Someone Else's Conflict (36 page)

He looked at Polly to steady himself. Vinko followed his gaze.

‘I'm sorry, he will tell you soon,' he said to her and turned back to Jay. ‘He was. War crimes.'

‘I heard,' said Jay. ‘I confess I celebrated.'

‘But he's out now. He said he managed to get his sentence reduced. So he says now he needs his money. It's his and he wants it for his retirement. He also said he thought you had a part in putting him away.'

Jay shook his head. ‘I was never called as a witness. I suppose no one found me.'

‘Well he thinks you did and he wants to see you. I didn't know anything about that when I went with Novak. Yesterday…yesterday morning I lost my job. Because we'd been away. I tried and tried to call you, Jay and I'm sorry, but I was convinced you didn't care. I'm not asking you to understand. But that's how it was. So Novak saw me and he told me Lek was a good friend of my dad's. They'd be good to me. I should have realised. I knew you didn't like that man.' He held up his bandaged hands. ‘When Novak took me to that house, I knew he wasn't my dad's friend either.'

Jay was shaking his head. He was shocked at the betrayal but Vinko's obvious regret made him suppress it; he could deal with that later. He felt hardly able to force words out. ‘I'm sorry, I didn't get your calls till later,' he said lamely.

Vinko turned to him, agitated. ‘I didn't want to say what I did to you yesterday. I couldn't stand the things they were doing to me anymore; they made me tell them everything I know about you. I had to.' He looked away. ‘I hoped you wouldn't believe I meant it. I tried to send you a message but they grabbed my phone. I tried.'

‘I know you did. I'm sorry. I worked it out, but it was too late by then. I went to your house but you weren't there. All I could do was wait till tonight.'

Vinko shuddered. ‘I'm glad that's not happening.'

‘Where are they now? How did you get here?'

‘I don't know where they are. They told me yesterday evening they were off on some business. They were going to come back to that house this afternoon, to take me to my flat to meet you. They left me locked in a cupboard, but it was below the stairs and I smelled where the wood was rotten. I managed to break through.' His fingers found the trailing bandage and he wound it absently back round his hand. ‘It took ages, and I was making such a noise. I was scared they were still there, tricking me, ready to beat me for escaping. But there was no one waiting. So I believe they really won't be back till this afternoon.' He glanced at Polly. ‘You want to tell her?'

Jay hurriedly explained.

‘Are you all right now?' she asked.

‘Tired.' Vinko shrugged. ‘Lucy cared after me. She helped with burns, she gave me food, she borrowed me dry clothes from her boyfriend. I will be OK.'

‘She'll probably be back by now,' Jay said. ‘We ought to go and tell her we're here. Take you home.' He glanced from Vinko to Polly. She frowned but nodded. ‘We were thinking you could come back with us for a little while. Lucy can call the police here and—' He held a hand up to silence Vinko's protest. ‘We can talk about it on the way. Come on.'

He made for the door, beckoning them to follow. The sign was still on the locked door of the shop.

‘Do you know if there's a spare key at the flat, Polly? It'd be best if we wait for her here.'

‘You have the credit card?' asked Vinko.

Jay swallowed his objection and handed him his card. He watched with grudging admiration as the lad forced the lock within seconds, and raised his eyebrows at Polly.

‘There's a deadlock on the outside door to the building,' she said apologetically.

‘First job for young Matt when all this is over – security review.'

They laughed nervously and he thought how they really shouldn't be laughing at a time like this. As they made their way towards the back of the shop, Vinko bent to pick up a pair of scissors lying with some scattered papers on the floor.

‘Don't!' Jay's command halted him. ‘Best not touch anything.'

Vinko stepped back. ‘Lucy held that when she was feared of me.'

Jay nodded, trying to suppress the panic that threatened to engulf him. This shop felt like a scene from a dream. Despite the presence of Polly and Vinko, he felt alone.

No you're not. The boy sat on the counter, casually swinging his legs as he watched them. Jay was about to reach out and touch Polly for reassurance, when a knock at the door made him jump.

‘Lucy?' A man's voice came through the thick wood.

‘It's Paul from downstairs,' Polly said quietly.

Vinko had vanished into the storeroom by the time she opened the door to a tall man in an Aran sweater. ‘Marilyn? What're you doing here? I heard footsteps on the stairs and assumed Lucy was back. D'you know where she's gone?'

She shrugged. ‘She had to pop out to the shops. We happened to call round and I said we'd keep an eye on things till she gets back. Matt's gone to check out some woodcarving guy.'

‘Uh huh, I saw him earlier.'

‘I was just about to open up for them. This is my new boyfriend,' she added, indicating Jay.

Paul flashed Jay a look, nodded. ‘Hi.' He turned back to Polly. ‘I just came to see if your phone's working? Ours isn't getting a dial tone.
Nada
. Zilch.'

Jay was standing nearest to the phone and hoped the guy couldn't hear his heart thumping as he picked it up. It yielded a heavy silence. ‘Yeah, this one too.' His voice sounded as if the dead phone had swallowed it.

Paul nodded. ‘I'll look into it. Keep you posted.' He turned to go. ‘Shall I leave the door open, then?'

Jay was relieved when Polly closed the door behind him, muttering something about a moment to familiarise herself as she hadn't been in charge there for a while.

‘You'd best phone the police on your mobile,' Jay said as Vinko emerged from the storeroom.

‘The door to outside stairs, it's not proper shut. I saw Lucy lock it when I was here before. Someone—'

He was interrupted by a ring tone. Jay watched him take his mobile from his pocket and listen. The little colour there was drained from Vinko's face.

‘It's Lek,' he whispered, holding the phone out like a hand grenade with the pin pulled. ‘He will talk with you.'

Jay took it, feeling the faint warmth left by Vinko's hand on the cold metal casing.

‘Hello, Šojka Stranac.'

The distantly remembered voice added to the unreality of it all. Jay found it easy to pretend this was someone else's story, and that helped to keep his voice steady.

‘Lek.'

‘You don't sound enough friendly, Šojka. Young Ivan's boy, he thinks you don't want knowing your old friend. You must tell him he is wrong.'

‘What do you want?'

He was glad Lek couldn't see him, fingers fiddling restlessly with the ends of his scarf and betraying his nerves.

‘I think we should talk, my friend. See, I even speak your language now. We could have lessons…where I've been. I think you know. English is good for business, they say. And good for talking with people like you. You will help me, yes?'

‘Just say what it is you want.'

‘Vinko didn't already tell you? I want you to help me have my wife's money back.'

So he had married her. It meant nothing and it was someone else's story now. Jay glanced at Polly. Even with her worried expression he drew strength from her presence. ‘I don't know what you expect me to do.'

‘Don't play the games, Šojka. I had the long talk with Ivan's boy, you know? You stole my wife's money.'

‘I stole nothing. She instructed me to look after it.'

‘You say look after, I say stole. The important thing is, now you give it back.'

‘I've already given it back.'

‘To the wrong ones.'

‘To Zora's family. She told me that if she died it was my decision what to do with it.'

‘She told
me
before she sadly died to find you and have it back.'

‘Even if I believed you, it's no longer mine to give.'

‘You can find and give it. You must persuade Vesna.'

‘What makes you think I know—'

‘No games I said, Šojka!
We know you are the family's friend. If you don't talk with her already, you can yet. Mihal, he can tell you where. You like to talk to the other man's wife, don't you, eh? But enough talking now. Go to the bank and you meet us soon. You bring enough of money to show me you will help, and we talk.'

Jay glanced from Polly to Vinko. ‘Where will I find you?'

‘You phone me after the bank, then I tell you. It is not far. We will have meeting-together soon, my friend. I will enjoy it. And Šojka? You come alone. Not with no one, not even with Ivan's little coward-son. We know you are at Bartonmill. We can see this and we will see if you bring someone.' Jay was just registering the fact that Lek was close enough to have seen them arrive, when he spoke again, ‘And you come with no weapon. We have someone here who wants you to obey my asking.'

He heard shuffling and a woman's voice gasping indistinctly.

‘For fuck's sake, Lek, don't—'

‘Not yet I don't. Not when you do that I say. But why are you worried, Šojka? She says she is not your woman. Perhaps because you don't look after her good enough.'

Jay spoke over the unpleasant laughter. ‘There's a bank on the square. I'll call you in a few minutes. Don't lay a fucking finger on her.'

He snapped the phone off and took a deep breath, trying to imagine the flow of air smoothing out the knot in the pit of his stomach. He still felt a dreamlike unreality as he gave Polly and Vinko a rapid account of what Lek had said.

‘So, Vinko, can I borrow this?' He tapped the phone.

‘Surely you're not
going
?' Polly said.

‘Of course I am!' He brushed aside her obvious fear before it could infect him. ‘Were you listening to a bloody word I said?' Her shocked expression made him realise how he'd sounded. ‘I'm sorry, Polly love, this is stressing me out.' He tried to sound as apologetic as he felt. ‘I've got to go; that girl's in serious danger.'

‘But what are you going to do? Surely—'

‘I'll think of something.' He slammed his hand down impatiently on the counter. ‘I'll try and call you when I know where they are, but I've got to be careful. I might try and leave a sign.' He fingered his scarf and Polly nodded. ‘If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, call the police anyway.'

He passed Vinko his phone back and shuffled impatiently as Vinko saved Lek's and Polly's numbers on it. He forced himself to take rather than snatch it from him as he began to enter the relevant numbers on Polly's.

‘You can't be so stupid! I'm calling the police now,' she insisted as Vinko handed her phone back.

‘Please don't. Give me chance to get there alone like he said.'

Jay was still trying to breathe steadily.

‘Take this.' Vinko offered him the knife.

Jay frowned at it, shaking his head. ‘No way. He said come unarmed.'

Vinko mimed putting it in his pocket. ‘How will he know?'

‘Oh, for fuck's sake! You want me to get done for carrying an offensive weapon on top
of everything? They've got
guns
, right? Didn't do you any good, did it?' He realised he was shouting. First Polly, now Vinko. ‘Shit, I'm sorry. I know you mean well.'

Vinko looked at him. That conspiratorial smile again. ‘You perhaps need it for freeing Lucy, that is all.'

Jay tried to smile back. He had to admire the lad's quick thinking, but shook his head. ‘I'll find a way. And, Vinko, don't try and follow. They might see you. Please.'

He looked at Polly, any idea of warning her to keep an eye on Vinko engulfed by his dread of leaving her. He wanted to reassure her, hold her, say goodbye properly, but the boy from Paševina was standing between them and Jay couldn't move. He could only hope his eyes spoke for him as he tore himself away and made for the fire door.

‘Be careful,' she said as he started down the cast-iron fire escape stairs.

‘I'll be back before any of us knows it,' he managed to say, fearing that neither Polly nor Vinko believed it any more than he did.

Chapter 30

Jay glanced over his shoulder, though he knew there was no one behind him at the cash machine. He forced himself to act deliberately and carefully as he stuffed the notes into his wallet, wishing the limit for withdrawals was higher. He hadn't dared enter the bank as he didn't trust himself not to give in and ask for help; to run away. Lek wanted to see him, alone; to attempt anything else was too much of a risk. Reminding himself that he'd be doing his best not to hand anything over to Lek, so the amount didn't matter anyway, he stepped aside from the machine and dialled.