Faceless by Martina Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

bird. He had already done one stretch and wasn’t inclined to do another, especially not for Patrick Connor.
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    ‘You largeing it up. Pat?’
    Sonny’s voice was jocular.
    Patrick looked at him with piercing blue eyes.
    ‘You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you. Sonny?’

Chapter Three
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    Lucy was at work. She hated her job but she liked the money. The other girls were all a good laugh and she enjoyed her days there. But her new supervisor, Karen Black, was giving her grief. As luck would have it she was a cousin of Bethany Jones, the same Bethany Jones who had been beaten to death by Marie. Unlike Lucy’s own family, Karen hadn’t had a problem with her cousin being on the game. In fact, she always pointed out that Bethany had sold her arse for her kids, making her cousin sound almost saint-like in her maternal devotion, though in fairness to Bethany she had been a good mother to all intents and purposes.
    Now Marie was out and it was common knowledge, old enmities had flared back into life and going to work was almost a torture.
    Lucy had liked Bethany, she had been a naturally up person, always joking and laughing. Marie had loved her.
    But then Marie had also killed her.
    As Lucy placed her coat in her locker, Karen was waiting as usual these days. She was big all over, all double chins and flabby belly. As she walked her legs seemed to meet at the knees from the weight and she looked as if she was going to drop to the floor at any moment. Her hair was permed, badly, and her teeth were yellowing. She always had a smell about her, a mixture of cigarettes and cats. As she leant on the lockers she looked like a grotesque parody of a good-time girl, though considering her cousin’s sad demise Lucy felt it might not be diplomatic to mention this fact.
    Puffing deep on a Raffles cigarette, Karen blew the smoke into Lucy’s face. It was a heavy stream, blown with gusto, and she closed her eyes tightly at the onslaught.
    ‘Seen your sister lately?’
    Lucy sighed heavily.
    ‘No. And before you ask, Karen, I won’t be seeing her. I loathe her, can’t you understand that? I know what she did, and I hate her
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    for it. I liked Bethany. So why you keep wanting to hassle me, I really don’t know. But if makes you feel better then go for it.’
    As she went to pass Karen a heavy push knocked her backwards. Lucy was shocked by the force of the attack and it showed on her face. The hand holding the cigarette was raised and for a split second Lucy thought Karen was going to stub it out on her face;
    she was capable of it. Instead she poked it towards her victim menacingly as she spoke.
    ‘You tell your sister I am going to smash her fucking face in, right? Tell your mum and your dad, too, and make sure Marie gets the message. I ain’t scared of her. I ain’t scared of no one. You remember that. Bethany’s kids are without her while your sister is walking round with normal people, having a life. Well, I will see that she pays properly for what she did.’
    Lucy could feel terror welling up inside her.
    ‘I hope you do find her, Karen. If I find out where she is, I’ll let you know, OK1’
    Karen smiled then.
    ‘But you can find out where she is, can’t you? Being her sister, like.’
    Lucy realised then exactly what Karen wanted. She wanted to set her sister up for a beating, and knowing Karen, a serious one.
    ‘How am I supposed to do that?’
    ‘You ring the parole board, probation, whatever, and tell them you want to meet her. I’ll take it from there.’
    ‘You want me to set Marie up? Blatantly set her up?’ Lucy’s voice was incredulous. ‘That’s a nicking for the lot of us, you included.’
    Karen saw the logic of what she was saying.
    ‘I suppose I can find out where she is and let you know without setting up any meeting. What you do after that is your business,’ Lucy said slowly.
    Karen grinned.
    ‘Fancy a cuppa?’
    Her fierce expression was changing by the second. Now she had