The Traitor

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Of course not. I never want to see Jed again. I need some stuff, though: my clothes, the kids’ clothes, I’ll have to pop back there to collect some belongings.’

  ‘We’ll both go. I ain’t letting you go on your own. We can load up the motor before Jed gets back. Just grab what you can, then we can go straight to the police station with the tape,’ Kerry suggested.

  Frankie felt a shiver go down her spine. Jed was a dangerous, violent psychopath, and she had to get the kids away from him fast.

  ‘Alice and Jimmy are meant to be picking Georgie up from school today; they’re taking her home to have tea with them and Jed was gonna pick her up later. I’m gonna have to get her out of school early and then we’ll go and get my stuff. I’ll tell her teacher that there’s been a family tragedy or something. We can take the kids to the police station with us: I don’t want Jed or his family near them ever again.’

  Kerry stood up and held out her hand. ‘Come on, let’s get our skates on.’

  Over in Orsett, Stanley was thoroughly enjoying the company of Pat the Pigeon. He had got over his initial nervousness and was now totally captivated by this unusual woman with the raucous, hearty laugh.

  Pat squeezed Stanley’s hand. She hadn’t left his side since she’d introduced herself earlier, and unlike Joyce, had shown great compassion for the deaths of his beloved pigeons, Ethel and Ernie.

  ‘I’ve got just the tonic for you, Stanley. George and Mildred, my finest, have recently produced some striking squabs. Why don’t you come round, have a look and take your pick? I’ve had loads of people trying to buy ’em off me. I was gonna keep ’em all for myself, but seeing as you’re suffering such an awful bereavement, I’d like you to have one. It’s a gift – I don’t want paying for it.’

  Stanley was overwhelmed by Pat’s kindness. She had a wonderful knowledge of breeding and racing pigeons and obviously had a heart of gold to go with it. He stood up and smiled at her.

  ‘That’s very kind of you. Let me get you another drink, my dear. G and T again, is it? Would you like a double this time?’

  Pat the Pigeon laughed. ‘Oh, you are naughty, Stanley. Go on, then, I’ll have a double.’

  Stanley walked up to the bar with a spring in his step. He could see the envious glances from some of the other men and it made him feel a million dollars that Pat had made a beeline for him.

  ‘How’s it going, Stanley? That Pat’s been all over you like a rash. That’s why me and Brian stayed up the bar – we didn’t want to intrude. What’s she been saying to you?’ Derek asked him.

  ‘She’s going to give me one of her squabs,’ Stanley said proudly.

  Derek laughed. ‘And the rest.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I can see the way she’s looking at you, Stanley. She wants to give you more than a squab, mate.’

  Stanley felt his heart start to pound in his chest. In all the years he had been with Joycie, no woman had ever come on to him and, even before he had met Joycie, he hadn’t exactly had the luck of Errol Flynn with the female sex. His hand shook as he handed the barmaid the money.

  ‘Pat’s just being friendly. I’m sure you’ve got it all wrong,’ he told Derek.

  Derek chuckled. ‘No, I ain’t. Pat has a vulture look about her and by the looks of it, you’re her prey, mate.’

  Stanley picked up the drinks and returned to the table. His legs were trembling and he had no idea how to stop them from doing so.

  ‘Are you OK, Stanley?’ Pat asked, concerned.

  Stanley looked into her kind blue eyes and smiled. ‘I’m fine, Pat, honest I am.’

  Georgie O’Hara’s teacher looked startled when Frankie barged into the classroom and nigh on dragged her daughter outside.

  ‘I need to take Georgie home, something terrible has happened,’ she gabbled.

  Mrs Lawson stared at Frankie. ‘Are you OK? Would you like me to get you a glass of water?’

  Frankie shook her head. Since leaving Kerry’s sister’s house, she had felt full of absolute panic and she couldn’t stop herself from shaking.

  ‘I’m fine. I just need to take Georgie home with me now,’ she insisted.

  Mrs Lawson was exceptionally concerned. She could smell the wine fumes on Frankie’s breath, and it was obvious that Frankie was in no fit state, physically or mentally, to take her daughter anywhere. She ushered Frankie along the corridor. The headmistress would know how to handle this.

  ‘I need to speak to the headmistress first, she will need you to sign a form for her. Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.’

  Frankie waited for the teacher to disappear out of sight, then ran back to the classroom. She spotted Georgie immediately. She was sitting at the far end of the classroom.

  ‘Quick, we’ve gotta go,’ she said, grabbing her daughter’s arm.

  Frankie had ordered Kerry to park outside the main door and stay in the car with the boys. Georgie was unable to run very fast, so Frankie had to carry her, and by the time she reached the car, she was knackered.

  Kerry leaped out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door.

  Frankie told Harry to get in the front. Georgie had opened the door while they were driving along once before and she needed to sit next to her to keep an eye on her.

  ‘Just drive, quick,’ she urged Kerry. She was frightened the teacher or headmistress would try and stop them from leaving the premises.

  As Kerry sped out of the school gates, Frankie breathed a huge sigh of relief. Part one of the plan was accomplished and, once they’d completed two and three, Jed would hopefully be out of her life for ever.

  Alice O’Hara was fuming as she hung up the phone. She had given the school her phone number in case Georgie ever had an accident or was ill and they’d just called her. She dialled Jed’s number.

  ‘You’d better sort out that fucking stinking old whore of yours, boy. Her headmistress has just rang me and said Frankie’s been up the school and taken Georgie girl out of her class in the middle of her lesson. They were worried, said they thought Frankie had been drinking and looked unstable. What’s all that about, eh, Jed? Has she taken her just to spite us? She knew me and your dad were picking her up today, the dirty, no-good shitcunt.’

  Jed’s heart immediately started to beat wildly. Whatever his old girl thought of Frankie, he knew the mother of his kids well enough to know that she would never turn up pissed at the school and drag Georgie out of her class without a bloody good reason.

  ‘Leave it with me, Mum, I’ll sort it, don’t worry,’ he said. He ended the call and immediately tried to ring Frankie. There was no answer.

  ‘What’s up?’ Sammy asked him. They were on their way to deliver a mare to a geezer in Southend.

  ‘It’s Frankie. Something bad’s happened. She must have found out about me and Sally. We need to turn back, now!’

  ‘Can’t you sort it later?’ Sammy asked annoyed. It had been hard for him to sell this poxy horse and he didn’t want to mess up the deal.

  Extremely pissed off, Jed grabbed Sammy’s arm.

  ‘What you doing? You nearly made me kill us just then,’ Sammy complained.

  Jed stared at him. ‘I said, we need to go home. Do as I say and turn this fucking horse-box around now!’

  Sammy glanced at him. ‘I can’t turn it around on a main road like this.’

  Fuming, Jed made Sammy pull over so he could swap seats with him. He then grabbed the steering wheel and, not giving a shit about the other motorists, shot across the central reservation.

  ‘Mind the fucking horse, you’ve probably just killed it,’ Sammy shouted.

  ‘Fuck the horse and fuck you,’ Jed snarled.

  Over in Orsett, Stanley was beginning to feel extremely light-headed. He had been so upset this morning over Ethel passing over to pigeon heaven that he hadn’t eaten any breakfast.

  ‘So, have you buried Ethel yet? What did you do with Ernie?’ Pat asked him.

  ‘I’ve buried them both
in the garden. I’m gonna make a nice little cross and get a plaque made for ’em. At least they’re together again. Inseparable in life and death, eh?’

  Pat leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. ‘That’s a lovely burial, Stanley. And you are such a lovely man.’

  Seeing Brian look his way with a big grin on his face, Stanley stood up. ‘I suppose I’d best be getting home, Pat. I feel a bit tiddly, to be honest, I’m not used to drinking early in the day any more.’

  Pat grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down. ‘Why don’t you come back to my house first and have a look at my squabs? I’ll do you a nice bit of lunch and you can have a couple of coffees to sober yourself up a bit.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know. I really should be getting back,’ Stanley replied nervously.

  Pat smiled. She had a very pretty smile that lit up the whole of her face. ‘There’s no need to be afraid of me, Stanley. I think you’re a charming man and I want us to be good friends, that’s all.’

  Stanley immediately relaxed. ‘OK, then, let’s go back to yours.’

  In Wickford, Frankie and Kerry were busy filling up black bin bags with the kids’ toys.

  ‘Where’s your teddy, Harry?’ Frankie asked her son.

  Harry ran into his bedroom and came out clutching the bear in his arms. ‘Put it in that bag, there’s a good boy,’ Frankie urged him.

  ‘Can I take my dollies with me?’ Georgie asked.

  Frankie stroked her daughter’s hair. ‘Of course you can. Be a good girl and put them in one of these bags for Mummy.’

  Kerry had spoken to her sister on the way and she had kindly offered Frankie a place to stay for a few days. After that, Frankie had no idea where she was going to live or what she was going to do, but she didn’t have time to worry about that now. Getting away from Jed was all that mattered.

  ‘Where’s the tape? Have you still got it?’ Kerry asked, grabbing her arm.

  Frankie pointed to her handbag. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t lose it, it’s zipped up.’

  ‘Did you name him after your grandad, Frankie?’ Kerry asked pointing at Harry.

  Frankie went cold and dropped the bag she was holding. She had been so stunned earlier by the contents of the tape that she hadn’t given a thought to her son’s name or who had chosen it for him.

  ‘Are you OK, Frankie? What’s the matter?’

  Frankie shook her head. ‘Jed named Harry after my grandad. How evil is that? I wanted to call him something else, but he insisted we call him Harry and now I know why.’

  Kerry shuddered. ‘He’s an animal, Frankie. He’s one sick bastard and you should tell the police about that as well. Now, hurry up, we need to get going. It’s giving me the creeps being back here.’

  Frankie opened her wardrobe door. She wouldn’t be able to take all her clothes – all she needed was enough to get her by.

  ‘Put the other bags in the car while I pack my stuff,’ she shouted out to Kerry.

  Kerry ran in and out to the car with the bin liners. ‘Go and get in the car and don’t touch the handbrake,’ she ordered the kids.

  The Fiesta was small, so was the boot, and with the kids inside, there was very little room for so many bags.

  ‘Frankie, you’re gonna have to leave some of this stuff here, I can’t fit it all in,’ Kerry yelled.

  Frankie ran out of the trailer and began taking certain bags out of the boot. ‘As long as I’ve got the kids’ stuff, I ain’t so worried about mine,’ she said.

  About to run back inside, Frankie heard the distinct noise of a diesel engine approaching. ‘I think Jed and Sammy are back,’ she cried.

  Kerry ran over to her and pushed her inside the trailer. ‘It might not be them. It could be someone else.’

  ‘No one else comes here, you know they don’t,’ Frankie wept.

  Huddled together for support, the girls shook like leaves on a windy day as they stared through the net curtains. Their fears were confirmed as the horse-box pulled into sight with both Jed and Sammy inside. Petrified for their own safety and that of their children, both Frankie and Kerry let out piercing screams.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  ‘Daddy, Daddy!’ Sammy’s boys screamed as soon as they spotted their father.

  Frightened that Sammy would kidnap his sons, Kerry flew out of the trailer and ran towards them. ‘Get back in the car now,’ she yelled, as she came face to face with Sammy for the first time since she had found out about Julie.

  Frankie felt physically sick when Jed walked inside the trailer. He spotted the black bags immediately, glanced inside, then turned to her. ‘Going somewhere nice, are we?’ he said, his eyes sparkling with danger.

  Frankie didn’t know what to do or say. She didn’t want Jed to kick off in front of the children, but she could hardly deny she was leaving him.

  ‘I’m going away for a while. I’m not happy with you any more and I need to get my head together.’

  As Georgie ran inside and clung to her father’s legs, Jed lifted her into his arms. In the last few days he had got his head around the news of Sally’s pregnancy, and if Frankie wanted to leave, he would move Sally in.

  ‘Go on, then, fuck off, but don’t think you’re taking my kids with ya.’

  Frankie could hear Kerry and Sammy shouting at one another outside. She heard Kerry scream and ran to the door. Kerry was lying on the ground holding the side of her face.

  ‘Get away from her, you bastard,’ Frankie screamed, as she pushed Sammy out of the way and stood guarding her friend.

  ‘Get in the horse-box, kids. All of ya, now,’ Jed yelled.

  When Frankie grabbed hold of Harry, Kerry stood up and picked up Sammy Junior. They ran back inside the trailer and ordered the kids to stay in the bedroom.

  ‘Where’s Georgie and Freddy?’ Frankie cried.

  Georgie and Freddy were already inside the horse-box and as Jed and Sammy ran back towards the trailer, Frankie and Kerry tried desperately to shut and lock the door.

  ‘What are we gonna do?’ Kerry wept, as Jed and Sammy began kicking it. Knowing that the door would be caved in within seconds, Frankie unlocked it. She was petrified and could hear the boys crying in the bedroom.

  Kerry was beside herself. Sammy had turned on her, had punched her hard, but there was no way she was allowing him to take her kids away. Kerry was more aware of the travelling way of life than Frankie was and she knew that if Jed and Sammy drove off with their kids, there was every chance that they’d disappear into thin air with them. Gypsies were very loyal to their own, they never grassed and Jed and Sammy could easily find a place to hide on a remote site miles away, where they would never be traced.

  As Frankie and Jed started to argue again, Kerry noticed Sammy go into the bedroom. She spotted Frankie’s iron on the side and immediately picked it up. She had to stop him.

  Sammy was stunned by the whack over the back of his head. He turned and tried to grab the iron, but when Kerry hit him again, he fell to the ground clutching his head. Unable to stop herself, Kerry went on hitting him.

  Sammy Junior screamed when he spotted his father covered in blood. ‘Stop it, Mummy! Stop hitting Daddy,’ he cried.

  Hearing the commotion, Jed ran over to the bedroom. ‘You evil fucking bitch! You’ve fucking killed him, ain’t ya?’ he yelled, knocking the iron out of Kerry’s hand.

  Frankie pushed Kerry out of the bedroom. ‘Get out of here and take the kids with you,’ she whispered.

  As Jed bent over Sammy and tried to wake him up, Kerry clung to Frankie. ‘I can’t leave you here. Say Jed really hurts you?’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, just take the kids with you. Do it for me, I beg you. I’ll get rid of Jed and meet you at your sister’s. As soon as you get away, ring the police and tell ’em Jed’s gone off his head. Send ’em here, but don’t say nothing about the tape yet.’

  Jed was too concerned over his cousin’s well-being to notice that Kerry had crept outside with the children. She put them in Fra
nkie’s car and ran over to the horse-box. ‘Quick, get in the Fiesta,’ she yelled at Georgie and Freddy.

  Her youngest immediately obeyed her orders, but Georgie was paralysed by fear at what she’d seen.

  ‘This is important, Georgie. You have to come with me,’ Kerry said, grabbing the child’s arm.

  Hearing Georgie screaming blue murder, Jed left Sammy’s side and bolted outside the trailer. Seeing Kerry manhandling his hysterical daughter, he lunged at her, fists flying.

  ‘You fucking whore, leave her alone,’ he screamed, as he whacked Kerry in the side of the head.

  Frankie followed Jed outside and screamed as he grabbed hold of Georgie. She picked up a brick and ran towards him.

  ‘Let her go. Kerry, quick, grab her,’ she shouted, as she hit him over the head with the brick.

  As quick as lightning, Kerry picked Georgie up and shoved her inside Frankie’s motor. She jumped in the driver’s seat and, as she turned on the ignition, she saw Jed running towards her, clutching his head. Petrified for her friend’s safety, Kerry froze.

  ‘Drive, just fucking drive,’ Frankie screamed.

  Totally traumatised by what they had witnessed, the kids were all screaming.

  As Jed yanked open the driver’s door, Kerry put the Fiesta in gear and rammed her foot on the accelerator. Jed clung onto the door for what seemed like ages, but in reality was only seconds.

  ‘Daddy, Daddy,’ Georgie wept, her tearful face pressed against the window.

  ‘I’m gonna kill you, you fucking slag,’ Jed screamed, finally losing his grip on the metal doorframe.

  As her boyfriend hit the ground with a thud, Frankie dashed back inside the trailer. Sammy was still out cold and she had no idea whether he was alive or dead.

  Frankie knew that for her own safety she had to get away. The problem was, she had no idea where she had put her handbag and it still had the tape inside. Wishing that she’d given the bag to Kerry, she searched frantically for it. Where she was going to run to, she had no idea, but all she had to do was find the bag, get away and call the police.

  Jed was feeling extremely battered and bruised. The Fiesta had been travelling about fifteen miles an hour when he’d lost his grip and hit the ground. His shoulder was killing him – it felt as if it was dislocated – and his head didn’t feel much better. Frankie had hit him three times with a brick and he had blood pouring down his face to prove it. Dishevelled, he staggered back towards the trailer.