The Victim

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘You’ve got two grandads. Jimmy’s your dad’s father and I’m your mother’s,’ Eddie explained. He was relieved he finally had their attention at last.

  ‘I’m your Uncle Gary, that’s your Uncle Ricky and the man driving is your Uncle Raymond. You’ll see your mum soon,’ Gary added, smiling at Georgie.

  ‘So where is our mum, then?’ Georgie asked distrustfully.

  ‘Waiting for you at home. That’s where we’re taking ya,’ Ed replied.

  ‘I don’t wanna go there,’ Harry shouted.

  ‘I can’t leave my boyfriend. I love him and we’re getting married when I’m sixteen,’ Georgie said, bursting into tears.

  ‘Don’t you think we should untie their arms now, Dad? There’s some cans of drink and crisps in the front, they might be hungry,’ Ricky suggested.

  ‘Go on, then,’ Ed replied.

  ‘Ain’t you gonna ring Frankie and Larry?’ Raymond shouted out.

  ‘I’m not gonna ring Larry till the morning now. It’s gonna be nearly midnight by the time we get home and I couldn’t stand a houseful of Old Bill and social workers tonight. Let Frankie spend a bit of time with ’em first, and I’ll call Larry first thing tomorrow.’

  ‘You’d best tell Frankie we’ve got ’em,’ Gary urged.

  About to give his daughter the good news, Eddie dropped his phone as both his grandchildren made a lunge for the handle of the back door.

  Ricky managed to grab Georgie and Eddie grabbed Harry, who then did his utmost to manoeuvre his way out of his grandfather’s arms.

  ‘Leave my brother alone,’ Georgie screamed, kicking her grandad in the leg.

  ‘Right, tie their hands back up and they can stay that way until they’ve learned how to behave themselves.’

  ‘I hate you!’ Harry yelled in protest.

  Eddie put his phone back in his pocket. He’d ring Frankie in a while when the kids had quietened down a bit. He stared at his grandchildren and shook his head in disbelief. He’d fully expected them to be rough around the edges, but he hadn’t expected them to behave like wild fucking animals.

  Alice O’Hara was absolutely beside herself. She couldn’t stop screaming, was in floods of tears and her whole body was shaking from head to toe.

  ‘I’ve got some brandy in mine. I’ll go get it, it’s good for shock,’ Linda Maloney said. She felt anxious as well. Her Mickey had gone off with Jimmy and she knew they’d taken a gun with them. As for poor Ryan, he was in bits, bless him.

  ‘Bring your Ryan over ’ere. I wanna know exactly what happened,’ Alice wept.

  ‘I dunno if he’ll come, Alice. He’s frit to death, the poor little sod. His brothers are looking after him; he wouldn’t even talk to me about it. Loves your Georgie, that boy does.’

  When Linda went off to get the brandy, Sarah, Alice’s best friend on the site, held Alice in her arms. ‘Everything will be OK. Jed and Jimmy will get your grandchildren back for ya, I know they will, angel.’

  Alice looked at her friend with a psychotic expression plastered across her face. ‘They ain’t my grandchildren, they’re my babies. I brought them up. I was the only mother they had. Georgie and Harry belong to me.’

  Stuart and Terry headed back to the site and parked nearby. It had taken them ages to find a supermarket, but eventually they’d come across one and had stocked up with enough food and drink to last them a week.

  ‘Jed’s truck’s there, but Jimmy’s still out. Do you reckon that poor little cunt’s still tied up in the barn?’ Stuart said to his sidekick.

  Terry laughed. ‘Yeah, he ain’t gonna be found till tonight, I reckon. Someone’s bound to go and look for the kids at some point and they’ll probably find him then.’

  ‘What is the time?’ Stuart asked Terry. He’d left his watch back home in Brentwood and felt lost without it on his wrist.

  ‘Half-past four. We’ve got a long night ahead of us, but I ain’t that tired, are you?’

  ‘Nah, I’m hungry again, though. I’m gonna have another sandwich, want one?’

  Terry chuckled. ‘Go on then, you greedy fucker.’

  As Stuart and Terry jovially stuffed their faces with BLT sandwiches, neither man had a clue that both Jed and Jimmy were in separate motors on the M74. Worse still, they were getting closer to the Mercedes Sprinter by the minute.

  Still unaware that Georgie and Harry were now with her father, Frankie was becoming more deranged by the second. Hearing no news was doing her head in, but having to deal with a houseful of people as well was literally driving her insane.

  ‘Bleedin’ starving, me and your grandfather are. When we gonna eat?’ Joyce asked in her hard-done-by voice.

  ‘Can we have McDonald’s, Mummy, please?’ Brett asked, jumping up and down.

  ‘No, we bloody well can’t,’ Frankie yelled, at the end of her tether. She stormed out to the kitchen and was followed by a very worried Joey.

  ‘Look, I know this is an awful time for you, but for fuck’s sake chill out and have a glass of wine or something. You’ve been shouting at Brett all day and you can’t take your frustration out on him. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, does he? He’s only bloody seven.’

  Knowing her brother was entirely right, Frankie felt guilty, then started to cry. Joey put his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. He couldn’t begin to imagine the anguish Frankie was going through, but sometimes he had to be cruel to be kind.

  ‘It’s Nan that’s doing my head in. She’s been knocking back the brandy and Baileys all day as though she’s at a fucking party. Can’t you get Dom to take her and Grandad over yours for the night? There’s too many people here and I’m just not in the mood to socialise.’

  ‘I know Nan’s brain damage, Frankie, but her and Grandad are getting ever so old. They’re in their seventies now, and they mean well deep down. Why don’t I order us all a takeaway? I’m sure once Nan’s eaten that and had a few more drinks, she’ll be ready for bed anyway. We’ll give her some wine, that should knock her out,’ Joey joked.

  Frankie nodded. Her brother always calmed her down, that’s why she loved him so much. ‘Pour me a glass of wine, then,’ she said.

  ‘Are you OK, Frankie?’ Babs asked, poking her head around the door.

  ‘I’m fine, mate. Go in there with Dom and entertain the kids and Nan and Grandad for me while I have a little chat with Joey,’ she replied.

  Joey handed Frankie her wine and poured himself one as well. He held his glass up and clinked it with hers. ‘Here’s to Dad working his magic and bringing the kids home safely.’

  When the phone rang it was Dom who answered it. ‘It’s your dad, Frankie,’ he said, running into the kitchen.

  Frankie snatched the phone out of his hand and, as she heard what her dad had to say, dropped her glass of wine in shock.

  ‘What’s happened? Talk to me, Frankie,’ Joey pleaded, fearing the worst.

  Bursting into tears of pure joy, Frankie began jumping up and down like a loony. ‘He’s got ’em! My babies are on their way home.’

  Forever the pessimist, Eddie ended the call to his daughter and rang Stuart again. ‘Well?’ he asked. He was trying not to say too much in front of the kids.

  ‘Nothing to report, boss. Jed’s truck still ain’t moved, and we ain’t seen hair nor hide of Jimmy,’ Stuart confirmed.

  ‘Do not take your eyes off the gaff, because they’re bound to realise something’s missing soon. Don’t both fall asleep, for fuck’s sake,’ Eddie warned.

  He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled at his grandchildren. They’d calmed down a bit in the past hour, but he could still see the look of fright in their eyes.

  ‘Want some Coke and crisps? If you promise to behave yourselves, I can untie your hands for ya.’

  ‘I need to go a toilet,’ Georgie said in almost a whisper.

  ‘Pull over, Raymondo, somewhere that’s got trees or bushes.’

  Georgie wasn’t amused. ‘Why can’t I go in a normal toi
let?’

  ‘In case you try and do a runner again,’ Eddie replied, as he undid the rope around her hands.

  ‘I wanna pee an’ all,’ Harry said.

  ‘You take him, Gal, and I’ll go with her,’ Ed ordered, as Raymond pulled the van over.

  ‘You ain’t coming with me,’ Georgie said, scowling at her grandad.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll turn me back,’ Eddie promised as he grabbed her by the hand.

  Five minutes later, toilet duty was over and both kids were back in the van. Harry was munching on crisps and Georgie was sipping a can of Coke.

  ‘So, what’s our mum like then?’ Georgie asked unexpectedly.

  ‘Your mum’s kind, loving, generous and pretty. In fact, she looks a lot like you,’ Ed told her.

  ‘Have we got any more brothers or sisters?’ Georgie asked.

  ‘Yeah, you’ve got a little brother called Brett. You’ll meet him when we get home.’

  ‘We’ve got a sister called Shelby,’ Harry added in a stroppy tone.

  ‘Do either of you actually remember your mum?’ Eddie asked.

  Harry frowned, then shook his head.

  ‘I do, but only a little bit. Why ain’t she ever come to see us?’ Georgie asked. She was interested now, but also very confused at the same time.

  ‘Tell ’em the truth, Dad. Don’t lie to ’em,’ Ricky urged.

  Eddie took a deep breath. He wanted to be as diplomatic as possible. ‘Because when you were young your dad ran away with your nan and grandad and he took yous two with him. Your mum looked for you, we all did, but none of us could find you.’

  ‘How did ya find us now then?’ Georgie asked.

  ‘Because we kept looking until there were no more places left to look,’ Eddie replied, not wanting to mention Katie.

  Harry blew his empty crisp bag up and burst it with his hand.

  ‘Fuck, that made me jump,’ Raymond complained.

  Harry grinned. ‘Nanny Alice says our mum is a proper old shitcunt and she said our mum got put in prison for trying to murder our dad.’

  Eddie stared his grandson in the eyes. Frankie was going to have far more aggravation with him than she was with Georgie, that was for sure. He decided to play the boy at his own game. His Auntie Joan had taught him a valuable rule when he was a boy: ‘When in Rome, do or act as the Romans do, boy,’ she used to quote regularly. He smirked at Harry.

  ‘Your Nanny Alice is a nasty piece of work. She’s an evil, twisted old hag.’

  Harry dropped his gaze and looked at his hands instead.

  ‘We’re gonna need to fill up with derv, Ed. We’re on the M6 now, so I’ll stop at the next services. If anyone wants a piss or some food, sort it now,’ Raymond informed everyone.

  ‘What did Stu say?’ Ricky asked his father.

  ‘That truck’s still there and the other tosser is probably still in a boozer somewhere.’

  Gary rubbed his hands together and grinned. ‘Lovely jubbly! Now we’re on the M6, we’re home and dry, lads.’

  Jed O’Hara was absolutely seething as he drove along like a bat out of hell. His brother’s Toyota Land Cruiser had a three-litre engine, was as nippy as anything, yet he still hadn’t caught up with Mitchell.

  ‘Ring the old man again, see where he is. Tell him we’re on the M6,’ Jed ordered his brother.

  Billy rang Jimmy’s number. ‘He’s still on the M74, he said he’ll be on the M6 in about ten minutes,’ he told Jed.

  ‘Has he seen that blue van, ask him?’

  ‘No, he ain’t.’

  ‘Tell him to put his fucking foot down, then,’ Jed said angrily.

  Stuck in the fast lane behind someone who was only doing eighty miles an hour, Jed held his hand on the hooter. ‘Get out the way you prick,’ he screamed.

  ‘What did you say that number plate started with?’ Billy asked a few minutes later.

  ‘BJJ,’ Jed replied.

  ‘I think their van’s a few motors in front of us; it says BJJ on the plate,’ Billy said pointing towards the middle lane.

  Jed veered over to the empty slow lane, then put his foot down. He couldn’t read, so had no idea what the red sign-writing said, but he recognised the layout of the lettering at once.

  ‘Well?’ Billy asked impatiently.

  Jed grinned. ‘Gotcha, ya shitcunts.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Joyce was jumping around the lounge, punching her fists in the air like a deranged football fan whose team had just lifted the FA cup.

  ‘I wonder if we’ll recognise ’em. Did your dad say what time they’ll be home?’ she asked her granddaughter.

  ‘He reckons between four or five hours. I’ll have to tidy up, the place looks like a bomb’s hit it. Babs, do me a favour, give the boys a bath and put ’em to bed while I clear their toys away.’

  ‘I don’t wanna go a bed. I wanna see my brother and sister,’ Brett said sulkily.

  Frankie picked her son up and swung him around. ‘You be a good boy, have your bath, put your jim-jams on, and when you’re done, Dom will go and get you and Kelvin a McDonald’s.’

  ‘I want Big Mac,’ Kelvin shouted, leaping up and down on the armchair.

  ‘Will Georgie and Harry be having McDonald’s with us?’ Brett asked. Kelvin was his make-believe brother, and he was very excited by the prospect of having a real one.

  ‘No, not tonight they won’t. They won’t be here until very late, so you won’t be able to see them until the morning. Now up them stairs, before Mummy changes her mind about the McDonald’s.’

  ‘Where’s Jordan?’ Frankie asked Babs as the boys ran up the stairs.

  ‘Having a sleepover at his girlfriend’s house, would you believe? He’s at the age now where he don’t need his mamma no more, but yours will need you. I can’t tell you how pleased I am for you, Frankie,’ Babs said, hugging her pal.

  ‘I can’t wait for them to arrive, but I’m ever so nervous about seeing them again. I bet it’s not all plain sailing, you know. They’re bound to have issues if they’ve been bought up by Jed, Alice and Jimmy.’

  ‘They’ll probably find it all a bit strange at first, but I bet you, within a month or so, they’ll be in their element living with you. They are so gonna love their mamma.’

  Frankie grinned. ‘As long as they love me, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world.’

  Eddie rang Gina to ask after the kids and let her know he was on the way home, then focused on his grandchildren again. Georgie had the figure of a voluptuous young woman and it worried him. ‘Who’s this boyfriend of yours, then?’ he asked her.

  ‘Who’s that you were on the phone to?’ Georgie replied, ignoring his question.

  ‘My wife, Gina.’

  ‘So, is she my nan?’ Georgie asked, knowing full well she wasn’t.

  ‘No, your nan’s dead, unfortunately.’

  Harry smiled. ‘Grandad Jimmy says that you murdered our nan and went to prison, the same as our mum did.’

  Seeing his father’s eyes begin to cloud over, Gary butted in. ‘What’s happened to that mutt of Joey’s, Dad? Is it still alive?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Eddie said, eyeballing his grandson with a look that could kill.

  ‘Don’t him and Dom take it out no more or what? They always used to have it with ’em, but I ain’t seen it lately,’ Gary asked. He knew he was talking a load of old bollocks, but a change of subject was desperately needed. Gary knew his dad well enough to know that Harry had been seconds away from getting a good wallop.

  Eddie averted his eyes away from Harry and, much to Gary’s relief, chuckled. ‘The mutt spends a lot of its time in the neighbour’s house now, by all accounts. Apparently, the old girl that lives next door recently bought a male Westie and it was love at first sight. Joey said every time him and Dom try and take Madonna back indoors, she goes ballistic, tries to bite ’em and then howls all night.’

  ‘Who’s Madonna?’ Georgie asked. She briefly wondered if they were talking about the s
inger.

  ‘Your uncle’s Chihuahua,’ Ricky replied, smiling at her.

  ‘What’s one of them, then?’

  About to explain the breed, Raymond’s intervention killed the conversation stone dead. ‘I don’t wanna worry you, lads, but I’m positive we’re being followed.’

  Jed O’Hara had done a lot of thinking since Georgie and Harry had been kidnapped earlier. He had another child; one he knew nothing about and had never set eyes on. He didn’t even know what sex it was or its name, for Christ’s sake.

  Frankie had been pregnant with their third child when she had stabbed him and got sent to prison. At the time, Jed had had every intention of trying to get custody of the baby once it was born, but Sammy’s murder, plus Frankie’s threats, had changed all that. In the end, Jed had been left with two choices. Number one was live, do a runner and keep Georgie and Harry for ever. Number two was risk getting murdered, locked up, and lose his kids for good.

  The situation was a no brainer and since the night Jed had left Rainham, he’d blanked his then unborn child completely out of his mind. His parents had done the same and the child had never been mentioned since, but now Eddie Mitchell had tracked them down, Jed’s feelings had changed towards it.

  ‘Move over then, the van’s gone in the slow lane. You just nearly drove past it, you dinlo. What the fuck you doing?’ Billly shouted.

  ‘I’m thinking,’ Jed said, as he put his foot on the brake and swerved into the slow lane.

  Billy chuckled. ‘What about? Getting the kids back or murdering that mug, Mitchell?’

  ‘Neither, I was thinking about me other chavvie, you know the one I’ve never seen.’

  ‘What you thinking about that for?’ Billy asked bemused.

  ‘Because it’s mine and I’ve decided, once this is all over and we’ve finished off Eddie, that chavvie is coming home with me.’

  * * *

  Raymond looked at the fuel gauge and grimaced. ‘We’re on the fucking red. I’m coming up to Kendal services; we’re gonna have to fill up,’ he said anxiously.