by Sam Michaels
‘And you have no idea who’s hired him?’
‘None. But it’s someone with money who wants me out of the picture. It’s not confirmed but word has it that I’m just the start of his campaign. Someone out there has got big ideas. Someone wants to take over all of London.’
This seemed to pique PC Cunningham’s interest and he shifted to the edge of his chair and placed his helmet on Georgina’s desk. ‘I don’t like the sound of this, Miss Garrett. It’s going to lead to trouble.’
‘I know, but if I arrange for him to be taken out of the picture, another hitman will be sent. You know how it works.’
‘Yes, yes, I do. I can see we have a major problem on our hands. I mean, we don’t want overly ambitious men upsetting the apple cart, do we?’
‘No, we don’t, PC Cunningham. Which is why I’ve come up with a possible solution that will keep my name out of it and, at the same time, find out who is behind this and give you the arrest of the century.’
‘Go on, I’m all ears.’
‘As I said, I’ve had eyes on him. I know where he’s staying and his every move. He appears to be enjoying what London has to offer but he’ll be making his move on me soon. He uses various aliases, even calling himself a Right Honourable, Sir, or Lord. To be fair, he’s believable.’
‘Lord, you say. Huh, I wouldn’t be taken in by that.’
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t. You can take it as a fact that he keeps a record of each of his hits – names, places and times. I’m told he even has the bullet casings. We’ve seen him guarding a leather briefcase and he takes it with him everywhere. Inside is where you’ll find your evidence.’
‘You expect me to arrest him?’
‘Of course. And then you can question him and get the name of who’s hired him. He’ll be leaving the Doncaster this evening and taking a taxicab to dine alone at Simpson’s in the Strand. It would be easy to intercept the taxi and make your outstanding arrest. You’d be killing two birds with one stone. I get him out of my hair and you’ll undoubtedly receive a promotion and probably a commendation.’
All of this was news to Varvara and she was most disappointed that Miss Garrett hadn’t shared it with her. After all, she was tasked with protecting the woman’s life!
‘I’m not sure, Miss Garrett. This isn’t even in my area.’
‘Oh, come on, PC Cunningham. Surely you’re not going to let this opportunity pass you? You’ve been handed on a plate all the information you need, it would be a doddle – and think of the accolade.’
‘Yes, it does sound straightforward enough. But if this Oliver Reading is as good as you say he is, wouldn’t I be putting myself at risk?’
‘Our observations show that he doesn’t carry a gun. Well, not until he’s on the job. You’d be arresting an unarmed man carrying evidence of multiple and worldwide murders. The only problem you’ll have to contend with is getting him to reveal his true identity as he’s bound to try and fob you off with some fancy title he’s using. Look, if you ain’t got the balls to see this through, then I’ll speak to another of my connections in the Met and they can take all the credit.’
‘Hang on, slow down. I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.’
‘So, you will?’
‘Yes, but give me all the details again.’
Varvara listened as Miss Garrett confirmed the plan. She couldn’t understand why Georgina would trust the stupid policeman to carry out such important work. Lives were at risk here – Georgina’s life. And Varvara felt she was far more capable of ensuring the demise of Oliver Reading than PC Cunningham was. But she’d already antagonised her boss and though she desperately wanted to visit the Doncaster hotel and slit the throat of this man, she thought better of it and knew she had to toe the line. Miss Garrett sounded confident that she had the situation in hand and Varvara wasn’t prepared to risk losing her job. She couldn’t bear to be apart from Georgina – ever.
*
Molly was in a world of her own as she dried the breakfast dishes and flinched when she heard a hammering on the front door. Her mother was still in bed. Fear coursed through her veins as her mind raced with images of what monster was behind the door. She felt so alone and though Molly had never liked Knuckles, she now wished he was still in the house to protect her.
The knocking became louder and faster, which matched Molly’s heartbeat. She quietly placed the plate and towel on the side, opened a drawer and picked up a large carving knife. Then, as she tried to hold back tears and with her hand shaking, she tiptoed to the hallway.
Again, there was furious knocking but then Molly heard a girl’s voice calling, ‘Molly… Molly… It’s me, Colleen… Are you in there?’
She was so relieved to hear Colleen’s Irish twang but then another fear struck her. Colleen was one of Mary’s daughters, Dulcie’s neighbour, and Georgina had been paying the girl to sit with her gran.
She rushed to open the door and was filled with dread when she saw Colleen’s panicked and flushed face.
‘Come quick, Molly, it’s Dulcie. Me ma is with her but she’s not good.’
‘I’ll be straight there. Just give me a minute to call Georgina,’ Molly answered and went to the telephone.
When Georgina answered she gabbled out what she knew and told her to come home. She then grabbed Edward to put him in his pram and ran behind Colleen towards Dulcie’s house.
When they arrived, Mary was stood in the street doorway, her expression grim.
‘Is she… is she…’ Molly tried to ask but couldn’t speak the word.
‘Yes, pet, she’s gone. She’s resting now and I hope she made her peace with the Lord.’
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ Colleen began to cry. Her red hair streaked across her face and her green eyes pleaded with Molly. ‘Please tell Georgina it wasn’t my fault.’
‘It’s all right. Tell me what happened?’ Molly said. The reality hadn’t yet hit her and she felt as if she was functioning mechanically.
‘No… no, I can’t go in there!’ Colleen screamed.
‘Shush, it’s all right, you don’t have to,’ Molly soothed, crouching down in front of the girl to gently hold her shoulders. ‘You can tell me here.’
‘She made me do some reading. She said if I wasn’t going to school then I was to learn me three r’s with her. I was sat on the floor by her legs and reading her the newspaper. I thought she’d fallen asleep. She looked like she was sleeping,’ Colleen said and began bawling again.
‘It’s all right, you didn’t do anything wrong at all and I promise to tell Georgina what a good girl you’ve been,’ Molly said and stood up. She looked at Mary and asked, ‘Do you want to take her indoors to yours?’
‘No, I’ll stay here. Colleen, get yourself inside and look after the bairns. Finish patching the bedroom floor for me,’ then Mary turned back to Molly. ‘The damn floorboards have rotted through but nothing that some stiff cardboard won’t mend. Are you coming in, Molly?’
Molly gulped. She didn’t want to. She’d seen her father’s dead body but hadn’t felt anything. This was different. This was Dulcie and she loved the woman like she’d been her own gran.
‘It’s not so scary, Molly. You can see the peace on her face. She died quietly, with no pain or disease and knowing she was loved. What a beautiful way for a soul to leave this world. Come, say goodbye.’
Mary helped Molly in with the pram. She left Edward in the hallway and tensed as Mary opened the front room door.
‘Go on, pet, see for yourself.’
Molly slowly walked in with her eyes fixated on the armchair where Dulcie sat. Colleen was right, she did look as if she was sound asleep. A lump caught in her throat. She half expected Dulcie to open her eyes and say hello. To offer her a slice of cake. Or to tell her off. The woman had a fierce tongue and had scolded Molly on many occasions when she’d deserved it.
Molly moved closer and summoning up all her courage, she knelt down and took Dulcie’s cold hand in her own. It felt stran
ge. She could tell the woman wasn’t there and hoped she was somewhere in heaven with Ethel. ‘Oh, Dulcie,’ she cried, ‘Rest in peace, dear lady. Look out for my Ethel up there. Tell her how much I miss her and that I’ll always love her.’
Tears rolled down Molly’s cheeks now and as she placed Dulcie’s hand back on the armchair, she thought about Georgina. This was going to break her heart. Dulcie was the matriarch of their small family and the only mother Georgina had ever really known. She wondered how her friend would deal with it. Grief could do strange things to people. She’d seen what it had done to Jane and now her own mother wasn’t herself. And this was the last thing Georgina needed right now. With Lash held captive, she had enough to be dealing with. Georgina’s shoulders were broad but Molly wondered how much more she could take before she tipped over the edge.
*
‘No… wait… please,’ Mary pleaded as she tried to stop Georgina on the doorstep.
Georgina could tell by the woman’s sympathetic eyes that she was about to walk in on something devastating. She pushed open the front room door and burst in. Her gran was sleeping in her chair and Molly was knelt at her side, her face wet with tears.
‘I’m so sorry, Georgina,’ Molly whispered, ‘she’s passed away.’
Georgina couldn’t bring her legs to work. She wanted to move closer to her gran but felt fixed to the spot. ‘No… she can’t be… you haven’t checked properly…’ she uttered.
‘I’m afraid she is. She died peacefully in her sleep.’
‘No, Molly, no… she’s a deep sleeper, you know what she’s like. I’ll get her a blanket, her legs will be cold.’
Georgina spun on her heels and ran up the stairs. There, she grabbed a cover from her gran’s bed, but suddenly gasped as an overwhelming pain felt as if it was cracking open her chest. Her throat constricted. She stepped back to lower herself onto the bed and pulled the blanket up to her face. It smelt of her gran. A comforting aroma, warm and safe. ‘Oh, gran, please be sleeping. You can’t die… you can’t leave me…’ she sobbed.
‘There you are,’ Mary said as she came into the room. ‘I’ve made you a cup of tea with lots of sugar.’
Georgina looked up at her life-long neighbour. ‘It is true, Mary? Is me gran really dead?’
‘Yes, pet, I’m sorry to say she is.’
Georgina grabbed at her chest and leant forward. ‘It hurts so much, I don’t think I can breathe,’ she moaned as she tried to catch her breath.
‘That’ll be the shock and the pain of grief. Let it out, pet, let it all out. Tears will help to heal you.’
‘No… I can’t cry… I won’t. My gran wouldn’t want me to.’
‘Yes she would. She wouldn’t want you bottling up all your pain and making yourself ill, now, would she? No, she’d tell you to have a bloody good cry and then to get on with it. No moping. No being unhappy. You know what she was like.’
‘Yes, I do. That’s exactly what she would have said,’ Georgina answered with affection.
‘There you go. Come on downstairs now.’
‘No… not yet. Just give me a few moments.’
Her neighbour gave Georgina’s shoulder a quick rub and then pulled the door closed behind her as she left. Georgina stared at it, confused. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel or what she had to do next. Her father! Oh, God, he was going to come home to this! He’d only just sobered himself up and this could send him into the bottle again. But she couldn’t think about that for now. Her dear, beloved gran, was sitting in a chair but she was dead and it seemed undignified. She should be in a bed. Georgina looked behind her at her gran’s puffed-up pillows. This is where she should be, she thought, and left the blanket where she’d found it before walking out.
The front room door was open and as Georgina came downstairs, she could see her gran’s legs. She felt that same pain in her chest again and the feeling of her throat tightening. Mary came into the hallway.
‘Are you all right, pet? You don’t look very well.’
‘I… I’m fine.’
‘You can’t hold your pain in, and that’s what’s troubling you. You’re fighting yourself, Georgina. You don’t have to be strong at a time like this.’
‘I know, thank you, Mary. Is Colleen all right? It must have been awful for her.’
‘Aye, she’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about.’
Georgina took in a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back. ‘I’m taking my gran to her bed.’
‘No, Georgina, leave her be. I’ve called the doctor and he’ll arrange for the funeral home to collect her.’
‘How dare you!’ Georgina snapped. ‘My gran’s not going anywhere… she’s staying here… do you hear me?’
‘I’m… I’m… sorry, pet… I was only trying to help.’
Georgina, stood halfway down the stairs and croaked, ‘Sorry, Mary, and thank you for taking things in hand, but I would still like to take my gran to her bed. If you’ll excuse me,’ she said, and stepped past her.
In the front room, Georgina froze again. She couldn’t bring herself to get any closer to her gran. Then she felt Molly’s arm over her shoulder.
‘Come on, give your gran a kiss goodbye. I think she’d like that.’ Molly’s voice was gentle as she tried to urge Georgina towards Dulcie.
‘I can’t… I can’t do it. I can’t say goodbye to her,’ Georgina replied, emphatically shaking her head. ‘I wish Lash was here.’
‘I know you do. Why don’t you go and sit in the kitchen?’
‘No, I won’t leave me gran alone.’
‘I’ll sit with her,’ Mary said. ‘She won’t be alone.’
Georgina allowed Molly to lead her through to the kitchen. She felt guilty that she couldn’t face her gran in death and yearned to feel the comfort of Lash’s strong arms. ‘Can you tell Victor to come in, please?’
Moments later, Victor stood in the kitchen doorway. He looked uncomfortable with the situation, and a man of few words, he offered Georgina a sympathetic smile.
‘I need you to wait outside for my father. I expect he’ll be back from Liverpool today. Don’t allow him to come in to the house until I’ve spoken to him.’
Victor left and she was grateful that he didn’t say much. Then Molly came back into the kitchen. ‘I’ve called Benjamin and told him you won’t be back in the office for a few days.’
‘So much for The Maids of Battersea. We ain’t as strong as we used to be, what with Jane in hospital, your mother hating me, and now my gran…’ Georgina felt the consuming pain in her chest again and her throat tightening. She let out a small gasp. That gasp led to a long groan and that groan changed to a sob. She didn’t recognise the noise that came from inside her but she knew it was her grief. She was vaguely aware of Molly fussing but she was wailing now, allowing her pain to flood out. ‘I can’t believe she’s gone,’ she cried and hung her head in her hands as tears streamed down her face. Her mind spun. She’d never hear her gran’s reassuring voice or get a ticking off from her again. It didn’t seem right. Dulcie wasn’t old. She had bad bones but that was all. She shouldn’t be dead and to leave so suddenly without a chance for Georgina to say goodbye ripped at her insides.
After a while her tears dried and her chest stopped hurting. She felt she could finally breathe again. Mary had been wise. She’d told her to let it out. She had, yet it hadn’t taken away her sorrow. And the way she felt at the moment, she couldn’t imagine this feeling of heartbreak ever leaving her.
29
The following morning, Georgina sat on the edge of her bed and twisted her mother’s wedding ring. Her tears had dried but she’d spent most of the night crying. Thankfully, her dad had proved himself to be stronger than she thought he would be and had so far avoided turning to the bottle for solace.
He tapped lightly on her door.
‘Come in,’ she called.
Jack stuck his head round the door. ‘The kettle’s on if you fancy a cuppa,’ he said.
> ‘Thanks, Dad, I’ll be down in a minute.’
He smiled lovingly at her before pulling the door closed again.
Georgina ran her fingers across her neatly made bed. She missed Lash and craved his love. It had been awful sleeping without him again, especially when she’d needed his comfort. But his family had taken him with them, promising to bring him home when he was recovered. Her father had spared her the details of how badly Lash had been hurt by the Pounders but she could tell it was awful. And now she had no way of contacting him. She could only hope his family would return him soon.
Georgina made her way down to the kitchen and sat at the table. Her dad poured her a cup of hot tea and sat next to her. She looked down into her cup. The tea looked weak, almost transparent.
‘I think I need more practice at brewing a decent cuppa,’ Jack said.
Georgina half-heartedly smiled at him. She could feel her emotions bubbling to the surface again and tried to quell them.
‘I expect you’re missing Lash?’ her dad asked.
‘Yes,’ she answered, unable to speak for fear of her pain overflowing again.
‘He’ll be back, love. And when he is, don’t you go giving him a hard time for going off with his family. I know you.’
‘I won’t, Dad.’
‘He didn’t want to go. But, well, to tell you the truth, he wasn’t in much of a fit state to argue with them. They’ll take good care of him. It’s their way, Georgina.’
‘I know.’
‘Cor, they’re something else, they really are! You should have seen the way they went charging in. I don’t suppose the docks have ever seen anything like it. Thirty-odd blokes on horseback must have been a sight to behold. It gave me a real sense of pride to be a part of it. You’ve married into something big, my girl. When you married Lash, you married his family too. You’ll never be alone. Just you remember that.’
Georgina placed her hand gently on her stomach. There was no child in there yet but when the time came, her baby would be their blood. Lash’s family’s blood. She lived in a dangerous world and it gave her some reassurance to know that her child would always be protected, even if she wasn’t around.