Page 52 of The Impossible Fortune (Thursday Murder Club Mysteries #5)
Ron is back at his flat, with some thinking to do. Jason has come clean about the whole thing, and it is worse than Ron could possibly have imagined.
His daughter beaten by her husband. Suzi pulling a gun on Danny, and Danny running. And now Danny sending someone to shoot Jason. He feels powerless.
But Ron has felt powerless before in his life. It’s a vacuum he has always filled with anger. If Danny Lloyd were in front of him now, Ron would kill him. Kill him, bury him and never look back.
And Ron knows that it might yet come to that.
‘I’m going to need a new door,’ says Jason, sitting down. The two men sit across from each other. Father and son, of course, but in the emotion of the moment, two men above everything else.
What is to be done? And is it to be done with fists and guns, or with brains? Ron hopes it is with fists and guns.
To business. Kendrick is staying with Ibrahim and Tia. Ron felt guilty about asking, but Kendrick seemed quite happy. Ron has also made another call. Someone else who could help.
‘But Suzi’s safe?’ Ron asks his son.
‘Staying with friends,’ says Jason. ‘Knows she has to keep her head down.’
‘How long has it been going on?’ Ron asks. He doesn’t want to hear the answer, but the first rule of fighting back is that you don’t run away.
‘Couldn’t tell you,’ said Jason. ‘She’d never told me. Ashamed.’
‘Not ashamed,’ says Ron. ‘Not Suzi. She just knew if she ever told you, you’d kill Danny Lloyd.’
‘Maybe,’ says Jason. ‘And she’s right, I’m going to. He had one chance to get me, and he missed. Now it’s my turn.’
‘We need to be smart about it, Jase,’ says Ron. ‘And we need him to know it’s us. We need him to know it’s for Suzi.’
There is a buzz at the door, and both men freeze.
Ron puts his finger to his lips and walks over to the entry phone.
He sees exactly what he’d hoped. The huge, reassuring frame of Bogdan.
He also sees something he hadn’t hoped for.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth will have a view on this, and it probably won’t involve killing Danny Lloyd and burying him in a shallow grave.
He buzzes them up and puts the door on the latch.
‘He’s brought Elizabeth with him,’ says Ron, sitting down again.
‘Will you tell her?’ Jason asks.
‘Course,’ says Ron. ‘Course. She’ll work it out anyway.’
‘How was it seeing Connie Johnson again?’ Jason asks.
Ron shrugs. ‘The mood I’m in she can try and kill me and see where it gets her.’
‘Looked like she’d been crying to me,’ says Jason.
‘I doubt it,’ says Ron.
Bogdan pushes the door open and walks in with Elizabeth behind him. He motions to her.
‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘She wouldn’t let me leave without her. I really tried everything.’
‘He really did,’ agrees Elizabeth. ‘It was very moving.’
Ron waves this away. ‘It’s Elizabeth. Nothing you can do about it.’
‘So the boys are having a little summit,’ says Elizabeth, taking a seat. ‘No doubt something that Joyce and I would be too delicate for?’
‘It’s Suzi,’ says Ron.
‘Ah,’ says Elizabeth.
‘So you can keep being flippant if you want. Or you can sit down and listen and not judge.’
Elizabeth nods. ‘I can sit down and listen, certainly.’
‘Suzi’s husband has been beating her,’ says Ron.
‘I’m sorry, Ron,’ says Elizabeth. And she is. She doesn’t need to say anything more.
Ron waves it away, however. Sympathy is too much for him to bear just now. ‘She pulled a gun on him. He’s off on his heels somewhere, and just tried to have Jason killed.’
Elizabeth nods. ‘And you, Jason and Bogdan are the cavalry? You’re going to teach him a lesson?’
‘That’s the idea,’ says Ron.
‘Get him before he gets me,’ says Jason.
‘What do you need Bogdan for?’
‘Driving,’ says Ron. ‘Nothing more.’
‘Should I?’ Bogdan asks Elizabeth.
Ron knows full well that Elizabeth will say no.
‘Of course,’ says Elizabeth. ‘You must help.’
Elizabeth is not only sorry; she is angry. Ron can handle that more easily.
‘Don’t tell Donna about Bogdan,’ says Ron.
‘Don’t tell a police officer you’re planning to kill someone?’ says Elizabeth. ‘You boys have really thought everything through.’
‘We’re not going to be dissuaded,’ says Ron. ‘Don’t try.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of it,’ says Elizabeth. ‘You go right ahead. Perhaps they’ll put you all in the same prison? That would make it easier to visit.’
‘No one’s going to prison,’ says Jason.
Elizabeth nods, reassured. ‘I wonder if anyone who ever said that before actually did end up in prison? Surely not.’
‘Elizabeth, you understand revenge as well as anyone.’
‘Can it wait until we’ve solved Holly’s murder?’
‘Somebody shot at me and Kendrick less than two hours ago,’ says Jason.
‘So, no,’ says Ron. ‘The case can wait.’
Elizabeth looks at the three men and takes to her feet again. ‘I shall leave you to it.’
‘Really?’ says Ron. ‘You’re going to leave it to us?’
‘Really,’ says Elizabeth. ‘I trust the three of you to do the right thing, and I want to hear no more about it. Let me know when it’s done. I would ask you to send my love to Suzi, but I suspect she would prefer that I never heard about the whole affair. I will ask one favour though.’
Here we go, thinks Ron. This is where Elizabeth tells him what to do. Tells him he’s being a fool, that he’s letting his male pride and anger get the better of him. Report Danny to the police, let them deal with him.
‘Ron, whatever you do, don’t let Bogdan get shot or arrested,’ says Elizabeth. ‘And, Bogdan, whatever you do, don’t let Ron get shot or arrested. That’s all I ask.’
‘And me?’ says Jason.
‘You’re your own man, Jason,’ says Elizabeth.
‘So am I,’ says Bogdan.
Elizabeth pats him gently on the shoulder and walks to the door. As she opens it, she finds herself face-to-face with Connie Johnson.
‘Goodness, they’re out in force today,’ says Elizabeth.
Connie curtsies to Elizabeth, then looks around her to the three men in the flat.
‘Ibrahim told me about your daughter, Ron,’ she says. ‘I wonder if you had room for one more in your little gang?’
‘God help us all,’ says Elizabeth, and shuts the door on her way out.
‘Okay,’ says Ron. ‘Jason, Bogdan, Connie. Let’s talk.’