Swindled (The Sandlin PI Series Book 1)

by S. E. Shepherd

‘I can’t thank them enough. Agreeing for her to come and live at yours was just so fabulous of them. Not to mention offering to pay the pet insurance for a while.’

  ‘Will your friend mind?’

  ‘Jennifer? No, she’ll be pleased. She was only having Dixie as a favour to me. She’ll be glad of the freedom again. She loves a good night out.’

  ‘It was kind of her to have Dixie then.’

  ‘Yes. I can’t even begin to think about the other options.’ Lottie’s face clouded over. ‘You know, Jennifer was about the only friend from St Bede’s that I kept in touch with.’

  ‘Might have guessed you went to St Bede’s College for Girls.’ Hannah pronounced each word through pursed lips.

  ‘What? It wasn’t that posh.’

  Hannah begged to differ. ‘It was bloody posher than mine. We never wore little checked kilts, for a start.’

  ‘Just as well you didn’t go there; you’d have been one of those girls who hoiked their kilt up so short they spent every lunch break outside the head’s office.’

  ‘Hardly, I’m a law-abiding citizen, don’t ya know.’ Hannah had another thought. ‘Still, an all-girls school might have been nice.’

  ‘You’re terrible, Han.’

  ‘Just saying.’ Hannah stopped at the traffic lights. ‘Anyway, it sounds like it’s worked out for everyone. You get Dixie back and Jennifer gets to have some fun.’

  Lottie grabbed her phone. ‘I’ll call her with the good news now.’

  ‘No, wait!’ Hannah put her hand out to stop Lottie from dialling. ‘We’re about to go through Ayresworth.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘It’s a dreadful village for mobile cover. Every bloody time I try to call from the car I get cut off. It’s so frustrating.’

  ‘Oh yeah. Okay, I’ll wait until we’re home. It’s only about five minutes now, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yep. I like how you call it home. It’s a bit like having a sibling, finally.’

  ‘It really feels like home. Sometimes at night, I can hear your dad snoring, or music coming from your room, and I think I’m safe and secure. Not like when I was in that awful flat, listening to the neighbours rowing, pissed out of their heads or high as kites.’

  ‘You are safe. There’s a home for you at my mum and dad’s for as long as you need it.’

  ‘And Dixie?’

  ‘Yes. And Dixie.’

  ‘Thank you. And thanks for picking me up, by the way. It definitely beats the bus.’

  ‘No problem. Actually, it gives me the chance to ask you – have you thought any more about my suggestion?’

  ‘That you go to meet Vincenzo for me?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Hannah nodded.

  ‘I can handle him by myself, you know?’

  ‘I know you can. I just thought it might be better if I get him to tell me first. It sounds like there could be something he’s not sure he wants to share with you.’

  ‘About my dad?’

  ‘Possibly.’

  Lottie chewed her lip. ‘I don’t like that it might involve my dad. It feels all wrong.’

  ‘Right then, let me go instead. You said yourself you saw a different side to me when I was investigating.’

  ‘That’s true. You were good.’ Lottie looked at her friend with pride.

  ‘Maybe I could take Paul with me. He can be quite intimidating.’

  ‘Oh God, that’s not necessary, surely?’ Lottie shook her head.

  ‘I won’t take him if you don’t want me to.’

  ‘I think I’d rather it was just you. What will you say though?’

  ‘I’ll tell him I’m investigating you being conned out of your inheritance. I’ll ask if there’s anything he’d like to say, off the record, about his involvement.’

  ‘But … I don’t think he had anything to do with that bastard stealing all my money. I reckon he was just a stupid lad using a fake accent to sleep with the boss’s daughter.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Hannah shook her head. ‘It could all be connected somehow. Just the thought I could be trying to link him to a crime might put the wind up him. Wouldn’t you like it if I could come back with a definite answer to why he tricked you?’

  ‘Yes. Of course I would.’

  Hannah swung the car into the drive. ‘Right then, text him and see if he’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon. I can be a lovely surprise for him.’

  58

  Vincent – 2019

  ‘Can you confirm that the money has gone into my account?’

  ‘I’m sorry, sir. It’s not showing up yet.’

  ‘Refresh the screen!’

  ‘I’ve refreshed it several times. The money has not come through from the buyer’s solicitor yet. It’s a waiting game, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Not much of a game!’

  ‘Why not take yourself off somewhere for a coffee and keep your phone switched on. I’ll let you know as soon as the money shows up.’

  ‘Keep my phone switched on! Well, thank you so much for that little gem of advice. There was me thinking I might turn it off.’ Vincent hung up.

  How much longer was this going to take? The buyer had arrived with a fucking great removal van. Vincent had purposely sold the apartment as furnished, the idea being that someone would just move in and start living there. Wasn’t it enough that some lucky bastard was going to be living his life? Sleeping in his bed. Eating at his table. Now he was being tortured by this enormous van. This was not a discreet sale! Why the hell did they have to do this on a Friday, when every other buyer was trying to move house?

  He peeped out of his window to check if the van was still there. Yes. Of course. Where was it going to go? That van was not going to move until it had unloaded its contents, and that was not going to happen until the money arrived safely in Vincent’s account. Pressing redial, he immediately got through to the same useless article who’d answered on all three previous occasions.

  ‘Can I just hand over the keys and let him start moving in?’

  ‘Is that Mr Russell?’

  ‘Yes! It’s Mr Russell!’ Vincent was still going by the name he’d used to buy the apartment. But only for today. Once the apartment and the boat were sorted, he planned to bury Mr Russell, along with Mr Robinson, in a deep well.

  ‘Right. We do not advise handing over the keys until the money has arrived in your bank account, sir.’

  ‘I know that! But there is an enormous removal van right outside my luxury apartments.’

  ‘Umm … I don’t see why that’s a problem.’

  ‘No, you wouldn’t, would you?’ Vincent hung up and placed the phone in his back pocket.

  Glancing out at the main road, he couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to implode.

  The same black jeep that he’d spotted earlier drove past the security gates again. The driver looked awfully like Abbie’s dad. Vincent told himself he was imagining things, but he couldn’t help noticing that the back seat was crammed full of meatheads. Three of them, to be precise. So squashed in, they looked as if they couldn’t breathe. He just knew if you opened that car door, they would ooze out, like treacle from a cracked pot. Why would Abbie’s dad be driving past his place? And, more importantly, if it was him, had he seen the removal van? Vincent gave himself a shake – yes, obviously he’d have to have seen it. It was huge.

  This whole day was becoming a living nightmare. It had begun when he’d left home this morning to sign the last bits of paperwork at the solicitors. He’d seen the lady who reminded him of Cristina, and again she’d stared hard at him as he’d driven past. Vincent had found the whole thing quite disturbing. Now he was back in the apartment, all his personal belongings packed up in a couple of suitcases. As before, he was planning to travel light. But he hadn’t bargained on the buyer bringing his own furniture, or the money taking so long to hit his bank account. If it was Abbie’s dad who kept driving past and eyeballing him, then surely the best thing to do was to hand over the keys and get the hell out of the
re. The money would arrive eventually. It had to. As soon as he was finished here, he was heading back to Lynton Haven, to sign over the boat to Grosvenor and collect the offensively minute amount of money they had agreed to pay for it. There was a quick pit-stop planned on the way, to sell his beloved car, and lastly … off to the airport. He had a one-way ticket booked for the South of France. Who knew, maybe he’d settle there, get another yacht, meet another Grace. He hoped so. He deserved it after all this upheaval.

  Vincent felt both his back pockets vibrate at the same time. It was confusing receiving messages when you had two phones. Perhaps the money was through! He checked his current phone first. Admittedly, it wouldn’t be current for long. As soon as all the money transactions were sorted, he would ditch it. He did not need anyone tracing him to France.

  It wasn’t the solicitor. It was Abbie calling. He allowed it to ring out, and within seconds his phone advised him he had a new voicemail, which he listened to. The general gist seemed to be that she could never get hold of him when she wanted to. They hadn’t been to choose a ring, and she was still waiting for him to confirm that he had been in touch with Hello magazine about them covering the wedding. That woman was delusional. Like Hello magazine would give a shiny shit what she planned to wear on her wedding day!

  She also mentioned that she’d had the date through for the first scan. This surprised Vincent, and made him question again the authenticity of the pregnancy. Did he have an heir? No, it must be a bluff. The scheming madam was simply after all his money. It was a trap. She went on to say that her dad was beginning to become suspicious of Vincent. He was questioning Vincent’s faithfulness to her. She hoped he wasn’t going to let either of them down. She laughed as she said, ‘He says if you upset me, he’s going to lay you out like my mum lays out her matching undies in the mornings!’ Stupid bitch. Only she would find that funny.

  As she concluded her message, her voice became screechy and even more irritating than usual. ‘But he’s not going to need to lay you out, is he? You’re not going to let me down. ’Cause if you are not committed to me and our baby, Vincent, then you … are a dead man walking!’

  How dare she threaten him? Vincent wanted to stamp on the phone. To break it into a million pieces. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he’d sorted all the money.

  Remembering that the pay-as-you-go phone had also vibrated, he reached into his other pocket and retrieved it. This is not the best time to send me a photo of your snatch, Candy darling, but I’ll take a quick look.

  He unlocked the phone. It was a message from Candy, but, unusually, there was no photo attached, just a message. ‘I’m sorry, Vinnie. I told them where your boat is.’

  His first thought was to reply – don’t call me Vinnie. But he sensed that something far more disturbing was going on here than Candy insisting on calling him by that bloody name. He texted back, ‘Who? What are you talking about?’

  The three dots appeared. She was reading the text. He waited. A horrible sense of foreboding settled upon him. Dio Santo, hurry up and reply!

  Finally, her answer popped up. ‘Those men. The ones whose mum you killed. I told them you’ve got a boat. I saw the sign for Lynton Haven Marina.’

  Fuck! Vincent’s fingers flew over the buttons of the old handset. ‘Why?’

  Again, an agonising wait for Candy to type. Then her reply, ‘They paid me.’

  ‘You little bitch. I thought we were friends.’

  ‘It’s just business, Vincent.’

  Oh, so now she got his name right! ‘What business?’

  ‘They came to me after you left. They’d heard I knew you, and they said if you got in touch with me, and I shared the information with them, there would be money in it for me. I don’t get paid much. You know that.’

  ‘Was that what all the fucking nudes were for? To get me to stay in touch?’

  ‘Kind of. And … I thought you might like them.’ Candy had the cheek to add a smiley face emoji.

  ‘Do you know what you’ve done? How much you’ve cost me? I hope you’re happy.’

  ‘We’ve all got to make a living. Plus, let’s be honest; you did kill their mum.’

  ‘I did not kill their mum. I stole from their mum. There’s a difference.’

  ‘Well, they don’t think so.’

  Realising nothing could be gained from continuing this ridiculous text conversation, he switched off the phone and dropped it into his back pocket. Should he still sell the boat as planned? Surely he wasn’t going to have to leave it where it was and forgo the money?

  Hang on a minute – the brothers had a long journey if they planned to come down here themselves and get him, maybe there was still time to go and sell it. It depended on how long ago they’d left.

  Grabbing the phone, he switched it back on and texted Candy, ‘When did you tell them where my boat is?’

  No reply.

  ‘Candy! When?’

  Still no reply.

  Fucking moron! Vincent shoved the phone back in his pocket.

  Making the decision that he was simply going to have to hand over the keys, even though he hadn’t been paid yet, he made his way out to the removal van to find the incompetent twat who was about to become the owner of his apartment. Which part of ‘keep it on the down low’ hadn’t he understood? As he approached the removal van, the black jeep crept past the front gate. The backseat was jam packed with muscle. There was no denying it was the same jeep. Sweat dotted Vincent’s brow. Fanculo, I need to get out of here!

  59

  Lottie – 2019

  Lottie found it difficult to concentrate at work. Knowing that Hannah was going to meet Vincenzo later was playing on her mind, and she was scared of making more mistakes. She’d already caught herself about to file an invoice from Charles Worth under B, and put a March delivery note in the April folder. I need to get a grip; I don’t want to let Bernard down!

  When she was alone in the office, Lottie took the opportunity to call Jennifer. ‘Hi, are you free for a minute?’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Just eating lunch at my desk,’ Jennifer replied. ‘How are you doing? Is the job okay?’

  ‘Oh, Jen, you would not believe the difference. It’s soooo nice to get away from the old place. I will never have to see Mr Fat Face Bale again, as long as I avoid the kebab house.’

  ‘I knew you’d be fab. I’ll bet you’re in your element. Is your boss pleased with you?’

  ‘Yes. Seems to be. He’s so lovely. I couldn’t wish for better.’

  ‘And everything’s good at your mate’s house?’

  ‘Oh yeah. They’ve made me so welcome.’

  ‘That’s lovely. You know I wish I could’ve offered you my second bedroom for a bit longer, but what with my sister coming back from travelling and everything, and it was her room originally, and …’

  ‘It’s fine. Honest. I knew it was only a stop gap. You’ve been brilliant. Besides, it’s all worked out okay now.’ Lottie didn’t want Jennifer to feel bad. She’d done more than enough.

  ‘I know. But that awful flat, Lottie!’

  ‘It’s in the past.’ Lottie had decided it was best to erase all memory of the murky green walls from her mind. ‘Anyway, tell me – how’s Dixie?’

  ‘She’s fine. She misses you though. When are you coming to see her again?’

  ‘Well, that’s why I’m calling. I have something brilliant to tell you. Actually, I meant to ring you last night, but I got caught up watching a film with Hannah and her dad, and then I nodded off.’

  Jennifer sounded intrigued. ‘Go on then, what is it?’

  Lottie felt the excitement building in her chest, as she announced, ‘The marvellous Sandlin family have agreed to let me have Dixie come and live with us.’

  ‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’ Jennifer seemed genuinely delighted.

  ‘Hannah’s mum works part-time, so Dixie won’t be on her own all day. It’s going to be perfect.’

  ‘When will you take her?’


  ‘Later today if that’s all right. Hannah said she’ll drive me over. She’s got a meeting first, but maybe eight-ish?’

  ‘Oh, I’ve got a date; I’ll be gone before then, and my sister’s at her boyfriend’s tonight.’

  ‘No worries. Another night then?’ Lottie tried to hide her disappointment.

  ‘Listen, how about I drop her off to you instead.’

  ‘What? Tonight?’

  ‘Yes. I can tell you’re desperate to have her back. Just text me the address.’

  ‘You’re sure.’ Lottie squeaked.

  ‘Yes. Bless you. I can’t keep you apart any longer. Besides, that way I get to stay out all night if I want to.’ Jennifer laughed.

  ‘Ahhh, and you think you might want to?’

  ‘Well, my date is a bit of a snack, as they say.’

  ‘We wouldn’t want Dixie coming between you and a good snack. If you’re sure you’ve got time, that sounds great.’ Lottie said.

  ‘As soon as I’ve finished work, I’ll pop home and grab her and all her stuff. Then I can drop her to you and head back and get myself glammed up.’

  ‘You’re amazing. Thank you.’ Lottie couldn’t quite believe she’d be coming home to Dixie again.

  ‘That’s so nice of them. Blimey, Lottie, you struck lucky with them, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes. They’re amazing too.’

  ‘I must admit, my sister and I do feel guilty when we leave Dixie to go to work. I reckon she’ll love being back with you.’

  ‘And I’m going to love having her back. I’ve missed her little face so much.’ Lottie felt her eyes begin to prickle as she pictured her beautiful little dog.

  Jennifer sighed. ‘I can hear you getting emotional, you soppy old thing.’

  ‘I can’t help it. She’s just so cute.’

  Jennifer was quiet for a second, then she said, ‘I know you hated that cleaning job, and I don’t blame you one bit, but you have to admit, if you hadn’t worked there, you never would’ve met Hannah, and she sounds like a bit of a guardian angel.’