The Ladykiller (20 page)

Patrick Kelly heard the underlying loneliness in her voice and knew instinctively that they were two of a kind. Loners who worked and worked, and at the end of the day had nothing except their families. And when the families were no more, they had nothing at all to show for their efforts.

‘Have you eaten today?’

Kate shook her head. ‘Not since this morning.’

‘Then why not have lunch with me? I could do with the company and Mrs Manners has still got enough turkey to feed the third world and the poor Albanians. Unless you have to get back of course.’

‘That sounds lovely. I’d love to have lunch with you, Mr Kelly.’

‘Patrick . . . The name’s Patrick. Right then, I’ll go and sort it out.’

Kate felt inordinately pleased at his offer, even though she was astute enough to know that it came from a desire for any company, rather than hers specifically. She was still thrilled to be there.

She self-consciously fiddled with her hair, tidied up her clothes. She wished she had worn her new suit, but she consoled herself that at the moment he didn’t care what she looked like.

Willy brought in the coffee and smiled at her. Kate smiled back but inside she shuddered. The man looked like something from a bad nightmare. Half of one ear was missing, and his nose had obviously been broken more than a few times. He grinned at her from a toothless mouth.

‘Shall I pour for you, love?’

Kate shook her head.

‘I’ll do it, thank you.’

Willy looked relieved and left the room.

Patrick Kelly returned. Lunch would be ready in twenty minutes. Leaving Kate with her coffee, he slipped into the library to use the phone.

Dimitrios Brunos, a London Greek, was one of the best ‘minders’ in the West End. He was also one of the most violent.

‘Mr Kelly, how are you?’ His voice was solicitous.

‘Listen to me carefully and pass on what I say to all the others. My Mandy is dead and I’m upping the ante. There’s half a mil’ for whoever finds the ponce, right?’

Patrick heard a sharp intake of breath and smiled grimly. That should get some results.

‘Also, I’ll be looking for the slag personally, so I reckon between us we should find him. Whoever gives me his name gets the money, OK?’

‘Yes. Please accept my most sincere condolences. Your daughter was a . . .’

‘Yeah, yeah. All right, Dimitrios. I ain’t got that far myself yet. Just let the others know the score.’

Patrick put down the receiver and closed his eyes tightly. He was going to hound the slag into the ground. He would find him and pay him out if it was the last thing he ever did. Pulling himself upright, he squared his shoulders. First thing tomorrow he was going to phone the Chief Constable to request copies of everything the Old Bill found out. Patrick intended to get to the suspects first.

He went back in to Kate and sat beside her. Even though she was an Old Bill, a Filth, he trusted her somehow. She had the same quietness and serenity his Renée had had.

Patrick liked her.

George and Elaine had opened a bottle of wine. She was tipsy and they were watching a comedy film on TV. The curtains were pulled and the lamplight gave a cosy glow to the room. In fairness, George thought, Elaine was an exemplary housewife. Never in all their years together had he lacked an ironed shirt or clean underwear. His suits always went to the cleaner’s on time, and his meals were always cooked for him. Admittedly, Elaine’s cooking often left a lot to be desired, but she was at least conscientious. A good woman.

His mother, whatever her faults - and they were legion - had been the same in the housewifely stakes. Hate her or love her, the children were always well fed. She made sure they were the best dressed, the cleanest, the brainiest. Her house was the best furnished and kept spic and span. She had been proud of her Nottingham lace curtains, her wooden beds . . .

George jumped.

Elaine had placed her arm around his neck. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was resting her head on his shoulder.

Oh God!

‘Give us a kiss, George.’ Her voice was low and slurred.

He concentrated on the television screen. Bette Midler and Danny DeVito were fighting it out.
Ruthless People
the film was called. Ruthless People? He was the ruthless one. Hadn’t he proved it?

‘Come on, George, give us a kiss.’ Elaine pulled his face round and planted a wet, sticky mouth on his own.

George kissed her. He didn’t know what else to do. For the first time in over sixteen years, Elaine showed some signs of interest in him! He shuddered.

‘I’ve had a lovely day, George. A lovely day. And next year we will finally have a good year. Three hundred and sixty-five days of happiness. I’m going on holiday with you, to Florida to see our Edith. And I’m going to Spain with the girls.’ Elaine was having trouble forming the words now and George guessed that if he kept quiet she would fall asleep. He put his arm around her with difficulty and held her close to him. She snuggled into him and closed her eyes.

Please God make her go to sleep.

His prayer was answered. Within moments the wine, the heat and the excitement of the day caught up with her and she began to snore softly into his thick cable-knit cardigan.

George breathed a sigh of relief.

He would do many things to keep her happy, but sex was not one of them.

Picking up the remote control, he turned the TV on to video. Mandy appeared on the screen. He had set the video up earlier in the evening while Elaine was making supper. He had been waiting for her to go to bed. Now he turned the sound down and watched the action on the screen. The element of risk gave it an added excitement.

So Mandy went through her nightly ritual and Elaine snored and George was happy, his finger poised over the TV button on the remote control.

In a funny way he wished that Elaine would open her eyes, but she was blind drunk and slept. And George just sat and watched.

Kate had enjoyed her late lunch with Patrick Kelly very much. They had opened up to each other. Now she sat with her own family and listened to their account of the pantomime.

‘Oh, Mum, it was really funny. You should have seen the dame! He was hilarious. Joanie was there with her brothers. They sat with us and we had the greatest time.’

‘Considering you didn’t really want to go.’ Evelyn’s voice was jocular. ‘“I’m too old for pantomimes, I’m an adult.” And when we got there she was shouting louder than anyone!’

‘I’m sorry I missed it.’

‘Dad was really funny, he made jokes all through it. I wish you could have been there, Mum.’

‘So do I, Lizzy. It sounds great.’

‘Oh, it was. Dad’s gone up for a bath.’ Lizzy looked at the kitchen clock and squealed. ‘Oh my God, if I don’t get a move on I’m going to be late.’

‘Where you off to then?’

‘Oh, me and Joanie are going to a party tonight.’ She twisted her hair around her fingers. ‘I’m sure I mentioned it.’

‘You never said anything to me.’

‘Or me.’ Evelyn’s voice was low.

‘Well, it’s been arranged absolutely ages and Joanie is coming round for me at seven thirty. I really must go, Mum.’

Kate and Evelyn exchanged glances.

‘Well, I don’t remember you telling us anything about it. Where is this party?’

‘It’s near Joanie’s house, in the next street. I don’t know the number.’

‘I see.’

‘Oh, Mum, don’t say it like that. I must go! I want to go.’ Lizzy’s voice was high and near to tears.

‘No one has said you can’t go . . . yet.’

Dan walked into the kitchen in his dressing gown. ‘What’s all this racket then?’

Lizzy ran to him and he put his arm around her.

‘I want to go to a party and Mum won’t let me. Everyone will be there.’

‘Your mother never said you can’t go, Lizzy. That’s not fair.’

‘Oh, Gran, I want to go so much. And between you, you’ll talk me out of it!’

‘We will not! All your mother wants to know is where it is and who’ll be there!’

‘I’ll take her and pick her up, how’s that?’

Everyone looked at Dan. Lizzy kissed him on the cheek.

‘That’s settled then, I’ll go and get ready. Blimey, Mum, sometimes your job really goes to your head. I’m not a suspect, you know!’

Her voice was happy once more and Kate watched her run from the room.

‘Thanks, Dan. Thanks a bundle.’

He opened his arms wide. ‘What have I done? All I said was I’d take her and pick her up. There’s no harm in that, Kate.’ He counted off on his fingers. ‘First, we’ll know where it is. And secondly, we’ll be able to sort out a reasonable time for getting her home. Third, I’ll have a quick look at who’s there. I can’t see there’s any problem.’

He walked from the room and Kate felt an urge to jump on his back and tear his hair out. Not five minutes in the house and he was already countermanding her. Lizzy would be allowed to get away with blue murder while her father was around, it was always the same, then when he swanned off again, it would be left to Kate to pick up the pieces and get back some kind of equilibrium.

She sighed heavily.

‘He’s right, you know, Kate. She’s not a child any more.’

‘Oh, Mum, don’t you jump on the bandwagon. She’s so grown up that she shouted herself hoarse through a bloody pantomime not two hours ago. I saw a girl not much older than her battered and dying in a hospital bed, not twenty-four hours since. There’s a bloody maniac on the loose and you tell me that she’s grown up!’

Evelyn put her hand on her daughter’s arm. ‘That’s not all that’s bothering you, is it? Now is it? It’s Dan taking the reins from your hands that’s brought all this on. Well, listen to me and listen good. It won’t last - it never does. But you can’t stop that child from living a normal life. She’ll be with Joanie and her other friends, Dan’s picking her up. So swallow your pride and don’t make an enemy of your own child.’

‘I’ll be glad when he goes. And first thing in the New Year he will be going. That, Mum, is a promise!’

‘He only wants to see the child enjoy herself with her friends.’

Kate sighed noisily.

‘Don’t you start taking his side, Mum. It’s bad enough Lizzy thinks the sun shines out of his . . .’

‘Kate!’ Evelyn stopped her flow of words. ‘You should listen to yourself, young lady.’

She sat at the breakfast bar and lit herself a cigarette. It wasn’t the time to remind her mother that she was forty. Her lovely afternoon had been spoiled. She would have let Lizzy go to the party eventually, she rarely denied the girl anything. But to have the decision taken out of her hands like that was irritating and downright unfair.

But Kate knew when enough was enough so she kept her peace.

Dan dropped Joanie and Lizzy off at a respectable-looking semi-detached house and after a quick kiss on his daughter’s cheek drove away, pleased with the way he had handled everything. It would do Kate good to realise that he could be responsible too.

Lizzy went into the party with Joanie and was immediately surrounded by a crowd of boys. She was wearing a short black skirt and a tiny scrap of a top that emphasised her heavy breasts. Joanie stood by her side as she laughed and chatted with the guys. She was a different girl to the one her mother and grandmother knew.

‘So come on then, has anyone got any puff?’

A tall thin boy with straggly hair passed her a joint and Lizzy took it from him, inhaling the fragrant mixture deeply.

‘Mmm, smells like Sensimelle!’ She took a large draw and held the smoke in her lungs for about ten seconds before letting it out.

Her breasts quivered and gathered the attention of every male in the vicinity.

‘I have been dying for a toke all day. Where’s Angela and Marianne?’

‘They won’t be here till later. They’re trying to score a few Es over in Grays.’

Lizzy’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, great. I have to be home for half-past one! There’s plenty of time for fun yet.’

Everyone burst out laughing and Joanie smiled uneasily. Since they had got in with this crowd, she had not felt very happy. They were too forward for her, but Lizzy loved them. She thrived on all the attention and excitement. Joanie tagged along with her, as she always had done.

An hour later Lizzy was against the wall in the back garden with an eighteen-year-old boy named Joey Meeson. He had pulled the band of material that passed for a skirt up around her waist and was tugging at the top of her tights.

‘Not here!’ Her voice was scandalised.

Joey looked down at her and grinned.

‘You really must learn to get into the swing of things, Lizzy.’

She pulled her skirt down and blinked rapidly. The cannabis and the vodka she had consumed were making her feel light-headed.

‘Is it true that your mum’s a Filth?’

Lizzy giggled. ‘You could call her that. She’s a Detective Inspector.’

‘Really? That’s wild.’

‘Actually, she’s all right.’

‘What would she say if she knew what we’d been doing tonight?’ His voice was genuinely interested.

‘Probably go ape shit.’

They both laughed and then Joey kissed her again. Softer this time. ‘Talking of shit, how about I skin up again? This time in the bedroom?’ His voice was low and husky and Lizzy was lost. He was the best-looking boy she had ever seen in her life.

‘That would be fine.’

‘Come on then.’ He pulled her by the hand through the crowded kitchen and hall and over the bodies on the stairs.

Inside the bedroom, Lizzy found out what Joey’s idea of a good time was.

And Joey found out that Lizzy, the daughter of a policewoman, was not as innocent as he had first thought.

Chapter Ten

New Year’s Eve

‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right on your own, George?’ Elaine’s voice was concerned but deep inside she hoped he would not decide to go to the party. The last few days he had been getting on her nerves. George fit and well could get you down, but George ill was a nightmare.

‘You go to the party, dear, and give everyone my best. I’m really much too ill to go tonight.’