Nice To Meet You Cally (Calliaster Doyle Book 2)

by S G Read

  ‘Work that one out creeps.’ She said with a smile.

  She heard someone else coming and then someone shouted, she closed the door and crept up the stairs out of harm’s way, she hoped. Half way up the stairs she looked back and saw the key in the lock on her side of the door, she nipped back down and locked the door, taking the key with her. Below all hell was breaking loose. At the top she saw a candle on a candle stick, was this the only means of light up here? She tried several matches until one lit and used it to light the candle before she turned the light off that lit the stairs. They might see it! Now she explored slowly with the noise below growing louder.

  ‘I think they know I'm gone pa.’ She said quietly and moved on.

  Jacob found it difficult to sleep and eventually walked along to where the girl was being held. He tapped the door and it swung open. He turned on the light and saw Sean lying on the floor with no sign of the girl in the room. He raised the others, including Dill. Michael was suspicious that Dill might have helped her escape but Dill protested his innocence vehemently, he knew what a guilty verdict carried and there was no appeal. Peter found the open window and they could just make out something on the wire across the street.

  ‘What do you think that is?’ Michael asked.

  When no one answered Dill pushed forwards to look.

  ‘Looks like she looped a belt round the wire and slid across just like she did at the Dolphin.’ He said. ‘She sure is something!’

  ‘She'll be a dead something when I get hold of her!’ Peter retorted.

  ‘Not until we have the money.’ Michael replied. ‘Now get out there and find her!’

  First thing in the morning a man from the telephone company arrived at the 99th precinct and they were reconnected, the bill had been paid by an anonymous benefactor! Archie smiled when he realized it must have been Zicci. The brothers were on the opposite of the fence but they still loved each other.

  Chapter 7

  Supen Wodesburg staggered out of the local speakeasy, with no idea where he was or where he was going but he still made it to his door. More amazingly he also unlocked the door and fell into his old, stained armchair before he passed out. He was still in the armchair the next morning when the fat woman knocked at his door, rather too insistently to his liking. He staggered to the door and pulled it open.

  ‘Whadda you want Fatty?’ He asked rudely, still slurred from the night before.

  ‘Are you Mr. Supen Wodesburg?’ She asked ignoring the remark about her size.

  ‘What if I am?’

  ‘Then I have some good news for you.’

  Wodesburg's face changed.

  ‘I like good news, what is it?’ He asked.

  ‘I am not going to discuss things of this nature in the street.’

  The fat woman declared. ‘I will come back when you are in a better frame of mind.’

  ‘Come in lady, it don't get no better than this.’

  She walked in and he saw Fromes behind her.

  ‘Say where did the runt come from?’ He said sarcastically.

  Fromes ignored him and walked in. Both chose to stand as there was only the one chair and it was stained with fresh vomit.

  ‘Now what's the news?’ He prompted.

  ‘You have a son, Drummond Wodesburg I believe.’ The fat woman replied.

  ‘Yup. Is he dead? Is that the good news?’

  ‘No he is alive and well, what is more he is about to inherit nearly a quarter of a million dollars.’

  Wodesburg's mouth dropped open and he was lost for words.

  ‘A nice sum don't you think?’ Fromes added. ‘Whoever he is living with gets to share the money.’ Fromes explained, choosing to over simplify his explanation, especially to keep Wodesburg from losing track. ‘As we know where he is and can get him back for you legally, we want half.’

  Wodesburg's picture of a quarter of a million dollars suddenly shrunk.

  ‘Hang on that's my money.’ He complained.

  ‘It will actually be Drummond's money but we can make him let you look after the money legally because of his age.’ The fat woman replied. ‘I need you to sign a paper to give me your power of attorney, only then can I have him brought in and only then can you get hold of the money.’

  Wodesburg's smile returned too readily for Fromes liking.

  ‘I suppose 125 grand aint bad for doing nothing and I do get to smack the little shit about a bit more until he legs it again! Give me the paper and I'll sign it!’

  The fat woman gave him the pen and paper and Wodesburg signed it using Fromes back as a rest. She took the paper and walked to the door.

  ‘I will be in touch, as you are his father there will be no need of a court hearing, thank goodness.’ She walked out into the fresh air followed by Fromes.

  ‘What do you think?’ The fat woman asked when they were in the car.

  ‘I think he thinks he is going to keep it all!’ Fromes replied.

  ‘So do I!’ She held up the paper. ‘But this makes it all legal and if after we get him in our custody, his father has an accident, well then we'll just go for the adoption.

  ‘You wicked woman.’ Fromes said with a big smile.

  ‘Yes, I know, shall we stop for a snack?’

  Cally explored the large attic of the nickelodeon and found two large water tanks. She lifted the lid on one and found it full of clean water and the smell drifting up from her clothes prompted her to pull them off by candlelight. One by one she washed them and hung them up to dry, then she washed herself as well as she could but without climbing inside, she used an old curtain as both a towel and a cover, not that anyone could see her. She did find out that the water was cold! Leaving her clothes to dry she moved on trying to find a way out and nearly fell down another flight of stairs. She listened at the top and heard people below but muffled as if there was another door there. She hesitated for only a moment then glided, silently, down the stairs to the bottom. The candle showed no door where she expected it, only a wall where a door obviously used to be and she could hear people walking by on the other side. In front of her was another blocked up door partly covered by a large poster. The only working door, Cally assumed it still worked, led outside with a sign over it saying fire escape. Cally felt a surge of happiness, a fire escape with their door blocked off. The urge to go there and then was only rejected because she was wearing only a curtain. When her clothes were dry she would go and get help!

  Michael supervised the search across the street and no one noticed the bundle next to the wall on the other side, near the nickelodeon wall. They trampled through the bushes in the gloom making sure they would find no sign when it grew light. When they did not find her they searched further a field and alerted anyone who might help but there was no news of her anywhere. Dawn broke and Michael decided against arranging the changeover, not that she was going to be there but because he preferred to know where she was. He phoned the retirement home, even to Michael, the 99th precinct seemed a funny name for it but then the woman was this girl's mother! It said it all really. He called Peter back inside.

  ‘Yes Boss.’ Peter said as his usual greeting.

  ‘Go out to Laurel tree farm and make sure everything is ready for us. I want you to come back here to waste the girl and her father when the time comes. Then you bring them out to bury them with their friends.’ Michael explained.

  ‘On my way boss.’

  The newly reconnected phone at the 99th precinct rang. Dan took the call and reported to the others.

  ‘It's been put off until tomorrow, they said to make sure we had the money with us or one of them will die. I suppose he meant Cally and Dermot.’

  Archie listened then made a phone call himself.

  ‘Who'd you call pa?’ Barbara asked.

  ‘That you will never know and don't ask again, ever!’ He moved away slowly on his frame. ‘You don't have to know everything woman, you make enough mistakes already with what you do know!’ The last part was barbed en
ough to stop her pursuing the question but it proved too much for her and she burst into tears. Dan took her into his arms to comfort her.

  ‘You had no right to say something like that!’ Drummond shouted. ‘You fathers are all the same! You think you can keep ill-treating us children and it doesn't matter! Well it does!’ The tirade unleashed, Drummond turned to help Barbara but Archie kept on walking. He intended to be the only one there when the exchange took place in case there was trouble.

  Cally woke, she had fallen asleep while she waited. It was daylight outside and she felt her clothes and, although they were still wet, she decided they were dry enough. The candle was still burning and she walked down to the door that led to the fire escape. She tried to open it but it resisted, she tried again and again. Finally she took a running leap at it and bounced off but a bolt at the bottom rattled loose. She smiled and looked up there was another bolt there. She unlocked the bottom bolt then had to go back up to find something to stand on to do the top bolt. When that was undone she tried to push the door again. Again without success. She repeated everything and nothing moved until she came to the running jump. The door flew open and Cally went with it. Instinct made her reach out and her right hand caught hold of the bolt at the bottom of the door. She just managed to hold on she tried to feel for the fire escape with her feet but it was no longer there. The wall showed the tell-tale signs of one being there but now it was gone and Cally was slipping, with the floor a long way down. To add insult to injury the top hinge broke and the door toppled over nearly crushing Cally against the wall. She swung out of the way and put her free hand on the bottom of the door which was now the top, at least she had a grip with both hands now. Below she heard a shout and an icy shiver ran down her spine, the men had seen her. She scrambled back up the door and just made it inside before the other hinge broke and the door fell, tipping end over end as it fell until it crashed on the concrete below. Now they knew where she was and would soon be coming. Her first instinct was to go back upstairs but she remembered an empty house where she and her gang had trashed their way through such a wall. She had not heard anyone behind the wall facing the stairs at the bottom which had also been a door, she lifted the poster out of the way and started to kick her way through the wall behind it. When she was through she let the poster drop back to cover the hole. It covered the hole well and she was pleased. She threw any rubble out through the open door, then slipped through the hole out of sight letting the poster drop back to cover the hole again. She heard feet on the stairs a lot of feet one after the other but on the other side of the remaining blocked up door.

  When the men saw Cally hanging out of the door way on the third floor. The men started to bet on how long she would last before she fell and Dill for once took part.

  ‘She'll make it back in.’ He said.

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘This ten dollar note says it for me.’ Dill replied.

  A chorus of I'll have some of that and a few others chose to bet just where she would land when she fell! When she hauled herself in Dill collected his winnings then had to dive for cover as the door came crashing down. Then everybody was running to get upstairs and find her before Michael threw another wobbly.

  Cally heard the door to the attic being smashed open. They were coming. She found herself in one of the balconies of the upper house. A large curtain on either side of the balcony would allow her to climb down to where the lower seats were but was there time? Heavy feet on the stairs told her that now she had to hide! She climbed into the curtain and hid between it and the wall, trying to keep as still as possible. She did the right thing as the poster was ripped away and two men climbed through the hole.

  ‘She must have climbed down.’ Peter said and slammed his hand on the top of the balcony. ‘Get the lights on down there and we'll search the place row by row.’

  ‘Yes Peter. What are you gonna do?’ Smithy replied.

  ‘Make sure she doesn't climb back up here and get out the other way.’ Peter answered.

  Cally's arms grew tired and she wanted to let go but she had to hold on. When the search was in full swing Peter left, he was soon replaced by someone else but Cally was able to use the time to tear two holes in the old curtain to slip her arms inside and lock them together.

  Half way through the search Cally felt herself slipping, the curtain was old and starting to tear. Someone below checked behind the curtain and Cally rocked to and fro. Slowly she slid down toward the floor with the men searching. Her arms were aching but Cally held as tight as she could. As soon as she relaxed a little she slid down further. Her feet met something sticking out of the wall and she stopped moving down. Now all she had to do was to stop from falling forwards.

  At the retirement home the air was thick with tension. Archie had told them he was planning to go alone but none of the others were going to let him. He was angry, mainly because of his useless legs. Barbara changed from angry to tears frequently, the money would have meant Archie could have his operation and be able to walk again. Drummond, since his outburst, sat staring out of the window.

  ‘Uh oh!’ He said suddenly. ‘Fat lady alert.’

  All eyes looked where he was looking and the fat woman was walking toward the house with two patrolmen. Fromes was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘What do I do?’ Drummond asked helplessly. ‘They know I'm in here!’

  ‘Go with them.’ Archie said. ‘I'll talk to a few people to see what goes on.’

  Drummond turned to Barbara and Dan.

  ‘We'll ask what is going to happen to you, I'm sure we can do something!’ Barbara said and pulled him to her. ‘No one is going to hurt you Drummond.’

  They met the approaching party on the front porch.

  ‘What do you want?’ Barbara asked.

  ‘The boy's father has asked us to take his son home.’ The fat woman replied, and held up the paper that Supen Wodesburg had signed. ‘Mr. Wodesburg is waiting to be reunited with his son.’

  ‘Waiting to hit me again, more like!’ Drummond replied.

  ‘If he does you only have to phone me and I'll have him thrown in gaol!’ The fat woman answered. ‘We have his undertaking that he is a changed man. Sober and ready to bring up his son in the proper way.’

  Drummond made a break for it, he ran for all he was worth but the patrolmen who were both young and fit soon caught him and put him in their patrol car.

  ‘Good try son.’ One of the patrolmen said. ‘No wonder she wanted us two younger men. Now stay put or I'll put the handcuffs on you.’

  Barbara could do nothing but watch as they drove away. The fat woman in her car following the patrol car. She followed it until she came to the outskirts of the city, there she turned and headed for a meeting with Fromes. When she drove up Fromes stepped out of an alley.

  ‘Where is he?’ She asked.

  ‘In the speakeasy, it's behind the barber shop. He's been in there some time.’ Fromes replied.

  ‘Then he won't feel a thing, will he?’ She said and settled back to wait.

  An hour later Supen Wodesburg staggered out of the barber's shop and walked toward them. He was in the middle of the street when the fat woman started the engine. She waited until he was only thirty meters away then she slammed the gas pedal flat to the floor and the car roared forward. It slammed into Wodesburg and he was thrown into the air like a rag doll. She slammed on the brakes and reversed back, not to see if he was dead but to run him over again. They felt him crunch underneath the car and she drove forward again, not looking back at all, as they drove away.

  ‘You didn't have to reverse back over him.’ Fromes said a little queasy.

  ‘No but it felt good!’ She replied. ‘He was a no good bum anyway.’

  The fat woman replied. ‘All he ever did was hit the boy and his mother, that's why she died. Not that anything was proved but he deserves all he got.’

  ‘And I suppose you'll give the boy all your tender loving care.’ Fr
omes added sarcastically.

  ‘If he'll let me.’ The fat woman replied indignantly as if it mattered.

  ‘Was that a pig I saw fly by the window.’ Fromes said with no less sarcasm. ‘It is more likely that when we cross the state line the boy will find himself free to do what he wants.’

  ‘There is that possibility.’ The fat woman replied with a smile but I do assure you I will try to be a mother to him!’

  ‘I'm sure you will.’

  ‘Now we must go back and wait until we hear the bad news. I'll send a patrolman to tell him to come and collect his son. That way we'll know fairly soon and we'll have a hearing tonight to award me custody before the others know what went on.’