The Victim

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Yet to find a body! That’s fucking insane! Surely the O’Haras ain’t driven off with their dead son’s body in the boot? No one could do that, could they?’

  Larry shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine, Eddie. The local hospitals have all been checked and apparently nobody’s been admitted in the past few days with gunshot wounds. Perhaps they’ve buried Jed themselves or something. I personally don’t know a great deal about the travelling community, but from what you’ve told me, I wouldn’t put anything past them.’

  The men stopped their conversation as Gina walked into the room with a tray of bacon sandwiches and two mugs of coffee. ‘If you need anything else, just shout,’ she said, as she diplomatically closed the door behind her.

  ‘So, have the Old Bill said if anything’s missing inside the house?’ Ed asked, wondering if they’d taken any of the kids’ clothes and toys.

  ‘I don’t think there is. It just sounds like they left in a real hurry. Both Jed’s and Jimmy’s motors are gone and obviously the police have put a trace out on the registration numbers.’

  Eddie was bemused. ‘They ain’t gonna do a runner and not change their fucking number plates, are they? In fact, they’re probably driving about in new motors as we speak. What I can’t understand, though, is that house is worth a fortune and is in Jimmy’s name, or I think it is. Surely he ain’t just gonna wipe his mouth of that, is he?’

  ‘I can’t understand their way of thinking either, I really can’t. Why wouldn’t they have reported their own son’s murder? It really doesn’t make sense,’ Larry replied.

  ‘They’re brainless cunts, that’s why. Anyway, getting the kids back is all I’m bothered about at this moment in time, so what we gonna do to find ’em?’

  ‘I’m picking Carol Cullen up at eleven o’clock and she is coming to the police station with me. She is going to tell the police that she feels the children’s lives are in danger, so they’ll have to get their backsides into gear then. I’ll also get Carol to contact the authorities to let them know that the custodial rules have been broken. We need a warrant put out for the O’Haras’ arrest immediately.’

  Eddie put his head in his hands. He had a feeling that finding the O’Haras was going to be anything but easy.

  ‘Do you know if the children had passports, Eddie? I’m sure that’s one of the first questions the police are likely to ask me.’

  ‘I dunno. The only one that might know that is Frankie. Pikeys don’t really go abroad much, so I doubt Jed would have got ’em one,’ Eddie answered.

  ‘You’re going to have to tell Frankie what’s happened today, Eddie. I’ll call the prison, inform them what’s occurred and we’ll both go up there this afternoon. The police are bound to need to speak to her at some point very soon. They’ll want to know if she has any idea where the family might have run off to.’

  ‘Oh, Jesus. What am I meant to say to her, Lal?’

  ‘I don’t know, mate, but you’re going to have to explain things to her as best as you can. Whatever you say, do not mention that Jed is dead. We can’t chance Frankie knowing that, in case she puts her foot in it when she speaks to the police. They’ll be bang on your case if that were to happen.’

  Eddie nodded. ‘Don’t you think the Old Bill will wanna question me anyway?’

  ‘I really don’t know, but I should imagine so. If there has been an incident around there, unfortunately for you, you will almost certainly be a suspect.’

  Eddie put his head in his hands once more. ‘Me and the lads have all got alibis for Wednesday night, but say the Old Bill ain’t got a clue when it happened? We’ll all be in shit street then, won’t we?’

  ‘You’ll be OK,’ Larry said, in the most confident tone he could muster. He stood up. ‘I’d better dash and pick Carol up now. I need to run a few things past her before we go to the station. I’ll call Holloway and arrange a time on the way. I can meet you in the Albion car park and we can travel up together if you like?’

  Eddie nodded, saw Larry out and shut the front door.

  ‘Are you OK? What did Larry say?’ Gina asked, putting her arms around her husband’s fit body.

  Eddie held Gina tight and stroked her long, dark hair. He knew she was worried about him and he couldn’t allow that, especially with the baby on the way. He forced a big grin and pulled away from her.

  ‘Larry said we’ll get a warrant out for the O’Haras’ arrest and we should have the kids back in no time. And don’t you worry about me – I’m Eddie Mitchell, sweetheart.’

  Frankie lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She’d felt very tearful since Babs had been taken away that morning and she still hadn’t heard any news about her friend.

  Shutting her eyes, Jed’s smarmy face popped into Frankie’s mind. To say she hated her ex now was an understatement and she often beat herself up for stupidly getting involved with him in the first place. The only thing that stopped her truly hating herself and blaming herself for her mother’s death was that if she hadn’t fallen pregnant by Jed, then she wouldn’t have her wonderful Georgie and Harry. Also, her unborn baby was one of the only other things, bar Babs, that had kept her going through the long, dark days she’d spent imprisoned.

  As she heard the key go in the door, Frankie sat up. ‘Have you got some news on Babs?’ she asked the screw.

  ‘Yep, she had an emergency C-section and now she’s got a little boy. They’re both fine, apparently.’

  ‘That’s fantastic news,’ Frankie said, elated.

  ‘And you have visitors, my dear,’ the screw announced.

  ‘Who? I’m not expecting anyone today,’ Frankie asked, intrigued. She wondered if it was DI Blyth with some good news for once.

  ‘I’ve no idea, Frankie. I’m just the messenger,’ the screw replied brightly.

  Frankie followed her along the corridors. She was led into the same room she’d spoken to Blyth in, but was shocked to see her father and Larry sitting inside. She knew by the looks on their faces that this was no routine visit and she wondered if they had found out she’d told Blyth that Jed had killed her grandfather. Her heart was pounding with pure fear as she sat down.

  ‘Would it be possible if we could have some privacy, please? We need to discuss a rather delicate subject,’ Larry told the screw.

  Frankie felt griping pains in her stomach as the screw left the room. She felt as if she was desperate to use the toilet, but was too nervous to ask. She stared at her dad. He knew, she was positive he knew. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked anxiously.

  Eddie nudged Larry. He was no good at explaining stuff like this.

  ‘The O’Haras have left Rainham, Frankie, and have taken Georgie and Harry with them. I’ve been to the police station this morning and insisted they put a warrant out for their arrest, as they have broken the custodial agreement,’ Larry explained.

  ‘Whaddya mean, left Rainham? Where have they gone, then?’ Frankie asked dumbly.

  ‘We don’t know, sweetheart, but we’ll find ’em and get the kids back, I promise you that,’ Eddie assured her.

  Frankie couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. There had to be some mistake. Why would Jed run off with the kids when he’d already been given custody of them? ‘It doesn’t make sense to me. How do you know the O’Haras haven’t taken Georgie and Harry on holiday or something? Jed wouldn’t do a runner with them, he’s too clever for that. Who told you they were actually missing?’

  Eddie nudged Larry again to prompt him to tell Frankie the rest of the story. ‘It was Julie, Sammy’s girlfriend, who reported their disappearance. She’d been unable to contact Sammy, so she called the police. There was some kind of incident at the house, apparently, but the police don’t know exactly what happened yet. Their theory is that the O’Haras left quickly because of this particular incident.’

  Frankie had been reasonably calm, but the word ‘incident’ filled her not just with dread but also with anger. ‘Spit it out, then. What really fucking happen
ed? I ain’t a child any more, you know,’ she shouted.

  ‘The police believe that somebody was shot in Jimmy’s horse-box. They found a bullet and blood by all accounts,’ Larry said bluntly.

  ‘What if it was one of my babies? Say it was Georgie or Harry that got shot!’ Frankie screamed.

  Eddie jumped out of his seat, crouched down and held his daughter’s shaking body in his arms. He had to put her mind at rest. She looked ill and he couldn’t leave her in this state. ‘It definitely ain’t one of the kids, babe. The Old Bill told Larry that, didn’t they, Lal?’

  ‘Yes, they seemed sure it was one of the adults,’ Larry assured Frankie.

  ‘But how do they know that? The same might have happened to Georgie or Harry what happened to Luke,’ Frankie sobbed.

  Eddie gripped his daughter’s slouched shoulders. ‘Listen, it ain’t the kids, it’s either Jed or Jimmy, OK? And you mustn’t tell anyone we’ve told you that, because Lal got that piece of information on the sly and you’ll get him into trouble, all right?’

  Frankie stopped crying and stared her father in the eye. She was suddenly sure he knew more than he was letting on. She turned to Larry. ‘Can I speak to my father alone for a minute, please?’ she asked coldly.

  Within seconds of Larry leaving the room, Frankie gave her father what for. ‘This is all your doing, ain’t it? What did you do? Go round there yourself and shoot the wrong person like you did with my mother? Or send someone else to do your dirty work instead?’

  ‘What the fuck you on about? Whatever happened round the O’Haras’ is sod-all to do with me. I swear on my life, I’ve been nowhere near their poxy house.’

  ‘Well, I don’t believe you,’ Frankie spat.

  ‘You can believe what you want, but don’t be blaming me. Do you think if I was gonna hit on Jed or Jimmy that I’d be stupid enough to do it at their house in front of my own grandchildren? And as for bringing your mother into this conversation, that’s well below the fucking belt, Frankie.’

  The fire left Frankie’s eyes and she immediately burst into tears again. ‘I’m sorry, Dad. I’m just so worried about my children, I don’t know what to say or think.’

  Eddie held her in his arms again. ‘I need you to be strong for me, Frankie, ’cause if you ain’t, then I ain’t gonna be able to cope either. I love you so much, girl, and I know you’ll be OK because you’re a chip off the old block, ain’t ya?’ Eddie remarked, drying her eyes with his handkerchief.

  ‘Larry’s gonna need to ask you some questions. We need to give the Old Bill as much information as we can to help ’em find Georgie and Harry, OK?’

  Frankie nodded. ‘OK.’

  ‘Have the kids got passports?’ Eddie asked.

  ‘No, but Jed can get hold of anything like that. He used to get dodgy insurance certificates, tax discs, MOTs, even driving licences.’

  Eddie stood up. He would have liked to have told his daughter that he knew Jed was dead, just to ease her worry, but he daren’t in case the police questioned her and she put her bloody foot in it. ‘I’ll go and get Larry,’ he said.

  ‘Dad, can you ask the screw if I can have some painkillers and a glass of water? I really don’t feel well,’ Frankie said.

  Eddie stood up. He hadn’t even reached the door when Frankie let out a painful yelp. ‘Whatever’s wrong?’ he asked, running to her aid.

  Frankie was holding her stomach, her face contorted with pain. ‘Get the screw, quick. My waters have broken.’

  Over in Essex, Joyce and Stanley were car hunting and hadn’t stopped arguing for the past couple of hours. Joycie was insisting that they purchase a brand, spanking-new motor and Stanley was trying to make his obstinate wife see sense.

  ‘I ain’t being mean, love, but we’ll lose thousands off the bloody thing as soon as we drive it off the forecourt. If we get something a couple of years old, it’s not only more practical, but financially sensible,’ Stanley said.

  ‘Nope, they’ve all been a load of old shit we’ve seen and my mind’s made up now. I’ve decided I want a new Jaguar. In all the years I’ve been married to you, Stanley, we’ve never had a decent motor. Do you really begrudge me this one small pleasure after everything you’ve put me through recently? Well, do you?’

  ‘No, dear,’ Stanley replied miserably.

  Ten minutes later, Stanley pulled up outside Grange Motors in Brentwood and nearly jumped out of his skin as Joycie firstly shrieked, then began clapping her hands with glee.

  ‘That’s the one I want. Look, that one over there.’

  Stanley got out of the car and stared in horror at the brand-new, white Jaguar XJ6 that Joycie was pointing at. ‘It looks like a wedding car. People will think I’m a bleedin’ chauffeur or something if they see me driving about in that, Joycie.’

  ‘Well, you are one. You’re my bloody chauffeur. I’ll have to get you one of them peak caps that they wear, so you really look the part,’ Joyce cackled as she ran over to the gleaming XJ6.

  ‘Oh, Stanley, I love it. I’ll look the bee’s knees in this. You’ll have to drive me over to Rita and Hilda’s straight away, so I can show it off.’

  Seeing the price of the car, Stanley had one of his little coughing fits. Their old house in Upney had cost them less.

  ‘Can I be of any assistance to you?’ asked a well-spoken young man in a pinstriped suit. He had clocked the old banger the couple had pulled up in, so knew he had no chance of clinching a sale.

  ‘Yes, we want to buy this car,’ Joyce said proudly in her poshest tone.

  The man smiled politely. He was used to dealing with messers; it was, unfortunately, all part of his job. ‘This car is brand new. Would you like me to see if I can find you something second-hand?’ he asked, with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  Joycie stared at the spotty-faced little shit. He wasn’t much older than her Joey. Who did he think he was talking to? ‘Do we look like vagrants or paupers?’ she snapped.

  ‘No, of course not. It’s just that this is the most expensive of our current range. It has all the extras on it, you see,’ the man said, horrified.

  ‘And that’s why we want to buy it. Now are you going to sell it to us, or not?’ Joyce asked, enjoying his obvious discomfort.

  ‘We haven’t even test-driven it yet, Joycie,’ Stanley mumbled.

  ‘Don’t you bloody well start an’ all. I’ve got enough on me plate with this jumped-up little shit. I want this car whether you like it or not, and if you don’t like it, Stanley, I suggest you pack your bags and sod off back to that old slapper with the big tits. Now, what’s it to be?’

  Both red faced, Stanley and the young salesman looked at one another.

  ‘We’ll take it,’ Stanley mumbled.

  Frankie’s baby entered the world just over an hour later. Considering he was a month early, he was a hefty little lump and weighed six pounds seven ounces. After initially being whisked away to be fully checked over, Frankie had just been reunited with him and was thrilled to hear he’d been given a clean bill of health.

  ‘Are you sure everything’s OK with him?’ she asked anxiously, as the nurse handed him to her.

  ‘He’s absolutely fine and ever so big, considering the circumstances. I delivered a full-term baby yesterday and that only weighed six pound,’ the nurse said reassuringly.

  Frankie stared at her son and smiled. He looked nothing like Harry when he was born; he looked more like Georgie with his tuft of dark hair and long, dark eyelashes. ‘Is my dad still outside?’ Frankie asked Mandy, the prison officer who had travelled in the ambulance with her.

  ‘Yep, he and your solicitor are both still outside.’

  ‘Is it OK if I spend some time alone with my dad and the baby?’

  Mandy nodded. Unlike some of the other prisoners she dealt with, she had always found Frankie to be a decent, good-natured girl with impeccable manners. ‘While your dad pops in, I’ll go and find Babs, see how she’s doing. I’ll tell her your news, but don�
��t you dare tell anyone back at the prison that I left you alone, else you’ll get me into trouble. You’ve got ten minutes, OK?’

  ‘Thank you and I promise my lips are sealed,’ Frankie said gratefully. Some of the screws were right bitches, but Mandy was one of the nicest ones Frankie had met in Holloway.

  Seconds later, Eddie Mitchell walked into the ward, kissed his daughter on the cheek and stared at the new addition that she was cradling in her arms.

  ‘Can I hold him?’ he asked, his voice full of warmth.

  When Frankie handed the baby over, she felt a pang of guilt. Everything had happened so quickly and she’d been so thrilled to give birth to a healthy son that she’d barely given Georgie and Harry a thought since her waters had broken.

  Eddie kissed his grandson on the forehead. ‘Hello, mate. I’m your grandad,’ he said, gently stroking the child’s cheek.

  ‘What you gonna call him?’ he asked Frankie.

  ‘I quite like Justin or Brett. I suppose that’s one good thing about Jed disappearing. He can now be a Mitchell, not a bloody O’Hara.’

  ‘Brett Mitchell sounds all right. I ain’t too sure about Justin though, it sounds a bit poncy,’ Eddie chuckled.

  Without warning, Frankie suddenly burst into tears. ‘Brett it is then, but he ain’t gonna get to meet his brother and sister, is he, Dad?’

  Eddie laid his grandson in the little cot next to Frankie, sat on the edge of the bed, and hugged her. ‘Look, I know the O’Haras doing a runner ain’t ideal, but it does have its plus points – for now, anyway. Larry reckons the case will be laughed out of court if Jed can’t be found and he also reckons he can now get you bail. He’s making some more phone calls as we speak.’

  ‘Really? You’re not just saying that to cheer me up, are you?’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t do that, babe. Seriously, Larry spoke to James Fitzgerald Smythe earlier and he reckons we can get you bail as early as next week. Just be strong and hold on in there until then, OK?’