Liverpool Loyalty Read online

  Liverpool Loyalty

  Caz Finlay

  One More Chapter

  a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

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  First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020

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  Copyright © Caz Finlay 2020

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  Cover design by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

  Cover photographs © plainpicture/TOBSN (woman); John Davidson Photos / Alamy Stock Photo (background)

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  Caz Finlay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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  A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

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  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

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  Source ISBN: 9780008405113

  Ebook Edition © December 2020 ISBN: 9780008405106

  Version: 2020-10-22

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you for reading…

  You will also love…

  About the Author

  Also by Caz Finlay

  One more chapter...

  About the Publisher

  For my husband, Eric. You truly are my other half.

  * * *

  And as always, for Finlay, Jude and James.

  Chapter One

  Grace Carter switched off the engine of her Range Rover and waited in the side street opposite St Anne’s Street police station. She’d spent the best part of her day on the phone to various people, including her solicitor Faye Donovan, who had cut short her holiday to Monaco and caught the first flight home, heading straight to the police station when she’d landed at John Lennon Airport. Faye Donovan was the best solicitor that money could buy, and Grace paid her well to receive a priority service. Right now, her son Jake and stepson Connor were being interviewed by Merseyside’s boys in blue, and Faye and her team were doing their best to stop any charges being brought against them.

  Faye had assured Grace that she’d do her best to make sure the boys walked out of St Anne’s that same day, and Grace believed her. If anyone could deliver on that promise, it was Faye. She was ruthless, and well known amongst her peers as being one of the most ferocious and relentless opponents any of them had even encountered. It was rumoured that whenever her name came up on a trial docket, there was a collective groan from the CPS and the defence team. She’d worked her way up from a small criminal law firm based in Birkenhead to being the managing partner in Donovan, Haigh and Macaulay in Liverpool city centre. Faye only took on the most prestigious and highest paying clients, and Grace was her top priority. Over the years, Grace had practically bankrolled the setting up of the firm’s new offices in Dale Street, but she considered Faye worth every penny she’d paid her. She’d kept Grace’s, and later her husband Michael’s, employees out of hot water on numerous occasions and in doing so had ensured that their operations continued to run smoothly.

  Grace had left Michael with their two youngest children, Oscar and Belle, who were safely tucked up in bed, while she had driven into town so she could pick up Jake and Connor as soon as they were released. She’d had a text message from Faye a short while earlier to tell her that things were moving along, and she was hopeful that the boys would be released soon. Grace sat in her car, watching the rain running down the windscreen and hoped that Faye was right. The thought of Jake and Connor going to prison for murder made her feel like throwing up. From the limited information she’d been able to glean from DI Tony Webster, who was on Grace’s payroll and had been the one to alert her to Jake and Connor’s situation, the boys had been arrested for the murder of Billy Johnson, which had happened just over three months earlier.

  Billy Johnson and his brothers had been a pain in the arse for Jake and Connor, but they’d never posed a credible threat to their business. At least, Grace had never figured them as one. There had been some rumours that the brothers had been involved in Grace’s stepson Paul’s murder, but there had been no credibility to them. Paul had been gunned down in broad daylight in the street outside the gym he frequented. It had been a professional hit, and both the hitman and the man responsible for ordering the job, Sol Shepherd, were now dead themselves. Shortly after Paul’s death, the oldest Johnson brother, Bradley, had disappeared and Billy had been murdered. Grace suspected that Jake and Connor had been involved in Billy’s death, but she’d never spoken to them about it. The aftermath of Paul’s murder had been a difficult time for the whole family, and Jake and Connor had dealt with it in their own way. Grace had given little thought to the departed Johnson brothers since – she’d had much more pressing matters on her mind. No one else had seemed overly interested in them either – until now.

  Grace was deep in thought when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw the unmistakeable figures of Jake and Connor approaching her Range Rover, with Faye Donovan following closely behind. Faye walked confidently, with a smile on her face as she flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head. Grace felt a huge sense of relief. Not only were the boys out of the station, b
ut the look on Faye’s face meant that it was good news.

  Grace waited while Jake and Connor climbed into the back seat and Faye slid into the passenger seat beside her.

  ‘So?’ Grace asked.

  ‘They’ve both been questioned in relation to Billy Johnson’s murder, but the police don’t have much to go on,’ Faye answered in her usual calm and assured manner. ‘No DNA at the scene. It’s all circumstantial, which is why they’ve let the boys go pending further investigation. They don’t have enough to charge, and in my opinion they’ve played their hand too soon. But that’s to our advantage. Their whole case seems to rest on an eyewitness at the moment.’

  ‘An eyewitness?’ Grace replied.

  Faye nodded.

  Grace turned in her seat to face the boys. ‘Is that possible?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Jake said.

  ‘We’re not that stupid,’ Connor replied.

  ‘Well, no. But there’s still someone claiming that they saw you, isn’t there?’ she said with a sigh as she stared at her son and stepson in the back seat, looking to the outside world like the ruthless hard men they were, but to her like a pair of little boys who had just been sent to the Headmaster’s office.

  Faye cleared her throat and Grace was reminded she was still in the car.

  ‘Sorry, Faye. You must be exhausted,’ Grace said as she rested her hand on the other woman’s arm. ‘Thank you so much for rushing back for this. I can’t thank you enough.’

  ‘It’s not a problem. Anything for you, Grace. You know that,’ Faye replied with a smile.

  Grace nodded. Faye had never once let her down in a crisis. ‘Well, I appreciate it all the same.’

  ‘The boys have told me everything I need to know. I’ll let them fill you in, Grace. So, unless there’s anything else you need me for, I’ll be getting home for a shower and a large G and T,’ Faye said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

  ‘Of course. You get off home. I think you’ve earned that G and T,’ Grace replied.

  ‘Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can discuss things further,’ Faye said before turning to Jake and Connor. ‘You two stay out of trouble, and call me if anything happens that you think I need to know about.’

  Jake and Connor nodded. ‘We will. Thanks, Faye,’ they said in unison.

  Grace watched Faye step gracefully out of the car before turning to give a final wave as she walked away. As Faye disappeared out of sight, Grace turned to the boys in the back seat. ‘Ready to get out of here?’

  They nodded.

  ‘Too fucking right,’ Connor said with a sigh. ‘Is Jazz at home or is she at your place?’

  ‘She’s still at ours with your dad. She didn’t want to be on her own, so we made up one of spare rooms for you both.’

  ‘Sound. I’ll come to yours then,’ Connor replied.

  ‘Jake?’ Grace asked. ‘Are you coming too? I’ve made up a room for you as well. Both have fresh bedding and I can promise a slap-up cooked breakfast in the morning.’

  Jake shook his head. ‘No. Take me to the club, please, Mum. I need a drink.’

  ‘We’ve got all the drink you need at our house,’ she reminded him. ‘And it would give us all a chance to talk things through. Consider our next steps?’

  ‘I just want a drink with the lads,’ he snapped. ‘We can talk tomorrow. I’ve been stuck in a sweaty interview room all day being talked at. The last thing I want to do now is talk some more.’

  Grace frowned at him in the rear-view mirror and she saw Connor nudging him in the ribs.

  Obviously remembering who he was talking to, Jake quickly added, ‘Not tonight, eh, Mum? We can talk tomorrow.’

  Grace sensed she wasn’t going to change her son’s mind, and as much as she wanted to have a good talk with him about everything that had happened that day, she let it go. ‘Okay. I’ll drop you at the club on our way home. You can still call in for a fry-up in the morning if you fancy.’

  ‘I’ll see,’ he replied.

  ‘We’ll wait for you,’ Connor added. ‘We need to talk about today, and what we’re going to do next, whether you feel like it or not.’

  Jake sat back in the seat with a sigh. ‘Fine. I’ll be round for breakfast. Now can we go?’

  Grace started the engine and resisted the urge to remind him that if it wasn’t for her he’d still be sitting in that sweaty little interview room. She reasoned that he’d had a tough day, and he was entitled to go out and see his mates and let off some steam. It must be hard for him to see Connor and his girlfriend Jasmine all loved up, especially when losing Paul was still so raw for him. It had been a shock for Grace to learn that Jake and her stepson, Paul had become much more than stepbrothers. They had been in an on/off relationship for years and had kept it a secret from almost everyone – for numerous reasons including the fact that Jake had been married at the time and also firmly in the closet. Grace had learned about their relationship shortly beforehand, but it was only after Paul was shot and killed that she discovered just how much her son had loved the other man. His death had hit them all hard, but Jake seemed to be unable to pull himself out of the pit of despair he’d been wallowing in. She knew that despite having his family around, all of whom adored him, he still felt alone. He and Connor were like brothers, and, being Paul’s twin, Connor had been hit harder by Paul’s death than anyone. But Connor had Jasmine and their unborn baby to focus on and give him a reason to go on living. Michael had, understandably, been floored by the murder of his son. But he had Grace to keep him warm at night and his other children to think of. Jake had his daughter Isla, of course, but he didn’t see her as much now that Siobhan had moved to Lytham. His contact had been reduced to one weekend a fortnight, but that was at Jake’s own request. Grace wondered what on earth she could do to try and make him see how much he still had to be grateful for.

  Chapter Two

  DI Leigh Moss stormed through the open-plan office of St Anne’s Street police station with a face like thunder. Walking into her office, she sat down on her chair and threw the manila folder she was carrying onto her desk.

  DS Nick Bryce followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

  ‘Damn Faye bloody Donovan,’ Leigh snapped. ‘She is a pain in my sodding arse.’

  ‘She’s stopped more people going down than herpes,’ Nick said with a laugh.

  ‘How the hell does she sleep at night?’ Leigh asked in exasperation.

  ‘On a gold plated four-poster bed, probably. But to be fair to her, I’m not sure we’d have got a word out of Conlon or Carter even if she wasn’t their brief.’

  ‘You’re probably right, but nobody can put the shits up an interviewing officer like she can. I should have interviewed them both myself.’

  ‘With respect, Ma’am, you can’t be in two places at once, and you were needed in court last minute.’

  ‘Yes, I was, wasn’t I? And don’t tell me there wasn’t something fishy about that. I finally lift two of the biggest villains in Liverpool and all of a sudden my witness testimony in the O’Keefe trial is needed a day earlier than expected. You think that’s just a coincidence?’

  ‘You know how trials are. Besides, do you really think Conlon and Carter have that much clout that they can influence trials?’

  ‘No. But Grace Carter does. All it would take is a word in the right judge’s ear, and I’ll bet my life on the fact that she’s got at least a couple of them in her pockets.’

  Nick sucked the air through his teeth and shook his head. ‘I think you’re being paranoid, Leigh,’ he said, breaking rank and using her first name in the safe confines of her office.

  ‘Then you obviously don’t know Grace Carter very well.’ Leigh glared at him.

  ‘And you do?’ he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

  ‘Of course,’ she snapped. ‘It’s my job to know. Now, how about you make yourself useful and use your considerable charm to get Forensics to put a rush on those fingerprints. If Conlon or Carter to
uched anything at that crime scene, I want to know.’

  ‘Of course, Ma’am,’ he replied before walking out of her office.

  Leigh sat back in her leather chair with a sigh. She’d snapped at Nick unnecessarily, and now he was pissed off with her. He was so bloody sensitive sometimes. She wondered at times like these whether it was sensible to have him in her team, given their relationship. They had been good mates for years, and friends with benefits for most of that time. But lately it had been turning into something more. They’d agreed to keep their relationship secret until they figured out whether they had any real future together. No point in screwing up their working relationship unnecessarily. The truth was that he’d hit a nerve with his quip about Grace Carter. What Nick, or any of her colleagues, didn’t know was that in another life Leigh had known Grace well. They were what some people might consider friends. But that had all been before Leigh had joined the police force and Grace had become the queen of the Liverpool underworld. It was amazing to Leigh that they had taken such different paths in life. Once allies, they were now on opposite sides of the fence.