“Dolly, hi it’s me. I just thought I’d let you know I’m okay. It’s lovely over here and I just fancied a cup of coffee, I’ll be back soon, okay?”
Pete was moving around the kitchen, searching in the cupboard for cups and coffee. He held up a packet of biscuits and wagged them in the air. Pauline smiled and nodded and was thrown by the idea that in less than an hour she had gone from trying to flee in terror to drinking coffee and eating Hobnobs with this man.
When they had their drinks Pete shifted on the chair, preparing himself. He nodded to her, “Okay, let’s see if I can make this make sense to you. The diamonds and so on belong to the nasties I’m in with. Jed worked for them. There is another crew and guess what, he worked for them as well.” Here he gave a short and bitter laugh, “Honour among thieves; what a laugh! When money’s involved there’s precious little honour anywhere with these clowns. Anyway, my group, I have to call them that but believe me I’m kosher, I’m not bent. Let’s call them group A, A for Assholes – yes, that works...” He looked at her waiting for a sign that she believed him. She smiled in the gathering dusk, waved a hand for him to continue.
“Right, so Jed was on his way to group B; let’s call them that. So my lot, The A’s wanted their stuff back and they wanted rid of him.”
“So, the accident?”
“Yes indeed. It would have worked except Jed didn’t die and he believed that you had his stuff. He was told, erm, by group B, that you have them, Pauline.” He leaned to her and laid his warm hand over hers where she gripped the cup. “Those people are going to come after you once they know he is dead. They believe that you have the diamonds and more importantly the memory stick. If we can keep his death a secret for a while it will buy us some time; they will assume he is still trying to get the items from you. Once they find out he’s dead then they’ll come after you. I don’t want that Pauline. I am going to have to wind this thing up. We can’t put you at risk.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” It was ludicrous; here she was in the middle of something that she would never in her wildest dreams have thought possible and she was apologising for first of all helping to save some vicious criminal and then for having killed him. From somewhere deep inside the insanity of it all spilled over and – perhaps in reaction to the emotion of the last hour – she began to giggle. Before long her eyes were streaming as she hiccupped and gasped for breath and a bald, tattooed giant stood across the table gazing at her in disbelief and wonder.
Chapter 34
The laughter, though rather hysterical, had done Pauline a world of good. She shook her head.
“I’m sorry, I really am. I know there is nothing funny going on here it’s just – Oh I don’t know… the whole thing is so – insane and unreal. This sort of thing – all this sort of thing just doesn’t happen to people like me. I’m ordinary. Just quiet and well – ordinary.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“I do see what you’re saying Pauline, but believe me; this is very real. I can’t stress enough that you mustn’t tell anyone what I have just shared with you. Not the lady at the farm.”
“Dolly.”
“Yes, Dolly, and not that odd bloke that lives with her.”
“Jim. Yes he’s a bit odd, but I think he’s okay and he’s been very nice to me while I’ve been there.”
“No matter how nice they are you mustn’t tell them anything. It would put them in danger. Do you understand me?”
“But… they haven’t done anything. They don’t know anything about all this.”
“But they know you and it’s enough to mark them.” Pete stepped around the table and crouched in front of her. “Look, I know this will scare you and I’m sorry for that, but you have to believe me when I tell you that these people are very dangerous. They are ruthless: they don’t care who gets hurt. They make their living trading in people. Human beings are no more than a commodity to them. They won’t hesitate to take any and all measures to protect themselves.
“I am trying to arrange to have you taken to a place of safety, but until then…” Pauline’s sharp intake of breath caused him to pause mid-sentence.
“You’re what! You are doing what!? Taken to a place of safety!? Who the hell do you think you are? I’m not an infant! I’m not a, what did you say, a commodity! How dare you?” She spun away from the chair and paced to the door where she snatched up her bag. “You are trying to arrange… Well don’t you bother. I will go where I decide. I spent the last twenty years of my life being told where I could and couldn’t go and I’ve finished with that.
“I can’t believe it. You can just stop trying to have me ‘taken’ anywhere. Bloody hell!”
“Hey, hey. Calm down. Have you been listening to anything I‘ve said here? Your life is in danger, that’s the truth of it. You could end up dead. Once these people find out that Jed is dead they are coming after you. Before that happens I have to make sure that you’re safe. Have you the slightest inkling what can happen? Do you want to end up in pieces, sliced and diced and thrown onto a landfill in a black plastic bag? You thought what Jed did to you was bad. Well let me tell you he was taking great care of you. He thought you were of value to him, Jed was a pussy cat compared to some of the people I’m mixing with right now.
“You have no say in this thing Pauline. You have to be kept safe.”
She could find no words to throw back at him. She was aghast and furious and yet speechless.
“You can go back to the farm tonight. I’m going to be just outside.”
“What do you mean just outside?”
“I’m going to be keeping watch tonight, I daren’t risk them coming looking for Jed and maybe finding you.”
“How could that happen? They don’t know who I am, where I am.”
“Oh believe me they can find out. I found you; not soon enough to save you from the cave but I found you.”
“Yes, but you’re with the police.”
“There are more ways to find someone if you want to than just the police. Jed found you.”
“Well yes, but he had my jacket.”
“Oh come on, I found you and he did. We don’t know what he’s told his mates. You’re vulnerable and we have to protect you.”
“Well, where am I going to go?”
“I don’t know yet, I have some colleagues working on it but it’s a bit complicated with me still in the field. Look, for tonight go back to the farm. I’ll be outside and as soon as possible we’ll get you away.”
“But what about France? What about my house there?”
“I’m sorry Pauline, but for now that’s just going to have to be on hold.”
“But they don’t know about that.”
“They may know and anything they don’t know they can and will find out. Will you listen to me please?” He had come close now and reached a hand forward to lay it on her upper arm. “I’m sorry. I know this seems very unfair but it’ll be over soon. I’ll keep you safe.”
A warm tide swept her body and her heart hitched just once. How many times she had longed for someone to say just those words to her! Standing here in this little cottage with her world turned on its head they had fallen from the lips of the most unlikely character she had ever met. They melted the residual anger and soothed down her nerves and she found herself smiling up into his eyes.
“Ok, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be difficult. It’s just all rather upsetting.”
“I know. Come on, let’s get you back to Dolly and Odd Jim. Stay in the house and try not to show yourself too much. When I need to speak to you again I’ll let you know.”