The Jade Garden (The Barrington Patch Book 2) by Emmy Ellis (reading diary txt) 📗

“That’s going to be tricky one.” Joe brought a tray of cups over, a milk jug, and a bowl of sugar. He put them on the table and sat.

“Why’s that?” Cassie reached for a coffee. “Thanks for this.” She blew then sipped.

Lou took hers, too. “It’s Geoff’s sister, Helen.” She winced. “Davis.”

“Shit.” Cassie held her cup midair and massaged her temple. “Brett’s aunt?”

“Yes, they brought him up between them, if you remember, along with Geoff’s missus.” Lou swallowed a mouthful of her drink. “Brett’s mam and dad…disappeared.”

“What?” Cassie frowned.

“Look in Lenny’s books,” Joe said. “It’ll be in one of those.”

Jason seemed to come alive at the mention of the books, and Lou kicked her husband softly under the table. As far as Lou was aware, not many knew about them. They were leather volumes in Lenny’s home office and contained the names of all the residents in one, and the others had everyone’s misdemeanours in them, the punishments or fines they’d received, and God knew what else. Mind you, if Jason took it upon himself to read them, he’d have a hard job. Lenny had devised a code, and only Cassie and Francis knew how to interpret it.

“I will.” Cassie gave Joe a dark look.

Lou didn’t blame her. He’d slipped up, assuming Jason would know about them, what with him being her right hand. But he should have realised that wouldn’t be the case. All those years Glen Maddock had worked beside Lenny, a man who could be trusted with your life, and even he didn’t know about them.

“Anyroad,” Cassie said, “we need to go and see her. Do you think she’d have taken a backhander to make herself scarce while the Jade was robbed? Did Brett tell her what he was up to and she agreed to help?”

Jason coughed. “I can’t see her doing that, to be honest.”

Lou studied him. He looked decidedly shifty, but maybe he was tired and his eyes narrowing was on account of that.

“I can.” Lou smiled knowingly. “Helen’s a dark horse. She’s got the soul of the Devil inside her. If she knew she wouldn’t get found out, she’d take bribe money. Fond of the booze, that one is. Which is mad, when you think about it. Paying someone hooked on a substance to keep quiet? It loosens lips, everyone knows that.”

Jason dipped his head and clenched his teeth.

What was up with him?

“What’s pissed on your parade?” Lou asked him.

He snapped his head back up. “Pardon?”

“Well, you seem miffed—more than the discussion warrants.”

“Just knackered.” He shrugged, clearly trying hard to brush this off.

“That coffee will wake you up.” Lou nodded to it, then glanced at Cassie.

Lenny’s girl appeared to take the look for what it meant: watch him closely.

With her fears about Jason now in Cassie’s hands, Lou could concentrate on her own issues. A day or so, and she’d sound Miss Grafton out. Then, all being well, they’d get to work. Lou knew all about Cassie’s new weapon and looked forward to using it herself if she was allowed. If not, no problem.

She’d make her own.

Chapter Nine

Li Jun sat in Mei’s home, wishing he hadn’t had to come, that he was back at the Jade, cleaning up, just another night ending as usual, nothing awful happening. But that wasn’t the case, was it, and no amount of wishing would change it. He was here, having given her the news and the story she needed to stick to, praying she’d obey Cassie and do as asked.

Her tears and mourning hurt his heart, such wrenching, soul-deep sobs, her grief for her one and only tearing her to shreds. Could she stitch those shreds back together? For now, absolutely not. They’d planned to do so much, she’d said, taking the children on holiday in the summer, a whole month of relaxation, a recharging of the batteries.

Jiang’s battery was now dead, and Mei would need to fire hers up in order to keep going. She’d need strength to move forward without him, and her children would give her that, a reason to continue. They were her sole focus now.

He’d promised to sit with her until she felt a bit better. Her little ones were asleep, oblivious, happy in their innocent dreams, and they’d be told their father had gone to China. It was better that way. They wouldn’t slip up at school, blurting out the truth, setting off the gossip mill, the real story morphing into tendrils of half-truths and lies, all melded together by those who passed the tale on, a new layer of bullshit attaching itself with each revolution. Maybe the kiddies could be told later, when they were older and understood the way of the business.

When they found out what really went on at the Jade.

He was sorry it had come to this, something he’d predicted all those years ago, whispering his fears to Nuwa as they’d stood outside the Jade, Lenny waiting for them to make a firm decision, the pressure of him standing there watching and Nuwa urging Li Jun to take the offer, pushing him to agree. Nuwa had insisted it would be okay, that Lenny would look after them, so he’d taken on the Jade and did what had been asked of him. How they’d got away with this for so long he didn’t know.

Well, he did. Lenny had run the Barrington taking no prisoners, and now he was gone, someone had come along to test Cassie, even though she’d visited everyone to ensure they knew who they were messing with. Li Jun was well aware what a foolish thing that was if people ignored her. Cassie was worse than Lenny—at least he’d shown compassion every now and then—and when she found who’d done this, there would be hell