Seb couldn’t say he was over-impressed at finding his father waiting for him when he arrived at the Peacock. Slipping his suit jacket off, he hung it on the brass coat stand in the corner of the office and walked to his desk, grateful his father had at least chosen to sit on the Chesterfield, rather than take the obligatory chair he’d been so used to.
He eyed his father, knowing why he was here, but it was imperative to act like he didn’t. He glanced at Andrew and Neil, hoping they adhered to the plan. ‘What brings you here? Can’t stay away from the place? Mum won’t be best pleased.’ Seb’s face broke into an easy smile – the polar opposite of how he felt.
Mal leant forward on the maroon leather sofa and looked at each of his sons in turn. ‘Your mother’s too busy worrying herself to death about your brother,’ he said, his face grim. ‘I’m taking it there still isn’t any sign of Gary?’
Seb shook his head. ‘No, we haven’t seen him.’
The enormity of lying to his father was not something he took lightly and he very much wished he wasn’t in this position, but it was the only position he could take – at least until he knew for definite who had done this. And that was something which, for once, he, Andrew and Neil all adamantly agreed on.
Once his father’s health improved and they’d tied up all the loose ends behind the problems strangling the firm, then he’d break the news about Gary. And that wasn’t something he was looking forward to. The longer it went on, the harder it would be when they discovered what had happened to their youngest son. The image of his mother’s devastated face floated into his mind and he hastily shook it away.
‘There’s been no word at all?’ Mal pressed suspiciously. ‘I take it you’ve checked Gary’s usual haunts and asked about?’
Seb sparked up a cigarette. He’d been chain-smoking like no one’s business and was already halfway through his second pack of twenty and it wasn’t even mid-morning. ‘We’ve asked around – subtly… We can’t make it obvious one of us has gone AWOL. We don’t want anyone getting wind that our defences are down.’
Mal nodded. ‘I agree, but Christ, your mother’s doing her nut!’
‘Gary will be somewhere taking stock of his life. You know what he’s like. He hasn’t been in the best place lately,’ Andrew added, his face neutral. ‘Especially since that disaster with the Irish.’
He hoped his father didn’t question the redness or puffiness of his eyes. Gnawing guilt over the way he’d treated his little brother had plagued him all night, crushing his chest like a succubus, and he didn’t think he’d ever have a proper night’s rest again.
Mal cracked his knuckles, his fists still bearing the scars of the fighting days of his youth. ‘You lot didn’t exactly make that easy for him, did you? Determined to make him feel like a piece of shit over it.’
‘Oh, come on, Dad,’ Neil countered. ‘Why should we have made it easy for him? You wouldn’t have given us that leniency. You’d have ripped strips off if it had been one of us! It was a balls-up on Gary’s part – a big one and he knew it. We all know that comes hand in hand if anyone screws up.’
‘That’s as maybe,’ Mal said gravely, studying his sons closely. ‘But what about the rest of what was said?’
Seb’s eyes darted to Andrew and Neil. They’d had the roasting of their lives that day their father burst into the office and they’d assured him no more would be said about the rumours concerning Gary’s heritage. But Andrew and Neil hadn’t exactly stuck to that…
He had to play this down.
Sitting forward, Seb clasped his hands together. ‘We all know that rumour was utter bullshit. Our heat of the moment stupidity got sorted out. What’s that got to do with Gary not being here?’
Mal raised his eyebrows and said nothing for several seconds. ‘Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes, son,’ he snapped. ‘I’m not blind and neither is your mother. We’ve both sensed the atmosphere between you boys and neither of us like it. I’ve never been more disappointed than seeing you lot at each other’s throats.’
He also knew Judith still thought he disbelieved her and he hated that. Hated it. The last thing Mal ever wanted was for his wife to feel her faithfulness was being questioned. ‘You were even having digs at each other last night. At a wake, no less!’ Mal’s voice grew louder, more incensed. ‘Have you no respect?’
Andrew glanced at Neil. ‘It wasn’t about that.’
‘Then what was it about?’ Mal raged.
‘There’s a lot of pressure with things at the moment. Tempers are frayed.’ Seb tried to remain calm. ‘Sometimes it’s felt,’ he glanced at his brothers, ‘that Gary doesn’t pull his weight.’
He ignored the dislike of his own words, knowing it important to maintain normality. What he’d said may have been true but speaking of Gary like that now – now he wasn’t here and never would be, bit hard.
‘If you didn’t treat him like a muppet constantly, then maybe you’d find him more accommodating!’ Mal knew Gary had his shortcomings when it came to getting stuck in, but treating any of his sons differently was out of the question.
‘He’ll be back,’ Neil said quickly. ‘He’s stropped off to lick his wounds and sulk in private.’ He glanced at Seb, feeling a strong urge to punch the wall.
Blood pounded in Neil’s veins. He wasn’t sure how long he could sit here pretending everything was all right, whilst the cunt who’d murdered his brother was still out there.
Gary wouldn’t be coming back. Ever. That his last words to his brother were unsavoury, stuck in his throat something chronic. He could still scarcely believe what had happened. Even if Gary wasn’t his true brother, he shouldn’t have said the things he’d said. And for Gary’s resting place, temporary it may be, to be a chest freezer in one of their lock-ups was the worst fucking insult.
It seemed his brother had died trying to stop whoever was snooping around. Snooping around for what, no one knew, but they would find out. They would have to find out because the person who had done this was going to die too.
With growing dread, Neil realised that whatever happened, nothing could grant him any forgiveness for the way he’d treated his brother. Least of all himself.
‘Like Neil said, Gary will be back,’ Andrew repeated, seeing his twin’s building distress.
Mal stood up. ‘I hope for all of our sakes you’re correct, otherwise the way your mother’s fretting, she’ll call the Old Bill before long and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop her.’
‘Don’t let her involve the Old Bill! Leave it with us. I’ll put more scouts out, okay?’ Seb said resolutely. He had to come up with something fast. ‘Now get yourself back home. No stress, remember? This will all resolve itself fast, I’m sure.’
Seb kept his smile in place until his father had left the office and his footsteps were no longer audible along the corridor.
He turned to Andrew and Neil, his eyes narrowing. ‘Although we think Maynard wasn’t there at the time Gary was offed, I’m certain he has something to do with it. The same way I’m sure he was behind lifting the Irish money.’ Seb ground out his cigarette in the ashtray. ‘I also want to know what the cunt was doing at the Aurora last night.’
He stared at his brothers in turn. ‘It’s time to bring Maynard in. We may not have proof, but we’re going to get the truth out of him as to what his fucking game is one way or the other. And whether you like it or not, we’re bringing Sam in so she can hear what he’s got to say about it as well.’
Neil stared at Seb, aghast. ‘You want her to witness that? Jesus, Seb. Haven’t we got enough shit to deal with?’
Andrew glanced at Seb, seeing the determination in his eyes, and had to admit he’d had a slight change of heart about the girl. ‘She’s all right, Neil. You didn’t see how she dealt with things last night. I did, and she needs to be there. Maynard’s her blood, after all.’
Seb nodded in acknowledgement and moved towards the door. ‘The scouts being sent to look for Gary will tail Maynard instead. They’ll let us know when there’s a suitable jump point and unless there’s a very good reason, this will happen tonight.’
Sam wasn’t in the best frame of mind to deal with John, but it had to be done. Even though her nerves were still shredded and Liam’s accusation had made things even worse, she could not afford to let that outwardly show.
Her initial suspicions about her cousin had returned with a vengeance and on top of that, him sneaking around the Aurora without so much as a word was doing nothing to help. Now he would get the opportunity to tell her about it. And if he didn’t tell her…
The knock on the door made her jump. Sam bit back her growing frustration. Calm it down, Sam, she mentally chanted. Do not show you’re afraid.
But she was afraid. Afraid of what all of this meant and where it might end.
‘Come in,’ she called, thankful her voice held no trace of wavering. ‘Ah, John. Come and sit down.’ She gestured to the opposite chair. ‘I thought we should have a catch up.’
John sat down heavily. What was he? A fucking lapdog? He didn’t have time for this. Why she’d summoned him for a meeting, God only knew. She’d probably run out of mascara or something, the stupid bitch. Not only did he need to find Bedworth and give him a round of fucks for being nowhere to be seen last night, but he also wanted to throttle this cunt sitting in front of him.
What he’d just learned from Liam had boiled his piss more than he thought possible. And how he would keep his trap shut to this whore – this fucking slag, who had thieved his very livelihood from under his nose, he didn’t know. Even more so now he knew for definite she was in cahoots with Stoker.
Oh, by Christ, he’d make sure the bitch got hers. How he’d enjoy seeing her face when her world crumbled from under her. He could barely wait.
So, it looked like she was shagging Stoker, plus they’d been talking about him? He might have known. Well, not for much fucking longer.
He’d felt like caning Liam when he told him what he’d seen last night. Wanted to rip his goatee clean off his stupid chin for the mere fact of being the messenger. The bloke was proving useful in unwittingly giving him info, but for how much longer that was uncertain, being as the stupid twat had told him he’d just rowed with the ungrateful bitch.
None of that mattered, anyway. Now he’d weighed up Samantha and exactly what her game was, it was easy enough. He knew how she felt about family, so anything he said over Stoker would take precedence.
John smirked as he met Sam’s eyes, then leant back in the chair and stretched out. Was she going to say anything or just sit and stare at him like a dummy? No clue, this bird – none whatsoever.
Watching John, Sam knew her hands were clenching into fists in her lap below the table. She quickly moved them into view on the desk. He couldn’t act more uninterested if he tried. ‘Am I keeping you from something important?’ she said sharply.
John slowly inspected his fingernails. ‘I’ve got a fair bit on, yes, and being as you wanted to see me, I was wondering if you were going to actually say anything?’
Sam smiled pleasantly. She’d given John more than enough time to be upfront about the Aurora, yet he’d said nothing. One last chance.
‘I wanted to ask whether you had any updates?’ She knitted her slender fingers together on top of her notebook. ‘You know, anything you need to bring me up to speed with? Anything you may have overlooked?’
John shrugged. ‘Like what? I’ve already said everything from my side is running perfectly well. Not that it doesn’t usually. If you’re asking about the state of play with the casino, then you need to speak to Liam rather than me.’
‘Oh, that’s strange.’ Sam raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought during your regular chats with Liam, you’d know enough to relate that side of things too?’
A nerve fluttered in John’s neck. ‘Chat with Liam? He speaks to me in passing. Am I missing something?’ What was she getting at?
Sam smiled sweetly. ‘Missing something? I think you might be.’ She leant back in her chair, mirroring John’s relaxed stance. ‘Like why you failed to mention you left my father’s wake last night to go to the Aurora?’
A flush of cold washed across John. How the Christ did she know he’d been there? ‘Liam told you I’d been to the Aurora? Why would he say that?’ A glimmer of panic formed. Had she got a tail on him? No, she didn’t have the nous for that. She trusted him – or at least she had.
‘I didn’t say Liam had said that, did I?’ Sam said slyly.
‘Then who did?’ John snapped, before his face broke into a smile. ‘Ah, wait! I can guess… Sebastian Stoker? Am I right?’
Sam’s silence spoke volumes, but John wouldn’t let on that he knew she’d been with Stoker last night. He’d let her admit it, because she would. Any. Minute. Now… ‘How many times do I have to explain everything Stoker does is to cause unrest and make us doubt one another?’
He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the ceiling in pseudo-exasperation. ‘I’m on your side, Samantha. The Stokers will say anything to turn you against me.’
Sam looked for a hint that John was lying. Although his words and actions were plausible, it was there – there in his eyes. But she’d let him believe she was falling for it. ‘Are you telling me you didn’t leave my father’s wake to go to the Aurora?’
John shook his head. ‘I left Len’s wake, yes, but not to go to the Aurora.’ This would get her. ‘Whether or not you find this hard to believe, Samantha, yesterday reminded me of losing my own father. Do you remember the wake we had for him all those years ago? An almost identical set-up to yesterday? I needed a break and I apologise if you can’t understand that.’
Sam almost faltered. A week ago she would have. She’d have accepted John’s words without hesitation, feeling crushing guilt for even contemplating accusing him. Not any more. His words may be filled with sentiment, but his eyes were hollow.
Andrew and Neil were telling the truth. John had been to the Aurora.
John watched Sam closely. She said nothing, but he knew he’d scuppered her theory. Ha ha, Samantha, you’re so easy to fool. ‘I walked up Broad Street and thought about going into one of the other bars for a drink, but I didn’t. I came back here. I wanted to see if you were all right, but you weren’t anywhere to be seen.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Seems like you needed a break too?’
‘So you didn’t go to the Aurora?’ Sam repeated for good measure.
‘No, I did not,’ John said, his voice stern. ‘I went before under your father’s orders, you know that. There’s nothing to see there. We were wrong about that place, so why would I want to go there again?’
Sam nodded. She’d let John believe her to be stupid. She also wouldn’t rise to the dig about her. He’d been to the Aurora but had returned. The question was when? Could he have returned in time to murder Gary Stoker? Or had he done it before leaving for the Aurora?
Had John watched her in the office with Seb? Had he killed Gary, shoved him in a cupboard and watched the body being discovered? Watched as Seb and his brother took the heavy tarpaulin out via the fire escape?
Watching Sam’s mind ticking, John folded his arms. ‘I think we’ve been set up.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s been the Stokers all along. They started with those threats and have been using the Aurora as a smokescreen,’ John said, his eyes cold. ‘It’s them. No one else. Their plan to ruin this firm is working. They’ve worked you so well you’re doubting me. I hate to think what Len would feel about this…’
Sam somehow forced herself to nod sadly, rather than smash John in the face for daring her bring her father into his lies. ‘You’re right.’
She needed to let John think she believed his crap. Seb was right and always had been. It was John behind this. That and that alone was now crystal-clear. She would try to get hold of Seb tonight and see exactly how they would deal with this.