Dirty Dealings

by Gillian Godden

  ‘You know, Herr Schmidt, eventually your teeth are going to ache and your jaw is going to go numb. If you pull that out, you have four seconds before it blows you and this house into oblivion. People will think you have done it yourself. Embezzlement and fraud. Some people have committed suicide for less, especially when they face a prison sentence. Well, I’m going to see what fun your children are having. I wonder if it would be so hard to shove one of these into their mouths?’ Reaching into his pocket, Tony took out another grenade. Tossed it in the air and caught it again.

  The wild horrified look on the German’s face said it all. He raised his hand and pointed to the documents Tony had put on the table. Beads of sweat poured down his red face. He was trying his best to breathe through his nose, but it was making him pant. Saliva oozed from the sides of his mouth.

  Picking up a book from the coffee table, Tony knelt beside him on the floor. He rested the document on the book and put the pen into the man’s hand. Quickly Herr Schmidt signed his name three times, where Tony had marked the page with the letter ‘X’. He hoped that now his ordeal was over and Tony would put the pin back in the grenade and release him from this torture.

  Putting the document into his jacket pocket, Tony looked around the room. He had left nothing behind and, of course, as usual, he had worn leather gloves. And he was very glad he had done. That guy would have chewed half his hand off!

  ‘Four seconds, now. Don’t forget.’ Tony waved and walked out of the door. The man on the floor was pointing to his mouth hoping Tony would do something. He was crying. His body was shaking and wracked with sobs, but he clenched his teeth tightly onto the grenade, which was making it even harder for him to breathe. Lying back on the floor, Herr Schmidt was at a loss what to do. Maybe this was just a scare tactic and Tony would come back, now he had taught him a lesson. He had everything he wanted. Not only did he have his vineyard back, he had signed over the one in Germany, too.

  At last, Tony walked through the back door. Jake had seen the car and made his way back into the house. ‘How did it go?’ Jake had been looking at his watch and eagerly awaiting Tony’s return. Once he saw that big grin spread across Tony’s face as he waved the signed document in the air he knew everything was okay. ‘What happened to your mouth?’

  ‘It was a struggle, Jake. That fat bastard put up a hell of a fight. Twenty stone of angry frightened man waving his arms around and struggling is a big challenge, but I managed it. This is collateral damage. I’ll live. I got what I wanted and that is all that counts.’ Breathing in the air, Tony put his arm around Jake’s shoulders. ‘Smell that, Jake. That is the smell of Lambrianu grapes. We’re home again and I won’t let anything like this happen ever again. Come on, let’s go and see those kids and drop them off home.’

  ‘Go and change first. There’s blood on your shirt. Everyone is out. Come on, you can tell me about it in a minute. At least you’re home safe and sound.’

  ‘Can you imagine how he is going to feel when he realises it’s a dud? That’s if he doesn’t have a heart attack first. He could claim he was forced to sign it over through threat or blackmail, you know.’ They burst out laughing as they walked up the stairs towards the bathroom. Tony took out his mobile. ‘Here, I took this for you.’ Tony showed Jake the picture he had taken of the man laid there with the black hand grenade in his mouth. Again, they started to laugh.

  ‘Best get rid of that SIM card, Tony. Good picture, but bad evidence. Seriously, what happens now?’

  ‘Already got a new phone on the way back. Just couldn’t resist it. You drop the kids off at his house in half an hour. By then he’ll have either tried removing it or will have died. He might realise that the pressure of his hand may stop it from going off. Either way, I don’t care. I am going to clean up and get changed.’ Standing in the bathroom, splashing cold water on to his face, Tony looked into the mirror above the basin and felt tears well up in his eyes. Not for the fight he had just gone through, but for the guilt he felt. He had been too busy going around with his eyes closed and ignoring the fact that his grandmother was an old woman who needed his help and was too proud or too far gone to ask for it.

  ‘Time to take the kids home. After all, they have a lot of packing to do. Schmidt will have passed out by now from lack of oxygen,’ he whispered to Jake, who was standing outside of the bathroom with a large whisky in his hand.

  ‘Personally, I would like to chop him up, shove him in his suitcase and send him home that way. No, let them stay a bit longer. Make the bastard sweat. If he hasn’t passed out already, I would say another hour should do it,’ said Jake. Chinking their glasses together, they burst out laughing.

  ‘Another day and we can all go home. First, we have to go and pay our respects to Don Carlos and his sons. He will know we are here and he will be waiting. Then, I am going to appoint that old supervisor to run things around here for the time being until I can find someone else. He’s a good guy and worked for Nonna for years. His nose must have been well put out of joint when that prick took over. Back to business, then.’

  Jake walked ahead of Tony outside towards the two teenagers. ‘Kurt, Agnes, I have rung your father and told him you would be staying for dinner. That is, if you want to.’ Again, Jake was full of charm. The two youngsters were having a great time. The rest of the family had returned and they hadn’t expected so many people to be there. Rosanna was feeding them, which seemed to be her answer to everything. Adam was running them ragged, making them push him on the swings. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Julie lay on a lounger closer to the porch. As Tony walked past her, she lowered her dark glasses to the end of her nose and looked up at him. ‘Did you kill him?’

  Surprised by her question, Tony looked at her curiously. Taking another drag on her cigarette she asked again, ‘I said, did you kill him?’ Her voice was stern and serious.

  ‘No,’ was all he said, and he walked away to join Francesca and Adam with their new visitors. Lying back on her sun lounger, Julie seemed satisfied. She hadn’t fancied taking Tony home in a body bag for breaking the rules of this country. Or of the people that ran it.

  Herr Schmidt was looking up at the ceiling in a dazed state. The room was spinning and he realised he must have passed out. His head was throbbing and his jaw was numb. In fact, his whole head felt numb. Reaching up to feel the wet liquid on his throat and chest, he realised that he had vomited. His trousers were also damp, and he knew he had also wet himself. Blinking hard to bring himself into full consciousness, he saw the grenade lying at the side of him in a pool of vomit.

  Fear gripped him as he stared at it, and he edged away quickly. It was then he realised it hadn’t exploded and he was still alive. His head was throbbing and he blinked hard to focus his eyes properly. Turning on his side and balancing on his hands and knees to stand up, realisation dawned that it had all been a trick. He still could have died, though; he could have choked on his own vomit. This had been a warning. He knew next time he wouldn’t be so lucky. Struggling to sit on the sofa, he rubbed his wet, stained face and looked up at the clock. Where were his children? How long had he been unconscious? Hours had passed since Tony Lambrianu had been there, but there was still no sign of them. Tears rolled down his face and he started to sob. He tried moving his mouth, but it still ached. Clearing his thoughts, he tried to speak, but he was hoarse and could hardly move his mouth.

  The door opened and a voice called, ‘We’re home, Dad.’ Looking towards the hallway, a welcome sense of relief washed over him. He couldn’t believe his ears. He looked around the room at the carpet stained with vomit and the grenade in the middle of it. His back and legs ached with pins and needles, but he managed to stand and pick up the grenade, and slipped it into his pocket. There was no need for them to see that. He would have to quickly come up with an excuse to explain his own dishevelled appearance, his stained shirt and the fact that he had wet himself.

  The shocked, horrified looks on his children’s faces said it a
ll. They ran towards him and sat beside him, even though the smell made them grimace. ‘What happened here? What’s wrong?’ said Kurt. His worried look convinced Herr Schmidt it was time to leave Italy for good. After all, there was nothing to stay there for. He had signed the vineyard back over to Lambrianu and the warning was more than enough to frighten the life out of him. Lambrianu was right. Just who could he report this to? Once it was investigated, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. What had just happened to him could have happened to his children. What is more, that grenade could have been real. He’d had a lucky escape.

  ‘It’s okay.’ He managed to speak although still clearing his throat. ‘I just fell and banged my head. Nothing to worry about. It’s okay.’ He was trying his best to calm down Agnes, who by now was crying.

  ‘Sorry we were away for so long, Dad. If we had known you were ill, we would have come straight back. We should call you an ambulance.’ Looking at her guilt-ridden face made him feel worse. They were all he had in the world since his wife had died.

  ‘No! There is no need for that. It’s nothing, really, I just fell. I must have knocked myself out.’ Slowly, his slurred speech began to clear and he sounded more like himself again. His main thought was to put his children at ease. He felt in a more stable state now.

  ‘I will go and get you a drink.’ Agnes stood up and made her way to the kitchen.

  ‘Where have you been?’ said Herr Schmidt.

  ‘We’ve been at the vineyard. It’s a great place, Dad. And that Jake and Tony are really nice guys. All of their family are there.’ Kurt stopped himself short. Now he felt guilty telling his father of the great time he had just had while all the time his father had been ill and had needed him.

  After trying his best to smile, Herr Schmidt took a sip of the cool water Agnes had brought him. Pain instantly shot through his mouth and he winced.

  Agnes had also brought a bucket of soapy water to clean the floor.

  ‘I must shower now and get cleaned up,’ he said, standing up. Again, a faint smile crossed his face as he did his best to walk to the bathroom.

  ‘Do you need help, Dad?’ Kurt was already holding him up by his elbow. He could see his father was in pain and noticed his broken front teeth. ‘That must have been one hell of a fall. Look, your teeth are broken.’

  Herr Schmidt reached up to feel his mouth. He hadn’t even realised. It must have happened during the struggle, when Lambrianu was ramming the grenade into his mouth. He wished the numbness could remain in his jaw, as he realised once it had worn off the pain from his broken front teeth would be even worse. With Kurt’s help, he hobbled towards the bathroom and he let the boy run the shower. He’d had a lucky escape. There was no way he could stay here now. He knew he had tricked the old woman, but it wasn’t worth putting himself and his family in danger. The best thing he could do to protect them would be to pack up straight away and leave this place for good.

  CHAPTER 12

  A STRANGE ENCOUNTER

  Everyone seemed to accept the situation and Tony decided, on the flight home, to accept that his family had lives of their own to lead. If Ralph Gold could accept Diana being a police officer, albeit through gritted teeth, then so could he.

  It had been the right thing to do, to go to Italy. It seemed he could leave all his troubles there and come back to normality. Only one thing bothered him. It was nagging at his brain. His visit with Don Carlos had been short and sweet. It had been more of a meeting. Don Carlos had told him that he wouldn’t be laundering any more money through the casinos. It was time to have a break for now. He had also mentioned that he hadn’t known about Tony’s trouble with the vineyard and apologised for not helping. It seemed everyone had been kept in the dark about the situation. When it was time for them to leave, while shaking Tony’s hand, Don Carlos had leaned towards him and whispered in his ear.

  ‘Don’t look for trouble in Italy, Antonias, when you can find it in your own back yard.’ With that, he had turned to Jake and shook hands with him and wished them a safe journey home. What did Don Carlos know that Tony wasn’t aware of? He had dropped his bombshell and now it was time for Tony to figure it out. Don Carlos wasn’t the kind of man that made comments like that for no reason.

  ‘Are you okay, Tony? You seem very quiet.’ Francesca noticed that he was deep in thought. Usually on a flight he either slept or complained. The silence was deafening.

  ‘I’m just tired, I guess. It’s been a busy couple of weeks.’ Reaching over Adam, who sat between them, he took her hand. ‘Everything’s fine now; promise.’

  ‘Lie back and get some sleep, you look tired.’ Francesca stroked his arm and helped him put the seat back. No sooner had he lain back, he was snoring.

  ***

  ‘Bobby, Jack, how lovely to see you both.’ Elle was delighted that they had come to visit. After hugging and kissing them, she opened the fridge so she could find something to cook for them.

  ‘How’s Albert, Elle? Are you still leading that poor man a merry dance?’ said Bobby, and Jack laughed.

  ‘Behave, you two. You know Albert spends most of his time down the betting shop these days. He likes to keep his hand in with the building firm, but since he sold it on to that young man he seems at a loss. They find him odd jobs or ask his opinion to keep him going, but other than that he has his racing paper and, of course, he misses going to the Walthamstow dog track. I must admit, boys, I used to enjoy that myself. But I have my bingo and Albert has his horses.’ They chatted while she carried on frying some sausages for a sandwich.

  As always, they were pleased to see Elle. She was always there with a shoulder to cry on, she carried the weight of everyone’s troubles, only these days she was a lot older and looked quite the grandmother with her grey hair swept up into a bun. Francesca had asked them to tactfully pop around and check on her. Elle got tired very quickly these days and, as much as she insisted on looking after Adam, they could see that she was glad of the peace and quiet while he was at school. So Francesca had hatched her plan for Elle to carry on as usual, but with a little more help from the girls and boys.

  Elle had always been strong and independent, but these days she was a little frailer and would drift off to sleep in the armchair. Sitting with them at the table while they ate, Elle poured the coffee. ‘How are things at work, Bobby? And when are you going to make an honest woman of that young lady of yours?’ Elle always got around to the subject of marriage.

  ‘Whenever she is ready, Elle. But we’re in no hurry, it’s not like there are children on the way. We have both been far too busy. I am a doctor and she is a nurse. Sometimes we work opposite shifts and hardly meet, let alone have the chance to make babies.’ He laughed as he saw Elle blush.

  ‘What about you, Jack? Quite the young fireman now, I hear.’

  ‘I’m okay, Elle. Although you are now making me feel guilty. Apart from Bobby and Faith’s long shifts, it doesn’t help that I’m a sofa surfer.’

  ‘A what?’ Elle had never heard the expression before. His new-fangled language amazed her.

  ‘He’s not sleeping on the sofa, Elle. He has his own bedroom and he’s rarely there. Fireman on call have to sleep at the station, you know.’

  Finally, during their conversation, she brought up Jake and Sharon. She knew they were having problems. ‘How are your mum and dad, Jack?’

  ‘Elle, there is no point in fishing. You see my dad just as much as I do and mum just does her own thing. She spends a lot of time visiting Grandma. You know they are having problems, which is why I moved in with Bobby.’

  Elle stroked his face. All that training and working out had filled out his body and not only was he tall, he was muscly.

  ‘Just as long as you’re okay.’ Elle could see he was putting on a brave face. She knew him well enough by now. ‘Did I tell you boys that Josh is coming home soon? Julie said he should be back from Japan for a couple of months taking a long-earned break.’

  The afternoon passed swiftly with
all their chatter and catching up. Apart from trying to make the Sunday lunches, which seemed to be ‘Lambrianu Law’, they hardly saw each other, with all the commitments they had between them.

  ‘Are you going home, Elle, or are you staying here waiting for the great family return?’ Bobby knew she would want to stay, but she looked tired.

  ‘I think I’ll pop home for an hour and have a nap, then I’ll be refreshed by the time they all get back.’ Elle hated admitting she was getting older, but there was no denying it.

  ‘Come on, Elle, I’ll drive you home if you want,’ said Bobby. He stood up and offered his arm in a gentlemanly manner.

  Elle smiled and linked her arm through his. ‘Why, thank you, kind sir.’ The afternoon had lifted her spirits.

  ***

  ‘He lives in a very nice house, Tony,’ Francesca looked out of the car window as they were dropping Christopher off at a large semi-detached house. His parents’ place, of course, but it showed they had their own money, so that was one thing less for Tony to moan about. Christopher didn’t seem to need the golden goose. He had an excellent job and his family were well-heeled.

  ‘Mm, I suppose so, but it’s not his, is it?’ said Tony, having to have the last word. ‘Anyway, how long does it take to say goodbye to someone? Katie’s walked him down the path and now they are talking their heads off. She has seen him all week, you know. What else have they got to say to each other?’ With that, Tony leaned his head out of the window. ‘Katie! Come on. We’re waiting, for God’s sake.’

  ‘Tony, leave her alone. They are just talking. Anyway, it’s broad daylight, with her family sitting waiting in the car. I have had a lot more intimate goodbyes from you.’ Francesca squeezed his arm and sat closer to him.

  ‘Sorry, Mum. Dad, you didn’t have to shout like that, you knew I was on my way,’ said Katie, scowling at her father.

  ‘We were waiting for you to snog him, Katie. Kissy kissy,’ laughed Scarlet, teasing her sister, although she knew it was winding her father up even more.