The Girls Club Read online

  Karen lay spread eagled on her back, naked to her waist, her pants splashed with blood discarded on the floor, chest heaving. Her head pounded and ached fiercely, hearing Rochelle sigh beside her though made it feel insignificant.

  “You’re a fucking idiot” the warmth in Rosh’s voice robbed the statement of malice.

  “I know” Karen got to her feet and wobbled back to the bathroom. Rochelle heard running water and then hissing as Karen finished cleaning the blood off her head. She’d have to shower but it was so damn late. A few hours and it would be time to get up for work.

  Rochelle pulled the covers up to her chin. The smell they had made, the sounds of being together. It was a powerful living thing. She had her suspicions about what might have happened tonight but she wasn’t going to get much out of Karen for now.

  Karen came back, shrugged her shirt off and dived under the covers. She put her arms round Rochelle and kissed her temple.

  “Better?”

  “Lots. You’re a mess”

  “Yeah. But it could be worse, stopped bleeding anyway”

  “Just answer me one question, then you can sleep”

  Karen steeled herself for it.

  “Was it something to do with Sarah?”

  “Yes” Karen kissed Rosh’s bare shoulder. “But you’re not to think of that now. Sleep. I gotta get up early enough to shower before I go in because I look like someone took a hatchet to me”

  “You’re not going in like that surely?”

  “Yes I am. And don’t call me Shirley”

  Rochelle giggled. Karen was still smiling when she feel asleep. Whatever lay ahead this was what she would protect. Right here. Right now.

  Chapter 10

  Rochelle made Karen stay home. Miss Steiger had left a message for Miss Toulouse that she needed to take a ‘personal day’. That seemed to support that wherever she was she was upright and taking sustenance. But Miss Toulouse had seen the broken office door and hadn’t really a clue where to start. It wasn’t a job for the cops. Not until she knew where Sarah ‘really’ was.

  Sky was like a bee in a bottle all day. Up and down, panicking. She wasn’t going to get her afternoon session with Karen either. And that was their way of keeping up with each other. It would spoil her weekend, the pep talk and office fumble a mainstay of her working week these past few months.

  Sky kept Rosh company at lunch, she asked what had kept Karen off work.

  “Stomach flu”

  “Don’t bullshit. Has something happened?” Sky was leaning forward in a conspiratorial manner.

  “Really Sky. Its nothing. She’ll be fine by Monday” With a little foundation and some new skin to replace whatever got left on the pavement last night.

  It wasn’t like she was intentionally lying to Sky. Sky had a weekend of debauchery planned with one of the ‘haloed circle’, and as much as she loved the girl she knew she loved a gossip. Best not to tell her anything to get herself into trouble with.

  “I was looking forward to this afternoon” she pouted at her salad.

  “I’m sure you can make up for it next week”

  Sky eyed her curiously.

  “What?” Rochelle asked.

  “Do you love her?”

  “Ar, Sky!”

  “Well?”

  Rochelle picked at her sandwich and sighed long and deep, “I guess I do”

  Sky clapped her hands a mile a minute.

  “Do you know something?” Sky chirped.

  “You know I hate that question, of course I know ‘something’”

  “Alright then smarty pants, do you know what Karen told me the last time we were together?” Sky forked a piece of lettuce into her smiling mouth.

  “Do tell”

  “That she loved you very much”

  It wasn’t what she had been expecting. She had thought maybe Sky had been teasing her and was going to come out with some sexual reference as to what they did together.

  “She did?” her mouth quivered.

  “Oh, hey” Sky went round to her side of the table and put an arm round her.

  “You’re supposed to be happy when someone loves you”

  “I am. Really I am. Its just, I…”

  “Never thought she’d told anyone else? Does that make it feel more real to you now?” Sky’s face had gone gravely serious.

  “Yeah. Look. I’m alright. Eat your salad before it gets warm”

  The salad hadn’t interested Sky much. She had booked a table at Mogo’s where they’d eat bar-b-que till they busted. It was as Heidi had pretty much demanded. But it sure beat salad.

  “I’m gonna give her a call before I go back to work, catch you later Sky” she leaned over and pecked her on the cheek.

  “Thanks for telling me. I know you two are close and would have understood you keeping it to yourself”

  “No problem Rosh. Give her hell from me, ditching my damn Friday nooner.”

  “I will”

  She went back to her cubicle and just picked up the phone to dial her apartment and speak to Karen when her desk buzzer went off. She was tempted to ignore it, she was still at lunch officially.

  Sighing at her own fastidious nature she pushed the button, “Yes?”

  “Hi, Rochelle, could you come through please” curt and clipped.

  “Right away Miss Toulouse”

  Why have we suddenly gone cold? She was unsettled by being called in. PA’s got called in, not her, she was just the office gopher.

  She rapped on the door and Miss Toulouse told her to come in.

  She closed the door and went to sit across from Miss Toulouse. The relationship she had with the partners was very different to what the PA’s was by nature of her position in the company, it was kept formal out of respect.

  “Charlotte, please”

  This made her feel worse.

  Rochelle nodded her head in consent.

  “I have a bit of a problem”

  “Really. How can I help?”

  “Well” she leaned back in her chair.

  “I need you to bring Karen in. There’s something she has to do for me”

  “Oh, er, she’s not well Miss, er, Charlotte”

  “I know she got beat up last night. I also know that she broke into Sarah’s office for something. Don’t look so shocked, as I understand she was forced to do it. Anyway.

  The people in question had her retrieve certain items and I would like to know what they were”

  Rochelle straightened the line in her slacks. No wonder Karen hadn’t mentioned what had gone on.

  “Why don’t you know already?” Rochelle carried just the slightest hint of contempt in her question.

  “Well, er, for protection of evidence really. It doesn’t do for any one person to have all the secrets. That way if someone ends up on the wrong side of the fence, well, there’s only so much they can be made to give”

  Rochelle was calm. Utterly and completely calm.

  “I’m sure that if Miss Steiger had wanted you to know what was in the safe she’d have told you. I’m also sure you must understand that what happened last night hurt Karen very badly and because of that her involvement ends there”

  The lawyer leaned across the desk and took Rochelle’s arm, she felt her face glower, this wasn’t invited contact.

  “I’m ever so afraid it doesn’t. You see, she did a job for us, a little bit of snooping. That has been the catalyst for last nights events and when you consider that you have to consider what responsibilities someone involved in a kidnap actually does have”

  “No!” she shook her head, flabbergasted at the accusations being made.

  “She did” she let Rochelle’s arm go.

  “Its not like I am asking her to trade places with Sarah. In truth, I don’t know where she is, or really if she’s still alive at this point. I want to know what she had that was so damned important. The insider I spoke to could only tell me so much.”

  The office assistant
s mouth hung open in a ‘o’ of horror.

  “What do you mean, if she’s even alive?”

  “You know better than most what goes on so don’t act so fucking empty headed.”

  “A…” that’s all she could manage, she’d never heard the senior partner swear before, it went against the wavy brunette hair and tailored navy suit.

  “Get her down here. NOW!”

  “A,”

  “Oh do shut your mouth, you look like you’re ready to catch a fly”

  Thoughts tumbled and mangled, she had meant to ask something and it was gone, the shock of hearing her boss swear had chased it clean out of her head.

  She left the room before another ‘A’ escaped her.

  Well she better give her that call.

  Why doesn’t Miss Toulouse just give her a call instead. What if, by telling Karen gets in trouble with Sarah and the top ten? When Sarah surfaces she’ll find out.

  A sob hitched in her chest. What an amazingly varied fuck up she was getting tangled up in again.

  That’s what you get for falling in love. Didn’t you learn anything last time?

  But this was different. Karen had said so. She’d also promised not to get into trouble.

  She knew that she wouldn’t be making her office phone to make the call now, she knew they all had ‘listening in’ features and perhaps Miss Toulouse playing her own version of Inch-eye Private Eye would get on the line and listen…

  But if she overheard something on the line THEN tried to use it against Sarah it wouldn’t be Karen’s fault. Surely that makes more sense?

  Rochelle who kept her intellectual soul tied to a string in her pocket and away from the prying eyes of the world smiled. Her eyes still red from the sting of the tears that promised to flow. She just had to make sure Karen spilled the beans to her on the phone and then she would trot through to Miss Toulouse and tell her the arrangement had been made. If she had been listening she would at that point tell Rochelle to tell Karen not to bother, that it could wait.

  Three rings, four, five, six.

  She let it ring. She knew she was there. She watched the lights on her telephone console. The red dial out light was flashing. The speaker light was dead.

  “Hiya”

  “Good Lord, what were you doing? It took ages for you to answer”

  The speaker light went green.

  Hold your nerve sweetie.

  “I’ve been asked to get you to come in, Miss Toulouse wants to know what you took from Sarah’s safe last night” the upset couldn’t be kept out of her voice, it would just add to the credulity of the conversation.

  “Oh shit. Rosh. We were going to talk about it when you got home. I’ve put a whole roast dinner on, chilled some of this years finest beer”

  “Quit goofin’ off. What was it?”

  “Oh Rochelle. Do you really want to know?”

  “I have to know. No secrets, you made me love you so damn you talk!”

  The line went quiet, Rochelle imagined she could hear dual breathing on the line. She knew it was an impossibility, they had top quality phones with no feedback at all.

  “You know those pictures you saw. The horrible ones the cops showed you, bits of Demi?”

  “Yes”

  “They only showed a picture of one hand you said, do you remember which one?”

  “Why is it…?”

  “It just is, tell me Rosh”

  “It was a right hand.”

  She heard Karen whistle through her teeth.

  “Well the one that was in Sarah’s safe was a left hand. I guess it was the other one. Demi’s other hand”

  The speaker green light was still on.

  “Jesus Karen! Oh for fucks sake! Oh shit.”

  “I didn’t have much choice Rosh, they took Sarah and pretty much made out like she’d told me to do it, to make up for something I did for her. They gave me the combination over the phone so I presume Sarah must have been with them”

  Happening again. Happening again. Happening again.

  “How is your head Karen?”

  “Not too bad, a little sore” she said quietly, she could feel how mad Rochelle was, it was radiating down the phone lines towards her like sick heat.

  “That’s alright. That’s good. Because when I get home I’m gonna crack it against a fucking wall!” she shouted down the phone.

  “Rochelle, I…”

  “What else?” her voice even.

  “Rochelle!” pleading.

  “WHAT ELSE?” she banged her hand on the table.

  “Please don’t shout at me Rochelle, Goddamn. You know my heads like mincemeat today”

  Rochelle drew her nails across the table. She was furious.

  Just let her say what Miss Toulouse needs to hear. You can’t talk about it properly on the fucking phone anyway.

  “What else was in the safe? Tell me then get down here”

  “Well. The client list from Prestons that I got at Kelsey Carmichael’s. Two stacks of money, looked like bundles of $50 bills. A fucking gold bar, pretty heavy. Erm, a folder headed ‘Future top ten’ and I think some other bits and bobs”

  Cold water filled Rochelle’s heart.

  “Did you read the ‘Future Top Ten’?”

  “No. I think I’d already done enough spying to get myself in trouble and besides, dealing with the hand was enough.”

  The speaker light went off on Rochelle’s handset.

  “Listen good you crazy Brit. I’m going to Miss Toulouse’s office now to tell her you’re on your way. Don’t go anywhere, anywhere, until I ring back. Right?”

  “Are you, you’re not in tr…”

  “Trouble? No. Well, not yet.”

  The line went quiet.

  “I love you Rosh” Karen said sheepishly.

  “I love you. Fucking idiot. Wait for my call”

  Maybe time you know. Leave LA. Start afresh somewhere else. England? So it rains a lot? At least you’ll never end up hung from the Hollywood sign.

  But what about Sarah?

  She’s going to have to take care of herself from now on. I can’t be responsible for her forever. Besides. Its not like she’s ever looked after you properly. Fuckin’ branded you to prove her worth to the top ten last time her ass was in a crack. And you let her!

  Because blood is thicker than water.

  She tapped on Miss Toulouse’s door.

  “Yes”

  She stepped in.

  “I’ve spoken to Karen. She’s going to tidy herself up and come in to see you”

  Miss Toulouse had her head in both hands. Papers were scattered hell to breakfast across her desk. A world apart from the scene Rochelle had been greeted with when she was here not ten minutes ago.

  She turned to go back out.

  “Wait. Rochelle. Tell her I’ll see her Monday instead. I’ve got some people I really have to see. If Caplin rings put him through, his PA should also have a report for me on lead content of domestic paint purchased from Caplin’s before 1984. Anyone other than Caplin or Caplin’s PA take a message.”

  “Very good. I’ll go ring her before she sets off”

  And just when she thought her connivance had paid off Miss Toulouse put the nail in the coffin.

  “Plausible deniability. I respect that Rochelle. If you’ve got any sense you won’t mix in with that British lass any more, she’s on a fast track to trouble”

  Rochelle turned to the partner, she didn’t think it was possible to be even more mad than she had felt at Karen but she found that poison welling now and directed it sacrosanctly.

  “I think who I ‘mix in’ with is my business. I also think that Karen has got a yard of heart and I’ll tell you something else, fuck you Charlotte! You have no control over me and its about time you realised it.”

  “Just because your sister, oh pardon, half sister is in…”

  “Enough!” Rochelle levelled her index finger at the suited woman.

  “No matter what Sara
h is to me, I know people and I know things and I don’t want to tell. BUT I WILL IF I HAVE TO!”

  Rochelle gave the hinges a mighty test on her way out.

  Charlotte Toulouse wondered if she could still come up with some sort of barter or trade that would save her ass.

  There was a post-it note on her table. Sarah’s meeting with the prosecution in the Huntington-Wolfe case had had to be re-scheduled. Come Monday she’d have to pick the case up. They’d already stumped up a major bail.

  “ARRRRGGGG!” she swept the papers all the way off now onto the floor. Why were there never any ‘small’ fuck-ups in LA. Why did it always have to be ‘Dallas Omnibus’ sized fuck-ups that ended up with people being made into trinkets.

  “WHERE IS SHE?”

  She flipped open her cell. No calls. No messages. It was unheard of for Sarah not to have messaged her at least 17 times before the day had ended, reminding her to do stuff, asking for advice, getting dates arrangements for ‘Chain’ rendezvous.

  Back at her desk Rochelle sat and closed her eyes. She needed a moment to quiet the raging inside her. The stomach that held her lunch threatened to throw everything overboard, her brain that held her thoughts also threatened to commit an act of treason. Her heart that held her love promised her it would break soon if things carried on the way it was going.

  Rochelle had never played the ‘Sarah’ card. It wasn’t common knowledge and they each liked it that way. Sarah didn’t want to be associated with the office lackey and Rochelle wanted to be considered one of the girls. It had worked fine for the most part.

  They each had the same mother, different fathers, different names. It wasn’t an obvious connection.

  Sarah Steiger and Rochelle Kobolowski. Even their names were worlds apart.

  And as much as you think Karen has been hiding things from you, you have to admit that’s a pretty big secret you’ve kept from her isn’t it?

  And because of that perhaps when she opened her eyes they had cleared.

  It was answered on the first ring, she must have been sat there just waiting.

  “Hi, Rochelle, please! Listen”

  “Karen.”

  “Yessum” she went quiet.