by KERRY BARNES
Mike couldn’t recall it; it was too long ago. ‘No.’
‘Well, he did. He hauled you to the ground. I was cross because you had new clothes on and you were covered in grass mowings. Still, you got up and cleaned yaself down. I had a picnic laid out, as did a few of the mums, it was such a nice day. Then, all of a sudden, the boy tried to do the same to Eric. By the time I got to my feet to stop him, you had this heavily built bruiser on the grass and it wasn’t a little roll-around scrap either. You were punching him hard in the face. I mean really hard. I tried to pull you off, but you were a strong lad. I looked over to see whose kid it was and the only woman sitting alone was Doris. She didn’t move. I pulled you and Eric away and watched this lad stagger back to his mother, kick over the plate of sandwiches, and spit in her face. I knew then she was living a life of hell. Then I brushed you two down and felt pride like never before. You, Mikey, said sorry for messing up ya clothes and then put ya arms around my neck and hugged me. Doris was watching, and I could see the sadness in her eyes. What a shame, eh?’
Mike was thinking about his own son – how Ricky often flung his arms around his neck and told him how much he loved him. Tears began to show.
‘Listen, it’s killing me being stuck in here and not out there finding my son. Please promise me, you’ll do everything to find him? I’ll even sell the house to pay for it.’
Gloria reached across and held Mike’s hands. ‘Now, you listen to me. Your farver and I are doing all we can.’ She looked at Arthur who nodded for her to carry on.
‘We’ve got a private investigator on the case. Ya dad’s put up a reward among the firms for his safe return and for the address of Harry Harman.’
Mike relaxed his shoulders with a sigh of relief.
‘I know, love. You’re used to being in control, but ya hands are tied. Me and ya dad’s ain’t, though, so we’re doing everything we can. Remember, babe, we love him too. He’s the apple of my eye, like ’aving you all over again. So, until the bleeding day I’m pushing up daisies, I will always search for my little sunshine.’
As the visit came to an end, Gloria pulled out her handkerchief and wiped away the tears. Arthur, as tall and broad as Mike, hugged him tightly and whispered, ‘I will avenge whoever has Ricky. I swear to God, I’m gonna kill ’em, even if it’s Jackie, unless ya muvver gets there first.’
Mike patted his dad’s back. ‘I know, Dad.’
Chapter 13
Staffie dragged the net over the pool, collecting a few stranded leaves and debris from the jet washing. It was the least he could do for Mike. Every weekend for the last year, he’d checked the house, the water pipes, the heating system, and anything that could break down and cause a problem.
The boys still met there every Thursday and discussed business. It was Wednesday, and Staffie was choked up. It was Ricky’s birthday; he would be seven years old today. If Mike was at home, there would have been balloons, fireworks, and everything that would make a boy’s birthday special. He could only imagine what Mike was going through alone in a cell, thinking about his boy out there somewhere, or, worse, dead.
Life had changed a lot since Mike went away. Staffie’s phone rang. He dropped the net and scrutinized the number.
‘Hello, who’s this?’ There was no warmth in his tone.
‘Staffie?’
The woman’s voice sounded firm, and he thought he recognized it.
‘Yeah, who is this?’
‘Staffie, I need a meeting, PDQ. Can you meet me somewhere? Bring Willie Ritz and Lou Baker. I think you’ll all want to hear this.’
‘Sorry, love, but who the fuck are ya?’
‘It’s Zara.’
Staffie stiffened, feeling a cold chill wash over him. ‘What d’ya want?’
‘Relax, Staffie. This ain’t any funny business, I can assure you, but I think I have what you want.’
‘Um, yeah … I’ll meet you in two hours at The Plough Inn in Eynsford,’ replied Staffie, now nervously intrigued.
She could detect the concern in his faltering voice. ‘No funny business, Staffie, I promise. I’m a woman of my word.’
With trembling hands, Staffie phoned Willie. ‘Listen. I’ve just had a call from that Zara, Izzy’s daughter. She wants a meeting today at The Plough Inn, in two hours. Call Lou, bring a tool, and tell him to do the same. I don’t like the sound of it.’
Willie turned his diver’s knife over in his hands. ‘Any idea what it’s about, bruv?’
‘She reckons she has something we want.’
‘Okay, well, best we meet her, then. I’ll pick up Lou and see ya there.’
As Staffie went to turn on the alarm, he saw the little red leather football, belonging to Ricky. He had a sudden thought and prayed that the ‘something’ she had was Mike’s son. His heart began to race, and he had to calm himself down, and not get too excited; but he longed for that to be true. He loved Ricky as if he were his own son. His boy was now nine years old, and although he didn’t live with the mother, he did get to see little Arty every so often, which was usually if his mother wanted a break.
Staffie finished tidying up, locked and alarmed Mike’s home, and left. The Plough Inn was only a short drive away, but he could murder a pint and so he headed there early. Again, he phoned Willie. ‘I’m here and having a beer, if ya wanna join me.’
‘On our way, mate,’ replied Willie, who was fired up and raring to go.
Staffie sensed that Willie had snorted a line of cocaine because he often spoke faster when he had.
He walked to the bar and looked around; the place was almost empty. On a hot day, most of the passers-by would take their drinks and sit on the river bank. It was warm enough, but because it was a weekday, there was hardly a soul in sight. The barman served him, and he took his pint over to the table by the window. From here, he had a clear view of the car park and the main door. He couldn’t really remember what Zara looked like, as he’d only met her once before, when she was having a meal with Mike, but that was years ago.
After ten minutes or so, Willie came bounding in, followed by Lou. They waved over to him and bought themselves a beer before heading his way.
Willie was lively. ‘So, mate, what d’ya reckon she wants?’
Sitting quietly, Lou looked a touch uneasy. ‘I don’t like it because somewhere behind this meet will be Izzy.’
Staffie chewed the inside of his mouth. ‘I’m not sure about that. She gave me her word that there would be no funny business.’
Lou still didn’t look convinced. ‘Mike’s away, Ricky’s missing, and the Harmans are running around out there scot-free. The truth is, to this day, we still don’t know who grassed Mike for Scottie’s murder.’ He shivered. ‘It gives me the bleedin’ heebie-jeebies.’
Staffie nodded. ‘Yeah, mate, I know, but what if she does have Ricky?’
Willie nearly choked on his beer. ‘D’ya reckon?’
Staffie shrugged his shoulders. ‘She said she thought she had something we want. Come on, lads. Look, for all we know, she may have Ricky. Jesus, I said it out loud.’ He held up his empty pint glass.
Lou sighed. ‘It did cross my mind, but she would have said so, on the dog and bone, surely?’
Willie had finished his beer in record time. Still fidgety, he jumped up. ‘Same again, lads?’
They nodded, downing their last dregs.
Just as Willie was carefully balancing a tray with their pints, Staffie heard two cars pull into the gravel car park. He quickly glanced out of the Georgian-style window and glared. The first vehicle, an Audi TT, slotted into a space, shortly followed by a black Range Rover that parked next to it, blocking the view of the Audi. Willie placed the tray on the table and leaned across Staffie to see for himself. The second car had three men inside, and as they climbed out, Lou rolled his eyes. ‘Are you fucking kidding me? I thought she said there wouldn’t be any funny business?’
Staffie felt hot under the collar and wondered if the bitch had lied. They cont
inued to watch as she came into view; they saw a slender woman, dressed in black leather jeans, a tailored white shirt, and a black leather jacket. Her hair was dead straight and pulled back in a classy-looking ponytail. She confidently walked across to the front entrance and the three men who had arrived in the second car followed her. They were tall and heavy men, obviously her henchmen. Instinctively, Willie gripped the handle of his diver’s knife while Lou felt for his gun tucked in his belt.
As Zara entered the pub, she scanned the bar and then clocked Staffie. To his surprise, she waved like an old friend would. Then she motioned with her hand, offering to buy them drinks. Willie stared in disbelief, Lou frowned, and Staffie, feeling the tension, got up to greet her politely, leaving his two sidekicks miffed.
In her long black high-heeled boots, she was roughly the same height as Staffie. Flipping her sunglasses just above her forehead, she held out her hand for Staffie to shake. ‘Glad you could come. Before we talk, would you like a drink? I’m having a shandy.’
Staffie wasn’t sure what to make of her. She looked sophisticated, and with her three gorillas standing behind her, she appeared to be pretty dangerous.
Once they were all armed with a drink and sitting at the table, Lou wasted no time and cut to the chase. ‘So, Zara, what’s this all about? Mikey’s inside, our business with the Irish is over, so—’
She quickly intervened. ‘No, Lou. That business hasn’t finished. That’s exactly the point.’
Willie tried to hear if there was a tone of sarcasm, but the gentle, open smile on her face still had him flummoxed.
She scanned the room to ensure no one else was within earshot. ‘The Harmans.’
Staffie felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Just the sound of their name made him angry. ‘What about them?’
She looked at her three minders who sat at the next table. ‘We have them.’
Staffie nearly knocked the drinks over as he shot forward. ‘You fucking what? This is no game, lady.’
‘It’s taken a year to hunt them down, but, in the end, we found them in their underground hideout. I made a promise to Mike – well, my father made a promise to Mike, and since I’ve taken over, I’ve honoured it. We did vow to get Ricky home safe, but that I haven’t been able to do. His wife has vanished off the face of the earth, so I hate to say it, but the Harmans may have done away with her and Ricky. Anyway, if you want the truth – and I’m sure you’ve ways of getting it – the Harmans are all yours.’
Staffie, Lou, and Willie were dumbstruck. It was such a lot to take in, but the look on her face gave them no real cause to worry.
‘Where are they?’
She leaned forward. ‘They are tied up for the moment, in one of my lock-ups.’
‘Who?’ asked Lou, coldly.
‘Harry, Vinnie, and that silly bitch of a sister, Paris. I nearly had her once before, but she can fight like a bleedin’ feral cat, and her mate, the dizzy blonde, Tracey, was nearly as bad. Some chef was outside having a fag in the back alley. He called the Filth and so me and the lads had to scarper. I lost track of her then. I didn’t mention it to Mike because after that they went into hiding big time.’
Willie laughed. ‘So, it was you then, that gave ’em a good bashing?’
Zara joined in with the laugh. ‘Well, not me exactly, more me metal bat, Maggie. She did all the work.’
Willie laughed again. ‘She?’
‘Yep, Maggie’s my iron maiden. I named her after Maggie Thatcher. Strong woman, she was.’
Even Lou had to chuckle at that, his tense shoulders and tight neck now more relaxed. ‘Blimey, you’re a cool cookie. But I gotta say, girl, ya don’t look the type.’
She raised a well-defined eyebrow. ‘No, you would never think that, would ya? Skinny minny me has a black belt in four martial arts, can fire a gun and hit the bull’s-eye twenty times in a row, and throw me nunchaku without knocking myself out.’
Willie was really warming to her. ‘Gawd, if you can fling a nunchaku without clouting yaself, then you go up in my books. Those things are lethal. I tried it once and gave meself concussion.’
Lou nearly spat his drink out. ‘Nope, Willie, you’ve always been a bit dopey.’
The discussion returned to the more serious matters at hand. ‘So, Staffie, I don’t know how you wanna play this, but, if I remember rightly, Mike said that one of them killed your dog and you want retribution, so that’s why I’m here. Mike’s inside, and I think it would be disrespectful if the Harmans were just permanently removed without you having your revenge, and, besides, you may want a few questions answered.’
Staffie looked at Lou and then at Willie. Both grinned and then nodded to Staffie. There seemed to be an unspoken language between them as if they could read each other’s minds. Growing up together and remaining close after all these years gave them that gift. A twitch of an eye, a particular smile – each meant different things.
‘Yeah, I think we need to have a word. Is the place equipped and secure, with no possibility of a comeback?’
‘Clean as a surgeon’s scalpel.’ Her words were enunciated so slowly and coldly that they lent a hint of psychopath to her.
Lou could picture Mike saying that. A thought popped into his head. Whether it was the two beers that upped his confidence or the don’t-give-a-shit mood he was in, he blurted out, ‘Do you still have a thing for Mikey?’
She twirled the small ring that hung on a chain around her neck and paused before answering, looking at each man in turn. ‘I’ve risked my neck hunting down the Harmans to find out where Mike’s son is. So I guess that answers your question.’
She stopped and looked at her own men. ‘Could you wait for me in the car? I’ll be out in a minute.’
Without a murmur or a quizzical look, Joshua got up first and held out his hand to shake Staffie’s, who stood up and returned the polite gesture. Once they were out of sight, Zara continued. ‘Izzy is dying. He wanted Mike to be on the firm for my sake. My dad felt I needed a bloke who he could trust and who would look after me. I don’t need Mike for that, though, as you can see. I have my own men. Joshua is a cousin, and he’s like a shadow. The other two, I’ve known since I was five years old, so I have my security, and they get paid well. You three and Mike are all tight. Well, so are we.’ She paused and looked down at her drink. ‘The truth is, I love Mike, and I can’t handle seeing the big man shrinking. He’s so distraught because he’s eaten up with pain, not knowing where his son his. One way or another, we need to ease that pain. So, lads, in short, there you have it.’
Staffie was stunned that Izzy’s daughter was so open. Lou, who was always more circumspect with people he didn’t know, had now reversed his opinion of her and was eager to believe everything she said. A woman like Zara, laying her emotions on the line, was a message that she was on their side.
‘Do you really believe that the Harmans had anything to do with Ricky’s disappearance? Or, like Mikey told us on a visit, do you think that Scottie was having an affair with Jackie, and he left her at the house that we now know she once owned? I mean, she must have planned to leave Mikey because she was siphoning his money away and ploughing it into that property,’ pressed Lou.
Zara sighed. ‘I was there when he killed Scottie. I couldn’t stop him in time, or I would have. I think Mike lost the plot. His anger was affecting his judgement, and he didn’t question that bloke enough to get the truth. It did make sense what Scottie claimed, but, on the other hand, it could have been a carefully planned manoeuvre. Leaving the string of doubt blowing in the wind is eating Mike up. The only way we’re going to know the truth is by questioning the Harmans Mikey’s way. I’ve had my people searching for Jackie for a year now, but not a single trail has popped up, and I’m talking about the best of the best for that job, so all we have are the Harmans.’
Willie rubbed his hands together. ‘Well, let’s get going.’
Lou grabbed his arm. ‘What about Eric? Shouldn’t we …?’
Willie glared back with a cold look in his eyes, while Staffie looked to the floor.
Zara clocked the unease. ‘Mike said he’s fucked off to Spain. Eric couldn’t handle it anymore. Me, I think differently.’ She hoped the men would air their views too, but, instead, they kept quiet.
* * *
By nightfall, Staffie, Willie, and Lou were parked up at the back of an address given to them by Zara. This was unlike their lock-up; a whole different ballgame. It was an aeroplane hangar with two other large buildings. The surrounding fields, awash with poppies and meadow flowers, went on for miles, with no other buildings in sight. Zara’s Audi and two other vehicles were parked up in front of the hangar. Staffie zipped up his short leather jacket and pulled on his gloves. Willie was seated in the back and Lou was in the front, smoking a roll-up.
‘Why do you smoke that shit?’ asked Staffie.
‘Saves money and it helps me cut down, ’cos I can’t normally be bothered to roll them,’ replied Lou.
Willie laughed. ‘Nah, ya tight bastard, ya always nicked my Bensons. Wanna line of charlie?’
Staffie grunted. ‘Cut out the cocaine. I don’t want you letting rip. Remember, we need information, not an excuse for rearranging their limbs.’
Willie kissed his diver’s knife. ‘She ain’t been in use for some time now.’
‘Willie, stop snorting that shit. Ya look deranged, mate,’ said Staffie, staring at him through the rear-view mirror.’
With an ugly grin, Willie winked. ‘I am deranged.’
Lou rolled his eyes. ‘’Ere we fucking go. Willie, keep a lid on it. You can use ya weird boggle eyes to freak ’em out, but hold off with the tools.’
‘If I cut off a finger or two, it may speed up the answers.’ He was joking, but this wasn’t the time for playing around.
‘If anyone’s gonna cut up the enemy, it’s fucking me, after what they did to me dog.’