Rita smiled, thinking about how Leroy would have reacted to this announcement.
“Where’s Leroy?” asked Ged, as soon as he walked into the dining room.
“Working,” Jenny answered.
“What, on a Sunday?” Ged responded automatically, before correcting himself. “Mind you, he’s a busy man, isn’t he? And business doesn’t take care of itself. Even when you’re not selling, you’ve got all the stocktaking and bookkeeping, and all that stuff to sort out. I suppose it’s understandable really.”
Rita could feel his eyes shifting around them, and knew that his words were for the benefit of her and Yansis. Who did he think he was trying to kid? He already knew she had seen right through his pathetic façade. She tried to stay calm as the others took their seats, and she helped her mother to hand out the food.
“Ooh, I’d forgotten what a good cook you are, Mam,” said Rita, as she tucked into her roast chicken, roast potatoes and veg with lashings of gravy.
“I’d forgotten, myself. I don’t do a Sunday roast as often, now there’s only me and your dad at home.”
“You can’t beat it, can you? Traditional English cooking. Do you remember that steak and kidney pie my grandma used to make, Jenny?”
“Yeah, the meat used to melt in your mouth, didn’t it? And the pastry was to die for.”
This led to other memories from their childhood, and Rita and Jenny spent most of the meal recapturing the times they had spent with their grandparents. Whenever Rita had a chance to talk about her grandparents, it gave her a warm feeling inside. They had been so good to her, and being able to share her recollections with Jenny made them all the more special, especially as Jenny reminded her of some events she had forgotten about.
As their conversation progressed, she became aware of the fact that she had been excluding Yansis. “Oh, I’m sorry love. We’re getting a bit carried away, aren’t we? Grandma and Granddad Steadman were lovely, though. It’s a pity you never got to meet them.”
“Yeah, change the subject, for Christ’s sake. Let someone else get a word in for a change,” interrupted Ged.
Rita glared at him. She didn’t respond, as she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Yansis, but her mother cut in instead.
“Ged, come on now. You can’t blame the girls. Their grandparents were good to them, after all. I would have thought you’d have wanted to hear about them. They were your parents when all’s said and done.”
Rita noticed her father shuffle in his chair, and knew that sharp words would be exchanged between her mam and dad once they were all gone.
“I’m just saying, let someone else have a turn; that’s all. We’ve got a special guest, haven’t we? We shouldn’t be ignoring him.”
Rita had to keep her temper in check once again as he emphasised the words ‘special guest’ in a sarcastic manner.
Following her father’s outburst, they ate the rest of the meal in relative silence but, thankfully, they had almost finished anyway. The end of the meal signalled a good excuse for Ged to announce that he was going to the pub, leaving the dirty plates for someone else to clear up. ‘Thank God that’s over,’ thought Rita, and she relaxed for the first time since they had arrived at her parents’ home.
Chapter 24
Tuesday 28th May 1991 – late evening
Debby could tell that something was wrong as soon as Carl walked into the house, late on Tuesday evening. His face was pale and his expression sombre. Noticing how jittery he was as he sat down and lit himself a spliff, she looked at him inquisitively.
“I’ve just had a bit of bad news,” he announced. “Someone OD’d over the weekend.”
Despite feeling a little sadness at this news, Debby was almost relieved that at least it wasn’t something that impacted on them, or so she thought. Overdoses amongst drug addicts were nothing new in the world they inhabited, and she had learnt to become detached from such events, unless they affected her directly.
“Oh, that’s a shame,” she replied, without conviction.
“You could at least act interested. You’re a hard faced bitch at times!”
“Like you care. Had a bad day have you, and come home to take it out on me, as usual?”
He rose from his chair, but she was ready for him. Debby dashed behind the sofa, making it difficult for him to get at her. To her surprise, he sat back down. This was so out of character that she knew there was something amiss.
“It’s nowt to do with having a bad day, so stop your fuckin’ wise cracks. The punter bought his gear in Longsight. If Leroy thinks it’s down to me, I could be right in the shit.”
“Hang on a minute,” said Debby, trying to process what he had told her so far. “Why would Leroy think it was down to you?”
“Because he bought it from the area where I deal.”
As she stared back at him in shock, he failed to meet her gaze, and Debby knew there was more to come. “Go on, what else?”
Carl’s voice dropped to an imperceptible mutter, as he added, “The punter’s mate said the drugs were iffy. He reckons it looked as though the H was mixed with something.”
“Oh no, you idiot! What did I tell you about skimming? You wouldn’t be told though, would you? You’re such a know all!”
Carl’s ignominy was short-lived, his shame turning to annoyance as Debby continued to throw insults at him.
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, before I shut it for you!” he shouted.
But Debby was equally angry. She had put up with a lot from Carl to feed her habit, but this was too much. Without waiting for a further reaction from him, she stormed from the room. However, that wasn’t the end of it as far as she was concerned.
She went to the place where he kept his supplies. Careful to leave the heroin intact, she took out the mixing substance together with all of the drugs that Carl had already skimmed, and made straight for the bathroom. In a fit of rage, she threw the lot down the toilet and flushed it repeatedly, until the last of the powder had disappeared.
The noise of the repeated flushes must have alerted Carl because he had followed her to the bathroom. But she had already anticipated his reaction, and had locked the door.
“Open the fuckin’ door!” he shouted, banging and cursing.
“No, not till it’s all gone.”
“I swear to God, Debby, if you don’t open this door, you’ll be sorry.”
When his threats had no effect, he pleaded with her.
“Debs, don’t be stupid. We can still use it; I’ll just reduce the amount. It was OK before I increased it.”
“No way, don’t be so stupid!”
His pleading had turned to aggressive shouting and cursing again. Her hands were shaking as she tried to fish the last remnants of powder out of the corners of the polythene bags. As well as banging and shouting, Carl was now ramming against the door, and she could hear the anxious cries of one of the children. She knew what Carl would do when he got hold of her, but for once she was determined to stand up to him.
Debby had finished with the last of the polythene bags when the door burst open, the lock breaking from its frame, leaving splinters of wood. Within seconds he was upon her, grabbing the polythene bag from her hands and throwing it down in disgust. Her eyes followed his to the toilet basin where the powder had now dissolved and been flushed away.
“You stupid bitch!” he yelled, as he struck her across the head. The force of the blow unbalanced her, and she smacked her head on the cistern, as she fell to the floor. The last thing she saw before she passed out was one of the children in the bathroom doorway, sobbing.
Tuesday 28th May 1991 – late evening
Leroy was having a drink with Mad Trevor in a Moss Side shebeen. Mad Trevor had invited him on the pretext of having a get together, but Leroy suspected there was another reason, and he had a good idea what it was. Word about the overdose in Longsight had already reached Leroy, and he deduced that Trevor would be asking questions. He wasn’t wrong.
“Heard about that OD in Longsight?” asked Mad Trevor, almost as soon as they had bought their drinks.
“Yeah, bad news wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Sounds like somebody’s been skimming.”
“I know man, bunch of amateurs if you ask me. Anyone knows you don’t mix any crap with H; it’s asking for trouble.”
“Don’t suppose you got any idea who it might be, with you living in Longsight?”
“Me? No, I don’t hang out round there much. It’s just a base since my old woman moved round there.”
“I thought you didn’t live with your old woman now.”
“No, I moved in with Jenny, but she lives a few streets away from my mam. Still, like I say, it’s just a base. I don’t hang out round there much. It’s not the same as the Moss, is it?”
Leroy sensed that Mad Trevor wasn’t convinced, so he decided to ratchet things up.
“I’ve heard rumours about some new outfit round there but don’t know anything more. I tell you what, though, if I do find out who they are, I’ll have their balls on a plate. It’s tossers like them that give us all a bad name, and frighten the punters off.”
“Dead right man. If you ever find ’em, give me a shout. I wouldn’t mind having a go at ’em myself.”
Leroy hoped that his display of indignation, coupled with the fact that he was regularly seen in Moss Side, would have persuaded Mad Trevor that he wasn’t involved. He had a good idea who the culprit was though, and he would personally see to it that he was punished.
But Leroy was no fool. There was no way he was going to share his information with Mad Trevor, or any of the gang. To do so would be suicidal, as it would alert them to the fact that he was obtaining his heroin from another source. From then onwards, it would only be a matter of time until the Buckthorns found out who that source was and, once they knew, it would all be over for Leroy.
-------------------
Wednesday 29th May 1991 – afternoon
“What did your Jenny want?” asked Julie, when Rita had finished her phone call.
“It wasn’t Jenny.”
“Oh, who was it then?”
“You won’t believe this … It was Debby.”
“Debby?” asked Julie, astonished.
“Exactly, that’s what I thought. After the way things were last time I went to see her, she’s the last person I expected to hear from. She wants to see me.”
“What for?”
“I don’t know, but she says it’s important and it won’t wait.”
“Jesus, that sounds a bit strange. Are you going?”
“Dead right. I want to find out what it’s all about.”
“What do you think it could be?”
“No idea, but I get the feeling it isn’t gonna be good. Either way, I’ve got to know. After all, Carl works with Leroy, so it could be connected.”
“Jesus, Rita, be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Julie, I’m always careful.”
Chapter 25
Wednesday 29th May 1991 – afternoon
This time Rita was prepared for the rancid odour that assailed her when she arrived at Debby’s. One thing she wasn’t prepared for was Debby’s appearance, which was worse than last time she had seen her.
A large bruise ran from the side of her forehead, over her eye, and down most of one side of her face. On the other side of her face, there was minor bruising under her eye. Rita could tell that Debby was nervous, and she shunned the offer of a drink, eager to find out what the problem was, although she suspected it might have something to do with Debby’s domestic situation.
“Well, what is it?” Rita asked. When Debby stared back blankly, she continued. “What have you brought me here for, Debby? You said it couldn’t wait, so you might as well get straight to the point.”
Debby toyed with the fringing on the shabby armchair as she spoke, hesitantly at first, while she assessed Rita’s reaction.
“Somebody died in Longsight from an overdose. They think his drugs were skimmed.”
“Skimmed?”
“Yeah, it’s when they’re mixed with something else. Some of the dealers do it to make the heroin go further so they make more money. Anyway, I think I might know where he got the drugs from … I think it might be Carl.”
After an initial pause, she gabbled the last few words as though she wanted to unburden herself as quickly as possible. Their toxicity stunned Rita, and for a moment she was speechless. But Debby had opened Pandora’s Box. There was no going back now, so she continued her outpouring.
“I’ve seen him mixing the drugs; he does it here. I told him not to, but he wouldn’t listen. And now he’s got us right in the shit. I’m scared, Rita. I don’t know what to do. What if the police find out, or worse, what if Leroy finds out?”
“Shut up!” Rita shouted. “For God’s sake, let me think.” She stood up, and began her frantic pacing and running her hands through her hair. “Where are the children?” she asked.
“At my mam’s.”
Rita was relieved that at least they hadn’t heard her outburst.
“And what about him? When will he be back?”
“He won’t be back till late.”
Despite her shock at Debby’s revelation, Rita could also feel a mounting anger, and she wanted to make sure no-one else was around to hear what she had to say.
“Right, now you listen to me! You’re telling me that somebody’s just died because of your fella, and all you can think about is yourself. All you’re bothered about is what will happen to Carl if he’s found out. I suppose that will make it awkward for you if you can’t get hold of your drugs anymore, will it? You make me sick! Have you not stopped to think about the lad that died? What about his family? His parents! His brothers and sisters! Don’t they matter?”
“I only said it might be Carl. It might not be.”
“You know full well it’s him! You wouldn’t have brought me here if you didn’t think so. Even without the mixing, what he’s doing is well out of order. It stinks! It’s the lowest of the low. Don’t you understand? You’re shooting up in a house where two little kiddies live. Doesn’t that bother you? Just how the hell did you end up like this Debby? Look at the state of you! What’s happened to you?”
Rita glared at Debby who was now snivelling.
“It wasn’t always like that,” she cried. “It started out as a bit of fun, just me and Carl getting high. Then somehow it got out of control. And now … now I can’t do without.”
“How can taking drugs ever be fun, Debby? Don’t you listen to any of the warnings? Have you forgotten what happened to a friend of ours a few years ago?”
“Who?”
“Amanda, of course.”
“Oh, yeah, you mean Julie’s friend.”
“OK, she might have been Julie’s friend, but let’s not pretend that what happened to her didn’t affect us. Or maybe that’s how you deal with things, Debby, by turning a blind eye. As long as it’s someone else’s family, it doesn’t matter. Is that it?”
“No,” Debby countered, her voice breaking.
When Rita had ran out of steam, she sat back down and tried to think logically about how to handle the situation. There was no doubt in her mind that Debby had invited her here so she could share her burden and ease her conscience. Knowing Rita as she did, Debby probably felt she would take decisive action, freeing herself of that responsibility.
But although Rita could be fiery, she was also astute. After a few minutes’ thought, she had reached a decision. She ran through her idea with Debby, then said goodbye to her; for the last time, she hoped.
-------------------
Wednesday 29th May 1991 – afternoon
The journey back to Julie’s had given Rita plenty of time to think about her predicament, and by the time she saw Julie, she had decided what to do.
“Julie, there’s something I need to share with you, but this needs to stay between us. Before I say anything, you need to pr
omise me that you won’t go to the police. I can’t tell Yansis for that exact reason; he’d go straight to the police. He wouldn’t understand the repercussions. It’s probably best not to tell Vinny either. The fewer people that know, the better.”
“Jesus, Rita, you’re scaring me! What the hell’s happened?”
“It’s that slimy little toad, Carl. He’s only been mixing bleedin’ drugs, and somebody’s died because of it.”
“Oh God, no!”
“Yeah, that’s why Debby wanted me round there. She was worried enough to confide in me, but not to do anything about it herself.”
Rita knew she could rely on Julie not to report Carl to the police. Unlike Yansis, Julie had grown up in the same area as Rita. She therefore understood the implications of getting the police involved. By contrast, Yansis had had a sheltered upbringing. He would want to do the right thing which, as far as he was concerned, meant going to the police. He didn’t have much experience of the kind of people who preferred to mete out their own form of punishment.
Nevertheless, although she could trust Julie, she still decided not to tell her about her plans to help Jenny and Winston escape to Greece. She felt bad about keeping secrets from her best friend; they’d always shared everything. But she was doing it for Julie’s own protection.
“What are you going to do?” asked Julie.
“I’m in a no win situation, Julie, and completely out of my depth. My first instinct was to go to the bloody police, and sod the consequences. But I daren’t. If I do that, all hell will break loose. Carl would know that the police had somehow found out through Debby, and I wouldn’t put it past her to point the finger at me, when questions were asked about who grassed him up.
“I think that’s why she told me. She feels bad about what he’s done, and in a way she wants something done about it, but she doesn’t want it to come back on her. Carl hangs around with a lot of bad people, including Leroy, and I’m frightened of what they might do if they found out I’d gone to the police.”
“Debby wouldn’t put you in the firing line, would she? I thought she was a friend.”
“She was before she got addicted to heroin. Now her biggest concern is where her next fix is coming from. Although she wants to put a stop to what Carl’s doing, I think she’s more bothered that she won’t get any supplies if he’s off the scene. You wouldn’t believe how she’s changed, Julie. Now I wouldn’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”
A Gangster's Grip: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 2 Page 17
