Page 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

‘W oah, lady!’

Nina cursed and leaped out of the way. The cyclist zoomed past her, his middle finger raised.

That addled head of hers was going to cost her.

Nina would kick herself if it wouldn’t make her look demented.

After gaining her freedom, she’d found a wee, temporary hotel room since Dickheadson had warned her to stay in the area and had spent the next couple of days lying low, plotting her next move. While they couldn’t yet prove her guilt, Nina still sat on the top of the suspect pile.

While the old Nina would’ve been on a warpath to finding out the truth, the Nina who’d recently slept with Robert was more cautious, and this morning had chosen to go for a walk upon waking, meandering through the curving paths of Glasgow Green. She’d passed a few fir trees decorated with the odd ornament, the string of tinsel draped over them now sodden and torn, thanks to the weather. Just like her and Robert. She recalled his eyes, watching her like she’d hacked his heart out. After everything they’d been through, he still believed she’d murdered his wife.

Maybe she hadn’t given him enough credit. After all, he’d acknowledged that he thrived on human emotions. Perhaps his kindness towards her had been his way of manipulating her. Entice a woman starved of human touch and she’ll spill her darkest secrets the next minute.

Had he tattled on her to his pals? Called in the police and had her arrested?

Whatever the explanation was, it had reinforced her beliefs about staying away from people. No relationship could weather all storms. Eventually, a thunderbolt would strike it down.

Nina shoved her hands into her pockets and crossed underneath the McLennan Arch – the site of Glasgow’s last public hanging. It served as a good reminder for what she’d have in store if she gave into temptation. After all, McLennan had been executed for murdering his wife – there was an irony somewhere in that equation.

Nina crossed the wide street and rushed past the High Court to a place she’d only visited once: Billy’s Bar. This early in the day, the site appeared deserted. Good – she didn’t want any eavesdroppers. When Nina pushed the door, it groaned before swinging so hard it smacked straight into the back wall.

Nina winced.

‘Kitchen opens at noon,’ a voice boomed through the space.

Without its patrons crowding the tables, the area looked much larger. The murky brown walls, a dark bar and equally dark floors gave the space a cosy look instead of the dingy feeling she’d had the last time she’d been here. Her feet still stuck to the floor, and the smell of malt still hung in the air. At least it wasn’t the smell of smoke. They’d banned smoking in pubs a year before she’d set foot in the UK, thank God.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, then she spotted Billy right away. He stood at the back of the bar cleaning a few glasses.

‘Billy! How are you?’

Billy flashed her a grin. ‘Much better now that a lass like you’s here to see me.’

Nina tilted her head. ‘Who said I was here to see you? I thought you served lunch.’

A snort was his only response. Then Billy used the glass in his hand to point towards the stool by the counter.

After casting a glance towards the empty tables and chairs, then at the door, Nina sat her butt down. The stool creaked and tilted, almost toppling her over. Nina gripped the counter and righted herself.

Again Billy snorted. ‘And you wonder why I think you’re here to see me. You, lassie, aren’t someone I’d peg as a patron of a pub such as this one. I?—’

A young woman wearing an apron over black leggings and a T-shirt that said ‘ Glaschu ’, her blond hair swinging in a ponytail, emerged from the door behind the counter that led to Billy’s office. ‘Billy, do you know—?’ On seeing Nina, she froze, her eyes widening.

Nina cast her an awkward smile. ‘Sorry, I?—’

‘Nina!’ she squealed, rushing round the counter and all but hurling herself at Nina. Their hug ended as quickly as it had begun, and the woman dropped onto a stool next to Nina. ‘I can’t believe it’s you.’

How did this random woman know her? Nina’s heart began to strum a little faster.

‘Where’s your beau?’ Billy asked, replacing the glass he’d been cleaning with another one.

‘He’s not my beau,’ Nina spat with some force.

The woman next to her straightened, her startled expression morphing into a smirk. ‘Who else carries a picture of a woman in their wallet? He’s smitten.’

So this woman had seen Robert’s wallet? Nina felt her cheeks warm. Thank God for the darkness in here – and her warm-toned skin.

Nina crossed her arms. ‘I was actually wanting to talk to Billy alone.’

‘We can discuss this in front of her,’ Billy said, dropping his cloth on the counter. ‘Would you like a drink?’

And muddle her already slow brain? Nina shook her head.

When Billy poured himself a pint and took a sip, the woman next to Nina pouted. ‘What about me?’

Billy glanced at his watch, then flashed the dial at the woman. ‘You’ve got classes, remember?’

‘Not if she has something to tell us.’ The blonde stuck out her hand. ‘I’m Daisy. I’m one of Robert’s regulars.’

Nina shook the young woman’s hand, wondering what the hell that meant.

Billy wasn’t impressed with Daisy, though. ‘Robert helped Daisy get into uni. He looks out for us. That’s what she meant.’

‘He paid for it,’ Daisy said then shook her head. ‘That man is something else.’

Paid for uni? ‘He must see something in you.’

Daisy shrugged. ‘Aye, he does. Although most days I can’t find a shred of smarts up here.’ Daisy tapped her head.

‘Don’t let her fool ya. She’s got a mind that’ll give ya whiplash,’ Billy grumbled under his breath. ‘But she hasnae been able to focus lately.’

Daisy nodded. ‘Robert’s got us all worried. He’s not answering our calls, not acting like himself…’

‘Aye.’ Billy nodded. ‘Though that day when yous came here, I thought he was finally starting to move on.’

‘He’s just lost his wife,’ Nina said. Neither Billy nor Daisy needed to know what had happened the other night. And Nina didn’t need to recall their activities either. ‘He’s not going to be dancing in the streets, is he?’

‘No.’ Billy set another clean glass down. ‘He wouldn’t even do that if he was a hunner fucking sheets to the wind. The man’s a good bastard. Too good a bastard…’

One of the good ones – that’s what Billy had called Robert the other day. And she’d agreed, despite his treatment of her. And after what Robert had done for Daisy, that couldn’t be contested. ‘He, well, he likes to help others.’

Daisy raised a hand to stop Billy from speaking up. ‘So why aren’t you together?’

‘As I said, he’s still mourning his wife.’

‘But you’re interested in him, aren’t you?’ Daisy prodded.

Good question indeed. Nina had come here with a particular goal. Yet once again, Robert had derailed her plans, her life. ‘I’m interested in knowing more about his wife. The police think I killed her.’

Daisy jumped off the stool and headed to the front door. She flicked the latch close. ‘I don’t want anyone interrupting our wee discussion.’

Nina should’ve been wary of being trapped in enclosed spaces with people she didn’t know. But for some reason, she felt more comfortable here than she had with three cops in her flat.

Billy reached behind the bar and set up three whisky tumblers – apparently this was a conversation they needed the strong stuff for.

‘Daisy and I meet up once every few days to talk about Robert. We haven’t got much, but the man gave us an opportunity to change our lives. In my sixty-five years, no one’s looked at me and thought, This man deserves a second go at things . He did.’ Billy pointed towards Daisy. ‘No one looks at a lady of the night and thinks she’s got brains she can make something out of. Robert did, despite the shite he received from his boss.’

‘Dickheadson is a prick,’ Nina agreed, picking up the whisky and taking a sip, despite her earlier resolve to keep a clear head. She grimaced. ‘Billy, this is good.’

Billy shot her a grin. ‘Some jewels I keep for myself.’

Daisy took a sip herself, then nodded. ‘Ever since the fire, we’ve been asking around, meeting up and talking. We want to help. We’re not the fucking cops looking for the truth; we want to protect Robert.’

‘Aye.’ Billy bobbed his head. ‘The man needs a fucking breather.’

‘And running after me certainly hasn’t given him a break,’ Nina muttered, remembering the alley then their night together, followed by Dickheadson’s arrival.

‘That’s where I think you’re wrong.’ Daisy waved her glass. ‘You can save him.’

Save him? Nina snorted, taking another scalding sip of the whisky. ‘Robert hates me.’

‘That man can’t hate a fucking rat. That’s his problem,’ Billy said. ‘Daisy, tell her.’

‘Robert likes helping us and others like us. He doesn’t believe in putting people behind bars for the night and letting them loose in the morning. But Anne, his wife, didn’t like it. He never said as much; the man rarely spoke a negative word about her. But we read between the lines. She hated him taking extra care of me and my friends. He’d get us food; once he bought jackets for Polly – she’d been pregnant and her coat had ripped. He paid for my tuition, and he helped Billy out. Anne was furious at him – told him he wasn’t a social worker; he was a cop who needed to get us junkies off the street.’

Nina frowned. ‘So she wasn’t very much like him.’

‘Their marriage was falling apart before she got pregnant,’ Billy said, downing the whisky. ‘I remember he said they’d picked him for a new project. Of course, he didn’t say what it was. He was very excited, though. It was something big and dangerous, but the man is smart enough and can handle himself. Only his wife didn’t like it when he told her. A week later, she announced her pregnancy, and he pulled out of the project. To be safe.’

‘Who marries a cop and asks them to stop doing their job?’ Daisy shook her head. ‘Anne was furious when Robert paid my fees. She found me and demanded I drop out. I never told Robert this, but that woman was ready to call the cops on me for theft. Although she never did.’

Nina couldn’t see the Robert she knew falling for the woman Daisy and Billy were describing to her. They could be wrong and Anne might’ve just been an elitist bitch. But… ‘Why are you telling me this?’

‘’Cause Robert sang her praises, never realised their marriage wasn’t just imperfect but toxic. Nina’ – Daisy leaned in and grabbed Nina’s hands – ‘we think Anne had been manipulating Robert, and he never realised it. We think the key to all of this is her. Instead of looking into anyone else, you first need to figure out why Anne was in that building in the first place. Then the puzzle might come together perfectly.’