Chinara said, “I can’t—”
“I have paid you. You can. I will hold her. Assemble what you need.” And to Monifa, “You will stay where you are. If you do not, I will—”
“What?” she cried as she moved to confront him. “What will you do to me, Abeo?”
He advanced upon her, but he did not get far, for Chinara said tersely, “Stop this! I will not do it. You told me she was agreed to the cutting. You lied to me. I do not cut where there is not agreement. I told you that.”
“There is agreement,” Abeo said. “I am the agreement. What you see here in this moment . . . this is about her and me. This is not about making Simisola clean.”
“There is no agreement when a mother says she will phone the police. This is over. This is done. I will not cut her. Not today, not any day at all.”
Abeo’s face had gone rigid as Chinara was speaking. To Monifa, it looked like the face of a man having some kind of attack. Simi ran to her then. Monifa knelt beside her.
Abeo was saying in a deadly tone, “I have bought everything you wanted. I have spent money. I have given you money. You will—”
“I. Will. Nothing. Get out of this flat. All of you. Now.”
“I have told you what I want,” Abeo declared.
“And I have told you no,” Chinara replied. “So you will leave and you will leave now. Or I will be the one who rings the police. And you will be the one arrested. Now leave!”
The silence that fell created among them a perilous moment during which Monifa thought Abeo would do violence to the other woman. But after something of a stare-down, he swung round, grabbed Monifa by the armpit, dragged her to her feet, and thrust her towards the door. He grabbed Simisola and did the same.
In a moment they were in the corridor and Chinara had slammed and locked the door behind them. Abeo forced his wife and daughter in front of him to the lift. He said to Monifa, “Now she goes to Nigeria.”
WESTMINSTER
CENTRAL LONDON
It was half past ten when Dorothea Harriman said to them both, “I’ve had a call from Judi-with-an-i. Assistant Commissioner Hillier wants a word.”
Winston Nkata swung round from his computer screen and cast a look at Havers. She lifted a shoulder and both hands. He looked at Dorothea and said, “DI Lynley i’n’t here.”
“I told Judi that. First, she said whenever he arrives et cetera. But then she rang a second time and that’s why I’m here.”
“You’re sayin’ he wants a word with one of us?”
Dorothea balanced her right foot on the pin-size heel of her stiletto before she tapped the shoe’s toe on the lino. “Straightaway, she said. She also said this couldn’t wait for the acting detective chief superintendent. The assistant commissioner wants one of you. You’re to go directly.”
Havers said, “And this is about . . . what, exactly, Dee?”
“You know Judi never shares that in advance, Detective Sergeant. It robs the moment of its tension. Or surprise. Or whatever. Least, that’s what I reckon the assistant commissioner thinks.”
Havers said to Nkata, “So. Summoned from on high. What’s it to be, Winnie? Three-out-of-five rock, paper, scissors or a coin toss? Choose your pleasure. Praise be that I’ve dressed with professional flair this morning in case I lose.”
“As far as professional flair goes,” Dorothea began, giving Havers a head-to-toe, “you’ve got half of it. Are those leopard-skin trainers you’re wearing?”
“Please. Faux leopard skin. I’m an animal lover. If you’d like a pair, I can tell you—”
“I’ll pass for now, Detective Sergeant.” And then to Nkata, who’d dug in his pocket and brought out fifty pence, “Well?”
Havers said to him, “Heads, you go. Tails, I go. But keep in mind that I’m not exactly one of Hillier’s favourite people.”
He flipped it to the floor, where it ended up next to Barbara’s chair. She looked down at the coin and then at Nkata. “Enjoy,” she said.
Nkata sighed. “I never been.”
“No worries,” Havers replied. “First time’s the best. He’ll probably even break out the chocolate bikkies when he sees it’s not me.”
Nkata gathered up some of his paperwork and sooner than he would have liked it, he found himself standing in front of Judi-with-an-i’s desk. He’d never met Hillier’s secretary before nor had he been up to this aerie to meet formally with Hillier in a space that was shared with the commissioner as well. He said, “DS Nkata in place of DI Lynley.”