Dangerous Lady (30 page)

‘Well, you certainly seem to have a flair for it.’

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‘Long may it last, Margie! Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll give you a bell and let you know when I’ll be over, all right?’ ,

‘Okey doke. See you.’

She hung up.

Maura lit herself another cigarette. What she wouldn’t give to be Marge! She smiled to herself at the thought of little Dennis and his tricks. He was a case …

Geoffrey burst into the office.

‘Where’s Mickey?’

‘He left a while ago. What’s wrong?’

‘We had a call at the cab rank in Manor Park. Some nutty bastard reckons there’s bombs in all the ranks we’ve got. I’ve phoned around and had the places cleared, sent all the drivers home.’

‘You what!’ Maura stubbed her cigarette out. ‘On the strength of one bloody crank call!’

Geoffrey lost his temper.

‘It was a crank all right… a crank called Dopolis. Can’t you see this is the start? The prat wants war!’

Maura sat back in her chair, her face a study in disbelief. She stared at Geoffrey blankly for a moment then she shot into action. ‘Get all the boys together at my warehouse in Wapping. Tell them me and Mickey will meet them there.’

Geoffrey stood looking at her. He curled his lip in contempt.

‘I ain’t your fucking messenger boy!’

Maura closed her eyes and said, through gritted teeth, ‘It’s bad enough we have this crisis with a nutty Greek. The last thing we want is to be arguing amongst ourselves. Now will you do as I ask … please?’

Geoffrey turned on his heel and stamped from the room. Maura turned her attention to the telephone and dialled Michael’s number.

‘Is that you, Jonny?’ ;”

‘Oh, hello, Maura. Mickey’s not…’

‘Shut up and listen to me. Mickey will be home at any moment. You tell him that I am on my way over. Do not open the door to anyone except Michael or myself. Do you understand?’

The urgency in her voice communicated itself to him.

‘What’s going on!’ His voice was high and frightened.

Maura slammed the phone down on him. She was in no mood to console that little faggot. She took a deep breath to control her heartbeat which was hammering in her ears, feeling a wave of apprehension wash over her. Slipping her shoes back on, she quickly left the office. Michael and Maura walked into the club at eleven o’clock. It was a freezing night and a fine covering of snow was glistening in the light from the doorway. A surge of hot air hit them as they entered the club. Gerry Jackson took their damp coats from them.

‘Brass monkey weather, ain’t it?’

Michael nodded. ‘Any news from Benny?’ Everyone else had turned up at the warehouse meeting. Benny was the only exception. No one seemed to know where he was.

Gerry Jackson smiled.

‘If I know your Benny, he’s shacked up with some old bird somewhere!’

‘Maybe, Gerry. Tell Geoff to come straight up when he gets here, OK? And get one of the hostesses out on reception.’ Michael gave Gerry a small green address book. ‘Tell them to try all these numbers. They’ll get a ton if he’s located. All right?’

Gerry took the battered address book. ‘Will do. Shall I have some coffee sent up?’

Maura rubbed her hands together. ‘That’ll be just the thing, Gerry. How’s Anne and the boys?’

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He smiled sheepishly. ‘She’s pregnant again.’

‘So I heard. I reckon she’ll be like my mum. She won’t get a girl for years!’

Gerry rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

‘Oh, don’t dare say that, Maura! We’ve got five boys already.’

Maura smiled at him. ‘You shouldn’t have married a good Catholic girl then.’

She followed Michael upstairs to the offices. As she entered behind him the telephone rang. Maura picked it up, hoping that it was Benny.

‘May I speak to Michael Ryan, please?’

‘Who’s calling?’

‘Tell him it’s concerning his younger brother.’

Maura handed the phone to Michael and gently picked up the extension. She listened to a man’s voice.

‘Mr Ryan, I imagine you are missing one brother by now. Correct?’

Maura looked at Michael’s set face and implored him with her eyes not to lose his temper.

‘I have not missed my brother at all actually… Mr Dopolis. This is Mr Dopolis, I take it?’

The man laughed gently. ‘How very astute of you, Mr Ryan.’

‘Well, it wouldn’t take a fucking contender for Mastermind to sus that much out, would it?’

‘I hear from your voice that you are worried. I notice that you English always resort to bad language when you are in a tight corner … But I promise you that if it rests with me, no harm will come to your brother whatsoever.’

The words were spoken sincerely, but with a small underlying threat.

‘Well, Mr Dopolis, what have you got my brother for? The rents and rates are fuck all to do with him.’

‘I understand that, Mr Ryan. We want to use him to bargain with you. I know that you are a … how shall we say? . . - temperamental fellow. I want you to realise that we mean business. I knew that you would guess that the bomb threat was a hoax. I was just showing you my power, if you like. I know, for example, that you had a meeting at the warehouse today. I know everything that you do.’ His voice was smug. He was obviously enjoying himself. ‘Perhaps we could meet at your warehouse tomorrow?’

Maura and Michael were astounded. How could he have got that kind of information?

‘When do you want to meet?’

‘Tomorrow at six-thirty. It will be nice and dark by then. Also, I want you to have plenty of time to think over my terms. I must stress to you here and now, Mr Ryan, that I am open to negotiation, providing it is in my favour …’

‘And just what are your terms?’ Michael was having trouble controlling his temper.

‘Firstly, I want the East End of London for myself and my family. We have a few legitimate businesses there but it is not enough for us. We are not happy being such little fish. We are willing to make you a payment of half a million pounds for all your businesses there. A reasonable offer, I think.’ He waited a few seconds before continuing.

‘Secondly, I want your word that there will not be a gang war. Very sordid in this day and age, don’t you think? We are both reasonable men. And, lastly, I will give you my word that we will never, ever, try and muscle in on the West End. That would remain wholly your domain.’

Michael chuckled, a grating phlegmy chuckle that should have warned Dopolis that he was not really amused.

‘You don’t want much, do you, cocker?’

The man’s voice went cold. ‘I want what I am entitled to, Mr Ryan. My cousin Stavros was willing to negotiate with you but you were young and hot-headed. You did not have the wisdom to talk things out. Sadly, you lost your brother and my cousin was crippled for life. I do not want a repeat of all that. But I am warning you now, I will fight if necessary. I have taken your young brother as a token, to show you that I know all that you do. I could have picked you all off one by one, your sister included, and have had the lot. The East and the West. But I am not a greedy man. No one can have everything. It just causes greed and envy, Mr Ryan.’

Michael listened to the man’s voice as if fascinated by it. His eyes held the malevolent gleam that heralded one of his tempers.

‘Yeah, well, the only thing you’re causing right now, Mr Dopolis, is my blood pressure to rise! If anything should happen to my brother, either accidentally or deliberately, you will pay. Believe me, mate, that is a solemn promise.’

‘Nothing will happen to your brother, Mr Ryan. Provided you do what I ask of you. I will see you tomorrow at six-thirty.’ The line went dead. As Michael and Maura replaced their receivers, Gerry Jackson came into the office with a tray of coffee.

‘Any news, Mickey?’

‘Tell the hostess who’s ringing around not to bother. We’ve found him.’ ‘Where?’ Before Michael could answer, Maura spoke. ‘We’ll tell you later, Gerry, OK? Now if you don’t mind I want to speak to Michael alone.’

Offended, Gerry placed the tray on the desk and walked out. Michael was annoyed.

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””

‘Here, hold up, Maws. Gerry is like family. You can’t just dismiss him like that.’

Maura walked to the desk and began to pour the coffee. ‘Mickey, that Dopolis just said that he knew where we all were today, right? He also said that he could have picked us off one by one, right? Now doesn’t that tell you anything?’ Her voice was peeved.

‘Obviously someone in the firm is grassing.’

‘Precisely.’

Michael banged his fist on the desk, causing the coffee to slop over the rim of the cups.

‘Listen, you, Gerry would no more grass me than he would cut his own throat! You’re out of order, Maura.’

She banged her own fist on the desk. :?i

‘Look, Mickey, I don’t want to argue with you. All I’m thinking of is the fact that these people have got our Benny and I ain’t taking any chances where his safety is concerned. We must play this one very close to our chests.’

Michael sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He looked old suddenly.

‘Maybe you’re right, Maws.’

She went to him and put her arms around his waist. ‘We’ll beat the buggers at their own game. With all the feelers we’ve got out in the street, something’s bound to come up. It always does.’

‘And what about his “terms”, as he put it?’

‘What about them?’

‘Well, what are we going to do?’

‘We play along with him, Mickey. To be honest, I wouldn’t care if we let the East End go. It’s pennies and halfpennies to what we can make once the building begins in London.’

Michael clenched his fists. ‘Docklands … docklands, always the bloody docklands! Your brother is being held

captive by a fucking nutter and that’s all that you can think about. It’s like a cancer with you!’

Maura was stunned. She looked up into Michael’s face and what she saw there made her flinch. He was really worried about Dopolis.

She lost her temper again, this time deciding to tell him what she had been putting off for months.

‘Can’t you see further than that big hooter of yours?. Sometimes you bloody well amaze me, Mickey. We are paper millionaires. We should take his money and get Benny back. Whoever controls the West End, controls the whole of London. It’s always worked like that. Let the silly old bastard have it if he wants it so bad. He’ll only be working for us anyway. Think about it, Mickey. We’ll still get a pull off any blags that go down. We’ll just be shifting the aggro, that’s all. Then once the building starts, we’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Legally.’

‘I ain’t so sure about that…’

Maura clenched her fists. This was like a gift from the gods if he could only see it! She had wanted to lease out the East End anyway. Get rid of it. Now she had the perfect opportunity.

‘Mickey, all that talk about luxury flats and the marina is, true. I know for a fact that certain people have been buying up the place. They’ve been collecting money to fund the project for years. Oh, forGod’s sake, Michael. Do you want to be a hoodlum all your life? Well, do you? Answer me!’ She pushed him in the chest.

Michael grabbed her hand and pushed her away from him. ‘Why not? I ain’t done too badly, and neither have’ you.’ Maura had tears in her eyes. If only he could be made to see. ‘So you want to duck and dive all your life, is that it?, This is a chance for us to be somebody in our own right.

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legitimate way to spend our cash. I know that to the likes of you and me, living in the old dock areas would be anathema. We grew up in post-war slums, no better or worse than Tobacco Road or the Isle of Dogs. To us, you ain’t made it unless your address has West One on it. But things are changing, Mickey … this country is going building mad at the moment. Everywhere you look, new housing estates are going up. People are even buying their council houses. We’re cultivating a nation of home owners, and you can’t see it! Soon all the sites will be played out, except for the old dock areas. And I want to be in on it. I want that and the West End.’ Her voice trailed off. She could have cried her eyes out, but her pride stopped her.

Michael poured them both a large brandy. He passed Maura her glass and shook his head slowly. ‘All right, Maws, you win. I’ll take the half a mil. When Benny’s back home I want to see all you’ve got on this docklands scam. I just hope that Dopolis hasn’t roughed Benny up. For his sake … As you say, indirectly Dopolis would be working for us anyway.’

Maura put her glass on the filing cabinet beside her and ran into his arms.

‘Oh, Mickey, Mickey… you little darling! I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll get on to our solicitor now and get him to draw up an agreement to take to the Greek bastard’s meet. We’ll show them! Just you wait and see. The name Ryan will be known the length and breadth of England. Just like Wimpey’s!’ Michael laughed at her.

‘What about Fitzpatrick’s? Let’s at least keep this thing Irish.’

Maura did a little dance of happiness. Michael smiled at her. She was right. They should let the East End go. Get

Benny back safely. His dad had always said it was hard to own the two. That’s what had happened to the Krays. He would let Dopolis have it, take his money, then pay him back one hundredfold for poaching his little brother. Dopolis would be made painfully aware of the fact that he worked for the Ryans.

He took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. A thought had occurred to him. The only outsider to know about the meet today was Jonny. He made a mental note to have a word with his boyfriend. He was sick to death of him anyway. This had given him just the push he needed to out Jonny. Michael drank his brandy and the two of them made their plans. When Geoffrey arrived the excitement was over. He realised that he had been too late. Again.

Downstairs, Roy, Leslie, Lee and Garry watched the strippers. When they were finally called upstairs into the office they were all glad to hear that their brother had been located, especially Garry. As Michael gave them their orders none of them realised that the real trouble was only just beginning. That events were being put into motion that would smash their world apart.