The Traitor

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Because she can’t be trusted. I told you you should have never settled down with her. You should always stick with your own, Jed,’ Alice piped up.

  Ignoring his mother, Jed handed his father another beer and sat on the sofa next to him. Apart from his annoyance over Frankie not having her phone switched on, he and his dad had had a bloody good day today. They’d bought a fine horse, sold a dodgy one, drank loads of beer up in Southall and then continued their drinking session on their return.

  ‘Now, what do yous boys fancy to eat? I’ve got some nice lamb chops and steak out the freezer,’ Alice said.

  ‘Just do us a mixture. We don’t want a proper dinner. Just cook us a big plate of meat,’ Jimmy replied.

  Jed waited for his mother to leave the room, then turned to his father. ‘Frankie wants us to move and I’ve promised her I’ll find us a place on a site somewhere.’

  Jimmy looked at his son in horror. His Alice had been like a different woman since the baby had come into their lives. She was happy and content. ‘Your mother will be devastated, Jed. She adores that chavvie. Why don’t you tell Frankie you can’t find anywhere? You don’t want your mother getting depressed again, do ya?’

  Jed felt torn. He loved living close to his parents, but he’d also made a promise to Frankie. ‘I’ll see what I can do. I’ll have a chat with Frankie and see if I can get her to change her mind.’

  ‘You’re the man, Jed, the breadwinner. Women are second class to us, you know that, son. You choose where you wanna live – don’t let some dinlo woman start ordering you about,’ Jimmy retorted.

  Hearing a motor pull up outside, Jed ran over to the window. ‘It’s Frankie, she’s back.’

  He bolted to the front door just in time to see the motor disappear down the drive. ‘Who was that? It weren’t the gavver’s motor,’ he asked, as he ran towards Frankie.

  ‘Gary and Ricky. They dropped me off home.’

  Jed grabbed the carrycot. ‘Why ain’t you had your phone on? How did it go?’

  ‘I couldn’t do it.’

  Holding the cot with one arm, Jed grabbed Frankie with the other and swung her around to face him. ‘Whaddya mean, you couldn’t do what?’

  Seeing Jed’s irate expression, Frankie looked him defiantly in the eye. ‘I couldn’t say anything bad about my dad. Don’t get on my case, Jed, because I’m not in the mood. You wouldn’t stand up in court and slag off your dad, would you?’

  Jed shook his head in disbelief. ‘You stupid cow! If your dad gets a light sentence, he’ll come back to haunt us, and when he does it’ll be all your fault. You’re a dinlo, Frankie, a proper fucking dinlo.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Furious with Frankie, Jed sodded off out the following day. Getting off his face and shagging some old slapper was the only way he could deal with his girlfriend’s betrayal, but by Friday morning, he was ready to return home and make things right once again.

  As he drove towards Rainham, Jed stopped at a florist, and picked up a bouquet of flowers. He’d spent the previous day with Sammy boy. They’d got well mullered and the two old tarts they’d woken up with in Tilbury this morning were not only old enough to be their mums, but were also haggard and pig ugly.

  Jed pulled up outside the trailer and picked up the bouquet. He’d already prepared his lie and, as usual, it was good. He opened the trailer door.

  ‘All right, babe? I got you these.’

  Frankie had just bathed and was now dressing baby Georgie. ‘Where have you been, Jed? Your phone’s been switched off and I’ve been worried sick about you.’

  Jed sat on the edge of the bed and kissed his gorgeous baby on the forehead. Tickling Georgie’s chin, he smiled at Frankie. ‘I’m sorry, Frankie. I’ve been everywhere trying to find us somewhere to live. Me battery went dead on me phone and I’ve been driving around like a blue-arsed fly. There ain’t no spaces on any sites at present, but I’ve put our name on the waiting list in ten different areas,’ Jed lied.

  Frankie picked up Georgie and sat down next to Jed. She could smell the booze seeping through his pores, but decided not to say anything. She knew he’d been upset by what had happened in court and, as long as they were OK now, she didn’t care if he’d got himself pissed and stayed out all night.

  ‘Let me hold her for a bit.’

  Frankie placed Georgie on his lap and sighed. ‘So what happens now? How long will we have to wait for a place on a site?’

  Jed shrugged. After the conversation he’d had with his dad the other evening, he had no intention of upsetting his mum and moving away at the moment. ‘It could be weeks, it could be months. The sites are banged out, Frankie, and there’s a waiting list on all of ’em.’

  ‘What about if I go up the council? We might be able to get a flat or a house,’ Frankie suggested.

  Jed immediately shook his head. ‘I ain’t no gorjer, babe, and I can’t live like one. We’ve got a beautiful trailer and I want us to live in this.’

  Frankie had originally enjoyed the novelty of living in a trailer, and had found it exciting, but since Georgie had been born, she no longer liked it as much. She squeezed Jed’s hand.

  ‘Please let me go to the council, Jed. If we can get a little house, it’ll be lovely for Georgie. She’ll be walking before we know it and she needs a garden or somewhere to play.’

  Jed had always known how to play women. His sad expression was, and always had been, his ace card. ‘I’m a travelling boy, Frankie, and I can’t be cooped up in a house or flat. Bear with me, babe, and I promise you faithfully that once I’ve got enough wonga, I’ll buy us the most beautiful piece of land. Georgie will have acres to play in then and, hopefully, by that time she’ll have brothers and sisters to play with her.’

  Frankie smiled. ‘OK, we’ll forget the council, but do keep trying to get us a place, Jed. I’m desperate for us to live on our own now.’

  Jed kissed her on the lips and tilted her chin. ‘You have my word.’

  Over at the Old Bailey, Eddie watched with interest as Gina, the private detective, took the stand.

  The previous day had been a good one for Ed. Dougie and John had each given him a great character reference. The bent, now retired chief inspector they had blackmailed had had no choice but to speak glowingly about him, and Raymond’s evidence had been absolutely faultless.

  ‘Jessica was my sister. I loved her more than anyone and I know for a fact that Eddie would never intentionally hurt her. Yes, he was obviously annoyed when he found out his sixteen-year-old daughter was pregnant, but what father wouldn’t be?’ Ray convincingly told the prosecution. ‘He went to Tilbury to pay Jed money to leave Frankie alone. When he wasn’t there, he decided to frighten him. I know Eddie Mitchell as well as anyone does and I know that violence isn’t part of his nature.’

  As Gina began to speak, Eddie thought how attractive she was. He’d known that she had a crush on him when he’d first hired her, but due to his love and loyalty to Jessica, he had never before noticed her beauty. Eddie looked away as he caught her eye. She was fairly well-spoken, obviously intelligent and, with her mass of long, dark, wavy hair, she certainly had the impetus to turn heads. Gina had an English accent, but with a surname like Mulcahy, Eddie realised she had to be of Irish origin. Ed was unsure of her age, but guessed she must be late twenties, early thirties. Gina reminded him of a lawyer and he imagined that most men would find her quite intimidating. She had ball-breaker stamped all over her.

  Eddie had ordered Raymond to pay Gina a visit the previous week. The two of them both had to give an account of the evening in question and they needed their answers to be similar.

  ‘So is it true, Miss Mulcahy, that Mr Mitchell paid you to follow his daughter, Francesca, and her boyfriend, Jed O’Hara?’ the prosecution asked.

  ‘Yes, sir. Mr Mitchell paid me to find out who his daughter’s boyfriend was. Francesca had become extremely secretive and, being a caring father, Mr Mitchell was very worried about her.’


  ‘And were you aware that Mr Mitchell was planning to use violence to get his own way, Miss Mulcahy?’ the prosecution asked.

  ‘Objection, your Honour,’ the defence QC shouted.

  ‘Objection overruled,’ the judge replied.

  Gina answered the question professionally and confidently. ‘I would never take on any case that I didn’t feel totally comfortable with, sir. Mr Mitchell was an absolute gentleman. He adored his wife, his children, and his only worry was his daughter, who had got herself pregnant at such a young age. I do not condone violence of any kind and would never involve myself with a client who was planning on taking the law into their own hands.’

  ‘But Mr Mitchell took the law into his own hands, didn’t he? He made you follow Jed O’Hara to find out where he was and he then planned to shoot him. Unfortunately for the defendant, the case of mistaken identity resulted in him shooting his own wife, didn’t it, Miss Mulcahy?’

  ‘No, that is untrue, sir.’

  Eddie stared at his feet. He could deal with the whole court-case scenario until Jessica’s name was mentioned in the same sentence as her murder.

  The prosecution carried on. ‘Were you aware, Miss Mulcahy, that you were being paid as an accessory to a planned, calculated murder?’

  ‘Mr Mitchell never planned to harm anyone. He was going to Tilbury to frighten Jed and perhaps buy him off, nothing else, sir,’ Gina replied calmly.

  The prosecution QC did not like Gina one little bit. ‘And you’re sure of that, are you, Miss Mulcahy?’ he asked sarcastically.

  ‘One hundred per cent, sir. Mr Mitchell asked me to wait outside the salvage yard so he could settle my bill. I had another appointment to attend, so I couldn’t, but you don’t think Mr Mitchell would have wanted my presence if he was planning on murdering someone, do you? Please remember, I barely knew the man.’

  ‘That isn’t the case now though, is it, Miss Mulcahy?’

  ‘Objection, your Honour.’

  The judge nodded at the defence QC. ‘Objection sustained.’

  Turning to the prosecution team, the judge spoke to them abruptly. ‘Could we stick with asking questions please, instead of insinuating things that might influence the jury?’

  ‘I’m sorry, your Honour. No more questions,’ the prosecution QC said, as he flopped back down in his chair.

  Back in Rainham, Jed had just harnessed up his new horse and was about to test it out on the road. Seeing his girlfriend standing at the trailer door with the baby in her arms, Jed waved.

  ‘Put some warm clothes on the baby and you can both come with me, babe,’ he shouted.

  Frankie shook her head. Georgie was far too young to be taken out on a horse and cart. Say it bolted or something?

  Jed trotted the horse towards her. ‘Let Mum look after Georgie for a bit and you come with me, then. Go on, be a devil. We can stop at a pub and have a few drinks and some lunch.’

  Frankie hesitated. She and Jed rarely had any time alone any more and if there was little chance of getting a place on a site just yet, it was best she built some bridges with Alice. ‘Wait for me. I’ll be five minutes,’ she told Jed.

  Alice was mopping the kitchen floor when Frankie knocked. ‘Who is it?’ she shouted.

  ‘It’s me, Frankie. I was wondering if you could look after Georgie while me and Jed pop out for a bit.’

  Alice was overjoyed. She had missed spending time with her granddaughter and it had broken her heart the other day when Frankie had allowed Georgie to spend the day with her own grandparents, rather than with Alice and Jimmy. Determined to get back in Frankie’s good books, Alice plastered a smile on her face and opened the kitchen door.

  ‘I’d love to have her. Be careful if you’re coming in ’cause the floor’s all wet.’

  Frankie handed her the carrycot and her baby bag. ‘Everything’s in there, I think, but we’ll leave the trailer unlocked just in case you need anything else.’

  Jimmy had had a good talk to Alice the previous day. ‘Frankie’s that chavvie’s mother. If you can’t be nice to her and get on, they’ll end up moving away, Alice. You’ll lose Jed and the baby then,’ he warned her.

  Alice hadn’t slept. She had lain awake all night thinking about her husband’s wise words. She didn’t like Frankie – never had, never would – but she was determined to make an effort just so she could be close to Georgie.

  ‘Where are you off to? Anywhere nice?’ she asked chirpily.

  ‘We’re going out on the horse and cart. Jed wants to take me for lunch and a few drinks.’

  As Frankie went to leave, Alice grabbed her arm. ‘Can we forget about the argument and be friends again, Frankie? I know me and you clash a bit, but we have to try and get on for Jed and Georgie’s sake.’

  Frankie smiled. ‘I’d like that.’

  The second the door was shut, Alice took the child out of the cot and stared at Frankie out of the window. She lifted Georgie’s arm up and made her wave.

  ‘Bye, bye Mummy, you old shitcunt,’ she cackled.

  Terry Baldwin was not a happy man. He had been released from prison in January after serving three years for ABH and now his only daughter, Sally, had just informed him that she was pregnant.

  If Sally were in a stable relationship, Terry would have been OK about this, but seeing as the girl was single and moping about indoors, Terry was anything but. Yesterday, he had finally got the truth of the story.

  ‘I love him, Dad. I told him I was pregnant, but he didn’t want to know. He promised me he was gonna leave his girlfriend, but I’ve found out since, she’s had his baby as well.’

  Terry comforted his beautiful daughter. ‘What’s his name, love?’

  Sally refused to tell him at first, but after a bit of gentle persuasion, she relented. ‘His name is Jed, Daddy. Jed O’Hara.’

  Terry had heard of the O’Haras and, being in the know, it hadn’t taken him long to get an address for Jed.

  Finishing his can of lager, Terry picked up his cosh and his car keys. It was time to pay the boy with the wandering cock a visit.

  Eddie Mitchell showed little emotion as the judge began summing up his case. He had just tried to give his own evidence, but had failed because his QC had ordered him to do so.

  ‘Show some emotion, these juries love all that. Sob your bloody heart out if you can,’ were Fitzgerald Smythe’s words of wisdom.

  ‘I loved my wife more than life itself. I went to Tilbury to offer Jed O’Hara money to leave my daughter alone. When he wasn’t there, I decided to frighten him by spraying some bullets. I would never intentionally hurt anyone,’ Eddie said, before breaking down. He only had to think of what had happened to Jessica to cry real tears.

  ‘From the evidence we have heard throughout this trial, there is little doubt that Mr Mitchell truly loved his wife, Jessica. What you, the jury, have to decide is whether Mr Mitchell intended to kill Jed O’Hara on the evening in question. Do you believe that he arrived in Tilbury with a machine gun just to frighten Mr O’Hara? Or was it a case of mistaken identity?’ the judge intoned.

  Eddie bowed his head. The jury had felt saddened by his emotional breakdown. He’d glanced at them and seen it written on their faces.

  The judge finished his speech, the jury filed out and Eddie was led back to the cells. This was it, it was now a waiting game, and for once his future wasn’t in his own hands.

  Unlike her poor father, Frankie had had a brilliant day. She and Jed had had a scream in the pub and it had reminded Frankie of when they’d first got together.

  Jed helped her back onto the cart and Frankie giggled as he pinched her bum. ‘Let’s leave the baby in me mum’s. I wanna give you a right good seeing-to when I get you home.’

  Frankie blushed. Even though they had a daughter together, Jed still had the ability to make her go all coy.

  Jed jumped on the cart and urged Frankie to sit in front of him and take over the reins. ‘I can’t drive it, I’m drunk,’ she protested.

&nbs
p; Jed laughed. ‘You’ll be fine. Trot on,’ he yelled, slapping the filly’s arse with the reins.

  Terry Baldwin sat in the lay-by near Jed’s house. He had a clear view of the drive and was waiting for the little bastard who had knocked his daughter up to arrive home. He’d spoken to Alice earlier.

  ‘What do you want? Who you looking for? This is private property, you know,’ she shouted, as he pulled up on the drive.

  Terry turned on the charm. ‘Is Jed about? I’ve got a couple of horses I wanna sell him.’

  Alice softened slightly. ‘He’s out with his girlfriend at the moment. They won’t be long, they’re on the horse and cart. Do you know my Jimmy?’

  Terry nodded. ‘Is he about?’

  ‘He’s out with his brothers. One of ’em had a bit of aggro. He won’t be back till late tonight.’

  Terry smiled. ‘Thanks, darling, I’ll pop back later.’

  He was now waiting in the lay-by outside and he would wait here however long he had to. Resting his bonce on the headrest, Terry sat bolt upright as he heard the clip-clop of horse’s hooves. He had no idea what Jed actually looked like, but when the horse and cart came into sight, he knew immediately that the lad on the cart was the culprit.

  As Jed and Frankie trotted towards the house, Alice ran out to greet them.

  ‘Georgie’s asleep. I’ve just fed her. Did you have a nice time?’ she asked.

  Jed laughed. ‘Yeah, blinding. Me and Frankie fancy a bit of time alone, so you all right to carry on babysitting, Mum?’

  ‘Yous two enjoy yourselves. Don’t you worry about Georgie, she loves being with her Nanna Alice.’

  ‘Go and get undressed, I’ll be ten minutes,’ Jed whispered seductively to Frankie.

  Alice nudged Jed. ‘A mush came here looking for you earlier, said he had some grys to sell ya.’

  Jed was instantly suspicious. He waited until Frankie was safely inside the trailer, then he turned to face his mother. ‘What mush?’

  Hearing the conversation, Terry Baldwin leaped out from behind a tree. ‘This mush, you dirty little bastard.’