The Victim

by Kimberley Chambers

  With a spring in her step, Frankie packed her belongings up. She was done and dusted in ten minutes flat. She sat back down on her bed, rubbed her swollen tummy and whispered to her bump. ‘Your father might have taken your brother and sister away from me, but he’ll never get his evil hands on you. I still don’t know if you’re a little boy or a girl, but whatever you are, your mummy will love you dearly and you will belong to her.’

  Unaware that his sister was about to be moved, Joey Mitchell opened the front door and gave his father a hug. He had barely seen his old man since Frankie’s last court case and, seeing as they’d only recently been on good terms again, Joey had missed their new-found closeness.

  Eddie kissed his son on the forehead and then shook Dominic’s hand. Dom was Joey’s boyfriend and when Ed had originally found out about his son’s sexuality, he’d gone apeshit. Being a notorious East End gangster, Ed just couldn’t deal with the fact that his sperm had produced a homosexual son, and it had taken a lot of pride for him to step down off his anti-gay soapbox.

  Now things were different and even though Ed still couldn’t quite understand his son’s preferences, he’d learned to live with them. It also helped that Dominic was a lovely fella – so much so that Eddie often felt guilty for turning up at his flat that time and threatening to cut his cock off.

  When Joey’s Chihuahua ran into the hallway to greet him, Ed picked the dog up and kissed her on the nose. He’d always loved animals, especially dogs. ‘Hello Madonna, my little darling,’ he said, laughing.

  Dominic grinned. ‘I hope you’re hungry, Ed. I’ve just made a big pot of chilli for lunch. I’ve used lean steak mince, of course. It’s a wonderful recipe; my mother gave it to me.’

  Eddie smiled. He was anything but hungry – he felt too worried to eat – but he didn’t want to be rude. ‘I could do with a drink first, actually. Listen, I need to speak to yous boys, so get us all a drink and we’ll chat before we have any grub.’

  Joey sat down nervously on the sofa. His dad wasn’t his usual jovial self and he hoped that whatever was wrong didn’t involve Frankie. His twin sister had been through hell already and it would be awful if she had been beaten up in prison or something.

  Dominic handed Eddie and Joey a bottle of lager each and sat on the armchair.

  ‘Please tell me that nothing bad’s happened to Frankie, Dad. I couldn’t deal with her having any more bad luck.’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘Frankie’s OK. She rang me yesterday. Look, I don’t want you to worry about this, because it’s probably just me being paranoid, but yesterday I went round to Jimmy O’Hara’s to try and sort things out. Someone has to try and shovel up the mess your uncles have created, so I thought I’d offer him a truce.’

  The colour drained from Joey’s face. ‘He didn’t threaten you, did he?’

  ‘No, he wasn’t even there. The whole place was locked up, no one was there, so I rang Pat Murphy, who informed me that the O’Haras have gone away and they’ve been missing for over a week. Georgie and Harry are obviously with them, but no one seems to know where they’ve gone. I don’t trust O’Hara – he’s a snake, always has been – so I just want you and Dominic to be extra vigilant, in case they’re planning any repercussions.’

  ‘What! And you think they’d come here?’ Dom asked anxiously.

  ‘No, I don’t. If Jimmy or Jed want anyone’s blood, it’s mine, not yours, but just watch your backs. I shouldn’t think for a minute that they even have a clue where you live, but I don’t trust the pikey bastards. They’re scum, the lowest of the low and I would never put anything past ’em.’

  When the room fell silent, Joey picked Madonna up and held her to his chest. ‘If anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll kill them,’ he whispered in her ear.

  Aware that his boyfriend was worried, Dominic broke the ice. ‘So how’s Gina, Eddie? And when are you both going to let me and Joey take you to that fabulous new restaurant we told you about?’

  ‘Gina’s fine. She’s staying at her mate Claire’s at the moment, but as soon as I sort things with O’Hara, she’ll come back home. To be honest, I really miss her; I’m rattling around like a lost sheep in that cottage on me own.’

  Joey handed Madonna to Dominic. ‘Take her outside for a wee-wee, Dom. I need to have a quiet word with my dad.’

  When Dominic left the room, Joey closed the door and turned to Eddie. ‘I didn’t want to say too much in front of Dom ’cause, unlike our family, his parents are so normal, but what I don’t understand is how is Jimmy O’Hara going to accept a truce when Uncle Ronny and Paulie have killed his son and blown his grandchild to pieces?’

  Eddie was a little taken aback. Unlike his other two sons, Gary and Ricky, Joey had rarely taken any interest in the family business or asked any questions in the past. Ed downed the rest of his lager and decided to be truthful with Joey.

  ‘I’m going to offer O’Hara Ronny and Paulie on a plate. Tell him that what happened was fuck-all to do with me and if he wants revenge, it’s all right to do whatever he wants to do to them. And before you call me a wrong ’un, Ronny and Paulie are in Belmarsh, where I know plenty of people who will watch their backs for me so O’Hara’s henchmen can’t get to ’em. What else can I say to the man, Joey? I have no choice.’

  Joey had steel in his eyes as he faced his father. When he was a child, he’d been a proper crybaby and even now he’d sob at the drop of a hat, especially if it was a sad story or film where someone was nasty to an animal. But at the end of the day, he wasn’t a boy any more, he was a man. He might be gay, enjoy a normal life and detest violence, but he was still his father’s son.

  ‘Paulie and Ronny are both a pair of arseholes, always have been. I’ve never liked them and neither has Frankie. They haven’t exactly got many good points, have they?’

  Eddie threw an incredulous glance Joey’s way. He couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing and for a second he wondered if his son was taking the piss out of the callous way he’d sometimes behaved in the past.

  ‘Are you having a laugh with me or what, Joey?’

  ‘No, Dad. I’m deadly serious.’

  Eddie scratched his head. It was a habit of his when he was struggling for the right words. ‘Look, I know what you’re saying, and yes, your uncles are both arseholes, especially Ronny, but they’re still our flesh and blood, son. Even though I’m gonna tell O’Hara it’s OK to fucking top ’em, I don’t think he has the power to do it. Once they come out of Belmarsh he might, but they’re looking at life and until then, I think they’re both safe. Whatever my or your opinion of ’em, I grew up with ’em, and you know how much I loved your grandad Harry. I can’t, in reality, order a hit on me own, Joey, it ain’t done in my circles.’

  Joey faced his father with a nonchalant expression on his face. He walked towards him and placed his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. ‘Listen to me Dad, and listen carefully. I might not be part of your world, but I’m not stupid. If I was, I wouldn’t be working in the Stock Exchange. I’m worried about us. Me, you, Frankie, Dom, Nan and Grandad. And let’s not forget about Dom, Gina, Gary and Ricky. Mum’s death toughened me up and I’ve thought about your world a lot since. Do you honestly think that if you offer O’Hara Paulie and Ronny and then he can’t get to them, he’s gonna fall for that? He won’t. I barely know the man and even I know he won’t. Frustration at not getting his own back will set in and then he’ll look for other targets. You seem to be more concerned about Jimmy, but I know that Jed is the worst out of the lot, Dad. Frankie didn’t tell me too much, but I know he’s evil and he won’t let something like this rest. Don’t ask anyone to protect your brothers in prison. It’s all their own doing, aint it? Let the O’Hara’s have their revenge. If you don’t, you’re putting all our lives at risk.’

  Frankie’s good mood evaporated as she walked into the dormitory and saw who she’d be sharing with. The girl that had bullied and humiliated Frankie on her arrival at Holloway had been black and this girl was the s
ame colour. Fearing the worst, Frankie smiled and nervously held out her right hand.

  ‘Hi, my name’s Frankie.’

  As the girl stood up, Frankie was shocked by how short she was. She was no more than five feet tall, if that. With a mass of bushy afro hair and enormous breasts, she almost looked as though she was about to topple over. The girl smiled, and as she did, her face lit up. She had one of the most beautiful smiles that Frankie had ever seen, and perfect white teeth. As she began to speak, her voice had a slight Jamaican lilt to it.

  ‘Thank you, Lord. I prayed last night that I wouldn’t be saddled with another head case, and he must have listened because he sent me you. My name’s Barbara, but you can call me Babs. Me and you, Frankie, are gonna get along just fine.’

  Eddie arrived home, poured a large Scotch and sat at the kitchen table. The cottage seemed dismal and lonely without Gina’s presence and he couldn’t wait for her to return. Unable to stop thinking about what Joey had said earlier, Ed mulled over his words once more. The boy was right: if O’Hara couldn’t get to Paulie and Ronny, he’d get his revenge elsewhere. With his conscience pricking him, Ed topped his drink up. If he ordered nobody to watch his brother’s backs in Belmarsh, he was sure O’Hara could find somebody to get to them. The question was, could Eddie order his own brothers’ death sentences? He was temporarily saved from feeling like an executioner by the shrill ring of his phone.

  ‘Ed, it’s Pat. Just a quick call to let you know that Jimmy’s home. They’re all back, including Jed and your grandkids. Apparently they’d spent the week with poor Marky’s wife and kids.’

  ‘Did you tell Jimmy that I wanna speak to him, Pat?’

  ‘No. To be honest, I don’t really want to get involved, mate. It’s awkward, because I’m friends with the both of yous. Having said that, I do think you need to sort it, Ed. I know you’re no man’s fool, but if I was you I’d get this shit sorted fast. Jimmy ain’t a man to be messed with, you know.’

  Eddie ended the call and sat back down at the kitchen table. He could sense the threat in Pat Murphy’s voice: O’Hara had said something to him, that part was obvious. Furious with the decision he was now faced with, Ed slammed his glass down so hard that it shattered into pieces. The O’Haras were the bane of his life and he would never be truly happy until they were all dead.

  Over in the maternity wing in Holloway, Frankie and Babs were getting along rather well. Frankie had been suspicious of Babs’ warm welcome at first, but the more she’d chatted to her, the more her earlier distrust had evaporated. Babs was six months into her pregnancy and, like Frankie, she was also the mother of two other children, a boy and a girl. The only subject they hadn’t yet discussed was how they’d both come to end up in prison. Frankie was the first to broach the subject.

  ‘So when is your court case, Babs? And how long have you actually been in Holloway?’

  ‘My trial is probably next year sometime. I’ve been in here four months, but I know I’m gonna get life.’

  Frankie was gobsmacked. Babs seemed so nice, but she must have done something really bad to be looking at life. Sensing Frankie’s reluctance to ask her what she’d done, Babs started to open up. In the four months she had already spent in Holloway, she had never really talked about her crime. The other inmates all knew what she’d been charged with, but nobody knew why she had done it. Her usually bubbly expression disappeared and was instantly replaced by a look of sadness.

  ‘My first boyfriend, Dennis, was a bastard to me. He’s the father of my daughter, Matilda, and I met him when I was fifteen. As soon as I fell pregnant, the beatings started. He nearly killed me one time; pushed me down some concrete stairs and I was in hospital for nearly two month. He was Jamaican, like me, and involved with the Yardies, into drugs, prostitution, the works. Once he even made me sleep with a mate of his while he filmed it.’

  ‘Oh my God, that’s awful,’ Frankie said, shocked.

  Months of not speaking about what had happened came bubbling to the surface and Babs was determined to share her burden with Frankie.

  ‘That’s nothing compared to what happened next. I contacted one of those women’s refuge places and they were brilliant. They put me in one of their safe houses and me and Matilda were so happy until Dennis turned up one day and set fire to the place with us inside. We managed to escape through a back window, but it were such an awful experience, Frankie. Even to this day, a whiff of smoke is enough to frighten the living daylights out of me.

  ‘The police never caught Dennis: he went on the run, and he knew the right people to protect him. Me and Matilda got moved again, this time to Surrey, but I could never say we were happy there. I used to sit in the dark most nights in case Dennis had found out where we were. Then, one fine day, a copper knocked at the door. Dennis had been found dead on the streets of Brixton. He’d OD’d on drugs, crack cocaine, and the police reckon he’d died in a house or flat and had been dumped on the pavement after his death. I was so happy. All I wanted was to move back near my family and friends, but Dennis dying just seemed too good to be true. I insisted on viewing his body – I needed to know it was definitely him – and when I saw his evil face in that morgue, I danced for joy, as I was finally free.’

  ‘So, how did you end up in here? The police didn’t accuse you of injecting him or something, did they?’

  Babs shook her head. ‘Dennis died over ten years ago and I vowed never to get involved with any other man, but I was desperate for a brother or sister for Matilda, so I had a fling until I got what I wanted. Jordan’s dad was a guy called Brandon. I barely knew him, and I never told him Jordan were his son. He seemed an OK sort of dude, but he lived with a girl. I doubt he would have been happy about it, as I’d told him I was on the pill. Me and the kids were then given a council house in Streatham and that was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. There was a park nearby and because I never had much money, I used to buy a cheap loaf of bread and take the kids there to feed the ducks. Then one day I got talking to this guy. I’d seen him there before and he seemed so nice. He was great with the kids, especially Jordan.’

  When Babs began to cry, Frankie sat on the bunk next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘If it’s too upsetting for you, don’t tell me any more,’ Frankie whispered.

  ‘I want to. I need to tell someone,’ Babs sobbed.

  Trying her hardest to pull herself together, Babs continued her story. ‘Unlike all my ex-boyfriends, Peter was a white dude. He was a bus driver and seemed such a kind, honest, down-to-earth person. I didn’t rush into anything. I met him loads of times at the park before I agreed to go out on a date with him.’

  ‘Ssh, it’s OK. He can’t hurt you no more, nobody can,’ Frankie soothed, as Babs began to cry once again.

  ‘I went out with Peter a whole year before I let him move in with me. He’d play football with Jordan, help Matilda with her homework, he seemed like the ideal stepfather. Then one day I was meant to be taking Jordan to his friend’s birthday party. Peter had offered to look after Matilda and I told him I’d be back in a couple of hours. When I got to the party, they’d had to cancel it because the child’s grandma had died suddenly. Jordan was upset, so I said we’d go home and Peter would take us all to the Wimpy. As I opened the front door, I could hear Matilda crying. I thought she’d fallen over and hurt herself, but as I listened more carefully I realised it was something much worse. “Please stop, Peter, you’re hurting me,” she was pleading. Twelve years old, that’s all she was.’

  ‘Oh my God,’ Frankie whispered. She had guessed what was coming next.

  ‘I told Jordan to be quiet and sit in the living room, then I took the dagger out of the drawer. It had once belonged to Dennis, but I had always kept it after I split up with him, as it made me feel safe. I crept upstairs and saw the bastard with my own eyes. Matilda was naked from the waist downwards and Peter was raping her. I tiptoed into the room and then I stabbed him in the back over and over again, until the brea
th and blood seeped out of him.’

  Frankie was crying herself now. She thought she’d had it tough with Jed, but it was nothing compared to what poor Babs had been through. ‘You won’t get life. If you tell the jury the truth, they’ll let you off, I know they will.’

  ‘I can’t. Apart from you, I’ve told nobody. I told the solicitor I killed Peter because he used to beat me up.’

  A good judge of character, Frankie now decided that Babs was the real deal, totally genuine. She urged her to listen to what she had to say. ‘I’ll have a word with my dad if you like. He’ll find you a good brief to represent you. Babs, you must tell the truth for the sake of your children. I know your mum is looking after them, but they need you, especially Matilda.’

  Babs shook her head furiously, then put her hands protectively on her rounded stomach. ‘I will never put my Matilda through a court case and let’s not forget, I’m carrying that evil bastard’s child. I love my children more than anything else in the world, and to protect them, I’m willing to keep my trap shut and do life.’

  Eddie Mitchell stared at the clock on the kitchen wall. He had promised himself he would make a decision by midnight and he had ten minutes left to do so. He poured himself another Scotch and stared at the now empty bottle. Jessica used to hate him drinking the stuff, said it changed him as a person and made him violent. Well, tonight he’d done at least three quarters of a litre, but he wasn’t drunk and had only been drinking to help him make a decision. Picking up his glass, Eddie walked into the lounge. A big photograph of his dad was on the opposite wall to Jessica’s. It had been taken on his dad’s sixtieth birthday at the restaurant where they’d all celebrated and Harry looked as large as life, with a big grin on his face and a fat cigar in his hand. Ed stared at the photo and smiled sadly. He still missed his dad dreadfully and he would never rest until he found out who had murdered him so brutally. One day Ed would find out, that thought kept him going, and when he did, he would torture those responsible before he actually killed them. He began to speak, his voice full of emotion.