by Sam Michaels
Georgina’s teeth clenched and she jumped to her feet, anger cursing through her veins. ‘You’ve no right to keep my children from me,’ she screeched, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.
‘The world is at war. Your children cannot come back to you yet.’
‘I still have a right to see them!’ she shouted, running her hand through her short hair.
‘We thought it might upset them. Your children are settled, loved and cared for. Seeing you would unsettle them. You must have patience, Georgina.’
‘They’re my children,’ she ground out and felt tears stinging her eyes.
‘Understand, child, they are safe and this decision was taken in agreement with the elders.’
Georgina placed her hands on the table and leaned towards Rukeli, her voice quieter now. ‘Where are they? And don’t tell me all that rubbish about across oceans and long roads. I want to know exactly where my children are.’
Rukeli pushed herself to her feet and hobbled across the caravan to attend to the pot on the stove. ‘You’ve had a long journey to find disappointment. I cannot tell you what you want to know. But I can offer you refreshment.’
‘I don’t want bloody refreshment. I want to see my babies!’
Rukeli turned quickly from the pot, her eyes blazing. ‘Check yourself, Georgina. Check your tone and remember who you are addressing. Barearav! (respect).’
Georgina lowered her eyes. ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered, acutely aware of the reverence she should be showing Lash’s aunt.
‘You and your friend must rest.’
‘Thank you, Rukeli, but I can’t stay, not without my children,’ she sighed.
‘Your children will be brought to you in good time. And do not think they have forgotten you. We tell them stories of their mother and father. Alfie remembers you. He says you are the boss. And Selina is curious. She has your eyes.’
A sob caught in Georgina’s throat that she tried to suppress. Her hand went over her mouth as tears fell unashamedly.
‘They are happy, Georgina. Let us take care of them with your blessing.’
Georgina recalled a conversation she’d had with Lash, when he had wanted to take Alfie to be with his family and she’d disagreed. He had asked to take Alfie with her blessing but the conversation had turned into an argument. The last words they’d shared before his death had been spoken in anger, something she had always regretted and had to live with. Now, with hesitancy, she nodded, unable to speak, and Rukeli came towards her. She took Georgina’s hand in her own and closed her eyes.
‘I see the man on fire,’ she said and shuddered.
It had been Lash’s aunt who had foreseen that Lash would die and she would be with the ‘man on fire’. David Maynard had been that man, horrifically burned in a bomb blast. ‘What do you see, Rukeli?’ she asked curiously, even though she didn’t really believe in fortune telling.
‘He is on your mind. You are angry with someone else.’
‘He’s dead. I will avenge his death.’
Rukeli pulled her hand away and bustled past Georgina.
‘He lives in your heart alongside Lash.’
‘He does.’
‘Buino. The man on fire was buino (proud). He has passed over, Georgina. I do not feel his mulo (spirit of the dead). And you will not have revenge.’
Georgina swallowed hard. Lash had always sworn by Rukeli’s visions. He’d said his aunt was never wrong. More tears stung her eyes. She had nothing. No children. No man to love her. And now she’d been told that she wouldn’t even have her revenge. But she sat and listened to Rukeli who was happy to recount heartwarming tales of Alfie and Selina’s adventures.
Finally, Georgina bid farewell to Rukeli but hated leaving without having had the opportunity to hold her children. Back in the car, Johnny looked puzzled.
‘Just drive,’ she told him, fighting to hold back more tears.
Her arms were still empty but as they embarked on the arduous journey back to London, Georgina’s grief turned to bitter anger. Everything had been taken from her. And regardless of what Rukeli had said, now it was time to seek retribution.
*
Johnny had struggled to keep his eyes open for the last couple of hours of the journey home from Wales and had smoked three cigars in an attempt to keep him awake. Thankfully, Miss Garrett hadn’t complained about the smell. The fresh air blasting his face from the open window had helped to keep him alert.
His heart went out to his guvnor. She’d been so solemn after discovering she couldn’t see her kids. And Lash’s aunt had said that Miss Garrett wouldn’t get any revenge on David’s killer. Not that Johnny gave it much credence. He thought all that palm reading and tea leaf rubbish was just a gimmick used on the end of Brighton Pier to fool the gullible folk to part with their money. But, if that’s what it took for Miss Garrett to back down about wanting to pay back The Top, then who was he to question it? The trouble was, The Top was powerful and could easily get rid of Miss Garrett. In fact, Johnny wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t already a target on her head. After all, Miss Garrett had once been a terrific force in Battersea and Johnny was sure she’d soon regain her crown. The Top might not like that notion! And he doubted very much that Miss Garrett could take him down first.
He’d dropped her off in the early hours, arranging to pick her up again that evening. Now he was looking forward to his bed and trudged up the stairs to his flat. After driving almost non-stop for hours, every step was an effort and his body felt stiff and ached. His back was sore too. The thought of Daisy popped into his head. She was never far from his mind but it was the smallest of things that would bring her to the forefront. This time, his aching back. He remembered Daisy’s back had been painful once and he’d massaged her, which of course had led to them making love. Ah, making sweet love with Daisy. She’d taken him to levels of ecstasy that he’d never known existed. He missed her and knew he always would. Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do… He’d sung that song to her on her deathbed. She’d said yes, of course she’d marry him. But poor, beautiful, delicate Daisy had died before Johnny could make her his wife.
His precious thoughts of Daisy were quickly dismissed when he neared the top step and noticed that the door was ajar. Johnny stopped dead in his tracks.
Reaching inside his coat for his gun, Johnny walked through the darkness in a calculated manner towards his flat, ready to shoot if he had to. He flung the door open wider, holding his gun in front of him, and then he slowly tiptoed inside. It was black, almost impossible to see anything. He listened, but all he could hear was the sound of his heart thumping. Edging further in, he flicked on a light switch and glanced around the lounge in disgust at the disarray. The sofa cushions lay ripped on the floor. The contents of drawers had been thrown around and the wireless was smashed. Even the wastepaper bin had been emptied.
He moved from the lounge to the kitchenette and then the bedroom to find each room in the same mess. But whoever had been in was long gone now. He felt relieved but at the same time, would have liked to catch the bastards in the act and put a couple of bullets in them.
Johnny tucked his gun away back in his pocket, closed the front door and went straight to his hiding place. It was clear that someone had been looking for something and he guessed they were probably searching for the money from his recent job.
Stepping over his clothes strewn across the bedroom floor, he pushed an old trunk to one side and then removed a piece of skirting board. He reached into the hollow he’d made in the wall, pleased when his fingertips touched a cloth bag. Pulling out the bag, he looked inside, to see his wad of notes and a gun. They hadn’t found his stash but he knew they’d be back and wondered who they were. Now he realised it was a good job that he hadn’t been home, and shuddered at the thought of what they might have done to him if they’d caught him off-guard.
Johnny’s heart raced as he frantically tried to think of what to do next. He couldn’t stay here but he didn’t know who
he was running from. What if it was The Top? He was taking Miss Garrett there later. He could be offering himself up, like a lamb to the slaughter of a sacrifice.
Grabbing a few necessities and with the cloth bag, Johnny fled his flat and raced round to Max’s house. His good friend wouldn’t mind him kipping there for what was left of the night and at least together they had strength in numbers. Two men with guns was better than one.
10
Georgina’s eyes flicked open to the sound of someone tapping on the front room window. She pushed herself up wearily from the sofa and glanced at the clock to see she’d only had a couple of hours’ sleep. Pulling back the curtain, in the darkness, she saw Johnny outside with his arm over the shoulder of a woman. She gave him a quick thumbs up and mouthed, ‘Just a minute,’ before hurrying through to Charlotte’s bedroom.
‘Charlotte… Charlotte… Wake up,’ she said quietly as she shook the girl.
‘Eh, what, what?’
‘Johnny’s outside with a woman. Let them in.’
‘Eh? Johnny? Outside?’
‘Yes, hurry up. Something must be wrong,’ Georgina answered and threw Charlotte a dressing gown from the back of the door. ‘Come on, quick.’
She waited anxiously in the front room as Charlotte went to let Johnny in. When they came through, she could see the woman under Johnny’s arm was trembling and Johnny looked worried.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
‘You remember Gerty, Miss Garrett?’
When the woman looked up through her mascara-blackened tear-streaked face, Georgina recognised that Gerty had been one of her prostitutes at Livingstone Road.
‘Gerty,’ Charlotte exclaimed, surprised to see her.
‘She’s had a bit of a shock. Well, we both ’ave,’ Johnny said sombrely.
‘Charlotte, put the kettle on… and the wireless,’ Georgina said and told Gerty and Johnny to sit down. ‘What’s happened?’ she asked, addressing him.
He told Gerty to go and help Charlotte make the tea and to close the door behind her. Then once alone, he sat forward and lowered his voice.
‘You know that brewery company we turned over?’
‘Yes.’
‘It looks like we’ve pissed off someone pretty bad. When I got home, my place had been ransacked. I went round to Max’s and… he’s dead.’
‘Someone killed him?’
‘Yeah. Fucking ’orrible it was an’ all. He was a right mess, I hardly recognised him. Whoever did it gave him a right fucking beating. There was blood splattered up the walls and by the looks of it, I reckon they stamped on his head a few times.’
‘Jesus! Poor Max.’
‘Yeah, poor Max. I reckon they’ll be coming for me next. Good job I was in Wales with you.’
‘What about Ned and the Barker twins? Have you warned them?’
‘Yeah, me and Gerty went round to their houses. They’ll be here in a bit.’
‘How did Gerty get mixed up in this?’
‘She lives upstairs from Max. She heard a lot of shouting and screaming so sneaked downstairs. She couldn’t see nothing but heard them kicking the shit out of Max. You know what he was like… he didn’t feel pain. He would have kept coming at them until they killed him. Gerty hid under the stairs until they’d gone, then found Max with his brain oozing out his head. It’s shaken her right up, I couldn’t leave her.’
‘No, you’ve done the right thing, Johnny. But I’m worried about the blokes coming here when there’s a copper across the passageway.’
‘It’s all right, they know to be discreet. I knew having him so close would cause problems.’
‘It’ll be fine. Charlotte’s working on him. We’ve got more pressing matters to be worrying about. Who the hell have you pissed off?’
‘I dunno. I think it might be The Top.’
‘Bloody hell, Johnny, I hope not. We ain’t strong enough to go up against him. If it’s The Top, we can all say our goodbyes soon.’
‘I dunno, it might not be. But if it is, we’re fucked.’
Charlotte came back into the room with Gerty, and Georgina instructed her to keep an eye out the window for Ned and the Barker twins. She unconsciously rubbed her finger where her mother’s wedding ring had once been, deep in thought.
Twenty minutes later, Charlotte sneaked Ned and the Barkers into her flat. Despite being told to keep their voices down, they couldn’t hide their delight at seeing Georgina and she thought it a shame that the happiness of the reunion was marred by the murder of Max. And now they each had a possible death sentence hanging over their heads too.
Georgina went to Charlotte’s room and dressed. When she came back into the front room, she could feel the tension. All eyes set on her as if they were waiting for her to come up with an answer to the problem. But she didn’t know what to do. How could she when she had no idea who they were fighting?
‘Take me to him, Johnny,’ she said, her face stern.
‘Who?’
‘The Top, of course.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I said so, didn’t I? There’s no point in pussy-footing around. Take me to The Top and let’s get this sorted.’
She watched as Johnny, Ned and the Barker twins looked at one another then back to her. Johnny went to speak but she quickly jumped in.
‘Don’t question me. You came here because you haven’t got a fucking clue what to do. You’re scared, the lot of you. And I don’t blame you. You’ve brought this to my doorstep and now I’ll deal with it. Come on, let’s go.’
‘Now?’
‘Yes, Johnny, now,’ she answered and marched towards the door. ‘The rest of you, sit tight and stay out of sight. If we’re not back by lunchtime, run.’
She crept past PC Batten’s door and quietly closed the front door. She got into the car and Johnny sat beside her, his face pale and she could see the tautness in his jaw.
‘You can’t take a gun,’ he warned.
‘I know, more’s the pity. I’ll leave it in the car.’
The sun began to rise as they headed towards Lewisham. Georgina’s mind turned, thinking about how she’d approach The Top and what she’d say. That’s if she even got to see him. From what she’d been told, the man refused visitors.
Before she knew it, they were in Lewisham and Johnny pulled up outside a grand house. ‘We’re here,’ he said nervously.
‘You can wait in the car if you like,’ Georgina offered as she reluctantly placed her gun in the glove compartment.
‘No, I’ll come with you. This is my mess. It’s me they’re after, not you.’
Georgina didn’t think it was a good idea for Johnny to accompany her and wanted to protect him but if The Top and his gang were out to kill Johnny, they’d get him with or without her. He knocked on the large doors and a small hatch opened.
‘Ralph, it’s me, Johnny Dymond and I’m with Miss Garrett.’
Ralph didn’t respond but opened the door. When Georgina walked in, she was taken aback by the size of the stark, white hallway. They followed Ralph up the sweeping staircase where two men the size of tanks greeted them with coldness. Ralph went into a room and closed the door while Johnny was frisked. Then Georgina held her arms out at her sides as the other large man frisked her. His hands lingered too long over the edge of her breasts and she stepped back, glaring at him as he sneered at her.
Ralph returned and nodded to the men who escorted them into the room. At last, Georgina saw a friendly face she recognised and smiled at Slugs.
‘It’s a bit bloody early,’ he said as he walked towards her with his arm outstretched. ‘But good to see you none the less. We’ve been expecting you.’
‘Hello, Slugs,’ she replied as she shook his rough hand. She’d met him on a few occasions, one of David’s men who had visited the hospital when David had been injured in the bomb blast.
‘Take a seat, Miss Garrett. Would you like coffee?’
‘That would be very welcome, thank you.’
‘I’ll have one an’ all,’ Johnny said.
‘I ain’t waiting on you, you ugly git,’ Slugs replied with a chuckle and turned to another two men stood by the door. ‘Coffee, three cups.’
One of the men went outside and Slugs turned back to Georgina. ‘You did a cracking job of getting out of Holloway.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Look, I can guess why you’re here. I realise you ain’t been around for a few years and things have changed, but you made a big mistake robbing the proceeds from the beer farm. To be fair, I can understand you’d need the money but you should have looked into it first to see who you were dealing with. The Top was surprised that you fucked up.’
‘It weren’t Miss Garrett. She didn’t know nuffink about it,’ Johnny quickly said, the desperation apparent in his voice.
Slugs looked confused.
‘It was me, mate. I fucked up. But if I’d known it was The Top fronting it up, I wouldn’t have gone near it.’
Slugs chuckled again. ‘Oh, Johnny, mate, it ain’t The Top. He gets a load of barrels as a cut but it ain’t his operation.’
Georgina threw a glance at Johnny, who looked as perplexed as her.
Slugs continued, ‘It’s the Zammits. Those Maltese bastards have got the West End sown up with their tarts and now they’ve diversified into this. I hate the slimy gits but I wouldn’t want to upset them.’
‘The Zammits… fuck me, that’s all I need.’
‘Yeah, you and Miss Garrett. They ain’t gonna believe you did it on your own, mate.’
Georgina rose to her feet. ‘Fine. At least we know who we’re dealing with.’
Slugs jumped up too. ‘Wait, Miss Garrett. You can’t go steaming in there. You don’t know what they’re like and believe me, you don’t want to find out.’
‘Then what do you suggest? I can’t sit by and watch them take down my men one by one.’
‘Here,’ Slugs answered and walked over to a large desk with a leather inlay. He quickly jotted down something and handed it to Georgina. ‘Jacob Flowers is the man you want to see. He’s the Zammits’ accountant. He’ll negotiate on your behalf but he comes at a cost. He’s the only geezer the Zammits will entertain.’
