Inside the boxing club, it was warm and smelled of rubber mats mixed with the tang of old perspiration.
Usually, Arthur would have arrived and gotten straight on with the cleaning. He did the changing rooms first followed by the main gym area. Today, though, he needed to talk to his brother first.
His brother, Gregory, was standing on the side of the ring, leaning on the ropes and shouting out encouragement at two of the lads sparring off.
There were only a few lads gathered beside the ring. The rest of them were using the punch bags at the far end of the gym.
Arthur watched the boxing for a moment in silence. The bigger boy should have had the advantage, but it was the younger one, who was faster with his feet and hands, who was getting in the best blows.
When Gregory barked at the two lads to take a break, Arthur chose that opportunity to approach him.
When Gregory noticed his brother, he frowned. “All right, Arthur. Have you made a start on the changing rooms yet?”
Arthur shook his head, and Gregory’s frown deepened.
Sometimes, Arthur really hated working for his brother. He used to work at a warehouse, packing and moving boxes, but he had been laid off two years ago and had to come cap in hand to Gregory asking for a job. Which really ate away at his pride.
To his credit, Gregory had given him a job without a murmur, but every time Gregory looked at him, Arthur thought he was stifling his irritation.
He hated to be thought of as the less successful brother. Everyone loved Gregory. With his fair good looks and sparkling blue eyes, he’d had the ladies chasing after him since he was a teenager. Arthur was always in the golden boy’s shadow, and he resented it. Then Gregory had taken over the boxing club and turned it around into something special. He’d managed to get a couple of prize-winning fighters training in the gym after he took it over, and since then he’d gone from success to success.
Boxing could be a lucrative business, with the right promotion and money for fights, not to mention a little gambling on the side, but Gregory’s wealth didn’t simply come from boxing, although it was a nice legitimate front.
“Why the long face, Arthur?”
Arthur swallowed nervously then said, “We need to talk.”
“We are talking.”
“No, I mean we need to talk in private.”
That familiar look of irritation flashed across Gregory’s face and then he jerked his chin in the direction of the small room at the back of the gym he used as an office.
Arthur followed his brother over to the office and then shut the door behind them.
“Right. Come on then, spit it out.”
Arthur’s legs felt a bit shaky, and he wanted to sit down, but as Gregory remained standing, he did so too.
He knew the best way was to just come straight out with it. There was no point trying to butter him up first. Gregory didn’t like that, and he would see through Arthur immediately.
“Dave Carter was round my house last night. He wants a cut.” Arthur held his breath as he waited for his brother’s reaction.
Gregory was dangerously silent. He cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes as he looked at his brother. “And how the hell would Dave Carter know about our little side business?”
Arthur put up his hands and shook his head frantically. “I didn’t tell him. I swear I didn’t. But somehow he has found out, and he wants a cut in exchange for protection.”
Gregory gritted his teeth and then leaned heavily on the desk, cursing loudly.
He’d had it far too good for too long. Arthur wanted to remind him how lucky he was that nobody had got wind of it before now. He’d been skating on thin ice for a long time. If Dave Carter had got wind of their stolen goods racket, then it wouldn’t be long before others did, too.
“What exactly does he know?”
Arthur licked his lips. “I’m not sure. He came round to mine because of some bust up between my boy and his. I thought he was going to bleeding kill me, but then he told me he needed my help. He asked me to persuade you, but he left me in no doubt that if I couldn’t, he would turn to more aggressive tactics.”
Gregory slammed a fist on the desk. Arthur hadn’t seen his brother lose his cool like this before and a small part of him actually felt pleased.
Gregory snapped his head around to face his brother. “You really are a fool, Arthur. Did Carter only mention the stolen goods…or was he referring to something else?”
Arthur shook his head, feeling confused. “Something else? What else could it be?”
Gregory clenched his fists. “This is all I need. We’ve been so careful. I didn’t even trust my own brother, and I’m glad of that now,” he muttered.
Arthur was about to ask his brother what he was going on about when he saw the fury in Gregory’s eyes and decided to bite his tongue.
Arthur kept quiet as Gregory ranted and raved about Dave Carter.
Finally, after his brother ran out of steam, Arthur asked, “What are we going to do?”
Gregory’s head jerked up as he glared at his brother. “What are we going to do? We aren’t going to do anything, are we? You’re gonna get out there and clean the sodding bogs, and I will have to sort this out on my own. Go on, get out of my sight.”
Arthur felt his cheeks burn in response to his brother’s treatment. He really could be a git at times.
Arthur stalked out of the room, wishing he had another job he could go to, so he could tell his brother where to stick this one.
* * *
That afternoon, after Freddie had driven her back from Surrey, Babs sat in the front room, nursing a sherry and feeling very sorry for herself. She had an absolutely blinding headache and still felt tearful. Her throat ached from all the tears she had shed earlier.
She’d almost polished off her first sherry when there was a loud hammering at the door.
Babs stood up and glanced out of the front room window so she could see out onto the street, and she caught sight of her visitor’s navy blue, wool coat and curly grey hair.
Oh, Christ. A visit from Martin’s mother was all she needed.
Babs set down her sherry glass on the coffee table and marched up to the front door.
She yanked open the door, and before she could even say hello to Violet, the old woman launched into a vitriol-filled tirade.
“You’ve really blown it this time, my girl! What kind of woman sends her own children away?”
Babs was in no mood for this. She had been just about to invite Violet in, but now there was no way she was going to allow that woman to step foot inside her house. She crossed her arms over her chest and blocked the doorway, preventing Violet from entering.
“Get out of my way,” Violet ordered, trying to push past Babs.
But Babs stood firm. She was sick and tired of being pushed around by Violet.
“I’ve got a headache, Violet. It’s not a good time,” Babs said as she prepared to shut the front door.
“Don’t you bleeding shut that door on me!” Violet screeched.
Babs noticed some curtain twitching going on over the road as Violet caused a scene. Usually, Babs would have ushered her mother-in-law inside and tried to calm her down, but today she really didn’t care what the neighbours thought.
“No.”
“No? What do you mean no?” Violet’s face was a picture.
She looked up, horrified. Babs had never refused her entry in the past, and as her sons both bowed down to their mother, she was used to getting her own way.
“You heard me,” Babs said. “The children are in school. It’s the best place for them.”
“I always knew you were a rubbish mother. But if you are having trouble, you’re supposed to turn to family. You should have come to me and told me you couldn’t cope.”
Babs’ cheeks flamed red, and her palms itched to reach out and slap Violet Morton’s face.
There was no way she would ever go to Violet for help with her childr
en, especially seeing how Martin and Tony had turned out.
“They’re my children, and I’ll do what I see fit,” Babs hissed.
Violet shook her head. “I told Martin you’d be a terrible wife. He should have listened to me. Look how those poor little kids have turned out.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my kids,” Babs roared, forgetting that just this morning she was despairing of the pair of them. “And I don’t see how you have the nerve to come around here spouting off advice after the way your two boys have turned out!”
“What are you talking about, you silly tart? My boys are both perfect gentlemen.”
“One of your boys has been in prison for the last ten years, and the other one is only happy when he is surrounded by women and booze. He can’t even manage the family business without my direction.”
Violet’s tiny figure shook with rage, and she raised her handbag and jerked forward to whack Babs with it.
Babs easily ducked out of the way and cackled with laughter. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Violet?”
As Babs laughed on and on and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, Violet’s face was getting redder and redder until it almost looked purple.
Just then, an older woman and a young lad walked past on the other side of the street.
The lad asked the woman what was happening. He was clearly engrossed in the argument between Babs and Violet. But the woman hurried him along and then she turned to him and said in a very loud voice, “Don’t you mind about that one, Jimmy. She is all fur coat and no knickers.”
Babs stop laughing abruptly, and both she and Violet turned to look at the woman. Babs opened her mouth to shout some insults back at the old trout who had dared to insult her when the words froze in her throat.
She recognised the woman. Mary bloody Diamond. And that meant… The boy with her was Jimmy Diamond.
Babs felt sick. Suddenly her argument with Violet was no longer fun.
That boy was Martin’s son. Seeing him felt like a kick in the stomach, a reminder of the child Babs had lost. Her precious Emily had been taken while that bastard boy had thrived.
Babs furiously slammed the door in Violet’s face and stormed back inside.
For a full ten minutes, Violet shouted at her, hammering on the front door and even leaning over to rap on the window with her knuckles, but Babs ignored her.
Seeing that little boy had brought back all the memories of the betrayal she’d felt when Martin had had an affair with Kathleen Diamond, and she felt her heart ache from the loss of her little one. How was it fair that Martin’s bastard had survived while her poor baby hardly had a chance to live?
Martin told her he’d arranged for Kathleen and the child to be taken off somewhere safe, but when Kathleen’s body was found floating in the canal, Babs had put two and two together. It was an uncomfortable thought. She knew Martin could be an evil bastard, but to murder the mother of his child... Babs shivered. He really was a monster.
Since Mary Diamond only lived a couple of streets away, she couldn’t really avoid seeing them. Every time she saw Jimmy, it was like a slap in the face.
Babs had been so angry at Martin when she discovered what he had done, so she hadn’t been thinking straight when Dave Carter approached her. If she’d have been in her right mind, she would never have betrayed Martin. Not because she loved him, but because she was afraid of him.
Martin was banged up, but Babs would never be safe. She would have to live with fear for the rest of her life. It was inevitable. One day, Martin would find out how she’d betrayed him.
CHAPTER 13
William Moss was having one of the worst days of his life. He’d thought he’d sunk as low as he could go when he’d been sentenced to five years for fraud a few months ago. As a solicitor, that pretty much meant an end to his career. So not only was he banged up for five years, he also had no job or career to return to at the end of it.
But if he thought he’d hit bottom when he was sentenced, he was gravely mistaken.
William realised that now as two heavyset men loomed over him in the exercise yard.
He’d been glad of the fresh air and the chance to see the sky when he’d first stepped out on the bright summer’s morning, but now he wished he was safely back in his cell.
He didn’t recognise the men and had no idea what he’d done to upset them. But sadly, he had already learned that prison was a place where people would attack you for no reason at all.
William was a weedy man. There was no way he could match up to these men physically. The only things he had to his advantage were his brains and his quick wits.
“Hang on, fellows, surely we can just talk things over like gentlemen.”
The taller of the two men bellowed out a booming laugh and turned to his friend. “Did you hear that, Michael? He thinks we’re gentlemen.”
Michael cackled with laughter, showing a mouthful of rotten teeth that made William feel sick.
Michael leaned closer to him, breathing his stinky breath all over William’s face as he said, “We are not gentlemen.”
William shook his head. “If I’ve done something to upset you, I apologise.”
“We don’t want your apology,” Michael said and spat on the floor. “We want payment.”
William swallowed and dug around in his pockets until he pulled out a bar of chocolate, he thrust it towards Michael. He hoped that would do. That was all he had. “Here, you can have it with my compliments.”
Michael pocketed the goods and then looked at his friend. “His compliments. Did you hear that?”
And just as William was hoping the matter was all settled, Michael made one swift movement, bringing his arm around and hitting William on the side of the face. It was an open-handed slap and didn’t have much force behind it, but it was still hard enough to make William’s ears ring as he gaped in surprise.
William felt horrified as he realised he was close to tears.
It was so unfair. He’d given the men what they wanted, and now they were going to beat him up anyway.
He raised his arms to try and ward off some of the blows, but before Michael got a chance to hit him again, he heard a low voice quietly murmur, “That’s enough lads.”
There was a change in the atmosphere immediately. William heard Michael’s sharp intake of breath, and when he dared to look up through his fingers, he saw a tall, slim figure standing over him.
He might have had no idea who the two men who accosted him were, but even William Moss knew who Martin Morton was.
William began to tremble. This day was going from bad to worse.
With a few muttered apologies, Michael and his crony quickly left the scene.
Martin stared down at William, and it was a moment before William realised he was still crouched on the floor with his arms up over his head. Feeling a little bit daft, he quickly straightened up, nodded once at Martin Morton and then made to walk away.
If he just kept his head down and kept on walking then maybe he’d get out of this alive…
“Not so fast.”
William’s stomach churned with nerves as he slowly turned back around to face Martin Morton.
“Mr. Morton. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” William held out his hand formally.
A smirk twitched on Martin’s mouth, but eventually he reached out and took William’s hand in a vice-like grip, shaking it firmly.
William stood there, transfixed. He was shaking, and while he tried to tell himself it was due to the cold nip in the air, he knew it was really because he was standing in front of Martin Morton, the gangster, who was well known to rule the roost in prison.
“Can I help you with something… sir?”
William added sir to his question as an afterthought. It didn’t hurt to show as much respect as he could.
“I’ve heard you are a solicitor.”
William nodded slowly as the penny began to drop. “I used to be.”
“What are you doing i
n here then?”
“Fraud,” William said. There didn’t seem to be any point in lying.
“Something concerns me, William.”
William picked up on Martin’s use of his first name. He hadn’t thought Martin would know who he was.
“Are you really any good at your job? I mean, if you are a good solicitor, one would hope you’d manage to keep yourself out of prison.”
Although it was foolish, William couldn’t help bristling from the insult. He’d been an excellent solicitor. The trouble was, William’s boss was a conniving bastard, and had set William up to take the fall for his fraudulent activities. William had been sewn up like a kipper.
“I was very good at my job,” William said. “Unfortunately, I trusted the wrong people.”
Martin nodded slowly as if he was considering William’s words carefully. “You’d be wise to trust no one, William. I hope you’ve learned that lesson now.” William nodded. He had. Now that he’d lost his job, and he had nothing to do with his days, he spent most of his time plotting revenge against the people who had put him in here. Never again would he fall for such a dirty trick.
“I appreciate you intervening just then,” William said, feeling a little more confident now that Martin was talking to him like a normal person. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad, after all. “I’m not sure what I did to upset them. But they seem to have it in for me.”
“Prison life isn’t much different from life on the outside, William,” Martin said. “You need to operate in much the same way, and that means making the right connections. Do you understand?”
William nodded. “I do. That makes sense.”
William did understand, and it was all very well to say make the right connections, but William had always been on the right side of the law. He didn’t know how to operate in the underworld, and honestly, he wasn’t keen on finding out how either.
But it seemed like he didn’t have much choice.
“Now, if you stick with me. I’ll make sure those lads don’t bother you again.”
William exhaled a long breath in relief. He didn’t know why Martin Morton was being nice to him, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “That’s really very kind of you, Mr. Morton.”
East End 02-East End Diamond Page 9