The Sting

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Yes. Fine by me.’ Kim nervously chewed at her fingernails as Tommy disappeared out of sight. She couldn’t believe he knew absolutely everything about her, found it unnerving. Connie must have told someone. That was the only explanation she could think of.

  Minutes later, relief flooded through Kim’s veins as she spotted Mikey holding Tommy’s hand, skipping happily by his side.

  ‘Kim!’ Mikey squealed, overjoyed to see a familiar face.

  ‘That’s not just Kim. That’s your mummy. Your real mummy. Tell him the truth. Now!’ Tommy ordered.

  ‘I will. Can I sit in the back with him?’

  ‘Yeah. Course you can.’

  Kim wrapped her arms around Mikey and gently began to explain the situation. Caroline and Keith weren’t going to be happy, but she couldn’t worry about them. The cat was already out of the bag.

  ‘Do I have to call you Mum too?’ Mikey asked innocently. He still couldn’t quite grasp what he was being told. He already had a mum and dad.

  ‘No, darling. You can call me Kim.’

  ‘Or Scratch, or Rosie,’ Tommy said sarcastically.

  ‘We’re having a picnic,’ Mikey informed Kim.

  ‘Are we?’

  ‘Yes. Tommy and me made the sandwiches.’

  Kim smiled. Mikey seemed quite chirpy, all things considered.

  Tommy drove towards the beach. The kids were at school, so it shouldn’t be too busy.

  ‘Wow! What’s all this?’ Kim exclaimed, when Tommy opened the boot of the car. There was a large cool-box, a big picnic hamper and numerous carrier bags.

  ‘I meant what I said. I want us to have a proper family day out. Not too much to ask, is it?’

  ‘No. Of course not.’

  ‘Good. Can you grab those bags? I’ll carry the rest of the stuff. Mikey, take your bucket and spade, and your football.’

  Tommy waited until Mikey was out of earshot, then showed Kim the inside of his Harrington jacket. ‘Any funny business and I meant what I said.’

  Kim’s mouth dried up as she stared at the gun. She’d thought he was bluffing.

  Her intense police training had taught Kim how to deal with difficult situations and although this wasn’t like anything she’d tackled in the past, she was determined to allow Tommy to lead the conversation.

  Surprisingly, Tommy had yet to bring up her working for the police. He asked numerous questions about Mikey and her pregnancy instead.

  ‘I cried for days you know, when you didn’t turn up. I already knew I was pregnant by then. Connie had made me do a test the week before. She’d tried to warn me not to hold out much hope of you keeping your promise. Your letters had dwindled by then. But I was so young and naïve, I honestly thought you would come back for me.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I truly am,’ Tommy said earnestly.

  ‘There’s no need to apologize, Tommy. I did hate you for years, but that was my immaturity. Since we’ve met up again, I can see things from your point of view too. You’d only just turned sixteen, for Christ’s sake. What lad wouldn’t be flattered by a pretty older girl offering it to him on a plate?’

  ‘So, did you hand Mikey straight over to Caroline after the birth?’

  ‘Yes, but don’t fucking judge me. It was the toughest decision of my life, I was totally on my own thanks to you! And I was so young back then, I could barely look after myself, let alone raise a child alone.’

  Tommy cracked open two lagers and handed one to Scratch. ‘Do Caroline and Keith look after Mikey well?’

  ‘Yes. They’re great parents. I’ve never regretted my decision to allow them to raise Mikey as their own. He’s got a great life, wants for nothing.’

  ‘Good. I’m pleased.’ Tommy glanced at his son, who was busy building sand castles with a dainty little girl. He seemed much more at ease now Scratch had arrived. ‘You hungry yet?’

  ‘I’m a bit peckish.’

  Tommy lifted the lid off the hamper. ‘Tuck in. I bought far too much of everything. But as I said, I wanted today to be special. I brought our cassette too.’ Tommy pressed the play button. ‘Where and who does this remind you of?’

  The song in question was the Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’. ‘The Catholic club disco. Benny had all the moves to this, didn’t he? I remember Dumbo trying to copy them. He was useless,’ Kim laughed. ‘Did he start the new job you got him, by the way?’

  ‘No idea. Not been back there.’

  Kim delved inside the hamper. There was a whole cooked chicken, a hock of ham, a large lump of cheese, numerous pickles, tomatoes, a large Spanish onion, pork pies and three crusty French sticks.

  ‘The butter’s in the cool-box and there’s paper plates, plastic knives and forks and serviettes in that blue carrier bag,’ Tommy explained.

  Kim was perplexed. Tommy had gone to so much effort. But why? It seemed odd that he was being so calm and nice to her, having found out the truth. Something wasn’t right, that was for sure.

  ‘God, I’m stuffed. I can’t eat any more. Thanks for going to all that trouble, Tommy. It was a lovely picnic.’ Kim hadn’t been at all hungry, but had forced herself to eat as much as she could.

  ‘You’re welcome. I should’ve brought some suntan lotion. Mikey’s shoulders are red, look. He’s got my skin colouring, hasn’t he?’

  ‘He most certainly has. Tommy, can we talk about the case I’m working on? I’ve got some important things to say to you.’

  ‘Not now. We’ll talk about that later. Tell me about Jay. What’s he like? Where did you meet him?’

  Kim gulped at the lager. This was awkward. ‘I met Jay at Hendon, when I did my police training. We started dating a few months after we left there and have been together ever since. Apart from you, Jay’s the only bloke, ya know, I’ve ever got close to. By choice, that is.’

  ‘Does he treat you well?’

  ‘Yes. He does. Jay’s a good person.’

  ‘I’m pleased for you. What about Mikey, is Jay good with him?’

  ‘Yes. But he doesn’t know Mikey is my son.’

  ‘Our son, I think you mean. Why not? Because you’re embarrassed of me?’

  ‘Of course not. I made a promise to Caroline and Keith not to tell anybody. We decided when Mikey was born not to tell him the truth either, at least until he was old enough to truly understand. Fiona, Caroline and Keith’s daughter, doesn’t yet know she was adopted, and she’s fifteen. They are going to wait until after she finishes her studies to tell her.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘Can I ask you a question, Tommy?’

  ‘Fire away.’

  ‘How did you find out about Mikey and all the other stuff?’

  Tommy began cracking his knuckles. ‘None of your fucking business, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I’m hot now. Let’s dump the picnic basket and take a walk down the pier. Then afterwards, I wanna take you somewhere, show you something.’

  Kim glanced at her watch. It was 3 p.m. already. ‘I promised I would take Mikey back to his adopted mum tonight, Tom. She knows he’s with you and is obviously worried sick. If I don’t return him, she’s threatened to tell Keith everything, and I really don’t want you getting into serious trouble. Keith will involve the police.’

  ‘Bit late for that, isn’t it?’ Tommy spat. ‘Call her from a phone box. Let Mikey chat to her; tell her what a good time he’s having. Then tell her you’re gonna be back later. As I keep telling ya, I want this day to be special.’

  Tommy squeezed inside the phone box with Scratch and Mikey. There had been a time when he would have trusted her with his life, but not any more. She rang Caroline, insisted all was fine, then put Mikey on the phone to her.

  ‘Why is Mummy crying?’ Mikey enquired, as he handed the phone back to Kim, who then explained to Caroline that she would be bringing Mikey home later than they’d arranged. ‘No, everything is fine, honest. Tommy made us all a lovely picnic. Delicious, it was. And he’s bought Mikey hi
s first Liverpool kit. Looks so cute in it, Caroline. We’re off to the amusement arcades now.’

  ‘She all right?’ Tommy asked, when the call ended.

  ‘Fine. Do you mind if I give Lee a ring now?’

  ‘Lee who?’

  ‘Lee, who you met. My flatmate. I need to let her know I’m OK, that’s all. We’re best friends and she is the only other one I have told about Mikey being with you.’

  ‘Got a secret code, have ya? You say a certain word or sentence, then she sends the entire police force down ’ere.’

  ‘No, Tommy. Honest. I wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘Can’t trust you though, can I? So I will word what you are going to say to Lee. That all right with you?’

  ‘Yes. That’s fine.’

  The pier was fun. Mikey loved the amusements. Kim couldn’t stop winning on a one-armed bandit and Tommy showed his son how to play Space Invaders. To onlookers, they must have resembled a happy family enjoying a day out at the seaside, but Kim felt edgy. Why wouldn’t Tommy discuss the case she’d been working on? And what did he want to show her? She couldn’t stop thinking about the gun he was carrying. Did he plan on using it? Or was it just a ploy to scare her?

  ‘Ready to make a move?’ Tommy asked.

  Kim nodded and at the same time said another silent prayer for herself and Mikey. Instinct told her something was amiss. She only wished she knew what.

  Tommy drove for about forty minutes, then started heading uphill on what looked like a cliff. Kim glanced at Mikey on the back seat. He was soundo, away with the fairies, thank God. ‘Where are we going, Tommy? Only I haven’t seen another car for the past ten minutes.’

  Tommy squeezed her hand. ‘It’s OK. Don’t panic. I found this place a while back when I brought Robbie here. It’s stunning. I won’t hurt you, I swear. Unlike yourself, I’m not a deceitful person. If I say you can take the boy home tonight, I truly mean it.’

  For the first time in years, Kim hated herself. She’d become so focused on her career and impressing those male chauvinists, Hunter and Banksy, she’d let slip what truly mattered in life. ‘Tommy, I’m so sorry. I thought I hated you and I was wrong. You will always be my first love. I could never hate you.’

  Tommy glanced at her and smiled. ‘Glad to hear it.’

  They drove for another ten minutes, then Tommy stopped the car. Kim had no idea what area they were in, but they were certainly a quarter of the way up a cliff.

  ‘Where we going now?’ Kim asked, her voice betraying her concern. She was suddenly feeling out of her depth.

  ‘Nowhere. Leave Mikey sleeping. I’m gonna get the picnic blanket and booze out of the boot and we’re gonna watch the sun go down together. It’s a lovely sight from up here. Truly spectacular. We can talk here too. No earwiggers. But first I got something to tell you.’

  Kim sat opposite Tommy on the tartan blanket and gratefully accepted another can of lager. ‘What do you want to tell me?’

  ‘My uncle – you know, the pervert – I killed him the other day.’

  Kim looked into Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew he was telling the truth. At that point, she realized that it was her betrayal that had tipped him over the edge. He’d been haunted for years, just as she had been. Only an abused child would understand that. You learn to live with what happened to you, but you can never stop the nightmares. This was all her fault.

  ‘Oh my God! Tommy, no. Where?’

  ‘Inside his flat. He asked for it. He ruined my life. He must have ruined the lives of other lads too. People like him don’t deserve to breathe the same air as people such as you and I.’

  ‘Has he been found, do you know?’

  Tommy shrugged. ‘Not heard nothing on the news and I’m sure they would have covered the story. I cut both his hands off and his cock. I rammed that down the back of the dirty bastard’s throat.’

  Kim flinched. ‘Have you told anybody else this? Did anyone see you enter or leave his flat?’

  ‘No and no. I wore gloves, so there won’t be any fingerprints. I’ve no regrets at all. I should have killed him years ago.’

  ‘Why are you telling me this, Tommy?’

  ‘Because you were the only one I ever really spoke to about him. I even admitted to you last week that he raped me. That’s because I thought I could trust you, Scratch. More fool me. Wrong again,’ Tommy laughed.

  ‘Tommy, I’m so sorry. About everything. But I swear, I won’t say anything about this. I don’t intend getting you into any trouble,’ Scratch said. She meant it too. Sod the consequences. She would take this secret to the grave with her.

  Tommy smirked. ‘You’re having a laugh, ain’t ya? You’ve already handed me a death sentence.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘The Darlings. I take it that flat I visited you in was wired? Shame I was so pissed. Unusual for me to shoot my mouth off like that. So, how did this little operation of yours come about? It all falls into place now. You approaching Dumbo to arrange a Maylands reunion. I fucking trusted you, Scratch. Whereas you must have sensed I was some desperate mug and you were right.’

  ‘You’re not desperate. Neither are you a mug, Tommy. You’ve just been misguided in life.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  Kim explained that Ronnie and Jack Darling in particular had been on the police’s wanted list for some time. ‘As you well know, Tommy, a lot of men have gone missing during that time. Those men’s families are desperate for some kind of closure. If we could unearth their remains, it would bring peace to many people.’

  Tommy took the lid off a bottle of brandy. ‘Want some?’

  ‘No. I’ve got a long drive later. Listen, Tommy, if you were to give evidence against the Darlings, you’d be free to start a new life. You said when we went to Southend for the day that you’d like to have a normal job now and live by the sea. I could sort you out a new identity and you can start afresh. This is your chance to make something of your life.’

  ‘I might be a lot of things, Scratch, but I’m no fucking grass.’

  ‘Not even after the way the Darlings all lied to you about Robbie? They’re not your true friends, Tommy.’

  ‘Danny is. He’s always been there for me. So have the others. They gave me a home and a job. Yes, they were wrong to deceive me about Robbie. But other than that, they’ve been like family to me. No way would I ever testify against them. They’re more fucking loyal than you.’

  ‘Ronnie’s a danger to society. We know it was him who killed Dean Griffiths. How many more lives is he going to ruin, eh?’

  ‘Ronnie can’t help the way he is. He suffered a brain injury. So, was that flat wired?’

  Kim stared at her hands. ‘Yes, and there was a hidden camera. The only night I switched it on was when you turned up drunk after you found out about Robbie. I’m so sorry.’

  Tommy put his head in his hands. ‘Brilliant! I take it you’ll be using that in court?’

  ‘I honestly can’t answer that question. That won’t be my decision. But, Tommy, I seriously want to help you. I’m offering you a lifeline here. You’ll have a new passport, driving licence, a whole new identity. The police will protect you. I will make damn sure of that.’

  ‘So if I was to take you up on your kind offer, would I get to see Mikey regularly?’ Tommy asked, his voice laden with sarcasm.

  ‘Unfortunately not. If you sign up to the witness protection programme, you cannot keep in touch with anyone from your previous life. You literally start again as a different person.’

  ‘Yep! That’s what I thought. So why the fuck would I even consider that shit?’

  ‘Because you’re brave, a survivor, and like myself, you have little family to leave behind. This would be a walk in the park for you after what you’ve already been through in life. Trust me on that one.’

  Tommy forced a smile. As if he would ever trust her again. ‘Tell me, how did you feel when we kissed again after all those years? I bet you wanted to vomit, didn’t y
a?’

  Kim was rather taken aback. ‘No. Of course not. Nobody forgets their first love, do they?’

  ‘Really? So you enjoyed it then?’

  Kim felt uneasy. Tommy was swigging the brandy like water and she could sense a change in his earlier pleasant mood. ‘It’s been a lovely day, but we’ll really need to leave soon. Mikey’s shattered, bless him.’

  ‘You’ll leave when I say you’ll fucking leave,’ Tommy hissed. ‘You haven’t answered all my questions yet.’

  ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘I can’t get my head around what possessed you to set me up like that. Yes, I left you in the lurch. But bloody hell, Scratch. I could never have done something like this to you if the boot was on the other foot. Never in a million years. We were such good pals, had an unbreakable bond – or so I thought. When Smiffy died, we were inseparable. And what about the good times at Maylands, all the laughs we had? Did those days mean that little to you?’

  Kim’s eyes welled up. ‘Our days at Maylands were great. But after you left, everything went horribly wrong for me and I chose only to remember the bad times. Ever since my passing-out parade, I’ve thrown myself into my career. So much so, I barely see Mikey or Jay lately. Women aren’t treated equally in the police force, we have to work harder than the men to prove our worth. When this operation was set up, I wanted to prove all the doubters wrong. But I was the one in the wrong. Never should I have got involved or involved you. I cannot apologize enough. You don’t deserve it.’

  ‘Thanks. But it’s a bit late now. Did you ever love me?’

  ‘Yes. I was besotted with you and at one point wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.’

  ‘What about now?’

  ‘You’ll always have a special place in my heart, Tommy.’

  ‘Trying to get me shot or banged up isn’t exactly the term of endearment I was hoping for when we met up again. Does Connie know about this operation? What’s it called, by the way? Operation ex-boyfriend?’

  ‘Connie doesn’t know. Very few people do. I can’t tell you the name of it.’

  ‘Jack has Old Bill on his payroll. I bet he’s already been tipped off. He’ll find out what it’s called.’