The Feud

by Kimberley Chambers

  Raymond agreed and pointed to a house across the street. ‘The old boy opposite, Mr Miller, wants a word with you.’

  Eddie strolled across the road and knocked on the door. He hadn’t seen old Cyril Miller for years and was surprised by how frail he had become. He used to be a hefty lump, but had lost so much weight that he was virtually unrecognisable.

  ‘Sorry to hear about your dad, son, he was a good neighbour. The Old Bill knocked earlier and I told ’em what I saw. There was three lads out here last night, about ten o’clock it were, ’cause I was watching the news. They were kicking up a din, I saw your old man come out, have a go at ’em. He chased ’em and they ran off down the road. I didn’t see their faces, but they looked like young ’uns – I’d say about thirteen, at a guess.’

  Eddie shook Cyril’s hand. ‘Get a pen and take down my phone number. If you remember anything else or see ’em round here again, call me, not the police.’

  Cyril nodded and went into the hallway to fetch a pen and paper. Thanking him, Eddie walked towards Paulie and told him the plan. ‘It’s depressing me, standing here – let’s go to mine,’ he told him.

  Paulie nodded. ‘Ronny’ll have to come as well, though. We can’t pack him off on his own if we’re all going back to yours.’

  Full of reluctance, Eddie agreed.

  Jessica took the phone call and hugged the twins. ‘Dad’s on his way home. Raymond’s with him and Uncle Ronny and Paulie are coming back as well.’

  Choking on his glass of whisky, Stanley thumped his chest and put the glass on the table. He felt as if he was in The Godfather movie and part of him expected to see Marlon Brando walk through the door with his colourful son-in-law.

  ‘What’s the matter with you? You need to see a doctor about that continuous choking of yours,’ Joyce told him.

  Stanley nodded. This was the worst Christmas he’d ever had and, with Eddie’s family on their way, it was about to deteriorate even more.

  ‘Is it OK if me and Joey have another drink, Mum?’ Frankie asked. Joey and herself had been drinking with the adults all day.

  Jessica nodded. Her children’s alcohol consumption was the least of her problems at this particular moment in time.

  Hearing the scrunch of gravel outside, Jessica ran to the front door. She wasn’t overly pleased that Ronny and Paulie were coming back, but what could she say at such a terrible time?

  ‘Come in, you must be freezing. Make yourselves at home,’ she said awkwardly to Eddie’s brothers.

  Frankie ran to the front door and threw her arms around her father. Eddie kissed her and then locked eyes with his beautiful wife. She was the only one who could console him. ‘Go and pour the lads a drink, Frankie. I need to talk to Mum alone for a minute.’

  Eddie walked upstairs and nodded towards Jessica to follow him. He took off his coat, sat on the marital bed and put his head in his hands. Everything seemed like a bad dream and he wished it was just that. Jessica crept into the room.

  ‘Oh, Eddie, I’m so sorry about your dad. It’s awful – what a terrible thing to happen to him. He was such a nice man.’

  Eddie stood up and held her tight. Jessica was his rock and he needed her more now than ever. ‘You didn’t mind me bringing the boys back, did you?’ he whispered.

  ‘Of course not. Don’t be so silly,’ Jessica replied.

  Eddie stroked her long blonde hair and found comfort as he took in the scent of her coconut shampoo. ‘I really love you, Jess. Me dad’s death won’t change anything. We’ll still try for that little baby, everything will be OK, I promise you.’

  Jessica’s eyes welled up. ‘The baby can wait Eddie, but I’ll tell you something now – if it’s a boy, we’ll call him Harry as a tribute.’

  ‘Do you mean that?’ Eddie asked.

  ‘Yes, I do,’ Jessica said adamantly.

  Downstairs, Joyce was rather enjoying all the drama. Unfortunately, Stanley wasn’t.

  ‘I think we should go to bed soon, dear, give the family some space,’ he whispered to his wife.

  Joyce had no intention of going anywhere. She was upset over what had happened to Harry Mitchell, but would dine out on the excitement for weeks. Being part of a notorious gangster’s family suited Joyce down to the ground. She didn’t even bother to read her Mills & Boon books any more. ‘So did you say it was a baseball bat or a hammer, Ronny?’ she asked again.

  Extremely drunk, Ronny spilt his guts. ‘It was a baseball bat. The lifestyle we lead, I suppose something like this was always bound to happen,’ he bragged.

  Desperate to get his grandchildren away from the wheelchair psycho, Stanley ordered them to follow him into the kitchen. This was no conversation for such young ears. ‘Take no notice of Uncle Ronny. He’s very drunk and talking nonsense,’ he told them.

  Frankie and Joey were unfazed. They had known what their family was for years. Insisting that they were fine, they got rid of Stanley and went outside for a sneaky smoke.

  ‘I bet it’ll be a big funeral,’ Frankie said to Joey.

  Joey nodded. ‘Be every villain for miles there. I wonder if it’ll be televised.’

  Frankie laughed. Her brother did love the camera. ‘It won’t be on telly. Grandad weren’t Al Capone, you know.’

  Joey hugged his sister. ‘I dunno about you, Frankie, but I need to get out of this house tomorrow. I wish I could meet a boy I liked. David’s started to bore me now.’

  Frankie slipped her arm into his. ‘Let’s get New Year out the way and then I’ll take you to a gay club. We look old enough to get in and you’ll find a decent bloke there.’

  Joey squeezed her hand. ‘I’m so glad you know, Frankie. You’re the only one I can really talk to.’

  Frankie smiled. She often wound Joey up – she always had – but she loved her brother more than anyone. ‘Are you upset about Grandad Harry?’ she asked him.

  Joey shrugged. ‘I suppose so. He was our grandad, but we never really saw him, did we? I’d be much more upset if it was Grandad Stanley.’

  ‘Me too. Grandad Harry never seemed like a proper grandad. I don’t remember him hugging us or playing games with us, or anything, do you?’

  Joey shook his head. ‘He was sort of invisible in our lives, so I doubt I’ll really miss him.’

  ‘So why did you do your dramatics and burst out crying earlier, then?’ Frankie teased.

  ‘I didn’t know what was going on. I thought something had happened to Dad and I hated seeing Mum so upset,’ Joey told her.

  ‘Joey, Frankie. What you doing? You’ll catch pneumonia out there,’ Jessica shouted.

  ‘Best we look upset again now for Mum and Dad’s sake,’ Jessica told her brother.

  Joey smiled. ‘I can burst out crying again if you want. It’s probably a gay thing – you wouldn’t understand.’

  Giggling at their own wit, the twins raced one another back to the house.

  TWENTY-THREE

  The TV crews and reporters started to arrive on Boxing Day morning and this infuriated Eddie. His father might have been a notorious villain, but he had always tried to keep Jessica and the kids out of the spotlight. ‘If them parasites think they’re camping outside my gates, they’ve got another fucking thing coming,’ he yelled.

  ‘Any chance of a lager or something?’ Ronny asked bluntly.

  Eddie looked at his brother in disgust. Ronny had been that pissed last night, he’d slept in his wheelchair and shit himself. Now, at nine o’clock in the morning, he wanted to start all over again. Throwing Ronny a look that could kill, Eddie dragged Paulie out to the kitchen. ‘I’m gonna have to get Ronny out of the house. I had to wipe the cunt’s arse this morning while you were asleep. Take him home, do whatever you like with him, as long as he’s out of my face. He’s a fucking arsehole, spouting his mouth off like there’s no tomorrow and it ain’t fair on Jess and the kids.’

  Paulie nodded. ‘I’ll take him home now. I dunno how we’re gonna get past the press though, they’re mob-handed out
there.’

  Eddie shrugged. ‘Just drive your car at the cunts, they’ll soon move out the way. Make sure Ronny keeps his trap shut. Take Reg with you, he can sit in the back with Ronny and keep him under control.’

  Stanley got showered and sat watching his wife put her slap on. ‘I really think we should go home this morning, dear. Maybe we can take Frankie and Joey back with us for a couple of days. They shouldn’t be in this environment, it’s not right. I always knew our Jess shouldn’t have got involved with Eddie. Something like this was always bound to happen, and say there’s repercussions? I’m worried for Jess’ and the twins’ safety, I really am.’

  Zipping up her make-up bag, Joyce turned to her husband. ‘It wasn’t a gangland-style killing. You do overreact, Stanley. Harry was burgled by the sound of it, by yobs who then murdered him. I don’t want to go home. We’ve got to stay here; our daughter needs us.’

  ‘Well, I need to pop home to check on the pigeons. I know Jock’s looking after them, but I need to make sure they’re OK.’

  ‘Can’t you bloody well ring him?’ Joyce asked, annoyed.

  ‘You know the way I feel about me hen and me cock, dear. I need to see Ethel and Ernie with me own eyes. I won’t be long, I just need to put me mind at rest.’

  Joyce smirked at her husband’s turn of phrase. She hadn’t seen his actual cock for years, thank God.

  Slightly hungover, Joey opened his sister’s bedroom door. ‘Frankie, wake up. There’s loads of cars and people at the bottom of our drive.’

  Yawning, Frankie wandered over to the window to see what the fuss was all about. ‘I think it’s the press. They’ve got cameras and that, I think.’

  Joey squealed with delight. ‘Quick, get dressed, we’ll go out there. You never know, we might get our pictures on the front page of one of the nationals tomorrow.’

  Frankie smiled at her brother’s excitement. He’d always loved a bit of drama and having his picture taken. ‘I’ll be ready in half-hour,’ she giggled.

  Eddie slammed the front door and breathed a huge sigh of relief. His brothers and uncle had just left and he was glad to see the back of them.

  ‘Why don’t you let me make you some breakfast, Ed? You need to eat, love,’ Jessica told him.

  Eddie shook his head. All he kept seeing was his poor old dad with his brains hanging out, and he didn’t fancy a morsel. ‘I’m gonna try the hotel again, see if I can get hold of the boys.’

  He had tried to ring Gary and Ricky the previous evening, but had not been able to track them down. The receptionist had promised to get an urgent message to them, asking them to call home, but so far, Eddie had heard nothing.

  Eddie dialled the number. Not in a good mood, he found his patience running out within seconds. ‘Ain’t you got someone there that can speak fucking English, mate?’ he shouted. As Eddie was passed to someone else, he immediately slammed the phone down. ‘They ain’t been back to the hotel all night, Jess. I dunno how I’m gonna get hold of them. They’re the ones I need here, not Paulie and fucking Ronny.’

  Jessica put her arms around her husband’s waist and laid her head on his muscular shoulder. ‘The boys will probably ring later. Everything will be OK, Ed. Please let me make you a sandwich and a coffee. I’m so worried about you.’

  Eddie held her close to him. ‘Go on then, make me a bacon sarnie and I’ll eat it just because I love you so much.’

  The doorbell made Eddie nearly jump out of his skin. Peeping through the glass to check it wasn’t another reporter, he was relieved to see Dougie and Vicki standing there.

  ‘I’m so sorry, mate, I’ve only just heard,’ Dougie told Eddie.

  Eddie sent Vicki into the kitchen to see Jessica and ushered Dougie into his office. ‘I will find out who murdered me dad and I’ll treat them to the most painful death possible. I can’t do anything at the moment; the Old Bill are coming round later to take a statement. I’m gonna wait till the boys get back from Tenerife, let it die down a bit and then I’ll start me own investigation. I’d put money on it that Jimmy O’Hara was involved in some way, shape or form.’

  ‘When did the police say your dad was murdered?’ Dougie asked.

  ‘They ain’t said yet, but he was as dead as a dodo when I got there. He was freezing cold he was, looked like he’d been dead for hours. It was awful, Doug, really awful. At least if someone had shot him in the head, the poor cunt wouldn’t have suffered. He must have had a terrible death and I swear I’ll get revenge for him, if it’s the last thing I ever do.’

  ‘Mickey Finley rang me and told me what had happened. He said Harry’s house had been burgled and there was no sign it was gangland.’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘I reckon some cunt’s made it look that way on purpose. There’d been some kids hanging around the area outside me old man’s house. He told me on Christmas Eve, said they were being a fucking nuisance. I reckon it was a set-up, my life, I do.’

  Dougie shrugged. ‘Jimmy O’Hara’s back with his old woman now. Apparently, he had a big bash at his gaff on Christmas Eve that lasted late into the early hours. Patrick Murphy told me. He went round there, by all accounts, so it couldn’t have been Jimmy.’

  Eddie felt deflated. O’Hara had been his only suspect. ‘I’ll find out who it was, Doug, don’t worry about that. I can’t get dad’s face out of my mind. Half of his brains were hanging out over the carpet, I was smothered in me own father’s blood. Can you imagine how that feels? Dougie, can you?’

  Dougie hugged his pal. ‘The truth will raise its ugly head. It always does, Ed.’

  Frankie and Joey put on their most solemn expressions as they came face to face with their mother. ‘How are you, Mum, and how’s Dad?’ Joey asked sympathetically.

  ‘I’m OK, but your dad’s devastated,’ Jessica said sadly.

  ‘Can we go out for a while, Mum? It’s doing mine and Joey’s heads in, all this. We’d like to spend some time with our friends, chill out a bit,’ Frankie said.

  Jessica didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want the twins’ Christmas to be any worse than it already was, but she was worried about the hordes of press outside. ‘I don’t know if you can leave the house. Your dad’s in his office with Dougie, I’ll ask him when he comes out. Go and see Nan and Grandad for a minute – they’re sitting in the lounge on their own.’

  Vicki smiled as Frankie and Joey wandered off obediently. ‘They’re such good kids, they really are. Actually, I know this isn’t the right time, but I’ve gotta tell you. I’m pregnant, Jess, I did the test yesterday.’

  Thrilled for her friend, Jessica forgot about her own problems and embraced her. ‘I am so pleased for you, Vicki, I really am. I’ll let you into a little secret as well. Chances are we might be new mums together. Eddie and I have decided to try for another baby.’

  Vicki squeezed her friend’s hand. ‘That’s wonderful. We can go shopping for baby clothes together and our kids can be best friends.’

  Jessica nodded. ‘I’m just so worried about Ed, Vick. Finding his dad murdered like that must have been such a shock for him. I can’t imagine how he must feel.’

  Vicki nodded sympathetically. ‘Was you close to Harry? You never saw him that much, did you?’

  Jessica shrugged. ‘When me and Ed first got together, I saw him a fair bit. He used to come round sometimes when the kids were young, but once we moved to Essex, the visits sort of dwindled. I wasn’t really close to him but, at the end of the day, I loved him because he was Eddie’s dad. I preferred him to Eddie’s brothers and uncles, I never liked them very much and still don’t. I do remember once, though, when Harry was very kind to me. It was at Reg’s retirement do. Me and Ed had had a massive row and Harry calmed things down. I returned the favour by inviting him and Sylvie round for dinner. They came the once, but after that I didn’t see Harry for yonks.’

  Seeing her husband and Dougie walk into the kitchen, Jessica quickly changed the subject. ‘The twins want to go out to see their friends, Ed. I thin
k it will do them good to get out of the house, don’t you?’

  Eddie nodded. He had been so wrapped up in his father’s death, he hadn’t given Frankie and Joey much thought. ‘Me and Dougie are gonna pop out to see a few people, so I’ll drop ’em off on the way. You’ll be OK here with your Mum, Dad and Vicki, won’t you? If the Old Bill turn up, just fuck ’em off till later. If Gary and Ricky ring, tell ’em to get the first flight home.’

  Jessica was worried. She knew how hot-headed Eddie could be and she didn’t want him doing anything stupid. ‘Where are you going? You won’t be long, will you?’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘Couple of hours, tops. Gonna go for a couple of pints with Dougie and Pat Murphy.’

  Relieved that he was only going to the pub, Jessica called Frankie and Joey. ‘Your dad’s going out and he’s gonna drop you off at your friend’s,’ she told them.

  Frankie and Joey glanced at one another. Friend’s my arse – they were going straight to the pub.

  Opening the front door, Eddie spotted a geezer in a bush with a camera. Furious, he lost his rag and chased him. ‘Get off my land, you cunt. I told you earlier, this is private fucking property. You step one foot in here again and I’ll chop your fucking bollocks off.’

  ‘I just want to ask you a few questions, Mr Mitchell. Is it true that –’

  Picking the paparazzo up by the throat, Eddie snatched his camera from him and jumped up and down on it. The petrified man fell to the floor and curled himself up in a ball. ‘Please don’t hurt me – I’m sorry,’ he pleaded.

  Dougie grabbed hold of Eddie. There were flashbulbs going nineteen to the dozen and his pal wasn’t doing himself any favours. ‘Get back indoors, kids. Come on, Ed, leave it – he’s not worth it,’ Dougie urged.

  Hearing the commotion outside, Jessica let out a scream. Stanley tried to comfort his daughter. ‘Ssh, Jess, it’s all finished now, love. Eddie’s coming back inside,’ he told her.