Bone and Cane (25 page)

This was a fib but, if the last thing she did as an MP was getting an ex-boyfriend released from custody, it wouldn’t be a bad night’s work.

‘Do you want me to put him on, ma’am?’

‘I do. And when I’ve finished talking to him, if you haven’t changed your mind, I’m going to track down Eric and get him over to sort you out. I think he’s coming to my party later. Possibly Mr Cane would be driving him home, too.’

The Chief Constable wasn’t invited to the party, but using his first name seemed to have an effect.

‘I see, ma’am. I’ll have a word with the arresting officer.’

There was a long, tense, infuriating delay during which Sarah had to wave away several supporters. It was nearly one when a sheepish Nick appeared on the phone. ‘Sarah, I’m so sorry. Yours was the only mobile number I had. They caught me speeding, taking my sister-in-law to hospital. She’s having a baby as we speak. But evidently the police were already watching me. I’ve got a solicitor, Ian Jagger, but I haven’t seen him since I got out and I don’t have his number.’

‘Ian’s probably at the party,’ Sarah said, ‘I can get his number for you, but it might not be necessary.’

‘The custody sergeant wants a word,’ Nick said, sheepishly.

The sergeant came back on. ‘We’re prepared to let him go tonight,’ he said. ‘Seeing as you say he was helping you out earlier and not charging anybody. But earlier today we had a tip off that he’s been working for his brother for weeks.’

Sarah was aware that this was true. Somebody had it in for Nick Cane. She knew exactly who it was.

‘Sounds like a malicious call to me, sergeant. I know Nick’s done some silly things in the past, but I’ll vouch for him now.’

‘Fair enough, ma’am. We’ll send him to you.’ He put Nick back on just as Winston began signalling to her. ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said. ‘They’re about to announce the result.’

‘Do you want me to come and collect you from the count?’ Nick asked, as she walked into the hall, still talking on the mobile, not the image she wanted to present to the watching TV cameras.

‘No, meet me at the party after you’ve checked on your sister-in-law. And, Nick, leave the car. After what you’ve been through, I expect you could do with a drink.’

The other candidates were already lined up on the stage. In the end, it hadn’t been close enough to require a recount. Sarah climbed the shallow stairs, prepared to meet her fate.

31

N
ick raced into the delivery room. It was less than an hour since he’d taken Caroline in.

‘Here’s the father,’ said a breezy nurse. ‘Better late than never.’

Caroline gave her a tired but brave smile. Seeing Nick, her expression returned to that of the perpetually pissed-off school teacher.

‘Not the father. His brother. Again. Where is he, Nick?’

‘Not sure. Stuart said he’d call the party. I’ve come straight from the police.’

‘How did you go on?’ Caroline said. ‘Sort it out?’

‘I think so,’ Nick said, leaning over his tiny, new, wrinkled niece. The thought of going back to prison for three years scared the fuck out of him. But he couldn’t allow himself to focus on that, not here. Not now.

‘She’s beautiful.’

‘Thank you,’ Caroline said. ‘And thank you for earlier. I’m sorry if it caused you grief.’

He kissed her on the cheek. ‘How do you feel?’

‘I’m good, now it’s over. Aching, but good. Where the fuck’s Joe?’

‘I’ll go and call him,’ Nick said.

The nurse directed him to a phone down a corridor. Stuart answered.

‘Caroline wants to know where Joe is. Any ideas?’

‘None at all. I asked for an announcement to be made over the PA at that party, but it sounded pretty noisy there. I’ve been trying his mobile every ten minutes, left a message each time. Has she had it yet?’

‘Little girl. Mother and baby fine. Have you got a mobile number for Nas?’

‘Afraid not,’ Stuart said, awkwardly. Nick wished he hadn’t asked.

‘I guess I’ll head over to the party.’

He explained to Caroline that the party was very loud and the message might not have got through. ‘I’ll go and see if I can find him.’

‘Thanks. Oh, your ex-girlfriend . . . did she win?’

‘I don’t know yet.’

They were alone. Caroline looked exhausted but happy. Nick wanted to get away before she quizzed him about Joe’s whereabouts again. He wanted to find out Sarah’s result. But he couldn’t just leave. So he squeezed his sister-in-law’s hand. She burst into tears.

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘What about?’ He thought she realized how likely he was to end up back in prison. Or maybe she was emotional about Joe’s absence.

‘You’ve been so nice to me since you got out. You never once dropped a hint to Joe that we were once, you know . . .’

‘He still doesn’t know?’ Nick asked.

‘He never suspected a thing. But you must have worked out what happened. I don’t know how you found it in your heart to forgive me.’

‘I’ve been dumped before,’ Nick said, then he saw from the way her face was contorting that this wasn’t what Caroline was talking about.

‘It was you, wasn’t it, who called the police?’

Caroline nodded. ‘Joe told me, so proudly, how you grew the stuff, how you were making a fortune, but he wouldn’t get involved. He was impressed with you. I thought he might change his mind. I was angry that you’d asked him, that you’d let your younger brother get involved in something so dangerous.’

‘He was only just starting the cab firm then,’ Nick told her. ‘He – you two – could have used the money. I thought the risk was pretty low. And I needed someone I could really trust.’

‘I was angry with you, Nick. I wanted you out of the way. I’m so sorry.’

She was crying again when the nurse came back in, holding his as-yet-unnamed niece. The nurse gave Nick a patient smile.

‘Her first, isn’t it?’ She said, producing tissues. ‘Mothers do get emotional at these times.’

‘She’ll be fine,’ Nick said. ‘Can you give us another minute alone?’

When she was gone, he leant over Caroline and the baby, who smelt of everything that was real, and fresh, and new. The past was gone. The next generation had begun. He said what he had to say.

‘I’m glad you told me, but it’s water under the bridge now. We’re family. We stick together no matter how much we hurt each other.’

Caroline kissed him on the mouth. ‘You’re treating me better than I deserve. Unlike your brother. Go on, get going to your MP. You must be desperate to find out how she did.’

In the car, Nick tuned into a local station. Radio Nottingham was covering the announcement in Nottingham South, an easy Labour win. This was the second Labour win in the city tonight, the commentator said, but that meant nothing – North and East were also safe Labour seats.

He knew he was mad, driving again after what had happened earlier. If the police caught him, Nick would be locked up for sure, in front of a judge in the morning, back in nick by midnight. Three more years. It didn’t bear thinking about. But Joe might well need the cab and Nick was already in deep shit. The students’ union was only a ten-minute drive. He took the risk.

Where did Joe take Nas for sex? Nick had no idea. Joe had never asked for a spare key to his flat, and Nick wasn’t sure if he would have offered it if he had. Maybe he sprang for a cheap hotel room.

The bar was heaving with excited party members. A big screen TV was predicting a Labour majority of over a hundred. Every time a victory flashed up on the red bar at the bottom of the screen, there was a loud cheer. Nick looked around, picking out faces, failing to put names to most of them. No Joe. Most partygoers were glued to the TV.

‘Get ready everybody,’ a voice said over the PA. ‘She’s here!’

Both of the hall doors opened at once. A scrum of people pushed their way through. It took a moment for Nick to see who they were carrying. He had never heard a football crowd give as hearty a roar as the one that greeted Sarah, her legs akimbo, face beaming. Waving both arms in the air, the triumphant MP was carried to the small stage at the front of the hall, where the scrum set her down.

Sarah wobbled to her feet. Her hair was messed up and the grey suit she was wearing had become dishevelled. She pushed her hair back before giving the crowd an enormous smile. That set them off cheering again.

‘Comrades,’ she said. ‘Friends. I can’t believe we did it
.
If we’ve won in West – not narrowly either, but by nearly
two thousand votes
– it means that we’re about to see the biggest Labour victory since 1945. Possibly the biggest Labour victory ever!’

The cheers resounded. Nick joined in. She had won, as he had wanted her to win. She might have saved his bacon tonight, too. Sarah deserved the best the world could give her. But now he’d never get together with her again. Looking at her on the stage he saw the same woman he’d stood beside at her first victory, fifteen years ago. He realized how much he still wanted her. He ought to be by her side now.

‘I want to thank you, all of you, for working so hard and to say that I won’t let you down.’

‘You’ve never let us down!’ someone yelled.

‘I’d prepared this plucky little good-loser speech and now I have no idea what to say except, this is wonderful and we all really deserve it. Let’s enjoy tonight because, tomorrow, the real work begins.’

She left the stage to a tuneless but gusto filled rendition of ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow’. Champagne corks popped. Nick took a glass.

‘Nick! You made it! Come and have a drink!’

Sarah threw her arms around him and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. She smelt of sweat and expensive perfume.

‘How’s your sister-in-law?’

‘Fine. Lovely baby girl. Seven pounds two ounces.’

‘Brilliant.’

Nick felt conspicuous. The half glass of warm champagne did little to help. He needed to sink two or three pints before he could relax around Sarah, who was now accepting a kiss from his younger brother. When did Joe arrive?

‘It’s marvellous news,’ he was saying. ‘You won’t remember me, but . . .’

‘Of course I recognise you,’ Sarah shouted. ‘Nick’s brother. Congratulations on your news, too. A little girl. You must be so thrilled.’

Seeing Joe’s dumbfounded expression, Sarah hesitated. As somebody else came to congratulate her, Nick tapped his brother on the shoulder.

‘Been trying to get you all evening. Where the fuck have you been?’

‘Incommunicado. Sarah’s got the wrong end of the stick, yeah?’

Nick shook his head. ‘I left Caroline twenty minutes ago. Tell her you were at the party but didn’t get the message and your mobile’s malfunctioning. She might just buy it.’ He handed his brother the key to Stuart’s car, adding where it was parked.

‘She’s okay? The baby’s okay?’

‘They’re fine. Congratulations. Now get the fuck out of here.’

‘I owe you one. Here, take this. I never drive with it. Cheers, bro.’

His brother handed Nick his tobacco pouch then pushed his way out of the crowded hall. Nick stood near Sarah, watching her accept congratulatory hugs from friend and foe alike. Everybody wanted to be part of her success. Tony Bax came over, his eyes watering. Seeing Nick, he raised a fist.

‘All four seats Labour. We didn’t even get that in ’forty-five. It’s wonderful.’

On the TV screen, big Tory names were falling fast. Rifkind was gone. Jasper March, they were saying, was in trouble. Michael Howard, the Home Secretary, might lose to the Liberals. Gill Temperley’s seat was no longer safe. Even Michael Portillo was considered to be in danger. The Labour leader was boarding a plane to London. The TV kept showing a crowd of familiar, famous faces at the Royal Festival Hall.

Time accelerated. At three or so, Nick checked his brother’s tobacco pouch and found, as he’d expected, some skunk in a separate bag at the bottom. He sat on the loo and skinned up a couple of small spliffs, then went outside for a smoke. He could hear the radio playing through an open window. The results had taken on a surreal flavour. Portillo – the Defence Minister who most expected to be the next Conservative leader – had lost his ‘safe’ seat. Jasper March was in a recount. Optimists began saying that the Tories were finished, gone for good.

The mild night was starting to become a little chill. The results were slowing down. Nick could hear a few people leaving. One set of footsteps approached him.

‘I thought you might have left,’ a familiar voice said. Sarah.

‘Wouldn’t have gone without saying goodbye,’ he told her, hiding the joint by cupping it in his hand.

‘I remember that guilty look,’ she said, amusement in her voice. ‘Are you smoking what I think you’re smoking? You must be mad. What if the police had found it on you?’

‘I didn’t have it earlier,’ Nick explained. ‘Joe got me to hold if for him when he drove to the hospital. Want some?’

‘I hardly touch the stuff these days,’ Sarah said. Nevertheless, she took the spliff and had a couple of small hits before passing it back to him. ‘I’d better not be seen doing this.’

‘You’d better not,’ Nick agreed, and stubbed the spliff out on the wall.

Sarah giggled. ‘I feel twenty-one again.’

‘You look great,’ Nick told her. ‘Better than ever.’

‘So do you.’ When he didn’t try to kiss her straight away, Sarah took a step towards him. ‘Give us a smokey kiss, then.’

He did as he was told. The kiss lasted a long time. Nick held Sarah tightly, until he heard someone behind them and broke away. It was one of the youngest campaign workers. Oblivious to Sarah and Nick, he threw up into a bush. Sarah got out her mobile and handed it to Nick.

‘Call us one of your taxis. Take me home.’

‘I don’t want to take advantage,’ he said.

‘I’m not that drunk,’ she said, her voice slurring slightly. ‘I’m celebrating. So let me take advantage of you. Please.’

He made the call. ‘Five minutes. I said you’d be waiting at the front.’

‘I’ll go and take my leave. I’d rather you didn’t . . .’

‘I understand. I’ll wait for you at the end of the road.’

Fifteen minutes later, they were in a cab.

‘Where to?’ The driver asked.