Kingston Bridge

by Ian Todd

  “Ach, efter whit happened tae Peter and Snappy, they’re jist letting aff a wee bit ae steam. It’s hardly surprising.”

  “Aye, Ah hear whit ye’re saying, bit jist remember, youse need some ae these people. If any ae youse ur gonnae be set up by Wan-bob or The McGregors, then these ur the Trojan horses that they’re gonnae use tae get tae youse.”

  Tony hidnae come back at him, which wis unusual. That meant he’d probably goat through tae him. It wis when Tony continued tae come back at ye that ye knew he wisnae taking ye oan. Also, being telt they couldnae take oot Papa McGregor until the day ae Wan-bob’s trial hid been another touchy subject. He knew fine well that they couldnae gie a fuck when the damage wis tae be done. It wis the fact that they wur being managed or controlled that goat tae them, especially by somewan like Wan-bob. It wis written aw o’er their faces. Tony hid finally relented and telt them that if they goat hauf a chance ae nabbing Ruth, then they could go fur him, despite Wan-bob’s dire warnings.

  “Obviously, it wid need tae be a disappearing act, withoot any witnesses clocking whit wis happening, which makes it aw the mair challenging,” he’d warned them.

  Before Tony’s visit up tae The Big Hoose, the main topic ae conversation, when they’d gathered roond at the flat while Senga wis at work, hid been whit Wan-bob wis up tae. Everywan hid initially been pleasantly surprised that he’d gone fur Tony’s suggestion ae resurrecting Shaun Murphy, before smelling a rat and speculating aboot whit the fuck he wis planning next. Oan the positive side, it meant he’d be free tae heid aff wae Senga withoot looking back o’er his shoulder, always wondering if there wid be a knock oan the door fae the murder squad in the middle ae the night, being accused ae shooting the basturt. It also took the pressure aff ae him should he ever bump intae Danny Murphy, who’d never been a hunner percent convinced that he hidnae shot that aulder brother ae his. Everywan also knew that The McGregors, and Papa in particular, wis competing wae Wan-bob in spinning a web ae deceit and confusion tae counter Wan-bob’s attempt at wangling his way oot ae being convicted and sent doon fur life fur the murder ae the nurse up in Stobhill. While they knew a lot ae whit Wan-bob wis up tae, it wis mair difficult tae discover how The McGregors wur playing it. It hid been the latest announcement by Wan-bob that hid suddenly turned everything upside doon though, efter Tony’s revelation tae them that the bizzies maybe hid a white rabbit stashed away in a hat somewhere. The speculation merchants amongst The Mankys hid gone intae overdrive mode. Who could it be wis the obvious sixty-four-dollar question.

  “Could be anybody,” Baby hid chimed in first.

  “John The Haun?”

  “Willie Commotion?”

  “Ah thought Wan-bob telt ye that he’d goat shot ae that pair ae plonkers?” Pat hid asked oan behauf ae them aw.

  “He did,” Tony hid replied, sitting back, listening tae the irrelevant shite being spoken aboot fur the next hauf an hour.

  “So, whit’s your thoughts then, Johnboy?’ Pat hid asked him.

  “Ah don’t hiv any,” he’d jist replied, before Tony took o’er again.

  “Irrespective ae who the hell it is, wance they’ve finished telling the polis aboot Wan-bob’s set-up, how safe ur we gonnae be? The polis will soon turn tae other things, especially if The McGregors ur oot there stirring it up. Sooner or later, we could end up in some grassing basturt’s sworn statement, so we could,” he’d reminded them.

  It hid been a sobering thought. Looking at them, lounging aboot his living room, it hid been clear that nowan wis in any doubt ae the seriousness if that happened. Tae gie themsels a wee interlude fae the consequences ae the white rabbit speculation, they’d allowed the conversation tae be hijacked by Simon, who wanted tae talk aboot finding replacements fur Peter and Snappy. Interestingly, nowan hid mentioned a replacement fur him, should he heid aff wae Senga, which meant they wur still unsure ae whit his plans wur. Everywan hid accepted there wur other trustworthy, good people oot there, that wid fit in perfectly wae everywan. Frankie Fritter, Simon’s right haun man, hid been touted by Simon as a strong candidate, bit wis soon dismissed. Finding a replacement tae fill Peter and Snappy’s shoes, as Johnboy saw it, wid be difficult. Aw The Mankys hid come up thegither, either via The Toonheid or Springburn and hid built up their ain wee individual teams o’er the years. If it hid been Simon that wis being replaced, it widnae hiv seemed such a big step. The thought ae parachuting somewan in fae the ootside wis clearly an issue. Tony hid pointed oot tae them that a precedent hid been set. Baby wis the newest member tae be part ae the inner circle, bit then, as Jake hid pointed oot, he wis fae The Toonheid, or Roystonhill, and hid grown up wae the original Mankys, so that made his situation different. Pat hid annoyed Simon by saying that Frankie wis too auld. He’d goat even mair annoyed when nowan, other than him, defended poor Frankie’s track record. Frankie Fritter hid arrived oan the scene efter Simon and Silent hid become pally wae him when they wur aboot fifteen or sixteen, efter they started working in a carpet shoap doon in Queen Street in 1970. He wis wan ae the shoaps’ two contracted carpet fitters. Efter checking oot that the guy who owned the shoap hidnae any connections wae The Big Man, Simon and Silent hid goat Peter tae send doon hauf the wummin in Springburn tae pick oot whit expensive carpets they wanted fitted, fur a fraction ae the shoap price. At the end ae each working day, Silent hid hidden in amongst the carpet rolls jist before the premises wur locked up fur the night. He’d nip oot fae his hidey-hole and let Simon in, efter the owner, a right posing dandy who thought he wis the best thing since slice breid wae the female customers, heided hame. That’s how Simon hid ended up in the carpet business and eventually earned the tag The Carpet Blagger. The baith ae them hid ended up daeing the hidey-hole scene aw o’er the toon centre wae the other carpet shoaps until he’d stepped in and convinced Silent tae come and work wae him targeting the furniture shoaps. Between them, they’d soon hid the same Springburn wummin ordering up van loads ae furniture fae the shoaps, via HP, efter they’d rented empty flats and goat Bob Monteith, Senga’s original landlord and wan ae Wan-bob’s factors, tae supply them wae counterfeit rent books that gied the wummin taking oot the HP a clean rental history tae the flat the furniture wis getting delivered tae. They’d been the good auld days, before Dumfries hid intervened. It hid been a licence tae print money. At the time, Frankie hid been a wee good natured stocky guy in his late thirties. Aw The Mankys, withoot exception, hid liked him. Even people like Wan-bob and Charlie Hastie hid hid a good word tae say aboot him, which wis unusual fur that pair ae miserable basturts. As well as being good wae that carpet knife ae his, cutting up and laying the best Axminster and Berger carpets doon oan tae Peter’s customer’s flairs, he’d also been adept at using it oan people who crossed Simon. At that time, he hidnae long finished a three-year stretch up in Peterheid fur extortion wae violence and wis trying tae go straight, bit the amount ae money that hid been sliding across his palm fae Simon, hid soon encouraged him tae revise his future employment options. He also knew aw the other carpet layers in the toon. Everywan knew his age hid fuck aw tae dae wae whether he’d make a good replacement fur Peter or Snappy. It hid been the fact that he’d been wan ae Simon’s boys that hid swung it against him. It hid been obvious that the replacement option wis gaun nowhere, so the conversation hid drifted back tae Wan-bob’s latest angle oan how tae beat the rap that him and that right-haun man ae his wis up fur. So, the race wis oan tae find oot where the hell the bizzies hid the white rabbit stashed away. The fact that Wan-bob jist wanted tae know the location and nothing else, hid also been a bit puzzling tae everywan. It either meant that he’d tried and failed using his ain people tae find the basturt or Wan-bob wis spinning another wan ae his webs, that didnae involve gieing The Mankys a using by getting shot ae whoever it wis. Everywan agreed that it wisnae like him. Tony suggested that it wis because he wanted it kept quiet, which made sense when ye thought aboot it. The toon wis well known fur being full ae whispering chatter and a wee nugget daeing the roonds that
Wan-bob knew there wis a white rabbit oan the go, could be worth a fortune in the wrang hauns. Getting shot ae a grass in the toon wis the easy part. The bigger problem wis finding the basturt. How did anywan go aboot finding oot where the polis hid somewan stashed away, withoot gieing the game away? The trial wis looming. Jist another few weeks and everywan wid know where they stood. Tae make sure everywan understood the seriousness ae the situation, Tony hid also informed everywan that he believed that Wan-bob wis planning tae hiv a go at them fur aw the hassle they’d caused. He’d said that Wan-bob hid brought up, aye, mair than a few times, that aw the shit him and Charlie wur in, hid been The Mankys’ fault. The logic being, that if The Mankys hidnae robbed The McGregors ae aw their good quality hash oot in Paisley, then The McGregors widnae hiv set up Wan-bob as a comeback, by shooting that polis inspector across in Hillheid, thus bringing the ceiling doon oan tap ae everywan’s heids.

  “Aw, fuck him. Let the auld sad prick come and try,” Jake hid snorted dismissively wae a wave ae his haun.

  “Aye, life ain’t easy fur a boy named Sue,” Baby hid drawled drily, nodding across at Jake, as everywan, including Jake, jist aboot fell aff their chairs, pishing themsels wae laughter.

  He turned and looked at the clock oan Senga’s side ae the bed. Quarter tae twelve. Despite her insisting that he wisnae tae bother, he’d still nip doon and meet her aff the train at Queen Street the morra efternoon.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Despite being better wrapped up against the cauld, including hivving a pair ae socks oan in her boots, Pearl’s feet wur still freezing. Her heart wis beating like the clappers. She felt like an extra oot ae a Bruce Lee film, wae her woollen scarf wrapped roond her heid and face, as she skipped up through the pillars. Mr Violent Inspector hid been back at whit he did best, chugging away tae himsel o’er his dirty mag, as she’d nipped past that wee glass fronted office ae his oan her toes. Efter another wee fly peek, she made her move and heided up the ramp. Nothing hid changed. It wis still like a set oot ae a horror film and she still felt like the frightened, distressed victim…the wan that usually hid a fleeting walk oan part at the start ae the film, before ending up lying oan her back, her legs at a twisted angle, staring blankly up intae the lens ae the camera as it zoomed in oan her, strangled. Tae make matters worse, her and some ae the lassies hid sat roond in Aggie and Helen’s flat two nights earlier, stuffing their faces wae popcorn and packets ae Gypsy Creams, watching the first TV viewing ae The Boston Strangler. Why the hell did lassies like them put themsels through aw that scary shit, she cursed tae hersel, peering intae the darkness across in the corner, impatiently waiting fur the match tae strike up. She again wondered if she’d done the right thing by showing Wilma Thain where she’d goat tae so far. When she’d held her bedroom door open, tae allow the inspector tae step through, she’d been waiting fur…whit?

  “Ye’ve been busy,” hid been her initial reaction, tossing her shoulder bag oan tae the bed at the same time as that arse ae hers connected wae the edge ae the mattress, staring up at the wall.

  “Aye, well, Ah suppose somewan his tae be,” she’d snipped, no being able tae contain hersel, pulling oot her packet ae fags and lighter, before joining the poliswummin.

  “Why is Tony Gucci up there?” The Inspector wondered.

  “Ah approached him, tae approach that brief ae his, Graham Portoy, tae approach Glenda Metcalfe, who he’s been shag…er, in a relationship wae, remember?”

  “Whose influence clearly didnae work,” she’d replied, sounding happy at Tony’s failure tae secure her an interview. “So, whit’s your relationship wae him then?”

  “Who?”

  “Gucci.”

  “Fur your information, Ah’ve known him since Ah wis a wean in the Toonheid, back in the 60s. Before we start, Inspector, Ah think we need tae get wan thing straight here. Ma understanding wis that if Ah provided you wae where Ah’ve goat tae, then you’d fill in any glaring gaps and maybe provide me wae some sort ae guidance.”

  “Oh sorry, Ah wisnae trying tae…”

  “So, noo that we’ve goat that sorted oot, aw Ah need fae you, is fur you tae take this typewriter ribbon,” she’d continued, haunin the wee metal drum wheel across tae her, “and start joining the dots as Ah take ye through whit Ah’ve uncovered so far.”

  They’d spoken fur aboot an hour and a hauf, as the inspector questioned her while filling in the gaps, starting wae the initial investigation intae Lesley Bare’s murder. As well as telling her whit they’d been confronted wae and the conclusions they’d soon come tae efter they’d arrived at the crime scene, the inspector also explained aboot the meeting that her and her detective sergeant partner hid hid wae Pricilla Presley, later that same day. She’d withdrawn a wee service notebook fae the shoulder bag lying behind her oan the mattress and began reading the contents, verbatim, ae whit Pricilla Presley hid typed up oan a sheet fae her daughter’s school jotter. Pricilla hidnae messed aboot. She’d no only accused Bare ae raping her, bit hid named other senior polis officers, some still currently serving in the force, who’d sexually assaulted other serving poliswummin, gaun back tae the early sixties. The inspector hid then explained how Pricilla hid been the go-between in bringing a group ae the victims, aw ex WPCs, tae meet up wae Collette James, the WPC based up in Possilpark. The intention hid been tae convince them tae support Collette tae expose no only her ain sexual harassment and assault, bit theirs as well, by using the statements that they’d forwarded oan tae Susan McFarlane, who’d been raped in the polis social club lavvy across in the Gorbals, back in 1972. Frustratingly, the inspector didnae hiv a full list ae the names ae the ex WPCs. Despite her trying, neither Pricilla Presley nor the sexually assaulted wummin, wur prepared tae speak tae the polis. They’d aw hid enough and wanted tae get oan wae their lives.

  “So, it wis Collette James that passed oan the note tae Lesley Bare,” she’d murmured, watching the inspector stretch a length ae ribbon roond the blue carpet tacks ae Teddy and Lesley Bare, Collette James and Pricilla Presley. “Ah did think it wis her, bit Ah wisnae a hunner percent sure. That’s why Ah needed tae speak tae Mrs Presley. Ah awready knew that it wis the Possil WPC that hid approached The Showgirls wae the letters via Geraldine Baker.”

  “Lesley hid been trying tae infiltrate The Showgirls fur years withoot success. Collette must’ve goat the lead fae her oan who tae contact,” the inspector hid surmised.

  “Naw, Geraldine Baker, a nurse doon at The Royal and wan ae the leading lights in the ‘Justice Fur Rose Bain Campaign Group,’ wis the main Showgirl contact,” she’d telt the inspector, before gaun oan tae explain Collette James’s approach tae Senga Jackson, up at the bus stoap oan Keppochhill Road wan night. “According tae Senga, Geraldine’s name hid been found oan a wee slip ae paper in the pocket ae wan ae they lassies, the wans who’d been arrested fur squirting Evo Stick glue intae aw the locks ae the butchers’ shoaps alang Dumbarton and Victoria Roads last year. Oh, and in case ye’re wondering, Senga Jackson his never been involved in The Showgirls, despite telling Geraldine aboot Collette James’s approach.”