The widows, p.22
The Widows, page 22
In the flat, a case was placed on the oak dining table and Leo took a drill from the kitchen and drilled around the lock, and as it popped out, the case sprang open. Ruby, Bella and Cissy stood wide-eyed as they saw the contents.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Ruby said as she pulled out wads of money wrapped in cellophane and held it up. ‘There’s loads of it.’
One by one the cases were opened up and the cash lifted out and placed on the kitchen table. Leo looked at his watch.
‘Right, ladies,’ he said. ‘I’ll leave you to it. That’s enough excitement for one night. We’ll talk in the morning.’ He winked at Ruby and left the room, heading for the front door.
The three of them sat looking at the money piled up.
‘This is unreal,’ Cissy said. ‘I can’t believe we did that.’
Ruby came in from the kitchen with a bottle of champagne and popped it open. She poured a glass for her and Cissy, and water for Bella. They all fell silent for a while just looking at the money in disbelief. Finally, Ruby spoke.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Now we need to make a decision.’ She glanced at Cissy and Bella. ‘We could decide that this is as far as we want to go, that we’ve done enough to get back at Tommy and Billy. There’s enough money here when split three ways for us to take the money and run, putting everything behind us. If you want to do that, that’s fine by me. I won’t be offended and I’ll honestly wish you all the luck in the world.’ She took a breath as Bella and Cissy looked speechless. Then she went on. ‘But that’s not what I want to do. I’ve only just started. I want to take Tommy Mallon for every penny he has, as I’ve told you. For me, this doesn’t stop here. But I do understand you’ve been through a lot more than me in recent years, and if you want out, then now is the time to say it.’
They sat looking at the table full of money, then at each other.
Nobody spoke for a long moment, then Bella raised her glass of water and sipped from it. ‘I’m going fucking nowhere,’ she said. ‘I didn’t spend three years in jail for something I didn’t do to just take a few quid and run. I’ve nowhere to go anyway. I’ve got a fight on my hands to see my son, and I’ll need a lot of money to win. I want us to be in this together.’ She turned to Cissy. ‘What do you think?’
Cissy nodded, then her face lit up with a smile.
‘That was some ride out there,’ she said. ‘I think I can live this life, no problem.’ She picked up a pile of money and sniffed it. ‘Smells good. Compensation for Terence and the way he treated me. It’ll not make up for what he did or anything like that, but it will help.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ellie stood in the kitchen gazing out of the window, where she could see Chris lugging bags of chopped logs into the farm shop. It had been a dream come true for Ellie that she’d finally managed to see the business she had worked so hard for become popular with visitors, who often did a detour to her place just to pick up some of her produce, from the assorted vegetables she’d grown and nurtured and the jams and chillis, to the soaps and creams she produced, all organic and homemade. She never got tired of the work or the long hours spent cooking, baking and potting her goods. It had become a way of life, and at last the future looked bright for her and her boy.
Sometimes as she stood at this window working at the sink, she would get a flashback of how bad things had been – the black despair after her husband died, the mountain of debt as she tried to keep the farm going, and the gradual falling apart of everything around her. But she wasn’t a prisoner to that misery. It had been three years since the night she came across Ruby, bloodied and freezing in her barn. She had become Ellie’s saviour, taking her by surprise when she left her with a fortune.
After that morning when Ruby had threatened the loan shark, she never saw her again. That scene was burned into her memory. But he hadn’t returned, and the small business she started began to work and thrive, and with the investment from the bank she was now officially in the black with a growing balance in credit.
She was doing well, well enough to hire Chris, a drifter who had come looking for work, and who turned out to be invaluable, taking care of the sheep she bred and the chickens and the three goats. He wasn’t paid a lot of money, but he had accommodation in one of the farm buildings she’d converted and she provided all his meals. They’d even become friends, but that was all. Chris was loyal and trustworthy, but Ellie wasn’t looking for a partner as she was so focused on her work and her little boy. Her life was as good as it got, she told herself. From the window, she could see a couple of cars in the distance making their way up the long driveway to the farm. She put down the potato she’d been peeling and dried her hands, then went out of the back door towards the farm shop.
‘All right, Ellie,’ Chris greeted her as he ran the back of his hand across his sweating brow, and continued to pile the log sacks on the rack.
‘Hard work that, Chris,’ Ellie said. ‘I’m making some lunch shortly so we can both have a break.’ She looked out at the cars coming up the track. ‘Once these customers go, I’ll get it sorted.’
‘No worries, Ellie. I’ve only two more bags to sort and that’s this lot done.’
They both stood for a moment, watching the cars approach.
‘That’s a fancy car for these parts, is it not?’ Chris said as he looked at the red Jaguar. ‘Hope them potholes at the bottom of the track don’t do his wheels in.’
‘I know,’ Ellie said. ‘We need to do something about them in the next few days. If it rains, it’ll be a muck hole.’
She turned and went inside the shop, running her hand along the shelves, making sure the jars of produce were facing the right way, adjusting the price tags. She loved the scent of cinnamon inside, giving the place a warmth. She looked up when the couple came into the shop.
‘Hello,’ the man said, as his wife smiled and began to browse the shelves.
‘If you see anything you fancy, give me a shout,’ Ellie said. ‘You on your way north or south?’
‘South,’ the wife said. ‘We were up in Scotland visiting family. My friend told me about this place but we never had the chance to get up. Looks lovely.’
‘Thanks,’ Ellie said, smiling. ‘Well, if you see anything you like, I’ve a few offers on – for first-time visitors.’
The couple bought some jams and a jar of chillis, along with some soaps and cream, and were delighted when Ellie gave them a discount. She wrapped the goods up for them and they left happily, turning to wave from their car.
Then the door opened and two men came in, one tall and smartly dressed in a light camel coat with a dark polo-neck sweater underneath. Ruby glanced down at his shiny leather shoes, silently hoping he didn’t step on any sheep shit in the yard. Chris generally kept the area clean, but occasionally if he was moving ewes to the shed, there would be some droppings. The second man in was shorter, stocky with a hard face that didn’t crack a smile as he looked around. The taller man walked around the shop, looking at the shelves, as the smaller man picked up soaps and creams and had a sniff at them. Ellie didn’t think they looked like the kind of men who usually frequented farm shops, but every customer was different. Maybe they were looking for a gift. The man in the coat picked up a jar of jam and examined it.
‘You make all this stuff yourself, do you?’ he asked, his face open and friendly.
‘Yes,’ Ellie enthused. ‘I harvest the berries – raspberry, bramble and strawberry – and make it all in my kitchen. Same goes for the chillis and everything you see here. It’s all homemade.’
He nodded approval.
‘Lovely set-up you’ve got here. You got cows and stuff too? Must be a lot of work.’
His accent was from around Manchester, she thought, and he didn’t sound like he knew much about farming.
‘No cows. I have some sheep, though. I breed them and sell them at market. It’s a bit of work, but I have some help.’
He nodded, seeming happy with the answer. Then he moved along the shop picking up autumn wreaths she’d taught herself to make and sniffing them too.
‘These are nice, they are. You do all that yourself too?’
‘Yes. I keep busy. But it’s a good to be busy.’
‘You been here long?’ he asked, then added, ‘I mean, have you been a farmer all your life?’
‘I married a farmer,’ Ellie said, feeling not entirely comfortable with his questions.
‘I see. Well, that’s good that your old man is around for the heavy lifting. That him out there with the logs?’ He nodded in the direction of the window where Chris had brought up more logs.
‘No,’ Ellie said softly. ‘My husband passed five years ago. That’s Chris, he’s a farm-hand.’
The man met her eyes and held her gaze for a moment, then smiled. He went across to the shelf and picked up two jars of jam and one chilli and then crossed and picked up a wreath, taking it to the counter where Ellie stood. His sidekick picked up three bars of lavender soap and brought them over, placing them on the counter. The big man looked down at him.
‘What’s this?’ he said, looking at his sidekick. ‘You going to have a nice bath with your lavender soap and candles tonight, mate?’ He chuckled. ‘Getting in touch with your feminine side, are you?’
The shorter guy gave him a sarcastic look.
‘Keeps the skin soft, that does.’
The big man raised his eyebrows and half smiled to Ellie.
‘So how much is that, er . . . Sorry, what’s your name? I’m Colin, by the way.’
The question took her by surprise, and she answered before even thinking.
‘Ellie,’ she said, then she could have bitten her tongue.
It wasn’t that she hid her identity by any means, but most people who came to the shop never enquired about her name, or anything else. They just browsed, bought some goods, maybe had a coffee and that was it. This pair were an odd couple. But perhaps she was overthinking it. She told him the price and he took a few twenties out of his coat pocket and handed over some money – more than the asking price.
‘Okay, Ellie,’ he said. ‘Get yourself a nice bottle of wine and a night off. You’ll need a break after making and getting all this stuff sorted.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Colin. But really, it’s fine.’ She moved to hand him back the tenner.
‘No, no. It’s for you. Or . . . your kids. You got any kids?’
Ellie felt her stomach tighten. Something wasn’t right.
‘No,’ she lied.
He nodded slowly, a sly look on his face. She had the sickening feeling he didn’t believe her.
‘Okay. We’ll be off then. But I’m sure once the boy here enjoys a bath with your soap, he’ll be back.’ He smiled, then walked towards the door.
Ellie hoped her frozen smile wasn’t obvious.
After they’d gone and she could see the back of the Jag disappear at the end of the track, she went outside, where Chris stood watching.
‘Well, did they buy anything?’
‘Yes,’ Ellie said. ‘But to be honest, they gave me the creeps.’
‘How so?’ Chris asked.
‘Just . . . they were asking questions – my name, did I have a husband and a kid. Stuff like that. I wasn’t comfortable. I thought they were fishing.’ Then she glanced across the yard and saw James’s bike propped up against the shed. ‘Shit! I told them I didn’t have any kids. What if they saw that, Chris?’
He gave her a comforting look.
‘Nah. Don’t be worrying too much, Ellie. Who knows, they might be just a couple of guys on the road to somewhere. Did you clock their accents?’
‘Yep. They were from Manchester, I’d say.’
‘Well, maybe they were buying gifts for their wives or girlfriends. Don’t worry about it.’
She nodded, giving a tight smile.
‘Yeah. You’re probably right,’ she said. ‘I’ll go and get the lunch sorted. Can you bring some logs over, please, for the fire?’
‘Will do.’
She crossed the yard and went into the house to prepare the food, but she couldn’t shake off the twinge of fear in her stomach.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Tommy Mallon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How in the name of fuck could they be robbed twice in the same city? He was trying to process the scenario painted by Jimmy Digby, who’d called to tell him there had been another robbery of their cash in Glasgow. The cash that was being taken to Dubai by some of their most trusted smugglers was gone.
‘Hold the fuckin’ pony here, Jimmy,’ Tommy said. ‘Am I hearing this right? Are you saying that someone just waltzed into these pricks’ hotel room and walked away with six suitcases?’
‘Yes, Tommy,’ Digby said, letting out a frustrated sigh. ‘I couldn’t believe it myself.’
‘Where the fuck were the boys? Were they out getting shagged or something? Why were they not in the hotel room, watching over our money?’
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out, Tommy,’ Digby said. ‘They’ve not come back yet.’
‘No.’ Tommy could feel the pulse in his neck. ‘Of course they’ve not come back. You’ll probably never see the fuckers again.’
Digby didn’t reply. Tommy knew he had no answers, and that Digby would be just as raging as he was. This money was from three or four of the top dealers who often bought together because they trusted Mallon, because Digby trusted him, and their reputations as top dogs over the years made them the natural guys to deal with. Eventually, Digby spoke.
‘Nothing like this has ever happened before,’ he said.
‘Well, it’s fucking happening now. So, we need answers, Jimmy. Do you think these boys just took the money and went on the run? You know them well enough. Are they stupid enough to do that?’
‘No,’ Digby replied. ‘I’m sure that’s not what happened. They did admit to me on the phone that they’d been in the hotel bar and met a couple of birds, and went for a few drinks in the bar next door to where they were staying.’
‘Fuck me!’ Tommy’s voice went up an octave. ‘I’ll tell you what, Jimmy, you need to get a hold of these cunts, and once they tell you everything, then throw them off a bridge or some fucking thing.’
‘I’ll sort it, Tommy,’ Digby said.
There was silence for two beats, then Tommy spoke.
‘But Jimmy, there must be something going on in Glasgow when this shit’s happened twice now. First the money going into the kebab shop, and now this. Someone’s at the fucking capers over there. Making pure cunts of us. We’ll need to get to the bottom of it. I mean, there’s been no bad blood between any of the guys over there as far as I know. I would have been told if there was a problem. We’re all quite tight that way.’
‘I know. I’ve heard nothing like that either.’
Tommy didn’t want to say any more. It crossed his mind that this could have been the work of the Russians, trying to cause mayhem and turn everyone against each other, because that might benefit them if they weren’t a strong unit from Manchester to Glasgow to London and Dublin. But he dismissed it, because he couldn’t see how they could have done this so quickly or even have the knowledge on the ground of who to go to for a job like this.
‘Okay, Jimmy,’ Tommy said. ‘Keep me posted. Anything at all that’s a bit unusual, let me know.’ He hung up.
A couple of days passed with Tommy mooching around the villa, feeling depressed. Then one morning he woke up with a blinding headache as the sun streamed into his bedroom from the crack in the shutters. He opened one eye and looked at his watch. He’d barely slept, his mind all over the place after his conversation with Digby. With this kind of crap happening, it made him wonder if he could trust all the people around him any more. But he knew Digby and there was no way he’d be involved in anything that would work against him. The guys running the show in Glasgow he knew less well, but they were all on the same side when it came to operating and they knew they did it better when they were all together. Everyone was making plenty of money, so there was no need for anyone to steal off each other. No. This was someone new doing this. Some rogue bastards who were naive enough to think they wouldn’t get caught. So far, they’d stolen four hundred grand. That’s big money that was being laundered, and now their money was coming in but not going back out to be cleaned. It was just fucking lost.
Tommy got up and went into the kitchen and took a couple of paracetamol out of the drawer then washed them down with a bottle of water from the fridge. He switched on the coffee machine and stood staring into space while it worked away. He suddenly felt really alone. Since Terence had been killed, he’d been busy trying to keep all the plates spinning with Billy, and he seldom had any downtime. When he did, he either went out and got laid, or got drunk. He sniffed and looked around him. He had all this – a beautiful gaffe and a fast car – but he was lonely and right now feeling miserable. He found himself thinking of Ruby, how she looked in the morning, watching her pad around the apartment just out of the shower, shaking her wet hair, the way she smelled, and how they used to be in the easy mornings together in bed. Even though he missed her sometimes, he could never forgive her, because no matter what she’d been to him in the past, she had killed his best friend. He didn’t have proof of that, but he knew it was her. He resolved that if she did escape that night, though it seemed unlikely, then he would make her disappear for good.
As he was sipping his coffee on the terrace, his mobile rang on the marble table and he watched it shudder for a second, then lifted it.
‘Digby,’ he said a little wearily. ‘You found those cunts yet?’
‘Nah, Tommy. Not yet. But we’re all over it.’ He paused. ‘But that’s not why I’m phoning you. Listen, I got some information a couple of days ago and I thought you’d want to know about it.’
