Cheryl let out one of her loud penetrating laughs. ‘Oh, you just need to work a little harder, hon. Take her on holiday. Take her somewhere nice. A girl likes to feel the sun on her face.’

‘Sadie doesn’t like the sun,’ he said. ‘She prefers a cooler climate. Don’t you, babe?’

Sadie smiled thinly back at him. ‘It depends on the company.’

‘There you go,’ Cheryl said, completely oblivious to the undercurrent. ‘A week away, a couple of weeks. How about the mountains? How about Switzerland? What could be nicer?’

Stone rubbed his chin as if he was giving it some genuine thought. ‘Yeah, somewhere with lots of snow and ice. That’d make a change.’

‘I prefer the warm myself,’ Cheryl continued. ‘Mind, you’ve got to go a long way to get any decent sun at this time of year.’

Barry put his elbows on the table and grunted. ‘Don’t go getting any ideas. I’ve too much work to be thinking about a holiday right now.’

The conversation moved on, food was eaten, wine was drunk, bets were placed and the dogs continued to run round in circles. Nathan Stone was genial, charming and attentive to his guests. From time to time, Sadie gave him a sidelong glance. Although he appeared on the surface to be completely absorbed, completely at ease, there was a distance in his eyes, almost as if he was just going through the motions. But then he probably was. The wining and dining was simply something he had to put up with in order to secure a deal with Barry Moss.

It was shortly after ten when the two couples parted company and went their separate ways with handshakes and pecks on the cheek and suggestions they should do it again some time. Sadie climbed into the Daimler, sat back and sighed. The night hadn’t been that bad but she was still relieved it was over. She had been on edge throughout the evening, worried that she might say or do something wrong and that Stone would change his mind about giving her Eddie’s address.

As he started the motor and swept out of the car park, Sadie examined Stone’s lean, enigmatic face. He was hard to read, the type of man who didn’t give much away. ‘So how did it go? Do you reckon he’s up for it?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Only maybe?’

‘It’s a big job,’ he said. ‘Barry’s not the impulsive sort, but he knows a good deal when he sees it. He’ll think it over, check out the site and do the sums. Hopefully, he’ll say yes, but even if he doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. There’s plenty more builders out there.’

Sadie found herself wondering how much Barry Moss knew about Stone’s connections to the underworld. But of course he knew – how could he not? Anyway, it was none of her business. After tonight, she’d never see any of these people again. Her part in it all was finished.

‘And you?’ he asked.

‘Me?’

That grin tugged at the corners of his mouth again. ‘How was it for you?’

She threw him one of her cooler looks. ‘An experience,’ she said.

‘Well, that’s what life’s all about, huh? It would be mighty boring if every day was the same.’ He stopped at a set of red traffic lights and tapped his fingers on the wheel while he waited for them to change. ‘And actually, I think Cheryl quite liked you.’

‘There’s no need to sound so surprised.’

‘Well, you can be a bit…’

‘A bit what?’

He paused for a few seconds as if searching for the right word. ‘Snippy,’ he said eventually.

Sadie released a waspish breath. ‘Yeah, well, you’d be a bit snippy too if you’d been forced into doing something you didn’t want to do.’

‘Jeez, we’re not back on that again, are we? I thought we’d got that sorted.’

‘You thought wrong.’

‘And, as it happens, I haven’t forced you to do anything. I offered you a deal. You accepted.’

‘As if I had a choice.’

‘There’s always a choice. Maybe you should learn when to let things go.’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t put people in a position where they need to let things go.’

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘You think I should be nicer.’

Sadie heard the mockery in his voice and answered in a similar tone. ‘Why not? It’s always good to try new things.’

Stone barked out a laugh. Then he leaned down and rudely switched on the radio, turning it up loud to effectively drown out anything else she might have to say.

Sadie averted her face and gazed out through the side window. For the rest of the journey they didn’t speak again.

By the time Stone pulled up outside Oaklands, the atmosphere between them was positively frosty. The upside to this, Sadie thought, was that at least she didn’t need to worry about him making a move on her. There wouldn’t be any funny business tonight. It was perfectly clear that he couldn’t stand the sight of her and the feeling was mutual. He was cold and arrogant and sarcastic. Any charm he had was entirely superficial and reserved purely for those who could be useful to him.

As if Stone didn’t want to hang around any longer than he had to, he kept the engine running while he reached into his pocket and took out the slip of paper. ‘Here,’ he said, thrusting it into her hand.

Before getting out of the car, Sadie unfolded the piece of paper to check the address. She peered through the gloom and the words that might be about to change her future. All it said, in neat sloping handwriting, was: 93 Carlton House.

Stone began his impatient rhythmic tapping on the steering wheel again. ‘What’s the matter now?’

‘Where is this?’ she asked. ‘Is it in Kellston?’

‘The Mansfield,’ he said. ‘The estate. The three towers, yeah? Just walk up to the top of the high street and you can’t miss them. You don’t want to go at this time of night, though. It’s rough enough in daylight, but you’ve got to have a death wish to go there after dark.’

Sadie felt her heart sink. ‘Okay.’ She put the slip of paper in her bag, reached for the handle of the door and then hesitated. Frowning, she turned towards him again.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘How do I know this is really where Eddie lives? You could have written down any old address.’

‘I could,’ he said wearily, ‘but I didn’t. Just go and check it out, yeah?’

‘I will, but if you’re lying to me —’

‘You’ll do what?’ he said. ‘Hunt me down and kill me?’

Sadie gave a small shake of her head. He was impossible. ‘Goodnight, then. I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure but it hasn’t.’

‘Likewise.’

She got out of the Daimler and slammed the door. Seconds later the car screeched away, accelerated up the road and disappeared round the corner. Sadie stood for a while on the pavement, feeling the relief wash over her. Nathan Stone was gone and with luck she would never have to see him again. She breathed in the damp evening air and thanked God for small mercies.

9

Sadie woke on Sunday morning with a dull pain in her temples and a jumble of emotions running through her head. She felt a mixture of anticipation, hope and dread – today was the day she might finally track down Eddie – but what if she met with disappointment again? He might not be there and, even if he was, there was no saying he’d cooperate. He could be bloody-minded at times, awkward just for the sake of it.

It was still dark outside and she scrabbled around for the switch on the lamp. She screwed up her eyes as the light came on and then reached for her watch, peering at the hands on the face. A quarter to seven. Way too early to think about going over to the Mansfield. Dragging Eddie out of his pit wouldn’t be an ideal start. No, she’d leave it until about eleven, that window of opportunity when he should be out of bed but hadn’t yet gone to the pub.

She put the watch down and turned off the light. But her mind was too busy for her to go back to sleep. Instead she lay on her back and stared into the darkness. Outside, an occasional car went by but for the most part it was quiet. She wondered how it would feel to see Eddie again after all these years. The anger had not entirely gone away, but it had been diluted by time to a thin, simmering resentment. Only a coward, a stupid feckless coward, would have left the way he had without so much as a goddamn note. But that was Eddie all over. The only person he ever thought about was himself.