Running scared, p.25
Running Scared, page 25
‘Yeah, I saw something on the news about it earlier,’ Jen said. ‘Did you know her?’
‘She was my housemate.’
‘Fuck, Lex,’ Jamie murmured. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘We weren’t close,’ Lexi told him. ‘In fact, I don’t think she liked me very much. We kind of got off on the wrong foot when I moved in. And then I found out she was my supervisor at work, so it was a bit awkward between us.’
‘Still, it must have been an awful shock,’ Jen said. ‘Were you there when it happened?’
‘Jen,’ Jamie said quietly.
‘It’s OK,’ Lexi said. ‘And, yes, I was there. Not in her room, but in the house. He attacked two of my friends straight after, so I escaped and called the police. My neighbour chased him, but he got away.’
‘Bloody hell, that must have been terrifying,’ Jen said. ‘No wonder you don’t want to go back there.’
‘Well you can stop here as long as you like,’ Jamie said. ‘You can have Poppy’s room and she can come in with us. And I can borrow my mate’s van if you want a hand picking up your stuff.’
‘Thank you, that’s really kind, but I don’t want to put you out,’ Lexi said. ‘I just need to keep my head down for a couple of days while I work out where to go.’
‘You’re not putting us out at all,’ Jen assured her, reaching across and squeezing her hand. ‘Now I’m going to make you something decent to eat while Jamie moves Poppy into our room, then we’ll take it from there.’
‘The biscuits will be fine,’ Lexi insisted, touched by the younger woman’s compassion, considering it was the first time they had ever met.
‘No point arguing with her when she’s made up her mind about something,’ Jamie said, grinning when Jen got up and headed out to the kitchen. Lowering his voice when she’d gone, his expression more serious, he said, ‘I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but are you OK, Lex? You look wiped, and you’ve been shaking like a leaf since you got here. That bloke didn’t do anything to you, did he?’
Lexi dipped her gaze and bit her lip. She didn’t want to alarm Jamie and his wife by telling them the truth, but what if she was putting them in danger by keeping them in the dark? What if Adam found out she was here, or one of those youths outside worked for Danny and told him?
‘I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have come,’ she murmured. ‘You’ve got your family to think about, and if anyone finds out I’m here . . .’
‘Is someone after you?’ Jamie asked, sitting forward when she tailed off.
‘Do you remember my old friend, Nicole?’ Lexi asked. ‘Her dad’s Danny Harvey and they used to live on this block.’
‘I know who they are. Harvey roped our Mark into running drugs for him when he was fourteen. That’s how he ended up inside.’
‘Do you remember his son, Adam, as well?’
‘Unfortunately,’ Jamie said bitterly. ‘The bastard used to kick my head in every time he saw me.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Lexi said. ‘I had no idea.’
‘It’s all right.’ Jamie shrugged. ‘I got worse at home off me mam and her fuck-buddies, so I was used to it.’
‘I think Adam might have had something to do with what happened at my place,’ Lexi said.
‘You’re joking!’
‘Wish I was. When I bumped into you that night, I’d just come from Nicole’s. We’d had a row ’cos she got it into her head that something was going on between me and Ryan.’
‘Ryan King?’ Jamie asked. ‘Yeah, I heard he’d married her. I was a bit surprised, to be honest. He always seemed all right; didn’t peg him for the type to get involved with that lot.’
‘Well, he did,’ said Lexi. ‘Anyway, long story short, I started seeing someone a few months ago, but then I found out he was Ryan’s dad and finished it.’
‘Seriously?’ Jamie said. ‘You and Ryan’s dad?’
Lexi nodded, then continued with the story, telling him everything that had happened up to her going back into the house earlier that night and being forced to flee when she heard somebody coming in.
‘Jeezus,’ Jamie said, raking a hand through his hair. ‘I always knew Adam Harvey wasn’t right in the head, but I never dreamed he was capable of doing something like this. Have you told the police?’
‘I told them about the stuff that happened before the break-in, but I don’t think they thought it was connected,’ Lexi sighed. ‘They actually arrested Ryan this morning, but my friend had already told them the man who attacked her was white, so I don’t know what that was about. I really need to speak to him, but I need to keep my head down till I find out what’s going on.’
‘Take all the time you need,’ Jen said, coming back into the room and handing Lexi a plated bacon sandwich. ‘We won’t tell anyone you’re here – will we, Jay?’
‘Absolutely not,’ he agreed. ‘And if you need anything while you’re here, you only have to ask.’
Thanking them, Lexi bit into the sandwich and gave Jen the thumbs up when she asked if it was OK.
38
After stopping off at the flat to grab Theo’s clothes and personal items, and also the money Ryan had spent the last few months incrementally transferring into different accounts before withdrawing it and storing it in a hole in the wall behind Theo’s bed, father and son tied up a few loose ends before driving over to Liverpool, where Theo’s old friend, Lee Wilkinson, had a spare room waiting for them. It would only be a temporary stay, just long enough for them to withdraw the rest of the money from the various accounts they’d set up before closing them all down, and then they intended to lie low for a bit while Danny Harvey exhausted every avenue in his quest to track them down.
They had leaked word to an untrustworthy acquaintance that they were heading to London to pull off a big deal, and they had every confidence that this info would already have found its way into Danny’s ears, sending him on a wild goose chase while they set up the real deal to offload the last shipment of coke Lee had hijacked for them a couple of weeks earlier.
This was the culmination of many years of plotting and planning; Ryan working his way into the heart of the Harvey family and the business while his dad served out his time, in order to take Danny Harvey for everything he owned the minute Theo was out. And Ryan had played it by the book, right up until his dad’s release a few months earlier, gaining Danny’s trust to the extent that the man had relaxed into his new life in Spain, not bothering to check the accounts as long as there was enough dosh to cover his daily expenses and nightly bar bills.
There had only been one transfer left to make, which Ryan would have done that morning if he hadn’t been arrested. But it wasn’t a life-changing amount of money – certainly not enough to make it easy for Danny to get back on his feet, so they weren’t too concerned about being forced to abandon it.
Ryan, however, was concerned about abandoning Lexi, who still hadn’t responded to the two voice messages he’d left. Unsure if she was deliberately ignoring them because she’d seen him at the station and thought he was involved in the murder, or if she simply hadn’t received them yet, he was relieved when, after reaching Lee’s place later that night, he asked his dad to check his phone and they saw that she had tried to call several times, but they hadn’t heard them because Theo had accidentally knocked his phone into silent mode when he’d shoved it into his back pocket.
It was almost 1 a.m. by then, and Ryan was hesitant to call her in case she was sleeping. But his dad and Lee, who had been mates since high school, were hitting the Wray and Nephew rum like it had gone out of style, and he was fed up of listening to them talk about days gone by and people he hadn’t known, so he decided to get some shut-eye and ring her in the morning.
Back in Manchester, Adam and Wes had arrived at The Danski. The bar manager, Sue, had opened up, and the usual crowd of middle-aged leerers were supping cheap, watered-down beers and spirits and ogling the lacklustre dancers who were going through the motions on the centre stage. As Wes headed over to their usual table in the corner, where their mates were already seated – and on, Adam noticed with irritation, at least their second bottle of house champagne – Adam made his way to the bar.
‘Didn’t think you were coming in tonight,’ Sue said, walking over when she spotted him.
‘I’m not stopping long,’ he said, looking around as he spoke. ‘Where’s that girl?’
‘You’ll have to be a bit more specific than that,’ Sue said, pouring him a glass of Jack Daniel’s.
‘I think her name’s Toni,’ he said, snatching the glass up and swallowing it in one.
‘We haven’t got any girls called Toni,’ Sue said, refilling the glass when he slammed it down on the counter. ‘You’re not talking about Tina, are you? Skinny bitch, scraggly hair?’
‘Yeah, that’s the one. Where is she?’
‘No idea.’ Sue shrugged. ‘I haven’t seen her tonight. Paris is over there, though.’ She nodded toward the back tables where a tiny dark-haired girl was sitting on the lap of an elderly man. ‘If you’re after a bit, I can go get her for you.’
‘Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?’ Adam glared at her.
Taken aback, Sue’s eyes widened. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean any offence. I just thought—’
‘Well you thought wrong,’ Adam spat. ‘And don’t ever talk to me like you and me are mates, ’cos we ain’t. I’m your boss, so speak to me with respect in future, or fuck off.’
He downed the second drink at that and, pushing his way through the customers, went into the office, slamming the door behind him, and tipped what was left of the wrap in his pocket onto the tabletop. Quickly snorting it and not getting anywhere near the buzz he’d hoped for, he opened his desk drawer and took out the plastic bag containing his stash. There were only two wraps left in it, and he didn’t have enough money to ring his dealer and ask him to fetch another batch over. Under normal circumstances, he’d have nipped over to DH Deliveries and helped himself to a bit of dosh from the safe. But that fucker Ryan had emptied it along with the bank accounts, so he would have to raid the till instead.
After snorting another wrap, he pocketed the last one and headed back into the clubroom, where Wes and the lads were busy getting lap dances off a couple of his girls. Still smarting from his dad’s put-down comment and in no mood for the lads’ shit, he walked behind the bar and emptied the notes out of the till before heading back out to his car.
Woken by the sound of someone continually jabbing their finger on the doorbell, Tina’s heart sank when she looked out of her bedroom window and saw Adam Harvey on the step below. Rushing into her little boy’s room when she heard him start to moan, she quickly settled him before heading down the stairs.
‘Why the fuck are you not in work?’ Adam demanded, pushing past her when she opened the door.
‘I’m not well,’ she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. ‘And please keep it down,’ she urged. ‘The doorbell nearly woke my son.’
‘What’s up with you?’ Adam asked, peering at her in the darkness of the hallway.
‘I think it’s a virus,’ she said, hugging her aching, shivering body. ‘I rang the club and told Sue I wouldn’t be able to make it tonight. But I’m hoping my doctor will give me antibiotics in the morning.’
‘Sue never said you’d rung.’ Adam frowned. Then, shrugging, he said, ‘Oh well, just keep your face turned so you don’t pass it on to me. Last thing I need is a fuckin’ virus wiping me out.’
‘Excuse me?’ Tina stared at him in disbelief as he started making his way up the stairs, taking his jacket off as he went. ‘What are you doing?’
Hesitating, Adam looked down at her over the banister rail. ‘What’s it look like?’
‘But I’m ill.’
‘Yeah, and I said keep your face turned so I don’t catch it. Or are you deaf, an’ all?’
Shocked when he shook his head in a gesture of irritation before continuing on up the stairs, Tina stayed where she was for a few moments. She wasn’t lying about being ill; she’d felt like death all day and the thought of having sex with her boss again made her feel physically sick. But she had no idea what he might do if she didn’t follow him up to bed, and she really didn’t want Caleb to get woken up again. So, hauling herself up the stairs, she slipped the padlock into place on her son’s door before going to her room.
39
Danny Harvey hadn’t slept a wink. He had trusted Ryan, and now he felt like a prize twat for giving him free rein over the company accounts. And it wasn’t only the business side of things that the bastard had screwed him over on; he’d also somehow managed to remortgage the house in Danny’s name, and had pocketed a large sum of money which he’d borrowed on it for imaginary repairs. With that, an almost empty bank account, and his supplier demanding payment for the three shipments of coke that had gone missing before he would hand over any more gear, Danny was in debt to the tune of tens of thousands. His only hope of climbing out of the deep dark hole he’d been chucked into was to find Ryan and Theo and get his money back. But the cunts had pulled the mother of all disappearing acts, and nobody he’d asked had admitted to knowing where they were.
Waiting to hear back from the men he’d sent to London, following the one tip-off he had been given, Danny had just poured a glass of whisky when the doorbell rang at 8 a.m. Glass in hand, he looked through the spyhole in the front door and saw an attractive young woman and a slightly older man, both wearing nondescript suits, standing on the step. Instantly pegging them as detectives and guessing it was something to do with the murder case, he put the glass down on a ledge before opening the door.
‘Morning.’ The woman flashed her badge. ‘Detective Inspector Benson. Is Mr King available?’
‘You just missed him,’ Danny lied. ‘Can I pass on a message?’
‘I came to return these.’ She held out a plastic bag containing Ryan’s confiscated clothes. ‘Also, I was wondering if Adam Harvey might be here?’
‘Adam?’ Danny pulled a face as he reached for the bag. ‘He doesn’t live here, love. Hasn’t for a long time.’
‘This is the address we were given for him,’ Benson said. ‘I don’t suppose you have his new one?’
‘Sorry, I’ve never been there, so I couldn’t tell you.’ Danny shrugged.
‘And may I ask who you are?’ Benson asked.
‘And may I ask why you want to know?’ Danny shot back smoothly. ‘Not being funny, love, but I only came back into the country yesterday, so if this is about that stuff you arrested Ryan over, I can’t help you.’
Benson held his gaze for a moment, then said, ‘Thanks for your time.’
‘No problem.’ He smiled and closed the door.
‘What did they want?’ Rachel came down the stairs as he turned to go back to the kitchen after retrieving his drink.
‘They brought that fucker’s shit back.’
‘I thought I heard her mention Adam?’ she said, following him into the kitchen.
‘Yeah, she asked if he was here and I told her he wasn’t,’ Danny said, chucking the bag down on the table and flopping onto a chair. ‘Nosy bint tried asking who I was, an’ all.’
‘Why did she want to speak to Adam?’ Rachel asked, frowning as she carried the kettle to the sink.
‘How the fuck should I know?’ Danny muttered, reaching for his phone.
‘I don’t like it.’ Rachel folded her arms and leaned back against the counter after switching the kettle on. ‘If they’re digging into the family because of Ryan, they might have seen the report that bitch Lexi made against Adam.’
‘That was years ago. And it was dropped, so it wouldn’t mean nothing even if they had seen it,’ Danny said dismissively.
‘It’s a link between her and Adam,’ said Rachel. ‘And it was her house where the murder happened, don’t forget. They’ve already ruled Ryan out, so they’re going to start looking into anyone else who’s got history with her, aren’t they?’
‘She’s not the only one who lives there,’ Danny pointed out. ‘And it wasn’t her who got murdered, so why are they going to look into her past any more than they’ll look into the others’?’
‘They must think it had something to do with her or they wouldn’t have arrested Ryan,’ Rachel argued. ‘She’s the only link he’s got to the place.’
‘Ray, belt up, you’re giving me earache,’ Danny complained. ‘Whoever did it, that’s for them to find out. As long as we know it wasn’t Adam, there’s nowt for you to worry about.’
Irritated by his blasé attitude, Rachel pursed her lips and turned her back to him to make her coffee. He was so wrapped up in trying to find Ryan and his father, he couldn’t see the warning signs that were staring them right in the face. They knew Adam wasn’t involved, because he’d already told them he had stayed late at the club on the night of the murder and had then slept at his girlfriend’s place. But the police sniffing around any member of the family was a concern. And these weren’t run-of-the-mill street coppers, they were detectives, so God only knew what they might stumble across if they dug deeply enough.
‘Who was at the door?’ Nicole asked, wiping sleep from her eyes as she came into the kitchen still wearing her nightclothes.
‘The police,’ Rachel told her, giving her a disapproving look as she stirred the coffee. ‘You look a bloody mess. When was the last time you had your hair done?’
‘Yesterday,’ Nicole replied, self-consciously smoothing her messy extensions. ‘Hey, is that Ryan’s stuff?’ she asked, spotting the bag.
‘The pigs just dropped it off,’ Danny said, taking a swig of whisky.
‘His phone’s in it,’ Nicole said, reaching for it.
‘Do you know the password?’ Rachel asked, carrying her drink to the table and sitting down.
‘As long as he hasn’t changed it again, yeah,’ Nicole said, tearing the plastic bag open.
‘Why are you women so obsessed with seeing what’s on a bloke’s phone?’ Danny grumbled. ‘And you wonder why we don’t fuckin’ trust youse.’
