva. I know what you do. I’m sure you could come up with any number of ways to get me out of this. You wouldn’t be afraid of whatever Jamie did.”

  “But what’s your end aim?” said Eva. “Running away? Keeping your family safe? What’s your happily ever after?”

  “Running away doesn’t fit with who I am. None of this is my fault. I got with a guy and he’s turned into totally different man. Why should I run? Why should I lose everything because of him? I worked hard for what I have.”

  “Then what is it that you want?”

  “I want Jamie put back in his place. I want to walk away with my share of the money, everything that I put into the relationship. I want to be safe and free.”

  “Sounds to me like you should be talking to a solicitor, not a PI.”

  “Eva, we are so far away from legal proceedings. Jamie wouldn’t let it get that far. He would rather see me dead first. He’d strike against me and my family before it came to that. I can’t risk it.”

  Eva’s mouth crumpled as she thought it over.

  “Lauren, you need to spell it out. What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to make him see that I will take the same kind of action against him that he’s threatening against me. That’s what I want. I want him to see that unless he lets me go – on my terms – equal and free without any comeback – then he’s the one who’ll be facing consequences, not me. He needs to understand that when he moves against me, he moves against himself.”

  “Like mutually assured destruction?”

  “Kind of,” said Lauren, taking another gulp of wine. “But this idea could only ever be carried out by someone who I can trust. And by someone who I know can handle scumbags and put a man in his place.”

  “Sounds like an eye for an eye kind of situation... I’m not sure I’m the person you need. I don’t’ do intimidation or threats. I’m a private investigator. I’ve never been a thug.”

  “I’m not asking you to be a thug, Eva. I’m asking you to be who you are. Smart and tough, able to outwit a scoundrel and beat him at his own game. I want you to help me leave him in a strong position with a smile on my face and my own money in my purse. My own cash. I want to be untouchable. Checkmate. That’s what I want.”

  “Then you’re not seeking violence? Or retribution?” said Eva. She sipped her wine.

  Lauren took a moment before she shook her head. She ran a finger around the rim of her glass.

  “Good,” said Eva reading the woman’s face. “Because for a moment it sounded as if you were asking me to hurt him because he hurt you.”

  “Eva, I would never ask you to compromise yourself,” said Lauren firmly.

  Eva nodded. “Then how would I play something like that...? I’d investigate him until I was able to build a file of proof of his threats against you, and any other methods of control. If he was having an affair with another woman, I’d also get evidence of that as collateral for any negotiation on your exit strategy. You’re not married to this Jamie guy?”

  Lauren held up her ringless finger. “Nope.”

  “Then any side affair would have no legal standing, but if it ever went to a court case, it would show that the guy had been a thorough scumbag and prove he was the one in the wrong.”

  “This one is never going to go to court, trust me.”

  Eva frowned. “You sound very sure about that.”

  “I know Jamie, that’s all.”

  “Fine. But can you see how I work now?”

  Lauren nodded. “Yeah. You’re smart, I knew that much already. And I know if something goes wrong, I know you’ll be able to deal with it.”

  “Goes wrong?” said Eva. “What could go wrong? I’ll be careful.”

  “I don’t know. Things happen. Jamie’s unpredictable, Eva. That’s half the reason I’m sitting here now. Like I wasn’t expecting this to happen this morning...”

  Lauren slipped up the sleeve of her summer jacket and exposed a long red and black bruise. It looked fresh and painful.

  “What did he do?” said Eva, scowling.

  “Shut my arm in a door. I’m lucky he didn’t break it. The other reason I’m here is that I know you’ve kicked the backsides of some seriously bad people when the chips were down. I’m certain you could do it again.”

  “But those situations were never planned, Lauren. They happened when I was fighting for my life. Or trying to save someone from getting killed. I don’t ever plan to get into a situation like that by choice. Lauren... is there something you haven’t told me yet?”

  Lauren sipped her wine. “Eva. I’ve told you what he’s done and what he’ll do to me and my family if I run. Anything else you need to know about this guy, it’s out there in the public domain. Jamie Blane has a high profile. He’s a success story in the recruitment business, and he’s a total braggart.”

  “Then you’re happy with how I’d play it? And you’re happy with the limits of what I will and won’t do?” said Eva. Lauren nodded and summoned a smile.

  “I’m here because I need your help to save my life.”

  Eva felt the barb in the woman’s comments, and it managed to slip past her defences. Eva’s eyes flashed with anger.

  “I said I’d help you, Lauren. But I also said I’m not going to hurt anyone, no matter how much they might want me to. If you want a different kind of help, I know a few names who might—”

  “I’m not interested, Eva. I need you. Please. And I’m prepared to pay you. I’ll sign a contract if needs be, I’ll pay an advance, whatever it takes. Please don’t make me take this to a stranger. I know you’re angry with me. But you’re angry with the old me. The cold little sixteen-year-old bitch who blew you off for a shiny new set of friends. I can say sorry for that as many times as you want me to if it will help, but even if it doesn’t, I’m still here because I’m in deep trouble.”

  “You’re offering me money?” said Eva, eyes wide with surprise. They needed money coming in, they always did, but Eva knew she couldn’t accept it on a matter of principle.

  Lauren nodded. “That’s how much this matters.”

  “I can’t take your money, Lauren.”

  “Of course you can. You do this for a living. Or you can’t because you’re still angry with me, is that it?”

  “That’s not it. You said he’s controlling your finances.”

  “And he is, but like you said, I needed to get some cash together. So I squirrelled away a little here and a little there. I had a well-paid job, Eva. I can afford to do this. I want to hire you to execute the plan.”

  “Plan?”

  “Your plan to get me free.”

  “That was a sketch of an idea.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Eva. I know you can do this. Let me hire you.”

  Eva looked at her wine and weighed up her options. Lauren had once been a friend. If not for the bad blood, she would have done the job for free. But the past did exist. The cold shoulder and the distance of near on twenty years between them. Lauren had chosen to make herself a stranger.

  “You’re serious? You want me to investigate your partner.”

  Lauren nodded. “I do. And I want you to help me get away from him without any further trouble.”

  “I can’t give guarantees. You’ll be paying me for the investigation, not for protection, not for any kind of revenge scheme.”

  “I know all that. But I also know what you can do – if necessary.”

  Eva took a sip of wine and thought hard for a long moment before her business brain won the day.

  “You’ll still have to wait a day or two before I can start. Think you can manage that?”

  The woman nodded. “I have ways and means of putting him off. Maybe I can persuade him to go on one of his so-called golf trips.”

  “Golf trips?” said Eva, with a spark in her eye. “How long does he go for? How frequently?”

  “See?” said Lauren, breaking into a smile.
“You’re on the case already. He’s tried to break me so many times. But with your help, I know he’ll be the one who ends up broken.”

  Eva raised her glass but stopped at Lauren’s last words. The woman saw the look on Eva’s face and rolled her eyes. “Figure of speech, Eva! Come on. Jamie’s an evil son of a bitch. You can at least allow me a little fantasy, right? You always were a little too serious.”

  “Yes,” said Eva. “And being serious has helped me solve more cases than I can remember.”

  Lauren’s mouth flickered before she raised her glass. “Then I’ll drink to that,” she said.

  Eva saw a glint in the woman’s eyes which made her feel uncomfortable. She put the feeling down to the past, because where else could it have come from? Unlike Dan, Eva had rarely been one for hunches and gut feelings. She preferred cold hard facts. They had shared a bad past, and one glass of wine could thaw that. As she sipped her wine, Lauren dipped her hand into her handbag and she produced a white envelope and laid it on the table.

  Eva glanced at the envelope and at Lauren’s eyes. She had the look of a woman who had just played a winning hand.