Only the Brave (7 page)

10.15 A.M.

There was another knock at Leah’s door and a voice shouted out.

‘Are you in there, Leah? What the hell are you doing?’

Leah sighed with relief as she went to answer the door.

‘You took your time.’ Stella marched past her and into the living room. She glanced around before nodding her head in the direction of the bedroom. ‘What’s up? Aren’t you alone?’

‘Of course I’m alone,’ Leah replied. ‘I was on the loo.’

Stella seemed to be pacified. ‘You’re missing the best thing ever. There’s a bloke been murdered on the pathway. Rita Pritchard found him this morning. He’s been stabbed and beaten up. She’s lording it up down there telling everyone what she saw.’

‘No way!’ Leah feigned shock, her stomach still churning.

‘I know! Can you believe it? Practically right outside our door.’

Leah went into her bedroom.

‘Where did you get to last night?’ Stella shouted through to her.

‘I didn’t go out in the end.’ The lie rolled off her tongue as she pulled on a pair of jeans. ‘Couldn’t be bothered.’

‘But it smells like you did!’ Stella said.

‘I was tired so I bought some cans and watched TV.’

‘That’s not like you – did you work late?’

‘Only until eight. Like I said, I couldn’t be bothered.’

‘Did you hear anything outside then?’

‘At quarter past three in the morning? Why would I?’ Leah snapped.

‘How do you know it happened at quarter past three?’

‘I don’t!’ She swore under her breath. ‘It was just a figure of speech, that’s all.’

Stella’s head popped around the bedroom door. ‘The police are going to be talking to everyone, they told me.’

‘But I didn’t hear anything. Did you?’

‘No, I was at work until half ten. As soon as I got in, I fell asleep on the sofa until Craig came in about midnight.’ Stella dropped her eyes for a moment. She sat down on the unmade bed. ‘I wish you’d said you weren’t going out. I would have changed my shift and come along to see you.’

‘It was a last-minute thing. I was in a foul mood after another bollocking at work.’

‘The police woman keeping guard told me that they interview whoever is in and then come back until everyone is accounted for.’ Stella clapped her hands like a four-year-old. ‘How
exciting
.’

‘Someone died!’ cried Leah. ‘It isn’t a freak show!’

‘I know, but . . . What’s got in to you? The first bit of excitement around here and you go all flaky.’

‘By excitement, you mean that someone lost their life?’

Stella wouldn’t be put off. ‘Oh come on, Leah, we don’t know the bloke from Adam! And there are some fit men in those
uniforms
. We could have a giggle.’

Leah shook her head in exasperation.

‘Okay, don’t get your knickers in a twist. Go and put the kettle on. And then we can stand on the walkway and have a nosy.’

Leah tried to stop her hands from shaking as she added tea bags to two mugs. What should she do? The problem wasn’t going to go away: she could almost hear it calling her name from the next room. Could she trust Stella to keep quiet? She desperately needed advice.

She and Stella had been friends from the age of five, ever since Diane Minton had pulled Stella’s hair and Leah had punched her in the thigh, giving her a bruise and landing herself in trouble. But despite her penchant for lashing out with her fists, Leah had never had a go at Stella, though they’d had their share of spats. It seemed their friendship worked because Stella was there for her, no matter whether she agreed with what she was up to or not. So what was stopping Leah from confiding in her friend this time?

Once the water was added, Leah stirred the liquid absent-mindedly. Of course she knew the reason why she hadn’t said
anything
. She wasn’t sure that she could trust Stella with this one. If that arsehole husband of hers got wind of anything, he’d want a cut of the money. Not that she was planning on keeping it
herself
but, for now, she wanted to hold on to it. Once it went dark, she’d slip out and hide it somewhere. Then if anyone did search the place, she’d be in the clear. It would give her some breathing space, time to think with no pressure.

Trying not to let the drinks slosh, Leah joined Stella outside.

‘I wonder when the police will give out his name,’ Stella said as she took a mug from her.

‘I’m not sure I want to know who he is.’ Leah stood next to her, hoping the blush spreading across her cheeks wouldn’t give her away.

Stella looked at her like she was mad. ‘Everyone wants to know, you silly mare. It’s – what’s that saying?’ Stella searched through her mind. ‘It’s too close for comfort, that’s the one.’

They both peered down on the scene below. A line of police had begun to walk along the green. They were taking tiny steps, searching for evidence. Leah gulped: she couldn’t have dropped anything, could she?

Stella held up her finger as her phone rang. ‘Hi, hon.’

Leah watched as Stella’s face dropped. She could hear
someone
shouting down the phone from where she was.

‘Yes. No, I haven’t told anyone! I’m coming.’ Stella moved the phone back from her ear and looked at the screen. ‘Bloody
bastard’s
cut me off mid-sentence.’ She handed her drink to Leah. ‘I have to go. Craig’s doing his nut because he wants me back at the flat again.’

‘Why?’

Stella paused for a nanosecond, looking around to see that the nearest neighbour was two doors away. Leah looked, too.

‘Promise not to tell anyone if I tell you what I know?’ Stella kept her voice low. ‘The dead man out there? It’s Jordan Johnson. You know – he runs Flynn’s nightclub in Hanley.’

Leah knew exactly who he was. She felt herself sway slightly. ‘Jordan Johnson. Is he sure?’

‘Yes, he’s sure. And from what he tells me, the Johnson family are bloody mental. I wouldn’t like to be in the killer’s shoes. Can you imagine what . . . what’s up?’

Despite her earlier prep talk to herself about keeping quiet, Leah found she couldn’t breathe and her cries came out as big rasping sobs.

‘What’s the matter?’ Stella’s eyes narrowed. ‘Ohmigod, you know something about it, don’t you?’

Leah nodded. ‘You have to promise now, not to tell anyone.’

‘I swear.’ Stella crossed her finger across her heart and pushed her back into the flat. ‘You and me, we go back forever. Of course, you can trust me to keep a secret.’

Craig’s phone rang, bringing him back to reality with a thump. He gulped when he saw who it was. Pressed the answer button with dread.

‘You fucking killed my brother!’ Ryan yelled.

‘I didn’t.’ Craig stood up and paced the room. ‘I swear to God it wasn’t me.’

‘You were told to rough him up enough to put him in hospital for a couple of weeks.’

‘I only –’

‘Whose idea was it to kill him? Was it Burgess’s?’

‘No, I –’

‘Was it Ryder then? Did he set us up?’

‘I don’t know!’ Craig ran a hand over his head and down his neck. ‘Do you really think I’d kill your brother after knowing you both for so long? And anyway, everyone knew I was the one roughing him up! Do you think I’d be so stupid as to kill him and not expect to be prime suspect?’

‘I think you’d do anything for money, you fucking scrote – and you were the last person to see him.’

‘I can’t have been. I did what I was told and grabbed the money.’

‘So how did he end up dead?’

‘It wasn’t down to me!’

There was silence down the line. Craig took the opportunity to put his point of view across again.

‘I didn’t stab him, mate. I couldn’t do that.’

‘Did you see anyone else?’

‘No. Steve thinks I’ve kept some of the money for myself. I
suppose
he told you that it wasn’t the full quota I delivered?’

‘Yeah, I want the ten grand back too.’

‘But I don’t have it!’

‘Find it then. And when you do, I want it bringing here. You do not give it to Steve.’

‘But –’ Craig screwed up his face. ‘Fuck. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be on the wrong side of Ryder.’

‘Forget Ryder. I’ll be worse than him if you fuck with me, Elliott. I want that money and I want it in my hands by tonight. You got that?’

‘What if I can’t find it?’

‘Then I’m coming after you – and then your wife. And your family. And your wife’s family. I’ll take them all down if you don’t get me the money.’

Craig was left holding the phone as he was cut off. ‘Ryan? Ryan? Fuck!’

He needed to find that money, and pretty sharpish. He had a feeling his life was going to depend on it.

10.30 A.M.

Leah knelt down and pulled the bag out from under the settee. She passed it to Stella.

‘Holy crap.’ Stella’s eyes were on stalks when she looked inside. ‘Where did you get that from?’

‘From him.’ Leah pointed to the window. ‘Jordan Johnson.’

Stella drew in her breath.

Leah sat down on the settee, her right knee jangling. ‘I am in so much trouble. What if they think I killed him for the money?’

‘You didn’t – did you?’

‘No, I did not!’

‘Well, how did you get . . .’ Stella pointed to the bag, ‘that?’

‘It was on the path.’

‘Just like that?’

‘Yes . . . no, well . . . I can’t really remember.’

‘How much is there?’

‘Five thousand pounds.’ Leah couldn’t look her in the eye as she lied.

Stella sat down next to her. ‘Tell me everything.’

‘I’d been up to Hanley. On my way home, I cut through the back way and across the grass.’

Stella pouted. ‘How many times have I told you not to walk that way when you’re on your own? It’s dark and you don’t know who’s around.’

‘I was desperate for a pee! I was running over the grass and I didn’t see him and I tripped over him . . . Jordan Johnson.’

‘I thought you said you didn’t know who it was.’

‘I didn’t know who it was until you told me! He wasn’t moving, I swear. I spoke to him but nothing.’

‘So you just
left
him there?’

‘I must have done. Because the next thing I remember was waking up and seeing . . . that.’ Leah pointed at the money.

‘But he might still have been alive. If you’d called for help, he might not have died.’

‘When I rolled him over, he just flopped.’

‘You mean you touched him?’ Stella recoiled.

‘Yes, but not with my hand, I don’t think. I nudged him with my shoe.’

‘Are you certain he was dead?’

‘He looked like he was.’ Leah gasped. ‘You don’t think they’ll trace it back to me, do you? I mean, I hardly touched him.’

‘I don’t know. I’m not the police. But those women on CSI who prance around in high heels and white vests seem to get a lot of info from clothes.’

Leah burst into tears, her feet bouncing on the edge of the
settee
. ‘What am I going to do?’

‘I still can’t believe you left him there.’

‘I didn’t
take
the bag from him. It was lying on the grass by his side.’

‘You said it was hidden in the bushes.’

‘Well . . . yes, it was.’

‘If it was hidden,’ Stella paused for a moment, ‘maybe whoever killed him was going to come back for it?’

Leah sobbed. ‘I hope not.’

Stella shook her head. ‘Shit, Leah. What happens if someone saw you and they come after you?’

‘I’m a goner, that’s what!’ Leah wiped her nose on the back of her hand. ‘What do you think I should do?’

‘I don’t know.’ Stella shoved her hand in her pocket, pulled out a crumpled tissue and gave it to her.

‘But what if the police come searching every flat?’

‘The police can’t search properties without a warrant and a reason.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘That’s what Craig told me.’

‘But surely that’s different when there’s a dead body outside your house!’

Stella paused. ‘Yeah, you’re right. It’s not worth chancing.’ She was quiet for a moment. ‘Is there somewhere you can hide it for a while?’

Leah frowned, unsure what Stella was getting at.

‘If you hide it in a safe place, then maybe when this blows over, you can keep the money.’

‘I could take it to my mum’s, I suppose.’ Leah shook her head then. ‘No, I prefer to keep it where I can see it.’

‘If the police find you with it, you could be charged with his murder!’

‘I didn’t kill him!’

‘But you know how they stitch people up if they’re short on evidence. You were probably the last person to see him until Rita Pritchard took Maisie for a walk this morning. It only takes one sneaky bastard in Harrison House to get wind of that and someone will start talking. And even if the police don’t know anything, the Johnson family will want to know where it is. They’ll be looking for whoever killed Jordan too. You need to get rid of it.’

‘I can’t.’

‘I think you should take it to your mum’s.’

Leah took a deep breath. ‘It seems a little dodgy to move it while the police are around.’

‘A little . . .’ Stella stared at her, wide-eyed. ‘The whole
frigging
thing is dodgy!’

‘I can’t undo what I’ve done!’ Leah stood up. ‘Should I just throw it out of the window? Let the search party find it?’

‘Don’t be stupid. Someone will see it fall. There’re neighbours everywhere, never mind the police.’ Stella thought for a second. ‘Shall I have a word with Craig? He might know what to –’

‘No!’ Leah shook her head vehemently. ‘You can’t tell anyone!’

‘But the police are practically metres away from you!’ Stella jerked her thumb in the direction of the door.

‘Do you think I don’t know that?’ She looked down at Stella with pleading eyes. ‘I need to think things through. Just give me a bit of time.’

‘Okay.’

‘You have to promise that you won’t tell anyone I have it.’

‘I promise,’ Stella replied.

‘I mean it, Stel. Especially not Craig.’

‘I won’t tell a soul.’ Stella stood up and drew Leah into her arms. ‘I’m scared for you, hun, but we’ll sort this out.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Look, I’d better go and see what he wants me for. You never know, he might have some useful information.’

‘You promise not to tell him?’

‘I promise. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’