The women were all watching television. It was early evening, and the girls were being bathed and changed ready for bed. They were more tense than usual because the police had returned yet again and the skip covering the lime pit had been removed, leaving only the corrugated iron sheets in place. Gloria had eased a part of the sheet back and prodded inside. She had felt a thick wedge about three feet down but she was satisfied the mail bags had disintegrated. But it still made them all uneasy.
Out riding and not far from the bridge, Julia had seen the frogmen diving and searching the lake. She hoped it was too deep for them to discover the shotguns but, on her return, she asked Gloria if she was sure that if they were found there would be nothing to incriminate anyone, no fingerprints, no serial numbers.
They all were certain they had never handled the guns without gloves and Gloria recalled that she had cleaned them thoroughly before the raid. However, the pressure of the hunt getting so close made the tension, a constant undercurrent, surface again. Dolly continued to calm them, telling them everything going on was only to be expected. But they were all volatile, tempers flared easily, and when, two nights later, the lights of the patrol car flared across the window, they immediately tensed.
Dolly peered through the curtain and drew it back tight. ‘It’s cops and not local. It’s that DCI Craigh and his sidekick.’
‘What do they want?’ Gloria asked; she sounded scared.
‘We’ll find out. All of you get in the kitchen and stay there. Let me talk to them. Just stay in the kitchen.’
DCI Craigh examined the front door and looked at Palmer. ‘How much she claim for this? I reckon this stained glass was already broken.’
Palmer looked at the door and stepped back. ‘They done the roof. Place is looking good.’
‘Yeah, be looking a lot better if she gets that ten grand.’
Craigh rang the doorbell and the lights flooded on in the hall. He peered through a broken pane. Dolly was coming towards the front door. Just as she opened it, the children came running down the stairs in their slippers and dressing gowns.
‘Come in,’ Dolly said pleasantly, and opened the door wider for Craigh and Palmer to walk past her. They looked at Angela as she came half-way down the stairs with a bath towel in her hands. ‘Go into the drawing room.’ Dolly gestured, and the men nodded at Angela before entering.
‘I’ll just say goodnight then I’ll be right with you.’ Dolly was kissing Sheena and picking her up in her arms.
‘Will you tell us a story?’ Sheena piped up and Dolly said she couldn’t just at that minute but Angela would. She stood at the bottom of the stairs as they ran along the landing to their bedroom. ‘Night, night, Auntie Dolly.’
The kitchen door remained closed and Dolly glanced at herself in the hall mirror.
Craigh looked around the untidy room. A fire was burning low in the grate. ‘Great old house this, isn’t it?’ he remarked.
Palmer looked up at the high honeycombed ceiling. ‘Yeah, needs a lot done, though. These old places always cost a bundle.’
‘Bloody cold.’ Craigh rubbed his hands. He sniffed, taking in the torn velvet curtains and the threadbare carpet. Obviously there was not a lot of cash floating around. ‘Whose kids were they?’
‘Dunno,’ Palmer said, as he sat down on a lumpy old sofa. He rose to his feet immediately as Dolly walked in and closed the door.
‘So, what do you want?’
Craigh looked at Palmer, cleared his throat. ‘It’s about that claim for the damage we’re supposed to have done to your property, Mrs Rawlins.’
Dolly moved further into the room and she couldn’t stop the smile. Because it was one of such relief.
Ester drummed her fingers on the kitchen table, her eyes on the closed door. ‘What you reckon they want?’
Julia poured herself a big vodka. ‘We’ll find out soon enough. Any of you want a drink?’
‘No, and you’re hitting the bottle a bit too hard.’ Ester pushed back her chair angrily.
‘Where you going?’ Gloria asked Ester.
‘To the toilet, if that’s all right with you.’ Ester opened the kitchen door silently and peered into the hall.
‘Don’t go in there, Ester,’ Connie said hesitantly, but she was already out, listening at the drawing room door.
Craigh was still standing with his back to the fire, and Dolly was sitting in a big, old winged armchair. She gave a soft laugh. ‘So what you here for? You want to make a deal, is that it?’
Ester froze. The kitchen door opened wider and Gloria peeped out. Ester hurried across, pushing her inside. ‘She’s making a fucking deal with them,’ she hissed.
‘What?’ Julia said in disbelief.
‘I just heard her. Connie, get out the back and see if they’re alone — see if they got any back-up. Go on, do it.’
Connie opened the back door and slipped out. Gloria had dodged behind Ester and gone into the hall to listen for herself. Ester followed and pulled at her arm. ‘Go and search her room,’ she whispered. Gloria glared but Ester pushed her hard, pressing her ear against the door.
Dolly’s voice could be heard clearly. ‘No way! You must be joking. I’ll do a deal but not for a quarter. Let’s say half.’
Craigh looked at Palmer and then back to Dolly. ‘You’ll get it in cash.’
‘Oh, it has to be cash,’ Dolly said. She got up from the chair and moved closer to Craigh. ‘Fifty per cent.’
‘I can’t do that,’ Craigh said louder.
Ester dived back into the kitchen as Gloria scuttled down the stairs after her.
‘Look at this lot! Fucking passports — she’s got Kathleen’s kids on hers and there’s one for Angela.’
Julia could feel her legs turning to jelly. ‘Oh, shit.’
Ester pushed at Julia. ‘She’s doing a deal for fifty per cent of the cash, I just heard her. She’s going to shop the lot of us! How much proof do you want?’
Ester shoved the passports under Julia’s nose and then looked back at the closed door. ‘Right. We got to get that money. You, Julia, get Gloria’s car, get over to Norma’s, take Gloria with you.’
Connie came back in from the yard shaking. There are police in the lane with dogs and some up in the woods but they’re not heading towards us, they’re just sort of patrolling as usual.’
‘Shit.’ Ester walked to the deep freeze and opened it. She delved inside, brought out a huge twenty-pound frozen turkey and carried it to the sink, turning on the hot water. Julia was putting on her coat, heading for the back door, as Ester removed a .45 pistol from the inside of the bird. She dug further inside and brought out the cartridges.
Julia grabbed her wrist. ‘Jesus Christ, Ester, what are you doing?’
‘She’s selling us right down the river! What the hell do you think I’m doing? Go and get the money, get as much as you can, and we’re getting out of here. I said we couldn’t trust her! I warned you! Now do it.’
Again Julia hesitated but Gloria gave her a shove. ‘I’ll come with you, let’s go.’
Dolly was chuckling at Craigh as he tried to deal, and then she patted his arm. ‘All right, you win, gimme three grand and we’ll call it quits. You should have been a market trader, you know. But it’s got to be cash.’
On Dolly’s last line, just as she placed her hand on Craigh’s arm, Ester walked in, the gun held in her right hand, her arm pressed close to her body.
Dolly turned, smiling towards Ester. She was feeling so good and confident because she knew now they had nothing to worry about. Craigh and Palmer weren’t there because of the robbery and she couldn’t wait to have a laugh about it with them all. Then she saw the gun. It was all over within seconds. Dolly was faster to register Ester’s intention than either police officer and, as she lifted the gun to fire at Craigh, Dolly moved forward, protecting him with her body as she screamed one word. ‘No!’