The Victim (36 page)

‘With me and you as role models, what do you expect?’ Jimmy said seriously.

Seeing the funny side of Jimmy’s comment, both men laughed.

* * *

Eddie Mitchell was anything but happy as he clambered into the front seat. ‘You fucking idiot,’ he said, clouting Ricky around the side of his head.

‘It weren’t my fault. O’Hara shot through the lights, so did Stuart, and the motor in front of me stopped dead. What was I meant to do? Shunt him off the road?’

‘Just put your fucking foot down and drive. He can’t have got far,’ Eddie shouted.

‘There’s a sign saying Moodiesburn. Shall I go that way?’ Ricky asked.

‘I don’t care which way you go, just find the pikey cunts,’ Eddie yelled.

‘I’ll ring Tel’s number and make sure him and Stu are still tailing ’em,’ Gary said, trying to take the onus off his brother’s mistake.

‘When he answers, pass me the phone,’ Ed ordered.

‘There’s no answer,’ Gary said seconds later.

‘Ring Stu then, just keep trying the fucking pair of ’em,’ Eddie screamed in annoyance.

‘Stu’s phone’s on answerphone, so is Tel’s now. They must be somewhere where there’s no signal,’ Gary said anxiously. He knew his father was about to blow his top and that was never a pleasant sight.

Ricky drove along aimlessly for another six or seven minutes, then finally his father’s phone rang.

‘Did you stay with ’em, Tel?’ Ed asked immediately. He listened to what Baldwin had to say, ended the call and smirked.

‘We’ve got ’em. Tel said they’re living on what looks like a private bit of land off the A80, which is the road that runs between Glasgow and Stirling. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll head down there and grab the kids.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Frankie didn’t know if she was coming or going the following day. Her dad had rung her late the previous night to tell her what had happened, and, even though she had been sure that Katie was telling the truth, the realisation that Jed was definitely still alive filled her with dread.

‘I made you a coffee, Frankie, and you must eat some food today. Brett’s been crying again, he say he wanna go a school with Kelvin,’ Babs said, as Frankie came down the stairs.

‘I wish he could go to school, but I daren’t go against what my dad told me to do.’

Babs shrugged. ‘I don’t see what the O’Haras are gonna do if they in Scotland, and Brett gotta go back to school sometime. Why don’t you have a word with his teacher? Tell her to be extra vigilant.’

Frankie shook her head. ‘I think my dad’s worried that the O’Haras might know what area I’m living in and what school Brett goes to. It doesn’t matter if they’re in Scotland, mate, they’ll still have contacts locally, and if my dad snatches Georgie and Harry, they might have Brett abducted so they can get them back again.’

Babs shuddered. ‘I think I’ll keep Kelvin home today an’ all, then. They can keep one another amused, can’t they? What about Joey, is he coming round again?’

Frankie nodded. ‘Joey and Dom have booked the rest of the week off work, so they’re both coming round. My nan and grandad wanted to come over as well, but I told the boys not to pick ’em up. I love ’em and all that, but they do my head in at times and I can do without the extra stress of them two arguing.’

‘I tell you one thing, sweet child, when them kiddies of yours arrive home safely, you have to show gratitude to that Katie girl. I always said she was OK, didn’t I? I knew she were genuine.’

Frankie put her head in her hands to hide the embarrassment she felt. ‘I know, and I feel so awful for the way I spoke to her in prison. She only wanted to be my friend and just because she was a traveller, I treated her like a piece of shit. I will never judge a book by its cover again, Babs, and as soon as I’ve got Georgie and Harry settled, I will make it up to Katie. I owe her big time.’

Over in Rainham, Joycie was extremely perturbed by Joey’s refusal to make Dominic come and pick her and Stanley up. Since her husband had written off her beloved Jaguar, Joycie had got quite friendly with her local mini-cab firm and today she had no intention of missing out on all the drama.

‘Hurry up with them pigeons, Stanley, then go and get yourself spruced up. Oh, and pack your overnight bag.’

‘Where we going?’ Stanley asked, perplexed.

‘Frankie’s. I told you the other day that Eddie was going to Scotland to find Georgie and Harry. Well, Joey rang this morning, reckons he might have found them.’

‘Who’s coming to pick us up, Dominic?’ Stanley asked.

‘No, we’re getting a cab. I’ll ask for that elderly man, Sid. He always does a special price for me, lovely chap he is.’

‘Has Frankie actually invited us over?’ Stanley asked suspiciously. He knew how Joycie had a habit of turning up at people’s houses when she wasn’t particularly welcome.

‘Nope, don’t think she wanted us there, but we’re going anyway,’ Joycie replied stubbornly.

‘We can’t just turn up uninvited, love. Frankie’s probably at her wits’ end, and she might not want people around her if she ain’t herself.’

‘Well, Dominic’s going round there with Joey and he’s not even related. Whether Frankie likes it or not, we’re the only grandparents she has and we shall be there for her in her hour of need. Now, chop chop and get your arse in gear.’

* * *

Eddie Mitchell picked up his binoculars once more. He’d recognised Georgie immediately. She looked a lot older than her tender thirteen years, but her similarity to Frankie at a younger age was uncanny. Harry was a different kettle of fish. There were nine mobile homes on what looked like a private bit of land and Ed had seen at least five lads that could pass for Harry’s age, but none of them had light-blonde hair.

‘That fat slag Alice has just come out her trailer again. It’s gotta be Harry who she keeps speaking to, surely?’ Eddie questioned, handing the binoculars to Raymond.

‘It don’t look like him to me, Ed, but I suppose kids change in time,’ Raymond replied sceptically.

Gary snatched the binoculars that Raymond was peering through. ‘It must be him; Alice has just clouted him round the head.’

‘I need a slash. Keep watch for Jimmy or Jed to make a move,’ Eddie said as he stood up. He’d already seen Jed earlier and, unlike the previous evening, had recognised the little shit immediately.

Gary turned to Raymond as soon as his old man was out of earshot. ‘We can’t just fucking run on the site tooled up and drag them off by their hair. Have a word with him, Raymondo, he’ll listen to you.’

‘I will, but you know what he’s like, Gal. That’s definitely Harry; Jed’s just given him some dosh. He must be on his way out, I reckon,’ Raymond replied, eyes glued to the binoculars.

Eddie’s legs were as stiff as a board as he walked back to the lads. They hadn’t been able to drive the vans near enough to spot the kids clearly because the O’Haras were living on private land. Terry and Stuart were parked down the road, looking after both vans and watching the front of the site, while Ed and the rest of the lads had spent the past few hours crouched down and peeping around the side of an old barn.

‘Jed’s just got in a pick-up truck with a bird and a little kid, and Ray’s just seen him give that boy we thought might be Harry some money. It’s definitely gotta be him, Dad, although I must say he looks entirely different to how we imagined,’ Gary said to his father.

Eddie snatched the binoculars off Raymond and studied the lad in question. He was totally unrecognisable from the timid-looking blonde-haired boy he’d known as a child.

‘So what happens now, Ed? We can’t just steam in there like a load of loonies. There’s a few blokes other than Jed and Jimmy living there, and for all we know, they could have shooters and all sorts,’ Raymond said to his boss.

Eddie handed the binoculars over to Ricky and stood up again. Debating what to do for the best, he ran his fingers up and down the stubble on his chin. ‘I don’t think we’ve got a lot of choice but to go in there like headless chickens. I mean, I can’t exactly imagine, by looking at Georgie and Harry, that they go skipping out the fucking site hand in hand together, can you?’ Ed replied.

Raymond shrugged. ‘Can’t we just watch their movements for a couple of days? They can’t spend their whole lives cooped up in there, surely, so perhaps we’re better waiting for either of ’em to go out and snatch ’em individually.’

‘Fucking hell, Dad, our Georgie’s only got a boyfriend. Look, they’re going for it hammer and tongs behind the beige trailer next to Jimmy’s,’ Ricky said.

Eddie grabbed the binoculars off his son and stared through them in complete and utter horror. Having seen enough of his thirteen-year-old granddaughter’s breasts being groped, he threw the binoculars onto the ground in disgust. ‘Right, seeing that has fucking made my mind up. Let’s get back to the van and as soon as Jimmy goes out, we’ll give it ten minutes or so, then in we go. Them kids are coming home with me today, ’cause if they don’t, I’ll end up killing every single pikey cunt that raised ’em.’

Frankie glanced at her brother as their nan took the embroidered handkerchief out of her handbag and began dabbing her eyes with it.

‘Truly hurt, me and your grandfather were, weren’t we, Stanley? Feeling unloved and unwanted at our age is enough to kill the pair of us off,’ Joyce said in a sorrowful voice.

‘Frankie wasn’t being horrible, Nan. She didn’t even really want me and Dom to come over today. Surely you understand what a difficult time this is for her?’ Joey said, sticking up for his sister.

‘It’s a difficult time for all of us. Georgie and Harry were my Jessica’s grandchildren and she’d want me to be here for their homecoming,’ Joyce replied stubbornly.

Not wanting a full-scale argument to ensue, Dominic stood up. ‘Now who would like a drink? Tea, coffee, something stronger perhaps?’ he asked brightly.

‘I’ll have a cup of tea, please,’ Stanley replied.

‘And I’ll have a large brandy and Baileys. After feeling like some decrepit outsider, perhaps it will cheer me up a bit,’ Joyce added sarcastically.

Fuming with her grandmother’s insensitivity over her plight, Frankie grabbed her brother’s arm and dragged him out of the lounge. ‘Nan is really getting on my tits, Joey, so either shut her up or get rid of her,’ she hissed.

‘I can’t just sling her out, can I?’ Joey replied uncomfortably.

Frankie glared at him. ‘Well, I’m telling you now, one more word out of that drama-queen mouth of hers and I will. I’ll drag her out the door by her fucking bouffant if I have to, so best you sort her out.’

After what seemed like an endless wait, Jimmy O’Hara finally went out at two o’clock that afternoon. He had a couple of other blokes who obviously lived on the site in his Shogun as well, which in Ed’s eyes was an added bonus and a good omen.

‘I’m sure Jed clocked me earlier, but Jimmy didn’t even glance our way,’ Stuart said as O’Hara’s Shogun drove past them. Both vans were parked in a nearby layby, but far enough away from the site to avoid too much suspicion.

Ed took his mobile out of his pocket and rang Gary. He had sent him and Ricky back to the barn with the binoculars so they could keep a close eye on the kids. ‘Jimmy’s just drove past us. Where’s Georgie and Harry?’ he asked. The adrenalin was running through his veins now, the excitement had kicked in.

‘Harry’s riding up and down on a quad bike with that other lad he was with earlier, and Georgie’s just gone inside the barn with her boyfriend. We hid behind it as they walked towards us, but then we moved and hid behind some trees,’ Gary replied.

Eddie paused before answering. ‘Right, we’ll grab Georgie first, then Harry afterwards. Stay where you are, Gal, and ring me if anything changes. I’m on my way over to you now.’

‘What about the boyfriend, though? He’s bound to run back to the site and alert ’em,’ Gary said.

‘I’ll deal with that little fucker, so don’t be worrying about him. Just stay where you are and I’ll be with you in ten minutes.’

Eddie put his phone in his pocket and turned to Raymond. ‘Grab plenty of rope and the duct tape. You come with me, and Tel, you stay ’ere with Stu. I shouldn’t think Jimmy will be back for ages, but if Jed returns, or anyone else, ring me immediately. Georgie’s in the barn with that lad, so I’ll nab her first, then we’ll drive on the site and get Harry.’

‘Be careful, Ed, if you’ve gotta drag her across that field, someone on the site might see you,’ Stuart warned.

‘They won’t. I’m gonna take her the long way round behind all them trees. They won’t be able to see fuck-all if we go the right way.’

As he was about to get out of the van, Ed’s phone rang. ‘What’s up?’ he asked Gary.

‘Harry’s drove up the road on that quad bike. We’ve lost sight of him, but he’s heading your way.’

‘Fuck,’ Eddie said, ending the call. ‘Right Stu, take them binoculars, get in the Renault and do not lose sight of Harry. He’s heading this way on a quad bike. Tel, you wait here and stay in the van. We’ll need to gel quickly. Ray, you got that rope and tape?’

Raymond nodded.

Eddie opened the passenger door. ‘Right. Let’s do it.’

Georgie O’Hara was becoming more sexually adventurous by the day. Kissing and cuddling Ryan Maloney was something she enjoyed immensely and whenever he pushed his erection against her or touched her boobies, it made her feel all excited and tingly down below. Ryan, on the other hand, was becoming more and more frustrated with the situation. He’d slept with a dozen or so girls in the past, all gorjers, and he wanted Georgie so badly it pained him. Obviously he respected her reluctance to entertain him. Any proud travelling man wanted to marry a decent girl, a virgin, but how he was meant to wait another three years without any sexual relief at all, he just didn’t know. Becoming overly rampant once again, Ryan sat himself up. He moved Georgie’s hand off his thigh and unscrewed the lid off the cider bottle. He took a few gulps, then passed the bottle to Georgie.

‘You don’t realise what an effect you have on me, Georgie girl. I know you said that you don’t wanna make love till we’re wed, and I respect you for that, but can’t we do something else in the meantime?’

Georgie drank some cider, handed the bottle back to Ryan and smiled smugly. She did realise what effect she had on Ryan and the thought made her feel all warm and happy inside. ‘I let you touch my boobies, don’t I?’ she said obstinately, as she flicked back her hair in the seductive way she’d practised in her nan’s full-length mirror.

Ryan sighed. ‘Yeah, I know you do, but can’t you touch me as well, Georgie? Please, I beg you.’

‘Touch you where?’ Georgie asked demurely. She knew exactly where Ryan wanted her to touch him, but she loved playing the innocent when it suited her.

Ryan put the cider bottle down, took Georgie’s hands in his and stared into her eyes with a pleading look in his own. ‘Look, Georgie, I’m a lot older than you and a man has needs. All I’m asking you to do is let me get me cory out and I want you to rub it for me. I can’t wait three years without any pleasure at all, and I don’t wanna cheat on you, because I love you too much.’