The Life

by Martina Cole

  They were at the top of Green Lane and, at any moment, a Securicor van stuffed full of bank notes would be travelling towards them. It was the monthly run from the Bank of England. The van carried used notes that were on their way to be burned. They were old, tattered, too long in circulation. Only this time, if they pulled it off, the notes would be legal tender once again.

  It was a fucking doddle. The only real problem would be getting the doors of the van open, and that was it. The Dalys had a high-velocity rifle that would easily penetrate the windshield and then they’d rip it out with crowbars. The men inside would open the back doors without a second’s thought! Any heroes would be despatched easily enough – no one would be shot fatally, but a shattered kneecap was normally enough to ensure everyone’s co-operation. At least that was what the Daly brothers had assured them.

  The radio was on low, and Queen were singing ‘We Are The Champions’. Jamsie grinned. It was a fitting song, considering what they were about to do.

  It was a beautiful day, and Jamsie was glad; he wanted his little sister’s big day to go well for her. They had lived and breathed this fucking Communion for weeks now. He was feeling sick with excitement, knowing that what they were about to do could easily cause them serious trouble but, like Noel, he needed to prove to everyone that they were capable of doing things on their own.

  Gerry Daly put on his balaclava, and they immediately followed suit. Paddy Daly pulled the Transit van out from the kerb and into the path of the Securicor van quickly and expertly.

  There was a screeching of tyres and then all hell broke loose.

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  The Shandon Bells in Ilford was packed out, and Ria and Lena were both feeling the emotion of the day. The kids were running around like maniacs, the seriousness of the occasion long forgotten now that they were away from the church. Tania was dishevelled – her diamante tiara was askew, and her veil was hanging down her back like a rag – but she was triumphant. She had made her First Confession, and her First Holy Communion. It was the beginning of her journey into adulthood, a day she would never forget.

  Little Delroy was full of himself, but it was her day really. The boys didn’t get to dress up like the girls and so didn’t get as much attention. She had known she looked gorgeous, and she had liked that feeling.

  As she walked through to the toilets, she heard her daddy’s voice and, without thinking, she stopped in the small doorway that heralded the men’s toilets.

  She stood there quietly, her eyes wide. Her father had her brother Noel by the throat, and Jamsie was on the floor with his head in his hands and he was bleeding. Noel was trying to escape from her daddy’s grip, dragging and pulling at his father’s hands. She could hear him choking, as if he couldn’t breathe, his face red and flustered.

  Her daddy was shouting at him, ‘You fucking idiots! Robbing a fucking security van! Putting yourselves up for a fifteen stretch! You’re a pair of useless cunts!’

  Jamsie was shaking his head in denial, and she could see Noel’s eyes popping out of his head. She was frightened, terribly frightened. Her oldest brother Danny was watching it calmly, as if it didn’t mean anything, and Davey, standing next to him, looked appalled.

  ‘I’ll fucking murder you both! Don’t you ever fucking pull a stunt like this again!’

  Daniel Bailey threw his son away from him, and Tania heard the sickening thud as Noel’s head hit the tiles.

  Davey pulled himself away from the wall, and he stopped abruptly as he saw his little sister in the mirrors above the sinks. ‘Dad . . .’

  ‘Stop it, Daddy, stop it.’ Tania was hysterical.

  Daniel Bailey turned towards his little daughter, shocked that she was there in the men’s room.

  She heard her eldest brother Danny whisper, ‘For fuck’s sake!’

  As her daddy walked towards her she backed away from him in fear.

  ‘Come here, princess, come here, love.’

  His voice was low, full of love and she couldn’t believe it was the same voice that had just spouted such hatred, such bile at her brothers.

  Tania was white with fear and, as Noel dragged himself up from the floor, she looked from him to Jamsie. She saw that his eye was bleeding, and his mouth was swollen and bloody, and she knew instinctively that her father had done that to him, had hurt him like he had Noel.

  He was kneeling in front of her now, her daddy, and she could see the sorrow in his eyes, could feel his panic.

  ‘Listen, princess, you’re too little to understand all this, darling. Noel and Jamsie know it’s for their own good. Come here, sweetheart, come to your daddy.’

  He pulled her into his arms, and she let him, but she was clearly terrified. Daniel could feel the trembling of her little body, feel the pounding of her heart. As he stroked her back gently, she felt her stomach churning and, before she could stop herself, she brought up everything she had eaten that day. All the lovely sandwiches, fairy cakes, chicken drumsticks, and crisps vacated her body in one massive heave. She felt faint, as if she was unable to stand up by herself. Her head was filling with hot air, and she leaned into her daddy for protection.

  Daniel held his daughter tightly, sorry to the core for what she had witnessed, angry that his sons had caused him to lose his temper like that, and nervous about how his wife would react when she heard about this particular scenario. He was unsure exactly how much his daughter had seen, and how much of what she had seen and heard she had actually understood.

  Noel and Jamsie were both shamefaced and guilty about the trouble they had caused. They had not expected their father to react as he had – they had honestly believed he would pat them on the back and congratulate them on their industry. They had earned a small fortune in less than ten minutes. Surely that had to count for something? Neither of them had thought about the consequences if they had been caught; that possibility had never occurred to them.

  Davey watched it in horror; Noel and Jamsie were a pair of idiots, that was obvious, but little Tania was not capable of understanding this.

  Tania had vomited all over the floor, and down the back of her father’s jacket. He put her down gently and, slipping off his suit jacket, he placed it into the sink nearby. Then, picking his daughter up once more, he left the men’s toilet without another word.

  There were a few men waiting outside and Tania saw immediately that they were aware of what had gone on. Unlike her, though, they had kept away from it all. She saw the way they avoided her daddy’s eyes, and she was reminded of how no one in her orbit, whether at school or playing out in the street, ever said anything detrimental to her or about her. Everyone she knew bent over backwards to please her, and she realised then that was because of her daddy. Because people were frightened of him.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  ‘Will you just go over and say hello?’ Ria had had a few drinks, and she was irritated with her husband and his brother. This was the kids’ day, not theirs.

  Peter sighed. ‘Stop it, Ria, and I mean it. We’ve done our bit, so let it drop, all right?’

  ‘I think it’s fucking ridiculous, but fine, that is my last word on the subject.’

  Peter smiled despite himself. ‘Well, thank fuck for small mercies.’

  Even Ria laughed at that. She glanced over towards Lena and frowned. Daniel was handing Lena little Tania, and he looked fit to be tried.

  ‘Pete, something’s happened. Look at little Tania, she looks ill, bless her, and your Daniel looks like someone’s nicked his bike.’

  Peter sighed theatrically. ‘She’s probably eaten too many sweets. Remember the boys on their Communion days? Sick as fucking pigs. And, as for Imelda, she puked all over my mum’s fur coat.’

  Ria laughed again; she had forgotten about that.

  Peter swigged his beer and decided to ignore his wife. Actually he knew exactly what was bothering his brother, and he would have been as angry himself had it been his boys out on the rob like that. Fucking fools! Armed ro
bbery was not a game for amateurs – it was a fucking serious job and it came with even more serious sentences; twelve to eighteen years for a capture. The judiciary frowned on people taking money from the banks. Rob a poor old fucker’s house, take everything they had worked for all their life, even give them a dig, and you were in and out in a year. But, as always in this country, money and property took precedence over people. It was a fucking joke.

  The Dalys were now marked men, and so they should be. Treacherous little fuckers, engaging those lads in their fucking affairs – it was an outrage. More so because they should never have dared attempt a blag in London without permission. They had used Daniel’s lads as a means of getting their big fat Scally feet in the Baileys’ doorway.

  Noel and Jamsie were nice lads, but they were not exactly a pair of Albert fucking Einsteins, more Albert fucking Tatlock, if the truth be told. Especially after this fucking performance.

  What the fuck had they been thinking? No, this was one time he was on Daniel’s side. Those lads needed a fucking fright and Daniel was just the man to distribute it, but it wouldn’t harm to lend his support. He walked towards his brother.

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Delroy and Davey were smoking a joint together outside. Davey was very subdued; he was more worried about Tania than his brothers – he hated seeing her so upset. Danny joined them and they sat in shocked silence.

  Everyone was absolutely stunned by the younger boys’ foolishness; how they could even have contemplated a blag without running it past their own brothers was unbelievable. Delroy almost felt sorry for them; he could understand the appeal of robbing a security van – it was a fucking grand adventure for them. But it was not something to be attempted without detailed planning and, more to the point, permission.

  The Dalys were good at what they did – no one could dispute that – but what had possessed them to rope in Daniel Bailey’s sons? They were fucking living on borrowed time now; Daniel Bailey would not swallow this – it was a fucking out and out piss-take.

  Noel and Jamsie joined them warily. They were all outside on the street when Peter and Daniel Bailey exited the club at the same time. Delroy was amazed; it was a long time since they had done anything together but, at times like this, you put aside personal problems.

  Ushering them on to a side street, Daniel came towards them like an avenging angel. His anger was almost tangible – he was obviously seething.

  ‘You fucking morons! Look what you’ve caused! Not just the fucking robbery but ruining Tania’s day as well. Do you even understand the seriousness of what you’ve done?’

  Noel and Jamsie were at least too shrewd to answer him. It was best to let him vent his spleen and get it out of his system; any replies from them would only add to his fury. Daniel Bailey asked questions, but he didn’t expect any answers. They just nodded in agreement.

  Peter Bailey laid his hand gently on his brother’s arm; he knew that at any moment Daniel was liable to attack them again. ‘You need to calm down, Daniel. No use hammering them here in public. The last thing we need now is for someone to call the Filth. Noel, tell me now, where’s the money?’

  Noel looked gratefully at his uncle, aware that his presence would keep his father’s famous temper in check. ‘It’s still in the boot of our cars. We had to get back here in time for the service, like.’

  Delroy couldn’t help it, he started to laugh. ‘Do you mean to tell me that the money’s been here all this time? You never even tried to hide it?’ The incredulity in Delroy’s voice was evident to everyone there, as was the complete disgust written all over his face. ‘Are you having a fucking laugh?’

  Peter spoke to Delroy. ‘Go inside, get my Petey and Liam. Tell them to get on the blower and get a couple of drivers – we need to get rid of the motors and the poke as soon as. Tell them to have everything delivered to the scrapyard, and then they can do the necessary.’ He turned to Daniel’s boys. ‘In the meantime, you lot get back in there and make a point of having a fucking good time. If anything does get a bit iffy, I want people to remember you lot at this fucking Communion, all right?’

  The younger men went back inside, grateful to be away from Daniel who looked as if he was ready to explode.

  ‘Fucking useless ponces. I can’t believe they were that fucking stupid. Haven’t they learned anything from us?’

  Peter shrugged. ‘Well, they are young, and when you’re young you think you’re invincible, that you won’t ever get a capture, and everything you do will miraculously turn out all right.’

  Daniel nodded sadly. ‘I bet they’ve still got the guns and the balaclavas in their boots as well. Fucking pair of tossers! My Danny is fucking fuming with the Daly brothers. I told him to keep well away – I know him, he will see this as a personal affront. Neither of them saw fit to mention it to him, and that is what will be really gnawing at him. He feels like they have mugged him off, and I can’t say I blame him. I feel exactly the same way.’

  Peter Bailey laughed, a long, low, sarcastic laugh. ‘You’re a fucking piece of work, Daniel. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! At least they didn’t shoot a fucking bloke with his little kid in the car, or batter an old bloke nearly to death. They were trying to get an earn – they thought that the hundred grand they cleared would make you see them as men in their own right. Whereas you nearly fucking destroyed us on a whim on more than occasion. So get off your high horse. With a bit of luck they are home and dry. Yes they fucked up, but at least they didn’t take it on themselves to go on the rampage for pennies and halfpennies. You’re a fucking hypocrite, do you know that?’

  Daniel Bailey watched his brother as he stormed back into the club, and he stood outside for long minutes, until he stopped shaking and his breathing was once more under control. He consoled himself with the fact that his brother had been watching his back, and his boys’ backs. At least he now knew that, no matter what happened, at the end of the day, they were still the Bailey boys.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Lena and Ria were sitting down watching the goings-on around them. Tania was exhausted – such a shame, Lena thought, that the excitement had made her unwell. Still, they had made it through the most important part of the day unscathed. She put two chairs together, and laid her down there, covering her with a coat.

  Ria was keeping an eye on her own daughter. When Imelda had had a few drinks she could be a bit aggressive, and Ria didn’t want her to start at her son’s Communion. Young Delroy was nowhere to be seen – he was probably up to all sorts with a couple of other boys. She glanced at Tania; the child was white as a sheet. All too much for her, she supposed, it was a long old day for the kids.

  Everywhere she looked, people were laughing, having a good time. Ria liked her life, especially at times like this. She appreciated how lucky she was, she didn’t take it for granted like other women. She knew that this could all disappear overnight, she wasn’t a fool, but that didn’t scare her in the way it always had Lena. Ria was determined to enjoy it, if not, what was it all for? Her boys were having a good time; she wondered if Lena had noticed that two of her sons were sporting shiners. Well, she wasn’t going to mention anything, they were grown men.

  She spotted her grandson sneaking a puff of a cigarette someone had left burning in an ashtray, and sighed with irritation. He was going to be a holy terror, that fucker, and Imelda would have many a sleepless night over him. Young Delroy was not going to be easy to control; he was a born mischief-maker, just like her Jack. He had arrived at the church late, and had since gone on the missing list. Peter was far from happy about his youngest son’s antics, and she was waiting for them to have words one of these days. Ria had a bit of a soft spot for her youngest – probably because he was her baby. He’d been acting a bit odd recently – very secretive. Worse, though, was the knowledge that he had stolen some of her jewellery. Not the big stuff – he knew his father would notice if that went on the trot – but he had stolen her everyday stuff. He didn’t
understand that it was the cheaper jewellery, the necklaces and rings that her Peter had bought her when they were young, that meant the most to his mother. Now it was all gone, in an uncle’s somewhere. She was keeping it from Peter at the moment, but it broke her heart. She suspected he’d been stealing from Imelda too and wondered if she should talk to her daughter about it. She hoped the situation would right itself. But Jack was Jack, and she feared he wasn’t going to change any time soon.

  Lena tapped her on the arm to get her attention. ‘Your Imelda’s just getting to the point of rowing.’

  Ria got up a little unsteadily; they’d had more to drink than she thought. She could do without all this. ‘Thanks, Lena. Fucking real, eh?’

  Imelda was at the bar; her father was talking with a crowd of men on her left-hand side, and her Uncle Daniel was with his friends to her right. Ria wondered at what people really made of it all.

  Imelda was pointing a long, manicured finger into her husband’s face, and Delroy was not looking too happy about it.

  ‘You look at her again – I mean it, Delroy – and I’ll fucking go over there and lay her out.’

  Ria stood in front of her daughter. ‘I beg your pardon? Who are you going to lay out?’

  Delroy sighed, clearly frustrated. He was a handsome man all right, but Ria wondered why her daughter couldn’t control herself where he was concerned. She wished Imelda could see herself right at this moment, see how spiteful and vicious she was being. If she could only see herself as everyone else saw her, she would be so ashamed and embarrassed she would never let herself get so upset in the future, not in public anyway.

  ‘This is all about Mandy, Liam’s bird. Apparently I am ogling her, giving her the eye, so to speak. I tell you, Ria, I ain’t in the mood for this tonight. Talk to your daughter, because if this keeps up I will slap her down.’