Hard Girls (23 page)

‘You OK, Kate?’

She laughed loudly then. She realised that she needed a laugh, needed to express her anger, her disappointment at the human condition. She needed to vent her own feelings of abandonment, feelings that were even worse now she knew the poor girl who had died alone and unwanted had felt as unimportant as she, in turn, now felt.

‘Of course I’m not, Annie. Are you? As much of a bitch as that woman was, we’re still no nearer to finding out anything about the girl’s last few hours, are we? We know she was terrified but unable to even move a muscle. She was aware of what was happening to her, and she could see her killer, until her eyes were dissolved inside her head of course. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, her mate left her dying without a second
fucking
thought. So
no
, Annie, I’m
not
OK. If that’s all right with you, of course? I mean, unless you think I’m taking over again, you know, pushing you out. I would hate for you to think that I’m only here to take all the glory. Perhaps you think I’m not really interested in finding the actual murderer, that I’m only interested in making a name for myself. A name that I have already earned, darling. A name that has kept
you
on board for a long time. Long before all this.’

Annie was not just shocked at the way Kate had gone at her, but more by the words she had used to knock her down. She made Annie feel useless, as if she had no real talent for what they were doing. She heard the contempt in Kate’s words, in the timbre of her voice. She heard the scorn and the disrespect that was aimed at her, and she pulled the car over into a lay-by.

Kate was still fuming. She could feel the anger coming off her in invisible waves and knew that one wrong move and she would, once again, demolish this woman with a few more well-chosen words.

‘How dare you speak to me like that? How
dare
you. I have never given you anything but the utmost respect. I expected you to treat me in the same way.’

Kate shook her head sadly and, sighing loudly, she said honestly, ‘Oh will you fuck off, Annie. You expected me to give you the benefit of my experience, and I have done that, darling. Without me, you haven’t got a fucking case. The arsehole has given me carte blanche, and do you know why? Because he doesn’t want anyone else sniffing round, and I have the creds to stop them forcing the issue. You think you can do without me? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can’t, love. And I’m not in the mood any more to mollycoddle you. You live in
my
house, very cheaply I might add, and you’re aspiring to do my job. A job that I did very well, very,
very
successfully.
You
asked me to help you out, give you the benefit of my expertise and believe me, darling, I have more experience than that fucking lot at Grantley put together.
You
included. And I was willing to do that for you, but you’ve turned on me a couple of times now and, as Patrick would have said, you are giving me the ache. Because without me, you are basically nothing. Do you get that?
Nothing
. I have tried my hardest to help you along. I know better than anyone how difficult it is to be a woman and a Filth. But if you don’t fucking change your attitude, I will personally bury you, my darling, professionally and personally, and don’t think I won’t. I have had enough, Annie. You need to sort out who your friends are, and my advice is, sort that out sooner rather than later. I have swallowed your petty grievances, and your fucking imbecilic jealousy. But that’s it for me now, and I’m not in any way inclined to let this murder inquiry become muddied because of your fucking ego. So get off my back, and work with me on this, or leave me be. If the arsehole has to choose between us, darling, we both know who he will pick.’

Annie was dumbstruck at Kate’s attack, and it
was
an attack, they both knew that. Kate laughed then, really laughed. ‘Have I upset you, Annie? Well, that’s too fucking bad. I’m not in the mood for your histrionics any more. We both know that you are the second fiddle, so get over it and stop trying to become the top dog because, believe me when I say this to you, you have a long way to go before you could even come close to me and what I have achieved. If I was a man, you wouldn’t have dared challenge me and you know it. And, while we’re being honest, if you don’t like living with me, get somewhere else, go and find yourself a flat. But remember, you won’t learn half as much from books or talk. I am willing to make you into the policewoman you want to be and that is something that I’ve never offered to anyone else. Only you, because I really believed you had it in you. Don’t you go and prove me wrong now. Don’t make me regret all the time we’ve spent Page

Chapter Twelve

‘So, you thought I wouldn’t find out the score, that I was too fucking stupid to suss any of it out for meself?’

Danny was frightened. He had never seen Patrick so angry. He had heard about his colossal temper, knew it was something that only emerged if he was seriously pissed off. Now he was seeing it first-hand and he could understand how Patrick had stayed at the top of his game for so long. He knew that this man in front of him, this angry man, was capable of walking out of his house and hunting down anyone who he thought
might
have been involved in this trouble. He was so incensed he was incapable of listening to reason or excuses.

Danny was clear that all his prior dealings with Patrick Kelly, and his sister’s place in both their lives, meant nothing to Pat now. Patrick Kelly too was on a mission, and he would not rest until he had seen it through to the end.

‘Did you know the full extent of Desmond’s fucking skulduggery?’

Danny didn’t respond, he knew he wasn’t really expected to. Patrick wanted to vent his anger first and if he answered him now, all he would do was annoy Pat even more. That was the last thing he had any intention of doing.

‘Did you know that he used Kate,
my
Kate, Kate Burrows, a
Filth
, and the woman I shared my life with, did you know that he used her name to launder the money he skanked off me? The money he made off
my
name and
my
reputation. Did you know that, cl for a reasonc bconvinced a blind eyeever bollocks? I sussed out Peter from the off, he ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, know what I mean? But he’s an old mate, and that means a lot to me. I also knew that Jennifer would watch
my
arse, she is more trusty than a fucking cricketer’s cockbox. You see my point, Danny Boy, it was
Desmond
I never saw coming. And he used the O’Learys. I didn’t expect it from Desmond. But apparently
you
did. Apparently
you
saw fit to keep your fucking trap shut about the things that were most important. So, given all that, I can only assume that you are either a
cunt
of Olympian standards, or you stood to gain from my fucking downfall. This is something I feel very strongly about, as I am sure you realise.

‘I can also inform you that Desmond went missing today, but then I have a feeling you might know about that. You come here, telling me all your gossip, but you keep the real gossip to yourself. So now I have to start digging on me own. And I am the digger of diggers. I can find out anything I want. Like you and your sister’s stints in care, your mother’s fucking nut-bag lunacy. But I let that go, I thought you were worth the effort. I thought you were worth my time. What I never allowed for was that you would throw my good nature back in my boat-race. I am stressed, really stressed, about all this. I think that
you
owe me an explanation, and it had better be a good one. I have never suffered fools gladly. In fact, fools have never entertained me. I hate fools, I hate idiots and, back in the day, I had a habit of making them disappear. Permanently. But then I am sure you already have a working knowledge of my past endeavours.

‘Well, my advice to you is, think about what I am saying, and find my fucking missing money, and find it quick. I pay you exorbitant amounts of poke to do my dirty work, and this is not just dirty, it’s fucking disgusting. I also have a long memory and I never forget a slight. I never forget someone who mugs me off and, do you know something, Danny? They never forget me either.’

Danny took it all, and he took it calmly. Danny knew he had to prove himself to Patrick, not just with his loyalty, but also his ability to take what was coming without fear or favour. Patrick had to know that he was not someone who would hold a grudge, was not someone who would see his own personal ego as more important than the person he was being employed by. Danny Boy saw that this was a water-shed, not just for him, but for Patrick too. After all, Patrick had taken him under his wing. He’d trusted him. And now he needed to prove that the trust placed in him was not misplaced, he had to prove that he
was
loyal,
was
dependable, and that he was more than capable of taking a bollocking. A bollocking that he knew he deserved, because he had tried to sort this out without going to Patrick and telling him everything that he’d found out. He had been a fool, had believed he could sort it out himself.

He had dropped the proverbial, he had wanted to come to this man with all the answers but, unfortunately, the answers had not been as forthcoming as he’d expected. In fact, he had not realised that Desmond had covered his own arse in many respects. Or how far he’d gone. He now understood that he was still a novice where Patrick and his ilk were concerned. The knowledge hurt Danny, but it was also a learning curve. He recognised that experience far outweighed front, and it also outweighed pride.

‘I am sorry, Pat, I wanted to nip this all in the bud and come to you when it was sorted. I wanted to prove to you that I was capable of sorting out any little discrepancies, that I didn’t have to come to you for every problem Page

‘Little discrepancies? Are you having a fucking tin bath at my expense? Little discrepancies are when a onner or a monkey goes amiss in the betting offices. Little discrepancies are when a till is out in one of the clubs, it is
not
classed as a
little discrepancy
when
my
fucking money is being used to bankroll drug deals and my name is being used to garner said drug deals. Especially when, after all that, I ain’t even getting a fucking drink from it all. I see that as more of a major fuck up. Not on my part, you understand. More on the part of the fucking imbecile who thought it might be a good idea at the time. I don’t want your apologies, Danny Boy, I want you to sort it out. I pay you to front my operations, and I pay you fucking well. So now, I want you to sort this, and sort it soon.

‘The O’Learys have the right arse with Desmond, so I can only assume they have had a word with him. I suspect that Scott of the Antarctic has a better chance of turning up in the near future than our Desmond. So you had better make sure that Kate is without stain, as they put in the Bible. Kate never asked to be a part of this, and I will not let her be crucified because of her job. As much as I hate the Filth, and I do hate them, make no mistake about that, Kate is not one of the ones we avoid. She is the one we really want to be there if one of our family get murdered. Know what I mean, Danny? She is one of the good guys. She is also someone who is not deserving of losing her reputation over a piece of shit like Desmond. Incidentally, Desmond has left his wife power of attorney, and she knows where the money is, the stuck-up, two-faced whore, and I am relying on you to make sure that she returns it to its rightful owner. That would be me, by the way.’

Danny had always known that Patrick Kelly had been a force to be reckoned with back in the day, but he now realised that Patrick might have retired from the game, but he had not lost the power to roar. Patrick Kelly was as powerful as he had ever been.

Danny understood then the authority he commanded. Patrick had always concealed his strengths though, had understood that it was far more sensible to keep your power hidden away.

All the time Danny had believed, deep down, that Patrick was finished, was over the hill, he had actually been at the height of his power. Patrick Kelly had something that most people never really attained. He had respect. Desmond had used Patrick’s name to broker his deals, and the O’Learys had taken that on face value. Now they knew the score, they had taken out Desmond, not Patrick. Patrick was still powerful enough to ensure that his demise would bring unwelcome aggravation on the people responsible. Someone had tried to take him out years ago, but he had survived, and gone back after them with a rightful vengeance that made sure no one would attempt anything like that again without the help of at least a tactical nuclear weapon.

Patrick saw the truth dawning on Danny’s face, and it grieved him, even though he knew it was inevitable. He had always hidden his light under the nearest bushel, it was what had kept him out of trouble from day one.

‘Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practise to deceive. My old mum used to say that to me, and I never understood it for years. She was a shrewd old bird, and she could have more fights than John Wayne. I take after her, Danny, I feel it is only fair to warn you about that. I want
you
to sort this, and sort it sooner rather than later. As for the O’Learys, I could swallow them their nearest and dearest to her challengey
whole
, you remember that, boy, because I can assure you that they do. They will do anything to make it right with me. The man ain’t been born who can frighten me. And I can be one frightening bastard when the fancy takes me. Kate calmed me down, but even she knows that, push me too far, and I’ll hunt you down like a fucking rabid dog, and I’ll smile while I do it.’

Danny understood that he had made a fatal mistake. Patrick Kelly was back in the driving seat and, the worst thing of all was, he was relishing every fucking moment. He was loving every second of it. Without Kate to hold him in check, he was like a kid in a candy store. Overexcited, pumped up on sugar, and determined to do whatever he wanted. Patrick was enjoying himself, and that was what could well be the cause of not only his downfall, but also that of everyone else involved. These were dangerous times, and Danny knew he had better prove himself, once and for all.