David Belbin - Bone & Cane

‘Even so, it’s hardly a hanging offence, is it? He’s supposed to be collecting me later on. He’s my driver for the evening.’

‘He doesn’t have a taxi permit.’

‘I don’t think he was going to charge me. From what he told me earlier, he was borrowing the cab from his brother to help out with my campaign today.’

This was a fib but, if the last thing she did as an MP was getting an ex-boyfriend released from custody, it wouldn’t be a bad night’s work.

‘Do you want me to put him on, ma’am?’

‘I do. And when I’ve finished talking to him, if you haven’t changed your mind, I’m going to track down Eric and get him over to sort you out. I think he’s coming to my party later. Possibly Mr Cane would be driving him home, too.’

The Chief Constable wasn’t invited to the party, but using his first name seemed to have an effect.

‘I see, ma’am. I’ll have a word with the arresting officer.’

There was a long, tense, infuriating delay during which Sarah had to wave away several supporters. It was nearly one when a sheepish Nick appeared on the phone. ‘Sarah, I’m so sorry. Yours was the only mobile number I had. They caught me speeding, taking my sister-in-law to hospital. She’s having a baby as we speak. But evidently the police were already watching me. I’ve got a solicitor, Ian Jagger, but I haven’t seen him since I got out and I don’t have his number.’

‘Ian’s probably at the party,’ Sarah said, ‘I can get his number for you, but it might not be necessary.’

‘The custody sergeant wants a word,’ Nick said, sheepishly.

The sergeant came back on. ‘We’re prepared to let him go tonight,’ he said. ‘Seeing as you say he was helping you out earlier and not charging anybody. But earlier today we had a tip off that he’s been working for his brother for weeks.’

Sarah was aware that this was true. Somebody had it in for Nick Cane. She knew exactly who it was.

‘Sounds like a malicious call to me, sergeant. I know Nick’s done some silly things in the past, but I’ll vouch for him now.’

‘Fair enough, ma’am. We’ll send him to you.’ He put Nick back on just as Winston began signalling to her. ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said. ‘They’re about to announce the result.’

‘Do you want me to come and collect you from the count?’ Nick asked, as she walked into the hall, still talking on the mobile, not the image she wanted to present to the watching TV cameras.

‘No, meet me at the party after you’ve checked on your sister-in-law. And, Nick, leave the car. After what you’ve been through, I expect you could do with a drink.’

The other candidates were already lined up on the stage. In the end, it hadn’t been close enough to require a recount. Sarah climbed the shallow stairs, prepared to meet her fate.

31

Nick raced into the delivery room. It was less than an hour since he’d taken Caroline in.

‘Here’s the father,’ said a breezy nurse. ‘Better late than never.’

Caroline gave her a tired but brave smile. Seeing Nick, her expression returned to that of the perpetually pissed-off school teacher.

‘Not the father. His brother. Again. Where is he, Nick?’

‘Not sure. Stuart said he’d call the party. I’ve come straight from the police.’

‘How did you go on?’ Caroline said. ‘Sort it out?’

‘I think so,’ Nick said, leaning over his tiny, new, wrinkled niece. The thought of going back to prison for three years scared the fuck out of him. But he couldn’t allow himself to focus on that, not here. Not now.

‘She’s beautiful.’

‘Thank you,’ Caroline said. ‘And thank you for earlier. I’m sorry if it caused you grief.’

He kissed her on the cheek. ‘How do you feel?’

‘I’m good, now it’s over. Aching, but good. Where the fuck’s Joe?’

‘I’ll go and call him,’ Nick said.

The nurse directed him to a phone down a corridor. Stuart answered.

‘Caroline wants to know where Joe is. Any ideas?’

‘None at all. I asked for an announcement to be made over the PA at that party, but it sounded pretty noisy there. I’ve been trying his mobile every ten minutes, left a message each time. Has she had it yet?’

‘Little girl. Mother and baby fine. Have you got a mobile number for Nas?’

‘Afraid not,’ Stuart said, awkwardly. Nick wished he hadn’t asked.

‘I guess I’ll head over to the party.’

He explained to Caroline that the party was very loud and the message might not have got through. ‘I’ll go and see if I can find him.’

‘Thanks. Oh, your ex-girlfriend . . . did she win?’

‘I don’t know yet.’

They were alone. Caroline looked exhausted but happy. Nick wanted to get away before she quizzed him about Joe’s whereabouts again. He wanted to find out Sarah’s result. But he couldn’t just leave. So he squeezed his sister-in-law’s hand. She burst into tears.

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘What about?’ He thought she realized how likely he was to end up back in prison. Or maybe she was emotional about Joe’s absence.

‘You’ve been so nice to me since you got out. You never once dropped a hint to Joe that we were once, you know . . .’

‘He still doesn’t know?’ Nick asked.

‘He never suspected a thing. But you must have worked out what happened. I don’t know how you found it in your heart to forgive me.’

‘I’ve been dumped before,’ Nick said, then he saw from the way her face was contorting that this wasn’t what Caroline was talking about.

‘It was you, wasn’t it, who called the police?’

Caroline nodded. ‘Joe told me, so proudly, how you grew the stuff, how you were making a fortune, but he wouldn’t get involved. He was impressed with you. I thought he might change his mind. I was angry that you’d asked him, that you’d let your younger brother get involved in something so dangerous.’

‘He was only just starting the cab firm then,’ Nick told her. ‘He – you two – could have used the money. I thought the risk was pretty low. And I needed someone I could really trust.’

‘I was angry with you, Nick. I wanted you out of the way. I’m so sorry.’

She was crying again when the nurse came back in, holding his as-yet-unnamed niece. The nurse gave Nick a patient smile.

‘Her first, isn’t it?’ She said, producing tissues. ‘Mothers do get emotional at these times.’

‘She’ll be fine,’ Nick said. ‘Can you give us another minute alone?’

When she was gone, he leant over Caroline and the baby, who smelt of everything that was real, and fresh, and new. The past was gone. The next generation had begun. He said what he had to say.

‘I’m glad you told me, but it’s water under the bridge now. We’re family. We stick together no matter how much we hurt each other.’

Caroline kissed him on the mouth. ‘You’re treating me better than I deserve. Unlike your brother. Go on, get going to your MP. You must be desperate to find out how she did.’

In the car, Nick tuned into a local station. Radio Nottingham was covering the announcement in Nottingham South, an easy Labour win. This was the second Labour win in the city tonight, the commentator said, but that meant nothing – North and East were also safe Labour seats.

He knew he was mad, driving again after what had happened earlier. If the police caught him, Nick would be locked up for sure, in front of a judge in the morning, back in nick by midnight. Three more years. It didn’t bear thinking about. But Joe might well need the cab and Nick was already in deep shit. The students’ union was only a ten-minute drive. He took the risk.

Where did Joe take Nas for sex? Nick had no idea. Joe had never asked for a spare key to his flat, and Nick wasn’t sure if he would have offered it if he had. Maybe he sprang for a cheap hotel room.