‘Sowhat?’ I was angry now. ‘So fed up that you’ve been caught again? That the police are soon going to be putting two and two together? They’ll know that you’re staying here with me – at Dean’s old address? It doesn’t take a genius to work out it’s not actually Dean they’re after, but you, Joel.’
‘I was trying to look out for Lola.’ Joel raised his head.
‘What do you mean,look out for Lola?’ I frowned. ‘What d’youmean, Joel?’
‘Making sure you and she were OK.’
I actually laughed out loud at that. ‘Oh, come on! You’re down there up to no good with the others – Rob Traynor and George Sattar – and who knows who else about to crawl out of the woodwork – and then there’s a full-on police raid and they’ve taken Dean’s bike thatyou’veleft in a hedge. And so you come up with this daft story that you were looking out for us? Oh, yes? And how did you know we were actually there this evening? Hmm? Hmm?’
‘Lola’d been boasting about this new best friend of hers. She wasn’t half going on about it…’
‘Tell me about it,’ I said. ‘But she was tellingyou?’
‘Lola doesn’t talk to me, Jess, you know that. Sees me as pushing her dad out…’
‘Oh, don’t be daft, Joel,’ I began. ‘So, who was she talking to?’
‘Dunno. She was on the landline in the hallway. Probably telling some other kid in her class what she was up to. You know – off to Ruby Cavendish-Brown’s down at Queen’s Gardens for a sleepover. You know how girls her age always want to get one over on other kids in their class.’
‘I don’t think Lola?—’
‘Jess, I’ve a sister a little older than Lola. Thirteen-year-old girls can be quite brutal at that age. Anyway, as she was going on about this Ruby Cavendish-Brown, boasting about where her new friend lived, I knew at once who this Ruby’s dad was.’
‘Right!’ I stared. ‘So, you’ve come across Henry Cavendish-Brown before?’
‘Henry Cavendish-Brown, Piers Barrington, Edward Thornton…’
‘There’s three of them?’
‘The names he goes under.’ Joel tutted. ‘Real name, as far as I know?—’
‘Darren Singleton?’ I put in quickly.
‘Think so. Darren changes his name every time he moves to a new address. He’s been here about a year. Probably rents the house down on Queen’s Gardens rather than owning it. He’s always ready for a quick getaway and a new identity.’ Joel sniffed. ‘Probably thought he was fairly safe changing it to Henry Cavendish-Brown and moving to a sleepy village like Beddingfield.’
‘But surely his daughter – Ruby – thinks it weird that her dad keeps changing his name? Her name as well, presumably? I can imagine what Lola would be saying if Dean kept changinghisname…’
‘I don’t know, Jess, I don’t know,’ Joel said irritably. ‘It’s all a totally different world from the cosy little one that you and Lola live in.’
‘It’s not that cosy,’ I snapped. ‘I have my problems as much as the next person.’
‘You don’t know the half…’ Joel shook his head again.
‘Right, OK, OK! So, are you trying to tell me you’ve nothing to do with Darren Singleton? That you weren’t down there this evening as part of his gang? Well, I’m sorry, I think you’re telling me a whole load of lies.’ I glared at the kid, ready to ring Andy Somerville that very minute, even though it was the middle of the night. ‘And d’you know, Joel, I thought you were genuine, that you’d only got mixed up in all this OCG stuff because your mum and little sister, as well as your dad in prison, were being threatened. No, you were out for yourself, weren’t you? Out for whatyoucould get and not caring who you might be involving in all this.’ I was so angry now. So cross that Sorrel, Robyn and I had all been taken in by his lies, but particularly Sorrel. Thank goodness she seemed to be making a new life for herself well away from this kid.
‘I told Fabian what was going on…’
‘Fabian?’ I stared. ‘What the hell’s Fabian got to do with any of this…? Oh, right…’ I put up a hand as Joel started to explain. ‘You were hoping he’d manage to get you off again, weren’t you? Warning him that the shit was about to hit the fan again now that Darren Singleton’s place had been raided and the bastard’ – it still smarted that I’d let the man inch his fingers up my bare leg – ‘arrested.’
‘Fabian knew the police were going in.’
‘Oh? Oh? And how the hell doyouknow what Fabian knew? Knows? You’re his secretary now, are you? Hisconfidante?’
‘Now you’re being ridiculous, Jess.’
‘I’mbeing ridiculous?’ I felt so angry I wanted to slap him. ‘Joel, you’re gone in the morning. D’you hear? I’m not having you a minute longer in my house.’
‘Jess, who the hell d’you think’s been trying to scare Fabian into submission?’
