Scarlet Women

worriedly.

‘What is it?’ she asked again, and it was then that she followed the line of Barney’s eyes and saw the small dark shape on the door. She reached out a hand and touched black fur, and dampness. Her hand came away bloody.

‘Oh God,’ she gasped.

It was the cat. Someone had killed the poor damned cat, and nailed it to the club door.

‘I didn’t see who did it,’ said Barney. ‘Honest.’

By a quarter to four, Steve Taylor and Gary Tooley had arrived on the scene. Barney was looking more nervous than ever, and Annie found that annoying. He hadn’t been bothered about her reaction, but he was shit-scared of theirs.

Squat Steve and lanky blond Gary stood there with faces like the wrath of God, looking at the cat on the door.

‘You didn’t see who did it?’ asked Steve in disbelief.

‘I went for a piss,’ whined Barney.

‘You don’t go for a piss, dickhead. You piss in a bottle. What are you, stupid?’ asked Gary.

Barney looked as if he was about to expire with fright. He was small fry on the firm, but these two were number ones, mean machines, real hard men.

‘Sorry,’ said Barney.

‘Sorry don’t cut it,’ said Steve. ‘You cunt.’

Steve turned to Annie, who was still standing there in her robe, shivering and—until now—being ignored by the three of them. ‘You got any ideas who done this?’ he asked.

Annie shook her head and looked at the cat, feeling sick at the sight of the poor thing hanging there, nailed there. What twisted arsehole would do a thing like that?

‘It’s a warning,’ said Gary.

Of what? she wondered.

She thought of Bobby Jo, warning her off poking around. And Charlie Foster, who hated her and was clearly keen to get even for all she’d inflicted on him in the past.

Steve, Gary and Barney were now arguing about the cat, and Steve was reiterating the fact that Barney should not be taking comfort breaks when he should be doing his effing job.

‘Hey,’ said Annie.

They just carried on talking. Steve swatted Barney upside the head.

‘Ow! Fuck!’ complained Barney.

‘Hey!’ Annie tried again, her temper stoking up fast. What the hell was she here, the little woman, to be ignored? ‘Hey!’ she bellowed. ‘Person in charge here trying to make herself heard!’

They fell silent. Breathing hard, she glared around at the three of them.

‘Barney,’ she snapped, ‘get back on watch, and no more buggering off. Piss out the window if you got to. Steve, Gary—get rid of that. I’m going back to bed.’

She stepped back inside and bolted the door behind her.

Oh Christ. She still felt as though she was going to spew her guts up. She’d rattled someone’s cage, that was for sure. She hurried back upstairs to wash the blood off her hands.

Chapter 32

On Thursday, Annie got an unexpected call from DI Hunter. By eleven that same morning she was sitting in a chilly, blue-painted and comfortless room in HM Prison, Wandsworth. The room contained two hard chairs and an oblong table. There was no window. The light was coming from a forty-watt bare bulb hanging overhead. It glimmered weakly on Annie and on Chris Brown, who was sitting opposite her wearing prison fatigues.

Annie thought Chris looked sick. He’d lost weight, his skin was developing a greyish pallor, his eyes looked haunted. She knew that look. She’d seen it in the mirror. But she was disturbed by how quickly this had happened to him. Chris, the strong ex-boxer, built like an armour-plated tank. Chris the tough and uncompromising Delaney hard man. Who also happened to be her friend.

She thought about that. Yeah, here she was again. Crossing over the invisible line that had been drawn long ago between the Delaney and the Carter firms. The Delaneys ought to have been fitting Chris up with a brief and pushing for a visit—but instead here she was, doing their work for them.

Over the years she had come to appreciate this man. He looked like a terrifying bruiser—but in fact she believed he was gentle to the core. She knew his appearance gave the lie to that. He had shoulders like slabs of beef, a huge neck, hands that could knock nails into wood. No doubt about it, Chris was a fearsome sight, even diminished as he was by suffering. Easy to see why Hunter was trying to pin this on him. He looked guilty as fuck, a perfect fit for a frame.

Annie frowned, watching Chris. Hunter still seemed convinced that Chris was their man.

And what if he’s right and I’m wrong? What if I get to prove Chris is innocent because I’m too stubborn and I’m trying to prove a point as usual, and he gets off and then tops some other poor bitch?

But no. She looked into Chris’s eyes. No. She couldn’t be wrong. She had to carry on believing that.

‘They treating you all right in here?’ asked Annie into the leaden silence of the room.

‘Yeah. Fine.’ Chris passed a hand over his eyes, as if they were sore. He looked at Annie.

‘They released her body yet?’

Annie gulped down a breath and nodded.

‘When’s the funeral?’ he asked in a whisper.

‘Friday.’

He nodded heavily. ‘They won’t let me go. Not a chance.’

‘No. I don’t think so.’

There was a pause. ‘I didn’t do it,’ said Chris. ‘And those others. I don’t know them from a hole in the ground. Honest.’

‘I believe you.’

‘Can’t prove it though, can I? Same MO.’

‘We’re all trying to help, Chris. Seriously.’

Chris nodded again, tried to smile. ‘Friday,’ he said, and his voice cracked. ‘Christ. Friday. And I can’t even be there.’

There was absolutely nothing Annie could say to that. Nothing at all.

She went straight from the prison back to the Alley Cat club. Tony followed her round the back, to where they had questioned Tamsin. The door there was unlocked, so they went in. It was just coming up to lunchtime, and the girls were getting ready. Tony started throwing open doors. Girls in various states of undress got all prim and started clutching pieces of clothing in front of their modesty.

‘Hey!’ complained Sasha the snake girl loudly as her door was flung wide to reveal a tangle of tits, python and sparkling g-string.

‘Sorry,’ said Annie, and Tony shut it. He went to the next. A pair of girls in this one, turning angry, stage- painted faces to the door.

‘Do you mind?’

Tony shut the door. Went to the next and opened it. A very tall woman in a sparkling blue dress and red wig was sitting in front of a mirror, applying purple eye shadow above a thick outcrop of black lashes.

‘What the cunting hell?’ demanded Bobby Jo furiously.

‘Hi,’ said Annie with a smile. ‘Time for a visit?’