East End Trouble

by Dani Oakley

  Martin gave a cruel smile, distorting his handsome features, and then he raised his glass of whisky to his brother in a toast.

  “Here’s to getting rid of meddlesome bitches.”

  Tony raised his own glass and clinked it against his brother’s. “Right you are. Now, do you mind if I get back to my lady?” he asked, nodding at the spare bedroom.

  Martin shook his head. “Go right ahead. I suppose I should at least be thankful you had the decency to not use my own bed.”

  Tony got up with a grin and headed back to the woman he’d left in the bedroom, while Martin nursed his drink.

  He didn’t mind being left alone. It gave him more time to plot his revenge. Kathleen bloody Diamond was going to pay for this.

  Chapter 42

  At eleven o’clock the following morning, Martin was nursing a hangover. He’d polished off the bottle of whisky last night, and his head was pounding. Tony and his bit of fluff hadn’t left yet, and Big Tim was due to arrive at any minute. Martin took his extra strong cup of tea downstairs with him.

  Tim used the little office behind the bar, which was barely more than a cupboard under the stairs. Every day, he looked at the takings, made sure the staffing levels were adequate and placed any orders the club needed, but before he made a start on that today, Martin needed to have a word.

  Unfortunately, Frieda hadn’t yet finished cleaning. She clattered the metal bucket against the floor as she moved it a few inches and then continued to mop.

  The noise set Martin’s teeth on edge.

  “Morning. Heavy night, was it?” Frieda asked as she eyed him warily.

  Martin didn’t dislike Frieda particularly. He really had no feelings towards her at all one way or the other. He’d given her the job years ago because she’d been a friend of Babs’s mother. He’d never had any complaints. She did the job she was paid to do and kept her mouth shut. As far as Martin was concerned, that was good enough

  “Something like that.” Martin took a sip of his tea.

  A shadow fell across the doorway as Big Tim entered the club. He walked inside, shrugging his big shoulders and taking off his coat. “Morning, Frieda.”

  Tim had removed his coat by the time he noticed Martin sitting at the bar. “Morning, boss. Is everything all right?”

  Martin didn’t normally talk to Tim at this time of day. He didn’t usually talk to anyone until the afternoon. But today was different.

  “I need a word about something,” Martin said

  Frieda looked up, her tired, old eyes now bright and alert.

  Although she’d worked for him for years, and Martin thought he could probably trust her, there was no way he was going to chance her overhearing this.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Martin said, shooting a pointed look Frieda.

  He’d just have to turf Tony and his fancy woman out of bed. He didn’t want anyone overhearing what he was about to say to Tim, not even his brother.

  As they walked upstairs, Martin said, “We have a problem, Tim, and I need someone I trust to sort it.”

  Big Tim nodded his large head. “You know me, Martin. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

  Martin nodded with satisfaction. He was pleased with Tim. He’d killed Keith Parker without even questioning Martin’s reasons. He was a good and loyal worker.

  As Martin pushed open the door to the flat, he turned to Tim and looked up at him. “I rely on you, Tim. You know I appreciate loyalty, and your work hasn’t gone unnoticed. You’ve earned a pay rise. An extra fiver a week, plus I want you to be my number two.”

  Tim’s face opened up in surprise. “Number two? But I thought Tony…”

  Speak of the devil. Tony chose that moment to appear.

  At least he had a shirt on this time.

  “I need you and your bird out of here,” Martin barked.

  Tony scratched his head and looked at Martin through bleary eyes. “Can’t we at least have a cup of tea first? I’ve only just woken up.”

  “I don’t care, and no you can’t.”

  Tony stared at Martin for a second as if he was considering arguing with his brother, but then thought better of it. Mumbling under his breath, he went back to the bedroom, and Tim and Martin heard him cajoling the woman to get out of bed.

  Martin moved over to the small kitchenette and began to fill the kettle.

  He was going to make another cup of tea, but only for him and Tim. He’d had enough of Tony. It said a lot when he didn’t trust his own brother with the most important aspects of the business. But deep down, Martin knew that Tony wasn’t trustworthy. Tim was.

  After Tony and his bimbo had shuffled out of the flat, Martin turned back to Tim and put a mug of tea in front of him.

  “It’s a personal matter,” Martin began, leaning on the counter, staring at his strong cup of tea. “Kathleen Diamond.”

  Big Tim frowned. “What about her?”

  “She’s been causing me a lot of grief. You know me, Tim. I’m a reasonable man. I’ve given her money, supported her, ignored her little tantrums, but now she’s gone and brought my family into it. I can’t be having that. She went round there with her baby, showing it to my kids. Can you believe it? And what proof do I have that the baby is even mine?”

  Tim stayed silent. He really wasn’t sure what the best approach was in the circumstances, so he thought it was better to keep shtum.

  “I have certain rules, Tim. My number one rule is to come down like a ton of bricks on anyone who messes with my family. And that’s what Kathleen has done.”

  Tim nodded his head in agreement. He’d met Kathleen on numerous occasions, and she’d always come across to him as a little too big for her boots. He agreed with Martin. She could do with taking down a peg or two.

  “Do you want me to have a word?” Big Tim asked. “I could go round there and put the fear of God into the girl. She wouldn’t bother you again.”

  Martin gave a slow smile that set Tim’s teeth on edge. “For any normal girl, I think you might be right. Trouble is, this Kathleen is a vindictive bitch. She thinks I owe her, and she’s not just going to take this lying down. I was planning to bung her a bit of money and set her up somewhere out in Essex. I figured keeping her and Babs apart would be the best thing to do under the circumstances.”

  Tim nodded as if that made a lot of sense to him.

  “But I’m afraid that’s just not going to work now. We need a more permanent solution.” Martin looked at Tim meaningfully.

  “Permanent?” Big Tim’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe it. “Do you mean…?”

  Martin nodded and drew a finger across his neck in a cutthroat gesture. He watched Tim carefully for his response. This was a true test of his loyalty.

  Tim’s face grew pale, but other than that, he displayed no reaction.

  That was good. It reassured Martin that he’d made the right choice. He could trust Big Tim.

  Big Tim felt his stomach churn as he stared at Martin’s cold, impassive face.

  Big Tim was no angel. He’d done plenty of things in the past he wasn’t particularly proud of, but somehow he’d always managed to explain it away and tell himself that there was a reason behind it.

  But in all his days on earth, Big Tim had never so much as raised a hand against a woman, let alone killed one.

  His career path was decided at an early age. The sheer size of him meant he was a valuable commodity even in the playground. He’d taken money from the other kids to act as their protector.

  In those days, his sheer size was enough to deter people. As he got older, though, it seemed as though older lads wanted to make the name for themselves by challenging Big Tim to fight.

  He’d been a gentle boy until he was ten or eleven, and then he’d realised people were not going to let him be. To stop the constant challenges, he had to prove his point.

  The next boy who picked a fight with him, went down hard. Tim left him with a broken collar bone. He’d had to do it so w
ord would get out that Big Tim was not someone to be messed with.

  It was a hard lesson but one he’d remembered for the rest of his life. Go in hard. Go in brutal.

  As time went on, people didn’t just want him as a protector. They employed him as an enforcer. He’d started working for Martin over five years ago, and in that time, he had personally been responsible for the deaths of three men. Most of the time it was an easy job. He usually just had to rough someone up and put the fear of God into them, so they paid Martin whatever they owed.

  But on occasion, he’d stepped across that line and committed murder. Somehow Tim managed to justify it.

  The three men he’d killed were nasty pieces of work. One of them was a wife beater, the other a grass and finally, the most recent, Keith Parker, had been a double-crossing little bastard.

  In Tim’s opinion, they’d all gotten what was coming to them. But a woman… Actually killing a women…Doing something as horrendous as that had never crossed Tim’s mind before.

  His mouth felt dry as he stared at Martin. His boss’s mouth was moving as he issued Tim instructions and told him about his plan. But Tim couldn’t take it all in. His mind was whirring.

  He’d never let Martin down, not once. He’d taken on every job assigned to him and done it well.

  The trouble was, he’d done it so well that Martin wouldn’t let him get away without seeing this through.

  Now Martin had confided in him, they were locked together by this secret, and he knew that if he didn’t do it, somebody else would. Would Martin really let him live, knowing the dreadful secret?

  He didn’t have a choice. Like it or not, he was going to have to do it.

  Chapter 43

  That afternoon, Martin Morton took himself off to the Diamond household. When Kathleen’s mother, Mary, opened the door, he could hear a baby screaming from inside.

  Mary narrowed her eyes when she saw it was him. “Oh, it’s you. I wondered when you might show your face.”

  Martin wanted to tell her where to go, but instead he smiled and said, “Lovely to see you, Mrs. Diamond. Is Kathleen home?”

  Mary sighed and moved to one side so Martin could enter. “She’s in the kitchen.

  Martin walked through the entrance hall towards the back of the house. All the houses in this area were practically identical, with the same layout, so he didn’t need to wait for Mary to show him the way.

  Kathleen was in the kitchen, balancing the baby on her hip while trying to fill the kettle at the sink.

  “Please stop crying, Jimmy. You’re doing my head in,” Kathleen muttered as she jiggled the baby in her arms, trying to get it to shut it up.

  “Kathleen.”

  Kathleen whirled around, spilling water onto the kitchen floor, and looked up at Martin in shock.

  She stared at him open-mouthed.

  “I thought I should come around and see the baby. Sorry I haven’t been round before. I’ve been busy recently.”

  Mary bustled into the kitchen behind him. She obviously wasn’t going to give them any privacy, the nosy old bat.

  “Well, it’s about time you did the decent thing,” Mary said scornfully.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Diamond, I’d like to have a few moments alone with Kathleen.”

  Mary looked indignant as if she was going to argue with him, but Kathleen said, “Please Mum. Give us a minute.”

  Reluctantly, Mary left the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

  Stepping around the puddle of water on the floor, Kathleen walked up to Martin and held out the baby.

  Martin stared down dispassionately at the chubby little thing. He had dark hair and dark blue eyes. Martin supposed it could be his. But then he saw something that changed his mind. The baby had a little dimple in the centre of his chin.

  He didn’t know anyone in his family who had a dimple like that. He was pretty sure something like that got passed down through the family.

  Martin bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. The baby wasn’t his. She was cheating him. If Kathleen thought she was on easy street now, she could think again.

  “Don’t you want to hold him?” Kathleen asked, looking up hopefully at Martin.

  “Babies aren’t really my thing, love.”

  “Oh,” Kathleen pulled the baby against her chest and gazed down at him. “He looks a lot like you, though, doesn’t he?”

  Martin forced himself to smile through gritted teeth. “Yeah, I suppose he does. Look, Kathleen, I don’t want things to be bad between us, but Babs told me you went round to the house.”

  Kathleen paled. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was desperate. I tried to see you at the club, but they wouldn’t let me in.”

  “That’s because I was busy,” Martin said impatiently. “Look you can’t see Babs again, do you understand me?”

  Kathleen nodded. “Of course, whatever you say.”

  “I will provide for my own,” Martin said. “So you have no worries on that score. But I don’t want you going around telling everybody that the baby is mine.”

  Kathleen’s face crumpled in confusion. “But he is yours.”

  “But it’s not very nice for Babs to have all these people gossiping behind her back, is it? If you keep quiet, then I’ll provide for you and the baby. You’ll want for nothing. Okay?”

  Kathleen nodded, but Martin could see the rebellious spark in her eye. The stupid cow didn’t know what was good for her. It confirmed to him that the decision he’d made was the right one.

  “Right, I’d better be off,” Martin said, taking a roll of bills from his pocket, peeling off a couple and leaving them on the kitchen table for Kathleen.

  “Don’t you want to at least stay for a cup of tea?” Kathleen pleaded. “Look, Jimmy has stopped crying now. He must know you’re his dad. He must sense it.”

  Martin stared at her as if she was the most stupid woman on the planet. The baby was only a couple weeks old. “No. I can’t stay. I’ve got things to do. But maybe I’ll see you tomorrow, if you’re free?”

  “Yes, of course. That would be great,” Kathleen said, beaming at him.

  Martin nodded and then swaggered out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway and then out onto the street.

  The silly cow had fallen for it. Hook line and sinker.

  * * *

  As soon as Martin left, Kathleen quickly wrapped little Jimmy in a blanket and put him in his pram.

  Ignoring her mother’s questions and insistent warnings about Martin Morton, Kathleen headed outside. She needed to talk to somebody — someone who would understand. So she headed to Linda’s house.

  Although they were by no means back to their normal friendly terms, Linda had at least stopped ignoring her, and Kathleen was determined to make her come around to her way of thinking. She was the only real friend Kathleen had, and it got lonely sitting at home all day with a baby.

  She was so excited after Martin’s visit. She was fit to burst and wanted to share her happy news with someone, but when Mrs. Simpson opened the door, Kathleen couldn’t help but notice the pinched features of the woman’s face. She clearly disapproved of Jimmy.

  Kathleen swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Simpson. I hoped Linda would be home?”

  Linda’s mother hesitated on the doorstep as though she couldn’t decide whether to slam the door in Kathleen’s face or drag her inside quickly before the neighbours saw. In the end, she decided for the latter, although her welcome was none too warm.

  “Linda, you have a visitor,” Mrs. Simpson called up the stairs.

  Linda barrelled down the stairs, two at a time. Her shiny, brown hair bounced about her shoulders.

  When she saw Kathleen standing there, she paused and exchanged a look with her mother.

  All three of them stood there in awkward silence for a few moments before Linda’s mother finally said, “It’s none of my business what you do with your life, Kathleen. But Linda’s life
is my business, and I don’t want her to be led astray by your wicked ways. I think it’s best if you don’t call around here anymore.”

  Kathleen’s cheeks flamed red.

  “Mum!” Linda said as she jumped down the last two stairs. “Kathleen got herself in trouble, but she’s not a bad person. I can’t just drop my friend because she made a mistake.”

  Mrs. Simpson gave Linda a look that said that was exactly what she expected her daughter to do.

  “I’m not having a daughter of mine following such an example.”

  Kathleen stood there in abject misery, feeling completely humiliated. All her excitement and desire to share her news about Martin with Linda had dissipated. She had never felt so embarrassed in all of her life. She’d always liked the Simpsons. She enjoyed the fact that they were a traditional family. Linda’s mum and dad were still together, and Linda and her brother were very much loved by their parents.

  Kathleen knew that her upbringing had been very different. Although her mother had brought her up on her own, she at least had the respectability of being married when she’d given birth to Kathleen.

  Kathleen tilted her chin in the air. “That’s a very old-fashioned point of view,” she said scornfully. “I am still the same person, you know. And I know a lot of people are looking down their noses at me because I’ve had little Jimmy out of wedlock. But I’m glad I had him. He’s a lovely little baby.”

  To Kathleen’s horror, she felt her eyes fill with tears. She bit down hard on her lip. There was no way she was going to burst out crying in front of Mrs. Simpson.

  Mrs. Simpson looked at Kathleen as though she were a bit of dog dirt on the street.

  “Come on,” Linda said, easing her body between her mother and Kathleen. “Let’s go outside and take Jimmy for a walk.”

  Kathleen stepped outside and put Jimmy back in his pram. The little mite hadn’t even woken up. He was completely oblivious to all the trouble he’d caused his mother, Kathleen thought ruefully.

  “Don’t be late,” Linda’s mother ordered as Linda stepped out of the front door.