3

Sadie was feeling a mix of emotions as she emerged from the phone box and began to walk towards the high street. Just hearing Joel’s voice again was enough to cheer her up, but it also reminded her of how much she missed him. In her head, she could see him standing in the workroom with the phone pressed against his ear. She could see his mop of tawny hair and his kind brown eyes. She could almost smell the cherry and the oak and the maple, all the woods he used to make his beautiful furniture.

Sadie loved that room with the floor covered in shavings, the tall windows and flood of light. She loved to watch Joel work, to see his strong hands plane and turn and shape the wood. He was a craftsman and an artist. There was something almost spiritual in his acts of creation. He was a religious man, although not in a bible-thumping kind of way; he went to church, helped out in the community, but never forced his views on to anyone else. She knew that he brought out the best in her, that she had become a nicer and a kinder person through knowing him.

The only point he wouldn’t compromise on, however, was the two of them having kids before they married. And at thirty, Sadie’s biological clock was starting to tick. She wished she’d been smarter and cut the ties with Eddie years ago. Why had she wasted so much time on him? The main reason – and she wasn’t especially proud of it – was that she hadn’t wanted to be proved wrong. And she especially hadn’t wanted to hear her mother say, I told you so. A part of her had gone on believing that one day she would change him. Ha! If false pride was a sin then she was definitely guilty of it.

The temperature had dropped a few degrees and despite her warm jacket, jeans and jumper, Sadie was still cold. She hunched her shoulders, turned the corner and began to walk south along the high street. A freezing wind whipped around her head, making her teeth chatter. She hadn’t mentioned Nathan Stone to Joel, thinking he would only worry about it. Going to visit a local gangster hadn’t exactly been on her list of things to do when it came to searching for Eddie, but if that’s what it took…

It was another twenty yards before she came across the blue neon sign of Ramones. She stopped outside and peered through the glass. The place was quiet with just a couple of girls sitting at the bar. She hesitated, nerves causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Was she doing the right thing? God, she didn’t even know what the guy looked like. And what if he point blank refused to help her? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Sadie put on her confident face as she pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit with soft jazz music playing in the background. The two girls turned to stare at her and the barman glanced up from the paper he was reading. Ignoring all three of them, she headed towards the rear, hoping her courage wouldn’t drain away before she got there.

She wasn’t sure what she feared most as she wound her way between the tables – that Nathan Stone would be there, or that he wouldn’t. And what was she going to say to him if he was? She should have worked that out before she came inside. But it was too late now. She’d just have to play it by ear.

As she looked around, her gaze fell on a grey-haired man seated at a corner table under one of the meagre lights. He was alone and was bent over what looked like a ledger, busily totting up figures on a calculator. She stopped and stared, wondering if this was Nathan Stone. Surely it had to be. But now was possibly not the best time to approach him. She hesitated, uncertain whether to advance or retreat. As she was still pondering her options, the man raised his head, looked at her and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Sadie walked over to the table. ‘Mr Stone?’

The man didn’t answer her directly. ‘And you are?’

‘Sadie,’ she said. ‘Sadie Wise. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if I could have a word.’

‘Now?’

She lifted her shoulders and dropped them again. ‘Would you rather I came back later?’

He thought about this for a moment, but then flapped a hand towards the chair on the opposite side of the table. ‘Seeing as you’re here.’

Sadie sat down and cleared her throat. ‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’

‘So what can I do for you?’

‘I’m looking for someone,’ she said. ‘His name’s Eddie Wise. I was told that you might be able to help.’

Nathan Stone placed his hands on the table, linked his fingers together and gave her a long hard look. ‘And who told you that?’

Sadie was reluctant to mention Velma’s name in case it got her into trouble. ‘Someone in a pub. They said you knew everybody in Kellston.’ She took the photo out and slid it across the table. ‘This is him.’

Stone looked at the photo but his expression, impassive, gave nothing away.

Now that she was up close she could see that despite the grey hair he was only in his early forties. His face had a fine, almost ascetic quality with pronounced cheekbones, a long aquiline nose and deep-set grey eyes. Not how she imagined a gangster to look, although in truth she didn’t have much to go on other than the TV and the movies. ‘I’m not here to cause trouble. I give you my word. All I want is a divorce, nothing else.’ As if to prove her point, she plucked the papers from her bag and pushed them across the table too. ‘His signature, that’s all I’m after.’

But Nathan Stone seemed singularly uninterested in the paperwork. He sat back, folded his arms across his chest and stared at her. ‘Why?’

She didn’t really see how that was any of his business but answered him anyway. ‘Well, we’ve been separated for years and we’re never getting back together again so —’

Stone quickly interrupted her. ‘No, I mean why should I help you?’

Sadie frowned. ‘Why shouldn’t you?’

‘Because it’s usually a mistake to get involved in other people’s relationships.’

‘Except you wouldn’t be. All I want is an address or a place I can find him. That’s not getting involved. It’s just… just being helpful.’

Stone pulled a face. ‘Helpful to you,’ he said. ‘What’s in it for me?’

‘What do you want?’ she asked, although as soon as the words were out she had a feeling she might regret them.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. ‘What are you doing tomorrow night?’

‘Why?’

‘Ever been to the dogs?’

‘What?’

Stone’s grey eyes bored into her. ‘The dogs,’ he said again. ‘The races. Greyhounds. Four legs, brain the size of a peanut. Would you like to go?’

Sadie stared back at him. ‘Why would I want to do that?’

‘As a favour,’ he said. ‘I do something for you and you do something for me. You want to know where Eddie is, don’t you?’

‘Do you know where he is?’

‘I can find out.’

‘But you won’t do it unless I come out with you.’ Sadie, recalling what Velma had told her about Stone’s preference for blondes, narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you hitting on me?’

He gave a low mocking laugh as if the very idea was beyond ridiculous. ‘No, love, I’m not. Like I said, I’m just asking for a favour. I have to meet a guy, a possible investor, him and his missus. The girl who was going to come with me can’t make it, and I need someone to keep the wife occupied while I talk business.’

‘You must know lots of girls. Why me?’

‘Why not? It’s short notice and I need someone presentable.’ Stone gave her a dubious look. ‘I take it you can do presentable?’

Sadie bristled. ‘You’re not exactly selling it to me.’

‘Your choice,’ he said with a shrug.

‘Then the answer’s no,’ she said. ‘Sorry, but I can’t.’