Lawless (41 page)

The shock of seeing the prints again was just as strong as it had been last night when Rob first discovered them. Daisy had lived with Vanessa for years, she knew how highly strung she was, always generating her own anxieties – mostly about the state of her position in society. Respectability was everything to Vanessa. If these prints should ever be revealed – if it should ever come to light that Lady Bray was having an affair with her gardener – then it would be truly disastrous for her. Her social circle would shun her, and she couldn’t bear that.

And that’s precisely why Ivan was tearing up Michael’s flat and the office to find them
, thought Daisy.

Now she could see what had been happening here. Michael had been blackmailing Vanessa with these prints, threatening to show them to the press. And she thought she knew why. For all that Vanessa and Cornelius Bray had put Ruby through, tearing her children away from her, tormenting her, Michael had decided that they should pay. Well, Cornelius was out of it; but there was still Vanessa.

As a motive for murder, getting rid of a blackmailer held a lot of weight.

Vanessa looked mortified. It was bad enough, this stranger turning up here again, after she’d thought they’d got rid of him and that ghastly thug Kit Miller. But now she saw Daisy looking at the prints, and drawing her own conclusions.

‘It’s not how it looks . . .’ she said desperately.

‘It looks like you’re knocking off the gardener,’ said Rob.

‘Daisy, you have to believe—’ said Vanessa.

‘Believe what? That these photos aren’t genuine? I can see they are.’

Vanessa’s eyes dropped to her lap. ‘This is very embarrassing,’ she said.

‘Michael was blackmailing you, wasn’t he?’ asked Daisy.

‘That vile man!’ burst out Vanessa. ‘He came here and said that if I didn’t pay up he’d show them to the press. So I agreed. I paid him. And then he said he was going to show them anyway, and—’

‘And then what?’ Rob demanded. ‘Ivan killed him, right?’

Vanessa’s milky blue eyes opened wide. ‘No! How you can say that?’

‘It’s what I’d do, in his place,’ said Rob. ‘Remove the threat. Nice and clean. Always supposing Michael hadn’t lodged a set of the prints elsewhere with instructions to open and publish if anything should happen to him.’

‘Ivan was in the army, wasn’t he? He knows all about guns,’ said Daisy.

There was movement at the French windows and a male voice spoke.

‘That may be true. But if I’d wanted to kill that bastard, I’d have done it with my own bare hands.’

Daisy and Rob turned as one, and saw that wiry, bearded Ivan had just stepped into the drawing room holding a twelve-bore shotgun.

99

‘Oh God,’ said Vanessa, putting a hand to her mouth. She surged to her feet, making entreating motions to Ivan. ‘No, you mustn’t . . .’

Rob pushed Daisy behind him and stared down the barrel of the gun. Ivan was much smaller than Rob, slight and sinewy, but he had eyes like a tiger and they glared with purpose.

‘Get hold of the prints,’ Ivan ordered Vanessa.

With trembling fingers, Vanessa did as she was told.

‘That’s no good,’ said Daisy, having to swallow hard to get the words out. ‘We have copies.
Several
copies,’ she lied.

‘What about the negatives?’ asked Ivan.

‘We don’t have those. We can’t find them.’

‘But you found these.’

‘Yeah, you missed them when you searched the office and the flat,’ said Rob. ‘But the negatives? No. Couldn’t find them.’

‘It was worth a try,’ shrugged Ivan.

‘Yeah, I’ll give you that,’ said Rob. ‘Like offing Michael was worth a try too, I guess. End of blackmailer – end of blackmail.’

Ivan’s lips twisted in a sneer. ‘What, you think that was me? Sonny, if I’d truly intended to see the man gone, I’d have done it quietly, not with a gun.’

Daisy was staring at Ivan. She grabbed Rob’s arm. ‘Ivan was in the army,’ she said.

‘Special Air Services,’ said Ivan.

‘They’re taught silent killing.’

‘They’re also taught guns,’ said Rob. ‘Dum-dum bullets. That says military to me.’

‘I wouldn’t have needed a gun to put that bastard’s lights out,’ said Ivan.

‘But you’re waving a gun around now,’ said Rob.

‘We’re not interested in these prints,’ Daisy said. ‘I know Michael didn’t need your money, he was just winding you up. Paying you back for what you put Ruby through. The only thing we’re interested in is who killed him. That’s all we want to know.’

‘Ivan didn’t do it,’ snapped Vanessa. ‘Of course he didn’t. But I tell you – when that man died the way he did, we were just so pleased. So relieved the nightmare was over. Ivan decided he’d try to find the negatives, and any prints. Put the whole horrible incident safely away. But he couldn’t find them.’

Daisy could feel herself shaking as she stared at Ivan holding the gun, pointing it straight at Rob’s middle.

‘Please put the gun down,’ said Vanessa, her teeth chattering with fear as she glanced at Daisy’s ashen face. ‘There’s really no need for that.’

Ivan stayed motionless for a moment. Then, slowly, he lowered the shotgun. He looked straight at Rob. ‘I didn’t kill Michael Ward,’ he said, disgust obvious in his tone. ‘But I wish I had. He deserved it.’

Daisy saw a muscle twitch in Rob’s jaw. She knew he had idolized Michael.

Rob turned away from Ivan and looked at Vanessa.

‘Keep the prints,’ he said, and moved towards the French windows followed by Daisy, both of them passing close by Ivan.

‘What about the other copies?’ snapped Ivan.

‘That’s our insurance,’ said Rob, pausing on the threshold. ‘Behave, and they stay out of the public eye. Don’t, and the society pages will get an eyeful.’

Rob then stepped outside, grabbing Daisy’s arm and walking her quickly round the side of the building.

‘What the fuck are you doing, showing up here?’ he asked her as he bundled her over to his car.

‘I’ve got my—’ she started.

‘No leave the frigging Mini right there. There’s no guarantee he won’t come after us even now. Just get in the bloody car, you daft mare – and hurry up.’

Daisy got in Rob’s car and he jumped in, started the engine and roared off full speed down the drive.

‘Shit, that was scary!’ said Daisy, clutching her chest. ‘My car . . .’

‘We’ll pick it up when things have cooled down. You shouldn’t have come. What the hell were you playing at?’ Rob reached the end of the drive and steered the car quickly into the lane with a chirp of tyres.

‘Me? How about you? You vanished without a word. I phoned round, trying to find you, and then it hit me. I knew you’d be down here on your own, playing the big man.’

‘He could have shot us, Daisy. Both of us.’

‘Jesus, don’t you think I’m aware of that?’ shrieked Daisy.

They tore through the village and out the other side, and onto the main road. Slowly, Daisy began to feel just a little safer.

‘Daise, calm down.’

‘Calm down? After everything that’s been going on?’

She couldn’t believe that they had just been standing in Vanessa’s drawing room with Ivan pointing a gun straight at Rob. What if she hadn’t shown up? Would he have taken the opportunity to dispose of Rob? He could be dead right now. And knowing that, how awful it would be, how truly terrifying, brought it home to her all the more forcefully: she was in love with Rob.

And the worst thing was, it wasn’t reciprocated.

100

Once they’d put a good distance between themselves and Brayfield, Rob pulled in at the side of the road and turned off the engine. He looked at Daisy.

‘You great fool, he could have killed you!’ she shouted, thumping his arm.

‘Daise.’

‘Oh, shut up. You had to play John Wayne, didn’t you? Strutting down here on your own. Has it occurred to you what would have happened if I hadn’t shown up? You could be in a hole somewhere! Do you seriously think he wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t there as a witness? Vanessa wouldn’t let him hurt me, so he couldn’t hurt you. I’ve just absolutely fucking
saved
you, and all you can say is
calm down
!’

‘Daise,’ said Rob again.

‘And you shouldn’t have left the prints there. The police would have treated those as evidence, we could have given those photos to them and perhaps made a case.’

‘The police don’t give a shit about Michael’s death, Daisy,’ cut in Rob harshly. ‘The case has been sidelined. We could hand photos of Lady Bray and her gardener swinging bollock-naked off the light fittings or boffing a bloody donkey, and they wouldn’t give a toss. But when Ivan said he’d have used his bare hands? I think that was true.’

Daisy thought it was true too; Ivan was a real old-school officer type, super-posh and tough as cowhide. She had always imagined him as the sort of man who would trek to the Pole with his toes blackening and dropping off through frostbite, and he wouldn’t utter a word of complaint until he’d got there, achieved his goal.

‘You know what? I honestly hate you,’ snapped Daisy. She put her hands to her head and shook it, digging her fingers into her scalp. Then she threw her arms wide and sent him a desperate look. ‘And who the hell gave Michael that LP, that ring? That’s driving me
mad
.’

Christ, he thought, she looked so sexy with her hair all mussed up, her face flushed with temper and her chest heaving from the exertion of their run out of Brayfield. When she’d thrown her hands out like that, pneumatic things had happened in her chest area: a heavy delicious swaying movement that drew his eye. He had this terrible, fatal weakness for heavily stacked girls.

She was close, and she was available. Now he caught himself wondering how those fantastically alluring breasts of hers would feel under his hands if he were to lean over and slide them up under her bra. He could already imagine the feel of them, so heavy and cool and . . .

Whoa there, tiger
, he thought suddenly.

What was he thinking? The blood rush of their narrow escape from that bearded twat Ivan had stirred him up, that was all, got his juices flowing. Big luscious bazookas or not, Daisy was rich, spoiled and spoke with a plum in her mouth. And she liked to be in charge. She wasn’t for the likes of him.

‘Am I wrong, or did that scrawny jumped-up little gnome actually call me “sonny” back there?’ he wondered aloud.

‘Yes. He did. But never mind that now, that’s a blind alley.’

‘What, you don’t think it’s possible he offed Michael?’

‘No, I really don’t. I believe Ivan was telling the absolute truth. Knowing Michael, he wanted revenge for the torment Vanessa had put Ruby through in the past, and he fished around until he found the perfect thing to sting Vanessa with. She cares for her reputation, for her standing in the community, above all else. And it’s clear Ivan adores her and wanted to protect her reputation.’

‘He’s fucking her, if that’s what you mean,’ snorted Rob.

‘Do you have to be so crude? The reason he was so intent on getting those photos back was to protect the name of the woman he loves. It’s rather noble, if you ask me.’

‘Jesus!’

‘But I don’t think for one minute that he’d shoot Michael in the back of the head. It seems a cowardly thing to do. I can’t imagine an honourable old soldier like Ivan would ever stoop to that, can you?’

Rob slumped in his seat. Unless he was missing something obvious, she was right.

‘So now we move on,’ said Daisy, shaking her head. ‘You know, I still can’t believe that Michael was unfaithful to Ruby.’

Rob sent her a look. ‘
I
can’t believe that Lady Bray would fuck her gardener, but she does.’

‘I don’t think it’s quite like that,’ said Daisy.

‘Daise, it’s
exactly
like that.’

‘Look, Vanessa was always very fond of Ivan, they had much more in common than she ever had with my father. They got on well. And . . . I suppose this is the inevitable result.’

‘I think you’re fooling yourself with this LP-sleeve business, and the ring.’

‘In what way?’

‘It’s another dead end. Penny to a pinch of shit it was that little fucker Gabe killed Mike. Look to the nearest and dearest – isn’t that what they always say?’

‘Yes, but Gabe’s never been near or dear to Michael. They parted company when he was in his teens.’

‘And Gabe resented that,’ said Rob. ‘And it festered. Then he was banged up. Finally he gets out and he’s on his uppers, low as you can get – and he finds out his dear old dad has cut him out of the money. Wham! He snaps.’

‘God, I need some fresh air,’ said Daisy, opening the car door and getting out onto the verge. Rob got out too, watching her, frowning. ‘What about Thomas Knox?’ Daisy turned to him. ‘That man is fixated on Ruby.’

‘So?’ Rob shrugged. ‘Ruby’s a very attractive woman.’

‘Yes, but Knox has had his eye on her for years. And what stood in the way of his
getting
her? Michael. That’s all.’

Rob was silent for a minute. ‘That LP sleeve – Ruby was close to Michael, maybe she’ll recognize the writing.’

‘Worth a try,’ said Daisy.

‘Sure is,’ said Rob. ‘Let’s do it.’

They walked back to the car and it was then that Rob saw a lightweight motorbike zooming around the corner of the lane, closing in on them fast. The black-helmeted rider had his arm straight out, aiming something at Daisy.

Rob took two quick steps and grabbed Daisy in one swift movement. As the gunshots started to blast away the silence, he pushed her down onto the verge and threw his full weight on top of her.

He heard her give a thin shriek and for a moment all was chaos. He was scrabbling for his own weapon and thinking,
Slow, too fucking slow, he’s going to stop and finish us.

But the roar of the two-stroke engine was dying away. Rob raised his head and saw bike and rider tearing off to their left, then vanishing from sight.

Silence returned. All he could hear now was Daisy’s gasping breaths, all he could feel was her frantically racing heart against his rib cage.