East End Trouble (29 page)
Authors: Dani Oakley,D.S. Butler
F
ive years
later
Jimmy Diamond was dressed in his new school uniform for his first day of school. He looked so grown up, Bev thought with a sigh. She wished Mary could have seen him today. Bev walked Jimmy to school, and when he turned to wave at her at the school gates, she felt a lump in her throat.
When she got home, she sat down to write a letter to Mary, telling her all about it. She’d been taking care of Jimmy for five years now, and she loved him as if he was her own grandchild. She felt sad that Mary had to miss out on all these milestones.
She tried to write down every little bit of description in the letter so Mary would feel like she’d been a part of it.
Bev spent the rest of the day anxiously worrying about Jimmy, hoping he’d be all right at school. He was a good lad, and there was no reason to think he wouldn't get on well, but Bev couldn’t help fretting.
When three o’clock finally rolled around, and she was able to go and pick him up, she couldn’t race around to the school fast enough.
Although she’d made sure to get to the school by three fifteen, there was absolutely no sign of Jimmy. She waited by the school gates for a little while until all the mothers had left with their children. Then the panic really set in.
She rushed into the school and asked the first teacher she saw where she could find Jimmy Diamond.
“Oh, he left a little while ago. Someone came to pick him up.”
Bev felt as if a bucket of cold water had just been thrown over her. “Who? Who picked him up?”
Her heart was thundering in her chest as the teacher frowned. “A woman picked him up. Jimmy seemed perfectly happy to go with her. Is something wrong?”
Bev was practically in tears, and her heart was beating nineteen to the dozen as she raced back home. As she approached her bungalow, she caught sight of Jimmy sitting on the wall, waiting for her.
The rush of relief she felt was quickly replaced by anger when she saw Mary sitting on the wall beside him.
“What the bleeding hell are you playing at? I nearly had kittens when I turned up at the school and found Jimmy wasn’t there.”
Bev’s voice trailed away as she looked at Mary.
Her face was gaunt and heavily lined. She’d aged quickly after Kathleen had passed, and she now looked at least ten years older than she really was.
Bev’s heart softened. She understood that Mary missed her grandson desperately.
“Oh, well, no real harm was done, I suppose. Why don’t we go indoors and have a nice cup of tea?
Mary shook her head. “There’s no time for that, Bev. I just called in so we could say goodbye.”
“Goodbye? What do you mean?”
“I’m taking him back home, Bev. Back to where he belongs. Jimmy is coming back with me to the East End.”
“You can’t do that! It’s not safe, and he’s happy here with me.”
Mary shook her head and set her mouth in a firm line as she regarded Bev steadily. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for Jimmy and me. But it’s safe enough now. Martin Morton has been locked up a long time, and all his old henchmen are working for other people or keeping their heads down.”
Bev felt sick. Surely, Mary couldn’t be serious?
“So,” Mary said, looking down at Jimmy with a smile. “I’m taking him home, Bev. It’s time he learned the truth about his mother.”
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I also write under the name D.S Butler and you can find a list of those books on the next page.
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D
ani Oakley
also writes under the name D.S. Butler. You can find the books here:
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