Barking Boy Page 12

  “Well, obviously he is.” They were sat at the kitchen table and Stacey rubbed at her red rimmed eyes, her voice hoarse from crying. “I saw him with my own two eyes, and the woman who worked there, said that Kitty Mae had left because she was getting too close to the boss.”

  “Well, that could mean anything. You’re only assuming the worse,” Janet began before pausing. She was trying to convince herself it wasn’t true, but even she could see it could only mean one thing. Tommy was playing around. “I’ll bloody well batter him for this, you just see if I don’t.”

  Stacey nodded her head. She felt numb. Her whole world had crashed down around her. Even after what had happened to Pete, she’d forgiven her husband and had accepted his plea that her brother’s death was nothing more than an accident. But this, she couldn’t forgive. It was a step too far. How could she ever forgive him after taking another woman to bed? “I love him so much,” she sobbed, as fresh tears sprang to her eyes once again.

  Janet could only nod her head sadly, before pulling her daughter-in-law into her arms, and sobbing along with her.

  Tommy switched off the ignition and looked across to The Victoria Tavern. After collecting Mad Dog from the club, he’d driven them straight to the meeting point. It was here in the pub car park he was due to meet Danny McKay.

  “Have you got the cash, lad?” It was the third time Mad Dog had asked the same question.

  With a sigh, Tommy pulled down the glove box and took out a thick envelope containing the six thousand pounds. “It’s all there. I counted it myself.”

  “Good.”

  “Relax. I’m not going to fuck this up.”

  “I know lad, and I’m just warning you now to be careful. McKay’s a handful and I know he may not look the type, but trust me, he can look after himself, and you don’t want to get on his bad side.”

  Tommy rolled his eyes in irritation. He had no intention of getting on anyone’s bad side. All he wanted to do was hand over the cash, collect the guns, and get on his way.

  “This looks like him now.” He nodded his head toward a car pulling into the car park. The squelch of tyres on gravel was loud to their ears, as they sat in the quiet confines of Tommy’s car.

  “Wait.” Holding out his arm, Mad Dog stopped Tommy from opening the car door and climbing out. He twisted in his seat, checking that the coast was clear, before nodding his head. “Okay, it’s safe to go.”

  Climbing out of the car, Tommy strolled over to where Danny McKay had parked. He waited for the man to climb out of his own car, then shook his hand.

  Walking around to the back of the car, Danny held out his hand for the money, before unlocking the boot. “I trust I don’t need to count this?” he asked, taking the envelope from Tommy. He was a good looking man, and as Mad Dog had pointed out, behind the façade, he was a very dangerous individual.

  “It’s all there.”

  Depositing the money in the pocket on the inside of his jacket, Danny looked around him, checking that the coast was clear, then unlocked the boot. “There you go,” he said, glancing down at the guns.

  Tommy had to stop himself from whistling through his teeth. His eyes were wide, as he looked over the contents of Danny’s car boot.

  “You’d be better off backing the car up for the exchange.”

  Tommy threw the car keys toward Mad Dog and waited for him to back the car up so that the two car boots were practically touching. Quickly and efficiently, they then transferred the firearms to Tommy’s car.

  “Was a pleasure doing business.” There was a grin on Danny’s face and Tommy couldn’t help himself but smile, too.

  “You know he had us over. No way should we have paid out six grand for four guns.”

  “What can I say? That’s Freddie for you. He thinks you’re a cocky little cunt and until you change his mind, that’s how he’ll treat you.”

  Tommy raised his eyebrows, but kept schtum all the same.

  “You should have come to me instead, and I would have done the deal for three grand.” Danny turned his attention to Mad Dog. “You knew Davey only dealt with me toward the end, before he, you know.” He left the sentence unsaid.

  Nodding his head, Mad Dog was thoughtful. “I know lad, but seeing as Tommy’s new to the game, I thought it’d be best to introduce him to Freddie first.”

  Danny shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, well, next time you’ll know where to come.” He then shook both men’s hands and made his way around to the driver’s side of the car.

  Tommy watched as Danny McKay started the engine and drove out of the car park, before rounding on Mad Dog. “Are you fucking telling me we could have done this deal for three grand instead of six if we’d have dealt with him?” he asked, jerking his head in the direction of McKay’s retreating car.

  “Aye lad, but if it’d got out you’d dealt with McKay instead of Freddie, then you would have had Smith come down on you like a ton of bricks, and the last thing you need in this game is enemies. It’s best to get off on the right foot lad, and from now on, you can deal directly with McKay, seeing as Freddie Smith himself introduced the two of you.”

  Tommy sighed. Well, the deal was done now, and in a way, he could see Mad Dog’s point. He climbed into his car. “That’s three fucking grand down the drain,” he muttered underneath his breath.

  Finally, Ted Marsden had remembered the combination code and, with shaking hands, he’d written down the digits on a scrap of paper.

  With the cash now tucked safely inside Jimmy’s back pocket, the two brother’s left the pub.

  “Thought we were gonna be there all fucking day,” Gary complained.

  Taking out a cigarette, Jimmy passed the box across to Gary. “Yeah, well, we’ve got the cash now.”

  Gary blew out a cloud of smoke. “Why’d you keep going into the bar, getting us drinks?”

  “Why’d you fucking think? Because I was thirsty and it was like a sauna in that office. Plus, I couldn’t stand the stench of that geezer any longer and needed some air.”

  Gary raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I thought it was because you fancied the barman.” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  “Yeah, that’s fucking right,” Jimmy yelled, as he grabbed a hold of Gary’s shirt and pulled his brother toward him so that their faces were just inches apart. He’d had just about enough of his brother’s innuendos and wanted to play him at his own game. “In fact, he gave me his phone number. Are you fucking happy now?” It was a blatant lie, but it was worth it to see shock spread across his younger brother’s face.

  “I’m gonna tell our Tommy.”

  “Tell who you fucking like.” With that, Jimmy walked off down the street.

  Stood in the middle of Chadwell Heath High Road, Gary stared after his brother. He needed to speak to Bethany, he decided. She would know what to do.

  Janet stared down at the mobile phone in front of her. Tommy had given it to her for her birthday, and had told her they were all the rage. “You have to get with the times, Mum,” he’d grinned. She could remember laughing and telling him she would never use it, and that the house phone was more than enough for her.

  She picked the silver phone up and turned it over in her hand. She could barely remember how it worked and had only listened half-heartedly as her son had talked her through the workings of it.

  Pushing the tiny button on the side, she almost jumped out of her skin as the phone came to life. She knew he’d saved his own mobile number to it, and after pushing several buttons, Tommy’s name flashed up on the screen. Taking a deep breath, she pressed dial and waited for him to answer.

  “Tommy, it’s me, your mum.” She could imagine him smiling at that, knowing full well he would recognise her voice. “You need to come home right now, boy. Stacey’s left you.”

  She didn’t wait for him to reply. She switched off the call, placed the phone back onto the table, then wearily got up from her seat and walked across the kitchen. She flicked the switch for the kettle t
o boil, and could recall her old mum saying a cup of tea could solve everything. She shook her head sadly. The situation with her son and his wife was one problem a cup of tea couldn’t solve.

  Already, the house felt empty without Stacey and little Karen, and Janet dabbed a tissue at her teary eyes once again. As angry as she was with Tommy, she knew this would break his heart. He’d only just turned twenty, and already it looked as though he had a failed marriage behind him. “Stupid, stupid boy,” she screamed out to the now empty house, before breaking down and sobbing into her hands.

  Bethany Johnson lay naked across her bed. After finding it hard to get any information out of Gary, she’d had to up her game, and taking him to her bed was a sure way of making the younger man talk. In fact, he didn’t only just talk, he sang like a canary. She now knew pretty much everything that went on in the Carter household.

  She watched him as he began to dress, and could barely keep the sly grin from her face. “So, you’ll tell your Tommy everything about Jimmy tonight?”

  Reluctantly, Gary nodded his head. Even though he’d threatened Jimmy that he’d tell their brother, he still wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. Tommy could very well end up killing Jimmy, and he didn’t want his elder brother’s death on his conscious. “I want to do it, it’s just … I’m scared of what Tommy will do. You don’t know him like I do, and I know he’s gonna go ape shit.”

  Inwardly, Bethany groaned. She’d had just about enough of listening to Gary’s whining. “Either tell or don’t, but what if he finds out you knew all along and that you didn’t tell him, what will he do then, eh?”

  Gary shuddered. Bethany was right. If he kept schtum, Tommy could very well lay into him, too. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll tell him tonight.”

  Bethany could hardly contain her excitement. She rolled onto her front to hide the grin, which had spread across her face. The Carters weren’t going to know what had hit them.

  Tommy’s face was ashen as he burst through the front door. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Why has she left me?”

  Janet took one look at her son, and had to fight the urge not to thump him. “Why do you fucking think?”

  It was the first time Tommy had ever heard his mum swear like that, and he was taken aback. “I don’t know.” And he was telling the truth. Stacey had seemed happy that morning when he’d left for work. He’d even given her a wad of cash and told her to go out and spoil herself.

  “She saw you at your club in Soho, and she also knows everything about you and your little tart Beth, or Kitty Mae, or whatever she calls herself. How could you do this to her, Tommy? Heartbroken, that girl is. I’ve never been so bloody ashamed of you as I am now.”

  Tommy felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach. He sank into a chair and placed his head in his hands. An ice cold shiver ran down his spine as realisation set in. His Stace knew everything. “I didn’t do anything wrong, I swear.” He could feel his cheeks blush as he remembered swooping in for a kiss, but that was as far as it had gone. Just one kiss that was all he was guilty of.

  “Am I supposed to believe you?” The look of contempt across Janet’s face was enough to tell her son that she felt disgusted by his actions.

  “Mum, I swear it was all her doing. She’s mad. Not right in the head.” Tommy tapped at his temple emphasising his point. “She wouldn’t leave me alone.”

  “It’s not me you should be trying to convince, is it? I bloody well knew from the start something wasn’t right between you and that little tart, but not for one second did I think anything like this would be going on.”

  Pale-faced, Tommy nodded his head. “What am I gonna do? I love her, Mum. Her and Karen are my life. I’d never do anything to ruin that, and I told that Bethany to leave me alone. She just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Sitting down opposite her son, Janet’s temper relaxed. She should have known her boy wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardise his marriage. He was old-fashioned like that, and believed a marriage was for life. “I don’t know if Stacey will believe you, son. She’s in a right state.”

  Tommy massaged his closed eyes before looking across at Janet. “That fucking Bethany, the dirty whore. I could kill her for what she’s caused. I fucking hate her.”

  “You should have come clean from the start. The fact that you lied and didn’t tell Stacey you knew the girl will go against you, son. You should know that.”

  Tommy remained silent. He knew he should’ve told his wife everything from the start. Only the fact that he’d wrongly thought he was in control of the situation, had stopped him from doing so. “I’d best go and find her. I’m guessing she’s at her parent’s house?”

  Janet nodded her head. “I expect so.”

  He stood up from his seat in time to see Gary burst through the door. “Tommy, I need to speak to you.”

  “Not now, Gary.”

  “Yeah, but it’s important. It’s about Jimmy. He’s …”

  “I said not fucking now.” With that, Tommy left the room.

  Gary stared after his brother, his mouth wide open in shock. He looked across at his mother. “What’s up with him? I only wanted to speak to him.”

  Janet patted her younger son’s arm. “When you get married, you’ll understand.”

  Gary shrugged his shoulders. It would have to wait, but he knew one thing for certain, if he didn’t speak to Tommy and soon, then Bethany would go ballistic, and the last thing he wanted was for her to fall out with him.

  Tommy angrily flicked the cigarette butt to the floor, as he marched down the street toward his in-laws’ house. Walking down the path, he paused before banging his fist on the wooden front door.

  “What d’ya want?” Jack Williams flung open the door, his large frame dominating the doorway.

  Peering past Jack into the house, Tommy went to take a step forward. “I want to speak to my wife. Is she here?”

  Jack shook his head. “She’s here, but she doesn’t want to see or speak to you. Now, piss of before I do you some damage, boy.”

  Tommy placed his hands on either side of the door frame, and bent his head. “I just want to see my wife,” he said, looking up at Jack, his eyes beseeching him.

  Jack glanced behind him. He’d always liked Tommy, but seeing his Stacey so distressed had been like a red rag to a bull. No one, and he meant no one, had the right to upset his little girl, and that included her husband. “She doesn’t want to see you, Tommy. Now, get yourself off home, lad. I don’t want to have to give you a dig.” Jack took a step forward, forcing Tommy away from the doorstep.

  Rubbing his hand over his face, Tommy was distraught. His heart began to beat ten to the dozen, as a new realisation hit him. What if Stacey told them about Pete? “Please Jack, just let me see her for one minute, then I swear I’ll leave. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

  “He told you to piss off.”

  Surrounded now by Stacey’s brothers, Tommy held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m going.” He walked down the path with his head down low. His heart was breaking. Stacey meant everything to him. She had done so from the moment he’d first clapped eyes on her. He looked up at the living room window, and saw his wife looking out at him, before being ushered away and the heavy curtains drawn across.

  Reluctantly, Tommy began to walk home. He swiped a stray tear from his cheek. Surely this wasn’t the end for them, was it?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Harold Robinson had sharp eyes that never missed a trick. He walked across the floor of the Bradford and Bingley Building Society, and smiled courteously at the last customer, as they made their way out of the building.

  Clicking his fingers toward the young man stood in the doorway, he indicated for him to slide the bolt across the door. He glanced down at his watch. It was dead on five o’clock, not a minute before, and not a minute after. He looked up at his staff, then nodded his head. Business was over for the day.

  With cold grey eyes,
he watched as the clerks stood up from behind the counter, and walked toward the door leading out to the staff room. It was here they would queue up, waiting for him to check that they had taken no belongings with them, mainly the customers’ money.

  Satisfied that everything was as it should be, one by one, he let his staff walk through to the back office to collect their bags and coats. Harold ran a tight ship and he was proud of that fact. The fact that the staff called him a pompous old git behind his back, made no odds to him. The only thing he cared about was statistics. And the truth of the matter, was none of his staff had ever got away with stealing money from the Building Society, and he planned to keep it that way.

  Blissfully unaware that he was being intently watched, Harold ushered his staff out of the building and locked the thick glass door behind them. Twisting a key into a metal grid beside the door, he released a metal shutter, ensuring the Building Society was securely locked down for the night.

  In a car down the street from the Bradford and Bingley, Tommy glanced at his own watch. It was now five-thirty.

  “Like clockwork every single night, they lock the doors at five, and by five-thirty, they’ve left the premises.”

  Tommy nodded his head. It was almost too good to be true. Unbeknownst to Harold, the fact that he ran such a tight ship, had left the Building Society in a precarious position. “Right, I reckon we should do one last check of the place over the next couple of days, and then that’ll be it until the actual job next month.”

  Mad Dog sucked in his cheeks, as he thought over Tommy’s plan. “Sounds about right to me, lad. I’m off to look at a car tonight, and then it’s only the disguises left to sort out.”