Vinnie's War

by David McRobbie

  Kathleen looked at Joey. Something wasn’t right.

  The magistrate then fixed his gaze on Joey and ordered, ‘Stand up, boy.’

  Joey hadn’t expected this. He got to his feet unhappily. ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Now, this country’s at war,’ the magistrate gruffed. ‘And the Germans are looking for lights so they can bomb us from their aeroplanes. So how would you like to be the cause of that, eh? A bomb falling on your sister.’ He went on sternly, telling Joey he was a thoughtless young fellow. That there was no excuse for such behaviour, so let it be a lesson to him. Almost in the same breath, the magistrate said to Mrs Watney, ‘Fined five pounds. Next case.’

  Mrs Watney made an annoyed gasp and shook her head in disbelief. Joey seemed to have shrunk inside his collar. He was close to tears, so Kathleen put her arm around his shoulders again as they went outside.

  Mrs Watney said, ‘I’ve got to pay the fine. Mind you, it could have been worse, so you did well, Joey. When Mrs Sturgess showed a light, she got forty pounds.’

  ***

  They didn’t go to school in the end. There was no bus, and Kathleen decided it was too far to walk. She and Joey stayed in Netterfold park for a while instead, until it began to turn colder.

  Kathleen remembered something. ‘Mrs Watney does her shopping on Friday, so let’s go back to our billet.’

  Once there, Joey went into Dennis’s room and came back to their bedroom with a cardboard box. ‘Dennis said I can play with this.’ It was a train set.

  ‘Why did he say that, Joey?’

  ‘He just said I can borrow it.’ Joey put the box on his bed, then took out the rails and inspected them. They were rusty and buckled and didn’t join together properly. The locomotive had a broken spring and wouldn’t wind up. The wheels were locked, so he couldn’t even push it along the twisted rails. The two wagons in the set had scratched paint and one of them had a wheel missing.

  ‘It’s not a patch on the one you have at home, Joey.’

  ‘And it’s not a Hornby, either.’

  ‘It’s a bit dark in here,’ Kathleen said suddenly. She gave Joey a box of matches. ‘Why don’t you put the light on?’

  Joey took the matches and hesitated. ‘Um…can you do it, please?’

  ‘Why?’ She waited. ‘Don’t you know how to do it?’ Kathleen took the matches from him, reached up and turned on the gas. She lit a match, then held the flame to the mantle. There came a dull plop and yellow light glowed. ‘You can’t do it, can you? You can’t turn on the gas.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘And it wasn’t you who left the light on in Dishonest Dennis’s den! You didn’t even go into his room, did you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But he got you to say you did.’ This time Joey didn’t answer, but kept his head down, looking at the ugly train set. Kathleen went on, but not unkindly: ‘He paid you with that rusty rubbish; oh yes, and we had boiled eggs and butter this morning. Guess what we’ll get tomorrow.’

  ‘I want revenge,’ Joey said. He started tossing the rails, the locomotive and wagons into the cardboard box.

  ‘Revenge?’ Kathleen asked. ‘What sort of revenge can you get? It’s done now, and Dennis won.’

  ‘I know things about him. So I’ll get my revenge – only I need you to help me, Kathleen.’ He thought for a moment or two, then added: ‘And maybe you could ask Vinnie and Dobbs, too.’

  The night was cold and frosty, with a pale moon. Vinnie had never owned much in the way of warm clothes, so he was glad of the woollen pullover Mrs Greenwood had got for him in a jumble sale. He’d pulled the sleeves down over his hands, but even so, the freezing air nipped at his fingers. It was madness, he decided, to leave a warm bed to go trolling about the midnight streets of Netterfold like some kind of cat-burglar.

  He reached the meeting spot, at a low wire fence alongside the railway lines. The trains from Netterfold goods yard ran parallel with the road that Vinnie had just come along. This was the place, but there was no sign of Dobbs, Kathleen or Joey. Vinnie stamped up and down to ward off the cold, but his feet made a noise on the road surface, and they’d all agreed this was supposed to be a hush-hush, top-secret mission. He blew into his fingers to warm them. Through the fence, the railway lines glistened blue and cold in the moonlight.

  To find some warmth, Vinnie crouched behind a small bush and waited. There came a sound: somebody coming. He ducked lower, then made out a lanky, hunched-up shape leaving white vapour-breath hanging in the air. It was Dobbs, who asked through chattering teeth, ‘So where are they, then?’

  ‘In the Land of Nod, I expect.’ Vinnie made a snoring sound and pointed in the direction of Joey and Kathleen’s billet.

  ‘What’ll we do? Give them five minutes?’

  ‘Might as well.’

  ‘So what’s our mission for tonight?’

  ‘They’re being mysterious about it. They know something about this Dennis.’

  ‘And that’s where we come in?’ Dobbs asked.

  ‘Kathleen said they’ll explain when they see us. Said it would be an adventure.’ Vinnie crouched lower. ‘Shh. Somebody’s coming.’

  ‘Is it Dennis?’

  ‘No, it’s them.’ Vinnie waited until Joey’s small figure appeared out of the shadows, with Kathleen close behind him. Then he whispered, ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘We had to wait till the witch was asleep,’ Kathleen explained.

  ‘To keep awake, I read in bed,’ Joey informed them.

  ‘That’s what I was doing,’ Dobbs said with a shiver. ‘If you ask me, I should have kept doing it.’

  ‘So where’s Dennis?’ Vinnie asked.

  Kathleen said, ‘He’s on a late shift and should be home soon. Then he’ll come here.’

  ‘First thing we do is wait for a train to come,’ Joey announced. ‘A special train.’

  ‘Then what happens?’ Dobbs demanded. ‘And what about this explanation? Like, what are we doing here?’

  There came a distant double toot-toot from a locomotive whistle. They heard the rumble and chuff-chuff-chuff of an engine moving slowly as it pulled away from the goods yard.

  ‘That’s the train. Come on, hide!’ Joey scampered across the road, away from the railway lines, and dropped into a shallow ditch. Vinnie, Kathleen and Dobbs followed. They watched the locomotive draw nearer, snorting and blowing steam from its cylinder drain-cocks. Then it happened. The loco slowed almost to a stop, and one of the men on it began throwing large lumps of coal from the tender. The coal hit the ground, bounced through the gaps in the wire fence and came to rest on the roadside. Then the locomotive gathered speed and rattled away, its wagons rumbling behind.

  ‘So that’s how Dennis does it!’ Kathleen said.

  ‘Three nights a week he comes out here,’ Joey told them with a note of grim triumph. ‘I spied on him. Sneaked out one night and followed him.’

  Dobbs asked Kathleen, ‘You knew about this?’

  ‘I do now.’

  ‘So what’s the plan, Joey?’ Vinnie asked. ‘This red-hot revenge of yours?’

  ‘We chuck the coal back over the fence,’ Joey said. ‘There’s a ditch in there, beside the railway lines. He’ll never find it.’

  ‘Yeah, but where is this Dennis?’ Dobbs was uneasy as they ran back across the road.

  Joey found the first lump of coal, but it was too big for him to manage on his own. ‘I delayed him,’ he explained. ‘Let the air out of his tyres.’

  ‘His bike tyres?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘No, he has a barrow sort of thing, on a couple of bike wheels.’

  ‘I wondered where he kept going in the night,’ Kathleen said. ‘He must get his barrow from the shed, then come along here to collect the coal that’s been left for him.’

 
Joey added, ‘He keeps some himself, shares the rest with the men on the engine. I’ve watched it happen.’

  ‘Sneaky,’ Dobbs said. ‘Everyone else goes without coal, but he and his mum are nice and warm.’

  ‘But we don’t get any of it,’ Kathleen complained bitterly. ‘We’re sent to bed early, and it’s freezing in that room.’

  ‘And the bath water’s always cold,’ Joey grumbled.

  ‘Dennis could be here any minute,’ Vinnie warned. ‘So let’s get the coal shifted.’

  They felt around in the grass beside the fence and quickly discovered the other bits of coal. There were six large lumps, enough to fill a wheelbarrow.

  Joey had planned things well. The ditch he’d mentioned was on the railway side of the fence, concealed in long grass. Between them, Vinnie, Kathleen and Dobbs gathered all of the heavy lumps. In ten busy minutes, they’d returned a fair weight of coal to railway property and hidden it well. Suddenly Dobbs hissed, ‘Somebody’s coming.’

  They crouched low and heard the persistent squeak-squeak-squeak of a wheel that needed oiling. ‘That’s Dennis,’ Joey said. ‘And his barrow. Let’s get out of sight.’

  If they went across the road to their ditch, they’d be seen. Their best chance was to hide along the line of the fence, away from Dennis. The wheel noise grew louder. Keeping low, they ducked away to crouch behind some low gorse bushes. Kathleen whispered, ‘Told you it would be exciting.’

  Dobbs muttered, ‘So was the book I was reading.’

  They saw the hunched figure of Dennis, now with his arms out, feeling in the grass for the coal that was no longer there. Then came another sound that sent a chill down Vinnie’s spine: a police whistle, unmistakable in the darkness. All four of them were trapped between the police, who were coming from the direction of the railway goods yard, and Dennis, who also heard the whistle. He leapt to his feet and sprinted back towards Netterfold.

  ‘stop right there!’ Into the scene came Constable Breedon, mounted on his police-issue bicycle. It had a single acetylene lamp at the front, hooded because of the blackout regulations. Breedon spotted Dennis and gave chase, pedalling furiously and blowing his whistle.

  Seconds later, the constable crashed noisily and painfully into the abandoned barrow. He sprawled on the road, bellowing angry words.

  Kathleen whispered, ‘Are policemen allowed to use such language?’

  ‘Only when they hurt themselves,’ Vinnie said.

  Dobbs added, ‘Let’s get out of here before he spots us.’

  Cautiously they emerged from behind their gorse bushes. Breedon was on his feet now, muttering as he inspected the front wheel of his bicycle. He didn’t notice Joey and the others creeping away towards the railway goods yard. Dennis was nowhere in sight.

  ‘Now that was a great revenge,’ Joey said. ‘The best ever. Dennis gets no coal, loses his barrow, and we can go back to bed.’

  ‘Come on, then,’ Vinnie urged, ‘we’ll have to take the long way round. We can’t go past Constable Breedon.’

  ***

  In the chilly night air, they walked towards the railway goods yard; then took a turn to the right, aiming to double back into Netterfold. Further along the road they saw another two figures, who carried a heavy sack between them. Dobbs whispered, ‘What’s this? More coal thieving?’

  It was a man and a woman. She was having trouble holding her side of the heavy sack. To bear its weight, she had to lean to the right. They heard her say, ‘Don’t walk so fast, Georgie.’

  Vinnie recognised her voice. It was Joan, the maid from Netterfold House. But who was Georgie? The answer came when the man said in a reasonable sort of voice, ‘I told you not to grab so much, Joanie. I knew we’d never carry it all.’

  They recognised the voice. It was Mr Preston. That George!

  Just then Joan stumbled and let her end of the sack fall on the ground. A heavy can rolled out and trundled back along the road towards Vinnie, Kathleen, Dobbs and Joey. They just had time to duck behind a telephone box as the can changed direction, then bounced into the gutter. It landed at their feet.

  ‘Oh, I’m not getting that,’ they heard Joan whimper.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he asked her. ‘It might be pine-apple. You like pineapple, Joanie.’ He was talking nicely. This wasn’t the George – the Georgie – they knew!

  Joan said, ‘I can’t be bothered. It’s cold. Come on.’ Between them, they hefted the sack and made off. The large can was still lying there, outside the telephone box.

  Vinnie whispered in a faraway voice, ‘Now I know where the custard powder came from.’

  ‘What custard powder?’ Kathleen asked.

  ‘The first time I met Joan, she came into the kitchen with packets of custard powder. Said she found them in the garden. She was only trying to put the blame on the vaccy. That’s me.’

  ‘They’ve gone now,’ Dobbs said. ‘Georgie and Joanie, eh? Who’d have thought it?’

  Vinnie picked up the can, which was a large one. By the light of the moon they read the label. It wasn’t pineapple, but tinned ham, from America. Vinnie put it under his arm and they headed back to Netterfold.

  ‘What’ll we do with it?’ Dobbs asked.

  ‘We could have a feast,’ Joey suggested. ‘To celebrate.’

  Kathleen shook her head. ‘Joey, we gave the railway back its coal, and you got your red-hot revenge. The ham’s not ours, so no feast.’

  ‘Huh! You sound like Mum.’

  They walked in silence, hunched against the cold; then Vinnie said, ‘We can use the ham another way. Not eat it, but fix things up, tell some people what’s what.’ He gave the heavy can to Dobbs and said, ‘Here, you carry it.’

  ‘Why me?’

  ‘I need to protect my hands from chilblains,’ Vinnie announced grandly, tucking them under his armpits. ‘Because when I grow up, I’m going to be a pianist.’

  ‘Right you are, then, maestro. Anything else I can do for you?’

  ***

  The four of them continued to walk the streets of Netterfold in the icy darkness, clutching the large tin of stolen American ham. Somewhere about, on his swift and silent bicycle, was Constable Breedon, who’d not be in a good mood. His frame of mind would only be improved if he caught somebody red-handed. Four evacuee kids would do quite nicely, thank you. With such an arrest, he’d save something from this embarrassing night.

  ‘So, what’s next?’ Dobbs asked. ‘Do we get rid of the loot?’

  ‘Don’t call it loot,’ Vinnie muttered. ‘At least not our loot. Let me think.’

  ‘Well, think faster, Vinnie. This is one heavy ham, and my mouth’s watering so much I can hardly walk.’

  ‘Must have been a huge, fat old pig,’ Joey remarked wistfully. ‘When it was alive. I wonder what its name was?’

  Kathleen said, ‘Dennis.’

  They moved on, looking for another right turn that would take them back to the village. Then came the outline of Netterfold Parish Church.

  Dobbs pointed. ‘We could leave the tin there.’

  ‘Vicars are honest, aren’t they?’ Joey asked. ‘He’d hand it in?’

  ‘Or give it to poor people,’ Kathleen suggested.

  ‘If not, he’ll be eating ham sandwiches for a fortnight,’ Vinnie replied.

  The building looked peaceful in the moonlight, standing in the centre of a stone-walled churchyard and surrounded by weathered gravestones. There was a metal gate, then a winding path to the church door.

  Dobbs handed over the tin. ‘Off you go, Vinnie. We’ll stay here and keep watch.’ He crouched down against the stone wall. Kathleen and Joey joined him.

  Vinnie hesitated. ‘I’m not going in there. Place is full of, you know…graves. Dead people.’

  ‘They’re all under the ground,’
Kathleen whisper-ed in a practical way. ‘They’re not going to hurt you.’

  ‘So you come, too,’ Vinnie said. ‘Then they’ll not hurt you either.’

  Dobbs stood up again. ‘Oh, let’s all go.’

  It was Joey who pushed open the churchyard gate. It gave a long, eerie squeak, a sound that didn’t make them feel any braver. Joey led the way, tiptoeing along the path, glancing left and right. The others came behind him, each wary and fearful. If an owl had hooted at that moment, they’d have died on the spot.

  Vinnie overtook Joey and reached the main door of the church, where he gently set the tin down, remembering to give it a wipe with his sleeve. ‘Fingerprints,’ he whispered. Then, as an after-thought, he peeled the paper label off the tin. ‘Evidence,’ he added, although at that moment he had no idea what he’d do with it.

  He was just about to turn back when the latch rattled. All four heard it and stiffened. The church door began to open.

  There wasn’t time to make it back to the gate, so they scrambled to hide behind the nearest large headstone. Two dark figures came out of the church and closed the door. It was a man and a woman, carrying no light. The woman wept. The man put an arm around her shoulder and said, ‘It’s hard, lass, but bear up.’

  The couple stayed for a second or two, then went off, huddled together, towards a building that stood on the edge of the churchyard. When they had gone, Vinnie and the others were quiet and suddenly serious.

  Kathleen whispered, ‘What was that about? And who were they?’

  ‘I think I might know. But let’s get out of here.’ Dobbs was unusually solemn.

  They walked towards Netterfold. Kathleen asked, ‘Are you going to tell us, Dobbs?’

  ‘It’s freezing. I want to get to bed.’

  ‘At least tell us a bit,’ Joey persisted.

  ‘Tomorrow. At school.’

  Vinnie said, ‘It’s like a serial. You get the next episode later.’

  ‘Huh!’ Joey stamped his feet. ‘Now I’ll never get to sleep.’