‘They’re porn, Mum, and they were in my fridge!’
Audrey giggled nervously. ‘How d’you know? Watch them, did you?’
‘Not funny, Mum. Did you have any idea what Greg has been up to in my house? As far as I can see, he’s been running a porn movie rental service. And who do you think gave them to Greg in the first place? None other than your new, oh-so-straight, oh-so-honest, live-in lover-boy, Ray!’
Audrey suddenly came over all dizzy.
Shirley looked at her. ‘You all right, Mum?’
Audrey rubbed her tummy. ‘Yeah, just a bit of wind.’
As if on cue, Ray Bates breezed into the kitchen. ‘Hello, Aud, me old darlin’! Shirley...’ He turned and opened the kitchen door further. ‘Come on in, Micky!’
Micky Tesco followed Ray in. Ray made a great show of introducing Micky to Audrey, and then to Shirley. Micky came out with the usual smooth banter.
‘Oh, you don’t look old enough — daughter? Where they been keepin’ you hidden, then?’
Shirley wasn’t amused and didn’t reply. Audrey filled Micky in about her daughter being in Los Angeles as she got up, put the kettle on and opened the biscuit tin. Tesco was still giving Shirley the once-over.
‘What kind of work d’you do, then?’
Audrey answered for Shirley again. ‘Model. She’s a model. That’s why she’s been in Los Angeles, modeling.’
Ray gave Audrey a pat on the bum. ‘Any chance of a butty, Aud? Fancy a cup of tea, Micky?’
Micky looked at his watch. ‘Another time, Ray. If you just get that log book, I’ll be on my way.’
Ray whispered to Audrey that Micky’d just bought his Jag. ‘Nice bit o’ business.’
Tesco pulled a chair from under the kitchen table and sat down.
‘So what kinda business you in?’ Shirley asked him.
Tesco examined his cowboy boot. ‘Property.’
Shirley wasn’t really listening. She picked up her handbag. ‘So you’ll have a word with Greg about the videos, Mum?’
Ray came back into the kitchen with the log book.
‘Oh, how’s that little skiver, then?’ Not waiting for an answer, he gave Tesco the log book.
Shirley gave Ray another of her cool looks. ‘Greg’s fine. He’s moving back ’ere — if that’s all right with you, Ray?’ she added in a sarcastic tone.
Ray gave Audrey a look, then glanced back at Shirley. It was awkward that she didn’t like him, but right now he didn’t really care. He’d just done a very nice little bit of business. The motor trade wasn’t doin’ all that well, and to get that Jag off his hands was very satisfying.
Tesco carefully went over the log book, then reached in his jacket pocket and handed Ray an envelope. The two men shook hands and Tesco turned to Shirley.
‘You wanna lift anywhere?’
Shirley shook her head. ‘I’ve got my own car, thanks.’
Tesco shrugged and opened the kitchen door for her. Shirley gave a little wave to her mum, completely ignoring Ray, and walked out. Tesco gave Ray a wink and followed her.
As the door closed behind him, Audrey put the teapot on the table. ‘You know, Ray, you should try and fix that boy up with Shirley. He seems very nice, and ever so handsome!’
Ray nodded distractedly. He was too busy counting the money.
Harry didn’t think much of the Jag. He walked round it, kicked the wheels, then got behind the wheel and revved up the engine.
‘How much you lay out for this heap of shit?’
That was the last straw for Tesco. He was still steaming about the list Harry had just handed him, with strict instructions to bring it all back to the flat by three o’clock. The list included shirts from Turnbull & Asser, suits, shoes, socks, underpants — Tesco couldn’t believe it.
‘What the friggin’ hell d’ye think I am? Cash and carry?’
Harry was still revving the engine, watching the blue smoke coming out of the exhaust.
‘Jimmy never said nothin’ about me toggin’ you out!’
Harry switched off the engine. ‘How much have you got to play with, then?’ he asked without even looking at Tesco.
Micky puffed himself up. ‘I got plenty! Nearly eight grand.’
Harry laughed. ‘Eight! You got eight grand? I said to Jimmy, “No cutting corners on this caper.”’ He was fiddling with the dashboard, still not looking at Tesco. ‘You couldn’t organize a raid on a sweetshop for that.’
Tesco snapped. ‘I don’t see you dippin’ your hand into your pocket, Mister Rawlins. You matched my eight grand yet? How many men we got in yet? Zero! There’s nobody. You an’ me, that’s all there is, an’ all I’m doin’ is schleppin’ round buyin’ you gear!’
Harry finally turned to him. ‘Your eight grand, son, is a piss in the ocean. I’m gonna have to cover you twenty times over. Now, you just get the shoppin’, darlin’, and do what I tell you.’ Harry switched the engine back on and put the car in gear.
Tesco hung on to the window. ‘Hey, just a second, how am I gonna get about? I left my car up at Ray’s...’ He almost fell into the street as Harry drove off. ‘Son of a bitch!’ He screwed up Harry’s list and threw it after the car as it disappeared down the road.
When Bella let herself in to her flat, the first thing she noticed was the radio, lying on its side in the hallway, as if it’d been thrown against the wall. It was still playing. She picked it up and turned it off.
‘Carla?’ she called out. Bella pushed open the bedroom door. The room was a shambles — chairs broken, stuff strewn all over the floor, the whole place smashed up. The bed was piled with sheets, blankets, clothes and suitcases.
At first, Bella didn’t see Carla, just heard a soft mewing, almost like a kitten, and then she realized it was coming from underneath all the debris on the bed. Bella began pulling everything away and found Carla curled up like a baby. She was whimpering. Bella got down on her knees.
‘Baby, oh baby... What happened to you?’
Slowly, Carla turned her face toward Bella. It was black and blue, her lips split open, one eye closed. Her nose was caked with blood that still dripped down her face. As Bella pulled the sheets back, she saw the state of Carla’s body — bruises covered almost every inch of her. But all Carla could whimper was, ‘My face, my face...’
Bella stood in shock for a moment, then went to pick up the phone. It had been torn from the wall. She went back to the bed.
‘Just lie still, baby, I’ll get an ambulance. Please don’t move, darling.’
Carla struggled to talk. ‘Thought I was you... said he wanted...’
Bella was down on her knees again. ‘What? What, darlin’?’
All she could get out was the word ‘Dolly’.
Bella leaned in closer. ‘What about Dolly?’
But all she heard Carla mutter from between her puffy, bruised lips was, ‘My face, my face...’
As Bella stood to go for an ambulance, she caught sight of herself in the broken mirror, and knew that that bruised and beaten face could so easily have been her own.
Harry used his key to enter Trudie Nunn’s flat. And the first thing he noticed was how clean and tidy it was. In the kitchen everything was spotless. When he pushed open the bedroom door, he could see that the bed was stripped. He walked round the flat again to make sure, then kicked over a chair in frustration.
Trudie was gone.
On the floor by the chair he saw a tiny teddy bear. He recognized it as the one his baby had clung to from birth and in a sudden flash he saw the boy, sucking at the toy. He bent to pick it up. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.
The front door suddenly opened and a big, blowsy woman marched in. ‘Flat’s gone, went this morning.’