Buried Dreams, page 29
‘It’s a cover up job. Somebody at the top has been paid to brush it all under the carpet. I’ve never known an investigation wound up so quickly,’ he’d ranted. But nobody had wanted to listen. No donation would have meant no Freedom Angels, so even Billie had refused to be drawn into the row.
It had been Maya who had quietly intervened and finally accepted the donation, having argued that she was in a unique position to make that choice. She couldn’t change history, she announced, but she could help change lives going forward. Turn a negative situation into a positive outcome and just like James, both she and Ellis had some, albeit distant, blood connection to the Checkley family. They couldn’t change that, nor be forever blamed for it.
Ellis had backed off but had nevertheless sullenly refused to come to the ceremony today, claiming that he had better things to do, such as investigate yet another insurance scammer. Billie guessed he would come around in time. She was certain that Boo and Maya would create an amazing success story, overcoming any challenges that may step in their way.
As Billie sat on a low wall, face turned up towards the unexpected cool winter sunshine, she felt a movement next to her. She opened her eyes to find herself looking straight into James Checkley’s own. She hadn’t seen him since the night that they had spent together, but despite her vow to stay clear, she couldn’t help but feel her heart lift at the sight of him.
‘You haven’t answered any of my calls,’ he said, gently.
‘I felt it would be for the best,’ Billie answered, turning to look at him and immediately regretting her decision. His beautiful blue eyes looked sad, his soft smile showing no sign of anger about the many unreturned calls.
‘Shame. I thought we had an understanding about not being blamed for the sins of our families.’ He spoke quietly. Billie looked down. He was right, she had found out things about her own clan that were terrible too and wouldn’t like to feel that she would be forever judged for something that she had no part of.
‘I don’t blame you, James. Though the set-up of huge multinational companies such as yours doesn’t exactly lend itself to fair treatment of people. Easy for crimes such as your brother’s to have taken place in plain sight under cover of a perfectly well-run corporation.’
‘Well, thanks to you, that’s all in the past and my brother is gone for good.’
‘Don’t ask me to say I’m sorry he’s dead,’ Billie answered defiantly.
‘I’m not sorry either, in truth. I lost any sense of family loyalty when I discovered what he’d been up to. As I’ve said before, I hardly knew the man.’
The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, watching balloons lift into the sky, every one of them had a name of a known trafficking victim written upon them, along with one balloon dedicated to Ozzie Kingsnorth. His parents had attended, having found some small comfort in having discovered the part that their precious son had played in helping to fight for those without a voice. Maya had set free one balloon in blue. It was larger than all of the others and had a tiny replica attached with ribbon. It took flight quickly, dancing up towards the sun. Billie had heard Bluey’s story. She was certain that the girl would never be forgotten as long as Maya was alive.
‘Might it be too much to ask for us to try again, Billie?’ James said, biting his lip as Billie glanced at him. She suddenly felt a little stupid. Maybe she was growing too much like Ellis, getting grumpy and stubborn these days. She quietly asked herself how she would feel if someone chose to blank her forever, based on her father’s illegal and life-changing deeds? She was tired of fighting her genuine feelings. Ellis had his own very strong views, but she had always vowed to follow her own truth.
‘Maybe we could give it a go,’ she finally said. James smiled. Sliding his fingers along the wall to brush hers.
‘Thank you. I’m leaving in a couple of hours on business. You could always come with me for a few days? Got some great stars where I’m going.’ He smiled.
‘Maybe next time.’ Billie finally returned his smile. ‘I have my own commitment later today. Though I am a sucker for a few well-placed stars and under a full moon, well, anything could happen.’ She knew as she said the words that she wanted this. She wanted to be with James and also that, in truth, had she not been helping Ellis with Connie’s party that afternoon, the one that meant so very much to him, she may have just thrown caution to the wind and ran off for a wonderful romantic break, not worrying for a short time, about everyone else. She’d done a lot of that after all, recently.
‘My loss.’ James got to his feet. ‘Until next time then?’ He bent down and kissed Billie slowly on the lips, before walking away towards a chauffeur-driven car purring at the kerbside. Billie smiled to herself. She hoped that it wouldn’t be too long.
Chapter 47
The Winner Takes It All
Ellis walked away from the airfield, hands in pockets, whistling a tune, ‘The Winner Takes It All’. He didn’t know why it had popped into his head just now, but it was true that he didn’t like losing. If Eddie Checkley had lived, Ellis would have torn him limb from limb for what he had done to his precious girl. There was still no sign of Storm but that suited him fine. Win-win situation, in fact. Maya had once been nanny to Ash’s kids and she had volunteered to look after Connie in between setting up the charity, now that his smallest child had been officially placed into his care.
Way he saw it, life should be perfect, except one thing kept gnawing away at him. What if Billie hadn’t stopped Eddie Checkley from blowing his head off? He would have left his girls high and dry. Much as he didn’t like to labour the point after Maya had been through so much, he had no doubt that in any case, their intervention had simply been a small glitch in the people-trafficking operation. Also, no way did he buy the idea that Eddie Checkley was the kingpin of the organisation. From all accounts he wasn’t that bright, and it took a mastermind to run something on that scale. Billie surely knew it too. She just didn’t want to face up to the fact.
Luckily, Ellis’s background at the Serious Crime Investigation Agency meant that he had made some useful contacts. He’d put out feelers far and wide and discovered that the secretive but smart brother, James Checkley, was likely to be the organ grinder behind the whole operation. Always played the part of an angel whereas in truth he was the Devil incarnate. He’d even trained as a surgeon, hence the private hospitals around the world, set up to carry out illegal organ farming, some of them pop-up affairs in normal urban houses. It was said that he personally checked off every one of them. Bit kinky in that respect.
One or two old schoolmates Ellis had tracked down even said that Checkley had a pad at the bottom of his mum’s garden, in Northumberland. Used to hang out there when he was a kid during school holidays. Some sort of glass domed folly, where he would spend days and nights on end dissecting live trapped animals. The more beautiful, the better. Too quick and clever to get anything to ever stick on him though.
Still, Ellis had been able to pull the wool over people’s eyes himself a good few times, many of those whilst he was undercover, posing as somebody completely different. The glitzy but bent businessman for example, whose fake identity had still been overshadowing him when he had met Storm. That character was a man who often did bad things. Ellis had sometimes wondered where that act had stopped, and his real personality had begun.
Funny how he had dropped so easily into the persona again after four years, to meet the useful contact today. He was perfectly positioned, and still owed him a big favour or so the guy thought, though the person that he thought he was in debt to didn’t really exist. Always useful to have friends in high places Ellis once remembered his mum saying, and this one didn’t give him access much higher.
Ellis gave a grim smile. He had remembered once telling Billie that she was more interested in the dead than the living. He recalled how the comment had hurt her and how sorry he had been. Truth was she’d done everything to keep him alive, whereas he was the one who definitely wanted someone dead.
Chapter 48
Gone With a Bang
‘Well, you said that you wanted it to go with a bang.’ Billie laughed, as Connie’s party was in full swing and one of the kids running around at their feet burst a balloon right behind Ellis.
‘I nearly had a heart attack,’ Ellis gasped, clutching his chest playfully.
‘Who wants to help me bring in Connie’s cake?’ Billie whispered to Ash’s oldest girls, Indie and Happi, who both jumped up and down, hands in the air, as though responding to a teacher in class. The event was clearly a big success, with the paintwork completed and party decorations hanging everywhere, spilling into the room that had housed the skeleton bride. All vestiges of that sad scenario had been wiped away now, in the brightly painted TV room, Maya now having nabbed the whole top floor of the house for herself.
Billie looked around at the lively chatter and fun-filled house, thinking that it was odd that the last time the core group had been together, Perry had been in the middle of everything. It was a thought that Billie determinedly pushed out of her mind. It was impossible to turn back the clock, no matter how much she might have liked to. Maya was in fine form, hosting the various games and Connie was making a great fuss of Uncle Teddy who was staying temporarily with Ellis until his own place was resurrected from the flames. Billie smiled to herself. Ellis now had nearly as many lodgers as she had once housed. It was lovely to see him happy in the centre of his family, where he belonged.
As the girls skipped after Billie to the kitchen to help light candles, the front room fell empty for a moment. Ellis quickly reached for the TV remote and pressed buttons. The TV news flashed up on the screen. Ellis glanced around him whilst turning the sound to mute. Footage of a horrific helicopter crash filled the screen, with a crawler text-band underneath the pictures of rescue workers picking their way through the burnt-out shell. Millionaire Businessman James Checkley Killed in Shocking Helicopter Crash, the words read. Ellis swiftly turned the TV off. His contact had just repaid his debt. Billie re-entered the room surrounded by children as they sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Connie. There was suddenly a squeal from a small child as Billie placed the cake on a table heaving with food.
‘What’s up, mate?’ Ellis asked the small boy.
‘It’s a wasp!’ the child cried, dodging the insect which had escaped from the direction of the fireplace and was now flying at speed around the room. ‘Kill it!’
‘In January?’ Maya questioned, as the wasp skittered around the sugary treats on the table. Billie headed over to the window and opened it wide.
‘Yeah. It’s a queen. They sometimes hibernate inside chimneys. Spot of warmer weather like we’re enjoying today can bring them out.’ The wasp left the table and flew across the room, hovering at the opening to the window, it seemed.
‘It’s woken up at the wrong time in the wrong place,’ Billie explained as the wasp finally took flight out into the cold fresh air. Suddenly a burst of unexpected sunlight shone out from behind a cloud, washing the room in brightness. ‘But if we treat it kindly and set it free, then we might just give this January wasp a chance to survive.’
* * *
THE END
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Acknowledgements
When discussing each of my books, the first question interviewers always ask is, ‘What was your inspiration?’ In the case of this book, the answer is easy.
The inspiration behind Buried Dreams, came from my husband Bob Whittaker, who mentioned that when he was an angst-ridden young man, he had once penned a poem called The January Wasp. That’s all he could remember about it. The title. He became an award-winning journalist, so I have no doubt it was a fantastic poem, but in truth, to me it needed no other words. The title said it all, telling the tale of a creature born in the wrong time at the wrong place.
I was trying to jog his memory about the rest of the poem, whilst we were walking along the harbour at Amble, a tiny fishing port, a few miles from where we live in Northumberland. A car-boot sale was underway and as we weaved through the sea-salt kissed stalls overlooking the fishing quay, I spotted a wedding dress for sale. The family who were selling it had just arrived fresh from the conflict in Ukraine. The idea that became Buried Dreams had started to take shape in my mind and so the title of the poem, the wedding dress, people travelling the world in search of a safe haven and the harbour at Amble all play a part in the resulting story.
Of course, that first idea would not have become a fully-fledged novel without the dream team at Bloodhound Books, led by Betsy and Fred Reavley helping to bring my final story to life. I can’t say thank you enough to Tara Lyons, editorial and production manager extraordinaire, Editor Ian Skewis, who is an absolute star and who I am so lucky to have had working with me on all of my books. Hawk-eyed proofreader Shirley Khan and ace Marketing and PR Manager, Hannah Deuce. A big shout-out also to friend Sam Brown who gave me advice on offshore structures.
A book, of course, only comes to life when readers become involved in the story. One of the joys of being an author is getting to know lots of fellow bookworms and inviting them to be part of my writing journey. In Buried Dreams, a number of readers actually helped inspire the names of several characters.
When Bloodhound Books ran a fundraiser to help refugees from Ukraine, Liz Turnock very kindly made a donation in return for having her own named character, Lizbeth Ann Beech, featured in my book. Members of reading group Book Swap Central: Donna Cook, Sarah Cutler, Julie Cornelius, Shelley Benbow and budding author Megan Benbow, Sarah Kingsnorth, Ramila Patel and Lynda Checkley all assisted in the most fun way with character names. Their precious pets helped even more. Thank you all!
As you can tell, the readers of my books are very special to me, and I love to hear from them. You are very welcome to come and chat via –
My website, at https://marrissewhittaker.com.
My Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/MarrisseWhittakerAuthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/MarrisseWhitt
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/marrissewhittakerauthor/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@marrissewhittaker
Thank you for reading!
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A note from the publisher
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Marrisse Whittaker, Buried Dreams
