Audrey picked up the phone and Mike started yelling before she’d even said hello. ‘She knows about Tommy. She’s been to see him about the diamonds this afternoon.’
‘Who?’
‘Who the hell do you think? Rawlins. She got the diamonds then went to Tommy Malin.’
Audrey’s legs were like jelly.
‘Have you got your passport yet?’
‘Yes, it came today, and I’ve booked my ticket, leave tomorrow.’
Mike rubbed his chin. ‘You’d better go tonight.’
‘You think she’ll come here?’
He closed his eyes. ‘Look, the best thing you can do is go away, just clear out.’
Audrey burst into tears and he yelled at her to pull herself together. He said he’d see if he could come round later, and hung up.
She sat for a moment, still cradling the phone before shakily going back to her packing. Half an hour later the doorbell rang shrilly and Audrey dropped her case as she ran to the door. She thought it would be Mike but when she swung the door open she froze.
‘Hello, Audrey. It’s Dolly — Dolly Rawlins.’
Audrey forced a smile. ‘Good heavens! So you’re out then, are you?’
‘Yes. You going to ask me in?’
Audrey swallowed and held the door wider.
Dolly walked past her, straight into the sitting room. The first thing she saw was the big eight-by-ten coloured photograph of Shirley. She reached out, touched it, and laid it face down on the sideboard. Then she spotted the passport and aeroplane tickets. ‘Going away?’
Audrey could hardly breathe, she was so nervous. She gestured to the half-packed suitcases in her bedroom. ‘Just to Brighton, see a friend for the weekend.’
‘Taking a lot of gear for just a weekend, aren’t you?’ Audrey flushed as Dolly held up her passport. ‘Won’t be needing this then, will you?’
Audrey’s eyes almost popped out of her head as Dolly slipped it into her pocket. ‘Why did you do that?’
Dolly sat down on the settee, unbuttoning her coat. ‘Because, Audrey, we’ve got to talk. Sit down.’
Audrey moved to a hard-backed chair and perched on the edge of the seat.
‘How long have you been out?’
Dolly gave an icy cold smile. ‘I bet you know the exact minute. Come on, Audrey, how much did you get for the diamonds?’
She knew it was pointless to deny she’d taken them. ‘It’s not the way it looks.’
‘I’m all ears.’
Audrey gulped. ‘Well, when I read that Jimmy Donaldson had been arrested—’
Dolly interrupted, ‘You went round and collected. But you never thought to contact me, did you?’
‘Well, it was too risky, wasn’t it?’
‘How much did you get?’
‘Not a lot.’ Audrey cleared her throat.
‘How much?’
‘Four hundred and fifty thousand.’
Dolly leaned back and gave a short barking laugh, without humour. ‘Don’t mess me around. How much?’
Audrey began to blubber, swearing on her life that was all she got, and said Dolly could even check it out with Frank Richmond.
‘Frank Richmond? You fenced them through him, that cheap bastard? Why didn’t you fence them with Tommy?’
‘I didn’t think, I was scared, I mean, they were here in the flat.’
Dolly leaned back and closed her eyes. ‘Eight years I waited, Audrey, eight years...’
‘Shirley’s been dead eight years.’ Audrey became even more scared as Dolly went rigid, her eyes shut tight, hands clenched. ‘I only got a few thousand cash I can give you. I put the bulk of it in Spain.’
‘Spain?’
‘I bought a villa and... it was all done in such a hurry because I was terrified I’d be nicked.’
‘I was, Audrey. I did almost nine years and right now I’d do ten for you. You get me my share and I want it by tomorrow.’
‘But I haven’t got it.’
‘Get it! And when you have, call me. This is my number.’ Dolly opened her bag and scrawled her phone number. She stood up to pass it to her, leaning in close, her face almost touching Audrey’s. ‘Until I get it, I’ll hold your passport. You call me by tomorrow or, like I said, I’ll shop you, go down for you and don’t think for a second I don’t mean it.’
Mike listened in stunned silence as Audrey told him about Dolly’s visit. ‘I got to get money, Mike, or she’ll shop me.’
Mike could feel that treacle forming like cement round his ankles now. ‘Does she know about me?’
‘She thinks it was just me. I got to get money, Mike. She wants me to call her, I got until tomorrow.’
‘What the fuck do you want me to do?’
‘Can I come round and see you? I’ll need the money I put in the kids’ building society savings accounts.’
‘What? Are you telling me some of that cash is in my kids’ accounts?’ Audrey sobbed. He couldn’t make any sense of what she was saying. ‘Mum, get in a cab and come round. Now.’
Mike slapped down the phone. He then ran up the stairs and began searching through drawers for his kids’ account books.
Mr Crow looked out of the window as he drove up the manor house driveway. Mrs Tilly sat in the back seat with Mr Simms, another member of the board.
There’s a lot of land, wonderful place for kids.’ They drove slowly up to the front door, where workmen’s tools were lying around.
‘Looks like a lot of work has started,’ mused Mr Crow, looking up at the scaffolding.
They all got out and looked over the grounds again before heading towards the front door. Mrs Tilly had wanted to warn Dolly of their arrival. They had been to visit another foster family and decided to make an on-site visit to the manor afterwards.
As the door was open they all entered the house. Mrs Tilly called Dolly and, receiving no reply, peered into the lounge. ‘It’s huge. I had no idea it was such a big property,’ she said, impressed.
‘Hello? Anyone at home?’ Mr Crow called, as he looked towards the kitchen. They all followed him and stood in the kitchen doorway, again impressed by the size of the vast old-fashioned kitchen. They were about to leave the leaflets and documents they had brought on the hall table when they heard the screams and laughter from the cellar.
Kathleen tried the first shower and could hear nothing but a low rumbling from the pipes. No water seemed to be connected to the showers and she banged the pipes with a shoe as Gloria came out of the sauna. ‘Showers aren’t working,’ Kathleen said, grinning when she saw the hosepipe. ‘How about bein’ hosed down, shall we try that?’ Gloria pulled a face. ‘Forget it. I’m gonna have a bath in me own room.’
Gloria hitched a towel round her and wandered out, heading up the cellar stairs. Mr Crow and his party were just coming out of the dining room when she appeared. She took one look, shrieked and dived back down to the cellar.
‘Was that Mrs Rawlins?’ Mr Crow asked.
Mrs Tilly shook her head on her way towards the cellar door. She called again for Dolly but could hear only shrieks from below.
Kathleen had turned on the hosepipe. Connie, stark naked, had her hands up as Kathleen turned it on her full blast. Gloria yelled for her to switch it off but Kathleen pointed the hose at her just as the three visitors appeared in the doorway. They were sprayed with water as the women screamed and yelled like schoolgirls. There was a lot of fumbling for towels as Gloria shot out past them. But Connie, still naked, bent over to pick up her towel.
Mrs Tilly was red-faced with embarrassment as she opened the sauna door. She gasped and slammed it shut.