East End 02-East End Diamond
Page 32
“I hoped you might permit me to give you a lift home,” Dave said. “Your grandson has been a very good friend to my son, and it would be an honour if I could drive you home today.”
Jimmy’s nan smiled. “That is ever so kind of you. Jimmy and I were just wondering how we would manage with the bus.”
Dave returned her smile, and as Mary slid her arm through his, he helped them down the corridor, supporting Mary’s weight.
Jimmy couldn’t utter a word. He wondered how much Georgie or Big Tim had told Dave about what happened at Mortons’ club. For the most part, Jimmy was trying to keep his head down and avoiding everyone.
Although Linda thought he was some kind of hero after trying to save Ruby, she still didn’t know the whole story. Jimmy felt anxious about the whole thing. He was convinced that soon everybody would find out exactly what he had done, and they would hate him for it.
Dave chatted away amiably with Jimmy’s nan. When Jimmy first started washing the cars at Dave’s workshop, Mary hadn’t been very keen on the idea at all, but to hear her talk to Dave Carter now, anyone would think they were old friends.
Jimmy shook his head. He didn’t think he would ever understand grown-ups.
Dave had a brand-new Ford waiting for them. He’d parked just up around the corner from the hospital. He told Jimmy and Mary to wait at the front entrance and brought the car round to them.
It was a smashing motor. Jimmy liked the Ford Zodiacs, and this one was really something special, with its gleaming two tone paintwork in red and cream.
“Oh, my,” his nan exclaimed as she sunk into the comfortable back seat. “This is lovely, isn’t it, Jimmy?”
Jimmy grinned at her enthusiastic reaction, and after she was safely settled in the back, he joined Dave in the front, slipping into the passenger’s seat.
Jimmy was determined that he would have a motor just like this when he was older. He wanted money and power. He didn’t want to be like Martin Morton, but he wouldn’t mind growing up to be just like Dave Carter.
It didn’t take them long to get from The London Hospital back to their home in Poplar. And to Jimmy’s surprise, Dave didn’t simply drop them at the door and leave them to it. Instead, he helped Jimmy get Mary inside and settled.
“Linda made us a stew, nan,” Jimmy said. “She left it in the kitchen for us to heat through later.”
His nan sank back into her favourite armchair with a sigh of contentment. “That was very kind of Linda. I’ll pop round when I’m feeling a bit better and say thank you. She did right by us when I was ill. You don’t forget things like that.”
Jimmy told Dave and his nan he would make the tea and headed off to the kitchen.
He could hear Dave and his nan talking in the front room, and it felt nice. It warmed his heart to see his nan sitting in her armchair again. He had missed her so much when she’d been in hospital. It seemed like everything in Jimmy’s life had spiralled out of control starting from the moment his nan had been taken ill.
He hoped things could get back to normal now. No doubt, Martin was still out for his blood, but Big Tim was on Jimmy’s side, and Jimmy hoped that if he was good from now on, and didn’t get into any more trouble, then maybe things could go back to how they used to be.
As Jimmy poured boiling water into the teapot, he heard Dave enter the kitchen behind him.
He replaced the lid on the teapot and then turned to look at Dave, who wore a serious expression.
Dave pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down. “I hear you’ve done something stupid, Jimmy. Do you want to tell me about it?”
Jimmy shook his head urgently. No. He didn’t want to talk about it ever again.
Dave tilted his head to one side, studying Jimmy. “Have you ever heard the saying that only fools rush in?”
Jimmy wasn’t sure where this was heading, but he nodded slowly.
“You won’t get anywhere in this world if you’re always acting with a hothead,” Dave told him. “You’ve got a lot to learn, son.”
Jimmy wondered whether he could confide in Dave. Could he trust him? Or had Big Tim and Georgie already told him everything?
If Dave knew he had started the fire, then Jimmy wanted him to know his reasons behind it. He didn’t want him to think that he was just a young hooligan.
“I think Martin Morton killed my mother,” Jimmy blurted out.
Dave didn’t contradict him or even try to reassure him, which is what Jimmy had expected him to do.
Instead, he reached over and patted Jimmy on the shoulder. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Jimmy. The first lesson is that revenge is a dish best served cold. You can’t rush things like this. But if you stick with me, son. I’ll see you get your revenge.”
Jimmy blinked in surprise. He knew, from the chatter around the workshop and from what little Georgie had said, that Dave Carter did not like Martin Morton. He might be young, but even Jimmy understood that Dave Carter would be a powerful friend to have in his corner.
Jimmy nodded his agreement, and Dave smiled. “Good lad. If you feel the temptation to take matters into your own hands again, you come to me first. Deal?”
Jimmy considered it for a moment and then nodded. “Deal.”
CHAPTER 52
Babs Morton sat on the narrow bed in her cell. She’d been in Holloway for a few weeks now. At first, they’d put her in one of the shared cells, and that hadn’t worked out too well. Babs had kicked up such a stink eventually they’d moved her to one of the single cells.
But now she was regretting being so hasty. Although they had time in the communal areas and were allowed to have some time outside in the yard, most of her days were spent staring at the dreary, blue walls with nobody to talk to.
The only thing that kept Babs going was thinking up ideas for her revenge.
Two years was a bloody long time, but Babs knew she could get through it.
It had broken her heart when Ruby had come to visit her. She could tell the girl was confused, and she knew that behind-the-scenes Martin and his horrible mother were pulling the strings.
The night after Ruby’s first visit, Babs cried herself to sleep. Tony swore blind he’d told Derek his mother was in prison, but she hadn’t seen Derek yet, or even received a letter. It was almost as if her son had fallen off the face of the earth.
When she talked the matter over with Frieda, the older woman had nodded and said perhaps Derek was rather taken with his new posh way of life and suggested he was ashamed of his old East End family.
But Babs couldn’t believe Derek had turned his back on her for good. She just needed to get out of this place, and she knew everything could be made right again between her and her children. But for now, it was a waiting game. A matter of counting down the time until she could get out.
She bit down hard on her thumbnail.
If any of her old neighbours or friends could have seen her now, they wouldn’t recognise her. She had almost an inch of dark roots on show and couldn’t be bothered to use any makeup. Some of the other women smuggled certain cosmetic items in, but Babs didn’t see the point.
Her once beautifully painted nails, which used to be her pride and joy, were now bitten down to the quick as she chewed on them constantly, thinking over how she could payback her treacherous husband and that bastard, Dave Carter.
When Babs got out of there, she was going to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget in a hurry. The pair of them had better watch out because they wouldn’t know what had hit them.
She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. Oh yes, Babs Morton would be back, and then the whole of the East End better watch out.
A NOTE FROM DANI
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I really do appreciate each and every review. Thank you so much for reading!
I also write under the name D.S Butler and you can find a list of those books on the next page.
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www.danioakleybooks.com
ALSO BY DANI OAKLEY
Dani Oakley also writes under the name D.S. Butler. You can find the books here:
Deadly Obsession
Deadly Motive
Deadly Revenge
Deadly Justice
Deadly Ritual
Deadly Payback
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
A Note from Dani
Also by Dani Oakley