minute too soon, thought Freddy, paying Tiger his wedge and tramping back through the mud to where they’d parked up. He was smiling. He felt better already.
17
‘So what you got?’ asked Jack Rackland from behind his desk, stretching and running his hands through his dirty-blond hair, when she pitched up at his modest little office in a quiet road off the busy High Street later that same day.
‘All sorts,’ said Lily, sitting down gratefully. Her feet throbbed and she was getting a headache in the summer heat. Pink or rainbow-coloured, suddenly she missed Becks’s horrible motor. Bloody buses. Packed full, airless, never on time; you had to wait fucking hours for the things, then walk a mile to get to where you really wanted to go. She’d dressed in a borrowed pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, dug out her old trainers. Heels were great, but sometimes you had to move, sometimes you had to walk.
‘And the payment, how’s that coming along?’ He was looking at her with his keen blue eyes, anticipating deception. He was wearing a pale blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up. Strong, well-muscled forearms. Altogether a good-looking man, and she had been a sucker for attractive men in the past. She had a fine appreciation of beauty in all things butin men in particular, and look where that had ended; so she wasn’t going to start all that old crap over again.
‘It’s coming along,’ lied Lily. He was right to look at her like that, but it galled her. She’d pay him when she could; she wasn’t a rogue like Leo with his dodgy deals and his crooked ways. She didn’t screw people over, particularly not people who were trying to help her.
‘I said a week, then you pay up,’ he reminded her.
‘I know that’s what you said,’ Lily replied evenly.
‘Just so long as we’re clear.’
‘Crystal.’
His expression was amused. ‘No good looking at me like that, Mrs King. We have to be honest with each other.’
‘Yeah,’ said Lily, and put the list that Adrienne Thomson had reluctantly given her two hours ago on the desk.
Adrienne hadn’t been keen to hand the list over. Had said she’d have to hunt around for it, she didn’t know where it would be, could Lily come back later? Lily had said that she could. Maybe when Matt was in, then they could talk it over, all three of them, together. And miraculously Adrienne had turned up the list in five minutes flat.
‘Oh Jesus, Lily, you ain’t going to start raking over all this rubbish again, are you?’ Adrienne had said, looking worried as she handed it over.
‘It may be rubbish to you, Adrienne, but it’s important to me,’ Lily had told her.
Now Jack Rackland was pulling the list over towards him, looking it over.
‘That’s their names, and their last known addresses,’ said Lily. ‘I don’t know why she kept the list, but she did. She’s an odd sort, Adrienne. Didn’t think a thing about going behind my back. But when Leo started cheating on her –Isuppose that’s how she saw it, the twisted mare–she went off her flipping head. But I have to say–her filing system’s a lot better than yours.’
He glanced up at her with a glint of humour in his eyes. ‘Have a heart, girl. I don’t know of any company that keeps records on file for over twelve years. Jesus, even the bleedin’ taxman only goes back six.’
She knew he had a point. But she was hot, tired, still upset over her unsatisfactory early morning meeting with Oli, still shaken by Nick’s boys snatching her last night–and yes, she was irritated that Jack had reminded her again about the money, and she was now wondering just how the hell she was going to get her hands on it. She had to. She had to.
‘Call me Lily,’ she said. ‘Mrs King don’t sound right any more somehow.’
‘Not after you killed off Mr King?’
Lily stood up, her chair crashing over on its side. ‘That’s it. That’s enough. I told you I didn’t do it, but you don’t believe me. I told you
17
‘So what you got?’ asked Jack Rackland from behind his desk, stretching and running his hands through his dirty-blond hair, when she pitched up at his modest little office in a quiet road off the busy High Street later that same day.
‘All sorts,’ said Lily, sitting down gratefully. Her feet throbbed and she was getting a headache in the summer heat. Pink or rainbow-coloured, suddenly she missed Becks’s horrible motor. Bloody buses. Packed full, airless, never on time; you had to wait fucking hours for the things, then walk a mile to get to where you really wanted to go. She’d dressed in a borrowed pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, dug out her old trainers. Heels were great, but sometimes you had to move, sometimes you had to walk.
‘And the payment, how’s that coming along?’ He was looking at her with his keen blue eyes, anticipating deception. He was wearing a pale blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up. Strong, well-muscled forearms. Altogether a good-looking man, and she had been a sucker for attractive men in the past. She had a fine appreciation of beauty in all things butin men in particular, and look where that had ended; so she wasn’t going to start all that old crap over again.
‘It’s coming along,’ lied Lily. He was right to look at her like that, but it galled her. She’d pay him when she could; she wasn’t a rogue like Leo with his dodgy deals and his crooked ways. She didn’t screw people over, particularly not people who were trying to help her.
‘I said a week, then you pay up,’ he reminded her.
‘I know that’s what you said,’ Lily replied evenly.
‘Just so long as we’re clear.’
‘Crystal.’
His expression was amused. ‘No good looking at me like that, Mrs King. We have to be honest with each other.’
‘Yeah,’ said Lily, and put the list that Adrienne Thomson had reluctantly given her two hours ago on the desk.
Adrienne hadn’t been keen to hand the list over. Had said she’d have to hunt around for it, she didn’t know where it would be, could Lily come back later? Lily had said that she could. Maybe when Matt was in, then they could talk it over, all three of them, together. And miraculously Adrienne had turned up the list in five minutes flat.
‘Oh Jesus, Lily, you ain’t going to start raking over all this rubbish again, are you?’ Adrienne had said, looking worried as she handed it over.
‘It may be rubbish to you, Adrienne, but it’s important to me,’ Lily had told her.
Now Jack Rackland was pulling the list over towards him, looking it over.
‘That’s their names, and their last known addresses,’ said Lily. ‘I don’t know why she kept the list, but she did. She’s an odd sort, Adrienne. Didn’t think a thing about going behind my back. But when Leo started cheating on her –Isuppose that’s how she saw it, the twisted mare–she went off her flipping head. But I have to say–her filing system’s a lot better than yours.’
He glanced up at her with a glint of humour in his eyes. ‘Have a heart, girl. I don’t know of any company that keeps records on file for over twelve years. Jesus, even the bleedin’ taxman only goes back six.’
She knew he had a point. But she was hot, tired, still upset over her unsatisfactory early morning meeting with Oli, still shaken by Nick’s boys snatching her last night–and yes, she was irritated that Jack had reminded her again about the money, and she was now wondering just how the hell she was going to get her hands on it. She had to. She had to.
‘Call me Lily,’ she said. ‘Mrs King don’t sound right any more somehow.’
‘Not after you killed off Mr King?’
Lily stood up, her chair crashing over on its side. ‘That’s it. That’s enough. I told you I didn’t do it, but you don’t believe me. I told you
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