The tuk-tuk man took her to a hotel on the waterfront. She checked in and left her backpack in the tiny stifling room, then went down to the reception area. She had promised Ken she would call him when she arrived in Patong.
He sounded relieved to hear her voice.
‘I’ve been worried about you, lassie. Marge is too. Have you found laughing boy?’
‘Yes. He’s in the cells.’
‘And?’
‘I’m going to try and get him out.’
‘You really are a soft touch, lassie. When are you coming home?’
‘When I’ve got this sorted out. I’m about to go to the bank and get an advance on my credit card.’
‘Are you sure that’s wise? Why don’t you just let him sweat it out in there. It might do him good.’
‘He only smoked a bit of dope, Ken. He’s been unlucky, that’s all.’
‘You’re too soft-hearted, Laura. Oh, by the way, Rory came round again. Yesterday.’
‘Did he leave a message this time?’
‘Yes, he left a note for you.’
‘Why don’t you read it to me?’
‘If you’re sure.’ She heard the rustle of paper at the other end of the line. ‘OK, here goes,’ Ken said:
‘Dear Laura, I’ve been meaning to tell you this since February, but I didn’t have the courage. It’s the reason I quit the protest and went back to live with my parents. I’m sure you’ll think badly of me, and I do feel guilty. So guilty, that I can’t keep it to myself any longer. I was telling the truth when I said I saw the police officer beat up a protester. But what I didn’t tell you was that I saw Luke throw the breeze block at the windscreen. He’d crossed the road and gone round the other side of the lorry. I followed him, but he didn’t see me there. I tried to tell you this when you phoned from court but you were in too much of a hurry. It’s hard to believe, I know. He was a hero to me, and he let us all down. I can hardly believe it happened, but I saw it with my own eyes. I know it is too late now to do anything about it, but I think you should know.’
Laura swallowed hard and stared out at the sea before her. A lone windsurfer wove to and fro on the crest of a breaker. She followed him with her eyes.
‘Laura, are you there?’
‘Yes, I don’t know what to say.’
‘You’re not going to bail him out after this, are you?’
‘I don’t know. I’ve got to think.’
She went straight back to the police station. Luke was waiting for her, a look of relief in his eyes. Somehow, he’d combed his hair.
‘That was quick. Did you get the cash?’
She grabbed the bars and hissed at him.
‘You lied to me.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You know what I mean, about the lorry at Wapping. It was you. You lied to me.’
The smug expression vanished.
‘Just get me out of here, Laura. We can talk about this later.’
‘You let me go into court and peddle a whole load of rubbish. How could you?’
Anger and panic flashed in his eyes.
‘So, what if I lied? The whole of News International’s game and the police game was built on lies. You didn’t expect me to play fair with them, did you?’
‘You promised me.’
‘You’re so naïve, Laura. What did you expect?’
‘And what about that poor man, the lorry driver? He could have died.’
‘He took the risk. He was a scab.’
She stared at him.
‘I’m not getting the money,’ she said, suddenly calm.
‘Laura? Now, come on. That’s not fair. I can’t stay here.’
‘Why not? You should have been sent down for what you did in Wapping. You won’t be in for long. It’s a minor offence, possession of cannabis.’
‘Don’t be a child, Laura. You can’t mete out some screwed-up type of rough justice like that. Stop being melodramatic. It doesn’t suit you.’
‘I’ll tell you what doesn’t suit me, Luke Goddard – You. You don’t suit me. You’ve used me from the start. Naïve little Laura. Pull the wool over her eyes. She’ll pay for me. She’ll let me stay in her flat, pay for my booze, pay for my trips.’
‘It wasn’t like that, Laura. I love you. Truly, I do. Look, get me out of here, and I’ll prove it to you. We can go somewhere else, just the two of us. One of the little islands, find a beach hut.’
She looked him long and hard in the eyes. ‘Forget it, Luke,’ she muttered. ‘Look, I’ll get the money and give it to the man at the desk. I couldn’t have it on my conscience, even though I would really like to leave you here to rot. But after that I’m leaving straight away, so don’t try and find out where I am.’
She walked back through the police station, her whole body shaking. She went straight out past the front desk and turned towards the seafront without looking back.
29
There was a stack of post on the hall table when Laura returned home that chilly April morning. She picked up the pile and shuffled half-heartedly through a couple of letters.
There were the usual bills and credit card statements. But there was one official-looking letter addressed to her that made her stop and examine the envelope: it was expensive looking stationery, and the postmark was West London. She ripped the letter open.
It was from a firm of solicitors in Kensington:
‘Dear Miss Ellis,
We act for the estate of Mr. James Edward Leech, who sadly died on March 15, 1986. We are writing to you because Mr. Leech left you a bequest in his will of the sum of £10,000 pounds.
