Lucy opened the shop on Thursday morning, though it was hard to put on a cheerful face when she thought about Pearl. There were still no signs of improvement, and now John was in such poor shape that he was totally uncommunicative. She sensed that Derek was close to the end of his tether too, and poor Emily – lines had appeared on her face, and though she was already slim, the weight was dropping off her. Yet despite this Emily was happy to take on the washing, ironing and cooking now, relieved if anything to have something to keep her occupied when she wasn’t at the hospital.
Lucy looked at the alarm button that Derek had installed close to the till. While she understood his caution, she felt it was unnecessary. Kevin Dolby was dead now and surely that meant Vincent Chase had the revenge he’d sought?
When a customer came in, Lucy painted a smile on her face, and by the time another two hours had passed, she was pleased with the takings.
‘Nora’s been cleaning like a beaver,’ Emily said at midday. ‘Now she wants to help you. Is that all right, Lucy?’
‘Of course it is,’ she agreed.
‘It’ll only be for an hour and then we’ll be going to see Pearl.’
‘Pearl get better now,’ Nora said.
‘Yes, I’m sure she will,’ Lucy said reassuringly as she found a duster. It was awful to think that Pearl might never walk again, and it was hard to force brightness into her tone as she held out the cloth. ‘Here you are, Nora. You can polish the counter.’
Emily went back upstairs, and soon after Nora was hard at work when the door burst open and Eddie dashed in. ‘Where’s Derek?’
‘He’s upstairs, but wait! What’s going on?’
‘I’ll tell you later,’ Eddie called as he ran past her.
Only minutes later, the sound of heavy feet clattered down the stairs, and with Derek just behind him, Eddie rushed out of the shop again.
‘Now I wonder what all that’s about,’ Lucy said to Nora.
‘I not know.’
‘Me neither,’ she said, but less than ten minutes later, Lucy found out.
Derek and Eddie pushed the thin, weedy-looking man ahead of them into the shop. ‘Keep an eye on him while I ring CID.’
‘Don’t worry, Derek, he isn’t going anywhere,’ Eddie assured.
‘What’s going on?’ Lucy asked.
‘This bloke was showing a photograph of a woman around, and asking if anyone had seen her. When I looked at it, I saw it was a publicity shot of a stripper with the name Adrianna printed at the bottom.’
‘CID’s on their way,’ Derek told the man.
‘Let ’em come. I ain’t done anything and you’ve got no right to keep me here.’
‘I doubt they’ll agree,’ Derek said. ‘The woman you’re trying to find is part of a murder enquiry, and that makes you involved in it too.’
‘Murder! I don’t know nuffin’ about that,’ he said, looking panicky. ‘I was just trying to earn a few bob, that’s all. The word’s been put out that Vince Chase is looking for that bird, and he’s willing to pay good money for any info.’
‘Where is he?’
‘If you’re talking about Vincent Chase, I ain’t got a clue. As I said, the word was put out, it was passed on to me along with that photograph and that’s all I know.’
‘Why were you looking for Adrianna around here?’
‘I heard that she was involved with Kevin Dolby, and he came from these parts, didn’t he?’
‘Yes, but it was a long time ago.’
‘It was worth a shot,’ the man said. ‘Now I’ve told you all I know and I’m going.’
‘No, you’re not. CID will still want to talk to you,’ Derek said. ‘Whoever passed the word on to you might lead them back to Chase.’
‘He was just a face and I don’t know his name.’
‘You’re still going to talk to them,’ Derek insisted.
When Riley and Shaw turned up Derek took them to one side and repeated what the man had told him. ‘I hope it’s a lead?’ he added.
Riley walked over and gripped the man’s arm, saying firmly, ‘You’re coming back to the station with us.’
‘I know my rights. I don’t have to come with you, and you can’t hold me without charging me with something.’
‘How about resisting arrest?’
‘I’m not resisting.’
‘So you say, but who’s going to believe you?’
‘Bastards,’ the man murmured, but he went without further argument.
‘Derek, do you think they’ll get anything else out of him?’ Eddie asked as the shop door closed.
‘I don’t know, but let’s hope so. As long as Vincent Chase is on the loose, John’s in danger.’
‘I hope they find him, lock him up and throw away the key,’ Lucy said.
‘Yeah, me too,’ Eddie agreed as he went over to give Lucy a swift kiss. ‘I’d best get back to my stall, but I’ll see you later.’
‘Thanks, Eddie,’ Derek said. ‘I owe you one.’
‘Don’t be daft. Anyone would have done the same.’
As Eddie left, Derek’s shoulders slumped. Even if Riley and Shaw managed to get any information that would lead them to Vincent Chase, he knew they had nothing to hold him on.
‘Derek, are you all right?’ Lucy asked.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine,’ he lied. ‘I’ll go back upstairs now.’
As he tramped through to the back, Derek was thinking that their lives had been fine until Kevin Dolby had come back on the scene. Although he was dead now, Derek felt that everything was falling apart thanks to him. It may have been Vincent Chase’s hand on the trigger of the gun that shot Pearl, but it might as well have been Kevin’s.
Derek had heard something about not thinking ill of the dead, but when it came to Kevin Dolby he was finding it impossible. Now Bernie, he had thought well of him – still did – and maybe it was just as well that the poor sod hadn’t lived to see the havoc his son had caused. Bernie had been very fond of Pearl and it would have broken his heart to see her lying unable to move her lower body, let alone witnessing the state John was in.
‘You’re better off out of it, Bernie,’ Derek said, but then realised that if such a thing was possible, he was talking to a ghost.
Smiling wryly now, Derek climbed the stairs, but on the way up he found himself still talking to Bernie. ‘I don’t know where you are, mate, but if there’s a heaven and you’re in it, can you ask the governor to do something for Pearl?’