Adrianna had spotted the chalk marks, and she was so excited that she didn’t know how she got through her act.
When she left the club, Vince had his heavies, Stan and Bert, in the car with him as usual. The door was flung open and she got in, her nerves on edge, but thankfully none of them seemed to notice.
As they drove down the street towards Vince’s house, Adrianna forced herself to stare straight ahead. If she looked for Kevin’s car, Vince might notice and the last thing she wanted was to give the game away.
As though he was a gentleman – which knowing Stan was a joke – he held open the door as they climbed out. Vince walked ahead of her and once again Adrianna had to resist the urge to throw a look over her shoulder before they went inside. The chalk mark had been there, and that meant Kevin would be out there somewhere waiting for her, and at least that thought was reassuring.
‘You can knock off now, Stan,’ said Vince. ‘You too, Bert.’
‘Thanks, boss,’ they said, before heading for their rooms at the back of the house.
Vince turned to Adrianna. ‘I’m going to have a nightcap. Do you want one?’
‘No, thanks,’ she said. ‘I think I’ll go straight to bed.’
‘All right, I won’t be long.’
When Vince came upstairs shortly after her, he wasn’t wearing his jacket and as he undressed Adrianna didn’t hear the jangle of the door keys in his trouser pockets. His smile was a leer as he climbed into bed, and Adrianna knew she would have to endure his sexual demands. She hated the stench of whisky on his breath, and wanted to turn her face away, to avoid his slobbering kisses, but could only console herself with the knowledge that this would be the last time he laid his hands on her body.
When it was over he rolled onto his side, his back towards her, and she tried to keep her breathing steady as she listened for his snores. Yet even when she heard them, she was so nervous of waking him that she didn’t move.
An hour passed, and it was only the thought of Kevin giving up that forced Adrianna to gently push back the blankets. Slowly, oh so slowly, she got out of bed, her legs shaking so much that she had to pause for a moment. She moved carefully to pick up her discarded clothes, a skirt and silk blouse from the back of a chair, along with her handbag, and crept onto the landing to dress.
The bed creaked and Adrianna froze. She heard a snort, a rustling, and for a few moments was terrified that Vince was getting up. She remained rigid, her heart thumping with fear.
When there were no further sounds of movement, Adrianna quickly threw on her clothes and tiptoed downstairs holding her shoes. She crept into the drawing room, relieved to see that Vince’s jacket had been thrown carelessly onto the sofa.
She had never been given any house keys: the locks served both to keep intruders out and her in. With her ears pricked for any sound of movement, Adrianna rifled through Vince’s pockets and with relief her hand closed on his keys.
Stan and Bert were on this floor, and at the front door Adrianna prayed they wouldn’t hear as she carefully inserted one into a lock and turned it. It hadn’t made a lot of noise, but there was still the other one and then the bolts. With no idea if they were heavy sleepers or not, Adrianna put on her shoes before tackling the other lock and bolts.
To Adrianna’s ears, the noise she made was deafening, but at last she wrenched the door open and ran down the steps, her eyes searching frantically for Kevin’s car. Headlights flashed momentarily and she fled towards them.
As she scrambled into the car, Kevin hissed, ‘Did you leave the door open?’
‘Yes, but I’m scared. What if you get caught?’ she cried, her own safety paramount. ‘That means I’ll be done for too. Can’t we just go?’
‘I’m not leaving that bastard to come after us,’ Kevin said. He reached for a can in the well of the car and then dived out.
Adrianna would never know how she managed to just sit there, while all the time her mind was screaming at her to run, but at last Kevin returned and they were driving away.
‘Did … did you do it?’
‘Yeah, and I poured so much petrol around that there’s no chance of him, or anyone else, getting out. The hall was blazing nicely when I left and the flames were heading for the stairs.’
Adrianna looked back over her shoulder, but so far nothing was visible from the outside. She hated Vince, and his heavies, but even so, the thought of them burning to death made her shudder.
‘They deserve it,’ Kevin said, reading her expression.
She forced the images from her mind. ‘Where are we going now?’
‘Down to Dover. After an overnight stop we’ll be on a ferry to France and from there we’ll drive to Spain where I intend to buy a nice villa.’
‘You’ve got the money?’
‘Of course I have.’
‘That’s good, because I’ve only got the clothes on my back and a handbag with a bit of make-up and my passport inside.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll buy you everything you need before we head for France in the morning.’
Adrianna was glad to get away from Vince, but she would still be dependent on a man, this time Kevin Dolby. What she really wanted was to be independent, to run her own life. Surely there’d be work abroad for an exotic dancer? In the meantime she’d stick with Kevin – but only for as long as necessary.
Just before turning the corner, Adrianna looked over her shoulder again, but they were too far away to see anything. What if Vince survived? What if he came after her? The thought made her feel sick with fear, and she longed to get out of the country as soon as possible.
When darkness had fallen in Hampshire, Dolly, though still peeved, decided to take up Pearl’s suggestion. She had rung the police, but after checking they had called back to say none of the hospitals had admitted Bernie and that there were no reports of any traffic accidents. If he still hadn’t returned in twenty-four hours, they would list him as missing, but in the meantime there was nothing further they could do.
Dolly didn’t know what Bernie was up to, but as he hadn’t taken any of his clothes with him, she was sure he’d turn up. When he did she’d give him a piece of her mind, but finally, fed up with waiting up for him, she had gone to bed.
However, when Dolly woke up on Wednesday morning, she saw that Bernie’s bed hadn’t been slept in, and at last she felt a tinge of concern. He hadn’t been in an accident, he wasn’t in hospital, so where was he? She still couldn’t believe that he’d left her, but what if he had? What if he’d sussed out what she’d been up to? He had control of all their money, and other than the house, Dolly knew she’d be left with nothing. There was no way she was going to stand for that. She had to find him!
Dolly heard the doorbell ring and after throwing on her dressing gown she hurried downstairs.
‘Mrs Dolby?’
‘Yes,’ she said, finding herself looking at a policeman and woman.
‘Can we have a word with Mr Dolby?’
‘He isn’t here. I rang the station yesterday to say that he’s missing, and as he didn’t come home last night, I was going to ring again this morning.’
‘I see. May we come in?’
‘Yes, all right.’
As they stepped inside, the constable took a notebook from his pocket and after looking at it for a moment, he said, ‘Does your husband drive a green Morris Minor Traveller?’
‘Yes, yes he does.’
‘I think you should sit down, Mrs Dolby,’ the policewoman said.
‘I don’t want to sit down,’ Dolly snapped. ‘I just want to know why he’s asking me about Bernie’s car.’
‘Mrs Dolby, we’ve had a report from the Sussex constabulary that a green Morris Minor Traveller, registered in your husband’s name, has been found at the bottom of the cliffs at Beachy Head.’
‘What? Never! Bernie loved that car,’ she protested, but then the full implication of his words sank in and she gasped, ‘You’re … you’re not telling me he was in it?’
‘At this point your husband’s body hasn’t been recovered, but there are indications that he was in the vehicle.’
‘What do you mean? What indications?’
The constable hesitated, but then said, ‘I’m afraid there were traces of blood, and indications that he may have been washed out to sea.’
Dolly at last staggered to a chair. They were telling her that Bernie was dead, and probably expected hysterical tears, yet in reality all she could feel was shock mingled with relief that Bernie hadn’t left her, or run off with their money. She placed both hands over her face and forced a groan. ‘Oh, Bernie, Bernie.’
‘Mrs Dolby,’ the policewoman said as she crouched down in front of her. ‘Is there anyone we can contact to stay with you, a relative?’
‘My son. I want my son.’
‘Do you have his telephone number?’
‘Yes, it’s on that pad over there, but it’s been out of order.’
She stood up, asked the constable to try the number and then said, ‘Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?’
‘Yes, yes, please.’
When the constable couldn’t get through, he asked for Kevin’s address and then said that he’d arrange for a local station to send someone round to the house.
Dolly just nodded. She was still dry-eyed, but hoped they’d think it was because she was in shock, and this proved to be the case for they then rang her doctor. He knew her history and Dolly knew she would have to be careful, but at least she didn’t have to worry about fooling Bernie any more.
He was dead, and soon she’d have all the money she needed to help Kevin.