The Hornbeam Tree (45 page)

The lump was back in Katie’s throat as she looked at him. ‘You’re going to make a wonderful father,’ she told him hoarsely.

His eyes moved to Michelle. ‘I hope so,’ he said softly.

Michelle smiled and went to put her arms around him. ‘You will,’ she assured him, as he kissed her gently on the lips.

Katie watched, and as a new little suspicion began to take root she tried to decide whether it would be good for Molly if Michelle were pregnant. She wasn’t sure it would, because Molly might start to feel left out, and if Robbie came to join them too then Michelle would have two of her own who’d inevitably come before Molly. Except
Michelle
wasn’t like that. She loved everyone, and knowing her she’d go out of her way to put Molly first, but the fear of Molly feeling lonely and left out was already descending. Knowing she wasn’t going to be able to blank it out easily, Katie decided to give Michelle and Tom a few private minutes for their not-so-secret secret. So excusing herself, she trotted off upstairs for a quick slug of morphine and a hasty commune with her higher self, after which she should be able to come down again, all fresh and cheery and ready to put on the sprouts.

Fellowes’s opaque brown eyes slid from the newspaper he was reading to the phone on Wilding’s desk. The British double ring had always irritated him, and having waited so long for this one made no difference.

Wilding picked up the receiver, listened to the voice at the other end then passed it to Fellowes.

It was Nancy Goodman letting him know that the arrest warrant had come through. ‘I’ll bring it over right away,’ she told him.

‘We’ll meet you out front,’ Fellowes responded and put down the phone. ‘OK,’ he said to Wilding, ‘let’s move.’

Chapter Nineteen

LAURIE WAS SITTING
on the sofa in Nick’s spacious basement apartment, hugging her knees to her chest, while keeping her face buried in her arms. Her conscience was in shreds, her shame so complete that she just couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

Next to her, Nick was staring at nothing, his face devoid of colour, his eyes livid with shock. Both of them were naked, still trapped in the nightmare of what had just happened, and the explosion of tempers that had followed.

They’d stopped shouting now, but it was only a temporary reprieve, for Nick’s struggle to rein in his fury was fast turning into a losing battle. ‘This wasn’t the way to do it,’ he finally growled. ‘
This wasn’t the fucking way to do it
.’

‘I know, and I’m sorry. I wish to God … I –’

‘Just stop saying you’re sorry. It doesn’t make it any better,’ and getting up he went to pull on the jeans that she’d virtually torn from him the instant she came in the door. ‘I don’t mind being used for
sex
,’ he shouted, suddenly rounding on her again, ‘that’s fine, because who wouldn’t want to fuck you, you’re beautiful, and you give as good as you get, but I do mind being thrown off in the middle of it because I’m the wrong fucking man.’

‘That’s not how it was,’ she cried, pushing a hand roughly through her hair. ‘When I arrived I wasn’t thinking straight. I was so angry with him …’

‘That you couldn’t wait to fuck me just to get back at him!’ he snarled. ‘Yes, you already told me, thank you very much, I don’t need to hear it again.’

‘You surely wouldn’t have wanted me to carry on once I realized,’ she said angrily.

‘I would have preferred we never got started,’ he spat. ‘Jesus Christ, of all the fucking moments to choose to tell me that you can’t go on …’ Enraged, he spun away and slammed a fist hard into the wall.

Never having felt more wretched, she lowered her head again and fought back the tears. He was right, there hardly could have been a worse moment for her to realize she was only making love with him because she thought Elliot was doing the same with Andraya.

‘You know what really sickens me,’ he raged, turning back to her, ‘is how I fucking fell for it all. You told me you were going to end it with him last night. You let me believe that you were going to be a part of my life, and I bought it all. I even told my daughter, do you know that? That’s how big a deal it was for me, that you and I were going to be together, but why the hell should you care? All that matters to you is that you get your revenge on him for shagging some Brazilian piece and if the rest of
us
get hurt while you do it, well what the hell does it matter?’

‘That’s not what it was about,’ she shouted. ‘I was with you because I care for you and because …’

’That’s exactly what it was about. You wanted to show him he wasn’t the only one who could be unfaithful, and that you had the power to hurt him the way he hurt you. Jesus Christ. I should have seen this coming … I should have known you couldn’t give him up …’

‘I’m not saying I can’t give him up! And anyway it’s immaterial now, he’s with her, and I don’t want to lie to you. That’s why I made you stop. Not because of him, because of you. It’s not what you deserve.’

‘Spare me the sanctimonious bullshit,’ he snarled bitterly. ‘I don’t need it, and I sure as hell don’t need it from you.’

Flinching at his tone, she watched as he turned away and dashed a hand through his hair.

‘Nick, you’re the last person in the world I want to hurt,’ she said, going to him, ‘and if I could …’

‘Don’t touch me,’ he said, raising an arm to block her. ‘I don’t want your pity any more than your lies.’

‘It’s not pity. I want to hold you because I think we both need to be held.’

‘Get it from him,’ he growled, swinging round. ‘You know he wants you so …’

‘He’s with Andraya now,’ she cried, ‘and I don’t want to be here because of that, I want to be here because of us.’

He was shaking his head. ‘I don’t want to hear any more,’ he told her. ‘It’s over between us,
Laurie
. I’m not waiting around while you sort out your mess, listening to your false promises and supplying you with sex when he crushes you again. We’re through, so don’t even think about coming here again.’

‘Nick, please don’t let’s end it like this. You’re angry now, and upset …’

‘Angry and upset doesn’t even begin to cover it,’ he told her savagely. ‘Now, if you don’t mind putting your clothes on, I’ll get what you came here for and you can be on your way.’

‘I’m not going anywhere, or doing anything while you’re like this,’ she said.

‘Don’t you get it?’ he shouted. ‘It disgusts me to see you like that now, so for God’s sake cover yourself up.’

Her face paled, and quickly turning to grab her clothes she was almost out of the room when the phone started to ring.

He kept his eyes averted as he lifted the receiver, nor did he look at her when he said, ‘Elliot. No, it’s OK. You’re not interrupting.’

Her heart somersaulted, then started to slow as he listened to what Elliot was saying, until frowning deeply he said, ‘Christ. Does he know?’ He listened again, then said, ‘Sure. I’ll pass you over.’ As he handed her the phone he said, ‘A warrant’s been issued for Tom’s arrest. Apparently they’re on their way to pick him up now.’

Her eyes immediately widened with alarm, and grabbing the phone she said, ‘When did you hear?’

‘About ten minutes ago,’ Elliot responded.

‘I take it Tom knows.’

‘Of course.’

‘So what’s he going to do?’

‘It’s in hand. Do you still have the camera in the car?’

‘Yes. Why?’

‘I want you to drive down to Katie’s now and get whatever you can on record. They’ve got a good head start, but they’ll probably still be there by the time you arrive. Apparently they want to do this out of sight of the press, so let’s make damned sure they don’t.’

Attempting to drag on her clothes, she said, ‘Where are you?’

‘At the flat, about to leave. Tell Nick to carry on as planned with Europe – if you’re going with him …’

‘I’m not,’ she cut in.

There was a pause before he said, ‘It wasn’t what you’re thinking. Andraya. I didn’t ask her to come.’

Realizing she probably already knew that, she said, ‘Let’s talk about it later.’

As the line went dead she dropped the phone on the sofa and continued to dress. Nick had disappeared, but as she zipped up her jeans he came back holding a large brown envelope.

‘The full ’97 version,’ he told her, tossing it on to a chair next to her bag.

‘Thanks,’ was all she could think of to say. ‘Elliot said to continue with Europe.’

He made no response.

When she was ready she scooped everything up and turned to look at him.

‘Just go,’ he said shortly.

She took a breath. ‘Nick, I –’

‘I said, just go.’

Realizing that he had to get over his anger before they could even think about becoming friends, she quickly went up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, then without saying any more she left.

‘Come on, come on,’ Katie was muttering under her breath. ‘Where the hell are you?’

She was standing at the kitchen window making a pretence of washing up as she watched two men in a wine-coloured Mondeo parked in front of the pond. That they’d made no attempt to come in yet, though were doing nothing to disguise their presence, was confirmation enough, according to Tom, that their orders didn’t include making the actual arrest.

‘They’ll be the advance troops,’ he’d said after Elliot’s call had put a quick end to the delicious meal that was still sitting half-eaten on the table. ‘It’ll be their job to make sure I stay put until the big boys arrive.’

‘So what are you going to do?’ Michelle had asked, looking as unnerved as Katie had felt.

‘Figure out fast how to refuse my invite to the party,’ he’d responded with typical irony.

Since he knew neither the territory, nor anyone nearby, it was Katie who’d finally said, ‘OK, here’s what we’re going to do.’

Now Tom and Michelle were standing at the far end of the sitting room, close to the front door, eyes fixed on Katie as they waited for her signal to go.

Katie swallowed hard and quickly cut off any thought of the consequences they might all have to pay for her sudden flash of inspiration, for they could be dire. Instead she just focused on her
loathing
for the power maniacs who were behind all this. They weren’t going to win. They just bloody well weren’t.

‘Anything?’ Tom said.

She shook her head, then Judy’s grey Panda came nosing into view, and her heart went into free fall. ‘OK, she’s here,’ she said in a loud whisper. ‘Don’t move yet,’ she cautioned, sensing Michelle and Tom ready to burst out of the door.

The Panda was edging up behind the Mondeo which was face on to the pond. The Panda slewed slightly to the left, looking as though it was about to turn round, but instead came to a stop across the back of the Mondeo, totally blocking it in.

‘Go!’ she cried.

Immediately Tom and Michelle tore open the front door, raced to the fence, leapt over and dived into Michelle’s hire car. As they went Katie had visions of all the adventures they’d faced together in the past, and wondered how high this one rated on the danger list. The tyres squealed madly as Tom made a swerving reverse, then threw the car into first and roared off up the lane almost before the two watchdogs had time to stumble from the Mondeo. Judy was still sitting behind her steering wheel, looking every bit the bemused Sunday tourist who’d lost her way and stalled her engine mid three-point turn.

Seconds later one of the watchdogs was yelling at her to move the car. Pumped up with indignation, Judy leapt out to give him a piece of her mind. Wasting no more time he shoved her aside, jumped into the driver’s seat, and shot the Panda forward. Then, abandoning it with the door
open
, he threw himself into the Mondeo as it screamed out of its trap, spun round and sped off up the lane in pursuit of the red Peugeot.

Catching Judy’s eye Katie saluted her with a champagne glass, then downed what was left in it while thanking God again and again that Molly wasn’t here to make things really exciting.

Outside, Judy slipped back into the Panda, turned it around and tootled off towards home. By the time she got there, if all had gone to plan, Michelle’s Peugeot would be tucked away inside Dave and Judy’s garage, Michelle would be watching for the Mondeo to go roaring out of the village, and Tom would be heading south to Cornwall in Dave’s ancient Renault 4, possibly with Dave at the wheel, or possibly driving it himself, Katie would have to wait to find out about that. In the meantime, she hit the champagne again and prayed to God that Judy and Dave didn’t end up paying a horrible price for helping a wanted man to avoid arrest.

Feeling far too hyped up to tackle any more dishes, she was engaging in another quick one-to-one with God, asking him to bring Michelle back in the next few minutes, when the telephone suddenly shrilled into the silence. Fearing the worst, which had plenty of potential, she hurriedly snatched it up.

‘Katie. It’s Laurie. Is Tom still with you?’

‘No. Are you on your way?’

‘Yes. I’m just passing Swindon. Who’s with you?’

‘No-one at the moment, but I’m expecting a houseful any time.’

‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. Is there anyone you
can
ask to come over, so’s you’re not on your own when they turn up?’

‘Michelle should be back any second. If not, I’ll work something out. Just don’t be long.’

As she rang off the kitchen door opened and she almost swayed with relief as Michelle came in, looking pale, breathless and disturbingly wild-eyed. ‘It worked,’ she announced softly. ‘Dave’s gone with him, Chris is meeting them halfway.’

Aware that she’d probably had too much champagne, Katie clasped her in a hug, saying, ‘It’ll be fine. He’ll make it. I know he will.’

‘He always has before,’ Michelle responded, sounding slightly less certain.

‘They’re looking for a red Peugeot,’ Katie reminded her. ‘And by the time they realize they’re not, he probably won’t even be in the country any more.’

Michelle forced a smile, and tried to ignore the misgivings that seemed to be gathering on a close horizon. ‘I wish I could have gone with him,’ she said, picturing Tom beside Dave in the clapped-out Renault as they’d driven out of the village. She’d had a dreadful premonition come over her in those moments that, thank God, was no longer with her, but she’d been so convinced at the time that she was seeing him for the last time that she’d almost run after him. Of course she’d never have caught the car, and even if she had, what would she have done? She couldn’t go with him, nor would she have tried to persuade him to stay. She understood as well as he did that the official warrant for his arrest meant that they’d now gathered, fabricated and doctored enough
evidence
against him to feel secure in their efforts to silence him.