Blood Falls (6 page)

‘I’m not offering a three-course meal. How about hot buttered toast?’

Joe laughed. ‘My mouth’s watering now. I’d better accept.’

With Diana busy, he took a moment to examine his surroundings. The kitchen was warm and homely and slightly cluttered: exactly the sort of place he imagined she would inhabit.

‘You’re closed for the season, then?’

‘Yes. Things tailed off as soon as the kids went back to school. Some would say they barely got started, what with all the rain we’ve had. August was a total washout.’

‘I assume there’s quite a rivalry down here. The proprietor of Britannia Place said he’d never heard of you.’

‘Oh, that’s Vincent Hocking. He’s an awkward so-and-so. Takes a dislike to virtually everyone he meets.’

‘Trelennan’s own Basil Fawlty?’

‘Exactly. Every town should have one.’

She brought him a plate with four slices of thick toasted bread, together with butter and a pot of raspberry jam. He inhaled deeply. ‘Glorious. Just what I need.’

As she went to fetch their drinks, he added: ‘Luckily I asked someone else, who told me you’d reverted to your maiden name.’

For a second, Diana froze. Then she nodded. ‘Yes, I’m Diana Walters again now. I never really liked “Diana Bamber”. It’s got an odd rhythm, hasn’t it?’

She turned, as if interested in his reaction, but at the same time he sensed that further discussion would be unwelcome. He shrugged, said nothing.

Taking the seat opposite, she held her coffee mug in both hands and let the steam warm her face. There was a moment when Joe might have reached out and touched her arm, but he couldn’t be certain that he was reading her correctly.

‘Are you sure there isn’t something wrong?’ he said.

‘Quite sure. Why?’ She took a sip, but she slurped it nervously, spilling a few drops on her chin.

To spare her embarrassment, Joe said, ‘Don’t you hate it when that happens? I’m always pouring beer down my front.’

‘In my case it’s senility, I think.’ She tutted, but these admissions of fallibility seemed to steady them both, and it was in the tone of the old, familiar Diana Bamber that she declared: ‘Now, Joe Clayton, rolling up on my doorstep after all these years. You’d better tell me where you’ve been and what it is you want.’

‘The second part’s straightforward. I need somewhere to stay for a few days.’

Diana nodded, but it seemed more an acknowledgement of his request than the granting of it.

‘Don’t you have a suitcase, or a bag?’

‘Just what I’m wearing. It’ll be a while before I can retrieve my stuff.’

Tight-lipped, she gave him a glance. ‘Oh?’

‘Look,’ Joe said, ‘this isn’t easy to explain. First of all I have to ask you something. Have you seen Helen, or heard from her at all?’

It was a moment or two before Diana answered. ‘Not for a long time. Why?’

‘Anything in the past four or five years?’

‘I don’t think so. We used to exchange Christmas cards, but that seemed to tail off after we moved down here.’ There was a hint of reproach in her voice.

‘I’m sorry. I felt terrible that I couldn’t get in touch when Roy died.’

Diana looked up at the ceiling as she searched her memory. ‘Helen phoned me to explain. Actually, that might have been the last time I spoke to her. The funeral was in December 2005, the week before Christmas.’ A flash of pain in her eyes. ‘She said you were involved in a very sensitive case. I assume that meant undercover work?’

‘Yes. Lasting nearly a year. But I hated missing the funeral. Roy was a great friend and mentor to me.’

Diana frowned. ‘Wait a second. Why are you asking about Helen? You make it sound like you’re not together any more.’

‘We’re not,’ Joe said. ‘I haven’t seen her for four years.’

‘But if you’re only in Bristol …’

He shook his head. ‘It’s a lot more complicated than that.’

He’d told the full story only once before, more than a year ago, to a woman for whom he’d worked as a bodyguard – and only then because he was poised to depart from that job and knew he would never see her again. In that sense, his secrets had been safe with her: Cassie had had no idea who he really was, or where he was going next. Nothing he told her could feasibly harm either of them.

This time it was very different. Diana was a friend from his old life. From the days when he had been only Joe Clayton, and no one else.
What he told her now would be carried into her future, and into his, and might have grave implications for them both.

And yet he saw little choice but to level with her. There was too much that couldn’t be explained away without resorting to some fairly outrageous lies, and she’d been a policeman’s wife for too long to be taken for a fool.

‘The undercover work destroyed our marriage,’ he said. ‘Specifically, the same case that prevented me from attending Roy’s funeral.’

‘I’m not surprised, if it lasted a year. Helen must have been going out of her mind.’

‘She was, even though she didn’t know the full details at the time.’

Joe paused. Astutely, Diana said, ‘I quite understand if there are parts you can’t tell me.’

‘Okay. I had to infiltrate a gang who were planning a massive gold-bullion raid. The trouble was, by the time I was admitted into the inner sanctum they were getting seriously paranoid. I had to break off virtually all contact with my bosses and the backup team.’

Diana looked pained. ‘Helen always said you were addicted to risk. She told me once that she had a recurring dream where you were killed in the line of duty. But I expect you just laughed that off, the way Roy did when I used to worry about him?’

Ruefully, Joe nodded. ‘I’ve had a lot of time to regret it since, believe me.’

He continued with the story: how the lack of contact meant he was unable to contribute vital intelligence to the team responsible for foiling the robbery. As a result, the operation ended in disaster.

‘One police officer killed, two more badly wounded. Four of the gang died, including the son of the gang’s leader.’

He paused again. Diana said, ‘It’s all right. You don’t have to say who they are.’

‘No, but I think I should. The gang was led by Doug Morton.’

Ten

UNTIL THE MOMENT
he uttered Morton’s name, Joe hadn’t been completely sure if he was going to tell her. Once he had told her, he wasn’t completely sure if it had been the right thing to do.

Diana put a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh my God. I remember it on the news. And Roy knew of him, from way back. Said he was a monster …’

‘The whole family are monsters. Doug Morton went to prison but made it known there was a price on my head. I was offered a new identity, then languished in a safe house for months while they carried out an internal investigation. Finally they told me I wouldn’t face prosecution, but I was no longer welcome to remain in the police service.’

‘Oh, Joe.’ Diana stared at him, unable to take it in. ‘Helen must have been devastated. I wish I’d known. There might have been some way I could have helped …’

‘Helen really withdrew into herself at that point. Because I’d killed Doug Morton’s son, it was fair to assume that our own kids might be a target.’

‘But they’re safe, aren’t they?’

‘As far as I know.’

Now she looked puzzled. From the hallway, a phone began to ring. Diana flinched, but her attention remained with Joe.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Helen was also given a new identity. She and the girls moved away to set up a brand-new life. I wasn’t part of the deal.’

‘What? Was that your choice?’

‘Not exactly.’

The phone went on ringing. ‘I’ll let it go to answerphone,’ Diana said, shaking her head. ‘Your beautiful little girls. How on earth could you live without them?’

The question stung Joe more deeply than he would have thought possible. He sat back in his chair, clearing his throat into a sudden heavy silence as the phone stopped ringing.

‘Helen insisted that I wasn’t to know where they were going. After putting their lives in danger, I couldn’t blame her.’

‘And you’ve seen nothing of them for four years?’ Diana winced. ‘I must admit, I was hurt when you both seemed to break off contact. With Helen, I wondered if it was … well, if maybe she’d heard rumours or something …’ Blushing, she stared at her lap.

‘I don’t think so. It was one kiss at a party. And no one saw us.’

‘No, you’re right.’ A brisk nod: eager to move on. ‘But you must feel such bitterness, knowing your daughters are growing up without you?’

‘Sometimes,’ Joe agreed. ‘Bitterness. Anger. Self-pity. You name it, there’s not a negative emotion I haven’t felt. But for all that, I still think it was the right thing for Helen to do. And after what happened today,’ he added heavily, ‘I believe that more than ever.’

There was a buzzing sound from one of the kitchen units. A mobile phone skittered across the polished worktop.

‘Somebody’s keen to reach you.’

Diana looked fretful. ‘I’d better take it. Sorry.’

Joe waved away her apology and took a gulp of coffee. It was lukewarm. ‘Do you mind if I get us another?’ he asked.

‘I’m fine, but help yourself.’

He followed her across the room. Diana picked up her mobile, checked the display and gave an audible sigh. She answered with a soft ‘Hello’ and wandered out to the dining room. A tiny click as the door was discreetly shut.

Joe tipped the dregs of the coffee into the sink, rinsed his mug and poured a fresh cup from the jug on the hotplate. He added milk and sugar and then, instead of returning to the table, he crept over to the dining-room door and listened. Gradually the murmur of Diana’s voice coalesced into words he could understand.

‘No, it’s fine,’ she was saying, quietly insistent. ‘Ancient history.’

She laughed, and Joe frowned, not wanting to jump to conclusions. There was a longer pause, then: ‘That’s silly, there’s no need. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow …’ Another laugh. ‘You too. Now bog off.’

Joe just made it back to the table as Diana came in. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘Don’t apologise. I’m the one who’s come here and disrupted your life.’

‘It’s not that bad.’ Then she registered his grave expression. ‘What?’

‘There’s another reason why I felt I had to confide in you.’

‘Oh.’ She was a policeman’s widow: it didn’t take her long to guess. ‘Doug Morton?’

‘As I said, he wants vengeance for the death of his son, Gary. Doug’s still in prison, but he has another son, Danny. Gary was like his dad, vicious but relatively straightforward. Danny Morton is a stone-cold psychopath.’

‘And he’s coming after you?’

‘He tracked me down today, in Bristol. I only just got away.’

‘But he didn’t follow you here?’ There was concern in Diana’s voice, but not panic.

‘No, I’m certain of that. Nobody else knows I’m in Trelennan, either, and I intend to keep it that way. But it’s only fair that I tell you. If you want me to leave, just say so.’

Joe didn’t think she would turn him away, although there was a
moment when she seemed to consider it, perhaps for reasons that had nothing to do with Danny Morton. He thought about the call he’d eavesdropped on; the way she’d blushed while referring to that foolish lapse at Roy’s retirement party.

Then she smiled and said, ‘Of course I’m not going to chuck you out. After a sob story like that?’

‘Thanks. By the way, I’m Joe Carter now, not Joe Clayton. That’s very important.’

‘Of course.’ Diana slapped her palms on the table and stood up. ‘All right, Mr Carter. I expect you’d like to clean up?’

She gave him a room on the top floor, where the roof space had been converted into three additional bedrooms. Joe’s was at the northern corner of the house, a cosy attic room with sloping ceilings and a single dormer window, covered by a Roman blind.

‘It’s nice and private for you up here. The bathroom’s not en suite, but it’s right next door.’

‘Believe me, this is the height of luxury compared with some of the places I’ve stayed.’

After showing him the bathroom, she fetched fresh towels and flannels from a cupboard at the end of the narrow landing. He told her he’d probably take a long bath and then go to bed.

‘Diana, I can’t thank you enough for this. And I really hope it hasn’t caused you any problems.’

It was the closest he dared get to the subject, but Diana blithely dismissed his concerns. ‘Oh, I was just being silly earlier. I think it was the shock of seeing you.’

‘Maybe, but I don’t want to be a nuisance. If there’s anything I can do to help you during my stay, you only have to ask.’

‘Thank you. I will.’

Lying in a bath of almost scalding water, the reality of his new predicament enveloped Joe like steam. He knew nothing with certainty: how
they had found him, who they had spoken to; whether other people had suffered as a result of their search.

Most alarming of all, he had no idea whether Helen and the girls were safe.

That thought nagged at him like a toothache. He knew it wouldn’t go away until he’d found the answer. But he was taking a risk every time he talked to Maz, and now that risk itself had to be reappraised.

He chased his concerns in pointless circles while the water grew cold and began to settle like slime against his skin. It wasn’t until his chin slipped beneath the surface and he jerked upright that Joe realised he’d begun to doze.

He pulled the plug, wrenched himself to his feet and ran the shower for thirty seconds to rinse off. He wrapped up in a towel and opened the bathroom door to find a dressing gown and a pair of old-fashioned pyjamas, folded neatly on the floor. On top of them lay a toothbrush, toothpaste and a unisex deodorant.

In the bedroom, Diana had left him a pair of jogging pants and a couple of plain white T-shirts: medium size, which might be tight across the shoulders, but they would do for now. He’d rinsed out his underwear in the bathroom sink and hung it to dry on the radiator. Tomorrow he’d have to sort out some new clothes.

After turning off the light, he stood at the window and lifted the blind. He could faintly distinguish the shape of the buildings that sat below him on the hill. As before, he had a sense of the sea as no more than a brooding space beneath the sky. A void.