As Linda drove out of the car park along level one, she saw Shirley’s car, stopped and got out to see what was up. Shirley was sitting in the driver’s seat, still in her overalls, hunched over in agony. Linda opened the car door. This wasn’t good. Shirley should have been on her way ages ago. They had planes to catch.
‘Come on, girl,’ Linda said. ‘I know you’re in pain, but you gotta work through it for now. At least get that overall off and, when you get to the airport, you can nip to the loo and change.’
Shirley limped out of the car and supported herself on the roof, while Linda helped her out of the overalls and put them in a bin bag.
‘I’ll bin these for you,’ Linda said. ‘You pick up the pace now. Let’s get back on track.’
Shirley got back in the car, opened the glove box and removed some make-up. She looked up at Linda through her tears and gave her a weak smile.
Linda laughed. ‘No matter what happens, you always have to look your best, don’t you?’ Returning to her Capri, she drove off.
As she entered the car park, Dolly saw Linda’s car drive off down the road. The relief she felt was so overwhelming, she could hardly stop herself running up the stairwell to her Merc. When she reached the top level and opened the boot, she smiled. All three rucksacks were neatly laid together. Once in the car, Dolly opened the glove box, removed a wig and dark sunglasses and donned her second disguise of the day.
On the way out of the car park, she nearly hit Shirley’s Mini Estate as it lurched out of the parking bay, stopped and lurched forward again, hitting the car park wall and denting the bumper. Dolly screeched to a halt, jumped out and raced across to Shirley. Before Dolly could ask, Shirley had opened the window. She was in floods of tears.
‘It’s my ankle,’ she moaned. ‘I can’t hold the clutch down properly it hurts so much. I don’t know what—’
Dolly didn’t wait for her to finish. Pulling the door open, she helped Shirley out of the Mini and supported her as she limped over to the Merc. Dolly opened the passenger door, dropped the front seat down pushed Shirley onto the back. Shirley winced in pain.
‘There’s a rug. Cover yourself — right over your head — and hurry. Where’re your flight tickets?’ Dolly asked.
‘In me handbag under the driver’s seat... and one of me plimsolls just fell off.’
Dolly ran to the Mini, retrieved Shirley’s handbag and plimsoll and chucked them on the back seat beside her.
‘The keys, the keys, Dolly! They’re in the ignition. And my case — what about my case?’
Dolly slammed the passenger door shut and got back in the Merc. ‘There’s no room for your case and we have to go now. Shut up and cover yourself.’
With Shirley hidden by the blanket and sobbing in the back seat, Dolly began the drive to the airport. All around Covent Garden the police sirens screamed; traffic remained at a standstill. Dolly realized there was no way she was going to get Shirley to the airport anytime soon — and in any case being seen at an airport together would be a really bad idea, even if Dolly was only dropping her off. They’d have to go back to Dolly’s and work out their next move from there.
It was 9:45 a.m. when Dolly at last drove into Totteridge Lane, which was deserted apart from a few parked cars. Her heart thumped as she turned into her driveway. As she got out of the car to unlock the garage doors, she whispered to Shirley to stay covered and keep quiet. Shirley, head fully covered by the blanket, had no idea where she was.
Once inside the privacy of her garage, Dolly opened the passenger door and flipped the seat down. ‘We’re in the garage at my house, darlin’. You can come out now.’
As Dolly helped Shirley out of the car, the sound of the police sirens made them both freeze. They were getting closer and closer.
‘Oh, my God, it’s the police, Dolly! They got us, Dolly... What we gonna do?’ Shirley exclaimed, her voice getting higher-pitched with every word.
Resisting the temptation to slap Shirley, Dolly instead put her hand gently over her mouth. ‘Ssssh,’ she said. Peering through the tiny window in the garage door, she saw a police car pulling up outside her house, blue light flashing. Two uniform and two plain-clothes officers got out and she recognized Detective Sergeant Fuller. Scurrying back over to Shirley, Dolly pushed her back into the rear seat of the car. ‘Cover yourself up again, don’t move or make a sound,’ Dolly whispered. Ripping off her wig and dark glasses, she threw them on top of Shirley, and then covered her up again with the blanket.
Dolly unlocked the adjoining door from the garage into her kitchen. She had to think fast. Pulling off her sweater, she threw it in the utility room laundry basket, then she rummaged around until she found the dirty dressing gown she’d dropped in there the day before. Wolf leapt out of his basket with excitement on seeing her, yapping round her feet and jumping up and down with joy. Dolly flicked on the electric coffee percolator. She’d last used it at 6 a.m. and knew it was still at least three quarters full. ‘Not now, darling,’ she said to Wolf. ‘Mummy’s got things on her mind.’ Next, she opened a cupboard, took out a packet of cereal, emptied some into a bowl, grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and poured some over the cereal. She’d never moved so quickly in her life.
The doorbell started ringing. Someone was keeping their finger on the buzzer. Dolly bet her life it was that arrogant teenager, Fuller. Wolf ran toward the door, barking and jumping up at the shadows he could see though the stained glass.
Dolly opened a packet of Ryvita, took a deep breath, exhaled and then took a bite of the biscuit. The doorbell continued to ring. Trying to steady her breathing, Dolly shouted, ‘All right, all right, I’m comin’. I’m comin’!’ Out in the hallway, she snatched Wolf up into her arms before finally opening the door. As she thought, it was Fuller who was ringing. The other officers stood behind him waiting for their instructions.
Fuller walked right past Dolly into her hallway. He didn’t even bother to produce his warrant card. He almost pushed Dolly into the living room while one officer headed up the stairs, and the other two began a search of the downstairs rooms.
‘Get dressed or put a coat on, Mrs. Rawlins. You’re coming to the station,’ Fuller instructed.
‘You’ve got no right! No bleedin’ right. You don’t even have a warrant!’ Dolly shouted, poking her finger at him.
With a smug grin on his face, Fuller pulled a search warrant out of his coat pocket. ‘Want to bet?’ he said, and headed toward Dolly’s kitchen.
Once Fuller was in her kitchen, only one door stood between him and her garage. Between him and Shirley. But under her dressing gown, she was fully dressed. That would be impossible to explain.
‘What are you lot looking for this time?’ Dolly asked, stopping Fuller in the hall.
‘We’ll tell you down the nick, so go get dressed — unless you want to come down the station in a dressing gown?’
Dolly’s heart was thumping like crazy as she raced up the stairs to her bedroom. God forbid Fuller should search the Merc: he’d not only find Shirley but the rucksacks full of the stolen money. Keeping up a steady flow of abuse might get her dragged off more quickly, so she grabbed her coat and raced back downstairs just as Fuller laid his hand on the garage door handle.
‘What’s this all about?’ Dolly shouted. ‘I’m going to have your badge for this! Take me to the station right now. Let’s get it over with. Come on — if we’re going.’