by KERRY BARNES
“All in good time. If anyone’s gonna sort her out, it’s me,” replied Sam.
Jack jumped in. “No, you won’t. That woman tried to ruin our lives when we were little and she ain’t gonna do it now we are older. I will be the one to sort her out.”
It was the first time the men had ever seen Jack answer them back, but they admired him for his gumption and pride.
Minutes later, the doctor reappeared. “Two of you can have a quick visit. She is coming round.” He smiled again. “Oh, one question, were you aware that Ruby had taken sleeping tablets? Only, we found traces in her blood.”
Sam frowned and shook his head.
Jack and Sam went in, gingerly. In the middle of the white room was a bed and machines, with wires and tubes everywhere. Ruby looked like a sleeping angel. Although her face was swollen, and her head was wrapped in enormous bandages, they could still make out it was her because the nurses had cleaned up her face. Slowly, her eyes flickered open.
Jack held her hand. “’Ello, Rubes, it’s me, Jack. I’m right here, look, holding your hand.” His lips quivered and he tried to bite down to stop the tears.
Ruby squeezed to let him know she could hear.
Sam said, “I’m here too, my baby. In fact, we are all here. It’s just they could only let two of us in.” His words trailed off as he fought back the lump in his throat. It hurt him to see the state of her.
“Listen, baby, you have to tell me who did it. Was it Jesse?” whispered Sam.
Ruby heard her father’s voice but she didn’t even know why she was in hospital.
The doctor came in and asked them to let Ruby rest. They agreed and walked with the doctor to the visiting room.
“Doc, can you tell me what has happened to her?” asked Sam.
Dr O’Neal was hazarding a guess. “I would say, from those injuries, and they are multiple blows, she has been attacked. Possibly by more than one person. You see, she has contusions all over her head, a bite mark to the cheek, and injuries to the stomach, the back and the face. Now, when a person is attacked, they typically follow a bruising pattern, but she is covered, which suggests multiple persons were involved.”
Sam was feeling sick, imagining his daughter being beaten so badly.
The men agreed not to do anything until Ruby regained complete consciousness and could tell them what had happened. Jack had unfinished business of his own to deal with. After all, even if it wasn’t Jesse who had hurt Ruby, why was she left alone in a dark, cold, smelly flat, dying?
*
Jesse eventually arrived home. She was completely stoned. Finding her door off its hinges and two policemen standing outside, she panicked and turned to run, but the police officer was far quicker than the wobbly Jesse, who could just about tell the time of day.
“Bollocks!” she said.
“Well, well! Look who we have here. Going somewhere, were you?” asked the copper, who was now gripping Jesse’s skinny arm.
“Nah,” she replied. Her heart was in her mouth. She felt the pulse in her neck pounding. The door was kicked in. It could only mean one thing: the police had carried out a drugs raid. She would go back to prison. No way could she get out of this one. There was a grand’s worth of cocaine under her bed and three grand in cash. She was bang to rights. With a charge of intent to supply, she was looking at a seven year stretch at least.
They took her inside the police car and pushed her back on the seat. She wasn’t cuffed but, considering the way they restrained her, she may as well have been.
“What are you arresting me for?” croaked Jesse.
The police officer sitting next to her, Officer Conners, turned his face away because her breath was so disgusting. “Who said you were under arrest? I just want to ask you a few questions.”
Even though she was stoned, Jesse assumed they hadn’t found her gear because her rights would have been read by now. It must be to do with Ruby.
“Well, if you ain’t fucking arresting me, let go of me arms and let me out of this stinking pig car,” shouted Jesse.
“Shut it, or I will find a good reason to arrest you. I’m sure you have a bit of personal – marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines?” said Conners.
“So, shall we continue?” snapped PC Manners, the other copper in the car.
Jesse chewed the inside of her mouth and nodded in disgust, but she was relieved they had no grounds, so far, to arrest her.
“Right then, Jesse. When was the last time you saw your daughter, Ruby Vincent?”
She shrugged her shoulders, needing to think this through. Not knowing what was going on, she replied with a question.
“Why, what’s happened to her?”
“Ruby was found alone, in your flat, needing medical attention.”
Jesse was silent for a minute. Then, she wiped the snot running from her nose with the back of her hand and smeared it down her jeans.
“How bad is she?” She tried to sound concerned.
“Just answer the question. When was the last time you saw her?” growled Conners.
The effects of the drugs were wearing off and Jesse was thinking straight. It’s amazing what fear can do to your adrenaline levels.
“Well, this afternoon, when she came to visit, I needed to go shopping and so she stayed in the flat.”
The officer presumed she would lie. She was a person who found it easier to bullshit than speak the truth.
“Who attacked Ruby?” shouted Conners, frustrated with Jesse’s cocky attitude.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know she had even been attacked.”
“So, how does a teenage girl end up in your flat, hanging on to dear life? You go off shopping until eleven o’clock at night, come back off your face, and know nothing?” he screamed.
Jesse sat motionless, staring into space.
“Right, tell me from the beginning. What time did Ruby arrive at your home?” asked Conners, calmly.
“Ruby came to see me about two o’clock, maybe three. She often pops over. I needed to do some shopping. See a few people. I came home, and I find you two standing there, with me door down the fucking hallway.”
He wanted to punch Jesse’s lights out. A nasty piece of work, she didn’t deserve to be a mother.
“Who knows her around here? Who had a grudge against her?”
Jesse went to say Jacob but thought better of it. After all, she could end up looking like Ruby and she needed no more grief.
“No one, officer. She pops over sometimes to see me then goes home again… look, she has only seen me four or five times in the last ten years.”
Conners was now confused and he scratched his beard. “So why did you say she often pops over?”
Jesse rolled her eyes. “Because she has only just got in touch with me after all these years…” She thought for a second. “Who found her?”
“Her father did and, if he hadn’t rushed her to hospital, she would be fucking dead. So got it now, ‘ave ya? Attempted murder!”
Jesse grinned. She was going to cause real grief to the Vincents now. She could fuck them up – just as they had fucked her up.
“Well, there you go, officers, there’s your culprit. Sam Vincent. He is the bastard who did that to her. My Ruby came to visit me because he was beating her. She hated him, wanted to move in with me, she did.” She smirked at the police.
Conners knew Sam Vincent due to the fact he had been the one to carry out routine checks on the clubs, along with DI James. Unbeknown to Jesse, the two coppers had been well-informed of the whole incident of how Ruby was found.
“Nice try, Jesse, but that’s not washing with me,” laughed officer Conners. “Sam wasn’t alone when he had to kick your door down to rescue his daughter. He was with his sister and son. Oh, and by the way, I have another witness, but I probably won’t need her.” He smirked. “So, any other clues how your own daughter got herself inside your flat, smashed to pieces?” asked PC Manners with a sarcastic tone.
Jesse shrugged.
“Sorry, officer, you’ve got me there. It’s as much a mystery to me as it is to you.” She shuffled about in the back seat, itching to get out of the car. “So, if there’s nothing else, I need to take a piss.”
The two officers let her go, shaking their heads in disgust.
“It puzzles me, mate, how the fucking hell Sam Vincent, one of the Palace owners, could look twice at a trollop like her.”
PC Manners didn’t know the Vincents but was aware they owned the chain of nightclubs and kept their business fairly clean. There was always the mystery of the McManners, an Irish family who disappeared off the face of the earth one night, and there was a whisper that it was the Vincents. It wasn’t investigated, owing to the fact that no one cared enough. The McManners had terrorised many a villain and had untold enemies, so if the Vincents had been responsible, then good luck to them.
As the police drove away, Jesse hurried into the bedroom and searched frantically for the cocaine and the money. It was still there. “Thank fuck!” she said out loud and rolled herself a joint.
*
Three weeks later, Ruby was back at home. Her recovery was quick, seeing as she was such a determined girl. Her memory slowly returned but she kept the true facts a secret until she decided what she should do.
The scars on her face were not as bad as they first looked. In fact, her lips were almost the same. The teeth marks in her cheeks were superficial wounds and so the scarring would eventually fade. The whole family were concerned about how this attack could affect her in the long-term. Would she be traumatised once she started to recall the incident? What they didn’t realise was that Ruby recalled everything: who did it to her, why it happened, and how her mother had dragged her into the flat. It was odd because, as she had lay there, going in and out of consciousness, it was the rancid stench which made her aware she was in her mother’s flat. Frightened and in pain, she also remembered the smell on the hand that shoved the tablets down her throat. It was afterwards, when there was silence, and the cold crept in, that she knew where she was, and – although she was confused – the polluted odour painted a clearer picture.
It was so obvious what had happened. Her own mother had refused to let her in until the fight was over and then she’d just dragged her inside, hoping she’d fall asleep and die.
Ruby wanted to cry every time she thought about it. How could Jesse be so damn cruel? She could have died, and her own mother was nowhere to be seen.
Jack described how they had found her lifeless body, confirming how evil their mother was. But none of what Jack had said was new to Ruby. She had to find out for herself and she would do that all right. She had a very good idea of what Jesse was like. She just wished she hadn’t had to go through such horrendous suffering to discover it.
Ruby didn’t mention the money she had given her, or the times she had spent with her smoking pot and drinking alcohol.
It was a hard lesson to learn but, when it came to it, the one sure thing in her life was her family. They loved her unconditionally and it was they who had saved her, not her selfish, neglectful mother.
Gloria had taken it upon herself to pay Ruby a visit in the hospital. Knowing her father was a dangerous man, she sneaked in when visiting hours were over. She had always loved Ruby and Jack and was heartbroken when the police told her she had nearly died.
Ruby was wide awake and sitting upright when Gloria entered. She handed her a modest bunch of flowers and gave her the biggest hug. Ruby was warmed by Gloria’s visit. She learned so much that afternoon.
Ruby now had a very clear picture of her mother’s character and how she lived her life. She now understood that Jesse didn’t have a brain tumour and she’d never wanted to be a mother. In fact, Gloria spilled the beans about everything and hoped Ruby stayed well away and continued her life with her loving family.
Ruby was grateful to Gloria for so many things. But, by far the most important of these was Gloria allowing her to hear and learn the truth. That’s all she wanted to know at this point in her life. Mistakes had been made, she knew that, but there was no point in dwelling on these. Hindsight was a wonderful thing! She loved to feel her big, caramel arms engulf her. It was the same feeling of security as when she was a child. That’s why she had thought her mother was such a nice person – it was actually Gloria she had remembered mothering her. After all, she had only been three years old at the time.
Gloria was older now and grey strands peppered her hair. She struggled to get to her feet after sitting so long. But before she left she gave Ruby another word of warning.
“Listen to me, child, our Jacob may seem a good boy, and at times he is, but mix with the boys where you come from, good boys, ya know. Boys with a future!” Her Jamaican accent was as strong as ever. She winked and left.
Unlike Jack, Ruby didn’t want to go in and beat the crap out of Jesse. She wanted to bide her time and devise a plan which would pay her back for the hurt and suffering she had caused. It was there, staring her in the face. Her mother hadn’t cared at all if she’d lived or died, unlike her father, who would kill to protect his children, and so she knew that, no matter what, her family cared and cared a lot.
*
Francesca waited three days before she returned to the estate, giving Jesse a false sense of security. This time, she wasn’t alone. She had Dominic and Beano with her. Beano was one of Mauricio’s men. He lived in London but was always on hand if they needed insider information. He was like a hunter – a Red Indian tracker. With his nose to the ground, he could sniff out anyone and anything.
At two o’clock in the morning a punter left Jesse’s. Before he had a chance to close the door behind him, Beano had put his foot in the way. “Cheers, mate,” the man nodded, “all yours, what’s left of the bitch.” He laughed.
Francesca stepped out of the car and walked past Beano. He remained in the hallway whilst she casually strolled into the bedroom, flicking the light switch on and removing her gloves. Jesse sat bolt upright and trembled. “What’s going on, what you doing here?” Her voice was childlike.
Francesca smirked. “Oh, Jesse, I think you know damn well why I am here.”
Jesse, wide-eyed and dry-mouthed, tried desperately to think of how to get out of this nightmare. The last words Francesca had said to her were still there, as clear as day. “Look, I swear I didn’t hurt Ruby. I’d never hurt her. She came to me, I never went looking…”
“Shut the fuck up. I detest your voice and your ugly face. I want you dead…” Francesca pulled out her gun and pointed it at Jesse’s head. “Bang!” she shouted, as Jesse threw herself into a ball, quaking uncontrollably and urinating over the bed.
Francesca grinned. “But it’s like this. My niece is in hospital, in a very bad way, and I know you don’t have the balls to fight, and wouldn’t dare touch a hair on that child’s head, because I do believe you took my threat seriously. You see, Jesse, I have this ability to see right through weak, pathetic creatures like yourself. Cowards in every way, no use to society, like leeches…”
“Please don’t shoot me!” Jesse clasped her head, expecting any second to be shot.
“Shoot you? Oh no, I would never let you get away that easily. Besides, right now, I want answers!”
Jesse stopped shaking and listened. So what did she want? Perhaps she wasn’t going to get skinned alive. She sat up again and cocked her head to the side.
“Yeah, o’ course. I swear I never touched her, I never would…”
Francesca stepped towards the bed. In a flash, and gripping the gun, she whacked Jesse across the nose, cracking the bridge and spraying blood up the wall. Jesse gripped her face and yelled in pain but remained frozen in shock. What was to come next was worse than death.
“Oh, don’t piss yourself. I haven’t come here to kill you – this time. I want to know who the fuck put my Ruby in hospital?”
Jesse sighed. “It was Denise Ade Abdu… or something, a tall black bird, lives above the café with Shelley Cartwright,
she’s a short, stocky girl, and Noreen Fenton... they did it!”
“Yeah, and how are you so sure?” Francesca’s lips were white and her eyes menacing. She waved the weapon under Jesse’s nose. “Tell me, or I might change my mind and blow your fucking head off.”
Jesse pushed herself further up the bed and winced at the thought. “Ruby told me…” The gun was cold and hard as it was shoved into her neck.
“How the fuck did Ruby tell you? You’d better tell me the truth, because if I get a whiff you’re lying —”
“No, please believe me. I came home, found her on the floor outside. I got her inside and she said it was them. On me life. I tried to help. I ain’t got a phone, see, so I laid Ruby on the couch and ran up the road to call an ambulance. By the time I found one that worked, and got back ‘ere, she was gone. All I saw was them driving off. I thought it was the ambulance I called!”
Francesca shook her head, knowing Jesse was lying, but she couldn’t kill her – not here, not now – but she could wait.
“Mention me to a single soul and… well, you know what, don’t you?”
Jesse nodded and as Francesca left she smiled to herself, having left out the little nugget of information regarding Denise’s nutty brothers. For sure they would come looking for her, and Francesca’s days would be over, and she could then spit on her grave: one less Vincent.
Francesca nodded to Beano as he held the door open for her. They drove away, leaving the depressing emptiness of the estate.
“So what do you know about a Denise Ade Abdu…”
He grinned. “Do you mean Denise Ade Abdulla?”
“If she lives above the café then, yes, I do.”
Beano nodded. “Yep, she does. Nasty fucking bunch, her and her sly brothers. Proper evil lot. The Ol’ Bill stay clear. They run the manor.”
“Does she stay in their company all the time?” She lit up a cigarette and opened the window. Beano raised his eyebrows. “Nah, she’s a fanny muncher. Lives with her bird, Shelley.”
Francesca chuckled. “You amaze me, Beano. How the fuck do you know everyone?”
