Dolly let out a sharp breath. ‘One,’ she said, counting off on her pink-manicured fingers, ‘Layla didn’t want me to. She insisted. She made me promise not to call Steve, although I wanted to. Two -’ Dolly raised another well-kept digit – ‘I couldn’t tell you because you were faffing around en route from the States as per bloody usual. I didn’t think there was any possibility I could reach you. Also as usual.’
‘Faffing around?’ snapped Annie. ‘I was in New York on business. That’s not faffing around, that’s doing a job.’
‘You’re a bit touchy, ain’t you?’
Annie’s face tightened with anger. ‘For fuck’s sake, Doll. If I’d known about what happened to Layla, I’d have been forewarned. I’d have been prepared for something serious instead of being caught off guard.’
She pulled out a chair and sat down, wiping a weary hand over her brow. She was shattered. After Steve and the boys had taken the body away in the early hours, she’d spent the rest of the night in Layla’s room, neither of them getting any sleep. It had taken a lot of convincing to keep Layla from freaking out and phoning the Bill. Even now, Annie wasn’t sure she’d done the right thing in leaving her, but she couldn’t rest until she had it out with Dolly face-to-face.
The fact is, I could be dead, she thought. Layla could have been hurt, taken away, maybe tortured or raped – anything. My whole world could have fallen apart. Again.
So here she was, exhausted and edgy and anxious, trying not to think about what could have been – and failing. Because disaster could still strike. Yes, Orla was dead. But – oh, and shit she didn’t want to think this, but it had to be faced – Redmond might still be alive.
It had been a man chasing Layla in the park. Annie thought it unlikely that it would have been Redmond himself – Layla had described her assailant as thick-set, huge, with a wild mane of hair. Nonetheless Redmond might be the one calling the shots. And if he was, he’d be wondering where his sister had vanished to. It wouldn’t be long before he’d come looking for her.
‘Something serious?’ Dolly was frowning at her. ‘Like what?’
‘Never mind,’ said Annie. Part of her wanted desperately to confide in Dolly, but it was no good flapping the lip to her about this. The less people knew about what had gone on last night, the better. She let out a shaky sigh. ‘How’s tricks, Doll?’
‘Good,’ said Dolly, peering closely at her old mate. Something was up, but Annie had that familiar keep out expression on her face. No use pushing. If she wanted to confide, she would. If not, forget it. ‘Full of loaded punters most nights, everything’s fine.’