Someone Else's Conflict (35 page)

She followed his gaze down towards the sinister wind-whispering trees by her house. ‘He's with you now?'

‘You must think I'm talking gibberish. I'm not superstitious, really I'm not, but that boy… He's real. He's there.'

She sensed real fear, put her arm round his shoulders and hugged him to her. He rested his head on her.

‘I keep thinking I can send him away. Last year, when I gave Anja and Boris Pranjić that money, I thought that was it. After all, I didn't have to do it.' He sat up straight and spread his arms. ‘It was meant to be a great big gesture that would finally lay it all to rest. The boy promised to leave me alone. But then I met you. I dared to hope.' He made a darting movement with his hand. ‘He was right back, as if that chance of happiness was too much.'

He stood abruptly. She watched his back for a moment as he strode down the hill, before hurrying to catch him up.

‘Jay, you
have
got that chance. You've told me now. I'm still here, aren't I?'

She grabbed his arm. He slowed but didn't stop.

‘I want to believe that you forgive me, you don't know how much, but… Oh, Polly, I'm so glad you keep on trying. One day…' He shook his head. ‘But perhaps not. You don't need any of it.'

‘Of course I do!' She pulled on his arm and was surprised how easily she managed to stop him. She drew him to her and kissed him and he responded passionately before drawing away.

‘One day,' he said again and smiled, but set off purposefully towards the house.

This time there was no stopping him and he wouldn't be drawn to say another word. When they got back to the house he put the kettle on.

‘Time for a coffee then I'd better make my way over to Bradford. Make sure I'm in plenty of time for my important meeting.'

The irony in his voice betrayed his unease.

‘I've been thinking about that. You can't just take it on yourself. I could tell the police for you. Get you some back-up. I'll make sure—'

‘No! Sorry. I don't know what I believe any more but if Vinko's in trouble
…
If whoever he's with got the slightest whiff of the police I hate to think what might happen to him. I've got to do as they say.' He paused, twisting his scarf. ‘I'm probably being gullible, but I can't help it. I want to believe Vinko didn't mean it. I'm worried about him.'

The shrilling of the phone interrupted him. Marilyn sighed as she answered it.

‘It's Lucy from Barton Mill here.'

‘Oh, hi. Matt left a while back, I'm afraid. He was going up to see some guy—'

‘No probs; it's not him I want to speak to. Vinko's here looking for your Jay.'

‘Vinko?' She went cold. ‘Lucy, are you all
right
?'

Jay came and stood by her. She put the phone on speaker so he could listen in.

‘Yeah…yeah, sure.' She paused, then her next words came spilling out. ‘He doesn't look like he'd hurt a fly and in any case he's in a really bad way. He's landed Jay in trouble but he had no choice and now he wants to find him and…and I think he should go to the police but he daren't and I can't just do it behind his back because the poor lad's in such a state. Can you come over? I feel out of my depth to be honest. Have you got Jay there? He's desperate to see him.'

‘Are you sure it's not a trap? What do you mean “had no choice”?'

‘He was forced to make some phone call, at gunpoint.'

‘You mean when he spoke to Jay yesterday?'

‘Yeah, that. He was rambling all over the place, but as far as I can gather, these two guys took him off to a house somewhere. They got him to talk – something about some money, you know? – by shoving his head under water till he half drowned – again and again – and he's really beating himself up that he even mentioned Jay, but – oh, Marilyn! There are these fag burns all over his hands and when they gave him his phone and said tell Jay, they stuck one on his knee and said that's where we'll shoot if you say a word wrong. They were at it again last night trying to find out more, where you live and all that, but the poor lad claims he doesn't
know
any more. Makes me shudder to think! So, late on they went out and he managed to get out of the cupboard they'd locked him in – he seems well sharp even in the state he's in, even nicked the money for a taxi fare can you believe. He turned up at the shop first thing this morning looking for Jay.'

‘Where is he now?'

‘Upstairs in the flat. I told him to get some sleep, though whether he will or not… keeps going on about letting people down, but honestly, no one in their right mind could blame him. But I don't know what to do now. How soon can you get here?'

Marilyn glanced at Jay.

‘We'll be straight over – twenty minutes at the outside, OK?'

She hung up and grabbed her car keys.

Chapter 29

‘You don't believe her, do you?' Marilyn said without taking her eyes off the road.

‘Not Lucy – Vinko,' Jay replied, on the defensive. ‘Of course I want to believe him – but how do we know this isn't just another part of the act?'

He wanted so much to believe Vinko hadn't turned against him, whatever the implications.

‘You only spoke to him on the phone. She's actually seen him.'

Jay shrugged. ‘We'll find out soon enough. If he's lying, she's in trouble. If he's not, they both are. We've got to go either way.'

He looked across at her.

‘I know it's a big ask, love, but if…if what he told Lucy is the truth, could we bring him back to Stoneleigh for a bit?'

‘You're joking!'

‘I mean it, Pol.'

She stared at the road ahead. ‘Hasn't it gone far enough? Can't we just let the police deal with it?'

‘I'm not saying we shouldn't, but…say we give him a break, talk to him first.
If
we decide to believe him. Lucy's going to call the cops straight away, I know. He might want to stay at Barton Mill, but if he doesn't… Just so he knows—'

‘He can trust you.' She sighed. ‘He'd better do a damn good job of convincing me he hasn't told those thugs where I live. Let's see what we find. I'm not promising anything.'

As they pulled into the car park, Jay paused before opening the car door.

‘Are you sure about this, love? On second thoughts, you could always just drop me off. Come and collect me…us…' He shrugged. ‘I don't want you following me into trouble.'

‘Don't patronise me, Spinney.'

He grinned. ‘It's for your own good, you know.'

The tension in the car eased a little as she smiled back. ‘Shut up, let's go.'

As they made their way up to Matt and Lucy's shop they heard signs of life in the two other ground-floor units. There was a handwritten sign on the first-floor door.

Temporarily closed. Back by 11. Sorry for any inconvenience. L

‘They must be up at the flat,' Polly said.

Jay nodded and followed her up the stairs. Like the floor below, there was only one door. She knocked and they heard indistinct sounds inside. He glanced at Polly and she took his hand as they waited. He squeezed it briefly and she knocked again. He thought he heard footsteps. No one answered. After a third try he raised an eyebrow; she looked worried but nodded and he tried the door, with mixed feelings when it gave.

‘Let me go first,' he whispered.

As he pushed the door open slowly he heard a crash from a room to his left. The world seemed unnaturally bright and clear and he could hear his heart thumping in his ears. He gestured to Polly to wait by the door and stepped in. The boy from Paševina was standing by a window directly across the room, and Jay's heart skipped a beat as he saw it was wide open.

‘Who's there?' he called in the direction of the noise he'd heard. There was a scuffle and he called again. ‘Lucy? Vinko?'

The door of what looked like the bathroom was ajar and he heard footsteps. He wished he had something to defend himself with. Vinko appeared in the doorway clutching a flick knife. Jay grabbed a carved soapstone figure from the coffee table and looked back at Vinko, shocked by what he saw. There were dark shadows round his eyes and his hands were bandaged. One of the bandages had come loose and was trailing from his wrist. The lad's eyes looked wild.

‘It…it's all right,' Vinko said, looking past him to Polly. ‘I knock things over being…you know…clumsy. I'm sorry to hide. Lucy said you're coming. But you scared me.'

Jay nodded. ‘You scared us too. She phoned and told us what you'd said.'

His voice sounded more suspicious than he'd intended and he felt bad about it. They stared at each other.

‘It's true that I tell her. You believe me, please, Jay?'

Jay nodded, giving Vinko a brief smile as he realised he did. ‘So where is she now – Lucy?'

Vinko frowned. ‘The shop. She left so I can rest, she would phone you without to disturb me. She knows I'm OK and—'

‘She's not there.' Jay swallowed, glanced at Polly.

Vinko shrugged. ‘She said when there are no customers she will go to pharmacy to buy painkillers and…?' He paused, ran a hand over the bandage on his arm.

‘Antiseptic?'

He nodded. ‘Things like them. I think she will return here soon.'

Jay breathed a little more easily before giving Vinko a pointed look.

‘Please will you put that down?'

Vinko glanced at the knife as if he'd forgotten he was grasping it, folded it and tucked it into the pocket of a pair of jeans that sagged baggily beneath an ill-fitting sweatshirt. Jay followed the movement with his eyes, unable to mask his disapproval.

‘How do you come to have that thing?'

‘I always have it. I taked it back for myself when I escaped yesterday night – this morning. I thought the knocking was someone else. It is…in the case of trouble.' He looked at the ornament in Jay's hand. ‘But you, Jay. You put that down also. No stealing, yes?'

He grinned suddenly and before Jay knew it the lad was clutching him in a bear hug like his only friend in a hostile world.

‘I took my phone back, too, and tried to call you. You didn't answer.' The familiarity caused him to slip back into Croatian. ‘This was the only place I could think of to look for you. I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble.'

Jay muttered awkward words of reassurance, but Vinko pulled away.

‘No. I mustn't be weak. I was weak yesterday, I was weak earlier when Lucy told me, “You must rest, Vinko, you're safe now.” She must have been crazy to think I could sleep, but I was crazier because I
did
sleep.' He shook his head in disgust. ‘I should have been alert, I shouldn't have slept. I was drowsy and confused when you—'

‘Why don't you sit down?' They both looked round to where Polly was still waiting by the door, though she'd shut it behind her. She waved to the sofa where a crumpled blanket suggested Vinko had been sleeping. ‘I don't know what you've been saying but you look done in. Sit down before you go any further.'

Vinko obeyed. She went over to the wide-open window, turned and gave him a questioning look.

‘When I heard the knocking I think of the way to escape,' he said.

She leaned out, shook her head and closed the window.

‘Jay, don't you think—'

‘Let's give it a minute. Please, love?' He turned to Vinko, trying to smile. ‘Vinko, this is Marilyn. Marilyn – Vinko.'

‘I am pleased for knowing you,' he said. ‘I think you hear bad things about me, but—'

‘Don't worry about that.'

‘Thank you. You sit down also, please.'

She smiled and sat on the other sofa. Jay positioned himself beside her, a protective arm around her.

‘Who are they?' he asked.

‘My uncle, Mihal Novak—' He looked away. ‘I'm sorry, Jay. I really did tell him…when we were together. I say to him I don't want to… I must – I should…'

‘Don't worry about me,' Polly said. ‘Speak whatever language you like. Jay can explain to me.'

Vinko flashed her a grateful smile before turning back to Jay.‘I should have told you when you asked. I couldn't. I like you, how could I? He was asking all the time about my grandparents' money. I did want to meet them, honestly I did, for myself, but he kept on asking me to find out more. And,' he looked away, ‘he wanted me to find you. And it was all for…for someone else.'

‘Who?'

Vinko stared at the carpet. ‘Lek.'

‘Lek?' Jay felt the world drop away from him as he stared at Vinko in disbelief. The boy from Paševina was leaning insolently against the wall behind him, with an expression that said, ‘It's your turn now.' ‘I thought Lek was in prison.'