The Dunbar Case(30)

I sighed and finished off my wine. ‘Bugger.’



She smiled and her heavy features changed and I could see how attractive she might have been before the surgery. ‘No, no. It was just sort of a shell of the thing, like a big folder. There were lots of papers inside—letters and ... documents. I had a quick sneaky look once and there was something about a shipwreck. I was interested because I’d dived on wrecks.’



‘What was in the papers? Letters, photos?’



‘Could be.’



‘Come on, this is important. It’s why I’m here.’



‘You’re here, big deal. What’s important to you might not be important to me.’



‘What is important to you?’



I realised that was a hard question for anyone to answer at any time. She stared at her clasped hands and said nothing.



‘Kristine?’



‘It was years ago but I was interested in it as a kid and they took notice of that. Most kids, especially the boys, couldn’t have cared less about old women and their stuff. All they cared about was their cooking and what money they could screw out of them. So, in a roundabout way, it came to me when the old girls all dropped off. I had a quick look at the stuff then but...’ She touched her face. ‘It was before all this happened. I just forget what was in them.’





~ * ~





12





I had a surge of hope that I might be able to complete this part of the business at least satisfactorily. ‘And where’s this stuff now?’



She smiled again. ‘Well, I’ll have to think about that. Is it worth any money?’



‘It could be. That’s between whoever actually owns it and my client. That is, if it’s really what he’s looking for.’



‘How much?’



‘No idea.’



‘You’ve been on the job a while and I imagine you don’t come that cheap. Must be money in it, but I’m more interested in trying to keep you on our side. Rog ... Rod says there’s talk that Johnnie could be getting out soon.’



‘Jesus,’ I said, ‘d’you realise how dangerous it is for you two to be chatting back and forth on your mobiles? I suppose that’s what you’ve been doing.’



‘We take precautions.’



‘You’d better. So, how do you want to play it from here, Kristie?’



She got up. ‘I’ll let you know. Thanks for the drink and the chips.’



She walked out, cinching in her belt and ignoring the appreciative looks she got from some of the drinkers. As things stood, she had the upper hand. Searching for a card to play, I remembered that Twizell had mentioned his grandparents’ historic cottage. But ‘historic’ could have just been a figure of speech. In any case, where was it and which grandmother? I was thinking about this when my mobile rang. I looked at the incoming call number—Marisha.



‘Cliff, I’m sorry I blew up at you. I need your help. Something terrible’s happened.’



‘Tell me.’



‘Jobe’s been shot. I was with him and I got him to the hospital but he’s in a bad way. Now everyone knows I’ve been talking to him and there’s a man here ... Joseph, Jobe’s son, who’s waiting for me. I’m scared to move away from where I am. From the look he gave me and the way he talked to the doctor, I... I think he might have shot his father or had something to do with it.’



‘I’ll come,’ I said, ‘but I’m some hours away. What about the police?’



‘Two detectives came and wanted me to go with them but I wouldn’t. I faked a faint and a panic attack and I’m in a room under observation. I’m not completely faking. I’m bloody scared.’



‘Did you know the cops?’



‘No, not really. I mean, I know who they are. I know they are police, but after what Jobe’s told me about how things work I couldn’t trust them.’



I knew where the hospital was from my visit the day before and told Marisha I’d be there as quickly as I could. I got on the road and was grateful the late afternoon weather was fine and the traffic was light. Having driven it just the day before, I was confident of the route and able to keep the speed up to the limit and beyond.



I tried to sort out in my mind what this meant in the current state of things. Marisha’s cover was blown and she was definitely in danger. Whatever information Jobe Tanner had given her, Joseph and Hector—perhaps Joseph in particular, as the more volatile of the two—would want to suppress. If Marisha’s suspicion was right, perhaps he had tried to suppress it the hard way. Turning up in support of Marisha would arouse the Tanners, but there was nothing to be done about that.