Authors: Martina Cole
Tags: #General, #Fiction, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #Social Science, #Murder, #Criminology, #True Crime, #Serial Killers
Dangerous Lady (61 page)
‘Don’t say you’re getting me, Marsh! Go and get some real villains for once in your life.’ H
Terry straightened his back and stared defiantly at the silent and grim-faced man before him. ‘One last thing. Would you tell the Chief Super that I have a bit of news that might interest him?’
‘What’s that?’ Marsh spat the words out.
‘Tell him that the girl he sees every Wednesday, Samantha Golding, was diagnosed as having Aids. Tell him the Ryans even knew that before him. Before any of you. And don’t you dare act the outraged policeman with
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me! You were willing to take part in the murder of an entire family. If you had done you would have kidded yourself it was for your country. Well, you know and I know it would not have been. It would just have saved a load of fat bastards’ arses. If you loved your country so much you should have pissed off to the Falklands, Marsh. And from what’s in that file,’ he pointed to the folder Ackland was holding, ‘that was another complete cover up and shambles!
‘Now, I’m leaving. I’ll be back in touch at half-past twelve.’
He stormed out of the office, leaving a white-faced Marsh and a quiet and subdued Ackland.
‘You asked for that, Marsh. I have to take my hat off to the man. What he said was true.’
Marsh was in such a monumental temper he forgot his fear of Ackland. He picked up his cigar and said, ‘Oh, fuck off, you Scottish turd!’
In the office next door William Templeton began to laugh. Terry did not go back to Michael’s flat. It had been arranged that he would go back to his own place, in case he was followed.
He drove there on a high. At least he had told Marsh exactly what he thought of him. Inside his flat he made himself some coffee and sat reading the paper. He had lost the urge to sleep, was in the state of overtiredness that seems to make a person more alert and mentally agile.
He sat at the table and thought about Maura. Nothing he did would get her out of his mind for even five minutes. Once again the words on the page in front of him were replaced by a vision of her face. She was flying to Marbella today. Although he had told Marsh that the file had been
faxed through to two different countries, it was not true. Maura was going to take copies to the people concerned herself. She was flying to Marbella at five-thirty from Gatwick.
He sipped his coffee. He had lost everything now. His job, his way of life. And he had sacrificed it all for Maura Ryan. He looked around his kitchen, and then, as if he had been jolted from his chair, went to the phone. He knew what he had to do. Sarah was enjoying having the three boys home. The feeling of foreboding that had plagued her the whole day before lifted off her as she cooked breakfast for them. She prepared what had long been known in the family as a ‘Benny Special’: two eggs, five slices of bacon, black pudding, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, and even fried liver sausage, along with huge amounts of toast and a good strong pot of tea to wash it down with. She had felt sorry for Benjamin, eating his poached egg while they wolfed down his favourite meal, but consoled herself with the fact that he would thank her for it one day.
Just after breakfast the phone rang and Garry ran to answer it. Sarah was not sure what was said but the boys all looked a lot happier. She left them all in the kitchen while she gave Benjamin a blanket bath. He still couldn’t get out of bed.
As she washed her husband’s face, he grabbed her arm gently. ‘All right, Sar?’
‘Yeah, why?’ She looked at him, puzzled.
‘You’re enjoying having the boys home again, ain’t you?’
She smiled. ‘Yeah. I miss them all.’
‘I never gave you much, did I, girl? Except the back oi
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my hand. It makes you think, you know, being stuck in bed.’
Sarah looked down at her husband’s rapidly wasting body. Just for a split second she saw the eighteen-year-old boy who had whistled at her one bright summer evening in 1934. He had been tall, dark and handsome, wearing a bowler hat that night which had somehow set him apart from his contemporaries. Sarah felt an enormous lump in her throat for the man he had been.
‘I know I never tell you very often, Sar, but you was always my girl. You know that, don’t you? I always loved you.’
She nodded at him. It was one of those rare moments that occur in everyone’s life. One of those times when there really isn’t anything to say. Ackland had spoken to the Home Secretary at length, and was now waiting for Terry Petherick to ring through to his office. Marsh had already left, as had William Templeton. Whereas Marsh had been disgusted by the turn of events, Templeton had been relieved - though Ackland was quick to guess that Templeton knew he had lost Maura Ryan’s friendship.
He sighed heavily as he waited for Terry to call. The file that Petherick had left was, even at this moment., winging its way across London to be studied and talked over with the Secretary of State for the Environment amongst others. Ackland, unlike Marsh, knew when he was beaten and deep in his heart was glad that Maura Ryan had eventually outwitted them. His own conscience said to him: Why should she be a scapegoat for the real criminals?
He was glad when the phone finally rang. Lack of sleep was catching up with him.
Maura picked up the phone at twelve-forty. It was Terry and she knew even before he spoke what had happened. She could feel his euphoria coming over the telephone line. -.. v.
‘They’ve agreed! Agreed to everything!’ ‘m
‘Oh, thank God!’
Maura took her first really deep breath for what seemed like days. fi
‘They didn’t argue about any of it?’ ’”
‘No, Maws, not a thing. It’s perfectly acceptable. Tell Richard he did a good job. We all did a good job.’
‘What about my brothers?’
‘Fine. Everything’s hunky-dory.’
‘Thanks for all your help, Terry. I promise you won’t lose by it.’
Maura’s voice was humble and sounded strange to Terry’s ears.
‘So you’re off to warmer climes then?’ ‘Yeah. I suppose we won’t see each other again.’ ‘Well… you never know what’s going to happen, do you? I’d better let you go. You have a lot to do before you fly out.’ ‘Goodbye then, Terry. And thanks again.’ ‘You’re welcome.’ His voice was soft. ‘Goodbye, Maura.’ .
He put down the phone and Maura stood in Michael’s 5 flat feeling more desolate and alone than she had ever done before. She had beaten the police and the establishment and yet she felt nothing. Nothing except an overwhelming loneliness. -Richard came into the room. ? ‘We won then?’ He sounded happy. ‘Yeah. We won.’ He was sad to hear Maura’s flat and broken voice.
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‘You’d better get a move on, you know. You have to be at Gatwick by three-thirty.’ ,-
‘I know.’ Richard put his arm around her. She was much taller than him and he had to look up into her face.
‘Michael used to say to me when I was down: “Ricky, remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life.” I know it’s an old cliche, but it’s also a very true
one.’
‘Oh, Richard. What would I have done without you?’ She kissed him full on the mouth then said, ‘I’d better
phone Roy, tell him the good news.’ Maura sat on the Monarch Flight to Gibraltar. It was five-twenty-nine and the plane was due to take off at any time. She was sitting in a window seat. The seat next to her was unoccupied and she was glad - she was not up to making conversation with strangers. Plus she was shattered. She had been awake for nearly twenty-eight
hours.
She closed her eyes, willing the plane to take off. Terry Petherick came straight to mind … She admitted to herself that she still had all the old feelings for him. The feelings that had assailed her on and off for over twenty years. When she had spoken to him on the telephone and he had said goodbye, she had felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. What was it about the man? Why did he make her feel like this? Even when she had learned that William, who was supposed to love her, had been willing to trade her to the police., she had not felt the intensity of feeling as when she had heard that single word from Terry: ‘Goodbye’.
When she had told him the night before about the baby and what had happened, she had hoped, deep
down, that it would bring them closer together. And it had, for a little while. But only for a little while. She supposed he thought that by doing the negotiating for her with the police he had repaid any debt that he owed her. She bit her lip.
In the seat in front of her were two little boys, both excited to be going on holiday. The bigger of the two, a boy of about ten with light brown hair and mischievous brown eyes, kept looking through the gap in the seats at her. As they jumped around in excitement Maura knew that she would not have a lot of peace on the flight.
She closed her eyes tighter, willing the plane to take off so she could at least have a cigarette. She felt someone sit down in the seat beside her and pretended she was asleep. She was too overwrought to start making small talk with anyone.
‘Maura Ryan, I arrest you.’
Her eyes flew open and she looked at the man beside her, dumbstruck.
‘But… but…’ Her voice was locked inside her throat.
‘I hope you’re pleased to see me?’ Terry’s voice was deep and husky. He was smiling that little lopsided grin that had captured her heart so many years before.
‘But I don’t understand. When I spoke to you …’
‘I was still trying to get on this flight then. They held the place for me, you know. One of the last perks of being a policeman. My final abuse of my position.’
He smiled at her again. ‘I don’t know if you want me, Maura. But I want you more than ever. I think deep in my heart I’ve always known that one day I would come and claim you as my own.’
She was still staring at him in absolute amazement. Terry was frightened now. If she pushed him away this
time it would be for good and he did not think he could live with that.
The plane began to taxi down the runway, building up speed. As its nose left the tarmac, Maura smiled at him.
‘Oh, Terry. I’m so glad you came. So very, very glad.’
He kissed her then, a long lingering kiss that was witnessed by the two boys in the seat in front. It was their giggling that broke them apart.
‘Do you mind?’ Terry’s voice was jocular and the two little faces disappeared from sight.
He looked at Maura’s radiant face and thanked God she still wanted him.
‘So you’re arresting me, are you?’ Her voice was full of love.
He nodded at her, drinking in every feature and contour of her face.
‘Yes, I’m arresting you … and I’m afraid that you’re going to get a life sentence. The whole of it to be spent with me.’
Maura looked at him seriously. ‘I’ll still be running the clubs and …’
Terry put his finger to her lips.
‘I don’t care, Maura. All I want from now on is you.’
They smiled at one another as the plane gradually flew higher into the sky.
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F Goodnight Lady
The infamous Briony Cavanagh: quite a beauty in her ‘ day, and powerful, too. In the sixties, she ran a string of the most notorious brothels in the East End. Patronised by peers and politicians - even royalty, some . said. Only Briony knew what went on behind those thick velvet curtains, those discreet closed doors, and Briony never opened her mouth - unless she stood to benefit. ” Only Briony knew the hard and painful road she’d ‘ travelled to get there. From an impoverished childhood that ended abruptly with shocking betrayal, she had schemed and manipulated, determined to be mistress of her own fate.
But her flourishing business brought her into contact with the darker side of life at the violent heart of London’s gangland. Along with her material success came risk and danger. And the Goodnight Lady had her own secret place, a place in her heart that was always shadowed with loss … ‘Move over Jackie [Collins Daily Mirror ‘Sheer escapism… gripping … will definitely keep! you guessing to the end’ Company ‘Graphic realism combined with dramatic flair make] this a winner’ Netta Martin, Annabel
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Table of Contents
Chapter Twenty-two 12 February 1985
Chapter Twenty-three 14 February 1985
Chapter Twenty-four 19 March 1985
Table of Contents
