by K Leitch
Andy didn’t know how to defend himself from his mother’s onslaught, he knew that what she was saying didn’t make any sense but he could see that to her it made all the sense in the world.
He dug into his pockets, ‘I got a couple of quid Mum if you want it,’ he said offering it to her.
‘Ha…a couple of fucking quid…what the hell am I s’posed to do wiv that eh?’ she said scornfully snatching the coins out of his hand.
‘You owe me Andy,’ she hissed at him through the fence. ‘I nearly got killed looking after you…I did everyfing to make sure you ‘ad a roof over your ‘ead and food in your belly an’ you know that’s true don’t ya?’
Andy lowered his head and nodded.
‘Well now it’s your turn to look after me you understand? Those old cows aren’t going to notice if you nick a couple of quid ‘ere and there are they…’
Andy looked up in alarm, ‘No Mum I can’t…they’ve been really nice to me, I can’t take anything from them.’
‘Now you listen to me boy…I need you to get me some money, I ain’t neva asked you to do anything like this before ‘ave I, but now I need you to get some. I ain’t got no food and I need a bit to rent a room or something…so I can work, couple of ‘undred, that should do it…’she broke off with a scowl as Andy gasped in horror.
‘I can’t Mum…how can I get a couple of hundred…I don’t know how,’ he finished on a wail.
‘Oh stop your winging you fucking little sissy, if you can’t get money I bet they’ve got some nice bits of jewellery, you get me some of that…’ she broke off again and retreated backwards behind a tree, Andy turned and saw Miss Hawker approaching.
‘Andy Hunt, what are you doing by the fence?’ she asked as she came closer. ‘Come on back onto the field where I can keep an eye on you.’
Andy looked back at the fence where Mum had been, but she had long gone. With a heavy heart he followed Miss Hawker back to where Robert and Asher were waiting. What was he going to do, he didn’t want to steal from Helen and Maya who had been so kind to him…but Mum had been really desperate and he wasn’t quite sure what she might do if he didn’t do what she wanted. He knew from experience that she could be extremely violent when pushed and he would rather put himself on the line than let any harm come to his precious new family.
CHAPTER 47 - CARLA
Frank drove steadily along the motorway as Carla read through the notes that she had received from social services this morning.
‘He seems to have kept out of trouble for a few years now, that last stint inside for burglary was his last. Having said that he is in his late sixties now so you’d hope he’d at last seen the error of his ways,’ she was saying to Frank. They were heading to Coventry in the Midlands which was where hopefully they were going to be able to, at last, speak to Jacob Gattoré. Social services had emailed an address to the station that morning. From the sound of it though, Gattoré wasn’t much of a suspect for the Wiseman murder. He had been living in sheltered housing for the last few years and was receiving disability pension because of an injury sustained whilst in prison.
‘Yeh but he might be in the frame for Silco’s murder,’ Frank said irritably, Frank wasn’t happy to be racing off to Coventry this afternoon. He had had strict instructions from Linda (his girlfriend) to be home in good time this evening as they had people over for a meal and the way this traffic was moving he wasn’t going to make it.
‘Anyway he may be able to give us some info on where that Una girl disappeared to at least,’ Carla said trying to pacify.
They turned off the motorway and were soon heading into the outskirts of Coventry. The sat-nav took them through lots of residential streets until they finally pulled up in front of a small block of flats.
‘Norton house, this is it,’ Carla said getting out of the car and stretching out her arms.
‘Right,’ said Frank as he hurried towards the building, ‘Let’s try and get this done before we get stuck in the rush hour traffic on the way home can we?’
Carla smiled, ‘Look at you all worried about your dinner party, who would have thought it?’
Frank scowled, ‘I just don’t want to let Linda down that’s all…she’s worked really hard on this meal, and I know she’s nervous.’
‘Who is it coming again?’ Carla asked as they looked up and down corridors for number 26.
‘Oh just a girl that she works with and her husband, but it’s her first time…at entertaining that is. Oh this must be it Carla,’ he finished as they stopped outside a door. Carla knocked.
Jacob Gattoré must have been a huge man in his youth. With a broad chest and huge arms he still presented a formidable image, but it was tempered somewhat by the wheelchair that he was confined to.
He wasn’t particularly happy to be confronted by a couple of police officers either, just sucking his teeth and saying, ‘What the hell you be wanting with me man,’ as Carla introduced them both.
Carla began to explain about the skeleton that had been found….
‘Oh man…you can’t pin that on me,’ Gattoré interrupted, ‘I ain’t murdered no one, don’t you be trying to stitch me up for this…’
‘Mr Gattoré if you will just listen for a minute,’ Carla said holding up her hand, ‘we are not here trying to pin anything on you; we are just trying to establish the facts. We believe you knew the deceased, a Mr Jonas Silco?’
Gattoré’s head shot up at that and he looked hard at Carla for a minute. ‘Yeh I know him…or rather I knew him, he was the perverted little slime that raped my sister and caused her death. So he got what was coming to him did he? Can’t say I’m too unhappy about that.’
‘Can you remember what you were doing in the spring of 1997 Mr Gattoré?’ Carla asked.
Gattoré chuckled, ‘Nope,’ was all he said shaking his head in disbelief.
‘When did you move to Coventry?’ Frank asked.
‘Couple of years ago,’ Gattoré said, ‘look man I can’t remember where I was last week let alone twenty years ago, but I’ll tell you where I wasn’t, I wasn’t anywhere near Jonas Silco. I gave that up years ago after they pinned that fire on me. I realised I wasn’t ever going to find Missy, they’d hidden her good and anyway I was tired of it all, so I moved on with my life…hell I haven’t thought about all of that for years.’
‘You were convicted of arson in connection to the fire at the Linden Hotel is that right?’
‘Yep…served four years for that, another thing I got to thank Silco for,’ Gattoré said scowling at Carla.
‘Are you saying you didn’t start the fire?’ Carla asked.
‘No…I wasn’t anywhere near the place on the night of the fire, they knew that…the police did. I was with my mate Frenchie…Frenchie Awola. But the jury didn’t believe I was with him…he’s a black man too isn’t he, and he’d been inside a couple of times so…I couldn’t prove my whereabouts…and my black face just fitted I guess,’ he finished with a sarcastic laugh.
Carla made some notes and said, ‘Do you remember what happened to a young Irish girl called Una Flannery, she was working in the hotel at the same time as your sister?’
‘Yeh I remember Una,’ Gattoré said shaking his head sadly. ‘He raped her too, Silco I mean, she told me. And she told me all about Missy, how he’d hurt her and abused her until she’d slit her own wrists because she couldn’t take anymore…she was about six months pregnant when she died you know,’ he stopped at Carla’s gasp.
‘So she killed herself?’ Carla asked.
Gattoré nodded, ‘Yeh, that Una girl, she was the one that found her in the bath, wrists cut open and the bath full of blood. She must have been so scared poor kid…she said she ran and told the cook who went straight to bloody Hanley, the owner. Hanley told Una she was to forget about what she’d seen, wasn’t good for the hotel he said, threatened her with the sack he did, if she told anyone.’ Gattoré went on disgust. ‘Then he told her not to worry, that Missy’s body would be sen
t back to her family… Ha like hell it was.’
‘Why didn’t you go to the police?’ Carla asked, ‘If Una saw the girl dead surely they would have investigated…’
‘You bloody think we didn’t!’ Gattoré shouted, flinging his hands into the air. ‘That’s the first thing we did…right waste of time.’ He looked up at Carla with a curled lip. ‘A black man and an Irish housemaid’s word against the owner of two of London’s most prestigious hotels…who do you think they believed?’ he finished bitterly.
‘We believe Jonas Silco was killed in early 1997 Mr Gattoré,’ Frank began, ‘can you try and remember where you were living then?’
Gattoré sat and thought for a minute or two, ‘I think I was in Liverpool in ‘97…yeh that’s right I remember because I would have still been with Irene then.’ He broke off and looked at Carla. ‘She was my wife, we were together for about eight or nine years. Lived in Albert road, down near the docks, got myself a job down there didn’t I…’
‘Ok Mr Gattoré we will need an address for your wife so that we can confirm that and if you could give us the details of your employer at the time that would be useful as well.’
Gattoré sucked his teeth and thought for a moment. ‘Oh man that was a long time ago, I think it was Lumley Haulage…or Langley Haulage something like that, I used to load up the lorries…it was just casual labour you know, but at least it paid the rent,’ Gattoré said. ‘Mr Charleston, he was the boss, Henry Charleston, I remember that because we all used to call ‘im quickstep, because of the dance you know. I don’t have a clue where Irene is now, she pushed off after I went inside last time, haven’t spoken to the woman for years.’
Frank stood up, ‘Right, well thank you for your time Mr Gattoré we may need to speak to you again at some point so don’t leave the country ok?’
Gattoré let out a deep chuckle, ‘Yeh right, like I’m going anywhere.’
‘You don’t have any idea where we could find Una Flannery now do you?’ Carla asked as they were leaving.
‘Nah sorry,’ Gattoré said shaking his head, ‘poor girl was in a right state when we parted company; think she said she was heading back to Ireland, back to her mum and dad.’
Carla nodded; she hadn’t really expected him to be able to help them with that. ‘You can’t remember which part of Ireland she came from?’
‘I seem to remember her mentioning Limerick, but I’m not sure…sorry,’ Gattoré said. Carla nodded again and they made their way back to the car.
‘Well that was a bloody waste of an afternoon,’ grumbled Frank as they headed back towards the motorway. ‘Without any actual physical evidence there is no way we can prove or disprove Gattoré’s guilt.’
Carla was nodding, ‘I know, but we can rule him out for Albie’s murder so if we are looking at the same killer for them both then it can’t be Gattoré can it?’
‘If it was all about motive he’d be your number one suspect,’ Frank said. ‘What with his sister and then serving time for a fire he says he didn’t start, I can quite see why he’d want the man dead…both of them dead in fact, but funnily enough I don’t think he did it…it just doesn’t feel right if you know what I mean.’
‘No I’m with you,’ Carla said rummaging around in her handbag and producing two Kit Kats, one of which she passed to Frank. ‘I think if he was going to kill Silco he would have done it at the time, and I think he would have just stabbed him or shot him, not all the business with the figurine and the plastic sheeting…no I think our killer has an agenda, a reason for killing in the way he does. Oh bloody hell Frank I feel like we’re going round in circles and not getting anywhere.’
‘Well I think we’re on the right track though,’ Frank said, ‘I think the hotel is the key…we just don’t know why yet…’
‘Right tomorrow morning we are going to sit down and go through all that we’ve got with a fine tooth comb…there must be something that we’re overlooking…and I want forensics back in that boathouse again. There must be something that we’ve missed, he can’t have committed such a bloody murder and not left anything behind surely,’ Carla said determinedly.
‘Oh Dorothy’s going to love you,’ Frank said with a smirk. ‘I think you’re right though, let’s check it all again. But quite frankly, right now I’m more concerned about the traffic on the M6, if I’m late for this dinner Linda is going to have my guts for garters!’ he grimaced as he put his foot down.
CHAPTER 48
Brenda Marsh sat in the pitch black room hardly daring to breathe, the house was silent but she knew he was out there, she could feel his presence as he silently moved around the side of the house.
He had called to say that he would be round tonight with the money she’d asked for, but as the designated time had drawn closer and closer Brenda had started to doubt his word, and dreadful fears had entered her head.
He had agreed far too easily, she could see that now. She had known him for long enough to know that he was cold and ruthless and he didn’t like losing. She had seen with her own eyes the complete lack of empathy that he had for the people that he had cheated and betrayed, so why would he just roll over now…it didn’t make any sense.
Her phone bleeped making her nearly jump out of her skin, she picked it up quickly hiding its light under a cushion…it was him.
BE THERE IN FIVE MINUTES
Brenda didn’t believe a word…he was already here. The dog next door was barking frantically at something outside.
A shadow passed across the back window, Brenda burrowed deeper into her chair her breath coming out in short gasps, she put her hand over her moth to smother the screams that were threatening to break lose.
Keep calm…keep calm, he doesn’t know you’re here, the doors are locked…he can’t get in.
She could feel the sweat trickling down her back and the bile in her throat.
Her heart jumped as she heard him try the back door…it was locked, and bolted…keep calm, keep calm.
The shadow passed across the window again…he was leaving…surely he would leave now.
She sat absolutely still for another five minutes just to be sure he had gone…gradually her heart stopped racing and she heaved a sigh. Slowly getting up from the chair and edging her way over to the front window she pulled the curtain to one side just a fraction…there was no one there, he had gone.
Brenda turned away from the window…and let out a cry of terror, as a tall figure stood in the darkness behind her!
In a blind panic she turned to flee; he grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back.
Swinging her round he raised his fist and punched her in the face, sending her tumbling into a bookcase, ornaments and books crashed onto the floor with her as she fell. Desperately she tried to right herself and crawl away, only to be pulled up by the hair and smashed in the face once more. The room began to spin as her attacker punched her twice in the stomach; Brenda felt the hot acid in her mouth as she threw up on the floor where she now lay. Again and again he punched and kicked her; blood was now mingling with vomit as it filled her mouth. She couldn’t breathe; choking and spluttering she tried to plead with him…beg him for mercy all to no avail. He hadn’t said a word but Brenda could hear him puffing and panting as he exhausted himself putting all his hatred into every punch, every kick…he wanted to kill her…oh God he was going to kill her….
CHAPTER 49 - MAGGIE
Maggie dumped the heavy shopping bags that she had all but dragged from her car on the kitchen table and kicked off her shoes with a sigh of relief.
She had invited Jools and Jed over for a special wedding planning meal this evening, Duncan was also coming as soon as he had been to the hospital to visit Martha, and so was Jools’ mum Rona. So Maggie had practically bought up Tesco and she planned on spending the rest of the day slow cooking lamb shanks in red wine and making a raspberry pavlova.
First though she needed a strong cup of coffee to help her recover from the Tesco scrum.
&nbs
p; As the day was fine the huge French doors in the kitchen were open and Maggie could see little Jukie playing with some of his trucks on the patio. ‘Maylee must be outside sunning herself,’ Maggie thought with a sigh, she wasn’t in the mood for talking to her at the moment. She had in fact tried to avoid the girl whenever possible not knowing what to say to her or how to handle the fact that she was pretty sure the girl was cheating on Dom.
Jukie though had spotted Maggie and came rushing into the kitchen. ‘Look Aggie…I got a digger, it can dig up all the earth…come and watch me Aggie,’ he shouted excitedly. ‘I found a worm…Dom said I had to put it back but I wanted to keep it in my truck, I wouldn’t hurt it…can I keep it Aggie…can I?’
‘Maybe we can put some earth in a box, then the worms will feel like they’re at home won’t they?’ Maggie said taking his hand and leading him back out into the garden.
It wasn’t Maylee outside but Dom sitting on the patio, a newspaper on his lap and a beer on the table next to him.
He seemed quite shocked to see Maggie coming out of the kitchen, a little embarrassed even and Maggie realised why as she got nearer because it was obvious that Dom had been crying. It was also obvious that he didn’t want her to say anything about it, so she pretended not to notice and instead focused on Jukie who was desperately trying to show her how his new digger worked.
‘Look I can get loads of earth, it’s easy. Maybe I can get the earth for the worms with my digger. Dom, Aggie says I can keep the worms but I have to make them a house with my digger ok?’ the little boy was saying completely oblivious to the rather strained atmosphere between the adults.
