like fuck! He’s gone and you don’t even know where.’
‘Do you?’
‘What?’
‘Know where? Only, what with all those phone calls, I’ve got a feeling that if anyone knows, it’s you.’
Gary shrugged but his eyes were steely as they stared into hers. ‘If you want to keep Max sweet then you ought to start bloody behaving yourself.’
Annie’s jaw dropped and a skitter of fear shivered up her spine. ‘What the fuck’s
that
supposed to mean?’
‘It means this conversation’s over,’ he said, and stood up. ‘I don’t have to take any of your shit.’
She started shaking her head. ‘No.
No!
You tell me what you mean, Gary. You can’t just say a thing like that and think I’m going to leave it there.’
Gary came around the desk. To Annie’s shock, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.
‘Now you listen to me,’ he hissed into her face from inches away. ‘I
told
you, this conversation’s done. I got nothing to say to you. Now
get
.’ And he
shoved her toward the door.
Annie stared at him.
Fuck it, he knows
, she thought. ‘You’re going to be sorry you did that,’ she said flatly.
‘Yeah? We’ll see about that. Now get the fuck out of here.’
Annie left him there and went back down the stairs. She stepped outside the club. It was still raining. Traffic flowed past and she saw the yellow light of a taxi and stuck her hand out. It
pulled in to the kerb. ‘Shalimar club,’ she told the driver, stepping into the back.
Once buckled in, she sat there, her mind racing. Dolly was dead. It was so painful to think of her gone, it broke Annie in two. And it galled her that someone was walking about free when they
should be punished for that. And Max . . . oh God, Max! What was going on with him?
What Gary had said chilled her. Nerves were crawling in her stomach as she thought of the one thing she had never told Max. The one thing she
couldn’t
.
If he knows . . .
No. He couldn’t.
But she couldn’t make herself believe that.
27
‘Ellie, I need a word. Seriously,’ said Annie.
They were in the kitchen of the flat over the Shalimar; Ellie’s domain, hers and Chris’s. They ran this club and so far they’d run it well. Annie had always believed that Ellie
and Chris were her friends. That she could depend on them. But since she’d been back, she wasn’t so sure. She knew she wasn’t imagining it – there was a strange wariness in
Ellie’s face, and Chris? So far, he hadn’t spoken a single word to her, and that bothered her. Particularly after what Gary had said today at the Blue Parrot.
So here she was, doing what she thought of as
testing the water temperature
. And so far, it was icy.
‘Can’t it wait? I’m up to my arse here, we’ll be opening soon,’ said Ellie, pausing at the cupboard.
‘No. It can’t. Spare me a minute.’
Annie could see the reluctance on Ellie’s face as she sat down opposite her at the kitchen table.
‘What is it?’ asked Ellie.
‘Gary said something odd to me,’ said Annie.
‘Oh? What?’
‘That I ought to behave myself.’
‘What?’
Annie nodded. ‘I don’t know what he meant by that, and he wouldn’t explain. Do
you
know what he meant, Ellie?’ She was gazing intently at her friend’s
face.
Ellie’s eyes slipped down and she shrugged. ‘Gawd knows. Gary’s never liked you. You know that.’
Chris passed by the open kitchen doorway.
‘Chris!’ called Annie.
There was a moment’s delay, then Chris appeared.
Sheepish
, she thought.
That’s how he looks. Like he don’t want to see me here. Like he don’t even want to know
I’m breathing.
‘Can I have a word?’ she asked.
Chris looked at Ellie, not Annie. ‘I’m busy,’ he said, and walked on.
There was a tense mood in the kitchen now as the two women sat there. Ellie was staring down at the tabletop, Annie was staring at her friend.
‘Ellie,’ said Annie.
Ellie didn’t glance up.
‘Ellie, what the fuck’s going on?’
Ellie
‘Do you?’
‘What?’
‘Know where? Only, what with all those phone calls, I’ve got a feeling that if anyone knows, it’s you.’
Gary shrugged but his eyes were steely as they stared into hers. ‘If you want to keep Max sweet then you ought to start bloody behaving yourself.’
Annie’s jaw dropped and a skitter of fear shivered up her spine. ‘What the fuck’s
that
supposed to mean?’
‘It means this conversation’s over,’ he said, and stood up. ‘I don’t have to take any of your shit.’
She started shaking her head. ‘No.
No!
You tell me what you mean, Gary. You can’t just say a thing like that and think I’m going to leave it there.’
Gary came around the desk. To Annie’s shock, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.
‘Now you listen to me,’ he hissed into her face from inches away. ‘I
told
you, this conversation’s done. I got nothing to say to you. Now
get
.’ And he
shoved her toward the door.
Annie stared at him.
Fuck it, he knows
, she thought. ‘You’re going to be sorry you did that,’ she said flatly.
‘Yeah? We’ll see about that. Now get the fuck out of here.’
Annie left him there and went back down the stairs. She stepped outside the club. It was still raining. Traffic flowed past and she saw the yellow light of a taxi and stuck her hand out. It
pulled in to the kerb. ‘Shalimar club,’ she told the driver, stepping into the back.
Once buckled in, she sat there, her mind racing. Dolly was dead. It was so painful to think of her gone, it broke Annie in two. And it galled her that someone was walking about free when they
should be punished for that. And Max . . . oh God, Max! What was going on with him?
What Gary had said chilled her. Nerves were crawling in her stomach as she thought of the one thing she had never told Max. The one thing she
couldn’t
.
If he knows . . .
No. He couldn’t.
But she couldn’t make herself believe that.
27
‘Ellie, I need a word. Seriously,’ said Annie.
They were in the kitchen of the flat over the Shalimar; Ellie’s domain, hers and Chris’s. They ran this club and so far they’d run it well. Annie had always believed that Ellie
and Chris were her friends. That she could depend on them. But since she’d been back, she wasn’t so sure. She knew she wasn’t imagining it – there was a strange wariness in
Ellie’s face, and Chris? So far, he hadn’t spoken a single word to her, and that bothered her. Particularly after what Gary had said today at the Blue Parrot.
So here she was, doing what she thought of as
testing the water temperature
. And so far, it was icy.
‘Can’t it wait? I’m up to my arse here, we’ll be opening soon,’ said Ellie, pausing at the cupboard.
‘No. It can’t. Spare me a minute.’
Annie could see the reluctance on Ellie’s face as she sat down opposite her at the kitchen table.
‘What is it?’ asked Ellie.
‘Gary said something odd to me,’ said Annie.
‘Oh? What?’
‘That I ought to behave myself.’
‘What?’
Annie nodded. ‘I don’t know what he meant by that, and he wouldn’t explain. Do
you
know what he meant, Ellie?’ She was gazing intently at her friend’s
face.
Ellie’s eyes slipped down and she shrugged. ‘Gawd knows. Gary’s never liked you. You know that.’
Chris passed by the open kitchen doorway.
‘Chris!’ called Annie.
There was a moment’s delay, then Chris appeared.
Sheepish
, she thought.
That’s how he looks. Like he don’t want to see me here. Like he don’t even want to know
I’m breathing.
‘Can I have a word?’ she asked.
Chris looked at Ellie, not Annie. ‘I’m busy,’ he said, and walked on.
There was a tense mood in the kitchen now as the two women sat there. Ellie was staring down at the tabletop, Annie was staring at her friend.
‘Ellie,’ said Annie.
Ellie didn’t glance up.
‘Ellie, what the fuck’s going on?’
Ellie
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