Dark Spaces (2 page)

‘Actually, I’ve been meaning to call you,’ said Sheba. ‘I need a favour.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ said Lilly. ‘You want to borrow the Alexander McQueen ball gown again.’

Sheba rolled her eyes. ‘I need help. Professional help.’

‘Go on.’

‘I have a patient. A fifteen-year-old girl and she’s been charged with stealing a car and driving under the influence,’ said Sheba. ‘The family instructed their solicitor, but he’s from a big commercial practice in London and I don’t get the sense he knows his way around the criminal courts.’

Lilly clicked a tongue. Too many lawyers thought crime was an easy ticket. But it was specialized and could be tricky, particularly where children were concerned. You had to know what you were doing.

‘Let me grab a pen.’ She held out Alice to Sheba, who looked shocked and appalled in equal measure.

‘I don’t really do babies,’ she said.

Lilly nodded at Sheba’s belly, hard as a basketball. ‘I’d say it was time to start.’

Sheba sniffed and took the little girl, a hand under each armpit. She held her out in front of her, Alice’s legs dangling in mid-air. Alice blew a spit bubble.

‘Charming,’ said Sheba.

Lilly grabbed a biro loitering in the bottom of her bag and flicked a piece of orange plasticine from the nib. It pirouetted through the air and landed on the sleeve of Sheba’s elegant jacket.

‘I can see where you get your impeccable personal hygiene,’ she told Alice.

Lilly stuck out her tongue. ‘Fire away.’

‘Lydia Morton-Daley. Like I say, she’s fifteen. Came to us about two weeks ago after the police caught her driving home from a party. Apparently she came this close to wrapping the car round a tree.’ Sheba tried to demonstrate a tiny distance between her fingers, but with Alice still held at arm’s length like a smelly nappy, she could do little more than jiggle her wrists. ‘Can’t I put her in the car seat?’

‘If you’re prepared to shout above the din, go for it,’ answered Lilly.

Sheba pouted, but kept Alice in her grip. ‘When the cops breathalysed Lydia she was three times over the limit.’

Lilly whistled, which made Alice laugh and pedal her feet.

‘If you don’t want me to drop you onto the hard floor, I suggest you keep still,’ Sheba told her. ‘When the parents brought her to the Grove, I thought they might be trying to pull a fast one. Another middle-class brat avoiding her punishment by blaming it all on depression.’

Lilly might have called her a sceptic but experience told her that Lydia’s parents wouldn’t be the first to use their power and money to escape justice.

‘And now?’ she asked.

Sheba frowned. ‘Now I’m not sure. Whatever the reason for Lydia’s admission, she does seem to be exhibiting symptoms of mental illness. One thing I do know is that I need her in hospital for assessment, not in custody, which is where she might end up if Mr Pinstriped Suit puts his size tens where they’re not needed.’

Lilly finished writing down the details, slung the paper and pen back into her bag and appraised Sheba, who was now trying to rock Alice from side to side in what was probably meant to be a soothing manner. Alice swung like a flag in the wind, snorting and drooling.

‘Will you help me, Lilly?’

It wasn’t clear if Sheba’s request was for help with the case or the removal of Alice.

Lilly held out her arms. ‘’Course I will.’

*   *   *

The ground was hard under Jack’s trainers, each ridge of earth frozen solid, as he pounded up the hill. Even at midday the sun couldn’t summon enough strength to melt the January frosts.

‘Mary, Mother of God.’ He wiped the sweat that was running down his face with his sleeve. ‘This is a tough one.’

Kate didn’t break her stride and laughed at him. Christ, the woman wasn’t even panting.

‘You’re getting old, McNally,’ she told him and upped her pace so that she was a few feet ahead, her pert arse-cheeks waving at him through skintight Lycra. ‘Ready for the knacker’s yard.’

He shook his head, found a spurt of energy and propelled himself upwards, slapping her backside as he passed her. There was life in the old dog yet.

At the summit the view was spectacular, the valley below sparkling and white, as if the fields were covered in glass beads. Jack slowed to a stop. He loved it up here on the Downs, where it was always deserted.

‘Lightweight,’ said Kate and took her place by his side. Unlike Jack she kept moving, swaying from side to side.

‘I need to make a call,’ said Jack.

‘You need a breather more like.’

Jack pulled out his mobile. He did need to make a call, but in truth he did need a second’s rest before he keeled over. He ran regularly and considered himself pretty fit but Kate was something else. She extended her right leg in front of her and bent forward from the waist to pull up the toe of her trainer and stretch out her hamstrings. She looked up at him, her face flushed pink, her lips slightly apart.

‘Who’re you calling?’ she asked.

Jack went into his contacts. ‘Lilly.’

‘Right.’ Kate stood upright.

‘She took Alice to the hospital and I want to know how they got on,’ he said.

Kate nodded and took a couple of steps away, cupping her hand over her eyes to look out at the scenery while Jack waited for Lilly to pick up.

‘Hey, Jack,’ said Lilly.

‘How did you get on?’ he asked.

‘Fine. The doctor agreed that there’s very unlikely to be anything wrong with Alice. All they did was take a bit of blood.’

‘Blood!’

‘A pinprick, Jack, they didn’t drain pints of the stuff from her.’

Jack felt anxiety wash through him. ‘I should have come with you.’

‘We talked about it, Jack,’ she said. ‘There was no point us both having time off work.’

He was about to point out that Lilly stating something as fact and them talking it through were not one and the same thing, but Kate tapped her watch with her finger. They needed to get back to the nick.

‘Can I come and see her tonight?’ he asked.

‘There’s no need Jack, she’s fine,’ said Lilly.

‘It’s not about need.’

‘You’re coming over tomorrow morning to collect her,’ said Lilly. ‘You’ll see for yourself that she’s on top form.’

Jack hung up and took a deep breath. He hated having to make an appointment to see his daughter. It wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

‘Okay?’ Kate put a hand on Jack’s arm.

He shrugged. It wasn’t okay was it? But what was the point in going over it? When he and Lilly had been together they had spent fecking hours chewing stuff over and where had it got them? Barely speaking and Jack only allowed to spend time with his flesh and blood if it was on Lilly’s pre-agreed schedule.

‘Let’s go,’ said Kate and set off.

*   *   *

Lilly held Alice in the crook of one arm and wiped the brass nameplate fixed to the wall outside her office with a spit-moistened tissue. A bird had shit from on high, obliterating the ‘& co’ after ‘Valentine’. Frankly, the sparrow had known what he was doing. There was no ‘& co’. Lilly had had a brief spell of assistance from a young Muslim woman called Taslima who had brought with her a steely calm that was much appreciated. Unfortunately, she had ended up embroiled in one of Lilly’s cases, getting kidnapped and having to leap from a burning building. It had not been a great shock when she had decided to retrain as a barrister. Then there’d been Karol: a refugee, who had a knack for fixing technology, was a dab hand at filing and sported a six-pack Justin Timberlake would be proud of. But he’d left to open a bar in Brighton called Dorothy’s with his boyfriend.

As Lilly unlocked the door and stepped over the post, she vowed to get some proper, permanent help.

She ignored the answer machine, winking its accusations at her, and picked up the phone. She dialled the number Sheba had given her and laid Alice on a play mat she kept in the reception.

‘Brady Moore and Lodge.’ The response was instantaneous.

‘Blimey,’ said Lilly. ‘Were you waiting for the phone to ring?’

‘Yes,’ said the receptionist, as if that were obvious. ‘Can I help you?’

Lilly checked her notes. Her biro had been running out and it was difficult to make out the name. ‘Can I speak to a Paul Sara … sorry I can’t read my own writing.’ Lilly squinted. ‘It’s definitely Sara-something.’

Lilly heard nails tapping a keyboard.

‘There’s no one here of that name. Could it be Paul Santana?’ asked the receptionist.

Lilly rechecked the piece of paper. In all honesty it could say anything. ‘Let’s give him a twirl,’ she said and gave her name.

The hold music was
The Planets
by Holst, a deep resonant cello rising and falling. Lilly pressed the squawk box button and the music filled her own office. Alice looked up and pointed a chubby finger towards the sound. As the crash of a cymbal resonated, Lilly bent over her baby and began conducting. Alice gave her best smile, the stubby ends of front teeth erupting through her gums. The music lifted towards a crescendo and Lilly waved her arms and head madly, her long curls flying. Alice squealed in delight.

The music stopped abruptly. ‘Paul Santana.’

‘Right.’ Lilly straightened. ‘Hello there.’

‘Miss Valentine?’

Lilly blew a stray tendril from her mouth. ‘That’s me.’

‘I’m sure the error is mine,’ he said. ‘But I can’t place you momentarily.’

Ooh, he was slick.

‘No error at all,’ said Lilly. ‘We’ve never met.’

‘An unfortunate circumstance, I’m sure.’

A bit too slick.

‘Your name was passed on to me by Lydia Morton-Daley’s therapist. I understand you’re the family’s solicitor.’

‘Indeed,’ he said. ‘I deal with all the Morton-Daleys’ legal affairs.’

‘The difficulty, as I understand it, is that you specialize in commercial work and that Lydia requires criminal advice.’

‘Oh, I think my knowledge will be enough to cover the small matter of a teenager drinking too much,’ he said. ‘I may not be Rumpole but this isn’t serious enough to cause concern.’

Lilly sighed. When would some lawyers learn to stick to what they were good at? She wouldn’t pull up a chair, stick her feet on his desk and advise his clients on their tax bills, would she?

‘She was three times over the limit and crashed a Merc she’d hot-wired. When the police pulled her out she was still holding a bottle of vodka. With her history it doesn’t look great.’

‘History?’

‘She’s been nicked four times in the past couple of years. Once for criminal damage, twice for shoplifting and recently for disorderly conduct. Each time she got off with a caution but that’s most definitely not going to happen this time,’ said Lilly. ‘It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Lydia could spend some time in custody. And, if that happens, her family aren’t going to be best pleased, are they?’

Lilly let the question hang in the air, her meaning as clear as a mountain stream.

He coughed. ‘Perhaps on further reflection it would be better to transfer the file to a solicitor with more time to spend on it. These cases can get very time-consuming.’

The oil slick oozed out.

‘Why don’t I give you my email address?’ said Lilly. ‘And you can send the papers over.’

When Gem wakes up it’s nearly one o’clock and the telly and the lights are off. The leccy must have run out. Her cheek is stuck to the settee and when she pushes herself up it peels away like a plaster coming off in the bath. It feels like some of her skin got left behind. She even checks there’re no bits of it on the PVC.

Gem didn’t go to school this morning. Mum was on the missing list and she couldn’t leave Tyler on his own could she? But it’s gonna get well boring if they can’t watch anything.

Tyler opens his eyes and looks at his sister. He’s been asleep too, cuddled up with Marley on the floor.

‘I hungry,’ he says.

Gem nods at him. She’s hungry as well but she doubts there’ll be anything in the fridge.

She pats Marley on the head and he wags his tail. The dog must be starving too. When Mum gets back she’d better have been to the shops.

She picks up Tyler. His nappy is massive and his trousers feel damp around the bum. Mum thinks he should be dry by now, but he ain’t, so Gem don’t know why she even says it.

She takes him through to the kitchen and opens the fridge. It don’t work so they just keep stuff in there away from Marley. Like she thought, it’s virtually empty. There’s a tin of chicken soup but she can’t even heat it up, can she?

‘I hungry,’ Tyler says again.

‘All right,’ Gem says and reaches for the tin opener. They’ll have to eat it cold. It ain’t like it’s the first time.

She’s spooning it straight from the tin, one for Tyler, one for Marley, then one for herself, when Mum walks in.

‘That’s not clean, Gem,’ she says and flops into the chair opposite.