The Feud

by Kimberley Chambers

  Raymond had his doubts about the story. ‘She ain’t stupid, your Frankie. You don’t wanna underestimate her, Ed.’

  ‘She’ll be fine in time. Obviously, she’s gonna be upset at first, but once I persuade her to get rid of the baby, she’ll get over it. Hopefully, one day she’ll meet a nice bloke, have his kids and thank me for her lucky escape.’

  Not agreeing with Eddie’s way of thinking, Raymond changed the subject. ‘If you shoot Jed in the trailer, we’re gonna have to burn it.’

  Eddie smiled. He was clever and had thought of everything. ‘I’m gonna burn the trailer, but not Jed. You know what the filth’s like, they’ll find his teeth and work out it’s him. When you drive off with Frankie, I’m gonna kill him, then wrap his body up in plastic. I’ve got a hooky motor to use. When you come back, we’re taking the body over to Flatnose Freddie. Freddie disposed of many bodies for me dad over the years, and our pikey friend, Jed, is going into his big cement mixer. “Freddie,” I said, “the boy’s a traveller, he’s used to open space.” “Don’t worry, Eddie, I’ll prop him up in one of the flyovers I’m building. He’s out in the open for ever then,” Freddie assured me. Then Ray, we’ll burn the motor.’

  Raymond said nothing as he sipped his tea. Eddie’s plan was good, but not infallible and Raymond had a terrible feeling that something was about to go very, very wrong.

  A couple of miles away, Jessica paced up and down the living room. Joey had just left to stay with his grandparents. ‘Please, Mum, I wanna stay with you. What are you gonna do? Please tell me,’ her son begged her.

  Jessica had waved away his fears. ‘Mummy’s not doing anything for you to worry about. All I’m going to do is ring Jed and speak to him and Frankie. If I can meet up with them, maybe between us we can sort things out,’ she told Joey honestly.

  ‘Please let me come with you. I miss Frankie so much,’ her son pleaded.

  Knowing that Joey was an emotional wreck and certainly no tough cookie, Jessica refused. ‘You stay at Nan and Grandad’s and as soon as I’ve met up with Frankie, I promise I’ll ring you and tell you everything.’

  With Joey now safely out of the house, Jessica rang Jed’s number. Joey had found it the day before; it was written on a piece of paper in Frankie’s bedside cabinet.

  As Jed answered the phone, Jessica spoke calmly and rationally. ‘Please don’t put the phone down, Jed. It’s Frankie’s mum and I want to help you.’

  ‘We’re fine. We don’t need your help,’ Jed said coldly.

  ‘Listen, Jed, and listen carefully. I need to meet up with you. Eddie’s on the warpath and I’m worried about your safety. I swear he doesn’t know that I’m ringing you and if you see him, please don’t tell him.’

  Jed swerved onto a kerb and, holding his phone between his legs, repeated the conversation to Frankie. Although Frankie used to be a daddy’s girl, she knew that her mum was the one she could trust. ‘Let me speak to her,’ she urged Jed.

  Reluctantly, Jed handed her the phone. ‘Mum, what’s up?’

  Jessica repeated what she had already told Jed. ‘I’m really worried, Frankie. Your dad’s planning something stupid, I saw it in his eyes.’

  ‘Well, he won’t find us,’ Frankie said adamantly.

  ‘Aren’t you at Jed’s house?’ Jessica asked surprised.

  ‘No, we’re miles away. It’s remote where we’re staying, sort of in the middle of nowhere.’

  ‘Please Frankie, tell me where you are and I’ll come over and sort things out. I understand how you feel about Jed and the baby, I really do. I felt the same about your dad and you and Joey when I fell pregnant. I want you to be happy, Frankie, and if you want to marry Jed and have his baby, then it’s fine by me. We still need to convince your father, but if I can come over and speak to you and Jed, between us we can make things right.’

  Frankie held her hand over the phone and spoke to Jed. ‘Look, I know she’s not setting us up, my mum’s not like that. We can’t stay away forever, Jed. I miss Joey and I’m gonna want contact with him. If anyone can make my dad see sense, it’s my mum. Please Joey, give her the address and let her come over.’

  Against his better judgement, Jed told Jessica where they were staying and told her not to drive there until it got dark. ‘And don’t come in your own car. Borrow one off someone else, or we ain’t got a deal,’ Jed told her as he abruptly ended the call.

  ‘Thanks, Jed,’ Frankie said, squeezing his hand.

  Jed snatched his hand away. ‘’Ere, cacker, you’ve done a wrong ’un there, Frankie, I’m telling ya. I’ve got a terrible gut feeling that tonight is gonna be one almighty disaster. Things ain’t gonna go cushti, I just know they ain’t.’

  FORTY-TWO

  Eddie and Raymond sat in a grotty pub in Tilbury. The weather was awful. It was meant to be midsummer, but the rain was bouncing off the ground.

  ‘How did you know that Frankie and Jed were in Tilbury?’ Raymond asked, sipping his pint.

  ‘I hired a private detective. I need you to go and pay her for me tomorrow. She’s got the hots for me, so I ain’t going meself. I can’t anyway – I’ll be too busy indoors sorting Frankie out. I’ll ring Jess tomorrow morning, get her to come home. She’ll know what to do.’

  ‘Are you gonna tell Jess the same story as you’re telling Frankie?’ Raymond enquired.

  ‘Of course. No one must ever find out the truth. I’m not even gonna tell Gary or Ricky. The less anyone knows, the better with this one.’

  ‘Do you want another pint?’ Raymond asked.

  ‘Nah. I’ll just have an orange juice. We’ve got a big night ahead of us and we need our wits about us,’ Ed replied.

  Raymond felt himself shudder. Kidnapping Frankie, murdering Jed – something didn’t feel right. Even the weather seemed against them. ‘Be careful, Ed. Something feels wrong about all this to me.’

  Eddie laughed. ‘You know your trouble? You worry too much, Raymondo.’

  Jessica sat in Vicki’s house drinking a strong black coffee. Her nerves had been shattered last night, which had led to her feeling faint and weak.

  ‘So, is Joey at home?’ Vicki asked concerned.

  ‘No, me dad picked him up earlier. He didn’t want to go – he wanted to stay with me – but what could I do, Vicki? It’s not right, him being in the house with all this going on.’

  Vicki gave her best friend a hug. Jessica told her everything and vice versa. They trusted one another implicitly and what was said between them, was never repeated to either of their husbands. ‘So, how exactly is Ed going to get Jed to stay out of Frankie’s life?’

  Jessica shrugged. ‘Ed says he’s going to offer Jed money to stay away. The thing is, Vicki, I think Jed and Frankie are truly in love. If Jed knocks back Eddie’s offer, then I’m petrified of what might happen next. I need to sort it, but Jed said I can’t take my own car.’

  Vicki said nothing. She had heard loads of rumours about Eddie Mitchell over the years and knew he was ruthless and dangerous. ‘Look, you can take my car. If anyone can sort this mess out, then it’s you, Jess. And don’t worry too much about Eddie – he’ll be too frightened of losing you to do anything stupid.’

  Jessica’s face momentarily lit up. ‘Do you really think so, Vicki?’

  Vicki smiled. ‘Of course I do.’

  Lying was Vicki’s only option. She could hardly tell her best friend that Eddie would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. What Jessica didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, and as her friend, it was Vicki’s job to protect her from the awful truth.

  Back in Tilbury, the bonfire was burning brightly.

  ‘Do us a favour, Frankie. Most of this wood’s wet. Go and see if you can find some dry bits,’ Jed told her.

  Frankie stared at the fire. ‘It’s burning OK. Do I have to, Jed?’ It gave Frankie the heebies where they were staying and she didn’t fancy walking around in the dark on her own.

  ‘No one’s gonna abduct you, you dinlo. The only reason the fire’
s burning is ’cause I cleared some of me dad’s old tut out of that room. I’ve got nothing left to burn now.’

  As Frankie walked off, Jed ran into the trailer, grabbed the incriminating photographs and threw them onto the fire. ‘Burn, you bastards,’ he mumbled, prodding them with a stick.

  By the time Frankie ran back, the evidence was in ashes. ‘All right? Where’s the wood?’ Jed asked her.

  Frankie fell into his arms. ‘I saw a rat and I hate them. It was staring at me, Jed.’

  Jed held her tightly. ‘I can’t stand ’em either. Longtails, I call ’em. Evil little bastards, they are.’

  ‘You don’t think there’s any watching us now?’ Frankie asked him.

  ‘Look, there’s one there,’ Jed yelled, making Frankie jump out of her skin.

  Jed laughed. ‘Come on, let’s go inside and have something to eat. You can tidy up a bit before your mum gets here.’

  Two miles down the road, Eddie could feel his adrenalin levels rising. ‘This orange juice is making me feel queasy. Get us a large Scotch, Raymondo. Get yourself one an’ all.’

  As Raymond went up to the bar, Eddie gave Gina a call. ‘Well, are they still there?’

  ‘Yes. They’ve lit a fire outside, so I think they’re settled for the night.’

  ‘You can pull off now. My colleague will settle up with you tomorrow. I know we agreed on a price, but I’ve stuck a few hundred quid in extra for all your hard work.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Smith, that’s very kind of you, but I would rather be taken out for dinner,’ Gina said boldly.

  ‘I’m very busy at the moment, but as soon as I get a bit of free time, I’ll call you,’ Eddie lied. He had to keep her sweet, as he didn’t want her blabbing. ‘And Gina, not a word to anyone. My friend’s a very violent man and if any of this got out, it would make him very angry,’ Eddie said threateningly.

  ‘I understand,’ Gina replied.

  ‘Well, I’ve gotta go now. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,’ Eddie said, before ending the call.

  Raymond handed Eddie his drink. ‘Who was that on the blower?’

  ‘The private detective. I’ve just sent her home. It’s getting dark now, so I suggest we have a couple more drinks, then make our move.’

  Oblivious of what was about to happen, Jed and Frankie were munching crisps and discussing baby names. ‘Whaddya think of Chantelle for a girl?’ Frankie asked.

  Jed turned his nose up. ‘Don’t like it, sounds like a fucking porn star.’

  ‘Well, you think of some, then. You ain’t liked any of mine so far,’ Frankie said sulkily.

  Jed pushed her onto the bench settee. ‘Getting the hump, are we?’ he said, tickling her.

  As he kissed her passionately, Frankie immediately responded. ‘I really do love you,’ she told him as he pulled away.

  Jed smiled. He needed to butter her up to ask his next question. ‘Frankie, if we have a boy, can we call him Butch, after my grandad? I know you never met him, but he was a good old mush and I was always close to him.’

  Frankie paused before answering. She didn’t particularly like the name, but it obviously meant a lot to Jed. ‘I don’t see why not, but let’s decide for definite nearer the time,’ she said smiling.

  Jed grinned as he cuddled her. Baby Butch would be the most idolised kid in the travelling community. His grandfather had been a legend amongst their own and by giving his son the same title, the name Butch O’Hara would carry on for years to come.

  Frankie stood up and peered out of the window. ‘I’m sure I just saw headlights. Go outside and have a look, Jed, it might be my mum.’

  Seeing a figure walk towards her, Jessica turned the beam down and squinted. She had had terrible trouble finding her way here and had stopped on numerous occasions to ask for directions.

  Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she realised the boy must be Jed. At one point, she had wondered if he and Frankie had sent her on a wild goose chase, and was so glad that they hadn’t.

  ‘Just park down the road somewhere. It’s a bit muddy, but you’ll be OK, won’t ya?’

  Jessica looked at her feet. In her frantic state of mind, she had forgotten to put her shoes on and was only wearing carpet slippers. ‘I’ve got me slippers on,’ she told Jed awkwardly.

  ‘Wait there,’ Jed said, as he legged it back to the trailer.

  ‘What’s up? Was it me mum?’ Frankie asked. She had been looking out of the window, but it had started raining heavily again and she couldn’t see a thing.

  ‘Yeah, it is. Give us your trainers, Frankie. Your mum’s got her slippers on and it’s like a swamp out there.’

  Frankie giggled. ‘I’m a size three and me mum’s a size six. They won’t fit her.’

  Jed took them off of her anyway and ran back out to Jessica. ‘Try them,’ he said.

  Unable to get them on, Jessica handed them back to him. ‘Don’t worry. If my feet get soaked it won’t kill me, will it?’

  Jed gave a half-smile. ‘Just follow me and run. I’ve got a heater inside. I’ll try and get the slippers dry for ya before you drive back.’

  Frankie felt nervous as her mother stepped into the trailer. ‘This is cosy,’ Jessica said politely, hugging her daughter.

  ‘’Ere, put these on,’ Jed said, handing her his socks and dealer boots to wear.

  ‘Thanks, love,’ Jessica said gratefully, as he put her slippers on top of the heater.

  ‘Make Mum a cup of tea,’ Frankie urged Jed.

  Jessica squeezed her daughter’s hand. ‘So, how are you? Why aren’t you staying at Jed’s house?’

  ‘Jed’s dad and mum aren’t there. His dad’s gone to a horse fair and his mum’s at her sister’s. We was gonna stay there, but Jed said we’d be safer staying here until his dad gets back.’

  ‘Were you worried about your dad?’ Jessica asked.

  Frankie nodded. ‘What we gonna do, Mum? Me and Jed don’t wanna have to live like this. I’m happy and I want everybody to be happy for me. I want you, Joey and dad to all be part of me and my baby’s life.’

  Seeing tears roll down Frankie’s face, Jessica felt her own eyes well up. ‘Frankie, I promise you that I’ll do my utmost to make your dad see sense. I can see that you and Jed are in love and I want to support both of you and the baby. With me being pregnant as well, our babies can be playmates, Frankie. I can babysit whenever you want. If you and Jed want to go out, I can –’

  Handing Jessica her tea, Jed shut her up in mid-sentence. ‘Look, I know you mean well, Mrs Mitchell, but unless you sort that husband of yours out, none of that shit’s gonna happen, is it? I ain’t having Frankie upset while she’s carrying my child, so if things ain’t smoothed out fast, I’m taking Frankie away and none of yous will ever see her again!’

  Crawling along in the rain, Eddie stopped the motor, got out and jumped in the passenger seat of Raymond’s motor. ‘Right, that’s the place down there on the left. You know what you’ve gotta do, don’tcha?’

  Raymond nodded. ‘Take this just in case,’ Eddie urged as he handed him a small gun.

  ‘Whaddya want me to do with that?’ Raymond asked.

  ‘Nothing, it’s just for back-up. Now remember, Ray, be as threatening as you can when you get there. If the door ain’t open, then smash the fucking windows. You’ll have to hit ’em hard, ’cause it’s probably that plastic shit. That cocky pikey cunt is bound to stick up for himself and I want you to clump him as hard as you can with the bat. Knock him out, so he don’t wake up. Now, you go first and when I see you’ve got Frankie and driven off, I’ll go in and finish off the job.’

  Raymond felt sick as he drove towards the trailer. Usually violence didn’t bother him. He could kill a man in the blink of an eye, but not when it involved his own family. He didn’t like Eddie’s plan one little bit, but he was too frightened to argue. When Eddie Mitchell made his mind up to do something, there wasn’t a man in the world who could change his mind.

  As the tyres scr
eeched to a halt outside, Frankie screamed, grabbed her mother and got down on the floor. Jed took the knife he always carried out of his pocket and stood by the door.

  ‘Open this fucking door – now!’ Raymond screamed menacingly as he smashed the baseball bat against it.

  ‘Oh, my God! It’s Raymond. Your dad’s gonna kill me. What am I gonna do?’ Jessica whispered, sobbing.

  ‘Quick, hide in that room, Mum. There’s a gap under the bed,’ Frankie urged her.

  As Jessica crawled into the bedroom, she shuddered as she heard the window go through. ‘Please God, don’t let anyone get hurt. Please God, don’t let anyone get hurt,’ she repeated over and over again.

  Frankie screamed as Raymond threw himself against the door and it flew open. ‘Leave us alone. Go away!’ she screamed.

  Desperate to be the big hero, Jed lunged at Raymond with the knife. ‘You fucking mug!’ Raymond yelled, easily knocking it out of Jed’s hand.

  As Jed picked the kettle up, Raymond obeyed Eddie’s orders and clumped him over the head with the baseball bat. He could have hit him harder, but guilt stopped him from doing so. All he wanted to do was stun Jed; it was Eddie’s job to do anything else.

  Jed wasn’t stupid, so he fell on the floor and played dead.

  ‘Jed! Jed!’ Frankie screamed hysterically.

  As Raymond walked towards her, Frankie went for him. ‘Get off of me! I hate you and my dad. I wish you were both dead,’ she yelled, pummelling her fists against his chest.

  Raymond took the rope out of his pocket and carried out the instructions he had been given. ‘It’s all right, Frankie, all I’m doing is taking you home,’ he said, as she repeatedly kicked and punched him.

  ‘Jed, wake up, please wake up,’ Frankie cried.

  As Raymond bent over with his back towards him, Jed held his forefinger to his mouth to tell Frankie to be quiet and to let her know he was all right. I love you, he mouthed to her.

  Frankie bit Raymond’s hand, as he tried to gag her. Raymond felt terrible. He was cut out for most things, but not this shit. He was mad to have let Eddie talk him into this. He should have been a man and refused.