Gloria rammed the sandwich into her mouth and sat down.
Craigh was looking over the sauna when Mike joined him. ‘They’re searching the grounds now but so far nothing.’
Craigh felt knackered and, even worse, foolish. ‘We’ve fuckin’ been had, you know that, don’t you? She’s got about eight or nine names as alibis. She was at the ruddy social services.’
Mike didn’t know whether this was good news or bad but he was as tired out as Craigh.
‘This all stinks, you know that, don’t you?’ Craigh paced up and down, then jerked his head for Mike to come close. ‘The Super’s gonna have a seizure about the whole cock-up — Donaldson was in our custody.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Mike muttered.
‘You’re sorry. Jesus Christ, sorry? Have you any idea what a mess we’re in? Donaldson dead, no sign of the diamonds...’ Craigh hesitated and then licked his lips. ‘Look, until we’ve sorted this, keep schtum about those stones. I never put it in the record sheets so maybe we can—’
‘Fine by me,’ Mike said quickly.
Craigh stared at him. ‘Nothing’s fine, Mike son. We have big problems and we’ve got to sort them.’
Mike nodded, his brain ticking away. He thanked God nothing had been found as it let him off the hook, but all he could do was look as glum as Craigh obviously felt.
Dolly watched the London mob, as she referred to Craigh and Withey, leaving, then let the curtain fall back into place. She yawned and said she was going to bed.
‘Sleep? You can sleep, can you?’ Ester said.
‘Not easily, but I need to do a lot of thinking.’
Gloria was pulling at a piece of sodden tissue. ‘Did you move them, Dolly? Did you?’
She turned her face, hard. ‘What the hell do you think, you stupid idiot? Of course I bloody moved them — and thank God I did or we’d all have been arrested. I’ve been waiting for you to talk about them. I saw you and Ester carrying them into the house.’
‘I got nothing to do with them,’ interrupted Ester.
‘But you bloody knew they was in the house.’
Ester turned away. It was always the same: instead of being grateful to Dolly, she said nothing, whereas Gloria would have kissed her feet. But none of them was prepared for Dolly’s next admission, dropping the line in quietly, with that smile of hers on her face. ‘I also got the diamonds but I’m not talking about them yet. Like I said, I need to sleep, get my head straight.’
‘You got them?’ Ester said in wonder.
‘Yes, Ester, I got them but they’re not here. What is here smells, because someone had to tip them off. Somebody here’s grassing on me — one of you. One of you hates me enough to get me put back inside and I’m going to find out which one of you it is.’
She walked out, slamming the door, and they stood there in mute silence, not believing what they had heard her say, hardly daring to believe they still had a chance of a cut of the diamonds. Then Gloria said, ‘Grassin’? What she friggin’ talkin’ about? None of us’d do it, I mean, we want them diamonds as much as she does. She’s nuts if she thinks it’s one of us! None of us’d do it.’
Angela started to cry again and Julia looked at her angrily. ‘Oh shut up howling, Angela. You’re a pain in the arse.’
Angela ran out of the room, bumping into Kathleen, who was creeping down the stairs as the last of the Thames Valley police drove away. She walked into the drawing room and they all turned on her.
‘Where the hell have you been?’
Dolly hunched the pillow up beneath her shoulders. She couldn’t sleep. She stared at a stain on the wall, wondering. Who would hate her enough to want to put her back inside? Because that’s what it came down to. If she’d been picked up with the diamonds, virtually holding Donaldson’s hand, the cops would have got her. Even if they couldn’t pin the old robbery on her, they’d have her for fencing the stolen diamonds. Either way, with her out on licence, she’d have been back in a cell and with no hope of bail. Was it just that dirty little conman, Jimmy? If it was, then he’d got his just deserts but something inside her said there had to be more to it than that. Harry had taught her, ‘Always remember, sweetheart, it takes two to tango. One leads, the other follows.’ So who was in with that rat Jimmy Donaldson? If it was one of the women she would find out and God help them.
Dolly left the house and drove straight to the town hall. She hurried into the ladies’ and found the pouch bag exactly where she had left it. She kissed it with relief. She then got down, straightened her skirt and slipped out, bumping into a surprised Mrs Tilly in the corridor. ‘Mrs Rawlins?’
‘I was just passing. I know there’s no possibility of you having any answers for me yet but I just wanted to ask you how I did. Was I all right?’
‘Yes, you were. I thought you handled yourself very well but it’ll be some time before we have any definite news. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.’
‘Thank you. I really appreciate all your help.’
Dolly hurried out and Mrs Tilly went in to speak to Mr Crow.
‘You know, Mrs Rawlins is so keen, I think we should push forward an on-site visit. I worry she may spend too much money without approval and I don’t want her to waste her savings.’
He looked up from his diary. ‘Well, we’ll have to get some appraisals from her probation officer and the prison authorities. And we’re nowhere near ready even to discuss the project yet.’
‘Well, I would just like us to inspect the manor house. She was so enthusiastic’
He smiled, flattening down his few strands of hair. ‘I’ll see what I can do. If we’re visiting anyone near the location we can possibly have a look over the place as well. You like her, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do. That said, far be it from me not to do everything through the correct channels.’
‘As I said, I’ll see what I can do but I was also impressed by her. I very much doubt if she will ever be allowed access to very young children, not enough experience, but she may be useful for the older children, the problem ones particularly. Leave it with me.’
Mrs Tilly smiled and left the office. She doubted if Mr Crow would show Dolly Rawlins any favours. He showed nobody any as he was a stickler for rules and regulations, but she knew he had been impressed by her. Everyone had.
Dolly stopped at a phone booth and called Tommy Malin. She asked if he was still in business, unlike Jimmy Donaldson. They had a few laughs, and she said she would be around later in the afternoon as she had something that might interest him. He agreed to meet her but she made no reference to what it was. She then returned to the manor. As she came in she saw Angela on the telephone. ‘Who you calling, love?’
Angela spun round. ‘Oh — my mum. I’ve not told her where I am.’
‘Don’t, and don’t make private calls — that goes for all of you. Fewer people who know what’s going on here the better.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’m going to London. You want to come with me?’ Angela nodded. ‘Good, in about an hour, then.’
The others, who had overheard the conversation in the kitchen, whispered and nudged each other, sure that Dolly was going to fence the stones. Ester gave them all a quiet talking-to: they were to show a lot more willing, they were to get out to that vegetable patch and look like they were working and loving every minute of it. They got to their feet, went out and trudged around with wheelbarrows, spades and rakes, and when Dolly and Angela left in the local taxi, they appeared to be too intent on their labour even to see them go.
As the cab passed them, Dolly laughed. ‘Amazing what a bit of incentive can do, isn’t it?’