by Sam Michaels
‘It’s not your fault, love, I’m just bleedin’ knackered. So come on then, what’s this you’ve brought for us?’ she asked and smiled, feeling awful for taking her mood out on Molly.
‘Here ya go, a little treat,’ Molly answered and taking her son, she handed Fanny a small paper bag.
Fanny peeped inside and asked, ‘What are these?’
‘Fizzy cola bottle sweets. Try them, they’re delicious.’
She popped one in her mouth and relished the sugary coating and sour taste. ‘These are… different. Thanks, Molly, I’ll save them for Ethel and Charlotte.’
Edward began to softly whimper and Fanny outstretched her arms. ‘Give him back ’ere to his grandma,’ she said, ‘and you can make us a hot drink.’
Molly handed over her child and disappeared to the scullery for a few minutes, soon returning with two steaming cups of weak, black tea. ‘Clarice has got a bit of colour in her cheeks now. She seems happy enough sat in front of the stove. Aw, look at Edward. He settles well with you,’ she said as she placed the cups on the bare floorboards next to the bed.
‘Well, I’ve had plenty of experience with keeping little ones quiet.’ Fanny remembered the times she’d fruitlessly rocked Molly back and forth as a baby, trying to quieten the child to save herself getting another beating from her husband.
‘He never seems as comfortable with Jane,’ Molly said and sat next to Fanny on the edge of the bed.
‘She can be a bit uptight at times and babies sense that sort of thing,’ Fanny answered.
‘Maybe, but there’s something else. I don’t know what, but something ain’t right.’
‘Of course it ain’t, she killed…’
‘Don’t say it, Mum, please,’ Molly quickly interrupted before Fanny could finish the sentence.
‘Sorry, but you know what I was going to say.’
‘Yes, I do, but I don’t want it spoken about around Edward,’ Molly whispered.
Fanny thought her daughter was being a little oversensitive; after all, it wasn’t as if Edward could understand what was being said. Still, she respected Molly’s wishes and changed the subject. ‘Am I allowed to talk about what Georgina is doing tonight?’ she asked.
‘Shush, no, not with these thin walls,’ Molly answered and looked around her as if someone might be in the room and was eavesdropping.
‘I don’t know, all this cloak and daggers. I just hope that woman knows what she’s doing.’
‘She does and if it pans out how she’s hoping, we might all be living somewhere better soon.’
‘That would be nice. I’ve wanted to get out of this dump for years. You know I hate using that privy out the back, especially when it’s so cold. I traipsed down there the other morning in the pitch blackness and had to wait ten minutes before that Arthur from two doors up came out. I really didn’t want to follow him in but I was desperate by then.’
‘Oh, Mum, you should have gone behind a bush or something.’
‘I’d do no such thing! I might be living below standard but I’ll keep up me own, thank you very much.’
‘Hopefully, you won’t have to share with all the neighbours for much longer.’
‘I do hope you’re right, Molly. Ethel’s coughing a good ’un, which I’m sure the cold and damp in here makes worse. As for Charlotte, she’s never home but let’s face it, who’d want to spend any time cooped up in these rotten walls.’
‘It’ll happen, Mum, I know it will. And when it does, me and Edward can live with you too. I can’t wait to get out of Jane’s.’
‘But I thought you was happy there. She’s got a lovely house.’
‘Yes, the house is lovely and I’m grateful to her for putting us up, but like I said, she’s a bit… strange.’
‘In what way?’
‘I dunno, little things, she’s so moody and keeps calling Edward Billy. She walks round the house at night, I can hear her, mumbling to herself for hours on end.’
‘No wonder she’s forgetful and irritated if she’s not sleeping,’ Fanny said.
‘It’s more than that, Mum. She gives me the creeps so can you see why I’m keen to move out?’
‘I suppose so, but be patient with her. She done us all a favour when she… you know.’
‘Yes, I’m trying to be but I’ll be happier when I’ve put some distance between me and the Wilcox family.’
Fanny wasn’t overly concerned about her daughter’s situation. She’d rather have to put up with Jane losing her marbles than the filthy toilet she had to share with several families. And at least Molly could keep herself and Edward warm. Even with four coats on the bed and the extra blanket she’d bought, she, Ethel and Charlotte still felt the cold and slept with knitted hats on. At least Ethel had stopped wetting the bed so that was one blessing. She could move them all out but on her meagre salary, she doubted she’d find anything much better than what they had.
All their hopes rested on Georgina now, and though Fanny didn’t divulge her fears to Molly, she hoped Georgina’s plan didn’t backfire. If it did, the shared privy and Jane’s peculiar behaviour would be the very least of their worries.
*
It was the middle of the night and so cold that Georgina’s teeth chattered as she carefully opened her front door. She didn’t want to disturb her gran or Ethel. She wasn’t worried about her dad – he was probably passed out on the sofa in a drunken stupor and even a bomb explosion was unlikely to stir him.
She tiptoed up the hallway and into the kitchen and was then surprised when she heard her gran whisper, ‘Thank Gawd you’re home.’
‘What are you doing up?’ she asked, straining her eyes to see her gran’s shadowy figure sat at the table.
‘Waiting for you to get home. I couldn’t sleep, I was too worried.’
Dulcie lit a candle and Georgina could see the strain on her gran’s face.
‘I told you not to worry; anyway, I’m back now so you should get yourself off to bed.’
‘No, Ethel’s in it and snoring her head off. Boil some water, love, we’ll have a cuppa and you can tell me what happened.’
Georgina stood at the sink and filled the kettle. As she did, she saw her reflection in the window. It was odd to see herself in men’s clothes again, though she felt very comfortable in them. It had been a while since she’d worn trousers and a shirt with braces and a flat cap. Her face was stripped of any make-up and her small breasts were flattened with a tight vest. ‘Hello again, George,’ she whispered at herself.
‘Eh? Who you talking to?’
‘No-one, Gran, just meself. I was just thinking how different I look.’
‘Funnily enough, I was and all. It’s weird to see you as George again. I know you spent most of your life as him but I’ve got used to you being Georgina now.’
‘Yes, but I could hardly go breaking into houses in me high heels and skirts.’
‘No, I suppose not. So come on then, what happened?’
‘It all went according to plan,’ Georgina answered and smiled proudly.
‘And no-one saw you?’
‘No, I don’t think so, and if they did, they would have thought I was a bloke.’
‘Good. You’re such a clever girl, just like your mother. I’d have never come up with the idea.’
‘It’s a good one, ain’t it?’
‘Yes, love, it’s bloody genius! So tomorrow morning, Mickey the Matchstick will discover his takings are gone then all hell will break loose.’
‘Yep, and hopefully he’ll find Malc’s driving glove that I planted under his desk. He should put two and two together then and discover his stolen cash in Malc’s car. That should put the cat amongst the pigeons.’
‘I’ll say! But what if they don’t end up destroying each other?’
Georgina poured the boiling water from the kettle into a teapot and chewed the inside of her mouth for a moment before she spoke. ‘They will, I’m sure of it. I can’t see Mickey letting this go, not having one of his own blokes robbing
him. Hopefully, Malc will stick up for himself and Mickey will end up with a bullet in him.’
‘And if he doesn’t?’
‘He will, one way or another, he will,’ Georgina answered and thought about the pistol in her coat pocket as she carried two cups of tea to the table.
‘I hope this all works out as you’d like. I suppose we won’t be none the wiser until this afternoon.’
‘No, not until Jane has been to see Knuckles again. She can get away with calling into Queenstown Road but I don’t think I’d be very welcome,’ Georgina said. She didn’t like to send Jane there but had no other options. At least as Billy’s mother, the woman commanded respect from her deceased son’s gang.
‘Cor, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Mickey realises he’s been turned over.’
‘Yeah, me too,’ Georgina said, but she’d have to rely on Knuckles for an account of events instead.
Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and she yawned, parroted by her gran.
‘Do you think you can get some sleep?’ Dulcie asked.
‘I doubt it, but I’ll finish my tea and try. Is my dad on the sofa?’
‘Yeah, he rolled in after the pubs closed, in his usual bleedin’ state. The sooner your Lash gets back and sorts him out, the better.’
Georgina rolled her eyes. She had enough to be worrying about at the moment and could do without the extra concern her father was causing. She hated seeing him like this. He’d always been a strong man, someone she’d looked up to and respected. He’d taught her how to steal and fight and given her all the skills she’d needed to survive on the tough Battersea streets. But this – she despised seeing him weak and controlled by the alcohol. She wanted her dad back.
‘What’s all this?’ Georgina asked as she looked at the mixed items on the kitchen table – a doll’s head, three shells, two cigarette cards, a marble, a cotton reel and a few scraps of wool.
‘It’s Ethel’s. You should have seen her, pleased as punch. She got one of them farthing bundles down at Charlotte’s school today. They’ve been doing them for years over the East End and now some good Samaritan has started it up here.’
‘A farthing bundle?’
‘Yeah. I gave Ethel the farthing and she came back with this lot wrapped in newspaper.’
‘Looks like a load of junk.’
‘It is, but it kept her amused for hours.’
‘Simple things please simple minds, bless her. I’m gonna try and get some kip now, Gran.’
‘All right, love. I’ll come up wiv ya. If Ethel’s still snoring, I’ll give her a good bloody dig in the ribs. In future, if you’re planning on being out at night and having Ethel sit with me, she can have your bed.’
‘You can get into mine now – I’ll sleep with Ethel,’ Georgina offered.
‘No, thanks, I’ll sleep in my own bed. Night, love.’
Georgina slipped into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. Her mind was racing and she knew sleep would evade her. She twisted her mother’s wedding ring and bit her bottom lip. Molly, Jane and Fanny, The Maids of Battersea – they’d all put their faith in her. Now it was time to deliver and she hoped she wouldn’t let them down.
5
The next day, Molly looked out of Jane’s lounge window, aware that behind her Georgina was anxiously pacing the room.
‘Any sign of them?’ her friend asked.
‘No, nothing,’ Molly answered.
‘Something’s not right. She’s been gone too long.’
‘It’s not been an hour yet. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.’
‘I should never have let her go alone. Christ, Molly, what was I thinking?’
‘Jane will be perfectly fine. She’s Billy’s mum so they’re not gonna bat an eyelid at her calling in to see Knuckles.’
‘We don’t know that. They could suspect that she had something to do with the robbery last night. Shit, Molly, if anything happens to her it’ll be my fault and I’ll never forgive myself.’
‘Here she is, and Knuckles is with her. See, panic over so calm down.’ Molly offered a reassuring smile. For all of Georgina’s hard-faced bravado, Molly knew her friend cared deeply for those around her.
‘Do you want to go upstairs with Edward?’
‘No,’ Molly answered, ‘I’ll stay. I’m as much a part of this as you and Jane. It’s about time I toughened up a bit and stopped hiding away.’
Molly stood next to Georgina in the bay window, waiting for Jane and Knuckles to enter the lounge. Her heart pounded and the room was so quiet that she was sure Georgina would hear it. Her friend was several inches taller than her and it was all Molly could do to stop herself from hiding behind her.
They heard the front door close and then Jane walked in, looking as glamorous and self-assured as she had before Billy’s death. Knuckles followed and when he saw Georgina, his ruddy face broke into a broad grin.
He shook his head in disbelief as he spoke. ‘I can’t believe you pulled that off, Miss Garrett. I don’t know how you did it, but they’re gone. I take my hat off to you.’ He removed his flat cap and offered his large hand for Georgina to shake.
She ignored his gesture but gave him a friendly smile. ‘Sit down, Knuckles, and Mrs Wilcox will get you a drink. You can fill me in on what happened.’
Molly went to step forward but Jane left the room.
Knuckles threw himself down on the sofa. He was such a large man, Molly thought the sofa might break under his weight. Then he gabbled, ‘Well, it’s all over. Mickey shot Malc and then Sid did Mickey in. I told Sid to do a runner, and he didn’t need telling twice.’
Georgina crossed one long leg over the other, then said to Knuckles, ‘Slow down and give me the details. Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.’
As Knuckles began to relay the events of the morning at the brothel in Queenstown Road, Molly took the armchair opposite Georgina’s and listened, intrigued at Knuckles’ every word.
‘Mickey had us all in the office as usual and I saw him pick up a glove. He must have recognised it as Malc’s and asked him what it was doing under his desk. Malc just shrugged. He weren’t taking any notice ’cos he was busy talking to Sid. I didn’t give it a second thought ’til Mickey’s brother went for the cash and said it was gone.’
Knuckles paused, smiling, and impatiently Georgina said, ‘Go on.’
‘Yeah, well, that’s when I knew. I thought to meself, Miss Garrett’s got something to do with this. Anyway, Mickey went mental and started tearing the room apart. He couldn’t believe someone had nicked his money. He kept saying nobody would have the bollocks to rob him, but I knew you would. I knew you’d done it.’
‘So then what happened?’ Georgina asked.
‘Mickey got the tarts downstairs and slapped ’em about a bit. They were snivelling and saying they didn’t know nothing about it. He had me search their rooms but I knew I wouldn’t find nothing. When I told him the rooms were clean, he went quiet. Then he started screaming at Malc, accusing him. Malc laughed in his face and Mickey had me look in Malc’s car. That’s when I found the money.’
Jane came back into the room and Knuckles paused whilst she handed round cups of coffee. Molly had been hanging on Knuckles every word and was silently willing the man to continue.
‘I took the money to Mickey and by now him and Malc were having a full-blown row. When Mickey saw the cash, he asked me if it had been in Malc’s car, so I told him yes. That was it, he didn’t ask no more questions. Malc was denying knowing anything about it but then Mickey just shot him. I couldn’t fucking believe it! He and Malc go back years; they’ve been mates since they were nippers.’
Georgina sipped on the hot drink, then asked, ‘You said Mickey’s dead too. How did that happen?’
‘The next thing I knew, Sid started doing his nut. He went for Mickey and the gun went off but Mickey missed and Sid managed to get him on the floor. Mickey tried to fight him off but Sid grabbed this big, onyx ashtray
from Mickey’s desk and whacked him over the head with it. There was blood everywhere and Mickey weren’t moving. Next thing I know, Mickey’s on all fours trying to get up but Sid had the gun and fired it. He shot Mickey in the back.’
‘What did you do then?’
‘If you must know, I panicked. I thought how the fuck am I gonna explain away two dead bodies. Nobody would have called the Old Bill, but Cunningham calls in every day. He’s the local bobby on Mickey’s pay, but now Mickey’s laid on the floor with his skull caved in and a hole in his back. Someone’s going to the gallows, so I told Sid to help me carry Malc to the car. I said he had to get rid of Malc’s body then have it away on his toes. I told him I’d cover for him… that I’d lie to Cunningham and say I found Mickey like that.’
‘So Sid has gone for good?’
‘Yeah, he couldn’t get away quick enough. I reckon he was shitting himself without Malc to back him up. He’ll be long gone now.’
‘What about Mickey’s brother?’
‘He disappeared. I didn’t see him leave but I know him – he’ll be hiding behind his mother’s apron.’
‘So, Mickey – where’s his body?’
Molly glanced at Jane and held her breath. She hoped Knuckles wouldn’t say that Mickey was in the cellar. She wasn’t sure how Jane would react to knowing Mickey was with her husband.
‘He ain’t dead. I went to drag him to the stairs and he made a strange noise. Frightened the fucking life out of me at first,’ Knuckles said and laughed. ‘I got the girls to clean up a bit then sent one of them for an ambulance. They carted Mickey off just as Cunningham turned up.’
‘Mickey’s alive?’
‘Only just. Judging by the state of him, he ain’t gonna be back.’
‘What did Cunningham say, is he investigating?’
‘Nah. He seemed more bothered about getting to the hospital to check on Mickey. He won’t do nothing about it and said he’ll put it down to Mickey having an accident.’
‘Good. You did well, Knuckles.’
‘Looks like you’re the guv now, Miss Garrett, so what do you want me to do next?’
‘I’d like you to return to Queenstown Road and carry on as normal for now. I’ll be there to take over soon. Do you think you can do that?’