Bill Bailey's Lot

by Catherine Cookson

  She got up abruptly and, as if she were replying to the Deity, she said, but with no plea in her voice now, ‘No, it isn’t; we are the most important. But he wants it for us.’

  And again she was marching out of the room. But she had just reached the stairhead when Willie’s face appeared at the bottom, saying, ‘We’re all finished, Mam. We’ve put the dishes in the sink. Can we go up to the playroom? I mean, can I take Sammy up?’

  ‘Yes, yes.’ She nodded at him, and he scrambled away. But she had just reached the bottom of the stairs when the phone rang again. She delayed for some seconds her lifting of it; and then she held it as if it were hot: if it was her mother again she would scream at her, she would.

  ‘Fiona?’

  ‘Oh. Yes, Bill.’ The words came out on a sigh.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘Oh, I’ve just had Mother on the phone.’

  ‘Well, what’s the matter with her? She should be very pleased; her electricity’s all right.’

  ‘Yes, I know that, dear; but you know Mother.’

  ‘Yes, I know Mother. But listen, dear, I won’t be home straight away; I’ve got to go to the hospital.’

  ‘Hospital? Have you…what’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing with me. But you know Barney McGuire?’

  ‘Yes, I know Barney.’

  ‘Well, apparently he was mugged last night. I’ve just heard of it. I’ve been out with the architect all afternoon, going round that land again, seeing where we could cut corners. And I’ve just got in and Barney’s wife phoned this afternoon. She apparently got worried last night when he didn’t come back from the club. And they found him in a back alley badly knocked up. So I’m going along now. But you know, Fiona…’

  ‘Yes? Yes, Bill?’

  ‘There’s something fishy going on here. First Tommy’s car, then Jack Mowbray’s shed was broken into, his bike stolen and most of his tools.’

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘Oh, one day last week. These things are always happening, and I thought it was an isolated case. But now Barney. I don’t like it. Anyway, I’ll tell you more when I get back. You all right?’

  ‘Yes, yes, I’m all right, dear; but I hope Barney’s going to be all right.’

  ‘So do I. Anyway I’ll know more when I see him. Ta-ra, love.’

  ‘Ta…bye-bye.’

  She was turning from the phone when Willie’s guest, who had started to mount the stairs, turned round and looked at her and said, ‘Ta, missis. It was a nice tea.’

  She was forced to smile, saying, ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sammy. By the way, are you sure your father knows you are staying?’

  ‘Well, I said I might be able to, but I’ll tell him it’s just Friday nights after this, eh?’

  ‘Yes, yes.’ She moved her head twice.

  ‘It’s a good job you didn’t say the morrow night ’cos I go to confession on a Thursday night straight after school.’

  ‘Oh, you…you do…go to confession?’

  ‘Aye.’

  Willie, now two stairs ahead of him, turned round, leant on the banister, then said, ‘He tells all his sins to a priest. If he doesn’t the nuns whack him.’

  She walked towards the foot of the stairs now and, looking at Sammy, she said, ‘But how do the nuns know whether you’ve told all your sins to the priest?’

  ‘Oh, they can tell, missis, they can see through you. If they know you’ve missed anything out they wallop you on the ear.’

  ‘The nuns wallop you?’

  ‘Oh, aye. Me da went for one of them. He said what he’d do to her if she walloped me again. Well, I mean, on the ear! She could…well, do it on the backside, but not on the ear. Me da’s dead against bein’ walloped on the ear, you see, ’cos his da was deaf. He’s dead now, his da. But his da was deaf ’cos of bein’ walloped on the ear. So me da told the nun what he would do if she walloped me on the ear again. And so she hasn’t done it, but instead she nearly shakes the bloody life out of you.’

  Fiona glanced quickly to the side to see if Katie or Mamie were in sight. They weren’t. Then, wetting her lips a number of times, she stepped up a stair and, putting her hand out, she gently touched Sammy on the shoulder, saying, ‘Now, Sammy; you know what I think about swear words.’

  He stared up into her face, and his small bottom jaw moved from side to side before he said, ‘But I thought it was only the little ones, the four-letter ’uns.’

  ‘Yes, it was the four-letter ’uns, I mean, ones. They are vile words. But there are other words, too, like the one you’ve just said, and that’s swearing. There’s a difference, I know; but…but it’s not nice to swear.’

  He studied her for a moment; then his head slightly to the side, he said, ‘Everybody does it.’

  ‘No, my dear, everybody doesn’t do it, except perhaps when they are very annoyed.’

  ‘Your man bawls, his da’—he thumbed towards Willie now—‘or stepda, or what, he swears. Willie says he does.’

  She looked at her son, and he, nodding at her, said, ‘He does, Mam, at times, Mr Bill, I mean Dad, he swears.’

  ‘Only when he is very, very annoyed. Oh’—she shooed them now as if they were two chickens—‘get upstairs. Go on with you.’ And they both turned and ran from her. But at the top her son turned and called, ‘Mam!’ And impatiently she asked, ‘What now?’ And the reply made her turn quickly away, for Willie, nudging Sammy with his elbow, had said, ‘Sammy says you wouldn’t be half bad if you let your face fall a bit more.’

  She was in the sitting room before she seemed to draw breath. She wouldn’t be half bad if she let her face fall a bit more. Really! What were things coming to? She’d have to do something about this, and with the thought she moved towards the door. But then stopped. No, she wouldn’t. She was thinking now like her mother. Better to let her children know that there was another life being lived by other children, then they would appreciate their home more. And on the other hand, Sammy might learn from them. ‘Huh!’ and it was an audible reaction; she couldn’t imagine either Sammy or his father learning from anyone but each other.

  Accompanied by Mamie, Katie now entered the room, Katie saying, ‘Mam, I’ve washed the tea things and dried them, and Mamie helped.’ And Mamie chimed in, ‘And I didn’t break nothin’, Mammy B.’

  ‘That was a clever girl. Now away with you both upstairs.’

  ‘Mam, I’m sorry about that bit in the car when I acted snobby; because at teatime he was all right: he didn’t take anything unless Willie pushed it towards him or I offered it; and then he said thanks, well not thanks, just ta, but it all means the same. He’s awful, Mam, but you can’t help sort of liking him after a time. Did he really say four-letter words?’

  ‘I know a lot of four-letter words. At school today I wrote them on the board for the teacher: Cats, dogs, bears.’

  ‘Bears have five letters, silly. Come on with you.’

  As Katie pushed Mamie before her out of the room, Fiona looked after them and mused on how that child had fallen into place in this household. It was as if she had been born of herself. And in a way she was a very lucky child, discounting the fact that she had lost her parents and family, because she would grow up to be a comfortably rich young lady. The compensation for the loss of her parents had been a considerable sum and it was growing with the interest. Whereas, Katie, what would Katie grow up to be? An independent spirit. Yes, for richer or poorer Katie would make her own choice, and she would see that she was allowed to do so.

  Chapter Four

  Bill sat looking across his desk at two of his workmen, Dave McRae and Alec Finlay. Dave was a tiler and Alec a bricklayer; but both could turn their hands to anything on the job. Bill was fond of them and appreciated their work. And now, looking at Dave, he said with some concern, ‘You feeling all right though?’

  ‘Oh aye, boss, I’m feeling all right, except inside where I’m bloody mad. As the others are sayin’, there’s something fishy goin’ on. First
, there was Tommy’s car swiped. I know he’s got it back, but they didn’t get the blokes. Then Jack’s shed broken into and his bike and tools taken. Now me being set on; but by God they got as much as they sent, if not more: my boot caught the smaller one where he’ll feel it for days, I’m tellin’ you. But what would have happened to me? Likely landed up where Barney did, in hospital, if it hadn’t been for those two blokes happening to come along at the time, which made the bastards scarper. Anyway, Alec, he’s got something to tell you. He didn’t think much of it, did you, Alec, at the time? But it might give us a lead. Fire away, Alec.’

  Because of a slight stammer Alec Finlay always had to be prompted into speech, but now he said quite naturally, ‘Brown, boss…you know, I saw him at the gate one day last week. I was just on le…le…leavin’. You and Harry Newton were away on t…t’other site and I was havin’ wo…wo…words with the w…w…watchman and I noticed a car had pulled up at t’other side of the road. It was no po…posh do but when the driver saw me, he started up. But I cr…cr…crossed the road before he g…g…got go…go…goin’. And when I thought I rec…rec…recognised him I looked back and yes, ’twas him…Brown. He had snooped around the estate often enough so I co…co…couldn’t mistake him. He must have been si…si…sittin’ lookin’ in on the gr…gr…ground, ’co…’co…’cos we were just g…g…gettin’ the foundations goin’ then.’

  Bill rose to his feet. ‘Brown.’ He nodded from one to the other. ‘Yes, yes, Brown; that could be the answer. But I understood he was in London.’

  ‘He was divorced a short time ago, I heard,’ Dave nodded at him now. ‘Aye and somethin’ else has come to mind. It was rumoured he was back with his piece again, the one he had afore he left.’

  ‘Any idea where they live?’

  Dave shook his head. ‘Not a clue, boss. All I knew about him was the gossip.’

  Bill put his hand on a heavy paperweight on the desk and pushed it around in a circle and watching the movement for some minutes before he said, ‘I’d like to bet we’ve got the answer to what’s been going on here, because these attacks and the pinching are certainly no coincidence. It’s never happened before to any of you, has it?’ Without waiting for an answer he went on, as he pointed to Dave, ‘Go round the fellas and ask if anybody knows where Brown’s hanging out now.’

  ‘That’s an idea.’ Dave nodded. ‘Somebody’s sure to know something, a bit anyway. And by God, if it’s proved that he’s put these fellas up to dirty work, he’ll land up with more than one black eye and a split lip, I can tell you, even if I go along the line for it.’

  The two men were making for the hut door when Bill stopped them, saying, ‘You said you had an idea that one was much taller than the other?’

  ‘Aye; that’s what I got and from the feel of it an’ all. I didn’t get a look at their faces ’cos they were between the lights. I saw them comin’ towards me, and they walked past me. Next minute I knew they were on me.’

  ‘That sounds exactly what happened to Barney, same technique, yet Davey Love said those two fellas had scarpered after the car business. When the police got round there they had left their lodgings. He said he had heard they had crossed the river. Look, send Love in will you?’

  ‘Will do.’

  When the two men went out Bill sat down again and once more he fingered the paperweight, pushing it round in circles that gradually merged into one.

  Brown. Of course. Who else? For in a way he had ruined Brown’s career the night his son had smashed up the showhouse on the Brampton Hill estate. That night Brown’s wife had treated the man like a dog, in this very room and in front of him as she had made a bargain with him that if he did not call the police to deal with their son she and Brown would remove their home and business interests from Fellburn down to London, and, too, their son would be sent to school in what appeared to be the wilds of Scotland. And after this she had approached him again, saying she was going to divorce her husband, and then practically throwing herself at him with the bait that he could then run her businesses, of which she had a number. That was if, and it was a capital IF, and he had told her in his own inimitable fashion what he thought of her, and ending up with the words that he wouldn’t touch her with a bargepole. Even now he could recall the look she gave him as she went out to her car, which then, once started, shot out of the yard as if driven by a rocket.

  Yes, yes; this was Brown’s doing; for without any doubt he had been the cause of the man’s ruin; his visible ruin at least, for he had learned that Brown had been in effect nothing more than a paid hand in the businesses, but all the time playing the big fellow, talking big money that he had nothing to do with at all.

  When he had asked her if the businesses were in her name, she had said, yes they were, and if her husband made a fuss when they broke up he would get less than what she would have offered him in redundancy pay.

  Both had been mean, vindictive types. But now Brown must be out to get his own back. It couldn’t be his own men: he had eleven good men on this job, and they had nearby all been with him for years now. And he had made them feel that they were part of the company because at the end of the year they got their rake-off of the profits. He had made it known to them when he was given the last big job, for he saw it then as good policy to let the men know they had a finger in the pie. But it looked as if Brown was out to disable his team in one way or another. Well, he would see about that. By God, he would!

  When a tap came on the door he called, ‘Come in.’ And when Davey Love entered, saying, ‘You want me, boss?’ Bill said, ‘Yes, for a minute, Davey. You get about. You said you thought that those two fellas had scarpered after the car business?’

  ‘Well, I did hear they went across the water down to North Shields.’

  ‘Are you sure of that?’

  ‘No, not sure, boss, it was just hearsay. It was in the pub.’

  ‘You’ve heard about what’s happening here to the fellas?’

  ‘Aye, I’ve heard.’

  ‘Well, you’re on the payroll now, it could be you next.’

  ‘No, begod, boss. I’ve got eyes in the back of me head.’

  ‘Oh, you can be too clever.’

  ‘Oh, ’tisn’t a case of bein’ clever; it’s a case of who’s walkin’ behind you. I very rarely walk on the flags, I keep to the gutter or the road; cars are not half as dangerous as some people I know of, especially around our way. No, begod, I’ll say!’

  ‘Do you know anything about a man called Brown? He used to be a big pot in the town, lived in one of those houses facing the Moor in Newcastle. Went to London some time ago, divorced and came back and took up with a woman he knew.’

  ‘That Brown, boss?’

  ‘Yes, that Brown.’

  ‘Well, I know nowt about him, not really, but I know quite a bit about his one-time chauffeur-cum-odd-job man. He used to hire him when he was goin’ out on a spree. He often had these bouts at one time, you know, goin’ gettin’ bottled up, mortallious, paralytic, the lot, oh aye, the lot. So Charlie Davison had the job of ferryin’ him home. That was until Charlie saw my Betty, and once again it was love at first sight for her, and off they go together. Well, she had done it afore but not so brazenly. An’ then she has the bloody cheek to come back, an’ he follows her. God and His Holy Mother, was I rattled. Well, I followed him. The result was that holiday I told you about up in Durham, Boss, y’know?’

  Bill wanted to laugh. He wanted to bellow. He had just to hear this fellow talk and it was as if every other word he spoke was a joke. He had that way with him. But this business on his mind now was no laughing matter, so he said, ‘Well, where is he now, this Charlie Davison?’

  ‘As far away from me, boss, as he can get I should think, the way I left him.’

  ‘Aye, yes, of course he would be. So you know nothing of Brown?’

  ‘Not at the moment, boss; but I could find out. One thing’s certain though: his type won’t be livin’ in Bog’s End, even if he got his
piece from there.’

  ‘You never know; it might be her house.’

  ‘Aye, there’s that in it. But private house owners are few an’ far atween around our quarter you know, boss. But as Alex said, his car was just an old ’un, no BMW, Volvo, or such, so he wouldn’t be livin’ up in Brampton Hill area, now would he? No; with a car like that he wouldn’t. Middle town I’d say. Any road, I’ll ask around. I’ll have a talk with Kit Bradley at the pub. Aye, that’s what I’ll do. What he doesn’t know isn’t worth learnin’. Any road, as soon as I hear anythin’ you’ll know of it, boss.’

  ‘Thanks, Davey.’

  ‘You’re welcome, boss.’

  ‘By the way’—Bill stopped him as he was about to turn about—‘both Dave and Alec seemed to remember that the fellas who attacked them were different sizes, a tall ’un and a short ’un. Now you seemed to think that there was a pair like that who pinched Tommy Turnbull’s car, didn’t you?’

  ‘Aye, begod! I’m sure it was that pair. An’ givin’ it another thought, they could easily have slipped up from Shields to do their dirty work an’ get back. Half an hour or so each way would see to it. Aye, it could be the same couple. And if it is, it’s a set-up job an’ they’re in somebody’s pay, this fella Brown’s. Is that how you see it, boss?’

  ‘Yes, that’s how I see it at present.’

  ‘Well, we’ll take it from there, boss, eh?’ Nodding now, he turned and went out.

  Yes, Bill said to himself; we’ll take it from there. But once I find out where you are, Mr Brown, you can look out for sparks.