‘Where’s he going to take her?’ hissed Max into Molly’s face. ‘If you know something, you better start talking, or Junior here’s going to get the kicking of his life. Christ knows, it’s way overdue.’
Molly said nothing. Tears were trickling down her face.
‘Fine, have it your way,’ said Max.
He grabbed Junior, started frog-marching him towards the door.
‘No!’ howled Molly. Layla came to her feet, distressed. Alberto shot her a quick look. Shut up, his eyes said.
Max was at the door, holding a struggling Junior.
‘All right, I’ll tell you what I know,’ said Molly. ‘Just don’t hurt him, OK?’
‘I’m not making any promises,’ said Max. He shoved Junior back on to the sofa. ‘Go on then,’ he said to Molly.
Molly pulled her hands down over her face, wiping her tears away. She cast a wild look at Junior, then at Max and Alberto.
‘I knew Junior was in the money all of a sudden,’ she started unsteadily. ‘So I… I just wanted to find out where it had come from. I knew he hated having to take money off Annie, he’d said so to me often enough, so where was he getting it all? Anyhow, when I heard him on the phone talking to someone he called Rufus, I thought it might have something to do with it. Then Rufus came to the house when Mum was out. And while him and Junior were talking in the kitchen, I was in the hall, listening.’
‘You sneaky little cow,’ said Junior angrily.
‘Oh yeah? Well, you could have cut me in on it,’ returned Molly.
‘For what? It was me he wanted to help him out, not you.’
‘Cut the yap and go on,’ said Max.
‘Then… then I heard them coming out into the hall. I ran up the stairs and into my room so they wouldn’t know I’d been listening. Junior went into the upstairs loo, and I crept out on the landing and heard this Rufus guy pick up the phone in the hall. He said a name, I think it was Dickon.’
Max exchanged a look with Alberto. They knew Dickon.
‘Rufus was telling Dickon that when he got the chance he was going to do the Carter bitch out at the Essex place, on the marshes.’ Molly looked around at them all. ‘And you know what? I thought that just about served her right, because she’s looked down on my mum all her life. She’s always had everything, and my mum had nothing.’
There was a long, deadly silence. Then Layla reached out and grabbed Molly’s arm, shook her.
‘Is this the truth? Or is it just another set-up, another trap?’ she demanded.
Alberto and her father had been led there once before; this time, they might not be so lucky.
‘No! I’m telling you the truth. That’s what I heard.’