by Linda Calvey
‘Anyway,’ he said with forced brightness, ‘everyone knows now, if they didn’t already, that I don’t work for crooks, so why come to me?’
It was clear to Ruby that this had upset him. Nobody said anything. They all knew that Louie was straight as a die. He’d lost friends growing up because of it; there were pubs he couldn’t drink in because he wasn’t part of the local crime network. Everyone but everyone knew how strongly he felt.
‘I told them to sling their hook, but still, it’s a different world these days. Everyone’s tryin’ to make an easy coin. It ain’t right.’
Suddenly Ruby spoke. ‘How much were they offerin’?’
‘Never you mind how much, you just get on and eat yer dinner,’ Cathy chipped in. ‘We don’t take dodgy money, as Grandad Jim said—’
‘A straight pound is worth three crooked pounds,’ chimed Ruby and Bobby together, rolling their eyes. They’d heard the phrase a million times. It had been drummed into them by their grandad and dad throughout their childhood.
‘Yes, and don’t you forget it!’ Louie barked. He looked serious. ‘If you let in one monkey bastard then they’ll all come runnin’ and you’ll be a crook like all the others, always watchin’ yer back.’
Ruby laughed as a memory came back to her, clear as anything. ‘“Monkey bastards.” It’s like Grandad is sitting at the table. I must only ’ave been six the first time I heard him say that and I said to him, “Grandad, what’s a monkey bastard?” and Mum whacked me one for swearin’.’
Bobby grinned back at her and Louie laughed out loud. Cathy wasn’t so amused. She stepped over and smacked her daughter lightly on the arm, just as she’d done when she was a little girl. ‘And you’re not too old to get another whack now. No swearin’ in this house!’
‘Ow, don’t do that, Mum!’ Ruby giggled, rubbing her arm, but she carried on all the same. ‘The worst of it was that I was sittin’ there thinkin’, When do I get to meet a monkey bastard? They sound so excitin’!’
Cathy and Louie shook their heads in unison, both now laughing. It was her mum’s turn to sigh. ‘You’re right though, Louie. If you do one job, they’ll all be comin’ to ya to do the next one and the next one. It ain’t worth it . . . I know times are hard right now . . .’
Louie smiled just a little sadly. ‘I know, love. The leccy needs toppin’ up and I could do with some new work boots . . . but that’s not the way we’ll do it. Anyway, easy money ain’t easy at all, you know that as well as I do. Let’s eat our dinner and be thankful for what we’ve got.’
The moment of jollity evaporated. Underneath the humour was the harsh fact of their life: they didn’t have much. But they had each other. Sometimes Ruby wished she could just throw their standards out of the window and enjoy the good life like her friends, but she knew what was important. Ruby was happy with her life, with her small bedroom, her second-hand clothes, with her friends, but sometimes, just sometimes, she wished for more.
CHAPTER 2
‘Come on, I’ve got somethin’ to show ya,’ Sarah whispered, her face alight with mischief. Ruby was at her best friend’s house for the evening while her parents were at the pub.
‘What is it, Sar, I want to watch telly,’ Ruby answered, barely looking up from her programme.
‘Come on, I’ll show ya somethin’ better than the telly,’ Sarah said conspiratorially. Ruby looked up at her friend, whose eyes twinkled in the dim glow cast by the lamplight. She smiled. It was probably just a trick her friend was playing on her but she would humour her. Ruby yawned. It was quite late and really, she should’ve been getting back home. Her parents knew where she was but she hated staying away from them for too long.
‘This way.’ Sarah led Ruby out into the thin entrance hall. The evidence of her family’s criminal activities showed in the expensive wallpaper, flashy net curtains, the new chandelier that was too big for the small lounge. It was as unlike Ruby’s home as it was possible to be, despite being the same size and layout. Ruby liked to run her hand across the wallpaper pattern gently as she walked, thinking one day she’d have posh wallpaper to match.
‘Why are we ’ere?’ Ruby asked, looking confused. She’d seen the front door and hallway a million times. There was nothing new there except the carpet that had recently been laid, a brand new one with swirling red and brown patterns to match the beige walls. Ruby knew that carpets were expensive. She didn’t have any at her house.
Sarah reached down to grab the corner of the expensive flooring.
‘What are ya doin’? You’ll ruin it!’ Ruby gasped.
‘Look! Watch me . . .’ Sarah lifted the corner and tugged at it until whatever was sticking it down released its hold and the thick polyester carpet curled upwards in Sarah’s hand. Beneath it was what looked like a trapdoor, albeit a small one.
Sarah pulled up the hatch to reveal a large black holdall.
‘What’s in there, Sar?’ Ruby asked, though something told her she didn’t really want to know.
‘You just wait and see,’ her mate replied mysteriously, unzipping the bag and plunging her hand inside. Seconds later, Sarah pulled out her discovery.
‘It’s a bloody gun!’ Ruby gaped. She stared disbelievingly at the weapon in Sarah’s hand, suddenly frightened. Her heartbeat quickened, her pulse beating inside her brain. She swallowed, digesting this new sight. Every second that passed made her feel more like bolting back home to safety. Sarah, meanwhile, was grinning, transferring the weapon between each hand as if trying on a new accessory. Her friend seemed mesmerised by the black revolver, peering at it from all angles, while Ruby just felt sick.
‘Put it back, Sar. We shouldn’t ’ave found it.’
‘Don’t worry, it ain’t loaded,’ Sarah replied, grinning at Ruby’s discomfort. ‘And anyway, Dad won’t actually use it. He says it’s to scare people into givin’ him what he wants. So, it’s really just for effect.’
‘But why would he need it?’ Ruby was puzzled. She knew that Sarah’s mum was a dipper, a shoplifter, and her dad broke into places to steal things, but this was a whole new level.
‘My dad says he’s movin’ up in the world, he’s goin’ to be a big-time blagger,’ Sarah couldn’t hide her pride. She puffed her chest out, then held out her arm, pointing the gun squarely at Ruby.
‘Don’t bloody point it at me! Put it down. Sar, stop it!’ Ruby hissed, making Sarah giggle.
‘Don’t worry, scaredy-pants, Dad keeps the rounds separate. He says he won’t load it, only wave it around when he starts doin’ the bigger jobs like robbin’ banks for Charlie Beaumont.’
Ruby had heard of blaggers and knew Sarah’s dad did some small jobs but had never realised that the people she knew were doing big-time jobs. A blagger, or bank robber, was the top of the criminal hierarchy, everyone knew that.
‘Who’s Charlie Beaumont?’ Ruby said. Her voice sounded strange, as if she had something stuck in her throat.
‘Oh,’ said Sarah airily, ‘he’s Dad’s boss now. He’s a proper crook, a big-time blagger and he knows all the big jobs. My dad’s gone up in the world. He says that as soon as the money comes in, we’ll move to a bigger house somewhere posh, just like Charlie.’
‘Oh, but I don’t want ya to move,’ Ruby replied, her head spinning. She’d grown up in Star Lane. She knew that petty crime was rampant and people did what they did to survive, but this was something else, something she’d never experienced before.
‘You’ll come and stay in our mansion, don’t worry, we’ll still be friends . . . Go on, Rube, try it yerself. It feels heavier than ya think.’ Sarah held out the gun but Ruby shook her head. ‘I don’t like it, Sar. You, your parents and Alan could all be in big trouble.’
Suddenly all Sarah’s nice things – the huge television, the Betamax video player – all seemed to belong to a world Ruby didn’t understand. She didn’t want to admit, even to her closest friend, that the sight of the gun had shocked her, but she couldn’t help but shudder.
‘Put it back. It ain’t right to get it out. Yer dad won’t like us playin’ with it . . .’
‘We ain’t playin’ with it, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes!’ Sarah sneered, sensing her friend’s dislike. ‘Anyway he’s my dad and I can do what I like with it.’
‘Go on, just put it back. Please, Sar.’ Mollified by Ruby’s plea, her friend replaced the handgun in the holdall and zipped it up. Ruby watched as Sarah closed up the hidden hatch and laid the carpet flat again. She felt better once the gun was hidden, but she still had that queasy feeling of walking into new, unchartered territory.
‘I’ve got to go . . .’ Ruby said falteringly, trying to smile at the girl standing in front of her. Sarah shrugged her response.
‘See ya,’ Ruby said. Her friend stared after her as she left through the small kitchen that was filled with boxes of top-of-the-range toasters from a jump-up Sarah’s brother Alan had done recently.
When Alan’s luck came in, the whole neighbourhood knew about it as him and his dad, Mike, would buy rounds in the pub all night, returning home pissed and singing loudly, waking up the whole street. Sarah would always have a new dress or shoes the next day as well. Ruby had even seen Mike hand a big wad of cash to Sarah’s mum, Julie, over the dinner table on the nights she stayed for tea. The family talked about robbing and stealing openly and easily, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. It was the opposite of her own house, but Ruby was used to Sarah’s family. Now the gun, the blagging . . . that seemed something else.
Her head was buzzing as she crossed from Sarah’s yard to her own via the small alleyway that ran along the back of the Victorian terraced houses.
‘Sarah’s parents in The Anchor again?’ Cathy sniffed disapprovingly as Ruby opened the back door and let herself into the small kitchen. Ruby watched her mum sipping a cup of cocoa, a rare luxury in their house, trying to puzzle out what to say.
‘A penny for ’em, darlin’,’ her mum said softly. She must’ve spotted something, some expression on Ruby’s face. Ruby was different to the rest of the family, but Cathy knew her daughter. Whereas her oldest child Bobby was content with his home and family, Cathy had a feeling that inside Ruby was yearning for something better, a cleverness that wouldn’t be content with a small, honest life. The knowledge scared her. She worried for her daughter.
‘Did something happen, luv?’
‘Of course not. I’m just tired, Mum, I promise. I’m fine. I’m goin’ to bed.’ Ruby managed a weak smile. There was no way she’d willingly share the news of the gun with her mum. She knew Cathy would hit the roof. Louie, her dad, would go ballistic if he found out what was really going on next door. Ruby’d never be allowed to hang out with Sarah again for sure, so she hurried through the kitchen and up to her room at the back of the house. She needed time to think.
Cathy watched her daughter as she made her way upstairs, a slight thread of concern nagging her, but it was late and she too was tired, so she let it lie.
CHAPTER 3
BANG, BANG, BANG. Ruby startled awake, glancing at the alarm clock by her single bed. It was just past 6 a.m. and the dawn sunlight was only just filtering through her plain curtains.
‘POLICE! OPEN UP!’
‘Oh my God!’ Ruby exclaimed, leaping out of bed and running the few paces to her window. Her small bedroom was at the back of the family home, overlooking their yard and the neighbour’s yard too. As she pulled a section of the brown fabric aside she saw heavily armed officers wearing full military-style black gear, guns pointing at Sarah’s kitchen door.
‘Bloody ’ell, what’s goin’ on?’ Bobby burst into the room rubbing his eyes. His pale blue pyjamas were rumpled and faded from repeated washing, and his sandy-coloured hair was sticking up without the gallons of gel he usually applied to it.
‘Shhhh,’ Ruby gestured to her older brother to be quiet, putting her finger to her lips and motioning for him to come over to where she stood. There was little furniture in the small room: a bed with a pink bedcover that Ruby had had since she was a young girl, a lamp for reading and a wardrobe. Bobby sidled over next to her and peered out.
‘Be careful, you don’t want the Feds to see ya!’ Ruby admonished her brother.
Bobby shrugged. ‘What’s it to do with us, anyway?’
‘It’s bloody Sarah’s ’ouse, that’s what!’ snarled Ruby. Just then there was a loud crash as the door was kicked in and the line of black-clad coppers shoved their way into her friend’s home. Ruby’s heart was beating wildly, though it wasn’t out of fear for herself or her family. Bobby was right, they hadn’t done anything to bring the Feds to their door, but Ruby was terrified for her friend. What would happen to the family if they nicked Sarah’s dad? What if they nicked Sarah? How would she cope being banged up? Ruby pushed Bobby aside to try to get a closer view.
‘Ouch, Bobby!’ Ruby elbowed her brother as he trod on her foot clumsily. They peered out of the window, waiting to see what would happen next.
‘What’ll they do to him when they get him?’ Bobby whispered. He seemed shaken by the experience though he’d grown up around criminals and the ever-present threat of them being caught.
The question was answered almost immediately. A young woman’s voice escalated to its crescendo, screaming for all she was worth. ‘Dad! DAD! GET YER ’ANDS OFF HIM. DAD, DON’T LET THEM DO THIS TO YA! ’
It was Sarah’s voice. Ruby craned her neck, trying to see her friend, just making out her blonde hair and a flash of her pink pyjamas. Ruby wanted to help and felt desperate knowing there was nothing she could do to stop this. Then came Julie’s voice. ‘You fuckin’ bastards. Get yer ’ands off my ’usband. He ain’t done nuthin’ wrong. NUTHIN’.’
Just then, they caught sight of Mike being tussled to the ground, almost bringing down a line of washing along with him. Expensive underwear, designer tops and luxury cotton sheets threatened to engulf them all.
Ruby was frantic now. ‘Poor Sarah. Oh my God, they’re arrestin’ her dad. What will they do without him?’
One of the coppers threw off the washing, and was greeted with, ‘Oi, you mind my sheets, you FILTH!’
Ruby was unable to tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding beneath her window. She saw Mike kick a bin over, all the while yelling at the top of his lungs.
‘Bloody ’ell, they’ve nicked him, all right,’ Bobby exclaimed, forgetting to whisper. One of the officers suddenly looked up, though Mike was making a real racket as he shouted obscenities at the Feds and they couldn’t possibly have heard him.
‘Shut the bloody curtain!’ Ruby never swore in front of her family as she always got a smack for it, but this was something else.
‘I can ’ear them takin’ him down the alley,’ said Bobby. He was right. They heard the sound of metal clanging as more bins were kicked over. The captured man grappled along the back alleyway to where a cop car would surely be waiting.
Both of them peered round the curtain again to see Mike, who was now in handcuffs, disappear, though they could still hear him.
Then several more policemen appeared from the kitchen door, all carrying boxes of the stolen goods that had been piled up in Sarah’s house. Seconds later, a copper walked out carrying the large black holdall Ruby knew only too well. At the sight of it, Ruby froze. ‘Oh my God, they’ve got the gun!’
Ruby’s voice was low but Bobby heard well enough. He turned sharply to look at his younger sister. ‘They’ve got the what? What the ’ell do you know about a gun, Ruby Murphy?’
‘That’s exactly what I’d like to know!’ Louie’s voice thundered behind them. They both turned in shock to see their father standing at the bedroom door, his face wearing an expression of pure anger. ‘I ’eard ya, Ruby. What d’ya know about guns?’ Louie’s hair was still tousled from sleep, but his dark eyes were hard as he scanned his daughter’s face. ‘Tell me the truth.’
‘Dad, I don’t know nuthin’ really, I promise,’ Ruby stuttered. ‘Last week Sarah show
ed me where her dad kept that holdall. The gun was inside it. That’s all I know! It was nuthin’ to do with me, and I hated seeing it. I know I should’ve told ya but I didn’t want you and Mum to worry . . .’ Ruby trailed off miserably, wondering what punishment she would receive for not imparting this information sooner.
At the sight of her distress, Louie changed tack, becoming softer. He ran his hands through his thick black hair and looked back at her, this time with concern. ‘Ruby, all we want is for you to be safe. We’ll talk about it this evenin’, but I want you to swear to me you’ll never go round to Sarah’s house again.’
Tears started to fall down Ruby’s cheeks, but she nodded. She’d heard her friend’s distress without being able to help, and she’d witnessed the unthinkable, a parent being arrested and taken away. All she could think of was how upset Sarah must be now – and she couldn’t even go to comfort her.
Louie saw the tears, and with a soft voice said, ‘Now get back to bed the both of you. I’m just glad neither of you are caught up in all this. We don’t ’ave nuthin’ to do with crooks from now on, and that includes your friend. Sorry, Rube.’
With that, her dad sloped off back to his bed. Ruby prayed he would say nothing to Cathy about the gun. She couldn’t imagine what her mum would do if she knew, but she did know she’d hit the roof good and proper.
Her dad’s words stung. Ruby couldn’t imagine life without Sarah. They’d been best friends since before primary school, and she knew she couldn’t – wouldn’t – drop her, even if it meant incurring her father’s wrath. She couldn’t just leave her to deal with this alone. Somehow she had to try to see her.
Luckily, Louie didn’t tell Cathy and so no more was said. The street quietened down, though the neighbours were all buzzing with gossip for days. Ruby was too worried about her friend to care what the local gossips said over the back-yard fences.
It took a couple of days, but eventually Cathy was out working at the local tobacconist and Louie was sorting out something at the scrapyard, leaving Ruby free for the first time since the arrest. She rushed across their yards and knocked softly on Sarah’s door. Sarah hadn’t been seen since the arrest, which Ruby had expected, but she’d been worried about her friend.