by RJ Hunter
"It'll be fine, besides, we'll be here to keep an eye on things."
"No Frank. It's Penny's party. She and her friends can run it without us being in the way. I'll be going over to Lizzie's."
"But Jamie can go, can't he?" Asked Frank, glancing across to Penny.
"I suppose so," she replied, trying to keep the peace. "He wont know anyone though, and he can be a little shy at times."
"You could have fooled me!" Remarked Sally dryly.
"I agree." Said Frank. "It'll be good for Penny to accept some responsibility, but I'll look in a bit later, just to make sure everything is okay."
"You really don't have to Frank. I can manage." Pleaded Penny.
"There might be gatecrashers, and if I'm buying this house, I certainly don't want any teenage yobs wrecking it, do I Penny?"
It was after 5pm and Sally was just buttering the last of the French bread, when the telephone rang.
"It's for you Mum, it's the estate agents." Called out Penny.
"Hello Mrs. Peddlescoombe, It's just a call to say that we've finally got some good news.
"Really?" Asked Sally, intrigued, "What might that be?"
"A couple who looked around your house a few weeks ago want to put in an offer."
"But, there must be some sort of mistake. Frank Gant is buying the house, surely you knew that?"
"Yes, I do recall Mr. Gant coming to see your house, but he's not buying it, Mrs. Peddlescoombe."
"No, you must be wrong? I've accepted an offer from him. As far as I know, his solicitors are talking to your company about it."
"Are you dealing with another estate agent besides us Mrs. Peddlescoombe?"
"No," replied Sally slightly bewildered.
"I'm sorry, but I can assure you there are no negotiations going on with Mr. Gant, regarding your house, Mrs. Peddlescoombe."
Sally replaced the receiver and walked into the lounge, where Frank was watching a Rocky film with Jamie.
"You've been lying to me Frank, haven't you?"
"What the hell are you going on about now?"
"The house. You've got no plans to buy it, have you? You're just a fraud."
"Of course I'm buying it, my solicitors are on to it now."
"Don't lie to me anymore, you rat! I've just spoken to the estate agents and there aren't any negotiations going on at all. How do you explain that?"
"Are you calling me a liar, Sally?"
"Yes!"
"You fucking whore!"
Sally stepped back, shocked by the ferocity of Frank's verbal attack.
"I think you had better leave!" She replied, amazed with herself at being so confident.
"Look, Sally okay, I've had one or two problems with the business side of things. But I'm expecting some money to come through very soon. I'll tell my solicitors to get on to it right away."
"Please, Frank - don't say anymore. Just go."
"But Sally, I'm sorry. We've had some wonderful times together. Remember Paris? Come on, let's not spoil things, please give me another chance."
Sally sighed and paced across the room.
"I don't know. I really don't need all this in my life right now. You've practically moved in, your stuff is everywhere. It's like you already own the place. No Frank, things have moved too fast."
"Listen Sally, now is probably not a good time to talk. I'm sorry I lost my temper and swore at you, it's completely out of character."
"You frightened me Frank, I'm still shaking."
"I feel so ashamed. Look, I'm going to go out for a while. I'll book us a table at a restaurant you haven't been to before. You can get dressed up, and I'll even get one of the driver's to chauffeur us!"
"Just go Frank, I need some time on my own."
"Okay, Sally, if that's what you want. It's Penny's birthday, don't forget. We mustn't ruin it for her." With that, Frank picked up his jacket and walked out.
Sally, her nerves in tatters went into the kitchen and poured herself a stiff drink.
"Come on Mum, we've still got lots to do," said Penny, attempting to try and make everything normal again.
"Pour me another gin and tonic Penny, I'm going upstairs for a lay down." Replied Sally, desperately trying to hold back her tears.
"Is Frank coming back Mum?"
"Not if I can help it. I think we can do a hell of a lot better than that uncouth swine, don't you Penny?"
Frank took Jamie to a popular burger restaurant in the West end, it was a treat, but it was mainly to get them both out of the house. He had lost his temper with Sally, and realised his foolishness could have put his plans in severe jeopardy.
"Have what you want, son." Said Frank, eyeing the young waitress.
After studying the menu closely, Jamie chose an extra large bacon and cheese burger, while Frank was content just to have a coffee. He would eat later at the club, have a few drinks and play some poker before looking in at Penny's party.
"Wow, Dad! Look at the size of it!" Gasped Jamie, as the waitress placed the huge plate of food down in front of him.
"Just don't get too fat, Jamie. Girls aren't interested in fat guys, unless you're loaded with money of course. Just remember to keep yourself in shape."
Jamie glanced down at his stomach, which was protruding over his jeans.
"I want to start working out, like what you do, Dad. I want to be just like you."
"We'll have to stop your mother feeding you rubbish first. Just because she's looking like a sack of shit these days, doesn't mean you and Tina have to."
Jamie had to think about what Frank had just said, as he sank his teeth into the gigantic burger.
Frank realised he'd just mentioned his daughter's name as if she were still alive. It seemed absurd that he would never see her again, hear her voice, see her smile, or have her bow to his demands. He glanced at Jamie, who was totally unaware of his sister's death, and was relieved the youngster didn't press him further regarding her whereabouts.
"I'm only interested in one girl. But I don't think she likes me." Said Jamie, taking a slurp from his milkshake.
"I think I know who we're talking about." Grinned Frank. "It's Penny, isn't it?"
Jamie started to blush, and dropped his gaze.
"Yes, it's Penny," he admitted. "I want to ask her out, but she'll say I'm too young."
"She's certainly good looking. I admire your taste, Jamie. Have you made her laugh yet?"
"No, I don't think so," he replied, looking puzzled.
"That's part of the key, Jamie. Wear good clothes, smell nice, and make a woman laugh, and you're halfway in bed with them."
"Is that what you did with Sally and Mum?"
"Yes, I suppose so, plus I used a little charm, that always comes in handy. Listen, son, they're just women, they're not like us. You just have to take what you want."
"I don't understand?"
"It's simple," continued Frank. "You have to let a woman know you're in charge. It doesn't matter what age you are. Women respect power and strength. They like to be dominated, it's how nature intended things."
"So, you're saying I should just take Penny?"
"Well, yes, but you have to be a bit subtle, and use your imagination. Sometimes you have to be brutal. They appreciate it in the end. Is that clear?"
As Jamie tucked into his French fries, he scrutinised his father, not quite understanding what he was talking about, but wanting to emulate him. He liked the way Frank used his power to manipulate people and make them wary of him. When they were like that, they talked and made mistakes, which Frank picked up on, like an animal detecting the scent of a weaker prey. However, Frank's methods weren't always based on sheer brutality. His charm, manners, and the ability to say the right things at the right time also came into play, in what was the total, Frank Gant package.
"So why are we staying at Sally's? Why aren't we at home with Mum?"
"Aren't you enjoying it at Sally's, Jamie? It's more fun, and of course, you get to see Penny."
Frank grinned and lit a cigar, much to the disgust of several other diners in the restaurant.
"No, I haven't left your mother. You have to understand that she's a sick, twisted woman. She's an alcoholic and can't be trusted. She's hurt me in the past, Jamie, hurt me a lot."
"I still don't understand, Dad?"
"I've left her alone for a while, so she can think about all the bad things she's done in her life. But, Sally, now that's different, Jamie. I'm on a sort of secret mission, and you're helping me"
"Wow, cool!" Exclaimed the eleven year-old, as he finally demolished his burger. "So, we're like secret agents?"
"Yes, in a way. Like I said, you have to help yourself to whatever you want in life. If you don't, someone else will. It's a simple rule of the jungle. Sally has a lifestyle, a home, and a business that excites me. It's something I want to get involved in, and you're helping me to achieve that, Jamie."
"Mum said you killed an old man once to get the money to start your cab business. Is that true Dad? What's it like to kill someone?"
"Keep your voice down." Cursed Frank, looking around to see who had heard. "So she told you that did she, I bet she was drunk?"
"I don't know, I can't remember. How did you kill him Dad, did you shoot him, like in a gangster film?"
Frank laughed.
"Listen, son, he was an old man, a very rich old man, and he happened to have something I wanted, so I just took it. Besides, he was going to die soon anyway, I just helped him along."
"I think I'm getting to understand you, Dad. You're a bit like Al Capone. What did the old man have that you wanted so much?"
"Well, apart from the obvious wealth, he had style, class, and charisma, but more importantly, he had ambition and he was successful. We were poor at the time, and the old man was a means to an end. He had to go, Jamie. There was no other way, just like Sally's stupid husband."
"Wow! Did you kill him too, Dad?"
Frank was now revelling in his son's hero worship and making the grave mistake of divulging too much information.
"He was standing in the way of what I wanted, so like old Mr. Bloom, he had to go too!"
"Did you shoot him Dad?"
"No, son, I cut the brake pipes on his car. I'd seen it done in a movie, and it worked a treat!"
Jamie went quiet and looked into his father's steely blue eyes. He looked at the scar running down the left side of his face, the cropped haircut, the menacing stare and the terrifying aura that surrounded him, like some vile parody of a halo.
"Gosh, I can't believe you did that to Penny's father." He said after a few moments, with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"It got us where we are today, boy, into Sally's life, where we can take what we want." Frank watched as Jamie noisily drained the last few dregs of his milkshake through a straw. He was already beginning to regret his disclosure, and was glad he hadn't said anything about killing Pauline's grandfather, Albert. Frank, then reached into his jacket pocket and took out his wallet. It was made of Italian calf skin and was bulging with cash and credit cards. He coolly took out a hundred pounds and passed it to Jamie. The boy's face lit up as he fingered the crisp, twenty pound notes excitedly.
"Thanks, you're the best Dad in the whole, wide world!"
"It's your wages son. It's for helping me. We're a team, remember, and we always stick together. Do you understand?"
Jamie nodded, and placed the money into his pocket, before making a start on his hot apple pie and cream.
"That means I can buy a set of ramps now for my motorbike. I'm so glad we're staying at Sally's house, it's fun playing in her garden."
Frank finished his coffee and stubbed out his cigar in the saucer, before standing up to leave.
"Listen, Jamie, I've brought a new club, it's called Swann's. I'm going over there later, do you want to come and see it?"
"I would like to dad, but another time. Can you drop me off at home so I can get some clothes for tonight, and go to the motorbike shop?"
Frank tried to act natural, but in truth, he didn't really want Jamie going back to Pauline, as he feared she might tell him in a drunken stupor, that his father was directly responsible for Tina's death.
"I suppose so Jamie, but don't go listening to any crap your mother comes out with. I'll pick you up in a couple of hours, okay?"
Jamie smiled with pride and hugged his father, causing Frank intense embarrassment.
"I'm going to take your advice and have a look in the shops for some cool clothes to buy."
As they walked out towards the car, Frank stopped, and turned to his son.
"Listen boy, everything I've told you is top secret, do you understand? Not a word to anyone."
But Jamie wasn't paying any attention, he was far too busy thinking about the motorbike ramps he was going to buy with his Dad's money.
Later that afternoon, Pauline sat in the office of Lake's nightclub in Mayfair. She was trying to contact casual staff to work during the evenings. She had heard rumours that a well-established rival club had been taken over and was due to re-open under new management. If this was true, then Pauline's assumption that some of her staff had been spirited away to work at the new club may well be justified.
She didn't particularly feel in the mood to sweet talk people into coming to work as several issues were clouding her troubled mind. Coming to terms with the loss of her daughter, Tina was the main one. This was why she was here at the club. Just being away from home and things connected to Tina, and her short life, gave her the brief, but temporary respite she needed.
Getting up and walking through into the secret office, she felt angry with Sally for trying to steal Frank and was looking forward to having things out with her. Picking up a vicious-looking riding crop, she beat the palm of her hand with it. Pauline had a good idea of what she wanted to say and do, as she brought the crop down hard on the bondage table in the centre of the darkened room. It was the same room where Claire had seduced her several years earlier, and where they continued to meet for mutual satisfaction, until Frank had discovered them. He then cheated Claire out of her club, in a highly dubious game of poker that still has people talking about it to this day.
The thought of those sensual moments with Claire sent a tingle along Pauline's spine and made her wonder what life would have been like if things had turned out differently. Her thoughts came back to the present, and that blonde bitch, Sally, along with her pretentious sidekick, Lizzie who both pretended to like and befriend her, knowing all the time that Sally was intent on taking away the man who meant the most to her.
Pauline was also disturbed by what her son, Jamie had disclosed earlier that afternoon. Frank had dropped him off without even calling in to see how she was coping. The boy had come bounding through the house full of positive vibes about his father, which made Pauline want to scream. She wanted to tell him that the bastard who thinks he's father of the year, is in fact a cold-blooded murderer, and a sexual predator that preyed on his own daughter. The fact that Frank had threatened to skin her alive if she told Jamie of Tina's death, only served to twist and distort the situation further.
Pauline didn't have the heart to tell Jamie how ridiculous he looked as he cavorted around gazing into every mirror, in a tight pair of jeans, and a shirt similar to what Frank would have worn. She asked him where he had been, but couldn't get a straight answer.
"Dad and me are gangsters. We take what we want and kill everyone who gets in our way." Was one of the replies she got back.
"That sounds like Frank. I'm glad he's been teaching you how to get on in life." She remarked dryly.
"I'm working for Dad now. He gave me £100."
"It sounds suspicious to me. If you follow in your father's footsteps you'll soon end up in prison or dead."
"That's what you think. I'm going to a party with him tonight, and I'm not telling you where it is."
"Just get out of my sight!
" Screamed Pauline, at the end of her tether. Frank had obviously succeeded in turning Jamie against her, and this was the last straw after losing Tina.
"I'll go when Dad gets here. You don't frighten me, you're just a stupid woman. I could kill you and nobody would care."
"You mustn't speak to your mother like that! What on earth has your father been saying to you, Jamie?"
"You're no mother to me, Dad says you're a drunk. Sally's a better Mum than you, I'm going to live there."
"Jamie, please stop, I can't bear it."
"Dad says he kills people who get in his way. He killed that old man and got loads of money, then he cut the brake pipes on Sally's husband's car. My Dad's a real gangster."
"So you've been at Sally's? I knew it."
"He told me not to say anything, you wont tell him I told you, will you Mum?"
Pauline couldn't believe what she's just heard, about William Peddlescoombe's murder, but knew it was probably true.
"Jamie, what you've just told me is very dangerous knowledge. I think it best we pretend we didn't have this talk for both our sakes."
Jamie looked frightened, and went across to put his arms around his mother.
"I shouldn't have told you, I knew I shouldn't have told you." He sobbed.
"I'm going to the club, Jamie. I don't want to be here when your father calls to collect you, I just can't bear to see him." Uttered Pauline, her face drawn and ashen.
That had been a couple of hours earlier. The conversation she'd had with Jamie was haunting her. She felt like a knife had been plunged through her heart. There were no limits to the atrocities Frank was capable of committing.
With her mind in turmoil, Pauline tried hard to concentrate on the present, and picked up the telephone to call one of the casuals, but she was disturbed by the intercom from downstairs.
"Hello, Mrs. Gant, I've got a lady here called Claire. She says she wants to speak with you urgently." Called out Anne, the duty manager, from the lobby.
Pauline paused for a few moments, in two minds what to do. Frank would surely kill her if she allowed Claire into the club.
"Okay, Anne send her up, she knows the way."