by Dani Oakley
“You’re going to your mother’s funeral whether you like it or not. Do you understand me?” Dave said through gritted teeth.
He shook Trevor until the boy’s teeth rattled.
Although Dave still looked on Trevor as a boy, he was an adult and had inherited Dave’s muscular frame. He could have fought back, but he didn’t.
Slowly, as Dave began to regain control he was aware of Georgie sobbing in the background, and the look of absolute hatred on Trevor’s face.
“Look, let’s all calm down. Feelings are running high. Let’s not say anything we’ll regret,” Gary said, pushing himself between Dave and Trevor and then guiding the boy towards the door.
“Let’s get you upstairs and cleaned up, Trevor.”
Gary looked back at Dave as he led Trevor towards the stairs.
Dave pointed his finger at Trevor. “He’s going to the funeral whether he likes it or not.”
Trevor said nothing, but Gary nodded. “Of course he is.”
Dave turned away from them both as Gary led Trevor upstairs.
* * *
In the upstairs hallway, the pain was etched on Trevor’s face as he turned to face his uncle. “I can’t do it. I can’t bear it,” Trevor said.
Gary opened the bathroom door and gave Trevor a gentle shove as they went inside.
The bathroom was brand spanking new and far better than anything Gary had in his flat.
“Splash a bit of cold water on your face. I’ve got something that will make you feel better.”
“A bit of bloody water on my face isn’t going to make everything all right. I can’t stop seeing her face, remembering how cold she felt and that it was my fault.”
Gary shook his head and put both hands on Trevor’s shoulders, so the boy was forced to look up and make eye-contact. “You listen to me, it wasn’t your fault. Sometimes these things happen. It’s bloody horrible, but you’ve just got to get on with it. Now, this is what I’ve got.”
Gary pulled a small, carefully folded envelope out of his pocket. He opened it up, revealing some white powder.
Trevor’s eyes widened as they met his uncle’s gaze. “What’s that?”
Gary put a finger to his lips. “It’s just a little bit of coke. It will help you get through today.”
Trevor stared at him, and Gary started to wonder whether he’d judged the boy wrong. Would he go running down the stairs to his father and tell him Gary had offered him drugs?
The longer Trevor stared at him without saying anything, the more nervous Gary felt.
Trevor reached out for the packet and hesitated, but not for long.
He looked up at his uncle sadly, “I suppose I need all the help I can get today.”
Chapter 27
After Sandra’s funeral, Dave was feeling numb. They’d had a good turnout, and the service had been respectful. Dave felt they’d given Sandra a dignified send-off.
Although Sandra had lost touch with many of her friends after she’d got hooked on the pills, they’d still turned up to say goodbye to the woman she had been before the world had so cruelly wrenched her daughter away from her.
He knew one reason for the good attendance was because people wanted to impress him. Nobody wanted to get on Dave Carter’s bad side. But he liked to think that Sandra was loved by these people at one time and they wanted to pay their genuine respects to the woman she had been.
There was a steady stream of people offering their condolences to Dave, and he hoped the funeral guests would be making their way home soon, but his house was still packed.
There was plenty of food left, and Dave thought he wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. The neighbours had been good on that score, coming up trumps with plates of food.
Sandra hadn’t cooked for years. She couldn’t be trusted in the kitchen when she was under the influence of drugs, so Dave had taken over that job, and to be honest, he had quite enjoyed it for the most part.
Dave had kept a close eye on Trevor and Georgie and wanted to make the day as easy for them as he could. Georgie was now talking to Jimmy in the kitchen, and Dave was glad the boy had a friend for support.
Trevor had barely budged from Gary’s side, and for some reason, that irritated Dave. He supposed he should give Gary credit where it was due. Gary had sorted the situation. He’d smartened Trevor up and got him to the funeral service on time. But as Gary stood beside Trevor, muttering in his ear, Dave couldn’t help thinking that his brother had something up his sleeve. He knew Gary too well, and his brother didn’t tend to do things out of the goodness of his heart. He normally had some kind of financial motivation. So what was in it for him?
Dave rubbed a weary hand over his forehead and then turned to accept the condolences from Mr and Mrs Morris. They were getting on in years. Sandra had first worked in Mrs Morris’s clothing store, and that was how Dave met her.
A rush of memories overwhelmed him as he shook the old lady’s thin, birdlike hand.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said in a hoarse voice.
Dave squeezed her hand gently and nodded. “I appreciate you coming. I always remember how kind you were to Sandra.”
Mrs Morris blinked away tears and held a handkerchief to her mouth as she walked away. Her husband put an arm around her shoulders.
He knew Georgie was okay in the kitchen with Jimmy, but he was still worried about Trevor. He had to find some way of making sure the boy knew that he was still loved. There was a gulf of misunderstandings between him and Trevor, and there probably always would be, but that didn’t mean he didn’t love the boy.
As he approached Gary and Trevor, who were standing close to the window, Dave noticed a look pass between them.
After today’s events, perhaps he was feeling paranoid, but he could have sworn that Gary was up to something.
“Everything all right?” Dave asked looking at his son.
Trevor chewed on his lower lip, and his eyes darted all around the room as though he wanted to look everywhere but directly at his father.
“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” Gary said quickly, speaking for Trevor.
Dave frowned and looked a little closer at his son. He seemed different. On edge, but then that probably wasn’t surprising after the events of today.
Dave gently gripped Trevor’s elbow and led him away from Gary.
“I know I’ve been hard on you, son. I’m sorry. We need to stick together now.”
Trevor blinked up at his father, surprised. It wasn’t often that Dave Carter apologised.
“I’m sorry, too,” Trevor muttered. “I know it was my fault and…”
Dave tried to swallow past the lump in his throat and put his arm around Trevor’s shoulders, pulling the boy close. “No, there wasn’t anything you could have done. I was angry, and I shouldn’t have said that. Let’s forget about it, all right? Try to remember how she used to be. Can you remember how she used to take you to the park?”
Trevor blinked away his tears and then nodded, smiling at the memory. “Yes, she used to make jam sandwiches, and we’d have a picnic on the grass.”
Dave would have liked to spend more time with Trevor, but that wasn’t to be. He was interrupted again by someone offering their condolences, and he watched sadly as Trevor walked off, back over to the window to stand beside Gary.
* * *
The following morning, Dave made his way to the workshop with Georgie. He thought it was best for the boy to get back into a routine as quickly as possible.
He hoped the mundane tasks of the working week would help to numb his pain, or at the very least, keep Georgie’s mind off his loss.
Dave had been disappointed when Trevor hadn’t stayed at home after the funeral. He’d spent the night at Gary’s again, and Dave was starting to think he was going to have to put his foot down at some point, but what could he do? Gary was the boy’s uncle and his own brother. It would appear both unreasonable and spiteful if he tried to stop Trevor spending so much tim
e with his uncle without giving him a good reason why.
But Dave couldn’t put his finger on why Trevor spending so much time with Gary made him uncomfortable.
When Dave and Georgie entered the workshop that morning, Charlie Williams was there and was already hard at work. Jimmy was brewing the tea, and because everything seemed so familiar, it was hard to believe how much had changed.
“Morning, lads,” Dave said.
Charlie Williams looked up. “Hello, boss. We weren’t expecting you back so soon. You know we could have held the fort here for a while.”
Charlie wore a pair of scruffy oil-stained overalls, and every time Dave saw him like that, it made him want to smile.
Charlie Williams had always been a dapper sort. He wore old-fashioned three-piece suits and was never without his gold pocket watch. It added to his character and seeing him wearing overalls seemed odd. Even though Dave had seen him many times over the years in the overalls, they just didn’t seem to suit him.
“We need to keep busy. Don’t we, Georgie?”
He turned and was pleased to see that Georgie had already started getting out his tools and was chatting to Jimmy.
It was nice to see Georgie following Jimmy around like a shadow again.
He couldn’t help wishing his sons were more like Jimmy, and then immediately after he had the thought, he hated himself for even thinking it. Of course, he wouldn’t change Georgie for the world. But sometimes he thought it would be nice not to have to worry about him so much.
“How are things?” Dave asked Charlie.
“Everything is fine. We’re still doing the minibuses. We had an issue with a part last week, but Brian managed to sort it. Everything is ticking over as usual.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Dave said. “I just need to pick up some paperwork and then I will head to the warehouse and see how the lads there are getting along.”
“Righto,” Charlie said cheerfully and went over to where Georgie had laid out the appropriate tools on the floor for him.
Dave had turned to head towards the office when he noticed Jimmy was watching him. He looked like he might want to say something. So much had happened since they last talked properly. Dave hadn’t given the boy much thought. He’d been too wrapped up in his own problems after Sandra died.
But he really should have paid more attention to Jimmy. After all, he’d just dropped one hell of a bombshell on the lad.
“Everything all right?” Dave asked. “I know we never got to finish our conversation the other evening, but if there’s anything else you want to ask me, I’ll answer if I can.”
He looked into Jimmy’s dark blue eyes, trying to read the boy, but it wasn’t easy.
He’d long been aware that Jimmy put up a bit of a front and was quite adept at hiding his feelings.
To any casual acquaintances, Jimmy appeared to be a very well-adjusted, charming young man, but Dave knew still waters ran deep. The boy had been through a lot, and despite the fact Mary Diamond had done her best to bring up her grandson well, Dave was waiting for the day Jimmy came and told him he wanted to annihilate Martin Morton.
Dave was surprised Jimmy hadn’t brought the subject up more often. Since that day, years ago, when Jimmy had attempted to burn down Martin’s club, he had kept his anger bottled up and hidden well. He may have fooled his grandmother, but Dave wasn’t so easy to hoodwink. He knew that anger hadn’t gone away, it was burning inside Jimmy, building and smouldering until one day it would be too much for him to contain.
Chapter 28
Ruby Morton dragged herself out of bed early, which hadn’t been easy. Her dad had decided to allow her to work nights at Morton’s club, and of course, late nights at the club didn’t go well with early mornings.
She crept about the house, hoping not to disturb her grandmother. When she got downstairs, she saw that her grandmother was already awake and sitting at the table with a cup of tea.
“You’re up early,” Grandma Violet said, narrowing her eyes. “And why are you creeping about?”
Ruby sighed. There was no point trying to hide anything from her grandmother.
“I need to get to the club. We’ve got an early delivery, and there’s no one else to cover.”
Violet Morton considered her granddaughter’s words and then nodded. “I must say I’m surprised. I don’t know how you managed to get around your father. I’m glad he’s letting you work there in the evenings, but wasn’t the condition that he had to be there to keep an eye on you whenever you are at the club?”
“Yes, but he’s technically there now. He’s just asleep. Besides, he won’t mind. It’s not as if he’d want to get up and accept the delivery himself, is it?”
Violet nodded. “True. Should I do you a bit of toast?”
Ruby shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll get some breakfast when I come home. I shouldn’t be there too long. I just need to sign a piece of paper and make sure they put everything in the right place.”
Ruby left her grandmother sitting at the table, shoved her arms in her coat and buttoned it up before stepping outside into the chilly morning.
She shut the door quietly behind her and felt a twinge of guilt. She’d tried to avoid her grandmother ever since she had come back from Southampton. The old woman was too sharp by half, and she always knew when Ruby was hiding something.
Obviously, she hadn’t told anybody Derek’s secret, not even Uncle Tony.
She told her grandmother that Derek would be home for Babs’s release but nothing else.
Straightaway, Grandma Violet had picked up on the fact Ruby was hiding something, and since then, Ruby had done her best to avoid her.
She smothered a yawn as she quickly walked towards the club.
She supposed she could have got one of Martin’s men to take the delivery, but it was important to her that she proved she could handle things, and that included accepting deliveries at the crack of bloody dawn.
She jangled the keys to the club in her pocket. Although she’d always had a key to the back door, now she had a full set of keys to the club, her job seemed official. She was an important part of the business.
Of course, this was just stage one. Ruby had plans, big plans. She wanted to play a role in the family enterprise, maybe one day, she would be the one to take over from her father…
Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone. She could do without people laughing in her face. Her grandmother had supported her, but despite that, Ruby knew that women were still expected to stay at home and raise children. She wanted more than that for herself. Ruby thought she might have a chance because it wasn’t as though Derek was interested in taking over from their father. So perhaps she could persuade her parents to come around to the idea eventually.
Her mother was an unknown quantity. She’d still been in her early teens when Babs had been sent down, and it wasn’t easy to have a proper conversation in a prison waiting room. She’d like to believe that her mother would be supportive. She’d always had plans and visions for the family business, and she’d done well running it with Uncle Tony when her father had been in prison. But how would her mother feel about her only daughter getting involved in the criminal underworld?
Of course, the club was practically clean. Sure, they sold a little bit of knock-off booze and fags, and her father’s men were always hanging around, but it was a legitimate business and turned over a great deal of cash.
It wasn’t that she expected to be involved in any violence. She certainly didn’t want to be part of Martin’s moneylending enterprise, but she could see herself running his legitimate business interests and perhaps even encouraging him to expand.
Her goal was to make herself indispensable, and that meant a lot of hard work along with early mornings and late nights.
Ruby smothered another yawn as she reached the doors to the club.
She unlocked the big panel doors and stepped inside, locking the door behind her out of habit. The delivery would arrive a
t the back.
She walked through the lounge area, dumping her handbag on the bar as she walked through. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Martin sitting down in one of the alcoves. There was an empty bottle of whisky on the table beside him.
She put a hand to her chest. “You scared the life out of me, Dad. What are you doing downstairs?”
Martin, bleary-eyed, turned to look at her, and she suspected he hadn’t been to sleep last night at all.
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said. “What are you doing here so early?”
Ruby pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and put her hands on her hips. “I’m expecting a delivery, and there was no one else to cover.”
Martin frowned. “Why didn’t you say so last night? I could have got one of the lads to sort it.”
She could hardly explain to her father that she was trying to make herself indispensable and that was why she was handling the delivery herself.
Instead, she brushed her hands together and said, “I wanted to do it myself. That way I know everything will be put away properly.”
Martin smiled at her. “Very efficient.”
He got up from his seat, and she noticed he was a little wobbly on his feet. He’d been downing Scotch last night like there was no tomorrow, no doubt.
“Maybe you should get some sleep,” Ruby said with a frown.
Martin waved her words away. “I’m fine. Don’t fuss.”
“Why are you having trouble sleeping?” Ruby asked. She hoped he might confide in her, especially if it was something about the business.
Martin smirked and stifled a laugh. “Maybe it’s because I’m so excited about your mother getting out of prison.”
Ruby raised an eyebrow and decided to ignore her father’s sarcasm. “I told you Derek’s coming back home the day she gets out, didn’t I?”
Martin yawned, walked over to the bar and leant heavily on it. “You did. But I will believe it when I see it.”
“He’s definitely coming,” Ruby assured him. “I made sure of that.”