Stephen Leather - Take Two

Richards shrugged. ‘I’m having lunch with her on Friday.’

‘You met her?’

‘Sat down next to her, closer to her than I am to you.’

‘And?’

Richards shrugged again. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘You’re not sure? How can you not be sure? Either she recognised you or she didn’t. Did she say anything?’

‘Chit chat. That’s all.’

‘Chit chat?’

‘Chit chat.’ Richards wound down the window and blew smoke. ‘What did you expect her to say? Point her finger at me and scream “murderer!” That was never going to happen.’

‘Did she recognise you, boss? I need to know because if she recognised you then she’ll recognise me.’

‘I don’t know. She looked me in the eye and smiled like she wanted to suck my dick, but I don’t know if she recognised me. She’s an actress and a bloody good one.’

‘This is fucked up, boss. We need to know one way or another.’

Richards narrowed his eyes. ‘You think I don’t know that?’

‘That’s not what I’m saying, boss. But you’re playing a dangerous game here.’

‘A game? You’re saying I think this is a game?’

Halpin shook his head. ‘That’s not what I’m saying boss.’ He started the engine. ‘Home?’

‘Nah, hang on a minute. I’m waiting for someone.’

‘Not her?’

Richards laughed. ‘No, not her.’ He took a long pull on his cigar and then slowly blew smoke through the window. ‘I know how important this is,’ he said. ‘If she has recognised me and goes to the cops, I’m screwed.’

‘Her word against ours. And the body’s at the bottom of the North Sea.’

‘Which means they’ll have us under surveillance, twenty-four seven. And I can’t afford that. Cohen ripped off all my working capital and I’ve got bills to pay. I’m going to have to get busy with The Mint and I can’t do that if I’ve got Five-O breathing down my neck.’

‘The Mint?’

‘Murray Wainwright. He’s an old mate of mine, over from Spain. He’s connected to some of the biggest dope smugglers in Morocco. I’m sounding him out about the possibility of funding a few shipments. But I’m not going to be able to do that with the cops on my back.’

‘So what’s the plan?’ asked Halpin.

‘I think we’re in the clear. There’s been nothing in the papers, no photo-fits or descriptions or anything. And if she had gone to the cops, that’d be in the papers, too. They couldn’t keep a lid on something like that.’

‘Fair enough,’ said Halpin.

‘So that means that, for whatever reason, she hasn’t talked to the cops. And I’m fairly sure from the way she behaved that she didn’t recognise me. I’ll see how we get on over lunch, and if she’s the same then it probably means we’re in the clear.’

‘And if we’re not?’

‘If we’re not and she did see us in Cohen’s house then she’ll be talking to the cops tonight and we’ll know soon enough. Like you said, it’d be her word against ours and we’ve both got cast iron alibis. They haven’t got a body and, other than her, there’s no one to say we were in Cohen’s house. Everything else is circumstantial.’

‘We both know people who’ve gone down on circumstantial evidence.’

‘True. But if she goes to the cops and identifies us, then she puts herself in the firing line. Without her, they’ll have no case at all.’

‘So we wait and see?’

Richards took a long pull on his cigar, blew smoke, and then nodded. ‘That’s it exactly,’ he said. ‘We’ll cross our chickens as and when we come to them.’

The blonde PR who had taken his cheque walked out of the hotel and waved at him. She was wearing a long blue coat that flapped in the wind.

‘Nice,’ said Halpin.

‘Eyes front,’ said Richards, opening the door for the girl. ‘And ears closed.’

Seb was as good as his word and dropped Carolyn off in front of her house. ‘Thanks for tonight,’ he said, patting her on the leg. ‘Above and beyond the call of duty.’

‘Happy to help,’ said Carolyn. ‘Anything for the kids.’

‘You seem to have struck gold with your lunch date, which is more than I can say.’

‘How long have you known him?’

‘Warwick? Tonight was the first time I’ve met him. I’ve heard of him, but never actually crossed his path.’

‘You’re a regular at his club, he said.’

Seb chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s a home away from home, but if you want a quiet place for a few drinks late at night away from prying eyes, it’s hard to beat. There’s a VIP lift that goes straight from the car park to the club so there are no paps around. And the VIP section really is VIP so no one gets in your face.’

‘Was it Warwick who invited you?’

Seb shook his head. ‘One of his people. Guy called Mick. Mick Halpin. Mick I see quite often. He schmooses the big spenders and is in charge of security. Big guy, you wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.’ He grinned. ‘Though having said that…’

‘You’re incorrigible,’ said Carolyn.

‘Well I have to confess to enjoying a bit of rough every now and again,’ said Seb.

‘And did Mick specifically ask you to invite me?’

Seb’s eyes narrowed. ‘I can hear the wheels turning,’ he said. ‘What’s wrong?’

Carolyn laughed. ‘Nothing’s wrong. I just wondered if it was a coincidence, you know, my being invited and then Warwick bidding so much for the lunch.’

‘You think he’s a fan?’

‘Something like that,’ said Carolyn.

‘Seems a bit complicated,’ said Seb. ‘If he’d wanted to get to meet you I’m sure Mick could have mentioned it to me. I mean, Warwick’s a good looking guy, Carolyn. I’d have linked you up.’

‘Pimped me out, you mean,’ she laughed. She was making light of it but behind her laugh her mind was still in a whirl. Was Warwick Richards the man she’d seen in the house or not? The man in the house wielding the crystal dolphin had been tall, dark and good-looking and Warwick Richards fitted that bill. But it had been at night and there had been reflections on the window and she had been drinking and, hand on heart, she wasn’t sure.

‘Do you know much about him?’

‘Just what I’ve heard, that he’s the owner and has an eye for the ladies.’

‘He’s not a gangster, is he?’

Seb laughed. ‘A what?’

‘You know what I mean, Seb. There are some very edgy people in the nightclub business.’

‘In the Sixties maybe, but these days?’ He shook his head. ‘They don’t let gangsters run nightclubs. The council pulls their licences at the first hint of anything like that.’ He grinned. ‘Having said that, I’ve definitely seen some very iffy people spending money in there. Sharp suits and broken noses and tarts with their tits out, but everyone’s as good as gold.’

‘He is good looking, isn’t he?’

‘Darling, I’ll swop yours for mine any day of the week. I think that woman who paid for me is expecting a nooner for her money.’

“I trust you’ll let her down gently,’ she said,

Seb’s car stayed outside her house until she let herself in, then his driver beeped the horn and drove off. She keyed in the burglar alarm code, kicked off her high heels and poured herself a glass of red wine before phoning Terry. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked him.

‘Drinking wine and watching America’s Next Top Model,’ he said. ‘You?’

‘Just back from a charity do with Seb.’

‘Good that you want to put something back, darling.’

‘I think I met the guy from the house,’ said Carolyn.

‘Stay right where you are,’ said Terry. ‘I’m coming round.’