Thicker Than Water (17 page)

Jessica felt bad for snapping and as soon as the line went silent, she knew what her friend was trying to remind her of. Although she was in the flat in Salford, her car was still parked on the
other side of the city at Longsight. She finished her glass of water and returned indoors hoping there was still a set of bus timetables in the drawer underneath the sink.

As she walked from the bus stop to Eleanor Sexton’s house, Jessica couldn’t help but think that public transport was without doubt one of the worst things possible
for a hangover. Everything from the whining babies to the teenagers with music pouring out of their headphones to the vague aroma suggesting that someone had mistaken the top deck for a public
toilet made things feel worse. By the time she had taken the three separate buses necessary, Jessica was beginning to wish she had heeded Izzy’s advice about having a day off – or at
least not been stingy and called a taxi instead.

‘Lara’s asleep upstairs,’ Eleanor said, welcoming Jessica inside with a whisper.

The woman looked weary but had clearly been very attractive in her younger days. Her hair was still just about blonde and Jessica could tell her body was trim and toned, despite it being covered
by ill-fitting clothes.

‘
. . . I always remember the pretty ones . . .
’

It hadn’t been that long ago that Jessica had visited Cameron at the house. Things seemed exactly the same, with neat rows of shoes and coats inside the door and a fresh smell as if the
hallway had been recently cleaned.

Eleanor led her through to the living room and went off to the kitchen to make tea. Jessica had a wander around, taking in the family photos she had glanced at on her previous visit. It was the
first time she had spoken to Eleanor directly. Other officers had been to see her before but the woman hadn’t had much to offer.

When she returned, Eleanor sat in an armchair, curling her feet under herself. ‘How can I help you?’ she asked, sipping from a mug with a pink cartoon character on the front. As if
sensing Jessica’s question, she added: ‘It’s from Lara’s favourite show. I gave you an adult’s mug.’

Jessica looked at the plain whiteness of her own and half-wished she had the child’s one. ‘I know someone has been to see you already but I’d like to ask you about Nicholas
Long.’

She saw the recognition in Eleanor’s eyes, before the woman glanced away towards the window. ‘He used to be my boss. I told your people that. I’m not sure what else you want me
to add.’

Jessica persisted. ‘Was that when you worked with Kayleigh?’ Eleanor nodded but didn’t reply, so Jessica continued to push. ‘I know someone visited to tell you what
happened to her.’

Eleanor cradled the mug. ‘I didn’t know what to say to your people. I hadn’t seen her in ages but obviously there’s this strange link between us now because of what
happened with poor Oliver.’

Jessica took a moment to let her dwell on the words. She didn’t think Eleanor was being evasive, but perhaps there was something hidden away she had tried to forget.

‘How close did you used to be?’ Jessica asked.

Eleanor answered with a shrug. ‘It was such a long time ago. We were good mates but a lot of that was because we saw each other every day and worked together. We were young women and I
guess we moved on over time.’ As if realising what could be happening, she glanced up from her mug to catch Jessica’s eye. ‘Should I be worried?’

‘I don’t know. There’s nothing to say you or your family are in any danger.’

‘But did whoever killed Oliver also kill Kayleigh?’

‘I don’t know. We’re looking into it.’

Eleanor nodded. ‘But why would . . . ? I don’t see the connection.’

‘Neither do we – I’m hoping that’s where you can help.’

Jessica made sure she kept eye contact with the other woman until Eleanor looked away. She cuddled her free arm across herself, still holding the mug in the other. ‘I already talked to
your people about Kayleigh,’ she said defensively.

Leaning forward in her chair, Jessica waited for the other woman to look at her before speaking. ‘I went to see Nicholas Long yesterday . . .’

Eleanor’s eyebrows flickered upwards.

‘It doesn’t sound as if either of you worked in the greatest of environments,’ Jessica added. Eleanor nodded but didn’t reply. ‘He told me that you both left at the
same time; the same day.’

Her eyes suddenly widened. ‘He remembers us?’ There was a definite tone of apprehension.

‘He doesn’t know anything about you now, but yes.’

‘He’s not a nice man.’

Eleanor’s statement didn’t sound fearful, she was stating a fact.

‘I know.’

Both women locked eyes again and Jessica knew Eleanor had experienced exactly what she had from Nicholas – probably worse.

‘Why didn’t you tell us before that you had left that casino together at the same time?’

‘I didn’t think it was that important.’

Eleanor’s voice faltered and it was clear she wasn’t fooling herself, let alone anyone else.

‘What happened?’

Eleanor turned to look out of the window as Jessica tried to make eye contact. A clock on the mantelpiece tick-tocked through the silence, drawing Jessica’s attention. It looked like the
top part of a grandfather clock, similar to one her parents had at their house. A needle metronomed from side to side, clicking as it reached the furthest points.

‘That used to belong to Cameron’s grandparents,’ Eleanor said softly. Jessica turned to face her, wondering how long her own attention had been distracted for. ‘It was
made in 1899 and has been in the family ever since. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’

Jessica squinted to see the detail more closely. Each number was in a perfect spidery script and there was an intricately painted background depicting a particular time of day behind each
one.

‘It’s really nice.’

‘We’ve never done anything to it, no batteries or anything like that. I have no idea how it works but it is amazing.’

Jessica could hear her father in her head, telling her ‘they don’t make things like they used to’.

‘It was a different age,’ Eleanor said and, for a moment, Jessica thought she was talking about the clock. ‘Now, it’s all about equality for men and women, gay and
straight, white, black, Asian and so on, but it wasn’t like that then – or at least it didn’t feel like it.’

Eleanor waved her hands, trying to illustrate a point she didn’t seem comfortable remembering. ‘It’s so different, even going to pubs where there’s no smoking. Back in
the casino, I remember this blue haze of smoke. You would stink of it when you got home and it was everywhere; in your hair, on your clothes, even your shoes.’

‘What was your actual job?’

The woman reached forward to put down her empty mug and then stared up towards the ceiling. ‘We didn’t do anything really. There were the trained guys who ran the tables, then the
barmen. After that, there were around a half-dozen of us. We carried drinks to the tables but otherwise we welcomed guests and took their coats.’

‘And you were all women?’

Eleanor nodded. ‘Exactly. All young, all thin: either blonde or black hair because Nicholas didn’t go for brunettes. He never hired black or Asian girls either because he had his
types.’

‘And you simply had to walk around looking good to keep the customers happy?’

‘Pretty much, it wasn’t hard.’

‘So what happened?’

Eleanor again went silent and Jessica watched the woman staring at the clock. Eventually she took a deep breath. ‘One of the reasons I don’t like being called “Ellie” now
is because that’s what I was then. It’s like two different people – Eleanor the adult, Ellie the child.’

‘I’ve heard your husband calling you Ellie.’

‘He knows I don’t like it. I don’t know how to describe it – he says it differently.’ Jessica knew exactly what she meant – Adam said ‘Jess’ in
the way no one else could. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to think of him.

‘What happened to “
Ellie
”?’

Jessica’s use of the name made the woman look away from the clock towards her. ‘Nothing particularly, it was just different. Back then, Nicholas had this big rivalry going with this
other guy, Leviticus. They each ran various pubs and clubs and things like that – and they hated each other. There were always rumours swirling around the staff that one was going to kill the
other and they were basically at war. This one night, we closed early and everyone got kicked out at the same time. We didn’t know what was happening, but then it turned out there had been a
firebomb attack on one of Leviticus’s pubs just out of the centre. I don’t know if it was anything to do with Nicholas and there never seemed to be any retribution at our end. We all
went back to work the next day.’

Jessica must have appeared confused because Eleanor clarified the point. ‘I’m not saying that was anything to do with what’s happened now, I’m just telling you what it
was like. We were always scared, especially us women. As well as all of that, Nicholas would shout and swear. He’d throw things and call you names – it wasn’t a good place to
be.’

‘Is that why you left?’

Eleanor gulped and Jessica knew it wasn’t. ‘On the side, he used to lend money to people. It all used to tie in together; someone would lose a lot of money at one of the tables and
they would be invited into one of the rooms at the back where Nicholas or someone else would offer them terms on a loan. We all knew it went on but it was one of those things you never talked
about. Of course, it was never that straightforward, there would be some sort of small print the person had missed – or no contract at all – and the interest rates would go up so people
ended up paying ten times what they owed.’

Jessica was unable to stop herself interrupting. ‘Once he had you, he had you.’

Eleanor nodded. ‘Exactly. You used to dread walking past the room. Once I was getting changed after shift and heard this crack, we all did, then it was just some guy screaming. If you
couldn’t pay, then someone would hurt you – but then you could never pay anyway because the minute you did, there would be some other penalty clause or something you had
missed.’

The woman was clearly becoming distressed telling the story. She was fidgeting in the chair, putting her feet on the floor and then curling them underneath her, twiddling a strand of her hair
around her finger, then letting it fall, before starting again. Jessica knew she was getting somewhere. She had waited to visit Eleanor precisely because she needed to figure out Nicholas
first.

‘Did you ever tell anyone?’

‘None of us did, it was just one of those things. If he was doing that to grown men, imagine what he would do to women like us.’

‘What made you and Kayleigh get out?’

‘With Nicholas it was all about control; he liked owning things, whether it was buildings, businesses or people. I’m not sure he ever distinguished one thing from the other. He never
liked staff leaving and so he started the same with us. He would buy you something you thought was a gift and then, a few weeks later, your wages would be next to nothing. When you asked what was
going on, he’d say that you owed him money for the jewellery, or the designer clothes. Of course, because you had no money to pay your rent, he’d force you to take out a loan . .
.’

‘. . . And then he had you.’ Jessica felt a chill go down her back. She had seen Nicholas close up and the way he talked about women. Her behaviour the previous day seemed even more
reckless.

Eleanor gulped, nodding in agreement. ‘Right. You couldn’t leave the job because you had the loan to pay back, so he had you in two ways. You would be tied to him through owing him
money, then tied to him through the job too.’

‘
. . . My women
. . .’

‘How did you get away?’ Jessica asked.

Eleanor started to scratch around her eyes, although Jessica could not see tears. ‘I think even back then I knew what was going on. While the other girls took their jewellery, I always
said no. Somehow I knew it was going to end the way it did.’

‘So you didn’t owe him anything?’

‘No.’

‘What about Kayleigh?’

Eleanor sighed deeply, taking a tissue from the table and blowing her nose before replying. ‘She was more trusting.’

Jessica let the woman compose herself, allowing the silence to boom uncomfortably through the room.

‘It wasn’t just that,’ Eleanor added. ‘With the customers and men, he’d break your bones – or get one of his men to. He’d hurt you, or threaten to hurt
you to make you pay. With us women . . .’

Jessica swore under her breath.

‘Kayleigh owed him for a few things. The only reason any of us started working there was because it was easy and the money wasn’t too bad. All you had to do was turn up for work
looking half-decent and you were done. That’s where the problem came – girls would keep their money and then leave after a while. Kayleigh had saved pretty well but that all ended up
going back to Nicholas because of the loan.’

‘But you helped her?’

Eleanor nodded. ‘We were mates. You know what it’s like when you’re young and you look out for each other. You get more cynical as you get older. I’d kept my money too
and, because I didn’t owe him anything, I gave Kayleigh my savings. Between us, we bought him off and there was no way he could come back with charges, fines, or whatever.’

‘Had he . . .
touched
. . . her before that?’

Eleanor shrugged, not elaborating on Jessica’s choice of word. ‘Probably.’

‘What about you?’

‘I would have
fucking
killed him if he’d touched me.’

The swear word came from nowhere. Previously Eleanor had been speaking quickly but clearly and eloquently. Although she had something of a local twang, it wasn’t overbearing but, as she
cursed, she looked directly at Jessica, her eyes making it clear she meant it, her accent strengthening.

‘So you gave the job up together?’

‘It was never one of those “hand your notice in” things, we just never went back. We moved to a different flat as well. If he had wanted to find us, he would have done –
but neither of us owed him money and we hadn’t done anything other than not go to work. Although he had all the loan stuff going on, he was still a proper businessman on the surface. Neither
of us thought he’d come after us and he didn’t.’