by Kerry Kaya
Jimmy tore his eyes away from his nephew to look across at Sadie. “And who the fuck is Ronald Browning?” he asked.
Sat on the edge of the sofa, Sadie clasped his hands in his lap, and his expression was one of pure hatred. “He frequents a club called the Underground Club.” He glanced toward the hallway for a second time and continued to speak. “Let’s just say he had a lot of friends in high places, men who like to take advantage of youngsters like young Jake.”
“He said he’d tell me dad.” Jake found his voice. “Please, don’t tell him, Uncle Jimmy.” His eyes were wide, his skin ashen. “Please, don’t tell me dad.” He began to cry once again.
Jimmy turned his attention back to his nephew. “Who did? Who said that to you?”
Dragging the back of his hand across his eyes, Jake’s voice cracked with emotion. “I don’t know his name, big bloke. He said he knew you and me dad. He knows everything about me.”
“Freddie Smith.” It was Sadie who volunteered the name.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. He stood up and began to pace the room, while he desperately tried to think of how he should handle the situation. “Yeah, well, Smith won’t be causing any more issues.” He knew that for a fact. The man had been dead and buried for months. It was he and his brothers who had dragged the man to the site where his death had taken place.
He looked around him. What with the body just feet away from them, he needed to get Jake out of the flat, and as quickly as he could. He pulled his mobile phone out from his jacket pocket. He’d need help to clean up the crime scene.
All traces of Jake needed to be wiped from the apartment. Immediately, his thoughts went to Mad Dog, and just as quickly, he dismissed the idea of calling the older man for help. He couldn’t put something like this on his shoulders. He scrolled through his contact list, looking for Danny McKay’s telephone number. Younger, fitter, and a total nutcase, McKay was the right man for the job.
As though reading Jimmy’s mind, Sadie sat forward on the sofa. “I’ll tell them it was me.”
“Tell who?”
“The police. I will tell them that it was me who killed him.”
Jimmy stared at the man; his forehead furrowed. “And why the fuck would you do something like that?”
Giving a tiny shrug of his shoulders, Sadie glanced once again across to the body and sneered. “Let’s just say, it’s personal. I detest the bastard. In fact, I wish that I’d had the courage to kill him myself.”
Jimmy nodded his head. He moved across the room to speak privately into the phone. “Danny, I need your help.” Quickly, he explained the situation, rattled off the address, and then switched off his phone. He turned once again to face his nephew. “We need to get you cleaned up.”
“There’s a shower through there.” Sadie tossed his hair from his eyes and nodded his head toward the hallway. “I’ll have a shifty through Ronald’s wardrobe and see if I can find some clean clothes for young Jake. They’ll be too big mind, but better than nothing.”
Jimmy smiled his thanks. “Right, come on you.” He heaved Jake up from the sofa and led him out toward the hallway. Carefully, they manoeuvred around Ronald’s body. “Don’t look at him,” Jimmy ordered his nephew. But it was too late, Jake couldn’t resist his eyes flicking down at the butchered man, nor the dark claret coloured pools of blood surrounding him.
Panic began to set in once again, and Jake let out a strangled sob. In his haste to get past the body, he pulled himself free from his uncle’s grasp, and ran across the hallway into the bathroom, almost slipping on the blood. “Am I going to go to prison?”
Jimmy shook his head. His lips were set in a straight line. He would do everything and anything in his power to stop that from happening, and he glanced at his watch, noting that McKay should arrive at any moment.
His eyes wide, Jake pushed himself farther against the white bathroom tiles. “Uncle Jimmy, I’m going to go to prison, ain’t I?” His voice began to rise.
“No, I’m going …” He glanced behind him at Ronald’s body. “I’m going to take care of this.”
“But how? How can you sort this out? He’s dead.” The enormity of the situation hit home, and tears filled Jake’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to kill him, honest, Uncle Jimmy. I just couldn’t stop myself once I’d started.”
“Let me take care of that.” Pulling his nephew’s face upwards, Jimmy looked him in the eyes. “Just get yourself cleaned up, okay? We need to get out of this flat, and fast.”
Jimmy switched on the overhead shower unit. He ordered his nephew to undress and get underneath the hot water spray, then stepped out of the room in time to answer the front door to Danny McKay.
“Thanks for coming.” Jimmy moved aside, allowing McKay to enter the premises. He nodded down at the body. “We’ve got a situation, mate.”
“Fucking hell, you can say that again. And you’re telling me the kid did this?”
“Yep.” Jimmy gave a slight indication of his head and ushered Danny through to the lounge.
“Fuck me, the kid’s got more Carter in him than I thought.” Walking into the room, Danny turned to look at Sadie. His expression became suddenly menacing, his body instantly taut. “And who the fuck is this?”
“Sadie.” Perched on the arm of the chair, Sadie held out his manicured hand.
“Sadie?” Danny ignored the outstretched hand and looked the man up and down. He gave a snarl and stabbed his finger toward Jimmy. “The last thing you want, are any witnesses.” He turned to look over his shoulder at the man, then leaned in closer, keeping his voice low. “Do you want me to do him in while I’m at it?”
“You don’t need to whisper about me boys,” Sadie said, as he lounged back on the leather couch and crossed one shapely leg over the other. “You can trust me not to say anything about young Jake being here.”
Clenching his fists into tight balls, Danny turned to face Jimmy for a second time. “Just give me the nod, and I’ll fucking do it.”
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “Sadie is going to take the flak.”
“And why the fuck would he do that? Think, Jimmy,” Danny said, lunging forward and stabbing his finger against Jimmy’s temple. “Think of what Tommy would do.”
“Don’t you think I’m trying to?” Jimmy snapped. He took a step backward and massaged his closed eyes. The truth of the matter was that he didn’t know what his brother would do.
Tommy had a vicious streak in him at the best of times, and he, better than anyone, knew that to be a fact. But would he kill an innocent man? Would he really go that far? His thoughts immediately went to his nephew.
Yes, Tommy would destroy anything and anyone to keep his kids safe. Faced with a dilemma, he looked over at Sadie once more. “If you mention one word of Jake’s involvement, I will kill you myself, do you understand?”
Sadie nodded his head. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what would happen to him if he revealed the truth. “I understand, and like I said, I want to do this. Why should that poor little lamb go to prison for that piece of shit?”
Jimmy raised his eyebrows toward Danny. “What do you think?”
“You already know what I think.” Danny’s green eyes flashed menacingly. “This will be on your head, if the bastard talks. I mean it, Jimmy, because I am not going down for anyone, especially not him. I’ll kill the cunt stone dead before that happens and then,” he said stabbing his finger forward, “I’ll come after you.”
“I know, I know.”
“Right then.” Satisfied with Jimmy’s answer, Danny rubbed his hands together and looked around the apartment. “How long has the kid been here for?”
“I don’t know.” Jimmy looked across to Sadie, hoping that he would have the answer.
“Ever since you turned up at the Underground Club.”
“That was over a week and a half ago.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “Fuck me, Jimmy, that’s a lot of potential evidence to get rid of.”
Despair flooded through J
immy. “Can you fix it?”
Danny shook his head. “I’m not a miracle worker, mate. If it had been just a day or two, then maybe.” He looked around him for a second time, all the while, his mind was going into overdrive. “We could always torch the gaff?” he suggested.
“No, that’s not an option.”
“Well, in that case, this isn’t something I can do myself.” He paused and brought his mobile phone out of his jacket pocket. “Let me phone around. I’ve got someone in mind, but you need to get the kid out of here, and as fast as you can.”
“Yeah, I will do.” Jimmy turned to look at his nephew as he made his way back into the lounge. Freshly showered, Jake looked relatively like his old self.
“And what about me?” Sadie asked.
“You stay here,” Danny growled.
With his earlier threat to dispose of Sadie still fresh in his mind, Jimmy flashed Danny a warning.
“What?” Taking note of Jimmy’s expression, Danny raised his eyebrows. “I’ve already told you this is your call.” He glanced over his shoulder at Sadie. “He’ll be safe, as long as he keeps his trap shut.”
“He will do,” Jimmy answered confidently. He watched Danny wander off into the kitchen to make a phone call and beckoned Jake toward him. Placing his hands on his nephew’s shoulders, he spoke quietly. “We’re leaving in five minutes. If you have anything here that belongs to you, then go and get it now.”
Jake shook his head before remembering the outfit he wore when doing his routines at the club. He’d left the clothes in a pile on Ronald’s bedroom floor. “I’ll go and get my stuff now.”
“Good boy.” He watched his nephew wander off toward the bedroom and turned to look at Sadie. “Are you sure that you want to do this? It could mean you going down for life.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Sadie nodded his head. “As I said earlier, I wish that I’d had the courage to kill the bastard myself. Believe me, young Jake has done everyone a favour.”
Jimmy sighed. He didn’t know what to say in return and averted his eyes.
“Right.” Danny stepped back into the room. “It’s all sorted. He’s agreed to come over and sort everything out. It’ll cost you a fair few bob though,” he warned. “He doesn’t come cheap.”
“Money won’t be an issue.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it, because he’s not the type of bloke you mess around with.”
The three men turned to watch Jake walk back into the room.
“What about Gibbs? He knew I was here.”
“Gibbs?” Danny narrowed his eyes. Instantly, he recognised the name. “As in, Detective Chief Superintendent Gibbs?” he growled.
Jake shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Skinny bloke, grey hair, oh, and he has a crooked nose.”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Danny said. He knew exactly who Gibbs was. He’d had more than one run-in with the man over the years. “Don’t worry about him, me and Moray will sort it out.” He looked down at his watch. “You should get the kid out of here, mate. The bloke will be here soon, and the last thing he’s gonna want is a welcome committee.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy gathered his nephew to him. “Cheers, mate,” he held out his hand.
Danny shook the proffered hand. “I’ll give you a bell tonight, when it’s been sorted out, okay?”
Jimmy nodded his head. He walked across the room to where Sadie was sitting. “Thanks, Sadie, I owe you one.”
Sadie uncrossed his legs and flapped his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me. Like I said, I want to do this.” He looked up at Jake. “You take care of yourself, okay?”
“Yeah, I will do.” Jake nodded his head and gave a small smile; the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He knew exactly what Sadie was sacrificing for him, and knew that it could so easily have been himself staring at a life sentence.
“Go on then, the two of you, off you go, before you set me off.” Sadie dabbed at his eyes with the cuff of his sleeve and took a deep breath as he desperately tried to keep the tears at bay. He knew within the next few hours, his life would change dramatically, and not for the better.
His thoughts went to his cat. Who would look after the ginger feline now? Tears began to stream down his cheeks, and angrily, he swiped at them. He would keep strong; he had no other choice. He was determined to stick to the plan and confess to murder, and nothing and no one would be able to change his mind on that matter.
* * *
“Are you going to tell me dad?”
Jimmy turned in the driver’s seat to look at his nephew sitting beside him. He could hear the fear in Jake’s voice, could see the terror in his eyes.
“No.” He heard Jake sigh and watched the boy’s shoulders visibly slump downwards with relief. “Listen, Jake,” he began. “Your dad, he …”
“What?”
How was he supposed to tell the boy? He tried again. “Your dad, he,” he cleared his throat. He was just going to have to come out with it. There was nothing else he could do. “He’s in hospital; he was shot.”
Jake’s eyes widened. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster and felt the colour drain from his face. “Is he okay?”
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “No, he isn’t okay, Jake.”
“Is he going to, you know?” he asked, too afraid to say the words out loud. Was his dad going to die?
“Yes, I think so.” Jimmy glanced across at his nephew. Honesty was the best policy, he decided. There was no point in giving the boy false hope. He could see the devastation written across the boy’s face, and his hand reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair, just like Tommy had always done in the past. “I’m sorry, Jake, I wish that I could say everything will be okay, but it isn’t going to be.” He let his words sink in for a few moments. “I need you to be strong for your mum. She’s going to need you; she’s in a bad way.”
Unashamed to cry in front of his uncle, Jake allowed the hot, salty tears to fall freely from his eyes. For as long as he could remember, he’d resented his father, resented the way he’d ruled the family with an iron fist, resented the way he’d tried to mould him into what he wanted and expected for a son, and now it was too late to tell him that he loved him, too late to tell him that even though he was eighteen, he still needed him. His voice quivered as he spoke. “Can I see him; can I see my dad?”
Jimmy nodded his head. He glanced at the clothes Jake was wearing. As Sadie had predicted, they were miles too big for him. “We’ll pop by your house first, get yourself changed, and then we will go straight to the hospital, okay?”
“Okay.” Solemnly, Jake turned his head to stare absentmindedly out of the window, all the while, wishing that he was in some kind of nightmare that he would soon wake up from.
Chapter 12
There was no mistaking the familiar sound of a car pulling onto the driveway. The tyres crunching across the gravelled ground was more than enough to send a slither of panic down Karen’s spine. Her heart was in her mouth as she crept off of the bed and peered out of the window. It was her Uncle Jimmy’s car.
Quickly, she moved across her bedroom floor and pushed the chest of drawers farther against the wooden door. Satisfied that her uncle wouldn’t be able to barge his way into her bedroom, she looked over to where she had hidden the kitchen knife, and as an extra precaution, she ran across the room in her haste to pull it out of its hiding place. Just in case, she told herself; just in case Uncle Jimmy managed to batter his way in.
Half of her wanted to laugh out loud at how ridiculous she was behaving. This was her Uncle Jimmy, for fuck’s sake. Her lovely, kind-hearted, sweet uncle, not some stranger. The other half of her didn’t trust any of her family, not now, not after what she had witnessed.
She could hear the front door open and held her breath when she heard footsteps crossing the downstairs hallway. She could just about make out a muffled conversation. Her Uncle Jimmy was obviously not alone. She leaned across the chest of drawers and pressed her ear farther again
st the wooden door.
The footsteps bounded up the staircase, and she jumped backwards in alarm. Her eyes were wide, and the knife remained firmly clutched in her hand. Was that her brother Jake’s voice? She tiptoed across her room and pressed her ear as close as she could to the door. Relief flooded through her; it was her brother’s voice. Dragging the chest of drawers out of the way, she flung open the bedroom door.
“Jake,” she cried. She ran across the landing grabbed hold of her brother’s hand and pulled him into her room. As quickly as she could, she pushed the chest of drawers back into position. “Help me,” she begged of him.
“Kal?” Bewildered, Jake did as he was asked and helped push the chest of drawers back into place. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t trust them, Jake.” Karen’s eyes were wide, and her voice was high and breathless. “Don’t trust any of them.” She studied her brother’s face and gasped at the sight of the bruised eye and split lip. “What happened? Did Uncle Jimmy do that to you?”
Jake reached up and touched his swollen eye. “No, of course not.” He averted his eyes, feeling suddenly ashamed. “Do you know about Dad?”
“Yes,” Karen nodded her head and tears instantly filled her eyes. “That’s why you can’t trust them.”
“Jake, hurry up! We need to leave, now.” Jimmy’s voice was loud as he called up the stairs.
“I have to go.”
“No, don’t go with him.” Alarmed, Karen blocked her brother’s way. “You don’t know what he might do.”
“I have to, Kal.” He pushed his sister out of the way and began to pull the chest of drawers away from the door. “I have to go, Kal.”
“Please, don’t.” Karen began to cry. She couldn’t stop the fear from spreading through her body.
Jake ignored the pleas coming from his elder sister. “I have to,” he repeated as he squeezed through the door.