‘We can keep her safe too.’
She didn’t believe him. She pulled a vape from her pocket and its little light shone blue as she inhaled then blew out a bloom of foul-smelling vapour. Jamie stayed close. He’d grab her if she decided to run now. His phone was in the pocket of his jacket. He willed it not to ring before remembering he’d switched it to silent around the same time he was running out of Cairn Dhu, having given no one any indication of where he was going. He didn’t even know the name of this village, but all he had to do was dial the central line and they’d pinpoint his location and send an unmarked car for this woman.
‘I’m Jamie,’ he said.
The lights from the only vehicle to pass by briefly lit the night and were gone again. She’d stepped back further against the bushes, the light on her vape going out. If she was this jumpy, the guy she was involved with had to be nearby.
‘Where were you going tonight? Are you on another job for them?’
‘No, I was not,’ she said, like this was somehow offensive. She unrolled the bag she was holding. Jamie took the opportunity to slip the phone from his pocket. Bringing the lock screen to life with a tap, there was enough light coming from it to illuminate the contents of the bag. He peered in.
‘A… music box?’ It was pink, decorated with ballet slippers and with a small gold latch and hinges.
‘A jewellery box, for Shell.’
‘My sister had one just like that when we were wee. It had a ballerina inside, on a little spring.’
The woman rolled the bag closed again. After a beat, during which she pulled at the slipping shoulder of her coat, she said, ‘I haven’t done anything for that bastard since he did this.’ She turned her face to him as though he somehow might not have noticed the bruising.
‘Did you get it seen to, in hospital?’
‘As if.’
He let the silence fall, not wanting to risk saying anything more about how escape was possible if only she’d give him something to go on.
Probably let down at every turn, she had no reason to trust anyone, least of all him, a sweat-drenched off-duty volunteer. He didn’t even trust himself at this point. Edwyn would be furious that he still hadn’t let the station know what he was up to right now. His prevaricating would not look good on the incident report.
The cool was getting into his damp clothes. He tried not to shiver but she noticed anyway.
‘You’re frozen,’ she remarked.
‘I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.’
He let her think, could see the turmoil written across her face. She held the bag tighter in her fist.
‘Just one name?’ she said.
Jamie nodded. He opened his palm, showing her his phone, now dark and in locked mode again. ‘Say the word and I’ll get things started. You’ll be with Shell and her granny in a hotel miles away before he knows what’s hit him and his pals.’
Her eyes were wild with the possibility. Her irises burned into his as she got closer to agreeing. He daren’t say another word in case he blew the fragile trust between them. Maybe he was good at this after all? Sympathy, kindness, the things you needed to be a good officer, things he’d got in spades from his mum and dad and his big sister. He knew instinctively how to do this stuff because the thought of this woman living in fear for her little girl moved him more strongly than any desire to stop a bunch of violent thieves operating.
‘I…’ she began, fear on her face, but she was cut off by her phone ringing loudly inside her coat. Flinching, she rushed to pull it free.
Jamie saw on the screen the name ‘Franc.’
‘It’s him,’ she said, staring at it. ‘I have to answer in three rings.’
‘Do it then,’ Jamie urged. ‘Be calm.’
She had the button pressed and the phone to her ear as soon as his words were out.
She said nothing, only listening for a moment. Jamie could make out a man’s gruff voice, sharp and splintered. She held the phone a little away from her ear as he spoke louder. He wanted to know where the fuck she was.
‘I’m visiting the bairn,’ she said. ‘I told you I was.’
She held her voice so firm, Jamie actually felt proud for her. She glanced at him for reassurance and he nodded back.
‘Twenty minutes, I promise,’ she said, taking the phone right from her ear and letting Jamie hear.
