The Traitor

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Fuck the salad. The only thing I want to eat is you.’

  Frankie waited in the Shogun while Jed queued up in the chip shop. Remembering that her dad was due to be released today, she rang her brother, Gary.

  ‘Is Dad out yet, Gal? Have you heard from him?’

  ‘No, I ain’t heard a word,’ Gary said, glancing at Ricky.

  ‘Is he gonna be staying at yours? I did ask him, but he said he weren’t sure.’

  Unable to tell Frankie the truth, Gary said as little as possible. ‘He said he’s gonna stay at some mate’s house. I think he wants time to clear his head.’

  ‘Where does his mate live, then?’

  ‘I ain’t sure, Frankie, but don’t forget Saturday night. You’re still coming, ain’t ya?’

  ‘Yeah, Jed’s got to work, so his mum and dad are having the kids for the night. What restaurant are we going to? You will pick me up, won’t ya?’

  ‘I’ll pick you up at half-six. We’ve booked the steak house in Canning Town – the guvnor is an old pal of grandad’s. We’re going back to the Flag after. Ronny and Paulie have organised a bit of a welcome-home do in there. Trouble is, Dad didn’t want any fuss and I dunno if he’s gonna like it.’

  Frankie laughed. ‘Well, I could certainly do with a good night out and I’m sure once Dad gets a few drinks down his neck, he’ll have a great time. Don’t tell him I’m coming, Gal. Tell him I can’t make it, so I can surprise him.’

  ‘I’ve already told him you ain’t coming. Listen, I’ve gotta go now, Frankie. Me and Ricky have just spotted some geezer that owes us some money. I’ll see you on Saturday at half-six, and make sure you’re ready.’

  Ending the call, Frankie glanced inside the chip shop. There were still a couple of people in front of Jed in the queue, which gave her just enough time to ring Kerry.

  ‘All right, mate? How are you?’

  ‘Yeah, not bad. What did Sammy say when he realised the rest of my stuff was gone? Did you tell him what we planned?’

  ‘Yep. I told him I went out for the afternoon, so you must have come back and took it while I wasn’t there. He was well pissed-off, but I think he believed me. He keeps asking if I’ve heard from you and stuff and I keep telling him I ain’t heard a word. I dunno if he believes you’ve moved up north, though. I heard him telling Jed that he thinks that’s a load of bullshit.’

  ‘He went round my mum’s again yesterday and she told him to politely fuck off. Where are you now?’

  ‘Sitting outside a chip shop waiting for Jed to get served. The bastard’s on his phone in there. I bet he’s talking to that slag, Sally.’

  ‘Probably. How did you get on with Georgie’s teacher?’

  ‘Oh, it was awful. The woman looked at me like a piece of shit and warned me about her future obedience. Georgie ain’t gone in today. She had belly ache this morning, so I kept her off. Alice and Jimmy dashed over when Jed told ’em, so I’m stuck with them for the day as well. Jed told Georgie to swear at the teacher and they were laughing about it as though it was great. Scum of the earth, they are. I hate ’em, Kerry. Listen, Jed has just been served, so I’ll ring you again tomorrow.’

  Jed smiled as he handed Frankie the big bag of food. ‘Who you been on the phone to?’ he asked.

  ‘Me brother. I wanted to know if me dad was out yet. What about you? I saw you on the phone in the chip shop. Ringing Sally on the quiet, was ya?’

  Jed’s smile turned into a scowl as he did a U-turn and very nearly killed a cyclist. ‘You’re doing my head in lately, Frankie. I’m getting sick of you accusing me of stuff, so why don’t you shut the fuck up before I properly lose me temper.’

  Eddie Mitchell grinned as Gina pulled up outside the cottage. Her description of it was spot-on – it was romantic, secluded and beautiful. As Gina unlocked the front door, Eddie grabbed her by the hand.

  ‘I wanna carry you over the threshold,’ he said.

  Gina giggled as he picked her up. ‘We’re not bloody newlyweds, Eddie.’

  ‘Where’s the bedroom?’ he asked.

  ‘Put me down and I’ll show you.’

  Eddie followed her, threw himself on the bed and urged her to lie down next to him. He sat up and took off his shirt and trousers. He was already as hard as a rock and gagging for it after five years in clink.

  Gina was nervous, he could sense that, so he tried to ease her fears. ‘Relax, it’ll be fine. Let me undress you.’

  He lifted her T-shirt over her head and unclipped her bra. Her breasts were firm and buxom.

  ‘Stand up, let me look at ya,’ Eddie whispered, as he urged her to step out of her jeans and knickers.

  Eddie stared at her in awe. He’d known Gina was fit, but naked, she had the body of a model. She reminded him of that Page Three bird, Linda Lusardi – she was just as bloody gorgeous. Desperate for his years of celibacy to come to an end, Eddie ripped off his pants, grabbed hold of Gina and threw her onto the bed.

  Gina gasped as Eddie’s tongue sidled down her body and made contact with her clitoris. ‘Oh, my God. I want you so much,’ she panted.

  As she screamed out his name, Eddie grinned and moved his way up the bed. ‘I am gonna fuck you better than you’ve ever been fucked before,’ he whispered.

  Unaware that her dad was currently bouncing up and down on top of his new girlfriend, Frankie’s day was going from bad to worse.

  Jed, Jimmy and Sammy had all gone off to the local pub hours ago and had just returned home very drunk. Alice had done Frankie’s head in all afternoon, talking a load of old crap, and Georgie had been hyper all day.

  Frankie smiled at Harry who was fast asleep on her lap. Sometimes her kids were the only thing that made her life worth living. ‘I’m just going to put Harry to bed and then it’s bath and bed for you, Georgie girl.’

  ‘Not tired,’ Georgie said, clambering off her nan’s lap and onto her dad’s.

  Frankie tucked Harry in, kissed him on the forehead and then walked over to Georgie. ‘Come on, you’ve gotta get up for school tomorrow.’

  ‘Don’t wanna go a bed, Mummy.’

  Jed opened another can of lager. He was drunk now, really drunk. Tickling Georgie, they both giggled. ‘She ain’t tired. Let her stay up for a bit. She can go to bed when me mum and dad go home,’ he slurred.

  Sick of being overruled, Frankie stood her ground. ‘It’s gone eight o’clock, Jed. How is she meant to concentrate at school if she’s had a late night?’

  Alice burst out laughing. ‘If that Mrs Lawson tells you off again Georgie, you tell her that your nan’ll come up the school and give her a right-hander.’

  As Jimmy, Jed and Sammy all burst out laughing, Frankie looked at her so-called family in horror.

  ‘What is wrong with you mob? Do you want to see her get expelled, or what? Now, I’m telling you Georgie, get off Daddy’s lap and let’s get you bathed.’

  Georgie screamed blue murder as Frankie made a grab for her.

  Jed clasped his hand around Frankie’s wrist. ‘You wallop her and I’ll wallop you.’

  Aware that Jed was drunk and trying to look big in front of his parents, Frankie pushed his arm away, picked up her sobbing child, and calmly walked into the bedroom.

  Eddie and Gina lay knackered and naked in one another’s arms. They’d been at it hammer and tongs for hours, and the sex had been absolutely mind-blowing.

  ‘I dunno about you, but I’m absolutely starving,’ Ed said, kissing Gina on the forehead.

  Still drenched in sweat, Gina smiled. ‘I must have a shower before we eat.’

  The bathroom was en suite and Eddie smiled as he listened to her singing. Being out of nick was an amazing feeling, but being with Gina was even better. He had thought he would feel guilty the first time they slept together because of Jessica, but he hadn’t even thought of his deceased wife.

  As Gina came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her, Ed stood up and kissed her passionately.

  ‘Where’s the clothes an
d the phone you bought me, babe?’

  ‘All your clothes are in the wardrobe and your phone’s on charge downstairs.’

  ‘I’ll have to ring me kids after dinner. They’ll think I’ve been fucking abducted.’

  Gina put on her dressing gown. ‘Right, my lord, I’m gonna go and cook us some dinner. You’ve worn me out and I’m gasping for a glass of wine.’

  Eddie stared at her. Gina was beautiful, he was a man of impulse and that was a fatal mixture. ‘Marry me,’ he said bluntly.

  ‘You’re such a wind-up merchant,’ Gina said, laughing.

  Still stark-bollock naked, Eddie dropped to one knee and grabbed Gina by the hand. ‘I’m not winding you up. I love you, Gina Mulcahy, so would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

  With tears in her eyes, Gina knelt down next to him. ‘Yes, Eddie, I would.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  After two days of continuous eating, drinking and making love, Eddie felt that it was time to get his arse in gear again.

  Being with Gina was everything he had hoped for and more, but there were a lot of things he needed to do and he couldn’t stay hidden in his love nest for ever.

  Eddie sat at the kitchen table opposite Gina. ‘Listen, I’m gonna have to pop out for a bit today, babe. I wanna check on the business and go over a few things with Gary and Ricky. I’ve got an appointment with the probation officer, then I must go and see me Auntie Joan. I also need to have a proper chat with Raymond. If he’s coming to that meal on Saturday, I’m gonna have to tell him about me and you beforehand, ain’t I?’

  Gina nodded. ‘If you’re going to be out all day, I might hit the shops and get myself a new outfit for the weekend.’

  Finishing the last of his bacon sandwich, Eddie stood up and held his fiancée in his arms. ‘We’ll pop up Hatton Garden at some point next week to buy you a massive rock. Can’t have other geezers thinking you’re not taken, can we now?’

  Gina grinned. ‘There aren’t many geezers about that could compare to you, Eddie Mitchell.’

  Feeling himself getting hard again, Eddie pressed his manhood against his wife-to-be. ‘You’re right, babe, there ain’t.’

  Frankie and Kerry were sitting opposite one another in a café in Pitsea Market. ‘So, what’s been happening? How are things with Jed? Are you still arguing?’

  Frankie nodded. ‘He reckons he’s working away again this weekend, but I don’t believe him. I might drive to Rush Green, see if I can catch him out. If I pick you up, will you come with me, Kerry?’

  Kerry took a gulp from her can of Coke. ‘I think you’re wasting your time driving round Rush Green. You don’t honestly think after what happened with me and Sammy that he’s gonna leave his motor nearby, do ya? Jed’s devious, Frankie, it’ll take more than sitting outside Sally’s flat to catch him at it.’

  ‘Well, what else can I do, then? I need to find out the truth somehow. Even Georgie blurted out that slag Sally’s name the other day. She’d heard Jed on the phone to her and told me that Daddy had a girlfriend, so I’ve got to do something.’

  Kerry shrugged. ‘Why don’t you have a word with your dad or your brothers? Perhaps they can get someone to follow Jed for ya.’

  Frankie automatically shook her head. She felt far too embarrassed to involve her nearest and dearest. ‘I can’t tell anyone in my family about this. Remember, they all hated Jed from the word go and I couldn’t stand hearing the “I told you sos”.’

  ‘Has Sammy said anything else to you? He went round my mum’s again yesterday. Shouting and screaming about taking me to court so he can get access to see the kids, he was. I don’t even think he’s bothered about me. What am I gonna do, Frankie? I can’t keep ’em away from school for ever. My sister reckons I should let him see the boys. She said the courts will make me if I don’t and she said I’ll get in trouble for not enrolling ’em into a new school.’

  As Kerry’s eyes filled with tears, Frankie felt her own do the same. They were in shit street and the future for both them and their kids looked very bleak indeed.

  Over in Whitechapel, Auntie Joan was delighted to see her favourite nephew. ’Ere you go, boy,’ she said handing him a big chunk of her homemade bread pudding. She had tried to take him a bread pudding at the prison once, but the screws wouldn’t let her in with it.

  ‘What about when I threw your pudding at that miserable git in Wandsworth? His face was a picture, the unfeeling bastard. What was his name again?’

  Eddie laughed. Joanie throwing the bread pudding at Carter had gone down a treat with his fellow inmates. She’d been the talk of the wing for days. She’d also attacked Carter once for grabbing her arm and ordering her to leave. That had also gone down in Wandsworth folklore.

  ‘Carter, his name was. How’s Reg? You seen much of him lately?’

  ‘Yeah, Reg popped round ’ere last week. He reckons Paulie and Ronny’s number’s up in the old sharking game. They kept getting turned over, apparently, and now word’s got about, people have started to knock ’em, left right and centre.’

  Eddie shook his head in disbelief. ‘I told Paulie he should have stuck with me. Ronny’s been a laughing stock for years and there ain’t many borrowers that are gonna take the threats of an alcoholic cripple seriously. Shame Paulie never listened, Gary and Ricky have been raking it in while I’ve been away and he could have been part of all that, the silly bastard.’

  Joan nodded. ‘Reg has got a feeling that Paulie might come to you cap in hand for a job now you’re out. Would you take him back on, Ed?’

  Eddie shrugged. ‘No way! There’s too much water under the bridge, if you know what I mean. Maybe I can lend him some dough or something if he’s going through a sticky patch. Cut us another slice of bread pudding, will ya, Auntie? Fucking handsome that was.’

  Joan studied Eddie carefully as she watched him devour his second slice of pudding. He looked ever so well, considering he’d only just come out of clink, and she had a feeling she knew why. ‘Come on then, spill the beans. You’ve met a woman, ain’t ya?’

  Eddie grinned. Joanie was a wily old fucker and there were no flies on her. ‘You remember that private detective that spoke up for me in court?’

  ‘Was she the pretty girl with dark hair?’

  Ed nodded. ‘That’s her. Gina, her name is, and we’re sort of giving it a go.’

  Joan was made up. Eddie had been in a terrible state over Jessica and she was thrilled he had managed to move on from such an awful tragedy.

  ‘Well that Gina’s certainly doing something right, boy. Got a right glow about you, you have. I’ve never seen you look so bleedin’ well.’

  ‘You are coming out for the family meal on Saturday, ain’t ya? Gina’s coming with me and you can meet her properly. I might sit her next to you, with me on the other side.’

  ‘Yep, I’ll be there. Is it common knowledge you’re with her? Or should I let you tell Reg and Vi?’

  Eddie shrugged. ‘Gary and Ricky are the only ones I’ve told so far and I’m gonna tell Raymond when I leave here. It’s a bit awkward, ain’t it? I’m not good at telling people that type of stuff. I dunno what to say, so I thought I’d just bring Gina to the meal and introduce her as a friend at first. I don’t want people thinking badly of me, Auntie. I’ll never forget Jessica, and Gina ain’t some kind of replacement for her, you know.’

  ‘I understand, boy, and I should imagine all your family will be happy for ya. The only ones who might find it difficult to digest is the twins, I suppose.’

  Eddie agreed. ‘Frankie ain’t coming on Saturday, so I’m gonna take her out for lunch next week and speak to her. I don’t see Joey at all now, and I should imagine you know why that is.’

  Joan nodded. ‘I heard the rumours and I couldn’t believe it at first. Funny old world, ain’t it?’

  ‘It sure is. I can forgive most of the things my kids do, but I can’t stomach that. I’ve disowned him; he disgusts me.’

  Feeling embarrassed and
also agitated, Eddie stood up. ‘I’d best go now. I’ve got a thousand-and-one things to do today.’

  Joanie hugged Eddie tightly. He didn’t realise that she’d seen the tears in his eyes when he’d spoken about Joey, but she had. ‘You’ve been a good father. Always remember that, won’t ya?’

  Eddie smiled sadly. ‘Thanks, Auntie, I will.’

  Back in Pitsea, Frankie and Kerry were having a browse around the local market. Georgie was at school, Kerry’s sister had her boys, so they only had Harry with them today.

  ‘Is Harry OK? I ain’t heard a peep out of him for hours,’ Kerry asked.

  ‘He’s still asleep, bless him,’ Frankie said, looking inside her son’s pushchair.

  Spotting the record stall, Kerry stopped dead and grabbed her friend’s arm. ‘That’s it. I’ve got it.’

  ‘What you on about?’ Frankie asked, bemused.

  Kerry smiled and pointed to the record stall. ‘Cassettes. That’s what you can do, Frankie, tape ’em.’

  Frankie didn’t have a clue what her friend was on about. ‘What you talking about? Tape who?’

  ‘That man over there sells cassettes and it’s just given me an idea. Why don’t you hide a tape recorder in Jed’s Shogun and record his and Sammy’s conversations? That’s the way to find out the truth about everything. Sally, that slag Julie – we can even find out if her kid belongs to Sammy.’

  Frankie was unsure. The idea sounded extremely risky. ‘Where am I meant to hide a tape recorder? And even worse, say Jed finds it?’

  ‘I’ll get you a small one and you can hide it in the back of the Shogun somewhere. You can put a blank tape in and press the record button just before Jed goes out. It’s got to be worth a try, Frankie. How else you gonna catch him?’

  ‘I don’t know if I like the sound of it, Kerry. How am I meant to run out there and press “record”?’

  ‘Do it on a night when they’re supposedly working away. You can run out and do it while Jed’s having a shower, or you can pretend that Georgie or Harry has left one of their toys in the motor. Go on, Frankie. Can you imagine all the juicy conversation we’ll hear?’