Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

Heath’s smile slid. ‘I thought you’d be pleased?’

‘Pleased?’ Mike cried. ‘How can I be pleased? Telling me you’ve gone into that club? Mixed with those filth who killed my father, potentially exposing yourself to them as to who you are? Who we are and I’m supposed to be pleased?’

‘They won’t know!’ Heath said defensively. ‘As far as they’re concerned, I’m just another punter who’s got more money than sense.’ He folded his arms and leant back in the chair, gaining back some of his confidence. ‘They think I’m a record producer.’

Mike scowled. ‘Who’s they?’

Heath grinned widely. ‘The woman who organises the events, who... wait for it... is only engaged to Jonah Powell.’

Mike flinched. ‘Don’t mention the fucking Powells!’

Heath shrugged. ‘Ok, well... she’s with him and I have to say, she’s as hot as hell. I got the impression she wouldn’t have said no...’ He wouldn’t mention just yet that he’d all but been about to make a move on Lena Taylor until Jonah had walked in. He’d keep that bit to himself.

Mike rolled his eyes. ‘Oh yes, wouldn’t that be a good idea? Trying it on with a psycho’s tart!’

‘He didn’t look that psychotic to me,’ Heath countered. Not exactly true, but his father was jumpy and he didn’t want to unnerve him.

‘You met him?’ Mike gasped. Had his son lost his mind? ‘And this is why you wanted my tux? Work function eh? What else are you lying about?’

‘Nothing! I didn’t tell you beforehand because I knew you’d freak out and try to stop me, but everything’s fine.’ Irritation bubbled. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m trying to make things right. I know they’ve got those diamonds – your diamonds. Who else would have got them from Dulcie Adams’ home and killed the daughter without getting nicked?’ Heath nodded in agreement with his own theory. ‘No one else would have the knowhow to pull off something like that, leaving no trace, unless it was a professional outfit.’

Mike was unsure whether Heath was insane or simply pure dense. ‘Ok, so let’s say you’re right. How then do you propose to go any further with this? You’ve spoken to the wife, girlfriend – whoever she is, deduced she ranks a 10 and you’ve met the man whose father killed mine. Oh, and you reckon he’s got the diamonds, which I might add your grandfather nicked from them in the first place, so what now? What does any of this achieve?’ Hadn’t he got enough problems with debts slowly drowning him and his business, without Heath wandering around like a Ronnie Kray impersonator? ‘Come on! What are you really thinking any of this will achieve? Powell jovially slapping you on the back, saying ‘I didn’t realise it was you... My mistake... Please have the diamonds with my compliments’ Is that it?’

Heath pursed his lips. His father didn’t have to be sarcastic. He was doing this for him, wasn’t he? Would anything he did ever be acceptable? ‘I’ve arranged an event. Or at least, they think I have. Not that I would pay 75k for a function!’

Mike spat his coffee over his desk. ‘75k? Are you crazy?’

Heath laughed. ‘As I said, I’m not really, but they don’t know that. My plan is to keep going there to arrange things. I’ll act super interested and say I want to be hands on with the planning of the event.’

‘I already know where the main office is. The events woman – Lena Taylor, seems fairly pliable.’ He grinned widely. ‘Personally, I think she’s the key to getting exactly where I need to be.’ That Jonah was a snotty fucker, so she’d be putty in his hands if he played his cards right.

Mike sighed. ‘You’re being oversimplistic about this. Christ knows what your mother would do if she knew...’

‘She’s not going to though, is she?’ Heath snapped. ‘A bit like that she’s unaware that you’re a gnat’s knacker away from losing the business and your home.’

Mike shuffled uncomfortably. Yes, he was well aware of that. ‘What’s he like?’

‘Who?’

‘Powell.’ The name scorched Mike’s tongue. ‘What’s he like?’

Heath shrugged. ‘Standoffish? Cold? Tries to come over as intimidating.’ He wasn’t about to admit that Jonah Powell was intimidating. ‘Not a lot else to say.’

Mike frowned. ‘And he didn’t look at you funny?’

‘Why would he look at me funny? It’s you that looks like your father, not me.’

‘You’ve got certain traits...’

‘He didn’t look at me funny, ok?’ Heath repeated. Well, he hadn’t. Jonah had barely looked at him at all and for the short time he had, the look had been nothing other than indifference.

‘And you used that name - Darren Harding again, I presume?’

‘Well, no but...’

‘What? You gave your real name?’ Mike spluttered. ‘You used the name ‘Pointer’? For fuck’s sake. You’re dead. We’re all fucking dead!’

‘Their system is automated. I had to sign up with my real name for verification purposes,’ Heath blurted. ‘It’s all done via a central server, not real people. That lot are far too busy to physically look at member’s names.’

He couldn’t mention that only half of that was true. He could have used a fake name but he’d been so rushed to sign up before the Platinum member slots ran out, he hadn’t been thinking. It had been idiotic, but he just had to hope he hadn’t flagged himself up. That Lena woman had said ‘Mr Pointer’, so if the name was such a red rag, then surely the wife-to-be of the club’s owner would not be unaware of a long-standing feud.

His father was paranoid. The Powells had more important things to do than worry whether a relation of someone from thirty years ago might wander into the club. It was more likely they couldn’t even remember his grandfather’s name by now.

Thirty Nine

JOE TOYED WITH THE ALTERNATIVES. He could continue making his way to Dock Road to meet a psychopath who had not only attempted to drown him, but had killed his housemate and more