Buried Dreams, page 7
‘So where’s this?’ Maya suddenly felt sick.
‘Who knows? They took our watches. They took everything from us,’ another girl whispered.
‘We’re in Poland now.’ The plump girl finished painting her toenails, stretching her legs out to admire the result. ‘I came here once before. It’s one of the places they buy and sell us for sex. Just like the cattle market in my home village. There are many sellers and buyers from everywhere. Maybe I will go to England this time. They say it’s a good place to be taken. Girls can be hidden in plain view there. Nobody notices their neighbours and if they do, nobody likes to complain. It’s a free country.’ Maya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Couldn’t believe that most of the girls appeared to be accepting of their situation. She was determined to get out.
‘You won’t be going there, of course,’ the older girl said to Maya, her voice dropping to a whisper as footsteps could be heard heading in their direction. ‘We’ll all be split up. You’ll be going somewhere your papa has no hope of finding you. The sooner you wise up to that, and forget you ever had a family, the better it will be for you in the end. Now is the time to sing from our lover boy’s song sheets.’
Chapter 10
Passing Strangers
‘Has he started humming tunes yet?’ Boo chuckled as Billie caught up with her in a community café attached to Boo’s new place of work, managing a charitable foundation helping young homeless people. Billie waved across to the waitress to request a second mug of coffee, such was her desperate need for caffeine.
‘None that I’ve felt like singing along with. We aren’t exactly on speaking terms let alone likely to launch into a duet.’
Billie was still smarting with indignation, having confided in Boo about her fall out with Ellis.
‘He’ll start doing that. Listen out for it. Great indication about what he’s really feeling. He even does it in his sleep sometimes. I swear that I once heard him humming “Wake me up before you go-go” one morning when I left him snoring in bed.’ She chuckled. ‘I’m beginning to feel like a marriage counsellor here.’ Billie rolled her eyes.
‘Let’s not even go there. I’ve just been to visit a client to tell her that her hardworking husband, allegedly away on business, has been dirty dancing with his boyfriend, only a couple of miles away from her doorstep.’
Billie had tersely asked to be dropped off by Ellis, unable to bear the icy silence in the car on the way back to the office. The day before, after Richard Kingsnorth had left, Judge Pennington had swept in to give an earbashing in person and Teddy had been away on business until this morning. That meant that she’d had time to update various reports and invoices ready to be delivered to clients, so she had good reason to be elsewhere. She looked at her watch and yawned before gladly accepting the coffee refill. She’d been on overnight investigations two nights in a row now.
‘Ellis was meant to be handling the office this morning. He was so stressed out yesterday, I insisted he take an early night and doss down at my place. If I hadn’t been so kind, I could have left him to deal with poor Ozzie Kingsnorth’s investigation alone.’
‘That was never going to happen,’ Boo replied.
‘Don’t you start saying I’ve got an obsession with the dead now.’ Billie ran her fingers through her hair. Boo patted her arm.
‘I’m sure Ellis didn’t mean it like that. And he’ll be pleased with the speedy resolution of those two cases the other night. No doubt there’s a big lump of dosh due.’
‘Dunno. I didn’t tell him where I was going. Got out of the car before he’d even stopped it.’ Billie’s temper flared again at the memory of Ellis’s harsh words. ‘Come to think of it, he was humming “We seem like passing strangers now”.’ Boo smiled.
‘Look, I love you both. You’re my best mates but you are both strong characters, used to getting your own way. It was always going to be a bit of a bumpy ride at the beginning, starting a new business venture. You’ll be a great team before you know it.’
‘I might be asking you to do a few freelance shifts for us if the work keeps coming in at this rate.’ Billie stifled another yawn. ‘I was hoping to knock off now, but someone just left a message on my call service saying they have seen us in the paper and are desperate to have a word about a new job, this afternoon.’
‘See. There’s no bad publicity. But you’ve been up all night. Let Ellis do it. Here, have some more sugar.’ Boo pushed her half-eaten wodge of chocolate cake in Billie’s direction.
‘Thanks. He no can do. He’ll be on a job this afternoon. Another investigation into fraudulent disability claims. Guy says he’s got such bad arthritis he can’t even use a toothbrush, but word is he makes a living as Kev the Clown, master juggler. Speciality’s sink plungers apparently and they’re extra hard on the old mitts. Ellis needs to get evidence of him performing. Word is he even balances a kid on each hand for the grand finale. Get a pic of that and the job’s a good ’un.’ Billie forked a large chunk of chocolate cake into her mouth as Boo laughed out loud.
‘So is Ellis taking Connie and playing the party dad?’ Boo asked, referring to Ellis’s toddler daughter.
‘Ha, no way. Can you imagine his ex allowing that? He’s already had to go to court to get unsupervised access, with her claiming his old job puts him and Connie at risk of revenge attacks. He’s undercover as the other children’s entertainer.’
‘You are joking. Ellis?’ Boo wiped her eyes as tears of laughter started to leak from the corners. ‘He’ll do anything to prove he’s a real family man right now. No wonder he’s so upset about Maya going walkabout. The ex will make a big thing of that, if she doesn’t come home soon. Lost one kid, can’t be trusted with the other one.’
‘I wish I was joking.’ Billie finished off the cake as the waitress brought the mug of coffee that Billie had requested. ‘Hope he’s not billing himself as Mr Chuckles, that’s all, because he seriously hasn’t had me in fits of laughter so far today.’
‘I’m sorry to interrupt.’ The waitress was staring at Billie. ‘But aren’t you the famous private detective, the one who was on the front page of the news stand across the road?’ Her voice was heavily accented, Billie noted.
‘Well I wouldn’t say that.’ Billie exchanged glances with Boo. She was hoping that the photo would have faded quickly from the public’s mind, that it had already become the proverbial fish and chip wrapper.
‘Billie meet Abrihet. Abi, if we’re being less formal. She’s made amazing progress since arriving at the foundation. Couldn’t speak a word of English when she arrived and now she’s taking a course in nursing. A real success story.’ Billie held out her hand to shake. The girl took it in both of hers, bending forward.
‘I need to find my brother.’ She tightened her grip on Billie’s hand. ‘His name is Jemal, Jemal Zerezghi. I lost him.’ Her huge eyes, darkly tanned skin and mass of curls made Billie think of Maya for a split second. She shivered despite the warmth in the girl’s touch.
‘Abi came to the UK by land and sea. A long journey that started in Eritrea–’
Abi cut over Boo’s words. ‘We had no future, my parents were taken away, forced to join the army. Our country was fighting a border war with Ethiopia. My mother was shot, we never saw our father again. They say that the war there is over, but when we were nearly ready to leave our school the army came looking for us too. We had to do military training, girls as well as boys. In Eritrea, we have no choice and there is no end to our conscription. Most people can never leave, not ever. They said I was free to choose – join the army or marry a man I didn’t know. In truth I was free only to breathe. So Jemal and I ran away.’
‘These are the people tossed aside as simply tricksters on the make, rather than true refugees, such as those coming directly from armed conflict,’ Boo explained. ‘People like Abi are the arrivals that we see on the telly news, scorned by many as economic migrants, as though they come here just to get a cheaper weekly shop or something.’
Billie sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She pulled out a chair and nodded to Abi to sit. The girl looked nervously towards Boo for permission. Boo patted the girl’s back. ‘Sometimes it’s good to talk about it,’ Boo quietly encouraged.
‘We had a long journey from Eritrea, over the desert to Libya. We paid smugglers. It was very dangerous. Eventually we got to Khartoum. We were beaten by police and worse…’ Abi trailed off, her face darkening as she dredged up what was clearly a terrible memory. ‘Then one of our group was killed by a smuggler. We were hiding in the boot of a car on the way to Libya and he was ill, dehydrated. We were all so thirsty. He started coughing, so they stopped the car in a place out of the way and shot him. We had to leave him there with his face in the dirt. He was like family, like a brother, we had travelled so far together…’ Abi trailed off again, deep in thought.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Billie quietly encouraged.
‘At Libya we were kept in a big warehouse, but still I could not sit to sleep. We were all standing. There were over a thousand people in there all tightly packed, hiding, all trying to get to a safe country. Then we were moved around by different smugglers, everyone beating us, or making use of our bodies, until eventually we arrived here.’
‘How did you get to England?’ Billie asked. Abi shook her head, agitated.
‘I can’t tell you anything. The smugglers threatened to kill our families and friends if we say even one word. What will they do to Jemal, if I tell and they find out?’ Abi looked panicked at the thought.
‘Do you think Jemal is still with them?’ Billie asked. Abi shrugged, now twisting her hands in fear. Billie sighed. ‘I know this is hard for you, but I’m not a magician. Without any pointers I can’t even begin to help you solve the puzzle of where your brother is. Have you registered him on the Missing Persons Unit?’ Billie looked now to Boo. They had used the facility many times themselves, usually when trying to cross-match an unidentified body via the organisation’s database. The downside was that there wasn’t anyone still alive on there.
‘Yep. Luckily no matches. Abi only has a hazy photo of him taken two or three years back before they left Eritrea, but he hasn’t turned up via any of the missing persons organisations that I’ve registered him on,’ Boo said.
‘If you can’t tell us something about the people who brought you here, then I’m sorry, I can’t really help.’ Billie didn’t want to dash the girl’s hopes. It was clear that she was desperate, but in truth it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, even if her brother actually wanted to be found.
‘He went to work on a farm when we arrived. Somewhere in Scotland, I think. He had no choice. The smugglers said he had to work to pay for being brought here. We wanted to stay together, but I was told that I must work here in England. It was very bad. I didn’t want to do the things I had to do…’ Abi hugged her arms around her body. ‘With men. It was just like before, every time we stopped on our journey. I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I got a chance and ran away. Boo found me. She saved me.’ Boo took Abi’s hand.
‘We found her whilst we were doing outreach with the soup kitchen and luckily we had a spare bed here.’ Abi got up and started clearing the table.
‘I must get back to work. I don’t want to outstay your kindness. If you can think of any other way I can try to find my brother, I would be most grateful.’ Abi took her full tray and headed back for the kitchen.
‘Poor girl,’ Billie said through a grimace. ‘Truth is he could be anywhere by now.’
‘Yep. Most of the people in the UK haven’t got a clue what is going on right in front of their eyes. Victims of slavery hiding in plain view, conditioned not to say a word, terrified that it may fall on an unfriendly ear.’ As she spoke, Billie noticed Boo looking over her shoulder.
‘Who’ve you got your eye on?’ She turned her head, following Boo’s eyeline.
‘James Checkley, over there. He’s the one who gave the mega-donation to start the charity. Mind you, yours wasn’t far behind his.’
Boo was referring to a large sum that Billie had recently inherited but had chosen instead to give to a good cause. She had wanted something positive to come from the unexpected death of a close family friend. Billie turned around, immediately embarrassed to find herself looking straight into the eyes of a strikingly handsome man. He smiled in amusement, picking up the bottle of sparkling water that he had just purchased before walking over to their table.
‘Hi, Boo. Thrilled to see that everything is going so well. I’ve spoken to some of the clients this morning and I’m so glad that we’ve been able to make a difference.’ He glanced at Billie even as he was speaking to Boo.
‘Billie, meet James Checkley, one of your super-donor partners in crime on this amazing project.’ James Checkley’s smile made his strikingly blue eyes crinkle at the corners.
‘Ah, the famous Billie Wilde. I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘All lies,’ Billie teased, ‘if you’ve heard via this one.’ She nodded to Boo.
‘Well, I shall find out for myself tomorrow evening,’ he answered. Billie realised that she must have had a blank look on her face because Boo rolled her eyes in good-humoured exasperation.
‘The charity’s awards event tomorrow night, remember? Honouring the kids who’ve done well on the programme. Some have secured jobs, many in James’s businesses, he’s helped with accommodation too.’
‘The family business, it’s hardly down to me alone,’ James Checkley corrected. ‘I must run, but I am so looking forward to having the pleasure of your company tomorrow, Billie. I believe that you’ve launched your own new enterprise. I’m particularly looking forward to hearing more about that.’
James turned and walked away, with a smile and a wave, cutting a swathe through the entrance lobby with his fair hair and expensive dark suit. Two women entering the door almost tripped over themselves, distracted by the view. They giggled like love-struck teenagers as Billie watched him through the window as he left the building, popping on sunglasses as he headed for a waiting Bentley complete with driver.
‘Hmmm, quite the golden boy.’ Billie realised that it was the first time she’d even taken a second look at a man for nearly a year now. Boo laughed.
‘That’s the first twinkle I’ve seen in your eye for a long time.’
‘Well, I’m a long way off from being in a manhunting mood, but it will be good for the two of us girls to get out and have a good time.’ It was also the first time in ages that Billie had truly felt like making an effort. Maybe she was turning a corner and finally coming to terms with her past.
‘Tell Ellis the night shift is on him tomorrow if another surveillance is on the cards. He owes you that, as well as an apology.’ Billie could see that Boo was making clear that she couldn’t wriggle out of their engagement, as she had done so many times with other events in the past few months. Billie raised her eyebrows.
‘Somehow, I don’t think that news is going to bring a smile to his face.’
‘Jesus bleeding Christ!’ Billie checked her watch. She’d been back in the office for twenty minutes now, waiting for the 3pm client whilst she responded to yet another angry email from Judge Pennington, this time complaining that she was being doorstepped by journalists. It sounded to Billie like Perry had been antagonising her as promised.
Hearing another blast of expletives, it also sounded like Ellis hadn’t cheered up much in the time that they had spent apart. Not that she’d set eyes on him yet, but he was making a lot of noise in the small shower room off the entrance foyer to the office. Something clattered onto the floor, followed by more cursing. Billie dearly hoped that the commotion would be over before the visitor arrived. Suddenly the shower-room door was slammed open with a noise so thunderous that she actually jumped.
‘Are you there?’ Ellis called. Clearly, Billie decided, he must have heard her come in earlier, as there was no way he could think he was addressing anyone else. ‘Hello?’ Ellis shouted again. Billie sighed as she headed out into the foyer.
‘What? I’m actually busy.’ She sounded hard put upon. Right now she felt hard put upon, as well as disgruntled that in her new job, she wasn’t in a position to access the investigative files on Ozzie Kingsnorth or the heartbreakingly sad skeleton bride. Had she still been head of the MIT she would have more important things to do than subdue the temper tantrums of a woman scorned and her own uppity business partner.
‘Can you give me a hand with this? I can’t reach the zip.’ Ellis edged sideways out of the shower room. He was dressed as a giant banana. Billie had to put her hand over her mouth to stop a guffaw of laughter. It was clear by the dark look on Ellis’s face, the bit showing through the cut-out hole in the costume anyway, that he was still seriously disgruntled.
‘You’re not planning to drive in that?’ Billie folded her arms as she looked Ellis up and down, somehow managing to keep a stern expression on her face. ‘I don’t think you’d get the seat belt around it and what if any marauding fruit flies are about? You’re looking a bit overripe here…’ Billie touched the bottom of the banana costume with the toe of her boot. It was bright yellow, fading into black just before the point where Ellis’s feet stuck out of two holes. He was wearing overlarge bright-green shoes, made of some foam-like material.
‘I’m being picked up, aren’t I? Agency’s dropping off all the acts at various parties. The target apparently always helps with offloading equipment at each venue and ours will be last, hence the eagerness to get in the outfit. I’ve finally managed to secure the camera in the stalk bit here.’ Ellis stretched his arm up and slapped the top point of his costume. ‘They’ll be peeping the horn any minute now, so if you’d just…’ Ellis flicked his head back towards the zip which was gaping wide open to reveal that he was dressed in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
‘It’s an outside event, isn’t it?’ Billie asked as she zipped up the suit and stepped back to survey the scene. As soon as she was done, Ellis headed over to the window to see if the vehicle had arrived. ‘Best put a bit of sun lotion on your ugly mush then. You don’t want your skin to start peeling.’ Billie couldn’t help a hiccup of laughter erupting. Ellis sighed.
