Born to Dance

by June Tate

  Foxy Gordon watched Mickey sparring in the ring. He knew his fighter was fit and able, but he also knew that Black Jack Stevens, from Jamaica, was a canny boxer and eager to take the title. The boxer had a lethal right hook, which had laid out many of his previous opponents and he was quick on his feet. The fight was the most popular fixture of the year. All the tickets had been sold and the winning purse was worth a small fortune to the victor.

  When the big night arrived, Bonny was sitting in the front row with Giles Gilmore and Felix the chorus boy. They were all on edge, awaiting the final big bout.

  The trumpets sounded and Black Jack Stevens made his way to the ring. Bonny was worried when she saw the powerful build of the man. He was obviously very fit and looked as strong as an ox, and she felt her heart beating wildly with anxiety.

  Mickey then appeared among rousing cheers. He waved to the crowd, climbed into the ring, looked at Bonny and, with a wide smile, winked at her. She smiled back and blew him a kiss. She didn’t want him to know she was worried.

  During the first two rounds, the two men sounded each other out, exchanging blows and counter blows. According to Giles they were about even in the marking. But as each round continued, the battle really began, both exchanging telling blows, and Bonny had no idea how it would progress. She was sitting on the edge of her seat and wincing with every blow to Mickey’s face and body. She could see the power of the punches as she watched Mickey’s reaction.

  During the start of the fifth round, Black Jack seemed to get the upper hand and he put Mickey down on the canvas. Bonny cried out and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. The last thing that Mickey needed was to see her concern. He got to his feet eventually before the bell. But Bonny jumped up when, in the next round, the tables were turned and Mickey floored his opponent.

  She clung on to Giles arm. ‘Is he going to get up?’ she asked, fingers crossed as she waited.

  ‘I’m afraid so. Look, he’s just waiting and taking a rest, getting his breath back. And on the count of eight, Black Jack rose to his feet, gloved hands up to his face, ready for the next onslaught.

  Between each round, the trainers and seconds in each corner were working on their boys. Foxy worked on Mickey’s face as the second rubbed him down. ‘Watch that bastard’s right hand, Mickey. He’s getting ready to try and end the fight. I know, I’ve watched him before. This is the pivotal round for him. Be very careful, keep your gloves up. Protect your chin!’

  The next three minutes seemed endless to those watching. Both boxers fought like gladiators, exchanging blows, rocking each other on their feet. Bonny could hardly breathe. Then, just for a second, Black Jack dropped his guard and Mickey, quick to seize his moment, landed a hefty blow on the point of the other man’s chin. Black Jack staggered, then sank slowly to the canvas.

  The hall erupted! People were on their feet yelling, whistling and jumping up and down.

  ‘Eight, nine … ten!’ The referee counted the man out and sent Mickey back to his corner. The seconds jumped in to the ring, one shoved some smelling salts under Jack’s nose and the boxer got to his feet and walked unsteadily to his corner.

  Bonny threw her arms round Giles neck and kissed him. He held on to her in case in her excitement she hurt herself.

  ‘For goodness’ sake girl, be careful,’ he cried.

  The referee stood between both men and the crowd fell silent.

  The announcer climbed into the ring and over the microphone made his speech. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the winner, and still the middleweight champion … Mickey O’Halleran, the pride of Ireland.’ The referee held up Mickey’s hand and the crowd cheered.

  The two boxers clasped each other for a moment and touched gloves, then Black Jack retired to his corner and Mickey, lifted on the shoulders of Foxy and his second, was walked around the ring.

  Mickey waved to the crowd and blew a kiss to Bonny, who was exhausted with the excitement, but she waved back at him, thankful it was all over.

  ‘I’m not sure I can sit through another fight like that again,’ she confessed to Giles. ‘I felt every blow that Mickey took. I feel like a punchbag!’

  He laughed. ‘Not as much as he does I’ll wager. He’ll be very sore in the morning.’

  The three of them waited for a while then walked to Mickey’s dressing room. When he saw Bonny, he lifted her off her feet, swung her round and kissed her thoroughly.

  She put her hand up to his bruised face. ‘Oh Mickey, I was so worried for you up there.’

  He laughed. ‘Once or twice I was worried myself, darlin’, but I knew if I could keep with him, he’d make a mistake, and he did.’ He put her down and with a sigh of relief, said, ‘But I’m glad it’s over. Now we can spend some time together.’ He gazed at her and said softly, ‘I’ve really missed you, princess.’

  ‘Me too,’ she told him.

  ‘Wait until I get showered and dressed, then we’ll go and celebrate. Foxy has booked a table for us all. I won’t be long.’

  Looking round, Bonny said, ‘Where is Foxy?’

  ‘I don’t know. He was behind me as we left the ring. Don’t worry, he’ll be here soon. He’s probably talking to some of the fans.’

  But Foxy had been waylaid by a couple of the members of Wally Cole’s Firm. They cornered him at the back of the hall and shoved him outside in the dark alleyway behind the venue, where they pinned him against the wall.

  ‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded.

  ‘We like to pay our debts,’ said one.

  ‘What debts? Don’t tell me you put your money on Black Jack to win?’

  ‘Oh no, we put our money on your boy with Wally Cole, weeks ago.’

  ‘Yes, pity he missed the fight, he would have loved it, but there you go, someone took care of him. But at least you can have his share of the winnings.’ And he grinned at them.

  They were his last words.

  ‘Yes,’ said one of the men, ‘you took care of our governor and now we’ve come back to pay his debt.’

  Foxy felt something hard pressed into his body, but before he could utter a sound … he was dead!

  The man pocketed the gun and they walked down the alleyway and out into the street where they climbed into a waiting car.

  Mickey left a message for Foxy to tell him that they had all gone to the restaurant he’d booked and to follow on when he was ready. He ordered champagne whilst they all chose from the menu. It was a really happy gathering. Mickey and Bonny were telling Giles of her plans for a dancing school and he was offering advice and help. It wasn’t until they were eating desert that Mickey was called to the telephone.

  It was Bonny who first noticed that something was wrong as Mickey walked back to the table. They were all laughing at a joke Felix had told them, but as Bonny looked up and saw the shocked expression on Mickey’s face, she grabbed hold of Giles by the arm. He stopped talking, looked at her, then followed her gaze, as did the others. Mickey sat down.

  ‘What on earth is the matter, darling?’ asked Bonny.

  ‘Foxy is dead! Someone shot him tonight after the fight.’

  They all started talking at once.

  ‘Shot? Where?’

  ‘Are you sure?

  ‘Is it true, not a mistake?’

  Mickey shook his head. ‘They have just found his body. I can’t believe it. Who would do such a thing?’ But as he pondered on this, he also remembered how he suspected that his trainer might have been involved with the death of Wally Cole. If his suspicions were correct, then Foxy had paid the ultimate price.

  Thirty-Three

  The murder of Foxy Gordon made the headlines in all the national papers. POPULAR BOXING IMPRESARIO SHOT read one. MYSTERY DEATH OF FOXY GORDON wrote another. Everyone was talking about it. The world of boxing was in shock. There was to be a post-mortem, of course, but there was no doubt as to how the man had met his death. The mystery was – who had pulled the trigger?

  Detectiv
e Inspector Phillips was discussing the death with his sergeant. ‘I reckon it was someone from the Firm in retaliation for Wally Cole’s murder.’

  ‘We’ll never be able to prove it without the weapon, guv. And by now, it’s probably at the bottom of the Thames,’ Sergeant Beckett said, then added, ‘but at least we can stop our search for proof of Gordon’s involvement. Someone has saved the force a lot of man-hours.’

  ‘I know, but I hate unsolved murders. We’ll have to go through the motions and question members of the gang. We won’t achieve anything, but we have to be seen to be trying.’

  Mickey O’Halleran, on the other hand, was devastated by the sudden demise of his trainer. As he told Bonny, ‘Everything I am, I owe to that man.’

  Bonny looked thoughtful. ‘You know, after Wally Cole’s death, Foxy told me that he took care of his own. I’ve often wondered if he was behind it. What do you think?’

  Mickey let out a sigh. ‘I think he was. After all, he was convinced that the Firm was behind Charlie Black’s death, and of course he was proved right when Jimmy Knight was charged with the murder. Then Cole was behind your accident in the show. There was a lot of bad feeling between the two of them. But murder …’

  ‘What will happen to the gym, do you think?’

  ‘At this moment, it’s open, but in the future, I have no idea.’

  Eventually the coroner brought in a verdict of unlawful killing and the body was released for burial. Foxy had no family and so it was Mickey who arranged the funeral.

  ‘It’s the least I can do for the man,’ he told Bonny.

  Foxy Gordon’s funeral was like a local state occasion. Everyone who was to do with the boxing world turned out to pay their respects – and from the world of theatre too. After all, Foxy was an angel and had invested a great deal of money in Giles Gilmore’s production, which was now on tour.

  The hearse was filled with floral tributes, as was the car behind. The church was packed, and during the service various members of the boxing world spoke of Foxy and his successes. Then Mickey O’Halleran stood at the lectern. He spoke without notes.

  ‘I am here today to pay tribute to a friend and mentor,’ he began. ‘When I first came to England from Ireland with dreams of becoming a champion, it was Foxy who listened to my ambitions, who took me on and began to train me. He was a hard taskmaster but fair. If you worked hard, he was pleased – but if you didn’t you got the length of his tongue – which could be lethal!’ There were a few chuckles from those who had worked with him.

  ‘He had strict rules about the behaviour of his boys. You kept out of trouble, you didn’t drink to excess and never when you were training, and you never gambled. Although Foxy himself loved a game of poker, he said that not everyone could keep control of their money as he did and so he forbade it. He said that if we were under his training, we were to uphold the good name of boxing as long as we were part of it.

  ‘As you all know, he also became involved in the theatre and was a backer for Giles Gilmore’s production, which gave him great pleasure, but his heart was in the fight game and there was no one to match him.

  ‘I stand before you as a champion, but I would never have reached this pinnacle in my career without him. I owe everything to him. I am proud of my association of such a great man, and the day he died I lost not only my mentor, but also a very dear friend.’ He walked to his seat and sat down, trying hard to control his emotions.

  Bonny had heard the break in his voice and knew how deeply he felt the loss of Foxy Gordon. She caught hold of his hand and held on to it throughout the service. And after the final hymn, she walked with him to a nearby hotel for the wake.

  During the time that people drank and ate from the buffet that Mickey had arranged, Mickey was approached by Foxy’s solicitor. ‘Tomorrow morning I would like you and Miss Burton to come to my office as I have the reading of Mr Gordon’s will. Is ten o’clock suitable?’

  Somewhat puzzled, Mickey agreed. Turning to Bonny he said, ‘I can’t imagine why he wants us there.’

  ‘It’s certainly a mystery – to me in particular. Well, we’ll soon find out I suppose.’

  The following morning, Bonny and Mickey sat in the office of the solicitor. There was no one else there and Mickey was wondering why they had been summoned. They were both given a cup of coffee and then the solicitor began. ‘I’ll skip all the legal jargon in the beginning and get down to the nitty gritty of the will, if that’s all right with you?’

  Mickey nodded his approval.

  ‘Mr Gordon says here, “I have no dependents, but I look upon Mickey O’Halleran as the son I never had. He has worked hard to achieve his success and he has done it with dignity and charm and he has upheld the good name of boxing throughout his career. But as we all know, a fighter has one day to hang up his boxing gloves. I know of no other man who holds the fight game with such affection and pride as I do and I want him to continue to be part of it. I want the work of training up-and-coming talented young men to continue and I can’t think of a better man to take on this task than Mickey O’Halleran. Therefore, I leave to him my gym and the money in my estate with which to continue my work. I also leave five thousand pounds to Bonny Burton towards the cost of opening a dancing school. I feel a certain responsibility for the accident which befell her and put an end to her dancing career in the theatre. I know she will be a success because she loves her work as much as I love mine.’”

  The solicitor looked up from the paper. ‘That about winds it up. We’ll have to go to probate, of course, which will take some time, but Mr O’Halleran, there is a substantial amount of money in the estate. More than enough for you to fulfil his request.’

  Both Bonny and Mickey were stunned. Mickey groped for words. ‘I had no idea. I mean, I’ve never even considered the way he felt about me. A son he never had!’ His voice trembled. ‘That is such a compliment.’

  The solicitor smiled. ‘Congratulations to both of you. I am sure you will use the money wisely to carry out his wishes.’

  ‘Of course,’ they answered in unison.

  ‘I’ll be in touch, Mr O’Halleran, Miss Burton. I’m sure all those working in the gym will be relieved that it’s to remain open.’

  Mickey beamed at the man. ‘It’s the first thing I’m going to do – pass on the good news. There are some really talented young men there who thought their dreams were over. Now they can relax.’ He shook the man by the hand.

  Bonny and Mickey took a taxi to the gym where Mickey gave everyone the good news, which was greeted with cheers and enthusiasm.

  ‘I’ll be in tomorrow to see you all, but I have some serious thinking to do. As you can imagine this has come as a complete surprise to me and I have to try and get my brain around it all.’

  Several of the men came over to congratulate him and wish him well.

  As they left the premises, Mickey took Bonny by the hand. ‘We need to go somewhere quiet and talk about this,’ he said. And they made their way to a nearby hotel, where they found a quiet corner to have a drink and discuss the future.

  Bonny was still stunned by her good luck. ‘Five thousand pounds is a small fortune!’ she exclaimed. ‘How very kind of Foxy.’

  ‘He felt badly about your accident, as he was the one that Wally Cole was trying to get at. That’s why he left you the money. Now you can look for a place in the city itself. You need to be in the centre of things to be successful and …’ He paused. ‘I think you should call it the Bonny Burton School of Dance!’

  ‘I like the sound of that, but why?’

  ‘Because your name is known, and your skills admired. Why waste the opportunity to use this kind of publicity?’

  She thought about it, then realized that Mickey was right. ‘But how are you going to run Foxy’s gym and train for another fight? How will you find the time to do both?’

  He slowly sipped his beer. ‘I’ve always thought a champion should finish his career at the top of his game. There’s nothing worse t
han seeing a winner slowly slide down the ladder of success. It’s a very sad sight.’

  ‘So, what are you saying?’ Bonny held her breath.

  ‘I’m saying that I am going to retire from the ring.’

  She stared hard at him. ‘Oh, Mickey, are you sure? You love what you do and you’re good at it.’

  ‘Yes, princess, at the moment I am, but this last fight was hard, it could have gone either way, and who’s to say my next opponent won’t beat me?’ He took her hand in his. ‘I want to go out of the fight game as champion, not as a has-been. Now Foxy has given me a task that will give me a great deal of satisfaction – bringing on new boxers. Teaching them to be champions.’ He smiled softly. ‘As you will train new dancers, to work in the West End theatres, who may become stars, as you were.’

  Bonny threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly, much to the amusement of the others sitting in the lounge bar. ‘Oh, Mickey! I am so happy to hear that. I thought I’d die watching you in the ring the other night. I thought that man was going to kill you!’

  He burst out laughing. ‘Thanks very much. I’d hoped you had more faith in me that that!’

  ‘You know what I mean,’ she chided. ‘It breaks my heart to see you getting hurt. It’s almost more that I can bear.’

  ‘There is just one more thing I want to do before all this takes place.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  He gazed lovingly at her. ‘I want us to get married. We have no reason to wait. If we do, we’ll be so caught up in our new careers that we won’t have the time. Will you marry me, Bonny darlin’?’

  She looked at him, caressed his face and said, ‘Of course I will.’

  ‘How soon can you be ready to get married? Please don’t say months!’

  She laughed heartily. ‘Don’t be ridiculous! You forget, as a dancer I’m used to quick changes. How soon can you arrange a wedding?’

  He looked at her with amusement. ‘I know you want a quiet one with not many guests, just family and close friends, so I’ll try and find a vicar with an opening in three or four weeks. Will that be all right?’