‘You’re joking, right?’
‘Wrong.’
‘But . . . isn’t he interfering with witnesses, or whatever they call it? Tell the cops.’
‘No,’ said Jenna flatly. ‘Apparently the CPS dropped the case.’
‘Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!’
‘I wish I were. Well, he could be lying, of course. I’ll check . . .’ She looked around distractedly. Waiting staff glided in and out. ‘But I just don’t have time yet. Tomorrow. I’ll look into it tomorrow.’
‘But Jen . . . Where is he then? Is he here now?’
She stood up as if she meant to run back out into the garden in pursuit of him.
‘No. He’s gone. He just came to . . . I don’t know. To warn me? To warn us? He mentioned you. And Jason.’
‘You think he wants revenge? I bet he’s going to try to get back at us. At me. I’m the one who grassed him up. Oh God.’
She sat back down and buried her face between her knees, rocki
ng to and fro.
‘Kayley, calm down.’ Jenna reached down to rub her spine and shoulders. ‘It’s all right. You’ve got me on your side and he won’t dare come against me. Not with my profile. Not with my lawyers. Seriously.’
Kayley breathed deeply then sat up, looking seriously into Jenna’s eyes.
‘I bloody well hope you’re right.’
Jenna smiled sympathetically at her assistant. She had been brave to do what she had done, telling the truth about Harville, despite the risk she ran.
When Jenna had first run into Kayley, at the youth club on the estate, she had been a cheery, skinny lass in a hoodie and threadbare trackpants. It was hard to believe this clear-skinned, shiny-haired woman in a figure-hugging purple satin sheath was the same person. While Jenna had been busy turning Jason into something presentable, it seemed Kayley had been doing the same number on herself.
‘You’re safe if you stick with me,’ Jenna reassured. ‘And I’m not about to cut you loose. You’ve done a brilliant job here tonight. I couldn’t have done it without you.’
‘Yeah, I’m not bad, am I?’ said Kayley with a watery smile.
‘You’re a diamond.’ Jenna lowered her voice, conscious of the busy young ears passing to and fro. ‘And I know how much it cost you to come back here. It must be a bit . . .’
Kayley nodded, shutting her eyes.
‘It did bring back those times, at first,’ she admitted. ‘I didn’t like to go on about it, because I knew how lucky I was, to get this break with you after everything that went on, but . . . well . . .’
Jenna nodded. Over the weeks, Kayley had let slip more and more about the parties she had come to at Harville’s invitation. Parties at which, it seemed, anything went. Harville had numerous tapes of Kayley, off her face, taking part in threesomes and moresomes and all sorts, which he had used to blackmail her into concealing the truth about his drug dealing activities. Jason had been the sacrificial lamb. Only at the eleventh hour had Kayley taken courage and acted selflessly and bravely, to remove Jason from the frame and put Lawrence Harville squarely in it.
But, it seemed, her evidence would not now be enough to remove him from circulation, as they had hoped.
‘I hope this evening takes away the bad vibes and replaces them with good vibes,’ said Jenna. ‘Harville Hall is mine now. Its rotten past is over and done with.’
‘I know,’ said Kayley. ‘I’m glad you’ve changed the kitchen so much. I seemed to spend a lot of time in the kitchen at those parties for some reason.’ She shuddered. ‘Getting perved on by creeps. Those friends of his. They never told me their real names. I’d know ’em if I saw ’em though. I bet he’s staying with them now. I bet they’ll give him all the cover he needs. They’ll have to. He’s got stuff on them.’
‘And they on him,’ said Jenna. ‘That seems to be how his style of friendship works.’ She filled her lungs and stood straight. ‘But he’s got nothing on us, and he knows it. And doesn’t he hate it?’
She smiled.
‘That’s why he came tonight. All he’s got left is the power to creep us out. But we aren’t going to let him even do that. Right?’
Kayley saluted.