Jail Bird (2 page)

Biddable.

Lily’s lip curled in bitterness as she thought of what a prize idiot Leo had taken her for. Yeah, she might live in luxury, but she’d been made to look a twat. She was sure his mates and his business ‘colleagues’ would know what he was up to, would pat him on the back and think him a big man for cheating on his wife with poor Matt Thomson’s old lady.

‘You dog,’ they’d say admiringly.

And if the boys knew, then her friends knew too.

Leo was a major Essex ‘face’, and he and his boys were behind many a heist. Leo, his brothers and Nick O’Rourke led a cadre of suited-and-booted villains, all deeply dangerous and mired in running ‘front’ companies. Lily didn’t know much about their business, and she didn’t want to. The money poured in; that had to be enough. So she’d put the blinkers on, kept her head down and ignored the rest.

There was always a price to pay in this life. She had come to know that over the years, shedding her girlish innocence as she got to know the man she’d married. There was a price to pay–and that price was her dignity. And just lately that price seemed too fucking high, by about a mile.

She was outside the closed bedroom door now, and her heart was beating hard with the tension of it. Because he would kick off. She knew that. Leo had never once hit her–he never would–but his temper was formidable, his rages seemed to fill up the space all around him, to suck all the oxygen out of a room. She didn’t ever like to upset him, but now she’d been pushed too far.

Yeah, the worm’s finally doing a U-turn,
she thought.

‘Leo!’ she called again, wanting to wake him quickly, wanting more than anything to get this over and done with.

He’d deny it. She knew damned well that he’d deny it. But there were things she knew for sure now; there was
proof,
and she had right on her side.

‘Leo, will you wake up? I want a word,’ she said, nerves making her voice harsh and demanding as she swung the door wide open, crashing it back against the wall in her haste to get in there and get the damned thing said.

And then she saw the blood–splatters and loops and obscene thick
skeins
of blood–and the body with its head
shot clean away. She stopped dead in the doorway, all the strength draining from her limbs in an instant, her lips mouthing words that would not come.

Her long nightmare had begun.

2009

Lily King was out. She was standing at the gates of Askham Grange nick, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, a grey hoodie and white trainers, clutching a black bin bag full of her worldly possessions.

The first thing she knew of her friend Becks’s arrival was the horn of the car. It blared out a merry eight-tone tune as Becks whipped round the corner in it. The second thing that announced Becks’s arrival was the colour of the car. The daft bint had a
pink
open-topped car. Lily cringed a bit as Becks tore along the road, waving madly, her white-blonde hair whipping out behind her in the warm June wind. So much for hopes of a quiet departure. Becks never did a damned thing quietly. Lily should have known that.

‘Lils, Lils! Hiya Lils!’ she was hollering even before she brought the car to a screeching halt.

Becks was her best mate. Only Becks had visited her inside while she’d been down south in Holloway. And Becks was
the only person who’d offered to drive all the way up to Yorkshire to pick her up now she was no longer to be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure. She’d offered her temporary accommodation too, to keep the probation officer sweet.

Becks is a very kind girl,
thought Lily as the pink monstrosity barrelled to a halt right in front of her.
Barking, sure. Mad as a hatter. But kind.

‘Lils babe, jump in!’ Becks was trilling over the loud thump and grind of the Foo Fighters. She grabbed the black bin bag and lobbed it onto the back seat. ‘Jesus, it’s so
good
to see you.’

Lily was clutched around the neck in a tight hug. Becks’s jaws were working, chewing gum as always, and the scent of Wrigley’s surrounded Lily in a haze of sweetness. She smiled into Becks’s perfumed hair and then she looked up and stiffened.

A bull-barred 4x4 that had been parked across the street was slowly pulling out. As it drew level with Becks’s car, the darkly tinted electronic window slid smoothly down. A bulky man was behind the steering wheel, a man with a shaven head, snub nose, cleft chin and piggy dark blue eyes.

Oh shit,
thought Lily.

Freddy King, Leo’s psycho youngest brother was sitting there in the driving seat staring right at her.

Becks felt her grow rigid and she drew back. Looked at Lily’s eyes. Saw where they were directed. Becks looked around, following Lily’s gaze, and saw Freddy there.

‘Fucking hell,’ Becks muttered under her breath.

Both women froze, wondering what the hell he was doing here, what the hell he was intending to do. Lily’s heart was threatening to bust its way straight out through her ribs. Suddenly she wished she was back inside. She’d felt
safer
inside.

Now she was out…and here was Freddy.

Freddy started to grin. Lily felt her stomach tighten with fear. Freddy had a grin like a crocodile. It wasn’t intended to convey warmth, only threat. He lifted his hand and pointed a finger at her, mimicking the pointing of a gun.

Lily gulped.

He was mouthing something now. Lily stared at his face, a face she had last seen twelve years ago whooping and hollering in triumph across a crowded courtroom. Big heavy features, pitted skin the result of childhood acne, black eyebrows that met in the middle. Freddy had never been the brains of the King outfit–and by God it showed–but he was certainly the brawn. He exuded an air of casual menace. Lily looked at that sneering mouth and tried to make out the words.

When she did, it gave her no comfort at all.

You won’t see it coming, but trust me–it is.

And then he gunned the engine, and was gone, roaring off along the road.

‘Creep,’ said Becks with a shudder.

Lily felt as though someone had just stepped heavily on her grave. Leo’s two brothers hated her, and they had reason. She just hadn’t expected they’d make their intentions clear quite so soon. Her mouth felt dry and it was as if a cloud had passed over the sun.

She looked along the road. The 4x4 was gone, but the feeling of menace lingered. She took a breath, opened the car door, and slid into the passenger seat of Becks’s ludicrous pink motor.

‘Blonde joke,’ said Lily. ‘What’s the first thing a dumb blonde does in the morning?’

Becks looked at her doubtfully.

‘She introduces herself,’ said Lily.

Becks raised a thin smile.

‘And what’s the second thing a dumb blonde does in the morning?’ Lily asked.

Becks shook her head.

‘She goes home.’
And where the hell is home, now?
she wondered.

Becks smiled obligingly, but her heart wasn’t in it. ‘You think he knew the day you were getting out, and followed me all the way up here?’

Lily didn’t answer, but yes–she thought Freddy had done exactly that. For the sole purpose and pleasure of scaring the shit out of her.

‘He was saying something, wasn’t he?’ Becks was frowning now. ‘I couldn’t tell what it was. Did you see what he was saying, Lils?’

You won’t see it coming–but trust me, it is.

‘Nah,’ said Lily. ‘Couldn’t make out a word.’

She looked at the prison. Twelve years out of her life. Twelve
years.
But the nightmare had started before that, on the night she came home to accuse her husband of having an affair.

‘What you thinking about, Lils?’ asked Becks.

Lily came back to the present with a jolt. She forced a smile. Banished the image of all that blood, that huge
splatter
of blood, from her mind once again. ‘Nothing much,’ she said, realizing that she’d been back there again, reliving that awful night.

She was wrapped up in Becks’s spare towelling robe, having soaked in the bath for ages. She’d washed her hair, scrubbed herself all over, but still she couldn’t get the stink of prison off her skin. It was Friday evening, earlyish. Watch the soaps, go to bed. That was their grand plan. They’d eaten–just the two of them; Joe, Becks’s lankily attractive husband, who worked for one of the East End mobs, had taken himself off somewhere–and they were now polishing off the last of the wine.

Becks flopped down beside Lily and looked at her, sitting there bolt upright, blank-faced. Becks popped a piece of gum in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Lily knew what her friend was thinking: that Lily had changed. The Lily Becks
had known–before the Leo thing had kicked off–had always been quiet, smiley, not a hint of attitude on her.
This
Lily had grown a tougher skin, altered into something different, something alien.

Her best friend,
thought Lily. She was sitting here with her best friend, and now she hadn’t a clue what to say to her. She knew that her presence was starting to make Becks feel uneasy. Lily had just done twelve years for killing Leo. Sure, there were a lot of people who’d wanted to kill Leo–shit, they’d been queuing up around the block–but everyone believed that Lily had actually gone ahead and
done
it. Blown his head clean off. Becks had remained a friend despite that, over all this time, visiting, making an effort. But she
had
to be wondering how the hell anyone could do that, take a life, even if sorely provoked.

Becks was staring at Lily.

‘What?’ asked Lily.

‘Nothing.’ Becks shook her head.

‘Come on.’

Becks looked back at Lily. ‘I just…well…what’s it like? Killing someone, I mean?’

Lily smiled faintly. ‘You just point and shoot, I suppose. Easy.’

Becks swallowed. Lily was
really
making her nervous. The way she’d said that. So cool. So flippant.

‘It can’t be easy,’ said Becks with a shaky laugh.

‘It could be. Supposing you hated the person you were shooting. Supposing he had–for instance–been poking someone else. Or beating you up. Stuff like that.’

Becks nodded. ‘Right.’

Becks had been at the trial. She remembered that the defence had used that, told the jury that Leo had beaten the crap out
of Lily on a regular basis, tried to lessen the sentence. Becks had doubted that was true; she still did. The defence counsel had been clutching at straws, but everyone could see that Lily was going down for a long stretch.

‘You know what, Lils? You still look bloody good.’ Then she grinned. ‘Forty’s the new twenty, y’know.’

Lily sighed. She’d always looked younger than her years. ‘I’m not forty yet. Not till next April.’

‘Mine hits next June,’ said Becks. ‘Scary, or what?’

Silence.

Then Lily said: ‘Si and Maeve. They still living with the girls at The Fort?’

Becks shook her head. ‘When Oli turned eighteen back in February, they moved out–back to their own place just up the road. The girls are still there, though.’ Becks felt uncomfortable talking about this. Lily had lost her home. A con couldn’t profit from their crime, so her share of the house–which would have been the
full
share had Leo died peacefully in his bed–had passed into a trust for the girls, administered by Leo’s brother Si and his wife Maeve, who were appointed trustees and guardians of the girls by the courts.

Lily sipped her wine, but it tasted sour to her now. She was remembering all those frantic, tearful times when she had phoned out from prison. The very first time she had phoned The Fort, thinking that the cleaner or
someone
would pick up, Si had answered the phone, told her to fuck off, and put the phone down on her.

Becks was darting furtive looks at Lily.

‘
Now
what?’ Lily asked.

Becks shook her head. ‘No, it don’t matter.’

‘Oh for fuck’s sake, Becks, spit it out,’ sighed Lily. She looked tired all of a sudden, tired and irritable.

Becks sighed. She knew she ought to listen more to Joe and what he told her. Joe was the epitome of sensible. For instance, he’d kicked off about Lily coming here, but Becks had
insisted.
And now she could see the error of her ways, because with Lily in such close proximity she found that she just couldn’t keep this huge secret from her. It wasn’t fair. Lily had been through enough.

She couldn’t help remembering Lily standing there outside the prison gates, looking lost, her eyes blank, her expression hopeless. Her old mate, Lily. She’d stuck with her, because for God’s sake this was
Lily.
They’d known each other all their lives. And if Lily–of all people–had blown Leo away, then she
must
have been goaded beyond all reason. So she owed the poor cow the truth, at least. Didn’t she?

‘I wasn’t supposed to tell you,’ said Becks.

‘Tell me what?’ asked Lily.

‘About Saz’s wedding.’

‘You
what?
’ Lily shot upright, slopping wine over the arm of the chair.

Saz! Her baby girl. She hadn’t seen her or heard a word from her in twelve years. And now…

‘Wedding? What the fuck’re you talking about?’

‘She’s getting married. Tomorrow. And I’m not supposed to tell you that, you didn’t hear that from me, okay?’

Lily sat there, gobsmacked. When she had last seen Saz, she had been nine years old. Now she was twenty-one. A fully grown woman. And she was getting
married.
Her eldest daughter. Her lovely girl.

‘Where?’ asked Lily. ‘What time?’

‘Oh, no,’ said Becks, shaking her head. ‘
No,
Lils. Don’t even think about it. The King boys see you within ten miles of
that,
they’ll go apeshit.’

‘There’s nothing in my licence that says I can’t contact the girls–or anyone else, come to that.’

‘No! Lils, don’t. The Kings…’

‘Hey,’ said Lily with sudden sharpness, ‘
I’m
a King. Remember?’

Becks was taken aback. The Lily she’d known had never snapped like that.
I guess becoming a murderess changes a person,
she thought with a shudder. And what the hell was she doing, helping a murderess out like this? Joe was right. She was mental to get involved. And now she’d opened her fat gob and put her foot straight in it. As usual.

‘Freddy King said he’d kill you if he ever clapped eyes on you again,’ Becks reminded her. ‘He was outside the sodding jail, Lils. Think about this. He drove all that way and waited, just so that he could scare you.’

Freddy was hot-headed and stupid, Lily had always thought that. Not like Si. Si was a thinker. Leo had been smart too–but not, as it turned out, quite smart enough.

‘Freddy King’s full of crap,’ said Lily.

‘He’ll do for you if you go there,’ warned Becks seriously.

Lily shrugged and glugged back the last of the wine. She turned and looked Becks dead in the eye. ‘Like I care,’ she said. ‘And Becks…?’

‘What?’

‘I didn’t kill Leo.’

Becks gulped. ‘You what?’

‘I didn’t kill him. I know you all thought I did. Everyone did. Including the police who investigated the case. Including the judge. No one bought that shit about him beating me up and me killing him being justifiable. People knew he was screwing Adrienne Thomson. They were convinced I cracked and killed him for it. But I didn’t.’

Becks took a long swallow of her wine. She needed it. Was Lily bullshitting her? But why would she do that? She’d done her time, what would it profit her to start spinning fairy tales?

‘So who the hell…?’ she asked Lily.

Lily shrugged. ‘Dunno,’ she said.

She looked straight at Becks and Becks felt dread take hold of her. ‘But I’m going to start with Adrienne. She was all over Leo’s bits like a dose of the clap, ever since school days. She was Matt Thomson’s missus, but he didn’t do it for her, did he? We all knew that. Apart from firing blanks, poor bastard, she went round telling everyone he had a tiny dick.’ Lily emptied her glass and grimaced. ‘Yeah. I’ll start with her.’

And after Adrienne, I’ll go on to anyone else who might have done it,
she thought.
And when I find them, when I finally find out who did this to me, then God help them.