Chapter Sixteen

Lugging her rucksack to lend authenticity to her student persona, Jasmine went in through the front entrance of Tony’s club. Décor based on Tony’s idea of opulence: deep pile red carpet, gold upholstered chairs, gold columns, gilt edged mirrors and show girl posters all over the walls, it looked exactly like what it was, a seedy London strip club. Jasmine would cheerfully have set fire to the place had it not been serving her purpose.

‘Yo, Jasmine. How you doing?’ one of the bouncers greeted her. ‘How’s life at London uni then?’

‘Yeah, not bad, thanks.’ Jasmine gave him a smile. ‘And it’s the University of London,’ she corrected him, supplying the name of the university she’d convinced Tony she was attending. She’d pocketed the upfront fees he’d generously parted with, obviously, along with everything else she could take the wanker for. A few thou here, a few wraps of heroin surreptitiously lifted and sold there, add that to the inheritance monies she’d collected and she was nicely set up.

‘Not out painting the town red every night then?’ the bouncer called behind her as she headed for the doors to the main lounge, inspiringly called the ‘Gold’ lounge, where overstuffed businessmen led by their penises would spend their lunchtimes and plenty of cash. Hearing the music thumping out, she guessed Tony would be ‘interviewing’ prospective dancers, i.e. salivating whilst he fantasised about what he was going to do with the buttocks and botoxed breasts thrust in his face. That was okay. Jasmine tolerated his obvious indiscretions. She was well aware that she was just another of his fantasies. Shagging a university student rather than a paid prostitute was what did it for him. He was using her. She was using him. Jasmine was biding her time. Hayes would get what was coming to him too, and soon. Jasmine’s only regret being that she wouldn’t see the look on his ugly smug face when he realised he’d been well and truly shafted too.

‘Nah.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Not sure Tony would like it, Eddie,’ she said, playing the dutiful girlfriend. Her aim to keep things sweet until she was ready.

‘Shame you’re missing out, though.’ Eddie frowned, in that troubled way he did. He was a nice bloke. He wasn’t bad looking, either, sandy-haired, thickset and heavy-muscled, as paid heavies tended to be. It was obvious he fancied her, always trying to look out for her in his own clumsy way. He was struggling to understand what she was doing with a man twice her age, Jasmine knew, whose heavy-jowled face looked like it had been sat on by a sumo wrestler.

‘I’m not really that bothered, to be honest,’ Jasmine assured him. ‘I find all that clubbing and pill popping a bit juvenile.’

‘Yeah, well, just be careful, that’s all,’ Eddie warned her, referring to her association with Tony, rather than her social life, as he often did. As if she wasn’t aware Tony was a vicious bastard if anyone crossed him, the bigshot drugs kingpin who didn’t mess about when it came to collecting his debts.

‘I always am.’ Smiling, Jasmine gave Eddie a wave behind her, and then went on through to the lounge. Predictably, Hayes was busy leering at one of the pole dancers as she writhed and gyrated on a table in front of him, finally squatting to give him a right eyeful. She’d obviously got the job then.

Biting back her contempt, Jasmine left him to his wank-fest and weaved through the tables behind him, heading for the bar to stash her goods. She needed a drink too, a strong one. If she didn’t get in and out again fast, Hayes might decide to satiate his disgusting appetite with her. His preference would probably be for a blowjob while he sat in his plush office chair. Jasmine would swear one of these times she’d bite it off.

‘All right, gorgeous?’ the barman called from the other end of the bar. He was stacking a tray for one of the scantily clad dancers, and appreciating the view while he was at it.

‘Yeah, good.’ Jasmine gave him a smile, as she usually did, though in truth she always felt like clutching his testicles and squeezing until he went puce. Another tosser who couldn’t keep his hands to himself, feeling her up whenever he thought he could get away with it. The idiot would live to regret it though. Jasmine had no qualms about him losing bits of his anatomy when Tony found out he was on the take, which he would soon enough.

‘Give me a sec and I’ll be with you,’ the guy shouted, dragging his attention away from the dancer’s breasts long enough to give Jasmine a lewd wink.

‘No sweat,’ she called. ‘I’ve got it.’ With which, Jasmine skirted around the bar to help herself to a drink, something she’d made sure to do often, thus familiarising herself with where everything was. Dropping her rucksack where she could best access the cupboard she’d previously checked out, she served herself a vodka straight – just the one mind, she needed to keep her wits about her – and then awaited her opportunity.

Soon enough the barman’s attention was back on the tart, who was obviously impressed with the size of his ego. Trollops. The lot of them. Sighing contemptuously, Jasmine glanced across the room to check Tony was still also otherwise engaged and then crouched down to ferret in the rucksack. Pulling out a book, by way of cover for what she was doing down there, she checked on the barman again, and then retrieved the wraps of heroin from her bag, several of. Enough to get Hayes hauled in and remanded, with luck. Either way, his business would suffer. And without his fingers, the barman’s career prospects would be somewhat hindered too. Two birds, one stone. Easy peasy.

Humming to herself, Jasmine opened the cupboard and popped the wraps at the back, behind the stack of bar towels – the barman didn’t often look for a clean one, so chances of him getting down to the last before she’d made her call were nil – and then picked up her rucksack and book and strolled around front.

Hayes, who was now also addressing a sizeable pair of tits, finally noticed her as she approached. ‘Jasmine,’ he said delightedly, his fleshy face curving into something resembling a smile. ‘How’s my girl doing, hey?’ Extending an arm, he wrapped it around her midriff and pulled her proprietorially to him.

‘Not bad,’ Jasmine said, dutifully offering her mouth to his slobbering wet kiss.

Finally extracting his tongue from her throat, which felt like a slimy wet slug, Tony dismissed the lap dancer with an inclination of his head and turned his full attention to Jasmine. ‘So, to what do I owe the considerable pleasure, my angel?’ he asked, his hands sliding downwards to grab two handfuls of her bum and hitch her towards him, which was a good indication of what he was fancying. ‘Not half-term, is it?’

What Jasmine would give to bring her knee up sharp now. ‘Unfortunately not. I can’t stay long. I have a lecture.’ Arranging her expression to suitably disappointed, she eased back a little and crept a hand under his jacket to graze a fingernail suggestively down his torso. ‘I forgot one of my books though.’

‘And you came all the way back?’ Tony’s look of disappointment turned to surprise. ‘Why didn’t you just buy another?’

‘Because it’s, like, thirty pounds worth,’ Jasmine informed him. ‘Didn’t want to be asking you for money again, did I? And anyway, I wanted to see you. You were a bit busy, though, so …’ Pouting petulantly, she dropped her gaze.

Hayes nudged her chin up with his forefinger, falling for the little girl act hook, line and sinker. He always did, gullible git. ‘Never too busy for my little Miss Independent,’ he assured her, smiling almost paternally. ‘You should know by now I only have eyes for you.’

Yeah, shame his dick didn’t share the same sentiment, Jasmine thought, repulsed.

‘Here, take this,’ he said, reaching for his wallet and producing four fifties. ‘Buy two books and treat yourself to something nice, as well.’

‘Oh, Tony.’ Jasmine looked from the dosh to him, pretending reluctance. ‘That’s really lovely of you, but I can’t just keep taking your money.’

‘’Course you can. I can afford it,’ Hayes said magnanimously. ‘Go on, treat yourself. And don’t work too hard on all that studying. Don’t want you exhausted when you come back for the weekend, do we?’

Waggling his eyebrows insinuatingly, which looked like two fat caterpillars mating, he hooked a finger over the front of her tee and stuffed the notes between her breasts.

So much for the paternal concern. The bloke was paying for services in advance, that was all. Shame he was going to be disappointed. Jasmine beamed him a smile and stretched to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. ‘Thanks, Tony. You’re the best,’ she said, and then reached for his watch arm to check the time. ‘Cripes, I have to go. I’ll be late,’ she said, looking panicked.

‘Remember, don’t work too hard.’ Tony patted her backside as she turned to head for the exit.

‘I won’t.’ Jasmine waved behind her. ‘Oh,’ she stopped and turned back, ‘I meant to ask, how’s the renovation work going on Seventh Heaven?’ Thinking she had an interest in his ‘work’, Tony was always happy to keep her up to speed. He probably got off on that too, proving what a big man he was, buying the place for cash.

‘Still stalled.’ Hayes sighed despairingly and eyed the ceiling. ‘Some hitch with the planning permission to extend down, apparently. Tosspot councillor,’ he muttered despairingly, ‘might’ve mentioned he couldn’t swing it before the work started. Which reminds me, the bloke owes me.’

Poor sod, Jasmine thought. The guy had better book a one-way flight to a faraway place then, or cough up the bribe Tony had given him to push the planning permission through smartish.

‘Aw, sorry, Tone,’ she said sympathetically. ‘He’ll get it sorted soon, I bet. Give him another couple of weeks, I would. I mean, it’s going to look so cool when it’s finished. Worth waiting for.’

Hayes furrowed his brow thoughtfully. ‘Yeah, I suppose.’

‘See you at the weekend.’ Jasmine blew him a kiss and turned to head onwards.

It would actually look totally naff. Giant marshmallows for seats and pink décor? Like, ugh. The Candy Shop, he was going to call it. Still, it didn’t matter what plans Hayes had for it in reality. She walked jauntily on, tucking the keys she’d lifted from him into her pocket and pulling out her pay as you go phone to call the local nick as she went. The self-appointed bigshot’s business activities would be curtailed for a while once she’d made her call, along with the renovation work on Seventh Heaven. It would probably be better renamed House of Horrors when it did open up, given the nightmare for a certain person that was going to unfold there.

‘Yes, hi,’ she said worriedly, when the station picked up. ‘I’m not sure whether I should be reporting this, but I’ve been working at Tony Hayes’ club and I found this … stuff. Powder. White powder, a lot of it, in a cupboard behind the bar.’

Job done, Jasmine thought, pleased, as she climbed in her car and headed off to implement the next stage of her plan.

Hearing the squeal of brakes, Rebecca’s blood froze in her veins. Her mind instantly playing over that fateful second when Lily’s hand had slipped from her own, hearing again the sickening impact, she bent to swoop Mia into her arms and flew the rest of the way across the road to the pavement.

‘Mia no like, Mummy! No like!’ Holding her hands up in distress, one of which Rebecca had been in danger of stopping the circulation flowing through when she’d squeezed it before plucking her up, Mia immediately burst into tears.

Rebecca caught hold of the offended hand and pressed it to her lips. ‘Sorry, sweetie,’ she said, kissing it better, her eyes on the car that had careered to a stop outside the doctor’s surgery opposite.

Noting the window sliding down, she was about to give the driver a voluble piece of her mind when she recognised Matthew’s sister.

‘Becky!’ Kristen called urgently. ‘Get in.’

Annoyed at being given a near coronary, Rebecca glanced at her confused, and then angrily. Driving like someone possessed and clearly hyper, the woman had obviously been drinking, which was the last thing Rebecca wanted to deal with. Suppressing a sigh of irritation, she took a step forwards, and then stopped, perplexed and concerned as Ashley emerged from the passenger side.

‘Becky, you have to come with us.’ Ashley gesticulated wildly for her to come over.

Rebecca furrowed her brow. What on earth? Oh God, no. Fear slicing through her, Rebecca froze. ‘Is it Matthew?’ she shouted.

‘No. Yes, sort of,’ Ashley’s reply only confused her further. ‘We need to go, Becky, now,’ she insisted, heading towards her.

‘But why?’ Becky struggled to hold onto a now recalcitrant Mia, who she’d promised faithfully a new CBeebies DVD by way of compensation for her little world being turned so violently upside down. She’d missed nursery, throwing her routine into chaos. She missed Matthew so badly. To top that, Rebecca had had to take her to the asthma clinic, which she absolutely hated. It was no wonder she was tired and fractious.

‘Because Matthew said so,’ Ashley answered urgently. ‘We’ll explain on the way. We need to go.’

‘But what about my car?’ Rebecca looked towards the car park.

‘Leave it,’ Ashley instructed, reaching for Mia who was now working her way up to a tantrum. ‘He said to just go, Becky. Kristen will fill you in, but we need to go now. There’s no way he would have told us to if he didn’t have a bloody good reason.’

‘Rubbish word,’ Mia reprimanded her through her tears.

‘You’re right, it’s totally uncool.’ Ashley plopped a kiss on her nose. ‘Come on, munchkin. We’re going on a drive with Auntie Kristen.’

‘No want to! Want CBeebies!’ Mia, having other ideas, writhed and attempted a downward descent to escape.

Wise to her antics, though, Ashley heaved her higher in her arms. ‘Oh, no,’ she gasped, blinking at her aghast. ‘That means I’ll have to eat all the sweeties on my own.’

Mia stopped mid-sob. ‘Sthweeties?’ she repeated, her little face lighting up hopefully.

‘And Animal Crackers,’ Ashley enticed her further.

Sniffling, Mia wound a ringlet around a finger and contemplated. ‘Mia like animul cwackers,’ she decided.

‘Well, that’s a relief.’ Ashley grinned. ‘I’d end up a big fat piglet if I scoffed them all.’

‘Pliglet.’ Mia giggled and wrapped her arms contentedly around her big sister’s neck, the DVD and her mother momentarily forgotten.

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile. Nor could she help wondering quietly again how Kristen could ever have walked away from her child. Quashing that thought, she walked with Ashley to the car, opened the back door to allow Ashley to climb in with Mia, and then slipped into the passenger side.

‘It’s something to do with Sullivan,’ Kristen explained quickly as Rebecca glanced at her, hoping she could trust a woman who, up until now, she had only ever known as untrustworthy.

Rebecca felt every hair on her body rise at the mention of his name. ‘Sullivan?’

Kristen obviously noticed her look of sheer horror. ‘I have no idea what,’ she went on hurriedly. ‘Matthew was ringing from the station. He didn’t have time to say much, but he was worried. Very worried, Becky. He needs to know you’re all safe.’

Rebecca took a second to assimilate. Evidently Matthew did trust Kristen. Rebecca now fervently hoped she could trust herself. Kristen had said he’d been drugged. Given the nature of his job, it was possible. But then, hadn’t Matthew gone into that hotel room of his own volition? And the other accusations against him … Rebecca’s every instinct wanted to trust him, her heart physically ached at the thought of all Matthew might be going through. He would be crushed, traumatised, hurting so much inside, but what if her instincts were wrong?

‘Becky, he is innocent, you know?’ Ashley said as if reading her mind. ‘I know it looks damning, with the video and all, but you have to believe him.’

Rebecca heard the desperation in her voice and despaired of herself. Her own emotions were all over the place, obviously Mia’s were, who couldn’t possibly understand what was going on, but Ashley would need reassurance too. ‘I do believe him.’ She reached over and squeezed her shoulder. ‘Of course I do. I just don’t understand how—’

‘I saw her,’ Ashley blurted. ‘Jasmine,’ she clarified quickly. ‘She’s changed her appearance. I don’t know why. I haven’t spoken to her. All that stuff she said though, it’s bullshit.’

Rebecca shook her head, now utterly confused. ‘Saw her where? When?’

‘At the supermarket.’ Ashley glanced guiltily down. ‘That’s why I was trying to reverse the car.’

She’d said the handbrake had slipped. Rebecca had been too tired and distracted at the time to question it. She looked at Ashley bewildered. ‘But you never said anything.’

‘I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get your hopes up before I checked it out with Steve first. He has the supermarket security tape. He thinks it is her. He says she might just be trying to avoid people. You know, with the press coverage and everything, but he suspects it might be something.’

Rebecca nodded slowly. ‘And have you spoken to Steve since?’ she asked. It was clear that Jasmine had been spinning a whole web of lies, clear to Rebecca, at least. How that tied up with Sullivan though …

Ashley sighed and reached for the animal crackers from the side pocket of the door Mia was already straining for. ‘No, but he was there, at the station when we were there, so they must be checking it out. Matthew’s obviously still having trouble convincing his “colleagues”’ – she made air quotes with her fingers – ‘of his innocence. If he says we have to lay low, though, then he’s saying so for a reason. We have to trust him, Becky. Without Matthew before …’

They would have died, Rebecca finished silently. No one had believed him then either. He’d had no backup whatsoever. Matthew had been on his own. Apart from Steve, she reminded herself. He’d been there for him. God bless the man, he’d never doubted him. It was time she stopped doubting him too.

She nodded again, more determinedly. ‘So what do we do?’ she asked, scrambling through her mind now for how there could be a connection between that bloody girl, the murder of another defenceless young girl, and the sadistic animal who’d very nearly succeeded in destroying them. But then, would there really need to be much of a connection? If Matthew had been set-up, then someone was out to get him. That much was clear. Someone with old scores to settle, someone with links to Sullivan, who’d perhaps coerced Jasmine, promised her money? And if Matthew was being paranoid, if he was more involved than Rebecca could ever imagine, then she would still rather be safe than sorry.

Kristen looked at her full on, assessing her, Rebecca felt.

‘We need to disappear for a while,’ she said. ‘As in of now.’

Rebecca searched her face. There was no hint she’d been drinking, no smell of alcohol. Matthew had always said that sober Kristen was a very different person, caring and dependable. Rebecca prayed hard he was right.

‘Okay.’ She made up her mind and reached for her seatbelt, an icy chill of trepidation running down her spine nevertheless. ‘We’ll need some stuff from the house,’ she said, thinking of essentials for Mia.

‘Got it,’ Ashley supplied as Kristen pulled off.

‘We grabbed everything we could think of before coming to pick you up,’ Kristen added.

‘What about Mia’s medication?’ Rebecca asked. ‘Did you pick up the spare aerochamber, Ashley?’

‘Shoot, no. I thought you always carried one.’

‘I do, but the air flow’s slow. That’s why we were at the clinic.’ Rebecca knitted her brow worriedly.

‘We’ll have to go back, Kristen,’ Ashley prompted her. ‘Mia can’t use her inhaler without it.’

‘No, no don’t,’ Rebecca said as Kristen looked at her for confirmation. ‘I’ve got the prescription. If we can find a chemist …?’

Kristen nodded, and glanced through her rear-view mirror. Driving deftly, rather than erratically, she was keeping a wary eye on the road behind, Rebecca noted. ‘We’ll stop at a shopping centre. We need to get new SIM cards anyway.’

Rebecca eyed her curiously. ‘New SIM cards?’

‘GPS signals,’ Kristen explained. ‘Trackable. We’ve already dumped ours. Do you want to let Ashley have your phone?’

Rebecca hesitated for only a second before ferreting in her bag and handing it over, glancing worriedly again at Kristen as she did.

Kristen gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I suspect Matthew’s playing safe, but you never know. Have a think and we’ll grab anything else we might need while we’re there.’