by Sam Michaels
‘Miss Garrett,’ Wayne said, smirking, ‘who the fuck do you think you are? A Battersea slum tart acting like Lady Muck. Let me tell you something, Little Lady Muck, you’re in Vauxhall now, my turf, and if you think you can tell me what to do, then you should have brought more men with ya.’ As Wayne finished his sentence, he saw her two men step closer to her and they glared at him menacingly. But Wayne wasn’t bothered. She’d come under-manned and he knew his gang’s firepower could easily beat hers.
‘Perhaps I should explain a few things. Firstly, as you know, the coppers in Battersea can’t do enough for me. In fact, when I mentioned to Sergeant Woodman that I was dropping in to see you, he said to tell you that his colleagues will be seeing you soon, and if I don’t walk out of here alive, they’ll be seeing you sooner than expected. And secondly, my husband’s family, the gypsies who saw to it that the Portland Pounders stay out of Battersea, well, they’d be very upset if any harm came to me.’
Wayne looked at her smug expression and though he wanted to punch if off her face, he thought better of it. She had too much backing; but he wasn’t going to allow her to belittle him in front of his blokes. ‘Now, now, pretty lady, there’s no need for that sort of talk,’ he said and inched towards her before brushing a fallen piece of dark hair from her face.
She was quick to slap his hand away. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she sneered, her eyes blazing.
‘Don’t worry, Miss Garrett, I wouldn’t touch you with a bargepole. I like my women to know their place. And I like them clean, not contaminated by gypo scum.’
To Wayne’s surprise, Georgina calmly told him, ‘Sit down.’
He’d been expecting a retaliation to his scathing remark and wondered if she was more scared than she was letting on. Ignoring her command, he casually walked to the bar where the landlord was quick to put another pint in front of him. Then Wayne turned back to face Georgina and leaned on the bar as he supped his ale.
‘I said, sit down,’ she repeated.
Wayne again ignored her order. The fucking cheek of it, he thought, coming in here and telling him what to do, but he kept his annoyance to himself and held his pint in the air. ‘Cheers, lads,’ he called to his men. ‘You listening to this? The soppy tart thinks I’ll do her bidding.’
As he took another swig of his drink, there was a deafening bang and he felt a searing pain in his foot. Dropping his glass to the floor, he looked down to see a hole in his boots and his blood seeping through. Wayne’s eyes snapped back to Georgina. She was holding a gun aimed at him, her face steely.
His men were quick to pull their weapons but Wayne shouted, ‘No, put your guns down. Don’t shoot. Don’t fucking shoot.’ He was in agony but could still think clearly. The last thing he needed was the long arm of the law on his doorstep or the Hearn family of gypsies after him.
His foot was throbbing now and he wanted to scream out in anguish. But he wouldn’t give Garrett the satisfaction. He still couldn’t believe she’d actually put a bullet in him and looking at the red liquid oozing over his boot, he mumbled, ‘She shot me… she fucking shot me.’ Then bringing his eyes back to Georgina, he seethed, ‘You bitch.’
‘Now perhaps you’d like to sit down?’
Dan dashed to pull a seat over to Wayne, which he gratefully flopped on to.
‘I don’t need to go over the terms and conditions of working on my patch. You’re fully aware of them, so I’ll take the proceeds from the wages job and then we’ll call it quits.’
‘Fuck off, Garrett, I ain’t giving you the lot. You can have your cut, that’s fair,’ Wayne answered, sweat now perfusing his brow as the pain intensified.
‘It’s not open for discussion. I’ll take it all. In future, stick to the rules and we can avoid all this silliness.’
Wayne knew he was in no position to argue and, defeated, hung his head. ‘I’ll get the money sent to you tomorrow,’ he said quietly, just wishing she’d leave.
‘Good. And you might want to take that boot off before your foot swells too much,’ she said, then put her gun in her handbag and confidently walked out.
Once the door had closed behind her and her blokes, Sparrow quickly bolted it and Wayne let out a long yowl.
‘You gonna let her get away with this?’ Dan asked.
‘Of course I fucking ain’t,’ Wayne snapped. ‘Get me a whisky. A large one. The whole fucking bottle.’
Not only was he now down on the wages job, but he’d also been humiliated and wasn’t sure if he’d ever walk again without a limp. This wasn’t the last he’d see of Georgina Garrett but, next time, he intended to ensure it was her blood on the floor and not his own.
4
Charlotte was pleased when Tobias rolled off her. Though sober now, she still didn’t enjoy him shoving and grunting but at least it didn’t hurt and was over quickly.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and lit a roll-up. ‘I’ve gotta go to work. You keep quiet and stay up here. I’ll pop you some food up as soon as I get a chance.’
‘I’m not staying up here all day,’ Charlotte answered, disgruntled.
‘You’ll have to. I can’t risk my dad seeing you.’
‘No way. I ran away from the farm ’cos I was bored. It won’t be any better if I’m stuck in here all day by myself.’
‘All right, but you’ll have to stay away ’til tonight. I’ll sneak you back in later.’
‘Have you got any money? If I’ve got to stay out all day, I’ll need some cash for something to eat.’
‘’Ere,’ Tobias said and picked up his trousers from the floor before rummaging in the pocket and handing her some coins.
‘Is this it?’
‘Yeah, it’s all I’ve got.’
‘Can you get any more?’
‘No, I’m skint ’til payday on Friday. I had to pay my mate back some money I lent off him for a bet on the horses.’
‘Bloody hell, Tobias, this ain’t gonna last me ’til Friday. Can’t you take some money out of the cash register?’
‘I dunno, Charlotte. If my old man caught me, that’s it, I’d be out on me ear.’
‘Then make sure he don’t catch you,’ she said and climbed out from under the covers and knelt behind him. She ran her hands up his back and over his shoulders before nuzzling his neck. ‘Please, Tobias, just a quid or two.’
‘All right, I’ll see what I can do.’
Charlotte smiled. It seemed she could get whatever she wanted from Tobias by just being nice to him. So far, money, booze and a bed. Her mind began to turn to what else she could get him to do for her. ‘I’ll have to be careful out there. I don’t want Georgina finding me. I’ll be sent back to Kent and never see you again.’
‘I could come and visit you.’
‘No, my mum would never allow it. Anyway, I don’t want to go back. I like being here with you. I’ve just got to stay out of Georgina’s sight.’
‘I like you being here too. I could go and see her – Georgina. Tell her you’re my girl now and you’re staying with me.’
‘No, no, Tobias, she’d never stand for it. You know what she’s like. It would be different if she wasn’t around.’
‘I can’t see her moving out of Battersea, not ever. She rules the place.’
‘I don’t mean that sort of not around.’
‘What, you mean, like dead?’
‘Yes. She couldn’t split us up and force me back to Kent if she was dead.’
‘Yeah, but she ain’t and I don’t know anyone who’d be stupid enough to go against her.’
‘Oh well, I’ll just have to hope she doesn’t find me.’
Charlotte watched as Tobias pulled on his trousers. She’d meant what she’d said – she wished Georgina were dead. Tobias hadn’t responded in the way she’d hoped and been her knight in shining armour but at least she’d planted a seed. If he wanted her, really wanted her, he might have to be prepared to kill for her.
*
Georgina sipped on half a glas
s of champagne she’d accepted from David Maynard, the head of South East London’s crime syndicate.
‘I suppose you’ll be wanting to purchase more bullets?’ he asked and blew cigar smoke into the air.
‘Yes, why else would I be here?’
‘I was hoping it was to see me, Georgina, and not just a business transaction.’
His eyes met hers and held them but she quickly averted her gaze.
‘A word of warning, Georgina, and I offer my advice with respect, but I think you and your gang ought to slow down on targeting the post office vans.’
‘Why? It’s easy money and the police haven’t been expecting anything like what I’ve been doing. We’ve taken them by surprise; no-one was ready so there’s been no-one to stop me and I’m getting away with thousands.’
‘Yes, I know, there’s hardly a week that passes when I don’t read of yet another post office van attack, but stop while you’re ahead. You’re making yourself unpopular with the authorities and with people in general. It’s not going down well that whilst our men are fighting on foreign soil, you and your lot are robbing cash and getting off with it. You’ve had a good run of it. If I was you, I’d turn my attentions elsewhere.’
Georgina didn’t like to be told what to do but David did have a valid point. Now there was a war on, perhaps it was time to divert her efforts. ‘As it happens, I’d already planned on something else,’ she lied, hoping to save face in front of him.
‘Good. I wouldn’t want to see you banged up and the police are putting in a lot of resources to catching the post office thieves. On a lighter note, I hear you shot Wayne in the foot. He was lucky. If he’d stepped on my toes like he did yours, I would have put a bullet between his piggy eyes.’
‘I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of disposing of a corpse. But you’re right about his eyes – they are piggy.’ Georgina pictured the man with disgust. His blubbery belly hung over the top of his trousers and all three of his drooping chins had wobbled when he spoke. With his wide nose and bald, pink, sweating head, she could just imaging him snorting like a pig. Or better still, with an apple in his mouth being turned on a spit over hot coals.
‘He’s a fat, greedy swine. I like his old man, Archie, but Wayne is far from a chip off the old block. Archie wouldn’t have pulled a stunt like Wayne did. I know Archie always had an eye on Battersea but he never overstepped the mark with Norman Wilcox or Billy. Wayne took fucking liberties with you. I hope a hole in his trotter is enough to put him back in his pen.’
‘Do you know, my dad did time for apparently doing a job with the Vauxhall mob? Billy Wilcox set him up. Got him nicked for something he didn’t do.’
‘Yes, I heard about that, years ago, when Billy was in the job you’re in now. It was about the same time that Battersea police station got blown up… Was that something to do with you?’
‘I couldn’t say,’ Georgina answered, smiling as she looked over the top of her champagne glass at him.
‘It was, I should have known. No-one else would have had the bottle to bomb the nick. Good on you. If I remember correctly, a few filth were killed.’
‘Yes, but it was a long time ago and those coppers who died had it coming to them,’ Georgina said, the memories of the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of the police still leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
‘You must have only been a kid at the time?’
‘Yes, and very different back then,’ she answered, thinking about George, the girl who used to dress and act like a boy. Her father had insisted she should fight and thieve. He’d taught her how to box and to be wily. Now she was grateful for all she’d learned from him. It stood her in good ground for her work in the underbelly of Battersea.
‘Are you sure I can’t persuade you to join me for lunch?’
‘No, thanks, David, I really must get back. Another time.’
‘Fine, but make sure it’s soon. It’s rare I get the opportunity to enjoy the company of an intelligent woman. No-one will challenge me – and you, Georgina, are about the only person I know who will shoot down my opinions. Between you and me, I’ve started making it my business to keep up to date on current affairs.’
‘Really? I didn’t think you was interested in politics and such matters?’
‘I wasn’t but I have to keep up with you.’
‘Well, I’m pleased I’ve influenced you to broaden your horizons. Perhaps when we have that lunch, you’d like a discussion about Winston Churchill’s post in the war cabinet?’
‘As First Lord of the Admiralty, the same position he held during the Great War. Yes, I shall look forward to a chat about that.’
‘Blimey, David, you really have been reading up. I’m impressed.’
‘And that, Georgina – to impress you – was my aim.’
Georgina quickly finished her champagne before the conversation became any more flirtatious. She’d always felt an attraction to David but the power he held over a large part of London was never far from her mind. If she gave him even the inkling that he had a chance of being with her, she feared Lash would be made to disappear. David Maynard was well accomplished in getting rid of men who got in his way. ‘I really must be leaving now. If you’d have your man give Victor the bullets and he’ll settle my account. Thank you.’
Her exit was prompt. As she sat in the back of the car with Victor driving away from Lewisham, she wondered about David’s personal life. In all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen him with a woman and he’d never mentioned one. She didn’t think he was queer like Benjamin. He couldn’t be, he wouldn’t look at her the way he did if he was. No, he wasn’t a homosexual but there never seemed to be a woman in his life and he’d said he didn’t have children though would like them. Perhaps he was holding a torch for one special lady and perhaps that lady was her. The thought was flattering but also terrifying and she prayed Lash would always be safe.
*
Jack Garrett was pleased to be living in the big house in Clapham, away from Battersea. It had once belonged to Billy Wilcox and the front room downstairs had been the place the man had been shot dead. But now that Jack’s daughter was running the business, it was hers. He didn’t really know anyone in the well-to-do area, which kept him out of the alehouses. Jack had learned the hard way that him and drink weren’t a good combination. Once he started on the booze, he couldn’t stop and he didn’t ever want to go down that route again. And he’d promised Georgina he never would.
His room was in the attic. The peace and quiet up there suited him. Below, a photographer rented a studio and would have many pretty women coming and going, though Jack didn’t really approve of the sort of photos the photographer snapped. Below that, Johnny Dymond held poker games in a room that covered much of that level of the house. All sorts of bigwigs would play and most would lose substantial amounts of money and then take out big, high-interest loans. The ground floor had two rooms rented to a doctor. Jack rarely saw patients coming or leaving but he suspected the seemingly well-respected man was performing illegal abortions for his wealthy clientele. As far as Jack was concerned, he thought it a better job that the women use the doctor’s services rather than the likes of an old hag with dirty instruments and no medical knowledge. The basement was given over to storage. Mostly illegal products that Georgina’s gang traded in. He’d seen a variety of goods passing through, usually at night – alcohol, tobacco and car parts. All in all, he thought his girl had done well for herself, though he’d never condone the brothel at Livingstone Road or the one adjoining her office. Still, he was proud of her.
Jack was about to get on his way to meet Ray, his partner in crime when it came to thieving-to-order for the Harbour Master at Southampton docks. The old seafarer had been pleased with the truckload of barrels he and Ray had acquired from the local brewery. The heist had been easy. The driver, compliant, had readily accepted a good handshake in exchange for agreeing to being whacked on the head and his truck pinched. They were all quids up
and the Old Bill didn’t have any leads.
And thieving for the Harbour Master wasn’t all that Jack and Ray got up to. The pair were partial to carrying out the occasional smash and grab. Ray’s car was open-top, ideal for him to drive through a shop window and for Jack to quickly grab the loot. Of course, they never targeted any local shops. Georgina wouldn’t allow it. Though she’d been quick to point out a long fur coat she’d spotted in a shop window near Liberty of London. Jack and Ray had acquired it for her along with several more expensive furs and that same night. They’d smashed their way through a jewellery shop window in Paddington and fenced the diamond necklaces and sapphire earrings through Ezzy’s shop in Clapham Junction.
As Jack came down the stairs, he stopped halfway down the last flight when he saw the letterbox open and a burning newspaper shoved through the door. The paper fell to the floor, threatening to set the house alight. He hurried down the last few steps but the paper had almost burned itself out. He quickly stepped on the embers then pulled open the front door. Glancing up and down the street, he caught sight of a young man just about to round the corner. The man looked over his shoulder directly at Jack, a look of fear in his eyes. Jack immediately knew he was the culprit and gave chase.
The man was quick, fit and young, and Jack knew he’d never catch up with him. But just when he was about to give up, Ray’s car came hurtling down the street.
‘Stop him,’ Jack shouted, indicating the fleeing man.
Ray spun his car around and as the man dashed across a side road, Ray pulled in front of him. The man had no time to avoid the car and ran straight into the side of the bonnet before bouncing off and landing in a heap on the ground.
Jack soon caught up and studied the scene. Ray was standing over the man who was now groaning and rolling around on the ground, complaining that his leg was hurt.
‘It’ll be more than your fucking leg, you little shit!’ Jack growled.
‘Who is he?’ Ray asked.
‘I dunno. He tried to set the house alight. Shoved a burning newspaper through the letterbox.’
