by Linda Calvey
Finally, she nodded. It was her turn to refuse to meet Bobby’s eye. ‘I need to go and wake George, he’s been sleepin’ too long,’ she said, feeling suddenly tearful. She didn’t want to admit it, but she’d come to see Charlie and Maureen as surrogate parents, and their protection meant a great deal to her, though she wished they didn’t need it.
‘A hundred thousand nicker, Ruby. Just think, you could buy yourself a bigger home with that,’ Bobby added, glancing at Charlie, hoping he’d back him up, try to soothe her.
Charlie whistled. ‘That’s a nice fee, Ruby. I wouldn’t turn down money like that.’
The night of the heist arrived. Ruby had become increasingly nervous and restless as the days passed, so that she was almost relieved by the time it came to watch Bobby go through the same ritual he did before every break-in. He’d come to the kitchen, peeling off his gold chain and the signet ring of Dad’s that he always wore. He’d hand them to Ruby and ask her to keep them safe. She nodded her reply, as he stuffed a black wig, black leather gloves and the skeleton keys into his holdall. He was already dressed head-to-toe in black clothing.
The plan was that Freddie would pick Bobby up in his van just past 11 p.m. and they’d drive into central London together to a large jeweller in the West End. Inside was the safe containing the fortune that Freddie had promised to share.
It was just gone 11 p.m. when Bobby looked over at the clock and announced he was off.
Ruby said nothing, hoping that the feeling of unease might finally disappear.
It didn’t.
He walked out of the front door, pulling it gently to behind him. They weren’t overlooked but they did have neighbours, and she didn’t want anyone to spot Bobby going out dressed as he was.
‘Don’t worry, Rube, I’ll be fine,’ Bobby whispered as he shut the door, giving her a last look. His face was in shadow as he spoke, then he disappeared off into the night. Ruby was left standing in the hallway of her immaculate home, the scent of lilies in the air, the silence closing in around her.
‘Come back safe, Bobby,’ she replied softly before turning round and walking back into the kitchen. Her vigil was just beginning.
The hours passed slowly. Ruby was too fidgety to sit still, too restless to watch TV or read a book. She paced backwards and forwards, never settling to anything, her nerves preventing her from dozing while she waited – and waited.
Several hours later, she heard the soft click of the front door opening. Seconds later, Bobby appeared. He was grinning.
‘It was all fine. No trouble. No bother from Freddie. Everythin’ went smoothly. He’d paid off the security guards and everythin’ was as Freddie said it would be. Are ya happy now?’ he said, yawning. The initial adrenaline rush after a successful raid had clearly started to wear off and Bobby looked pale in the low light.
Ruby stared at him, then her shoulders relaxed. Perhaps she’d misjudged Freddie after all. Perhaps he really had let the past lie.
Just as Ruby stood up, Bobby threw a small package onto the table, almost as an after-thought.
‘For you from Freddie,’ he winked. ‘He said he could either give it to his bird, or to you, so he chose you. Told ya he was kosher. Now let’s get some shut-eye. George’ll be up in a few hours and I need my beauty sleep.’
Ruby glanced at the slim, black velvet box.
‘I’ll look at it in the morning,’ she said. ‘I’m beat. Thank God it all went well. I was worried, I’ll admit it, and you were right, Bobby.’
Her brother nodded to register her apology.
He yawned again. ‘Freddie’ll be ’ere in the mornin’ with the cash. Let’s get some rest, eh Rube.’
Ruby followed Bobby up the stairs leaving the long, thin jewellery box untouched on the table.
CHAPTER 27
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ruby woke up abruptly. It sounded again. Her alarm clock showed it was 5 a.m.
Christ, what’s goin’ on? They’ll wake George. Stupidly, her first thought was for her little brother rather than the immediate problem that someone was trying to break in – loudly.
‘POLICE! OPEN UP!’ Ruby sprang out of bed. She raced into George’s nursery, and pulled him, still sleeping, out of his cot. She ran to the top of the stairs in time to see Bobby lurch to open the door.
‘GET DOWN! NOW!’ A black-clad officer screamed as the door was pushed open. Three coppers carrying guns were pointing their weapons at her brother.
‘Oh God, oh God,’ Ruby choked, not knowing what to do or whether to run for it. Bobby seemed just as thunderstruck.
He dropped to his knees, holding his hands in the air.
‘Are you Bobby Murphy?’ the officer shouted as he stood over Bobby, while the other two Old Bill started to search the house. One ran straight upstairs on seeing Ruby, who was holding George, quickly checked the rooms, then gestured for her to go down to kneel next to her brother in the hallway.
‘Shit, shit, shit.’ Bobby rarely swore but he had his head down and was shaking his head as he cursed.
‘Shhh. Don’t show them you’re rattled. Be calm, Bobby.’ Ruby had the sense to mutter to him under her breath, eyeing up the nearest copper who stared hard at them both. She managed to pull herself together quickly, but she wondered if Bobby would do the same. He seemed terrified.
‘I’m Bobby Murphy. What d’ya want?’
‘Where’s the money?’ One of the policemen circled the prostrate man, pointing his gun directly at him as he moved.
Keep calm, Bobby, keep a cool head, Ruby intonated, hoping he’d say little and perhaps this wouldn’t be as bad as it looked.
‘I don’t know what you’re on about, mate,’ Bobby replied.
At this point, George suddenly started to wail. He’d been too sleepy to react when Ruby had grabbed him but now he was awake – and making his presence felt. He struggled in Ruby’s arms, so she held him tighter to her, taking her attention away from her big brother.
‘Look what you’re doin’. You’re upsettin’ the little ’un,’ Ruby hissed, more as a tactic to attract the coppers’ sympathy. It failed as they proceeded to ignore her completely.
‘Where’s the fuckin’ money?’ The copper, who’d stopped circling them now, said quietly, ‘Don’t bother lyin’. We know it was you who pulled off the jewellery robbery last night. We ’ave it on good authority, so tell us or we’ll tear this house apart . . . Look, Bobby we know you did it. You’ve been grassed, mate.’
Ruby looked at Bobby and back at the Fed. This was serious. It didn’t get more serious – and she knew exactly who’d done the grassing.
Suddenly there was a shout from the kitchen. One of the officers appeared, and threw the unopened velvet box over to the copper who was glaring down at Bobby.
‘Just what we’ve been lookin’ for.’
The copper holding the expensive-looking box threw it to Bobby. ‘Open it.’
Bobby, hands shaking visibly, opened the box. Inside was a diamond bracelet.
‘So, tell me, why do you ’ave the director’s birthday present for his wife on your dining-room table?’ The officer was smiling now. They had all the proof they needed to link Bobby to the robbery.
Why didn’t I think to hide it? How could I have been so stupid? thought Ruby. Freddie Harris, you bastard, you’ve stitched us up good and proper. You planned this all along. This is your revenge on me for threatenin’ to go to Charlie, maybe even for being the ones Charlie took under his wing. You took a risk, shaftin’ us, and so it seems you do ’ave a pair of balls, but we’ll get you back. We’ll make you wish you’d never been born.
George was crying harder now. Ruby tried to placate him, shushing him and trying to tickle his tummy but he knew something was up and he wouldn’t be soothed.
‘Just tell them, Bobby,’ Ruby said in a small voice.
He looked up at her briefly, then nodded his head.
‘All right. You got me bang to rights.’
‘You’re
bloody right we ’ave,’ the copper snarled.
‘It’s all right, darlin’, it’s just a game. Bobby’s playin’ a game with the policeman,’ Ruby said as George sobbed. Even to Ruby’s ears she sounded unconvincing.
It was Bobby who spoke next.
‘All right, all right, but it was just me, no one else. I won’t give ya any names or nuthin’ but I will take the rap.’
The officers nodded to each other. Holding their guns aloft now, they surrounded him. ‘Get up, and open the safe.’
They all stood up.
Bobby led them all into the lounge, where the safe was hidden behind a cupboard. ‘There’s £25,000 in there. That’s all we’ve got in the house. I know I’ve been set up, and I know who set me up,’ Ruby’s brother said.
One of the officers stared now at Ruby, who refused to meet his gaze. ‘We could nick your sister as an accomplice,’ he said, leering at her. Ruby ignored him. Her heart was hammering in her chest. How would this end? Would they throw her in the nick as well? If they did, who would look after George?
Nobody spoke. The seconds ticked past.
Again, it was Bobby who broke the silence. He’d got the hint. The coppers were crooked. They wanted paying off and he was more than happy to oblige to keep Ruby out of it.
Why had she listened to Freddie Harris? She should’ve known he’d wanted revenge for her turning the tables and making a mug out of him last time. It’d been years, but Freddie must have got tired of how the blokes had laughed at him because a woman had made him pay up. She’d been too soft-hearted. She saw in that instance how different she was to her brother. She had a nose for trouble, was always anticipating a sting, yet she’d fallen for Freddie’s lies, too – and it had led to this.
‘So, we’re playin’ dirty are we?’ Bobby smiled. That at least he could understand. ‘I can’t let you take Ruby to prison. I won’t let that happen. She needs to be ’ere for our brother.’
‘How are ya goin’ to make it worth our while, Bob?’ the copper who’d led the raid into their home asked. He stepped closer to Bobby. For a moment they locked gazes, then Bobby spoke. ‘Why don’t you gentlemen take five grand as “evidence” then split the remaining twenty between ya? No one need ever know we had this conversation, and no one need do anythin’ hasty with Ruby.’
The Old Bill looked at each other and nodded. It was agreed.
They counted out the money, stuffing rolls of cash inside their protective gear. The plan had worked. Bobby walked out of the house in handcuffs, without another word to Ruby. He didn’t look back, dipping his head into the back of the police car, driven away from her to an unknown future.
As soon as the cop car disappeared down the road, Ruby picked up the receiver and dialled Charlie’s number. It was coming up to 6 a.m. and she knew he was an early riser. He was away at the moment, at a hotel in Devon with Maureen, but she knew he’d want her to call him.
‘Who is it?’ Charlie’s voice was gruff. Perhaps they’d slept in after all.
‘Charlie it’s me, Ruby. I need your help. I got Bobby nicked because of that Freddie Harris job. I knew I shouldn’t ’ave agreed, but I did, and now he’s been taken off by the Feds and—’
‘Slow down, girl. Tell me. Where’s Bobby now?’ Charlie was instantly alert.
‘I think they’ll ’ave gone to Barkingside Police Station. Freddie mugged us off. He gave me a bracelet and stupidly I left it on the table, then Freddie grassed us up. It could only be him, Charlie. The coppers came and saw the bracelet. Bobby’s shafted, and it was me who done it,’ Ruby was beside herself. The realisation of what she’d done to her beloved brother was almost too much to bear.
‘Do nuthin’. Carry on as normal. I’ll call my best lawyer and get him down there. We’re comin’ back.’
‘No, Charlie, you can’t,’ Ruby interrupted.
‘We’re comin’ and that’s final. We’ll be back by lunchtime. Don’t worry, Ruby, we’ll sort this.’ Charlie hung up, leaving her holding the receiver.
Ruby spent the morning pacing, and trying to keep George calm. She sat on the floor with him, reading books to him and creating a tea party for all his stuffed toys. Times like this, even amid all the stress and drama of their lives, were golden moments for her. Later, she made him an early lunch, sticking him in front of the telly while she tried to take a moment to think.
Why didn’t I realise when Bobby threw that bracelet onto the table that instead of a gift from Freddie, it was meant as evidence? Her mind was going round and round in circles.
Why did I even think I could do a deal with Freddie? I ignored my instincts and the result is that Bobby’s been nicked and we don’t ’ave the money, it’s all in that slime-bag’s hands. How could I have been so wrong? Ruby went over and over the conversation she’d had with Freddie. She’d known even as he stood there in her kitchen that he couldn’t, shouldn’t, be trusted, yet she’d gone ahead anyway. She’d fallen for the lure of easy money that her mum and dad warned her of.
Ruby became increasingly guilt-stricken as the hours wore on. Her confidence in her own decision-making had taken its first real hit. Up until then, she’d thought this game was easy. Well, she’d found out the truth – it was only for the hardened, only those prepared to pay the ultimate price of their freedom, or life. Well, Bobby would be paying the price of her misjudgement in his police cell tonight.
We ’ave to get him out. I ’ave to put this right, Ruby vowed to herself. For all her cunning, her intelligence, her charm, she’d been the one to mess up – and it was her brother taking the rap.
‘If I could swap with him in that cell, I’d do it in a heartbeat,’ she murmured to George, who hadn’t a clue what she was talking about. He chuckled, thinking it was a great joke, and Ruby smiled sadly.
Why do I always ’ave to learn the hard way? she thought to herself even as she smiled back at her little brother.
Time and time again, she’d learned her gut feelings were spot-on, were to be trusted, and, from now on, she would never forget it.
Lunchtime was approaching, and Ruby realised she’d heard nothing from Bobby or Charlie. Impatient for news, and feeling still more unsettled, she dialled Maureen’s mobile number. It rang for a few moments before a strange male voice answered.
‘Who’s this?’ said Ruby.
‘Are you a relative?’ the voice asked.
‘Look, what is this? I just want to speak to Maureen. It’s very important. You ’aven’t stolen her phone, ’ave ya?’ Ruby was puzzled. ‘I’m the nearest thing Charlie and Maureen ’ave to a relative, why are you askin’?’
‘This is Avon and Somerset Police. I’m sorry to have to tell you but there was a road traffic accident, a pile-up on the M4 motorway earlier today. I’m sorry but I can’t tell you any more as you’re not a family member. I have a number for the hospital if you’d like to ring there. You might have more luck that way?’
Ruby froze. None of the words made sense to her.
‘Did you hear me? I can give you a number to call . . .’
‘Sorry,’ Ruby managed to say. ‘I’ll just find a piece of paper and a pen.’ Her mind was whirling.
She swore as she scrambled for what she needed, scribbling down the number and putting the phone straight down. Shock was ricocheting through her body. Seconds later, before she had a chance to collect herself and call the hospital, the phone rang again. She almost dropped the receiver picking it up in haste.
‘Is that Ruby Murphy, sister of Bobby?’ It was a different voice, a well-bred privately educated male voice at the end of the line.
‘Yes it is, who’s this?’ Ruby felt bewildered.
‘I’m representing your brother. I’m here at Barkingside Police Station. Bobby has been formally charged with robbery. He’ll be here overnight so if you want to bring him some clean clothes and any medication he might need . . .’
‘All right, I’ll sort it,’ Ruby managed to say before putting the phone down.
&n
bsp; She instantly dialled the number of the hospital.
‘I’m looking for news of Charlie, Charles and Maureen Beaumont. They were in a car crash this morning. Yes, I’m a relative,’ she lied.
‘I’ll put you through to ITU,’ said the voice at the other end.
‘Hello, yes, I’m their daughter, Ruby. Ruby Beaumont.’
Then she heard the worst news possible.
‘I’m so sorry to tell you that both Mr and Mrs Beaumont were declared dead at the scene. You’ll need to speak to . . .’
Ruby dropped the receiver, the voice echoing into the space.
She heard the sound of a woman screaming, and realised it was her. She crumpled into a heap on the floor, her heart breaking all over again, screaming and screaming. George ran into her arms, terrified by the sound but she couldn’t stop. Perhaps she would never stop. Charlie and Maureen were dead, and her life was smashed to smithereens. Bobby would be banged up, unable to help, unable to do anything. It was just her left now, her and her thirst for revenge.
This is all your fault, Freddie Harris. If you hadn’t stitched up my Bobby, I’d never ’ave had to call Charlie and Maureen. Their blood is on your hands and I promise this, I will make you pay, by God I will. You won’t know what’s hit you. Until now I’ve tolerated you but that’s all over. Freddie, you will die for this, I give you my word.
Ruby lay in a heap on the floor. Little George wailed as she wept. She rocked him in her arms and the only thing that soothed her was the thought of what she would do next.
CHAPTER 28
Ruby sat in front of the lawyer. He was a well-bred, well-spoken corpulent man whose name she now discovered was Rupert Smithers. His office, a large plush room spanning the top floor of the law firm, was filled with legal books all bound with leather covers.
Mr Smithers leaned back in his chair, smiling over his glasses at the young woman who faced him with her direct gaze. She looked pale, but it only seemed to intensify her beauty. Her eyes might have shadows beneath them but they were clear and direct, emerald jewels that looked at him unblinkingly.