The grubby gym bag, bursting with twenty pound notes, lay on the kitchen table between them like a corpse on a mortician’s slab. Hannah and Ollie stared at it as if waiting for it to come to life. The refrigerator clicked and a clock ticked.
Hannah hauled her gaze from the bag to her husband. ‘Should we call the police?’
‘No.’
‘But it’s obviously not legal.’
Ollie glared at her. ‘No shit.’
Hannah lowered her head and fiddled with a button on her tatty pink cardigan. ‘How much do you think is there?’
‘Let’s find out.’ He stood up and leaned over towards the bag.
‘Don’t touch it.’ Hannah bit on her lip. ‘The police will probably want to test for finger prints, won’t they?’
‘We’re not calling the police.’
‘But…’
‘My garden, my property.’ He planted his hands on the table. ‘We’ve lived here five years, whoever buried this would’ve been back by now if they were going to. They’re probably dead. Or if Mrs Monroe’s buried her life savings then technically it was ours the moment she sold the house to us. And she’s dead now so she won’t be turning up to collect it.’
‘She’s dead?’
‘Christ.’ He stood upright and rubbed his head. ‘Yes, I told you. About a month after we bought the house.’
‘Oh, I don’t remember.’
‘Of course you don’t, you stupid cow.’ He pulled the bag towards him. ‘Get me a drink.’
Ollie started taking out the bundles from the bag. Hannah went to the other side of the kitchen and poured Ollie a glass of whiskey. Her hands were shaking and she was almost tempted to take a sip herself, but she didn’t, knowing what the consequences would be. Fading bruises reminding her. Instead she stared out of the window at their small back garden, at the hole that was going to house the foundations for Ollie’s barbeque patio. She stared at the hole, imagining the pond that she’d always wanted there. She heard Ollie laugh and was plucked back from her dreams. She placed his drink down on the table.
‘Five hundred thousand pounds.’ He took a gulp of whiskey. ‘Half a million.’
Hannah flopped down onto the chair. ‘Oh Ollie.’
‘I need to think how to play this.’ He continued staring at the piles of notes. ‘I can’t just stick it in the bank, that’ll look dodgy. I can buy a better house, but can I pay for it with cash? Would that get flagged up?’ He chewed at his bottom lip. ‘Probably.’
‘What do we want a new house for? We can stay here and pay the mortgage off and still have enough to live off. You could give up work.’
‘Give up work and have to stay with you all day?’ He took another swig of whiskey. ‘And you know I hate living here with that creep next door.’
‘Ray’s not a creep, he’s just friendly.’
‘He wants to get into your knickers. And if you ever let him I’ll kill you both.’
‘Oh Ollie, you know that would never happen.’ Hannah twiddled the button on her cardigan again. The thread it was dangling from was getting thinner.
‘These notes might be on a wanted list, I’ve seen it on the telly. People get caught when they try to spend it.’ He pulled a note from one of the bundles and thrust it towards Hannah. ‘Take this to the shop and spend it. If we don’t hear anything then it’s ok to pay into the bank in drips and drabs.’
Hannah gingerly took the note. ‘Ok.’
Ollie scraped his chair back and stood up. ‘Now get me some food, I’m going to have a shit and a shower.’ He knocked back the last of his drink and left.
Hannah stared at the money. She had an urge to shove it back in the bag and disappear somewhere but her fear was greater than the urge. He would find her wherever she ran. She slipped the twenty pound note into her cardigan pocket then started to prepare his steak. Saturday was steak night.
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Hannah crept back into the bedroom. She had mastered the art of peeing quietly and then avoiding the creaky floorboard on the landing. Drawn to the bedroom window she tiptoed over and peered out into the blackness. She saw a figure by the hole and stepped back, bumping into the bed.
‘Ollie! There’s someone in the garden.’
Ollie sat bolt upright then leapt out of the bed to the window. ‘Where?’
‘At the back, where…’
‘There’s no one there, you paranoid cow.’ Ollie got back into bed, rubbing his eyes. ‘Get back in here and make yourself useful now you’ve woken me up.’
Hannah glanced back out of the window, and seeing no one in the garden, started to doubt herself. She got back into bed wishing she’d kept quiet.
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Hannah answered the door to a man she guessed was in his late fifties and her first impression was that he looked like an undertaker. A long formal black coat covered black suit trousers and he wore highly polished black shoes. He was over six foot tall, thin but muscular. He raised his black trilby revealing a shiny bald head and smiled.
‘Hello,’ he said.
Hannah smiled back. ‘Hello.’
‘I’m Alan. Alan Monroe.’ He continued smiling.
‘Oh, hello.’ Hannah frowned slightly.
‘And you are?’
‘Um, Hannah.’ She didn’t like that his smile didn’t extend to his eyes. He reminded her of a shark. All toothy grin with predatory eyes.
‘Hannah, you bought this house from my mother.’
‘Oh, yes, Mrs Monroe.’
Alan took a step forward. Still smiling. ‘Can I come in?’
Hannah’s fingers tightened on the door. ‘Why?’
‘Because I’d like to talk to you, more privately.’ He kept his shark smile in place.
‘Well, my husband’s not here.’
‘And?’
‘He wouldn’t like it if I let you in without him being here.’
‘I can wait on your doorstep, but the net curtains are twitching already.’
Hannah looked around at the neighbours houses, no one was twitching their net curtains. Neighbourhood watch hadn’t taken off here, no one gave a toss. She almost sighed with relief when Ollie walked down the drive carrying a four pack of cans.
Ollie looked Alan up and down as he walked towards him. ‘Can I help you, pal?’
Alan stopped smiling. ‘And you are?’
‘I’m her husband. Who the hell are you?’
‘I’m Alan Monroe. Cynthia Monroe’s son.’
Ollie stood inches away from Alan, looking up at him slightly. ‘So?’
‘Can I come in to talk?’
‘Say what you want here.’
Alan frowned. ‘You have something of mine and I want it back.’
‘I don’t have anything of yours.’ Ollie moved past Alan and thrust his cans at Hannah, who held them to her chest.
Alan took a step forward. ‘The hole in the garden tells me a different story.’
‘So I’m putting in a patio. Like I said, I don’t have anything of yours. Anything I have is mine, bought fairly and squarely from your mum. If you think any different then call the police.’ Ollie stood on the doorstep and folded his arms.
‘I don’t think that’s necessary.’
‘No, didn’t think so.’ Ollie stepped into the house, shoving Hannah into the hallway. He glared at Alan. ‘Now fuck off.’
‘I’ll be back.’
Ollie slammed the door. ‘I’ll be back, who does he think he is, the terminator?’
‘Oh god Ollie. What are we going to do?’
‘Nothing. That’s what.’ He pushed past Hannah, into the lounge, grabbing his beers and plonked down onto the sofa. Yanking back a ring pull he took took a swig.
Hannah followed him in. ‘But he’ll come back. We should just give him the money.’
‘You’re so pathetic. I’m not giving it back, it’s not his. He stole it from someone else, and now it’s mine. Food chain darlin.’ Ollie took another slurp from the can and switched the tv on.
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The bedroom light flashed on. Hannah and Ollie woke instantly. Ollie squinted. Hannah yelped. There was a gun with a silencer pointed at Ollie’s head.
‘I told you I’d be back,’ said Alan.
‘Get out of my house.’
Hannah noted that Ollie’s voice had less bravado than the day before.
‘Or what? You’ll call the police? I don’t think so. I will leave, when I’ve got my money back.’
‘That’s not happening.’
‘Then I’ll have to resort to dramatic persuasion.’
Hannah sat upright and pushed herself against the headboard. ‘Give him the money.’
Alan glanced at Hannah then back to Ollie. ‘You should listen to your wife.’
‘Shut up you stupid cow.’
Alan whacked the gun down onto Ollie’s head. It made a loud crack and Ollie cried and fell backwards. Blood ran from the gash. ‘Where’s the money? It’ll be a bullet next.’
‘No!’ Hannah screamed. ‘It’s in the airing cupboard.’
‘Stupid bitch.’ Ollie clutched his head.
‘Thank you.’ Alan smiled, turned, and started to walk away.
Ollie staggered from the bed and slammed into Alan’s back knocking him down. The gun flew across the floor towards the bed. The two men wrestled and punched each other until Alan managed to roll on top of Ollie and was pummelling his face. Hannah, shaking, got out of bed and picked up the gun.
Ollie looked up at Hannah. His one eye was closed and swollen. ‘Shoot him! Shoot him, you stupid cow!’ Blood spat out of his mouth like a rabid dog.
Hannah pointed the gun at Alan’s head and pulled the trigger. The sound from the gun with the silencer on was louder than Hannah was expecting. She recoiled back onto the bed like a ragdoll as Alan slumped onto Ollie. Sitting up she brought her breathing back under control. Ollie pushed Alan off and spat out a large globule of blood. They sat in silence.
‘Lucky we’ve got a hole in the garden for him to go in.’ Ollie spat out more blood.
Hannah stared at Alan’s body. She knew she should call the police but she didn’t want to be locked up. She needed to be free.
Ollie hauled himself to his feet and grabbed Alan under the arms. ‘Well don’t just bloody sit there, pick up his legs.’
Hannah placed the gun on the bed and then picked up Alan’s legs. They carried the body downstairs. Hannah dropped Alan’s feet a few times. Ollie swore at her. She was sweating by the time they’d lugged the corpse to the garden.
‘Where’s his shoe?’
Ollie whispered, but Hannah could feel the venom in his voice. She looked at Alan’s feet. One shoe on, one shoe off. ‘It must be in the house.’
‘Useless cow. Go and find it.’
Ollie rolled Alan into the hole while Hannah trudged back to the house.
She stood at the door watching Ollie. He was scratching his backside. She saw him notice her and she could feel his scowl even in the darkness. She strode towards him, shoe outstretched in her left hand. He snatched it from her and threw it into the hole. Hannah lifted her right hand up. It shook slightly as it gripped the gun. ‘Food chain, Darlin’ she said. Before Ollie had chance to react, she shot him straight in the heart, and watched as he dropped to the ground, his eyes wide and motionless. Next, she pushed him into the hole, where he fell on top of Alan, in a loving embrace. Tossing the gun in after him, she began to shovel the excavated earth back on top.
Once completed, she lay on the grass, knowing she’d never be able to move house now. The makeshift graveyard tethered her here, forever. But, she was pretty sure the half a million in the house would help. Gazing up at the sparse stars she felt a calm radiating through her. She smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she smiled. It felt good.
Naomi Rettig 