Nowhere man, p.25
Nowhere Man, page 25
‘Would you like a bag for that?’ he asked the woman.
‘No, I’m fine. I can put it in with my shopping,’ she answered, nodding to Diana as she turned and left.
‘Can I help you with anything?’ Diana asked a younger woman who was handling the necklaces on display.
‘No, I was just looking,’ she replied and abruptly left.
‘I think you scared her off, Diana,’ Ian quipped. ‘How are you? To what do I owe the pleasure?’
Diana scowled. ‘Well, I thought it was about time I took over again. I’ve been away too long, and I need to get back to work. I think it will do me good.’
‘Are you sure? You do look rather tired. Would you like a coffee?’
‘Yes, I wouldn’t mind. I’ll go in the back and make it. Do you want one?’
‘Yes please. I think I’ll put the closed sign on now. It’s almost five and I don’t think we’ll get much more traffic today,’ he commented, moving to the door to swop the sign over.
‘Sometimes we do get a rush about this time as people are on their way home.’
‘Well, that’s not been the case while I’ve been here, Diana.’
She pursed her lips and went through to the back to the storeroom where there was a small ledge with a kettle and a mini fridge. Emerging a few moments later with two steaming mugs, one of which she handed to Ian, she said, ‘It looks very empty back there. Have the new orders not arrived?’
‘Some have, but I took the liberty of cancelling most of them. You’re overstocked and it’s costing you far too much money.’
‘But you never discussed that with me, Ian. Cancelling orders is my call not yours.’
‘I know, but I really didn’t want to bother you what with everything else you’ve had going on. I did say I’d manage it all for you.’
‘Yes, and I very much appreciate it, but it’s one thing working with the customers. Changing the orders is another matter.’
‘You seem a little on edge. Is everything alright?’ He reached across and stroked the sleeve of her coat.
She backed away. ‘I’m sorry if I seem a bit snappy. I’ve had a weird day.’
‘Weird? In what way?’
She blew on her coffee and took a small sip. ‘Oh, that’s hot. There wasn’t any milk.’
‘My fault. I haven’t bought any. I take my coffee black.’
‘Not to worry.’
‘So, tell me. What’s worrying you?’
‘I found something out about Patrick today. I knew part of it already, but not the whole thing.’
‘What about Patrick?’
She hesitated.
‘You can trust me, Diana. Who am I going to tell? I don’t know anyone round here anyway, and it seems to me that you need to get this off your chest.’
‘Well, when Patrick died, I found that he had been paying a lot of money to someone. I had no idea who it was or why he was paying this person. Then today I found out who he is. I still don’t know why, but I think it was blackmail of some sort.’
‘Blackmail? Are you sure?’
‘Not completely, but the information I was given suggested that it probably was. It’s complicated to explain.’
‘It sounds rather far-fetched if you ask me,’ he replied, leaning back against the counter. ‘Who told you anyway?’
‘Some woman who thinks it might be her husband who was receiving the money. She thinks he’s been conning a whole load of people using different aliases. She found Patrick’s name on some bank statements at her house.’
‘Right, OK, and you met this woman how?’
‘She contacted me, and I met her this afternoon.’
Ian suddenly sat up straight.
‘This woman. You met her today? Where?’
‘Why does that matter?’
‘No, I suppose it doesn’t. I just wondered if she was local or not.’
‘No, she lives somewhere near Cambridge. Anyway, enough of my problems, can we have a catch up on the shop?’
But Ian had slammed his mug down onto the counter, slopping coffee all over it, and was heading out to the back door. ‘Sorry, I’ve just remembered I’ve got a dentist appointment. Can you lock up?’
Diana stared after him. ‘He’s a bloody odd bloke,’ she muttered out loud.
A couple of minutes later, she heard a loud banging on the front door.
‘Sorry, we’re closed!’ she called.
‘Diana, open up. It’s me, Julia!’
The woman removed her heavy hood.
Diana opened the door. ‘Julia, what are you doing here?’
‘I have been following Ray.’
‘Ray? Angie’s husband?’
‘Yes. You were just talking to him.’
‘That was Ian.’
‘No, that was Ray.’
‘Sorry?’
‘That was fucking Ray.’
‘Shit.’ Diana wobbled and Julia steadied her by the elbow.
‘I just told him about our meeting earlier. He knows I met Angie and that she told me all the stuff about Patrick and the money.’
‘Fuck.’ Julia fumbled in her bag for her phone and dialled.
‘Ange, it’s Julia. You need to get out of the flat right now. Ray knows you met Diana today and he’s on his way over there now. We’re coming, but he’s got a head start on us. Leave immediately and call us to let us know where you are. We’ll come and get you.’
She turned to Diana.
‘Where’s your car? And how fast can you drive? And on the way, we need to come up with Plan C.’
Chapter Fifty-Five
‘Hey, Angie baby. You don’t look very well. Have you been ill?’
She looked up at his broad, crooked smile lighting up his face and burst into tears.
Ray glanced around the pub. ‘Hey, come on now. Whatever it is, it can’t be all that bad. Let’s not make a scene here, eh?’ He sat down, blocking the view of her from anyone who might be looking over. He reached over and held her hand. ‘Come on, tell me what’s bothering you.’
Angie rummaged up the sleeve of her jumper and produced a soggy tissue. She blew her nose loudly.
Ray put his hand in his pocket and produced a pristine, white handkerchief. She took it gratefully and shortly it was stained with snot and mascara.
‘Now, what is it?’
‘I’m pregnant,’ she whispered, her words almost inaudible. ‘I’m not sure how it happened.’
‘I thought I’d been careful and anyway, I thought you were going to go on the pill?’ he whispered back.
She could not remember having discussed being on the pill with Ray.
‘No, not yet. I have an appointment with the GP to discuss it, but I didn’t want my Mum to know, so it’s been difficult to arrange, especially as she works there.’
‘Ah, I see,’ Ray muttered. ‘Well, don’t worry,’ he replied, his smile returning. ‘This is easy to fix.’
Angie stared at him, her eyes dark-circled from lack of sleep wide. ‘You want me to get rid of it?’
‘No, quite the opposite. I propose that we get married and make that baby legitimate. What do you say?’
Pregnancy had not been part of the plan. He was furious with himself for being so careless, but he was damned if he was going to abandon his child like his own mother had left him. And the more he considered the issue, the more he saw it as an opportunity. Angie and the baby would be a solid base from which he could build a new life of respectability. She was young and malleable enough that he could come and go as he pleased, and she came with a big house, which he could easily take over. The mother was a bit of an issue, moaning about the age gap and his intentions, but he would win her over. In any case, he did not see her being part of the longer-term picture. She would become a complication, a drag on his freedom, so he would think of how to get her out of the way. It would not be that difficult.
He found himself oddly excited about being a father, fantasising about how he would teach his boy to be savvy like him. The baby would be a boy, of course. And the boy would be so proud of him, because Daniel had made a genuine success of his life. He had come from nothing and achieved so much. Just think what heights his son could attain if he was backed by a stable, loving family. When the time was right, he would educate him in all the important things in life; how to read people, how to dissemble, how to always come out on top no matter how difficult the circumstances. Angie could feed and house him and get him through all the dull growing up stuff, the nuts and bolts of which did not interest him, and then Daniel would take over and make him a man.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Angie grabbed her bag and raced out of the flat, taking the stairs two at a time. She ran towards the high street, figuring that she would hide in one of the cafes until Julia could get to her. She headed towards Market Place and spotted a Gail’s Cafe, which was heaving with customers. There were no available seats, but she fought her way to the back, finding a small space to stand against the back wall.
She found her phone and opened WhatsApp.
Dad knows about meeting Diana. Get out of your flat now and meet me in Gail’s Market Place. Urgent.
Two ticks appeared and went blue, followed by a thumbs up emoji.
She called Julia. ‘I’m in Gail’s on Market Place.’
‘She’s in Gail’s,’ Julia repeated.
‘Who are you talking to?’
‘Diana. She’s driving.’
‘Tell her we are fifteen minutes away.’
‘That long?’
‘I’m going as fast as I can, but look at the traffic. We’ll be there soon. Hang on, Angie.’
‘I’ve messaged Ben to meet me here. I was worried Ray might go after him when he finds I’m not in the flat.’
‘Good idea. See you in a minute.’
‘OK, thanks.’
She hung up and waited.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Daniel backed out from behind the shop at speed, almost crashing into a car parked to the side of him in his haste. He raced down the side road and then drew to an abrupt standstill, stuck in a queue of traffic trying to turn onto Harpenden High Street. He slammed the steering wheel with his fist and sat on the horn, but nothing moved.
How the hell had Angie escaped from the flat? She seemed to have metamorphosed from a shy, suburban woman to a combination of amateur detective crossed with fucking Harry Houdini.
‘This is not how it ends!’ he shouted to himself. ‘I say how it ends. Not them!’
Eventually, he moved onto the high street and traffic crawled along out of the town, creeping past the deserted cricket ground on his left. Once he got across the roundabout, he managed to pick up some speed, overtaking dangerously. Fortunately, the flat was on the right side of St Albans so that he did not have to drag through the town, which he thought seemed to have been created by a drunken urban planner. Eventually, he screeched to a halt and careered up the stairs to the flat. The door swung open, and it took him just a few seconds to establish that Angie was not there.
He made a calculation that she could not have gone far. She would still be trying to find Ben - and until she did, she would not leave - so she must be hiding somewhere in town. He left his car, and began to run towards the centre. He could cover more ground on foot. He glanced inside every cafe and coffee shop he passed, but could not spot her. He dived into various pubs en route, which were already filling up with jaded workers desperate for a drink after a long, hard day. He kept on jogging and that was went he ran into Ben.
Ben was wearing a hoodie and Daniel did not instantly realise it was him until he took a second glance.
‘Ben? What the fuck are you doing here? How did you get out of your flat?’ He grabbed him by his hood and held him fast.
He hesitated, ‘You forgot to lock the door this morning. I was really hungry, so I thought I’d pop out to get some chips,’ he answered, addressing his dirty trainers.
‘Don’t lie to me, Ben. You’re crap at it. I locked the door. I always check it. So, I’ll ask you again - how did you get out?’
No answer.
‘Alright. Don’t tell me. So, where are you off to now?’
Before he could answer, a phone pinged in Ben’s pocket.
‘Give me your phone?’
‘No.’
‘Give me the fucking phone.’
Ben shook his head.
‘OK, have it your own way.’ Daniel seized Ben by the arm, grabbing his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. It was locked.
‘Are you trying to crawl back to Mummy? Where is she?’
Ben said nothing.
‘Ok, have it your way.’ Daniel produced a small kitchen knife and prodded it into the back of Ben’s jacket. ‘I’ll ask again. Where is she?’
Ben gestured with his head up the street.
‘OK, let’s go.’ He pocketed the knife and grabbed Ben hard by the arm. They marched towards Gail’s. When they arrived, Daniel swung the door open, still hanging on tightly to Ben and walked towards the back of the cafe. The three women paled simultaneously.
‘Ladies, what a great pleasure to see you all huddled together like the witches from Macbeth. Especially you, Julia, in your role as chief hag.’
‘Ray,’ Angie stuttered.
‘Ian,’ Diana cried.
‘Bastard,’ Julia spat.
‘One and the same. Now, what do you say we take this little party back to the flat. Angie’s place is closest, and we’ll see if we can’t all have a sensible chat. Much as I enjoy the oat cookies in here, I don’t feel it’s all that conducive for quiet conversation, do you?’
‘I think we’d rather stay here where we have you in public,’ Julia replied.
‘Well, number one, my dear Julia, this is none of your business. And two, if it hadn’t been for you sticking your fat arse in where it’s not wanted, everyone would still be perfectly happy. Given your obvious talent for breaking and entering, I could call the police and have you arrested in seconds for trespassing on my property.’
Julia burst out laughing. ‘You want to call the police to report me? We’ve got a file on you as long as your arm, chock full of fraud and embezzlement, so I don’t think they would be too interested in me.’
‘What do you think, Ben?’ Daniel asked him, prodding him in the ribs.
‘He’s got a knife,’ Ben whispered.
‘For fuck’s sake, Ray, he’s your son. Surely you wouldn’t do anything to hurt him?’ Angie yelped.
‘Do you really want to take that risk?’
Chapter Fifty-Eight
They walked in slow procession back to the flat: Daniel keeping tight hold of Ben and the women following behind in silence, exchanging furtive glances when they dared. Before they left the cafe, Daniel had insisted that they surrender their phones to him, all of which he put in his inside coat pocket. Once they were all upstairs, he slammed the door, shoving Ben onto the sofa.
‘Stay there. Now, where’s the front door key?’ he demanded.
‘In your pocket where it’s always been,’ Angie replied.
‘So, how did you? Oh, fuck it. I don’t care.’ He fumbled in his pocket and drew out the key on a red ribbon, turning to the door and locking them all in.
‘Sit, all of you,’ he instructed.
‘Can I get a glass of water?’ Diana asked.
‘Alright, but hurry up.’
She moved to the back of the room and ran the tap, fumbling around because her hands were shaking so badly, before returning to the sofa, where Angie, Julia, and Ben were all squashed up. She perched on the arm next to Ben.
Daniel drew up a chair from the dining table and sat Christine Keeler style with his chest resting on the back of the chair and his legs akimbo. He brandished the knife in his right hand.
‘Now, tell me exactly what you think you’ve found out about me.’
No one spoke.
‘Come on, don’t be shy. You’ve clearly been discussing me amongst yourselves for some time. It’s only fair that you let me in on your various conspiracy theories.’
‘We know that you are not who you say you are,’ Angie mumbled.
Julia harrumphed. ‘That’s an understatement!’
‘Now, let’s try to be civil,’ Diana interjected. ‘Clearly, you are at least two people, because I know you as Ian, and your family and Julia know you as Ray. So, which one are you?’
‘I’ll ask the questions, if you don’t mind.’
‘But you are also other people, aren’t you, Dad? The papers we found. I mean, there were loads of different names.’
‘But you can’t trace them back to me personally, can you?’
‘Except for the fact that they were all hidden in our house,’ Angie retorted.
‘My house, actually, Angie baby, but we’ll get back to that. The papers are work aliases. That’s all.’
‘Bollocks!’ Julia shouted.
‘Keep out of this, bitch, or you’ll regret it.’
‘Don’t threaten me, you prick.’
Before anyone could react, Daniel leant forward and slashed at Julia’s shin. Blood gushed from the wide gash, and she cried out in pain. ‘Now, shut the fuck up, or it’ll be your throat next.’
‘Can I get her a towel or something?’ Diana asked, her brow knotted in terror.
Daniel nodded and Angie pointed the way to the bathroom. She returned with a couple of hand towels, which she handed to Julia, who took them gratefully, her face drained of all colour.
‘I think she needs a doctor,’ Angie pleaded. ‘There’s a lot of blood.’
‘She’ll live, as long as she doesn’t open her trap again. Hand me one of those towels,’ he demanded. ‘I need to wipe the knife.’
Julia threw one over to him.
‘Ray,’ Angie began, her voice shaky, ‘why are you doing this? I thought you loved us.’ Tears began to well up in her eyes.
‘Love? What is that anyway? I’ve never loved anyone in my whole life.’ He paused, ‘Except for Ben.’
