Chapter 36

“If that’s who I think it is, you shouldn’t tease him. He’s dangerous.”

After escorting the SOCA officers from the building, Will went up to his office to dictate some urgent letters on matters he was in danger of neglecting. Before he sat at his desk, he looked out of the window at the street below. Nugent’s BMW was still there. Will took out his mobile phone and picked out a number from the memory. Down in the street, he saw Nugent put his phone to his ear.

“How the fuck did you get this number,” Nugent barked.

“Lizze. Amy. Bobby. Julie. Take your pick. They all figured you’d get mine from one of the business cards I handed out and it was only fair I had yours. Funnily enough, none of them trusted you not to make prank calls.”

“What the fuck do you want, Billy-boy?” His voice was rough, as if he hadn’t used it for a while.

“Just to let you know that I’ve got a lot of work to get through. I could be here a few hours. Are you sure you don’t want to come and wait inside? We have tea, coffee, cold drinks and BBC News on the television in the waiting room. Although I’m sure I could get it changed to Sky Sports News—that’d be more your kind of thing, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“Yes. I can hear that. You know, it’s polite to turn the radio down when you take a call.”

“I don’t fucking well need you telling me—”

“Shall I have a drink brought out to you then? Or I could send the office junior out to get you a sandwich or some snacks.”

“Are you fucking deaf as well as stupid? I said I’m fine.”

“Okay. But if you change your mind, call me. You know the number.”

He shut the phone off and chuckled.

“You shouldn’t wind him up like that,” said a voice from the doorway. Will turned towards Jeremy as he entered the room. “If that’s who I think it is, you shouldn’t tease him. He’s dangerous.”

“Did he hurt you last night?”

Jeremy shook his head in a negative. “But you should have seen the look on his face when he realised he’d been following me and not you. He did a good job of keeping himself under control, but there was murder in his eyes.”

“I’m not surprised. He always seemed on the verge of beating the hell out of someone when we were at school. And I’ll bet all these years he’s been keeping himself under control and then going home and taking it out on Amy. And he would have done it last night too. That’s why I have to keep him away from her. I have to get him out of her life.”

“Lizzie tells me you and he used to be good friends. How were you ever friends with someone like him?”

“He wasn’t always like this. He changed.” Will huffed. “It was after we fell out that he started to change actually. I sometimes wonder if it was because we fell out. As if my friendship had kept him on the straight and narrow and losing it pushed him off track.”

“Or you could have ended up like him if you’d stayed friends. I’d say you had a lucky escape.”

“Maybe.”

“Why did you fall out?”

Will shook his head. “Shit happens.”

“Well, you might be a step closer to keeping him away from Amy, at least. I took a call from Sally Clapton while you were with the guys from SOCA. She said you said to speak to me if you were unavailable.”

Will shrugged. “Who else can I trust?”

Jeremy frowned. “Thanks. I think. Anyway, she wanted to let you know that her sympathetic judge has granted the temporary order on condition that the proper papers and evidence is filed with her office by the end of play tomorrow.”

“And will it be?”

“This is Sally we’re talking about. Of course it will. You know what she’s like. Apparently, the court documents will be couriered over here later this afternoon. Sally got the impression you might enjoy serving them yourself.”

“Oh, yes. That I would. I just hope matey-boy out there doesn’t get bored and drive off. It’ll make it so much easier.”

“Just make sure you take security out there with you when you go. I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to being told what to do.”

“Or what he can’t do in this case. Thanks, Jem.”

Jeremy left Will alone to get on with his work. He quickly called Lizzie to check everything was okay back at Meadowview Cottage then went through his in-tray before picking up his dictating machine and speaking quietly into it for the rest of the afternoon. His secretary, Dot, brought him a cup of coffee after a couple of hours and offered him a friendly smile. He didn’t know how much she knew, but he was aware that gossip in the office had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. And a visit from the authorities would certainly add fuel to the fire. Normally he’d have talked to Dot about the situation, confident that she’d know when to keep her mouth shut and when to correct the rumours. But he didn’t feel that he could talk to her about this. It wasn’t work-related.

It was personal.

At five to five, Carol, the office manager, knocked on Will’s door and entered without waiting to be asked. The office had an open-door policy. If the door to a room was open, then anyone could walk in. If it was shut, the staff knew not to even bother knocking as the occupant didn’t want to be disturbed.