‘He gave me four hundred and fifty grand.’
Mike leaned back, his eyes closed.
‘They were worth millions, I knew it, but I wasn’t gonna start pushing for more money, was I? I was desperate — I knew she’d be out, knew she’d go to Jimmy and then come here.’
Mike snapped to his feet. ‘You’ve bullshitted me, haven’t you? All that crap about Shirley, you’ve lied to me.’
‘No, I haven’t!’
‘Yes, you bloody have. This wasn’t for Shirley. It was for you, you, and now you got me caught up in it.’
Audrey sobbed as he paced up and down the room.
‘Where’s the money?’
‘Well, some of it’s in my bank, some’s in a building society and the bulk of it’s in Spain.’
‘Spain?’
Audrey waited, and Mike wanted to shake or slap her, he didn’t know which. ‘Is that why you’re going there?’
She sniffed. ‘Yes. Wally Simmonds bought a villa for me.’
Mike gaped. ‘A villa?’
She nodded. ‘It was ever such a good buy and we did a cash deal. I’m leaving for good. I was gonna tell you when I’d sorted myself out.’
Mike swallowed. It was getting worse by the second. He could feel the floor shifting under his feet.
‘What am I going to do, Mike?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you want a cup of tea?’
He turned on her in a fury. ‘No, I bloody don’t. Just shut up and let me think this one out.’
She sat snuffling as he remained with his head in his hands. Eventually he asked flatly, ‘Do you know anyone who could make us up some dud stones that’d look like the real things?’
Audrey licked her lips, hesitating, trying to think.
Mike continued, ‘I could stash them at Donaldson’s. It could still work but we’d only have a few hours, a day maybe, to get the stuff ready. Do you know anyone?’
‘I’m sorry I’ve done this to you, love. Will you get into trouble?’
He stared at his mother. ‘I could lose my fucking job — that good enough for you? Now, do you know anyone?’
Audrey chewed her lips then took out a worn address book from her handbag. ‘There’s Tommy Malin — he’s probably the best — and if we said we’d pay cash for it he might do us a favour.’
‘Us now, is it?’
‘Well, I’ll just do whatever you tell me to.’ Her brain was a jumbled mess of her own screeching questions. Why, why had she been so stupid? Why had she done it? Was it because she just wanted to get back at Dolly? Was that it? As dumb as Audrey sounded, there was another element: greed. She wanted money. She had always wanted it but it had always been out of her reach. When she read about Jimmy’s arrest, she had believed all the waiting was for nothing and it was her fury at being cheated that pushed her into getting the diamonds. She had not contemplated how deeply she would bring her son into it all. Somehow she had thought he’d just arrest the bitch and put her away, or out of reach, because Audrey was scared. She had always been scared of Dolly Rawlins.
‘I’m so scared of her, Mike. I know she’ll come after me. She won’t understand — like, the fear I had with them stones in the flat and then—’
She started to cry again, and Mike sighed. ‘Mum, you’re in it, whatever excuses you make. Gimme the address book. I’ll call this fence bloke but I can only do so much. Then I gotta walk away from it — from you if necessary.’
They had all had a considerable amount to drink: champagne, white and red wine. The booze had eased the tension and now they all talked freely. Kathleen, well away, was going into an elaborate story about how she found her ex-husband in bed with a lodger and how she’d locked him in a coal hole. Connie was drawing the details of her plastic surgery operations on a paper napkin. Gloria was having a heated argument with Julia about body fat. Their voices were like music to Dolly. She didn’t listen to whatever anyone was saying: it was the freedom, the roaring laughs, and the relaxed atmosphere. Ester did not drink as much as the others but watched Dolly throughout, noting how often her glass was refilled, biding her time to choose the right moment to open up the conversation about Dolly’s future arrangements.
Angela carried in a tray and said that coffee and liqueurs were now served in the drawing room.
Ester saw Dolly stumble slightly as she pushed back her chair. She was obviously enjoying herself and even took hold of Gloria’s hand as they wove their way into the drawing room, where there were more candles and another big blazing fire, the perfumed incense disguising the damp smell, the gentle light hiding the darkened patches on the wallpaper and the holed curtains half off their rails. The room was comfortable and friendly, the glasses of port and brandy handed round liberally.
Julia whispered to Ester to keep her eye on Kathleen as she was well pissed and now thumping out a song on the piano, having a ball, almost forgetting why she was there. Julia passed out the drinks, as Gloria picked up the box of After Eight mints. ‘Here you go, Dolly love. Have a mint and tell us what you’re gonna be up to now you’re out?’
Ester edged closer, wanting Gloria to shut up. Not the most subtle of women, Gloria now plunged right in. ‘So you got yourself a nice nest egg, have you, Dolly?’
Dolly laughed as she sipped her brandy. ‘I might have.’
‘Eh, I bet that old man left you a few quid, didn’t he?’ Gloria continued, and then shut up as Ester stood firmly on her foot.
‘He left me comfortable,’ Dolly said, and moved towards the mantelpiece. Then she turned to face them all as Kathleen staggered away from the piano stool to slump into a big winged chair. ‘So, why don’t you all come clean? What you all after?’ Dolly said it softly but there was an edge to her voice.
Ester played it beautifully. ‘After? What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, this is all very nice but none of us were what you would call friends. So I just wondered what you wanted.’
Ester stood up, a furious look on her face. ‘Oh, thanks a lot, Dolly. We all worked our butts off today to get this place ready for you. You think we did it for what? What you got that any of us would want? We did it, I arranged it, because in the nick you belted that cow Barbara Hunter. I admired that, we all admired that, but if you think we’ve all come here for some ulterior motive, then screw you. We only wanted you to come out to friends, to have one night to find your feet.’ She marched angrily towards the door as if about to make an exit.
‘I’m sorry,’ Dolly said quietly.
‘So you bloody should be. I know it’s hard to trust people inside but we’re not inside. We’re all out. All we wanted was to give you a bit of a party.’
‘I said I’m sorry. Come on, sit down.’
Ester gave a tiny wink to Julia as she grudgingly sat on the arm of the easy chair, close to Gloria so she could control her.
Dolly turned towards the fire. ‘Truth is, I do have a few quid put by.’
A low murmur from them all, and sly glances flicked between them.
‘Well, that’s good to know,’ said Connie. ‘I hope you have a good and successful future.’
They all raised their glasses and toasted Dolly yet again.
‘So how much you got, then?’ asked Gloria, and got a dig in the ribs from Ester.
‘It’s not a fortune but... I’m all right, comfortable.’
They waited with bated breath as Dolly drained her glass and replaced it on the tray. ‘I’m going to tell you something.’
They leaned forward slightly, listening attentively, hoping she was now about to say ‘diamonds’.
‘For eight years, I’ve been sort of planning it, in my head. It’s my dream, my future.’