The Payment: Part 4

Book 0: The Payment

by Roberta Kray

Genres: Sagas; Short Stories; Women's Fiction; Female Sleuths; Crime Fiction; Suspense

Synopsis

THE FINAL PART IN THE ADDICTIVE NEW 4-PART EBOOK-SERIAL FROM ROBERTA KRAY. NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY I don't mind a challenge, especially when the odds are stacked in my favour. My last guest was a snivelling wretch, always crying, always pleading, as if any of that nonsense was going to make a damn bit of difference. Ava Gold is going to make up for all the disappointments of my life, all the tedious days and tiresome nights. If she behaves, I'll treat her well - I'm not in the business of making people suffer unnecessarily - but I won't be disobeyed . . . Ava wants to believe Chris is innocent of the crime he's accused of but the more digging she does, the worse it looks for him. And there's still the issue of Holly and what Ava's been hiding from the police to sort out. Ava doesn't think things can get any worse but she has no idea how wrong she is, because the man who's been watching her has decided the time for watching is over. He's ready to act . . . Read what people are saying about Roberta Kray: 'Once you start to read you can't put it down ' ' Full of twists and turns' 'Love this writer, great read ' ' Brilliant and gripping from beginning to end'

Release date: July 24, 2017

Publisher: Sphere

Print pages: 80

Sample

It seemed to Ava Gold that her life had become wrapped in a tissue of lies and deceit. Some of this was of her own making, a result of the decisions she had made, and the rest down to the falsehoods of others. It was three days now since Terry Street had dropped the bombshell about Chris, and she was still trying to get her head around it. Could she trust what he’d said? What if he’d been mistaken, if he’d got his facts wrong? But time and time again she came back to that moment when she’d been standing in the Street’s kitchen, and Terry had hinted at pretty much the same thing: She got what was coming to her. You screw people over … you got to take the consequences.

Ava hadn’t heard from Chris, not so much as a text, although she was pretty sure he’d have managed to procure a mobile phone by now. He’d need one to talk privately to Solomon, to keep up to speed with what was happening with the business. His silence didn’t necessarily equate to guilt, but it didn’t help either. She had felt on the visit to the jail that something was wrong, that he’d been weirdly acceptant of his fate instead of railing against the injustice of it all.

And then there was the little matter of the bracelet. What if it hadn’t been planted, but simply overlooked – a drunken mistake that was now coming back to haunt him. Maybe Bullen hadn’t stitched him up at all. Maybe Bullen wasn’t smart enough to have pulled off a stunt like that. The more Ava thought about it, the less happy she became. She was a loyal person, but not blindly loyal. There were some things that could never be forgiven.

She sighed into her coffee, and from across the other side of the kitchen table Holly stared wide-eyed at her. The girl had been doing that a lot recently as though she was afraid Ava was going to change her mind and hand her in to the law. Since the revelation that the police were aware of her identity, and even had a photograph, Holly had become increasingly jumpy.

In truth, Ava was at a loss as to what to do next. Unless the police came up with a better suspect for Cyrus’ death, Holly was going to be on the wanted list for a very long time. And she couldn’t stay in the flat for ever. There were people out there who could provide false identities, papers and passports, but she didn’t have a clue who they were or where to find them. And anyway, all that stuff cost money, and money was thin on the ground at the moment.

Ava had managed one practical change, however. A pack of brown hair dye and a quick snip with the scissors had transformed Holly’s appearance. Now, with her shoulder length brown locks, she looked quite different to the picture of the blonde schoolgirl that the cops had on record. Unless they knew her well, she didn’t think anyone would recognise her.

Although Ava still believed in Holly’s innocence, she didn’t believe everything the girl told her. There was that business about the sister, for instance. When Ava had asked about it, Holly had visibly started.

‘I don’t have a sister.’

‘The law reckon you do.’

‘Then the law are wrong. Must have got me mixed up with someone else.’

‘Maybe a half-sister, then?’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ Holly said, ‘and I don’t give a fuck either.’

Ava had dropped the subject, but hadn’t forgotten about it. She had definitely struck a nerve. Still, families weren’t always easy and Holly’s background was probably worse than most. If she didn’t want to talk, that was her choice. Some things were best left alone. Thinking of family reminded Ava of her dad. It was a relief to have him safely out of the way in Southend. The problem hadn’t disappeared – the loan would still be accumulating – but at least he wasn’t in imminent danger of another beating.

Holly kept playing with her hair, pushing it behind her ear and flicking it out again. She continued to stare at Ava.

‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ Holly said.

‘Look, if I was going to grass you to the law, I’d have done it while I was down the station. So stop worrying about it, yeah?’

‘It’s not that.’

‘What is it, then?’

Holly played with her hair some more. ‘I found some notes in the drawer.’ Her gaze slid sideways to the kitchen cabinets. ‘I wasn’t snooping or nothing, I was only looking for a spoon. What’s that all about, then?’

‘Just looking for a spoon and the envelopes fell open?’

Holly lifted and dropped her skinny shoulders. ‘They’re weird,’ she said. ‘Creepy.’

‘Yeah, well, the world’s full of creepy people.’

‘So who’s Josie Green?’

Ava hesitated, but then decided it didn’t much matter whether she knew or not. ‘They found her body at the arches. She used to work at a club Chris owns. He’s a friend of mine, he—’

‘He’s the guy who was calling you in the cab the night you brought me here.’

‘Yeah, that’s the one.’ Ava was surprised she remembered. ‘But he didn’t do it. These notes … It’s just someone trying to cause trouble.’

‘Do you know who’s sending them?’

‘I’ve got a pretty good idea.’ Ava drained the last of her coffee and put the mug down on the table. ‘I’ve got some shopping to do before I go to work. Is there anything you need?’

‘You could get some beer.’

‘I could,’ Ava said, ‘but I won’t.’

Holly pulled a face. ‘It’s boring here. There’s nothing to do.’

Ava was about to retort that it was a damn site more boring in jail, but stopped herself in time. It would have been a low blow, the sort of co. . .