Widows

‘I swear it. You can trust me.’

‘The fourth man, the man that escaped from the robbery... was my Harry.’

Again, Dolly paused to allow Boxer to register what she was saying. It was incredibly important that he believed her. ‘He’s not dead, Boxer. I buried another member of the gang, genuinely thinking it was Harry, but I now know that it wasn’t.’

‘How... how can you know?’ Boxer asked, visibly shaking.

‘Because I’ve seen him alive. Harry’s hiding from everyone right now, but he wants you back on his payroll, just like old times.’

Boxer automatically sat bolt upright, like an army private who’d just been told he’s been selected for a secret mission. The fear on his face was replaced by an uncontrollably broad smile. He’s so easy to lie to, Dolly thought, it almost seems cruel.

‘Now this is what you’ve got to do. You’re to keep an eye on the Fishers for him. Stay safe, though, Boxer, Harry doesn’t want you taking any risks for him. You’ll be his eyes and ears until he’s ready to come back and take over again. You’ll report to me and I’ll report to Harry. No one can know he’s alive, Boxer... you promise me?’

Boxer slapped his thigh and roared with laughter, ‘I promise, Dolly! Old Harry, what a brilliant man, he bloody escaped. He played a bleedin’ blinder.’ He shook his head repeatedly. ‘What a turn up for the books!’

Dolly gripped his hand and Boxer focused intently on her again. ‘Get it all out of your system here, Boxer, because once you leave this house, you got to keep your mouth shut. I need you to be on my side. On Harry’s side.’

Boxer squeezed Dolly’s hand back so hard, she nearly cried out in pain. He looked her square in the eyes and spoke with total sincerity. ‘I’ve always been on your and Harry’s side, you know that. On my life, Dolly, I won’t repeat a word of this to anyone.’

‘Inside jacket pocket,’ Dolly whispered.

Boxer reached inside the pocket of the jacket he’d been given and pulled out an envelope.

‘Two hundred from Harry. That’s just for starters.’

Boxer didn’t open the envelope; he didn’t need to. If Dolly said there was two hundred in there, then there was. ‘Back on the payroll,’ he whispered.

Dolly watched Boxer swagger down the driveway. He looked full of himself as he straightened his new jacket and nodded to the detectives still parked along the road.

Back in her much cleaner and tidier lounge, Dolly slumped on her torn sofa, where she was quickly joined by Wolf. ‘Hello, darlin’,’ she said, stroking his belly as he rolled over for her. She rested her head back and took a moment to contemplate where she had got to.

Dolly speculated that it’d be no more than two days before Boxer blurted the news that Harry was alive to someone. Especially if the tempting money in his pocket meant that he ended up off the wagon and down the local pub. Once the rumor was out there, the Fishers would know soon enough and that should, she hoped, keep them hyper-cautious and away from her and the other widows for fear of reprisals.

‘So much still to do, my love,’ she said to Wolf. She patted him, got up and went over to her writing desk.

Taking out her diary, Dolly began to make more encrypted notes. She needed to go back to the bank and check the ledgers again. She now needed a fourth person for her own robbery and she hoped that there’d be a name in the ledgers of someone she could trust completely — although it would be tricky if the fourth person was a man, she knew that much, as she’d not only have to convince them to join her but also to take orders from her. The second thing on her list was to try and find the actual man who got away from Harry’s failed bank robbery. If the Fishers found him first, they’d know she lied about Harry being alive and come after her. She hoped and prayed that whoever it was had gone abroad and had no plans to return. And lastly, she had to let Shirley and Linda know what she’d said to Boxer. They needed to be right up to speed with all her plans, so they could stay alert and stay safe.

Dolly looked across at Wolf, who had bedded down into a tear in the sofa and was snuggling into the stuffing inside. There was still so much to do to make this house back into a home — but it would keep. The main thing to do right now was keep her appointment at the convent so that the watching detectives wouldn’t get suspicious. She’d become very adept at losing her tail, but she knew that she must also be very careful to allow the police to follow her unhindered if she was to convince them that life was going on as normal. It made it difficult to fit everything in, but somehow the excitement of it all was giving her extra energy — she was daring to feel alive again. She turned and smiled at the photos of Harry and herself that Boxer had replaced along the mantelpiece, all in exactly the right date order. She almost felt Harry with her now and, as she shut her eyes to see him more clearly, her body ached to hold him.