by Sam Michaels
She stepped inside a dim, windowless room and closed the door behind her. She was in, so close now. Her heart pounded hard, she could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She could see a man wearing a hat sitting on a sofa with his back towards her. The Top. A floor lamp stood beside the sofa and the wireless blared out news bulletins about troop movements. Apart from The Top wearing a hat indoors, it all felt so normal.
Quickly but cautiously, she approached the sofa with her gun pointing to the back of The Top’s head. Georgina stopped in her tracks when the man held his arm up. He didn’t turn round, yet he knew someone was there. Did he think it was Slugs who had entered the room? She saw a piece of paper in his hand. If he thought she was Slugs, it was meant for him.
Now she stood directly behind him. She took the piece of paper and tried to glean a look at The Top’s profile but it was impossible to see anything without giving herself away. Georgina glanced at the paper in her shaking hand. Big letters were scrawled across it.
Give Georgina whatever she wants
Georgina dropped the paper to the floor and pushed the end of the gun against the back of The Top’s neck. ‘Huh, whatever I want, eh? I’ll tell you what I want,’ she ground out.
The Top didn’t move.
‘I want to kill you. Your life as payment for taking David Maynard’s life.’
Still, The Top didn’t move and said nothing.
‘Put your arms up where I can see them.’
The Top did as she’d instructed and slowly lifted his arms.
‘I want to see who you are,’ she said and inched around the sofa with her gun held towards him. Once in front of the man she stood with her arms outstretched, holding the weapon in both hands.
The Top had lowered his head and Georgina stared hatefully at the man but she couldn’t see his face. ‘Look at me,’ she growled.
The Top sucked in a long and slow breath before lifting his head to meet her eyes.
Georgina gasped, blinking rapidly. Was she seeing things? Was it really him? He looked different, his face badly scarred, but there was no mistake. It was him. ‘David?’ she muttered, unable to believe her eyes.
He nodded.
David Maynard wasn’t dead. He was very much alive and was gazing lovingly at the woman who was holding a gun pointed at his chest.
26
Georgina felt as though she’d been winded by a kick in the stomach. The room began to spin and she panted for breath. She staggered backwards, her mind racing and bombarding her brain with questions. ‘Why?’ she asked as she fought to hold back tears. Part of her wanted to run into his arms, the other part wanted to punch him.
David offered no explanation.
Georgina put her hand out and leaned on the wall to steady herself. ‘How could you do this to me?’ she asked.
David now lowered his head to stare at his hands in his lap.
‘You know how much I grieved for Lash yet you allowed me to grieve for you too. Why? Have you lost your mind? Did you get some sort of sick enjoyment from knowing the pain I was in?’
His silence provoked her anger. She gritted her teeth and stamped towards him. In frustration, she knocked his hat off his head, which revealed large patches of red and purple scalp where his dark hair had once been.
David looked up now and glared at her before scrambling to pick up his hat, which he quickly placed back on his head.
‘I thought you loved me,’ Georgina cried. ‘I thought we were going to be married. I don’t understand, David. Why did you let me think you were dead?’
Finally, he spoke. ‘You can see why,’ he answered flatly.
‘No, David, I can’t.’
‘Look at me,’ he yelled, seeming to come to life as he rose from the sofa. He grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her. ‘Look at me! I’m not the same man I used to be.’
Georgina gazed back at David. His face was disfigured almost beyond recognition but his eyes were the same.
‘You see, Georgina. This is me now. I’m grotesque. A monster.’
Georgina shook herself loose of David’s grip. ‘Are you that vain that you thought I wouldn’t love you because of a few scars?’
‘It’s more than just a few scars. I can see the disgust in your eyes.’
‘Yes, you bloody can! But not from looking at your face. I’m disgusted at you for putting me through years of pain. You’re pathetic. Calling yourself The Top and hiding away in here, while I’ve been left to believe that you’re dead! For fuck’s sake, David, to get to you, I killed Slugs.’
‘Shit.’
‘And Victor… what about Victor? Is he alive too?’
David nodded. ‘He fell in love with a nurse at the hospital and signed up with the army. Don’t be angry with Victor. I swore him to secrecy.’
‘The body that washed up… you arranged that. Who was he?’
‘Just a bloke who’d been killed when his house was bombed. He was no one. I needed a body and he fitted the bill.’
Georgina turned away to gather her thoughts. David was alive, she should be happy, yet all she could feel was a burning anger, a sense of betrayal and of being deeply let down by the man she loved. She spun back on her heel. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. ‘I’ll never forgive you for deceiving me like this,’ she hissed.
‘I don’t expect your forgiveness and I certainly don’t expect your love. But I want you to know that I never stopped loving you.’
‘Love,’ she spat. ‘You don’t know the meaning of the word. If you did, you would never have done this to me.’
‘I thought I was protecting you.’
‘From what?’
‘From being lumbered with a hideous creature.’
‘Oh, I see, now you’re trying to get my sympathy. Well, it won’t work. You got burned in a bomb explosion, David. Didn’t it occur to you that if you had lived, I’d have expected you to have scars?’
‘I don’t think you’d have expected this extent of scarring. You’re a beautiful woman, Georgina. You can have your pick of men. You can do better than this,’ David said solemnly and turned away from her. ‘It’s best you leave now.’
‘Yes, I’m going. I never want to set eyes on you again and don’t you dare think it’s because of your injuries. I never want to see you again because you’re a coward, a liar and a selfish bastard. I hate you. I hate you for ruining us.’
‘I understand. But a word of warning, Georgina. Don’t trust the Zammits. I know you’ve had a few dealings with Temi. He’s full of charm but he’s a snake.’
‘Don’t tell me how to run my business. You’ve lost all rights to have any say over anything I do. And anyway, why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth? You proved what a fucking liar you are!’
Before David could say another word, Georgina marched from the room and out of the house. In the next street, she saw Johnny leaning up against the car. When he spotted her, he ran towards her.
‘Thank God. Thank God you’re alive.’
‘Get in the car.’
‘Is he dead? Did you kill The Top?’ Johnny asked as the car screeched off at full speed.
Georgina gulped, her mind still whirling. ‘No, I didn’t kill him. I could have but I didn’t.’
‘Why? What happened?’
She rubbed her forehead as she answered, ‘Because The Top is David Maynard.’
*
Charlotte was fascinated to hear stories from Fleur about her time in, as Fleur called it, Camden Castle. Georgina never spoke about what it was like inside, and until now Charlotte hadn’t realised how brutal it must have been for her.
She was pleased to be working with Fleur, though the woman had been aghast when Charlotte had told her she was engaged to an ex-copper.
‘Mind you, he sounds like a lovely fella,’ Fleur said after Charlotte had read out loud her latest letter from Tim.
‘He is, I’m very lucky. I mean, fancy him giving up his job for me.’
‘Not many bl
okes would do that,’ Fleur agreed.
‘Enough about him, look busy, here comes Georgina.’
As soon as Georgina came through the door, Charlotte could see that she was upset. But she wouldn’t ask what was wrong in front of Fleur. Georgina stormed past them, past the counter and into the back. Charlotte heard the door to the office slam shut.
Johnny was hanging about uneasily by a corner table. Charlotte walked over to him and whispered, ‘What’s up with her?’
Johnny rolled his eyes and looked around to make sure that no one was in earshot. ‘She’s had a bit of a shock. You ain’t gonna believe this, Charlotte, and make sure you keep it to yourself. David Maynard is alive. He’s The Top.’
‘No way! Are you sure?’
‘Yeah, Miss Garrett saw him.’
‘How come she’s upset then? I thought she’d be over the moon to know that David’s alive?’
‘You know her, she’s a complicated woman. I reckon she’s pissed off with him for letting her think that he’s been dead for all these years. I dunno, I could be wrong. She never said a word in the car all the way back here from Lewisham.’
‘Bugger. Sit yourself down, Johnny. Fleur will bring you a cuppa and a sandwich. I’ll see if Georgina will speak to me.’
‘Good luck with that. She’ll likely bite your head off.’
Charlotte gave instructions to Fleur and then she gently knocked on the office door. When there was no answer, she pushed it open and snuck her head inside. Georgina was sat behind her desk but facing the back wall.
‘It’s only me,’ Charlotte said quietly and closed the door behind her. ‘Johnny told me about David. I just wanted to make sure that you’re all right?’
Georgina’s chair spun round and Charlotte was surprised to see that she was openly crying.
‘Oh, Georgina, you’re upset,’ Charlotte said and went to her friend. She fished out a handkerchief from the cuff of her jumper and handed it to Georgina, saying, ‘It’s clean.’
Georgina took the hanky and dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes. ‘You haven’t seen me crying.’
‘No, of course not. Do you want to talk about it?’
‘Not really. What’s there to talk about? He lied to me. He didn’t love me enough to trust me. He let me think he was dead. That’s cruel, really cruel.’
‘Why did he do it?’
‘He said it’s because he’s been left badly scarred after that bomb blast. To be fair, I almost didn’t recognise him. But he must be bloody shallow, or he must think that I’m shallow, if he couldn’t see that I’d still love him, not his face.’
‘He’s a man, Georgina, they ain’t got a bleedin’ clue. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.’
‘Don’t defend what he’s done!’
‘Sorry, I’m not. I wouldn’t. I’m just saying blokes are dumb.’
‘Indeed, they are. And David is the dumbest! What he did to me was so bloody selfish. Anyway, that’s it. I’ll never forgive him so that’s an end to it,’ Georgina said and sniffed. As though determined to change the subject, she added, ‘I see Fleur looks like she’s doing well.’
‘Yeah, she is. She’s been smashing, and the customers love her.’
‘Good. I should go and say hello to her, and I could do with a cuppa. Do I look like I’ve been crying?’
‘No, you look fine,’ Charlotte lied. ‘But perhaps wipe the mascara smudges away and put a bit of powder on.’
Georgina pulled a small compact from her bag, wiped her eyes and powdered her nose. Charlotte couldn’t help but notice the gun in Georgina’s bag with a long contraption attached to the barrel. She recalled the conversation they’d exchanged that morning. Putting two and two together, she realised Georgina had discovered that David was The Top because she’d gone to kill him!
‘Right, come on,’ Georgina said, snapping her bag shut and smiling, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
‘I can’t believe you,’ Charlotte moaned, shaking her head.
‘What?’
‘You went to see The Top to murder him, didn’t you?’
‘It doesn’t matter, Charlotte. It’s all finished with now.’
‘It bloody does matter! Do you realise how dangerous that was? Hang on, don’t answer. I know you do and that’s why you said all that stuff to me this morning about how I’ll always be looked after. Gawd, Georgina, you could have been killed! Why? Why would you do something so stupid? What about your kids? Was you prepared to leave them without a mother? What about me? You care more about getting revenge than you do about any of us!’
Georgina glared at her, her violet eyes blazing. ‘How dare you talk to me like that!’
‘Well, someone’s got to. What would your gran have said? Or Molly? I bet you never told Molly, did you? No, because you know full well that Molly would have given you a right good talking to.’
‘You don’t understand, Charlotte. I had to do it. I thought The Top had killed David. How would you feel if someone murdered your Tim and was walking around a free man? You’d want his murderer to pay for what he’d done.’
‘Maybe, but I’d also consider the risk to myself and how my loved ones would feel if anything happened to me. Ha, and you’ve got the nerve to call David selfish… you’re just as bloody selfish as him. The pair of you are made for each other.’
Charlotte gave Georgina a scathing look before spinning round. She went to walk out of the office but heard Georgina call, ‘Wait.’
‘Why? Do you want to have a go at me for telling you the truth?’
‘No, I want to say you’re right. I didn’t think about anyone else. I’m sorry. And I needed telling, thank you.’
Charlotte softened and said jokingly, ‘Yeah, all right, but don’t let it happen again, young lady, or I shall send you to your room with no tea.’
‘Yes, Mum,’ Georgina joked back.
Back in the café, they found Fleur up to her elbows in soapy suds with her hands in the sink. There was only Johnny and one customer, an old man, reading a newspaper and eating a rock cake.
When Fleur saw Georgina, she quickly pulled her hands from the sink and dried them on her apron. ‘Hello, miss, fanks for giving me this job ’ere.’
‘You’re welcome, Fleur. Work hard, don’t give Charlotte any lip and you’ll get on fine.’
Fleur smiled at Charlotte. ‘It ain’t the first time she’s been my boss. I was a good worker before, weren’t I, Charlotte?’
‘Yes, and you are now.’
Fleur beamed with delight, clearly eager to please.
‘How did you get on in Holloway?’ Georgina asked quietly.
‘All right, I suppose. All hell broke lose when you bunked it. Cor, Miss Kenny was spitting feathers. Blimey, she was a right piece of work. Mind you, she got her comeuppance. She fell down those horrible metal stairs, and rumour has it that she was pushed. Good riddance, I say.’
‘Who’s Miss Kenny?’ Charlotte asked.
‘One of the wardens,’ Georgina answered. ‘I was going to have her paid a visit but seems it’s already been taken care of.’
‘What? You were going to have her done over?’ Charlotte asked.
‘After what she did to me, she deserved it. I’m not sorry she’s dead. As Fleur said, good riddance. Keep up the good work, Fleur,’ Georgina said and returned to her office.
‘Yes, miss. Of course, miss,’ Fleur called after her.
Charlotte watched Georgina marching off, thinking that it didn’t pay to get on the wrong side of her. Nasty things could happen if you did.
She went to speak to Johnny. ‘She’s all right now. What a turn up for the books.’
‘I can’t believe it, Charlotte. It’s good news though. At least we won’t have to worry about The Top. David Maynard won’t ever be a threat to us and Miss Garrett.’
‘Erm, I hope you’re right. I hope he ain’t got the ’ump ’cos of Georgina telling him where he can go.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that!’
<
br /> Charlotte assumed Georgina hadn’t thought of that either. If David Maynard wanted to, he could crush Georgina and they’d all be taken down with her.
27
On Monday morning, Georgina called into Ezzy’s jewellery shop to see Benjamin and came out carrying two large brown envelopes.
She climbed into the passenger seat of the car and told Johnny, ‘Right, now to Temi Zammit’s office.’
‘What’s in the envelopes?’ he asked.
‘Money. It’s Temi’s money and I’m returning it.’
‘How come you’ve got Temi’s money?’
‘It was for my kids if I died. I didn’t die so now he can have it back.’
‘What? He was in on you taking out The Top?’
‘Yes. He wanted him dead too.’
‘How’s he going to react when you tell him that The Top is still alive?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t really care.’
Johnny thought Georgina’s lax attitude could get her into trouble. It seemed to him that if she’d been working with Temi Zammit to bring down The Top, the man wouldn’t be happy that she hadn’t kept her side of the bargain. ‘Are you going to tell Mr Zammit who The Top is?’
‘I don’t see any reason why I should keep David’s secrets.’
Johnny didn’t think that was a good idea. She could end up pissing off the Zammits and David Maynard! Granted, the woman was strong, but Georgina didn’t hold the power she once had. Either the gang from the West End or south-east London could be a threat to her precarious position as she tried to wrestle back control in the south-west.
They soon arrived at Temi Zammit’s club and as Georgina strode in, Johnny followed, half expecting to be told to wait outside. He was surprised when she allowed him to enter the office with her. Johnny had an uneasy feeling about this. If anything kicked off, he’d be no match against Mr Zammit’s six men.
‘I’ve been expecting you,’ Temi said, without his usual friendly smile.
‘I’m returning your money,’ Georgina said, her tone equally frosty as she threw the two large envelopes on top of his desk. ‘It’s all there.’
‘Leave us,’ Temi instructed his men.
They filed from the office but Johnny waited for Georgina to tell him what to do.
