Murder Ring (A DI Geraldine Steel Mystery) (10 page)

They could do nothing but wait for Lenny to be picked up. Geraldine and Sam went for a drink after work. Instead of going to the pub nearest the police station where most of their colleagues often dropped by for a pint, they went to a pub they knew along the Edgware Road that served good food.

‘We could just go for a drink,’ Geraldine suggested.

‘I’m not going anywhere that doesn’t serve decent food.’

Geraldine laughed. ‘OK, The Heritage Arms it is. And it’s on you.’

‘Hang on, I’m not expected to pay for the pleasure of your company, am I? I see you every day at work as it is.’

Geraldine was pleased to have a chance to catch up with Sam. Since her colleague had returned to work, they had been too busy to go out together. As if by an unwritten agreement, neither of them mentioned work that evening. Geraldine began by asking Sam about her relationship status. The last she knew, Sam had been seeing a woman called Emily. Sam grinned.

‘Oh yes, we’re still together. We just get on well, you know? She’s really easy to be with. She stayed away when mum was around and I really missed seeing her.’

Geraldine was surprised. ‘But your mother must know about you?’

‘Oh yes, she knows I’m a lesbian. She’s cool with it. I think she’s always known, even before I told her. But she’s ambivalent. I mean, she’s used to it, but deep down I think she still hopes I’ll change. She imagines I’ll wake up straight one morning, or meet Mr Right who will change my mind. Change me.’ She laughed. ‘It’s not going to happen. We both know that. The trouble is, my cousin’s just had a baby and mum’s desperate for me to follow suit. She gets kind of broody, you know, and she talks about my cousin all the time. She never used to mention her.’

‘That must be hard for you?’

‘Not really, but it’s bloody boring.’

Geraldine gave a sympathetic smile. ‘My sister’s pregnant.’

‘So congratulations are in order? You’re going to be an aunt all over again. They all seem to be at it these days.’

‘Everyone except us.’

‘Yes. But would you really want to? Find a bloke, I mean, have a family, and all that. Somehow I don’t see you as a domestic goddess.’

‘No.’ Geraldine stifled a sigh. ‘I’ve not met anyone anyway, so it’s immaterial.’

‘But if you did, meet someone I mean, would you want children?’

Geraldine shrugged. ‘It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about,’ she lied.

Driving home, she tried not to think about Sam’s question. Apart from a long-term relationship in her twenties, the only man she had seriously fallen for had been a colleague, murdered shortly after their affair began. After losing him, she couldn’t imagine ever daring to fall in love again. She seemed destined to investigate the dead without ever engaging with the living. Blinking, she was surprised to discover that she was crying.

16

G
INA SAT DOWN
on an empty bench, the slats hard and cold against her thighs. She shifted her weight forward. A dreary wait on a draughty platform was all she needed. Travelling all the way to Acton to see Cynthia had taken up most of the day, and had achieved nothing. Cynthia had grunted when Gina refused her offer of tea. ‘My cake not good enough for the likes of you?’ She hadn’t offered again.

Gina had hoped to find Lenny there. It turned out Cynthia didn’t know where he was either, or if she did know she wasn’t letting on. The trip had been a waste of time. If it wasn’t for her engagement ring, Gina would be tempted to question whether Lenny was worth all the stress. He was a stingy sod most of the time. When he was home she lived in fear of him, when he was banged up she lived in fear of the other men on the estate. But her life was about to change. No one had ever given her anything beautiful before. It made her feel really special.

She was nearing the end of her journey when the rush hour began. The crush of commuters was terrifying. At least she had a seat. She tucked her feet in and kept her head down, impatient to get off the crowded train and close her front door against strangers. Finally, she reached her stop. It was growing dark. She hurried out of the station and turned off the main road into the side street where she lived. There was still a long walk ahead of her, along a deserted pavement.

When an occasional car shot past she trembled in case it stopped. They took her back to the time when she used to get in cars with men. She had lived in constant terror of being hurt, but she had gone with strangers anyway. That was before Lenny had brought her to London with him. She clenched her left fist, rubbing the back of her ring finger with her thumb. She was engaged. Lenny was going to make an honest woman of her. That made her smile, in spite of her aching feet. Once they were married, everything would be different. Lenny would stay at home with her and keep her safe.

Finally, she shut her front door. Slipping off her shoes, she went into her small living room. Only one light bulb was working. The room looked shadowy. She shivered. She didn’t like being at home on her own. All the time Lenny had been inside she had been nervous. Now he had been released and she was still sitting in the flat by herself. He liked to boast how easy it was to get into a house, as long as you knew what you were doing. There was nowhere he couldn’t break into. He went on about it until she had insisted he put a chain on the door. But the windows were large enough for a man to climb through. When she asked Lenny if they could install a burglar alarm he had nearly pissed himself laughing at the idea.

Without Lenny to protect her, every night she went to bed terrified of being attacked while she was sleeping. Lenny’s violence was nothing compared to being raped and battered to death by a stranger. There were constant reports of muggings and burglaries on the estate. The police didn’t care. No one took any notice.

Lying in the dark, she heard a door open somewhere nearby. Terrified, she listened, knowing there was nothing she could do to protect herself from an intruder. She heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. Holding her breath, she kept perfectly still, praying he wouldn’t find her. One of her legs was dangling out of the side of the bed but she lay rigid, not daring to pull it under the covers. The edge of the duvet tickled her bare leg, but she didn’t move a muscle. Pressing her teeth together she listened, ears searching the darkness. Apart from the familiar drone of snoring from the flat downstairs, and the distant hum of traffic, all was quiet. Whatever had disturbed her must have been a dream. She started to relax but then it came again, the sound of shuffling footsteps. If she’d been asleep, she might not have noticed them. Once heard, they were impossible to ignore.

She tensed, listening. A few seconds passed before she heard the noise again. This time there was no doubt. Someone was in the flat. Creeping stealthily was not Lenny’s style. He was never worried about waking her up when he came in late but would barge in, high on adrenaline, loudly demanding booze and food and sex, eager to show off his spoils. With an effort she stopped herself crawling under the duvet. There was nowhere to hide, and no escape. The bedroom door was ajar. The slightest sound might be heard by the intruder. Best to lie still and hope he didn’t come into the bedroom.

Without any warning the door flew open. A stream of dim light poured in from the living room window. Through half-closed eyes she watched in terror as a dark figure burst into the room. She closed her eyes and held her breath, praying that he wouldn’t notice her. It was ironic. Lenny earned his dosh robbing houses, and now here she was, the victim of a burglar while Lenny had buggered off God only knew where. A soft whimper escaped her. She couldn’t help it. She screwed her eyes tightly shut. The worst thing she could do was be caught watching. If he thought she had seen his face, he would make sure she could never identify him. Her last thought was that it served Lenny right. He should have been there to protect her.

17

T
HEY ARRANGED TO
meet outside Camden Town station when Sophia finished work. Jack had the night off and they were going out. She wasn’t there when he arrived. He wandered a few paces away from the throng of kids hanging about on the pavement. Keeping a close eye on people surging out of the station, his gaze flitted past the girls, sizing up the blokes as they passed him. The threat of violence hovered everywhere on the streets, and he had to stay alert. No one had taken him down yet, but they tried from time to time. He had no intention of being caught out, not now he was doing so well.

His business venture was starting to thrive. Word was, Axel was watching him. That sort of attention wasn’t dished out to just any small-time drug dealer. New on the scene, Jack had become a serious player very quickly. So far so good. He wasn’t just ambitious, he was clever. He hung on to his job at the bar. He no longer needed their stingy wages, but it gave him a legitimate cover for his earnings. Not that his money went far, even now he was doing so well. Some of it went to his mother. She was smart enough to keep her trap shut when he said he had earned it doing an honest week’s work. He knew she spent most of it on his brother, Theo, but that was all right. Theo was simple. He couldn’t take care of anything for himself. Other than that, Jack spent some of his earnings on himself. He liked to dress sharply, and he had to keep himself in drugs, fags and booze. The rest of it went on his girl. He spent a fortune to keep her happy, and she still kept him hanging about waiting at the station. He swore under his breath. He was not a happy man.

His anger vanished the minute he saw Sophia’s huge eyes searching the crowd streaming out of the exit. He stood still for a moment, watching her, hardly able to believe that she was there just for him. There were other guys all around her. He started forward, calling her name. When she caught sight of him waving, her face lit up with a smile that spread a warm glow right through him. He pushed his way through the crowd and seized her arm. It drove him nuts the way other blokes looked at her. It seemed every man in sight was at it, young blokes, old blokes, all running their eyes up and down her body, checking out her long brown thighs, lingering on her tits, shifting to her arse as she passed by.

Not that he blamed them. Her glossy hair, the curves of her body, the rhythmic sway of her hips, everything about her made him ache to possess her. It wasn’t only lust, although even the mere thought of her body aroused him. He could have conquered that. She touched him in a manner that was more potent than any physical desire. Every time he saw her was like a wild explosion in his head, maddening and wonderful. He had never experienced anything like it before. There had been plenty of girls before her. With his athleticism and good looks, he had no trouble attracting tarts. But since meeting Sophia he had lost interest in other women. The change in him had been instantaneous. He simply didn’t want anyone else.

‘I been thinking about you,’ he muttered as she put her cheek up for him to kiss.

He didn’t add that he thought of little else. Wherever he was, she was present inside his head. Images of her smile, her laughter, her beautiful eyes, her sinuous body, flashed across his mind in a tantalising kaleidoscope. She visited him in his dreams. If she refused to see him it was torment. She was like a drug. He worried constantly that she would leave him for someone else. He tried to explain his feelings, but she laughed. When he persisted, she grew sullen. He was reduced to feeling grateful that she saw him at all.

There was no reason for her to look elsewhere. He took her out all the time and bought her expensive gifts. Often it was stuff he nicked, but sometimes he let her choose and watched her eyes as he handed over the notes. He kept her in booze and fags, and bought her nice clothes. One time she asked him for perfume. The stink was overpowering, but she was pleased with it. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to walk around smelling like that. It was all part of her mystique. He would never know what was going on inside her head, although he thought about her all the time.

‘What do you really want from me?’ he asked her once.

‘Apart from your cock you mean?’ she laughed.

He wasn’t sure if she was insulting him or not. Somehow he never knew with her. Was that all he was to her? A bloke with a cock? If that was true, then she could go with anyone. No bloke in his right mind could resist her. If some bloke with more money than him were to hit on her, would she turn him down?

It sounded stupid, but he had to ask. ‘You do like me, don’t you?’

It didn’t make him feel any better when she just nodded, as though it wasn’t important. If anything, he felt even more frustrated.

‘If I ever catch you playing jiggy with another guy, I’ll kill you,’ he said. For answer she tossed her head, like a horse flicking away an annoying gnat.

‘You better believe it,’ he muttered, ‘because I ain’t joking.’

18

‘
G
INA?
G
INA?
Y
OU
awake?’

She opened her eyes, crying out in relief.

‘Jesus, Lenny, what the fuck?’ She heaved herself up on to one elbow. ‘What the hell you doing, creeping around like that in the middle of the night like you was going to murder me in my bed?’

He flicked the light on. ‘What you talking about, you dumb bitch?’

‘You’re pissed.’