Chapter 7
It was New Year’s Eve. Well, it was now two in the morning so officially it was New Year’s Day, but the taxi situation in central Manchester was showing no sign of improving. A fine drizzle of icy rain was sinking through Nella’s impractically thin coat and she wanted her bed, but it was a matter of either queuing indefinitely for a cab along with hundreds of other revellers or making the five-mile trek back to Tommy’s house on foot.
Or spending the night on the sofa at her friend Trish’s place, which was just a few minutes away.
‘Come on.’ Trish tugged at her sleeve. ‘Stay at mine. You know you want to.’
It was a no-brainer really. Nella’s stilettos were killing her feet and Trish had already reeled off a list of all the snacks she had back at hers. She tucked her arm through Trish’s for warmth and said, ‘Toasted cheese sandwiches and pickled gherkins it is. Let’s do it.’
‘You have to promise me one thing, though.’ Trish wagged a finger at her. ‘No waking me up early tomorrow with that phone of yours. You know what you’re like. In fact, give it to me now.’ Nella’s job working for Tommy Kessler meant that her phone was famous for ringing at all hours of the day and night.
‘There.’ Trish ceremoniously switched it off and tucked it into her own handbag. ‘Done. You can have it back tomorrow.’
They eventually crashed out at around four in the morning. Nella didn’t wake up until eleven thirty, which was a novelty in itself. When she looked out of the window, she saw that the rain had stopped and watery sunshine was brightening the pale grey sky.
Then she switched on her phone, and her blood ran cold when she saw just how many messages from Tommy were stacked up waiting to be read.
She’d called him last night just after midnight, when the fireworks had died down, and they’d fondly wished each other a happy new year. Everything had been fine then.
And now this.
‘Thank GOD,’ Tommy shouted when he heard her voice. ‘I thought you were dead. Are you OK? Where are you? Are you hurt?’
For some reason he’d clearly been going out of his mind with worry. Bewildered, Nella said, ‘I’m fine. We couldn’t get a cab so I stayed at Trish’s last night. I’m sorry, I should have been at yours—’
‘You idiot, think what could have happened if you’d been there. You’re all right and that’s what matters. Jesus, I’ve been frantic. You never turn your phone off.’
Nella scrolled at lightning speed and with mounting horror through the stream of messages he’d left. There’d been an arson attack, a deliberate attempt to destroy his house. Luckily the smoke alarms had gone off, alerting the neighbours, and the fire brigade had arrived in time to put out the flames before the whole place was burned to the ground. ‘How bad is it?’
‘Not great. Going to take a while to sort out.’
‘Who did it?’
‘I’ve seen the CCTV. Some guy with his hood up and a mask on. He set fire to some cloths and shoved them through the letter box, then legged it.’ He paused. ‘You mean who’s behind it and has he made sure he has a watertight alibi? Can you hazard a guess?’
Nella was pacing the living room, still wearing last night’s dress. Her heart was racing. Tommy had been involved in some shady business in the past, but as far as she was aware, those days were behind him now. She prayed he hadn’t got himself involved in some kind of war with the city’s drugs gangs. ‘I don’t know. Tell me.’
‘I should have warned you,’ he said. ‘God, you could have been killed. I never meant for anything like this to happen. He wasn’t supposed to find out.’
‘Who?’
‘Jed Diamond. He’s a madman. He’s trying to kill me.’
Jed Diamond owned the Ace of Diamonds, a massive entertainment venue in central Manchester, and was rumoured to be heavily involved in the import and distribution of drugs.
Nella closed her eyes. ‘But why? Is it to do with the dealing? You aren’t involved with any of that stuff!’ If he was, she would kill him with her bare hands.
‘I know I’m not.’ Tommy paused. ‘But . . . I’m involved with his girlfriend.’
‘ What? ’ Jed was built like a grizzly bear, with long dark hair and eyes like currants. In his early forties, he possessed an astute business brain coupled with a ferocious temper. His girlfriend was tiny, surprisingly unglamorous and around fifteen years younger than he was. ‘You mean . . . Juliet?’
‘I mean Juliet,’ Tommy confirmed.
This was a bolt from the blue. Everyone knew how devoted Jed was to his partner of the last two years. Not to mention wildly possessive.
‘And he’s warning you off by trying to burn down your house?’
‘She’s left him. I love her,’ said Tommy. ‘And she loves me.’
‘Oh God.’ Nella winced. ‘When did he find out?’
‘Yesterday morning.’
‘How?’
‘It was an accident. Juliet was FaceTiming her gran in her care home. I came out of the bedroom naked and got caught on camera. Turns out the care assistant who was holding her gran’s phone is Jed’s nephew. You couldn’t make it up,’ said Tommy.
‘And where’s Juliet now?’
‘Still here. With me.’
‘In Spain?’ Nella had always made his travel arrangements. This time, for once, Tommy had booked the flights himself, and she’d teased him, saying, ‘Whatever next? Learning how to work your own steam iron?’
‘We aren’t in Spain. Further away than that. It’s better that you don’t know where.’
‘Oh Tommy.’
‘I know.’
‘This is bad.’
‘I know that too. But I love her.’
‘You never told me. I had no idea.’
‘I couldn’t tell you; you’d have tried to persuade me to give her up. And I can’t. I won’t.’
‘But what are you going to do ? He’ll kill you.’
Tommy said, ‘That’s why I’m not coming back.’
‘ What? ’
‘I’ve emptied the accounts. We’re going off-grid. The lawyers are closing the clubs, selling everything. Cars, house, the lot.’
Nella’s mouth was dry. It was too early for this; she hadn’t even had a wee yet. She needed a strong coffee, stat. ‘What happens to me?’ Selfish, maybe. But kind of a vital question.
‘I know. I’m sorry. The lawyers will pay you for the next two months.’
‘Right.’
‘Babe, you’ll be fine. You’re a coper.’
This was true; she’d been through worse and he knew it. ‘Are people going to think I knew about this all along?’
‘They won’t. It’s only me he wants to kill.’
She shook her head. ‘Great. I feel so much better now.’
Thankfully the sprinkler system in the house had done a good job. As soon as the scenes-of-crime officers had finished their investigations, she was allowed into the house to collect her belongings. There were journalists hovering outside, because Jed Diamond and Tommy Kessler were well known enough to make the situation newsworthy, and word was evidently already out that Jed’s girlfriend had not after all spent the last week in Seville with her sister.
The pranged Honda had been repaired and returned three days earlier. Liberating it from Tommy’s triple garage, Nella headed back to her flat to shower and change. An hour later, she drove over to Altrincham to Jed Diamond’s house, spoke into the intercom and watched as the security gates swung open in slow motion. Last Christmas, against her better judgement, she and Tommy had accepted an invitation here to one of Jed’s lavish parties; he loved to show off his home and lifestyle. It was where she’d met and chatted to Juliet for the first time, and been struck by the fact that Juliet was so unlike the previous women in Jed’s life.
As she climbed out of the car, she saw Jed standing at the top of the steps at the entrance to the house. He was wearing a blue dressing gown over purple-and-green-striped silk pyjamas, and there were Versace slippers on his feet.
His gaze was stony, his jaw taut and unshaven as he stared down at her. ‘I’ve been told what happened. It was nothing to do with me.’
Of course it was, but he would have covered his tracks thoroughly.
The important thing was not to show any sign of fear. Nella replied steadily, ‘I’ve been living in Tommy’s house for the last ten days. It was only because there weren’t any taxis last night that I stayed at a friend’s place instead. But you didn’t know I wasn’t in there. I could have been killed.’
‘Nothing to do with me.’ He repeated the statement as blandly as if he were saying No comment .
‘Jed, I’m here to tell you I had no idea about any of it. I knew nothing. Tommy called me this morning because he thought I might be dead. Then he told me what had happened. And why. The reason he didn’t tell me before what was going on was because he knew I’d be mad at him. And he was right. It’s just . . . crazy.’
‘Where is he?’ Jed’s huge hands were clenched at his sides.
‘I don’t know.’ Nella shivered as an icy breeze sliced through her. ‘And that’s the truth. I just woke up this morning to all this. My boss has disappeared with your girlfriend. His house is a mess. I no longer have a job. And you have to believe I’m telling the truth, because the last thing I need now is having to wonder if tonight’s the night someone sets fire to my place.’
A long silence greeted this statement. Nella shoved her hands into her coat pockets because her fingers were turning numb. For emphasis she repeated, ‘I’ve lost my job .’
Crows wheeled and cawed overhead. She was losing sensation in her feet, too. Finally Jed said, ‘I don’t give a flying fuck about your job.’
Nella shrugged. ‘Of course you don’t. Why would you?’
A muscle jumped in his jaw. ‘But I believe you. He’s the one who’s done this. Nobody’s going to come after you.’
She nodded. ‘Thanks. And I’m sorry it happened.’
For a moment Jed’s eyes grew glassy. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. ‘Right.’ His voice suddenly breaking with emotion, he said, ‘Me too.’