Double Cross (28 page)

My admittedly naïve initial plan had been to get close
to McAuley. To follow orders – any orders – until I
learned something I could use against him. I'd planned to
become another Dan, with my eyes wide open and my
mouth tight shut. But now I had the memory stick, I'd be
stupid to pass up this opportunity.

My phone rang, just as I was about to switch on my
computer.

'Hello, Dan,' I said coolly, after reading the caller ID.

'Tobey, can you be at my house in five minutes?'

'Why?'

'I need your help,' said Dan.

It only took me a moment to decide.

'I'll be there,' I told him.

He disconnected the call, like he expected nothing less.

Five minutes later, I was standing outside Dan's door. I
hadn't forgotten Callie. Or my sister. I'd never forget the
way Jess looked when I opened the bathroom door. It kept
playing on repeat in my head, along with Callie being shot.
Even now I was afraid I'd give myself away with every word
I said to Dan and every look I gave him. Why would I even
think about helping him? Friends close. Enemies closer.

'Hi, Dan,' I said, the moment he opened the door.

'Hi, Tobey.'

Dan shifted from foot to foot. I stood perfectly still. I'd
never really noticed the way Dan fidgeted before. For the
first time I wondered if he was sampling his own merchandise.

'So what's the problem?'

'Mr McAuley just phoned and gave me a job to do, but
I can't do it alone,' said Dan.

'What's the job?'

'Some dagger, name of Boris Haddon. He owes Mr
McAuley money and I'm being sent to collect it. Mr
McAuley warned me this is my last chance. He told me if
I screw this up, then I'd better crawl under a rock and
stay there.'

'And you want me to help you strong-arm some guy
into giving you money? I don't think so, Dan. That's
called five to ten years in prison.'

'I just need some backup. I'll do all the talking and none
of us will come to any harm. He'll hand over the money
and we'll be on our way in less than a minute. But if I'm
alone, Haddon might be tempted to try something stupid.'

'Who is this Boris Haddon?'

'He owns a bakery in North Meadowview. It's doing
very well by all accounts.'

Hence a vulture like McAuley circling.

'Does Haddon know you're coming?'

''Course not,' Dan scoffed. 'At least . . . at least, I don't
think so.'

'So are you supposed to go to his house or his shop or
what?'

'Mr McAuley said Haddon would be in his shop till six
this evening, but I thought we could go now before the
lunch-time crowd hits the place.'

'Wouldn't McAuley have warned him to have the
money ready to hand over?' I argued. 'In which case,
Haddon does know you're coming.'

Dan considered. 'I suppose that makes sense,' he said
grudgingly.

'Did McAuley tell you to ask for my help?' I frowned.

'No.' Dan looked puzzled. 'Why would he? I'm asking
you as a friend.'

A friend . . .

'Are you going to help me then?' Dan asked. 'Please,
Tobey.'

Pause.

'OK, I'll do it.' But my reasons weren't exactly
altruistic. Not even close.

'Tobey, are you ready to get your hands dirty? 'Cause
you're no use to me if you're not prepared to back me up.'

'I'll give you all the backup you'd give me,' I replied.

Dan's eyes narrowed. I forced a smile.

'We're cool,' I told him. 'So how do we get to
Haddon's shop?'

Dan frowned. 'By bus. How d'you think?'

I only just managed to stop myself from creasing up.
Two hard-guy wannabes getting heavy with one of
McAuley's victims, then making good their escape on the
local bus. Oh yeah, we were really threatening! If this
Haddon guy managed to pick himself up from the floor
when he'd finished howling with laughter, then he just
might find the energy to boot Dan and me out of his shop.

'You'll need this,' said Dan, holding out a sheathed
knife, its handle towards me.

And all at once, it wasn't so funny any more. I hesitated.
Dan thrust it towards me. I took it.

'Am I likely to need it?' I asked.

'Probably,' said Dan. 'We have to show Haddon that
we mean business.'

'And if he has a gun?'

'He wouldn't be that stupid, not when he knows that
we work for Mr McAuley.'

Then why did we need knives? Dan sounded like he
was one hundred per cent sure this Haddon guy wouldn't
put up a fuss or a fight. But fear or desperation often
drove people to do things that stupidity alone would never
make them consider.

'Once you tell Haddon who you work for, surely you
won't need any kind of hardware?' I pointed out.

'It's for protection, just in case.'

I stuck the knife in my jacket pocket.

'I'll get my jacket,' Dan said, heading into his house.

The moment his back was turned, the mask-like expression
on my face slipped. My friend, Dan. The friend to all
– if the price was right and it didn't cost him anything. And
I had to hide my true feelings because I still needed him.
Hiding my true feelings was so hard, but I was becoming a
master at it. Dan grabbed his jacket off the banister and left
his house, slamming the door shut behind him just as
hard as he could. I was amazed the glass didn't fall out of it.

'Is your mum at home then?'

'Yeah, and fast asleep, but not alone.'

'Anyone you know?'

'Nope. She rolled in around three o'clock this morning,
pissed as a newt with some guy in tow. I locked my door
and left them to it.'

We walked in silence. In a world of changes, Dan's
mum was a constant. She'd been that way for as long as I
could remember. There'd been a time, before Dan started
working for McAuley, when the only decent meals he got
were round at my house. He used to bring his clothes to
ours to be washed as well, before he made enough money
to pay for a washer-dryer of his own.

My friend, Dan.

'Dan,' I began, 'what's your ambition?'

'What d'you mean?'

'I mean, what'll you be doing in five years' time, ten
years, fifteen?'

'I don't know, do I?'

'Will you still be working for McAuley?'

'Hell, no,' Dan said vehemently. 'I'll have my own
business by then. I'll be running things.'

'So you're not in McAuley's pocket?'

'I'm not in anyone's pocket. There's only three things
in this world I care about – me, myself and I.'

That I could believe.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Dan and I hopped off the
bus at the High Street. It was less than a minute's walk to
Haddon's bakery. I was about to walk in, but Dan's hand
on my arm stopped me.

'Tobey, are you OK with this?'

I nodded. 'Let's just get it over with before I come to
my senses.'

We walked in. The smell of fresh bread and sticky cakes
wafted enticingly around me. The shop was bright and
airy and spotlessly clean. Behind the counter was a door,
half wood, half frosted glass. Adjacent to the counter
against one wall was a huge fridge filled with sandwiches
and various drinks in bottles and cartons. Opposite, against
the other wall, were bakery racks filled with different
kinds of loaves, rolls and pastries, with tongs next to almost
every item that wasn't already wrapped. The cream cakes
were behind glass next to the counter and they looked
good. I could see why the shop was so popular. A Cross
man and a Nought woman were serving. Dan ambled
about looking at the sandwiches and pies. I stood by the
door as we'd agreed on the bus. When the last of the three
customers in the shop finally paid for her cottage loaf and
left, Dan nodded to me. I turned over the sign hanging on
the door to indicate that the shop was now closed, just as
a Cross man tried to enter the shop.

'Sorry, mate,' Dan called out. 'We're closing until we
catch all the mice that are running around over the shop
floor.'

The customer – ex-customer – looked horrified and
hurried off. I stood in front of the door so that no one else
could walk in uninvited.

'What d'you two think you're doing?' the Cross guy
who I assumed was Boris Haddon exclaimed angrily.

'It's OK, Mr Haddon,' Dan said amicably. 'Mr
McAuley sent us.'

Boris glanced uneasily at the Nought girl standing next
to him.

'Sophie, take the rest of the day off,' he told her.

'But, Mr Haddon . . .'

'Just do as I say,' said Boris. 'OK?'

Sophie looked from her boss to Dan and me and back
again. 'OK, Mr Haddon,' she replied nervously.

Boris gave her a studied look. Sophie pulled off her hat
and her apron, throwing them beneath the counter, before
bending to retrieve her jacket from the same place. Alarm
bells started pealing, only the cacophony was inside my
head, not in the shop. No employee kept their jacket
beneath the serving counter if there was somewhere else
to hang it up. Leaving personal possessions on the shop
floor was a guaranteed way to get them nicked. And from
the look of it, this shop had a private room behind the
counter. I shifted my position to try and see through the
frosted glass that led to the private room, but Boris moved
almost imperceptibly in my way. Almost, but not quite.

'Who did you say you two worked for?' Boris asked.

'Mr McAuley sent us,' Dan began. 'You need to pay my
boss what you owe—'

'Dan, I think we've got the wrong shop.'

Dan turned to me, frowning. 'What're you on about?
Of course we haven't . . .'

I tried a different tack. 'Dan, your boss only asked you
to request that the debt be paid within the next thirty
days.' I turned to the shop owner. 'Mr Haddon, we're
sorry to trouble you. We just wanted to politely request
that you send a cheque to . . . that you send on a cheque
at your earliest convenience.'

'Tobey, what the hell d'you think you're doing?' Dan
rounded on me.

'It's time for us to go,' I told him.

'The hell it is. I'm not leaving here without the money
this dagger owes Mr McAuley.' Dan's hand was already in
his jacket pocket as he started behind the counter.

I raced across the shop to step in front of him. Furious,
he tried to shove me out of the way. Eyes wide, mouth
open, Haddon took a couple of steps back. Dan's hand was
emerging from his jacket pocket, but his hand was no
longer empty. So I hit him. Less than a second later, he fell
to the ground, more from surprise than any other reason.
I certainly hadn't hit him that hard. I squatted down beside
him, holding out my hand to help him up, my other hand
also busy as it moved over his jacket pocket. Dan scowled
at me.

'Dan, I'm sorry about that . . .'

He pushed me aside as he struggled to get up under his
own steam.

'I apologize for the disturbance, Mr Haddon,' I said.
'Dan, we should leave—'

'Is this what you call having my back?' Dan asked with
contempt, shoving me backwards – hard.

He was starting towards me when the door behind Boris
Haddon opened and a swarm of coppers flooded out.

'DOWN ON THE GROUND. NOW.'

'GET DOWN.'

The orders were coming from all directions. I dropped
to the floor immediately. One copper knelt hard on my
back as he wrenched my arms back to slap handcuffs on
me. My head to one side, I glared at Dan. Slow or what?
Couldn't he pick up on what I'd been trying to tell him?
Boris Haddon knew we were coming all right. And he'd
set up a welcoming committee. There was only one
reason for Sophie, Haddon's employee, to keep her jacket
under the counter and that was because she didn't want to
reveal who was in the back room by opening the door. If
Dan had ever bothered to find himself an everyday, honest
job he'd have been able to work that out for himself.

I groaned as I was pulled to my feet, but it wasn't so
much the handcuffs or the pain in my back which made
me cringe. It was something else entirely. I was heading
back to the police station. Mum was going to do her nut!
Both Dan and I were patted down. Apart from two
mobile phones and some money, my pockets were empty.
The copper patting down Dan quickly found two knives
on him, one in each of his jacket pockets. Stunned, Dan
stared at them. He turned to me, shocked. But we had no
time to do more than exchange a look before we were
both bundled out of the shop and into separate police cars.

I ended up with an official reprimand as apparently I
wasn't old enough (by less than one month) to receive a
formal caution. I had trouble working out exactly what
the reprimand was for. As far as I could tell, the charge was
affray – which was totally specious, not to mention bogus
as far as I was concerned. What it did mean though was
that I was fingerprinted and a swab was taken from my
mouth to provide a DNA sample. I was told the records
would be destroyed after five years if I stayed out of
trouble, but I wasn't holding my breath on that one.
Everyone knew the police were trying to build up a DNA
database of all the Meadowview residents, especially us
Noughts. It was only a matter of time before the DNA of
everyone in the whole bloody country was held on some
computer or other.

But I knew I should count myself lucky. Dan was
charged with carrying offensive weapons and remanded
on conditional bail. It could've been worse. He could've
been charged with extortion or whatever the proper legal
term for that is, but apparently he didn't say enough to
make an extortion charge indisputable. He'd had a damn
good try, though. I still couldn't believe how slow on the
uptake he'd been. So the charge of carrying offensive
weapons was the best the police could do. Dan was taken
back to a cell to await the arrival of his mum. Knowing
her, he'd be waiting an awfully long time.

And if Mum was angry before, she was spitting nails and
breathing fire by the time she came to get me. One look
at her face, and staying in a cell seemed almost preferable.
She didn't waste a breath before she started.

'What did I say to you about not bringing the police to
my door?' she stormed. 'And not just once but twice in
one day. Are you aiming for some kind of record?'

'I'm sorry, Mum,' I mumbled.

'Sorry?
Sorry?
' That just made her even more angry. 'I
don't want to hear sorry. And what were you doing in a
bakery in North Meadowview?'

'It was just a misunderstanding, Mum,' I said. 'Dan and
I were just mucking around. Mr Haddon overreacted.'

'What were you doing with Dan in the first place?'

'Just hanging out. Mum, I didn't think it would do any
harm—'

'And this is exactly how it starts.' Mum shook her head.
'Tobey, tell me something, does Dan work for McAuley?'

'I . . . I think so, but Mum, I don't. You've got to
believe me, McAuley has got nothing that I want.
Absolutely nothing,' I said quietly.

'I don't want you hanging round Dan. He's going
nowhere fast and I don't want you tagging along for the
ride.'

I looked around to make sure no one was within
earshot. 'Mum, you're gonna have to trust me. Please, just
trust me.' I don't know what it was – the expression on
my face, some note in my voice – but something halted
her tirade. She studied me long and hard.

'Tobey, what're you up to?'

I looked around again, nervous as a cat in a room full of
rocking chairs.

'Nothing, Mum.'

'Don't give me that, Tobey. I know you. And I know
when you're up to something,' said Mum.

'Mum, I—'

'Has all this got something to do with Callie getting
shot?' she said slowly. 'Tobey, please tell me you're
not—?'

'Mum, I'm not about to do anything stupid,'
I interrupted. 'Besides, I've got you to keep me on the
straight and narrow.'

'Tobey, this isn't funny,' said Mum.

I sighed. 'I know. I'm sorry.'

'If I had any sense, I would ground you for the rest of
the holiday.'

'Mum, I won't get into any more trouble, I promise.'
At least, I promise I'll try not to. 'Besides, I want to visit
Callie later. Please?'

'Hmmm . . .' Mum wasn't the least bit convinced, but
she didn't follow through with her threat to ground me. I
hadn't yet told her that I no longer worked at TFTM,
which helped. I suspected that was the only reason she
wasn't confining me to the house.

'So when you wake up later, if I'm not at home, that's
where I am – OK?' I said, pushing my luck.

We took a couple of steps towards the door, but I
couldn't go any further, much as I wanted to. And I really,
really
wanted to.

'Mum,' I began, 'I need a favour.'

Mum stared at me like one of us had lost our mind and
she was trying to figure out which one. 'Tobey, I'm fighting
a really powerful urge to explain all about the biological
structure of nerves and their abundance in the human
body.'

'Why would you want to tell me about nerves?' I
frowned.

'So that when I tell you you're getting on every last one of
mine, you'll appreciate just how serious that is,' she replied.

Godsake! Sometimes Mum was too much of a nurse.
'I really need this favour, Mum.'

'Tobey, you've got more cheek showing than a
maternity ward. You drag me down here – twice – and
you think you've got a favour coming?'

'It isn't for me, Mum. It's for Dan. He's still locked up
in this place and you know what his mum is like. She'll let
him rot in here.'

'And what has that got to do with me?' asked Mum
testily.

'Mum, we've got to help him. He's in trouble.'

'He is trouble, never mind anything else,' she snapped.

'Mum, this is important. Please. He doesn't have
anyone else.'

'Dan is not my concern. You are,' Mum argued.

McAuley had given Dan one last chance and Dan had
messed up. For the life of me, I didn't understand why I
should feel any anxiety for him. Rotting in a cell was no
more than he deserved. But if I left him here, the only other
person who'd bail him out was McAuley. And no matter
what Dan had done, I couldn't leave him to McAuley's
tender mercies. I had enough on my conscience already.

'Mum, we have to get Dan out of here.'

Mum frowned at me, her frown deepening as she
scrutinized my face. 'Has this got something to do with
Dan and McAuley?'

I nodded, albeit reluctantly.

'They're not going to release Dan into my custody. I'm
not his mother.'

'Yes, they will,' I argued. 'The prisons and the police
cells are already overcrowded so they're not going to keep
anyone for longer than strictly necessary. As long as you
say you'll take responsibility for him and sign the necessary
paperwork, they'll let him go. Just tell them that if they
don't release him into your custody, they'll be looking
after him until his next birthday.'

'Take a seat,' said Mum after a few moments. 'I'll be
back in a minute.'

'I'll come with you,' I said.

'No you won't. If you want me to help Dan, you'll do
as I say. Sit down and stay put. I mean it, Tobey.'

'OK,' I agreed reluctantly.

I stayed put, but remained standing as I watched her
head over to the reception desk. She and the woman
behind the desk had a long and heated discussion which
looked like it was veering dangerously close to an
argument at times. Finally the officer called over one of
her colleagues to help behind the desk whilst she headed
off somewhere. Ten minutes later she emerged with
Dan walking beside her, followed by DI Boothe, who
barely glanced at me. The scowl on Dan's face when he
saw me could've soured honey. He watched Mum
sign the forms for his release, then we all left the police
station together with Mum walking slightly ahead of us.

'Am I supposed to be grateful?' Dan asked belligerently.

'No,' I replied.

'Mr McAuley warned me not to screw this up,' he said,
an edge to his voice. 'He already thinks I'm a liability.
When he hears about this . . .'

'It's not your fault Haddon called in the police,' I said.

'Mr McAuley won't see it that way,' said Dan bitterly.
'So now I've got McAuley on my left and the cops on my
right, thanks to that stunt you pulled. You had my back all
right, just so you could stab me in it.'

The words I wanted – needed – to say were burning
holes right through me. But I kept most of them inside.
Forcing myself to stay calm, I said, 'Dan, since we're
discussing backstabbers, explain to me why you felt the
need to sell smack to my sister.'

Shocked, Dan took a half-step back. He put out his
hands to ward me off even though I hadn't moved a
muscle. 'Tobey, your sister came to me, not the other way
round, I swear.'

'And that makes it OK, does it?'

'She said if I didn't sell her some gear she'd find
someone else who would,' Dan rushed on. 'I thought if
she got it from me, at least I could make sure she wasn't
smoking something harmful . . .'

''Cause smack isn't harmful?'

'I told her she didn't want to start up with that stuff, but
she wouldn't listen.'

'So you figured if someone was going to make some
money from Jessica, it might as well be you?'

'No, you've got it all wrong. I was just trying to help.'

Help?
Was he serious? My eyes narrowed.

'Tobey, listen. Please. Jess came to me.'

'When?'

'What?'

'When did she first come to you?' I said patiently. 'How
long have you been selling that stuff to her?'

'I've only sold to her twice. The first time was four or
five weeks ago. That's it.'

I studied Dan, my eyes never leaving his face. Did I ever
really know him? He sure as hell didn't know me. Once
again, all the words burning inside my head had to stay
there. I couldn't even clench my fists. The definition of
growing up – hiding what you truly feel, suppressing what
you really want to do. Unless you were McAuley or the
Dowds. I was beginning to see the attraction of their
particular way of life. There was a definite appeal to living
by your own set of rules. A very definite appeal.

'Dan, listen carefully 'cause I'm only going to say this
once,' I said, once I trusted my voice to stay calm. 'Stay
away from my sister.'

'OK, Tobey. OK,' Dan agreed.

He kept shifting from foot to foot. I stood like a statue,
watching him. Ice was crystallizing in my veins and moving
irrevocably through my body. Dan was nervous. I wasn't.
We stood in thorny silence, regarding each other. And in
that moment I knew that I'd lost him. No matter what
happened now, we'd never go back to the way we once
were; we'd never fully trust each other again. One day I
might forgive him for what he'd done, but I'd never
forget. He was probably feeling exactly the same way. In
spite of the warmth of the day, that realization made me cold
and sad.

We started walking again, though now we were way
behind my mum.

'When did you slip the knife into my pocket?' asked Dan.

'When I was trying to help you up. I couldn't be caught
with it,' I said, my voice edged with reluctant apology.

'And I could? Thanks a lot.'

There was nothing I could say to that. The silence
between us continued to eat away at our friendship.

'Dan, I'm sorry.'

'No, you're not,' Dan shot back. 'Sorry implies that if
you could go back, you'd do things differently. We both
know that you wouldn't change a thing.'

I didn't say anything because he was right. Dan looked
at me, such a look that I stopped walking and reluctantly
faced him to hear what he had to say.

'This isn't about your sister, though, is it?' Dan said
quietly. 'Jessica added fuel to the fire, but what happened
to Callie started it. I never realized till now just how much
you hate me for what happened to Callie Rose.'

He had my full attention.

'I thought you blamed McAuley and the Dowds,' he
continued. 'But you blame me as well. I was the one who
asked you to deliver that package to Louise Resnick and
there was no way the Dowds were going to let McAuley
get away with the torture of one of their own.'

'We've already been through this—'

'Yes, but I'm seeing the real you now,' said Dan.
'McAuley's driven by greed and pride and the lust for
power. With you it's different.'

'What d'you mean?'

Dan studied me like he'd just had a revelation. 'All this
started because Callie was shot, and maybe you even
managed to convince yourself for a while that she was the
one you were doing all this for. But that's not true any
more, is it?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' I frowned. I
wasn't sure I wanted to find out either.

'This has stopped being about Callie. It's not about
Jessica. It's not even about me. You've moved on from
that. This is now about you.'

'How sad are you?' I laughed derisively. 'Is this how
you manage to get through each day? By blaming
everyone but yourself ?'

'If this was about your sister, you would've taken me apart
the moment you saw me earlier. If this was about Callie
Rose, you would've come after me the moment you left the
hospital after she was injured. That's what I would've done.
But that wasn't enough for you. It still isn't.'

'Maybe I didn't come after you when Callie Rose was
shot because I didn't blame you,' I ventured.