by Sam Michaels
‘No, well, yes and no. The house has been under surveillance but they called it off last night when my sarge told his boss that I live here. I’ve been told to keep an eye out.’
‘I don’t think she’ll show up here. I mean, why would she? There’s nothing here for her anymore. Do you want to come in? Have another cuppa?’
‘No, I really should get to work. I just thought you should know about Miss Garrett.’
‘Thank you, PC Batten.’
‘Please, call me Tim.’
‘All right, I will, Tim,’ Charlotte said, and lightly fluttered her eyelashes. ‘And I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier, you know, about going out one evening. You caught me unawares but if you’d still like to take me to dinner, I think that would be smashing.’
‘Oh,’ Tim said and grinned widely. ‘Yes, I’d love to. How about Saturday?’
‘Great.’
‘Yes, erm… great. I’ll see you later. Cheerio.’
‘See ya,’ Charlotte said and was relieved to close the door. She hurried back to the kitchen to find Georgina just rising to her feet. ‘That was embarrassing. Did you hear all that?’
‘Yes, every word. You did really well, Charlotte. He never suspected a thing.’
‘I know, but now I’ve got to go to dinner with him.’
Georgina laughed. ‘And you’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand. But at least we know they’re not looking for me here.’
‘Does that mean you’ll stay here?’ she asked hopefully.
‘I’ve got no lighting at home, and it’s a bit bleak there, but with that copper in my flat I’d have to sleep on the sofa.’
‘Let me get rid of him, Georgina.’
‘No, with him living here, they’ll leave this place alone. It’d be safer here than in my old home.’
‘Yeah, I suppose you’re right,’ Charlotte said and impulsively gave Georgina another hug. ‘With you here it’ll be just like the old days, you, me and Dog,’ Charlotte said. Though in reality, she knew it wouldn’t be anything like it used to be. Georgina had been powerful, feared and revered. Now she was an escaped convict and would have to hide away, but for now Georgina was back and Charlotte could once again feel safe.
*
Johnny turned the car into a leafy lane in Surrey, surprised at how remarkably calm he felt considering what they were about to do.
‘Blimey, it looks right la-de-da round ’ere,’ Ned said, his eyes wide as he peered out of the window at the large detached houses behind gated gardens.
‘It is, mate. We’re in the land of the hoity-toity toffs now,’ Johnny answered with a twinge of jealousy. He’d have liked to own a big house and an even flashier car than he already had. But he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth as he imagined many of the people in this exclusive neighbourhood had been.
In fact, Johnny hadn’t had the best of starts in life. His father had done a runner to avoid prison and left his mother to bring up Johnny and his four siblings alone. Johnny was the youngest of his brothers and had only ever received the scraps and hand-me-downs. His dear old mum, in an effort to support her family, had worked herself into an early grave. Maybe that’s why Johnny appreciated the finer things in life now and was prepared to take risks for a good return.
‘What the fuck is an illegal brewing outfit doing round here?’ Ned asked, shaking his head.
‘It’s landowners, Ned. Most of the grain is going over to feed the nation, hence the shortage and taxes on beer. But the farm we’re about to visit ain’t declared their crops, and have turned the fruits of their harvest into beer which half of London has been buying up on the black market. Now all we’ve got to do is walk in and take their profits.’
‘You make it sound easy, Johnny, but it ain’t gonna be that straightforward, is it?’ Nobby asked. ‘I mean, if it was, we wouldn’t need the shooters that are in the boot.’
Johnny shrugged. ‘If they’ve got any sense, then it’ll be straightforward. The guns are just for insurance purposes. Let’s try not to use them unless we have to.’
‘Yeah, right, if you say so, Johnny. But they ain’t likely to just say, “Oh, here you are. Help yourself. Do you want a barrel of beer to take with you an’ all.”’
Johnny chuckled. ‘That would be nice, but, no, probably not. Just stick to the plan and it should go smoothly enough.’
They came to a T-junction at the end of the lane with a telephone box on the corner. Johnny was pleased to see Max inside the booth, exactly where he should be. He pulled the car over and wound down the window as Max sauntered towards them, a roll-up on his lips.
‘You took your time. I thought you weren’t coming.’
‘Yeah, sorry, we had to see to something first,’ Johnny answered. ‘The Naylors needed a visit.’
‘I’ve missed the fun then?’
‘Not yet. The real fun is about to begin. Jump in.’
The Barkers scooted over for Max to climb in the back of the car. ‘This is cosy,’ he said as Nobby tried to avoid elbowing him in the ribs.
Johnny turned in his seat. ‘Give us an update,’ he said to Max.
‘Two cars have gone up with two blokes in each motor. None have come out. Three trucks went out first thing this morning. I couldn’t see what was in the back but they was riding low so I’m guessing they had full loads.’
‘Good. They’ve been busy delivering their beer and the cars you saw going in will be the runners from London who’ve collected the payments. This should be a tidy little earner. Where’s the car you nicked to get down here this morning?’
‘In a ditch. Shame that, it drove well. I wouldn’t have minded keeping it.’
‘Now we’re working together again, you’ll soon have enough to buy your own car.’
‘I hope so but I won’t be buying a bleedin’ stupid thing like what you’ve got, Johnny.’
‘Oi, leave my Betsy alone. She’s a beauty and deserves a bit of respect.’
‘Betsy… you’ve named your car. For fuck’s sake, Johnny, have you gone queer?’
‘Course I fuckin’ ain’t but if I was, we all know you’d fancy me, Max.’
‘In your dreams.’
Johnny chortled as he put the car in gear and turned left onto a dirt track. They crept towards the farm, hoping to arrive with the advantage of surprise.
‘Fuck me, it’s a bit bumpy,’ Ned moaned.
‘I reckon the suspension is playing up,’ Johnny answered, but any problems with Charlotte’s car were far from his mind.
As they neared the farm and it came into sight, he could feel his pulse quicken. His leather-gloved hands gripped the steering wheel and he was pleased the others couldn’t see his white knuckles. ‘This is it, boys,’ he said, looking at the rustic, stone farmhouse.
They stopped out of sight behind a hedgerow, just short of the yard, and the Barkers jumped out of the car to retrieve the stolen guns from the boot. Johnny pulled a balaclava over his head and Ned and Max did the same. The relaxed atmosphere had changed and now Johnny could feel their tension.
The Barker twins appeared with the large guns and handed them out, they too wearing balaclavas. ‘All ready?’ Nobby asked.
‘Yep, go,’ Johnny answered tersely.
The Barker twins stood behind the hedgerow, peeping round towards the farm. Johnny anxiously waited for the thumbs up.
‘Come on… come on…’ Ned said under his breath as he tapped his hand rapidly on his thigh. ‘What’s taking so fucking long?’
‘Just be patient, Ned. One of them will show their face soon,’ Max answered.
Ten minutes later, Johnny’s heart raced when he saw Nobby give him a thumbs up sign and the twins ran towards the farm. He counted down to twenty in his head then put his foot down hard on the accelerator and sped into the yard, the tyres throwing up a plume of dust as they screeched to a halt outside the house.
Leaping from the car, Johnny pulled his handgun from his coat pocket. They left t
he doors open and went to stand alongside the twins, who had their guns pointed at a young farmhand’s head.
‘Just let us in and you’ll be all right,’ Nobby threatened the young man.
The blond-haired lad was noticeably shaking and looked like he was about to burst into tears but he did as he was told and unlocked the front door to the farmhouse. Johnny, Max and Ned charged in with the Barker twins dragging the farmhand with them.
A quick glance into the first room showed it was empty. The next room’s door was closed so Max kicked it heavily, causing it to swing open. Johnny looked in and saw three suited men staring at him in shock. One went to reach for a pistol on a table beside him, but Nobby pushed the farmhand through the door then quickly followed, firing bullets in the air. Eric was close behind and did the same, shouting, ‘Get down… Get down. Get on the fucking floor.’
The man quickly retracted his hand from the pistol and plunged to the floor with the others. Once the twins had stopped firing and shouting, Johnny walked into the room.
Bits of plaster from the ceiling had showered the men on the floor. He could see there were six of them in total, all laid on their fronts with their hands on the back of their heads. Max frisked them and found two handguns.
‘Stay on the floor and no one needs to get hurt,’ Johnny said, sounding calmer than he felt. It was a cold day but he could feel himself sweating under the balaclava and his heart thumped hard and fast.
One of the burly men lifted his head and asked, ‘Who the fuck sent you?’
‘None of your fucking business. Where’s the money?’
‘You ain’t getting fuck all so you might as well piss off.’
‘Yeah, is that right? Perhaps if I blow your mate’s brains out, then you’ll tell me where the money is?’
Another spoke, quietly saying, ‘Will, just tell him. Give ’em the money.’
Will shook his head. ‘Nah, I ain’t ’aving this. I told ya, you can piss right off.’
Johnny moved towards the bloke on the floor who’d spoken quietly. He hoped he wouldn’t have to shoot anyone but he pointed his gun at the man’s head and said to Will, ‘I’ll count to three, give you a chance to reconsider.’
Will looked furious and glared at Johnny but remained tight-lipped.
‘One… Two…’
‘Fucking tell him. Please, tell him where the money is!’
Still, Will didn’t answer.
‘Three,’ Johnny said and pulled the trigger back.
‘It’s behind the picture,’ Will said urgently. ‘The money is in the safe behind the picture of the dogs.’
Max walked across the room, stepping over two men, and took the dark, wooden framed painting of three gun-dogs from the wall to reveal a grey metal safe behind.
‘Well done,’ Johnny said, and the man with the gun to his head sighed with obvious relief.
Max tried the safe but it was locked.
‘The key?’ Johnny asked.
Will indicated with his head that it was in his trouser pocket. Max stepped back over two men and rummaged in Will’s pocket, quickly retrieving the small key.
‘You’re gonna regret this,’ Will hissed. ‘You’ve got no fucking idea who you’re dealing with.’
As Max unlocked the safe, Nobby shouted in alarm, ‘Johnny, quick, he’s doing a runner!’
Johnny spun round to see the farmhand slipping out the door. The lad had somehow managed to sneak around the outside of the room and was making a run for it. Johnny, his gun already poised, fired. He aimed low and the bullet struck the lad in the back of his thigh. Screams of pain filled the air as the lad writhed on the floor in agony, blood oozing through his fingers as he tried to stem the flow from the bleeding wound.
‘Shut the fuck up or I’ll put a bullet in your mouth,’ Johnny warned. He hadn’t wanted to shoot the young man but he couldn’t take a chance on him running to get help. The lad had brought it on himself. ‘You idiot,’ Johnny sneered at him and was pleased he’d stopped screaming.
Max had filled a cloth bag with wads of notes and was smiling as he stepped over the two men again and walked towards Johnny. ‘Done,’ he said as he passed and headed for the car.
‘Thanks, gentlemen, it’s been short and sweet. Good day to you,’ Johnny said, smirking, and followed Max to the car with Ned behind him. As he climbed behind the steering wheel, he heard the Barker twins unloading some of their ammunition and hoped they were firing high. There was no need for any more blood to be spilled. They came out from the house, both grinning.
‘Tyres,’ Johnny called to them, pointing to the cars and vehicles in the yard.
Nobby and Eric opened fire again, this time shooting out all the tyres, Nobby firing from the hip. They got in the car and Johnny raced off before they’d even closed the car doors.
‘We did it,’ Nobby declared, sounding pleased with himself. ‘We went and fucking did it!’
‘You idiot,’ Ned snapped.
‘What? What’s the matter with you?’ Nobby asked.
‘How many times have we gone over the rules and procedures, eh? Go on, tell me… how many fucking times?’ Ned barked and Johnny wondered what had pissed him off.
‘I dunno, loads. What’s your problem?’
‘You… you’re the fucking problem, Nobby. You said Johnny’s name!’
Johnny’s head snapped round to look at Ned and he could see the man was furious. ‘He didn’t, did he?’ he asked, his heart dropping into his shiny black shoes.
‘Yeah, when that youngster tried to run off. He called you Johnny.’
‘Shitting hell, Nobby! What are you playing at? Are you trying to get me killed?’
‘Sorry, Johnny, it must have just slipped out. Fuck, I’m really sorry,’ Nobby said, his voice full of remorse.
Ned looked over to the back seat. ‘Yeah, that’s right, you hang your head in shame. I hope it doesn’t, but if this comes back on us, we’ll know who to fucking blame.’
‘There’s hundreds in here,’ Max said, looking in the bag of money and skilfully changing the subject. ‘And we’ve got a few extra guns. We’ve done all right.’
Johnny nodded; that was some compensation for having his name bandied around in front of their victims. But Ned was right, he hoped this didn’t come back on them. After all, hadn’t the boss said something about not knowing who they were dealing with? It was obviously someone big and probably someone to be feared. His stomach knotted. He hadn’t considered that there was anyone else involved. He could have kicked himself. If Miss Garrett had organised this, she’d have checked every last detail. It wouldn’t have slipped past her that someone bigger than them was running this operation. Someone like The Top, Johnny thought with a shudder of regret.
8
Two days later, Georgina yawned as she opened her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. She’d become accustomed to Charlotte’s sofa, though her sleep remained restless. After all, the police could come crashing through the door at any time and knowing that a copper lived just across the landing didn’t help either. She’d feel more relaxed once she knew for sure that Charlotte had him onside. Even when she had managed to doze off, her sleep had been punctured by horrific sounds and images from Holloway. She knew that place would forever haunt her dreams.
‘Good morning. Did you sleep all right?’ Charlotte asked, fetching her a cup of coffee and turning on the wireless. They had the wireless on all day to drown out any sound of their voices.
‘Yes, fine,’ Georgina lied.
She pushed herself up on her haunches as Dog jumped on her lap and tried to lick her face.
‘Get down, Dog,’ Charlotte chastised the mutt, then looked at Georgina. ‘Sorry, it’s habit. He’s your dog, I shouldn’t be telling him off.’
‘Don’t be daft, it’s you who’s looked after him. And you’re right, he shouldn’t be on the sofa,’ she said, easing the dog down. ‘Are you looking forward to your date tonight with Tim?’
‘No,’ Cha
rlotte answered but Georgina didn’t believe her. The girl’s cheeks had flushed red and she’d averted her gaze from Georgina’s eyes.
‘Yes, you are, you fibber,’ she teased.
‘No, I’m not. The last thing I need in my life is a man, and even worse that he’s a copper. I’m only going out with him to use him, like you told me to.’
‘If you say so,’ Georgina answered and threw the blankets off before pushing herself off the sofa. She glanced in the mirror over the mantel and could see the sleepless nights were beginning to show on her face. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her complexion looked dull. She couldn’t even brighten herself up with a bit of red lippy, she thought, as her eyes fell on her dungarees draped over the back of an armchair. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t out to impress anyone. Her only focus was to see her children. ‘I hope Johnny comes round today. If not, you’ll have to go and fetch him,’ she told Charlotte. Now that she had her fake identity papers, she was keen to get Johnny to drive her to Wales.
‘I’m pretty sure he will, and hopefully with some money for me too.’
‘Are you struggling?’
‘No, not at all. The rent from Miss Gray and Lord Hamilton is more than I need to live on.’
‘Good. And how is Dina coping?’
‘No idea. You know her, she won’t talk to me, not that I blame her. She’s quite chummy with Lord Hamilton and cleans his flat for a couple of bob.’
‘I suppose I should let her know I’m here. As weird as the woman is, she’s always been loyal and trustworthy.’
‘If you say so, but the fewer people who know you are here, the better.’
Georgina knew that Charlotte was right, but being confined was getting hard and she hoped Johnny would turn up today.
*
A couple of hours later, Georgina heard a car pull up outside and looked through the net curtains, hoping it wasn’t the police, and was pleased to see it was Johnny. She smiled as she watched him swagger to the door, cigar in hand and in his usual fur trimmed coat. She found it comforting to see that some things hadn’t changed and couldn’t wait to watch the expression on his face when he set eyes on her.
