Faceless (48 page)

children had come second to her and her lifestyle.

‘I’m so sorry, Marie. So very, very sorry. I don’t know what made

me do it, I swear. I must have been mad or something.’

It was useless, she knew, but she had to say the words because for

once she actually meant them.

‘You did it for five grand. Money is the reason why my child is

dead. Money, Carole. Something you and I worshipped many years

ago. Me for skag, and you for drink and speed. I can remember me

and you going to see Doctor Grass in Hampstead for slimming pills.

Neither of us was over eight stone them days. Then scoring grass at

the Roundhouse. It was all drugs and drink then, and now you’ve

sold my baby like you’d have sold your own fucking mother for a

drink in those days. Eventually we would do anything for a few

quid. I killed over drugs the first time, and I’m going to kill over

them a second time, aren’t I?’

The words penetrated Carole’s brain and she started to cry. As

bad as her life was she did not want to die. After her recent brush

with death she finally understood what life was all about. Money

meant nothing if you had no friends or bad health. It was a bonus in

life, nothing more and nothing less.

Easy money had always been her lure as it had once been Marie’s.

But even though she had been locked away for years she had come

out a better person.

‘You were supposed to be my mate. I would have looked out for

your daughters, you know I would have. I looked out for us all until

I cracked up. Even Caroline and Bethany would come to me if they

had a problem. How many times did I share what I had with you,

eh, food, drugs, whatever I had? Whereas you would buy twenty

fags and leave fifteen indoors and come and smoke everyone else’s.

You were a ponce then, and you are still a ponce now. But you

killed my Tiffany as sure as if you’d given her the kicking yourself.

She died hard that girl, without anyone giving her a kindness in her

young life. She could trust no one, not even me, thanks to you and

Patrick. You turned her away from me and you know you did. I

326

would have got her away from him but you two poisoned her mind

against me.’

Carole was crying, her face already blotched and swollen. She

looked terrified.

‘Are you going to kill me, Marie?’

The words were low, spoken in terror but with a certain bravado

because at least she had the front to ask the question out loud.

Marie started laughing.

‘I’m not killing you, Carole. You’re not worth doing the time for.

I’m after Mr Connor, the big man, love. What I want from you is all

you know about him. No more and no less. You tell me about his

prostitution ring and I’ll leave you in peace, OK? But I want the

truth or else I will really harm you and I take oath on that one. I

want to know where his girls hang out and what they expect from

him these days. I want to give him a surprise, see.’

Carole saw the blackness in Marie’s eyes. If was as if her pupils

covered her eyeballs. She looked drugged up, but it was adrenaline

and hatred that had given her that look, two of the most powerful

chemicals ever so far as Carole was concerned.

‘What you going to do, Marie?’

‘Why? You thinking of ringing him up and earning another few

quid, you two-faced ponce?’

Carole shook her head furiously.

‘Never, Marie. I wouldn’t.’

Marie looked at her old friend, and in one part other didn’t really

blame Carole who knew no better. Her whole life had been spent

fucking people up, looking out for number one. It was the law of

the pavement, the law of the street. She was too long in the tooth

to change now; the course of her life was set.

‘What happened to your boat?’

Carole shrugged painfully.

‘I had a rogue punter. Bight fucking nutter. He skanked me

dough and all. Five grand, up the fucking Swannee.’

Once more, even in the face of Marie’s distress, it was all about her.

‘One of them will kill you one day, Carole.’

It was said caringly and Marie wondered how she could still be

bothered about this woman who was a piece of dirt by most

people’s standards.

Carole shrugged.

‘Who gives a fuck? Not me. But I wanted that dough. I really had

plans for that money, you know?’

327

Marie sat on the edge of a chair and, taking back her hand,

slapped Carole a resounding blow across her face.

‘It means nothing to you, does it, my Tiffany dying all because

you wanted a few quid?’

Carole realised then what she had said and could have kicked

herself. Why could she never remember what she’d said to people

even a few minutes before? She really must start listening, and

concentrating on what was going on.

‘Patrick threatened me, he was gonna really hurt me. You know

what he’s like … Look what he did to Tiff.’

The old Carole was back, the lying scheming Carole. The woman

who looked for the scam in everything and everyone she came into

contact with.

Marie was amazed at how easily her old friend fell into the role of

poor weak woman.

‘If the truth be told I bet you got a hiding because you tried to

scam the punter. It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?’

Carole was shaking her head once more.

‘No, I swear on me granddaughter’s head.’

Marie held up her hands for quiet as if she was in a classroom full

of little children.

‘I don’t want to hear it. I think you got what you deserved,

Carole, no more and no less. Now talk to me about Connor and let

me get on me way.’

Carole lit a cigarette with shaking hands and began to talk. She

knew she had to tell Marie what she wanted to hear if she was going

to get her out of her home. Suddenly it was important to get her

out of the way. Carole would just dig herself in deeper and deeper

otherwise, she couldn’t help it.

She was loose-lipped, always had been and always would be. And

this time she had gone too far, even she could see that much. But

deep inside, as sorry as she was for what had happened to Tiffany,

the loss of the five grand was hurting her more. She convinced

herself that anyone would have done the same, even Marie.

Old habits really did die hard. She had been deluding herself all

her life. It was impossible to change now.

Alan had a meeting that ran on much longer than he’d expected.

When he got back to work he was not surprised that Marie was not

there. He stared around the yard for a while. Soon he would be

gone from here for good. It was the only way out. The meeting

328

today had put the final nail in the coffin as far as this place was

concerned.

It was strange but it was the death of Marie’s daughter that had

made him take the final drastic step. That was one tragedy too many

as far as he was concerned.

He could smell Marie’s perfume in the office space. It was light

and fragrant and like her it was subdued. He missed her around the

place. But every time he thought of her with Mikey Devlin he felt

sick to his stomach. They were hardly what he would have called a

natural couple.

Mikey was a diamond geezer. He should have his usual armful, a

young bird who was grateful to be seen with him. Not his Marie.

She, whatever she had done, was intelligent and kind. She deserved

better than Mikey whatever she might think. She had overcome so

much and come out the end of it all a better person. Mikey would

only drag her back down into the gutter with him because Mikey

was going away and he was going away for a long time, whatever he

thought.

None of this could go on much longer. Alan was amazed they

had carried on as long as they had without a capture, though that

was on the cards, he knew for a fact.

The phone rang and he answered it quickly. It wasn’t Marie and

the realisation made him feel sad. She was under his skin and he

didn’t know what the hell he was going to do about it. He thought

about her all the time and dreamt of her in his home and in his bed.

He had it bad, he knew he did. Love was a strange thing. It made

you brave and it made you sneaky. As Mikey was going to find out

very soon.

Verbena and Ossie had a truce for the moment but she wondered

how long it was going to last.

Jason was devastated over his sister’s death, and she understood

that; she just couldn’t see, as her son and husband apparently

could, what the big deal really was. Sure, it was sad the girl was

dead but the life she’d lived had made that inevitable. It was going

to happen sooner or later, and if they’d chosen not to see that then

more fool them. It was not like she’d been a regular girl, a

respectable girl.

But Verbena was too shrewd to say any of this out loud, though

privately she had made her feelings clear to Oswald.

She had also vented her feelings loud and clear on Jason’s

329

so-called birth mother. She was damned if she was going to act like

Marie’s best friend when in fact she should not be allowed anywhere

near her son. If she were a neighbour they would be warning him to

keep away, not encouraging him to see her and forgive her for the

terrible things she’d done.

It was all completely laughable, but because Marie was a sexy

piece Ossie had decided she was OK. Was to be welcomed. Well

that was not going to happen, not in Verbena’s home, she was

determined on that much.

Marie Carter was not coming in here like a longlost sister, no way.

Her with her big tits and her brash clothes, her smarmy smile and

hangdog expression. ‘Look at poor me, I killed two people so feel

sorry for me!’ It was as if the men in Verbena’s life had gone mad.

All Marie had done was give birth to those children. She’d never

nurtured them, or loved them, or comforted them. Look at Tiffany,

dead at nineteen. Beaten to death, mind, and raped, and the police

had no interest at all. Because like Verbena they knew that it was par

for the course with tarts like her. If she was honest Verbena was

pleased the girl was gone. It was one less bloody relative to have to

deal with. One less nuisance to have to listen to and smile at and

pretend to welcome.

Shame the bloody mother had not gone with her. At least a small

child could be moulded into something else. Look how well she

had done with Jason. He should be down on his bended knees

thanking her for the new life he’d had, not giving out to her over

his mother. Her friend had said years ago that children were a

thankless task and Verbena had disagreed. Now she understood

only too well.

Well, she would bide her time and when this was over she was

going to give them both the shock of their lives.

To think that her husband, the man she had adored all these years,

could have his head turned by Marie Carter! It was unbelievable.

She finished making the sandwiches and put the soup on to heat.

She had made her special vegetable soup, both her men loved it.

She was making all their favourite food because she wanted them to

realise what they could be giving up. When she gave them her

ultimatum she wanted them to be fully aware of exactly how much

she did for them.

She still could not believe that in a few short weeks her life had

been virtually destroyed because of that woman. But one thing it

had proved to her: Ossie was as weak as the next man before a

330

pretty face and a comely figure. It didn’t matter that this one had

been a drug addict and a double murderess, she was pleasing to the

eye and for that he would forgive her anything.

It broke Verbena’s heart to know that the man to whom she had

given herself, had fallen out with her family for, was not worth it.

But he was hers and she loved him, and she was damned if she was

going to let that other woman have him without a fight.

As her husband and son came into the bright airy kitchen she

plastered a smile on her face and turned to them.

‘I’m not really hungry. Mum.’

Her son’s face was ravaged by tears so she walked over and

hugged him to her. It was a tight hug and he tried to pull away but

she held him in a vice-like grip so he just relaxed against her as he

always did.

Watching them, Oswald sighed. Verbena was too overpowering.

Why had he allowed her to become like that over the years? Why

had he indulged her?

If only she’d believe she had never had any reason to be jealous,

but she had always been like this, from the day they had met.

He forced himself to smile and eat the soup and sandwiches when

in reality all he wanted to do was take his boy and go out

somewhere. Get him some fresh air and talk through his sister’s

death with him. Instead he had to sit it out with Verby for a while at

least. He knew all the signs and how to deal with them. But he was

getting bored with the constant drama. She controlled them both

with her assumed helplessness when in reality she was the least