The Feud (39 page)

‘Not yet. Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know if and when we do,’ Raymond replied, chuckling.

Desperate to cure his dehydration, Eddie passed his house and carried on through the lanes. He had a couple of phone calls to make and couldn’t make them indoors.

The Optimist was a pub only a few minutes from his home. He pulled into the car park and strolled inside. ‘Pint of Kronenberg,’ he said to the barmaid.

Taking his drink outside, Eddie sat at one of the wooden tables. He was sweltering, but there was no way he would take his shirt off. He hated it when he saw geezers in pubs with no tops on. People had no decorum these days, no respect. Ed had a fit body and he wouldn’t do it. These arseholes that chose to strip half naked were always big fat pricks with bellies like darts players.

Eddie rang home first. He needed to make sure all was OK. ‘All right, Jess? I’ll be home soon, love. I bet the twins are happy, aren’t they? Are they home yet?’

‘Yeah, they’re playing with the dogs in the garden.’

‘Give ’em a shout, Jess, I wanna talk to ’em.’

Bewildered, Jessica called the kids. Eddie never usually asked to speak to them on the phone.

‘What’s up, Dad?’ Frankie asked.

‘Bet you and Joey are over the moon, ain’t ya? No more school, eh? You still going out celebrating with your mates tonight?’

Frankie giggled. ‘Over the moon’s putting it mildly. Yeah, we’re still going out. There’s loads of us, so it should be a really good night.’

‘Where you off to – the pub?’

‘Yeah, probably the Albion,’ Frankie replied. She didn’t want him knowing that they were hanging out at the Berwick Manor.

‘Ask your mum if she wants me to bring home a takeaway.’

Frankie did as she was told. ‘No, it’s OK, Dad. Mum’s already cooked something.’

Eddie ended the call and quickly made the other. When he had first heard the rumours about Joey, he had done nothing, apart from blowing Terry Palmer’s brains out.

Palmer’s murder had been all over the local news. The Old Bill had even come to the house, but Jessica had given him an alibi by saying he was at home all evening and hadn’t left her side. When the police left, Jessica had questioned him herself. ‘You were just out with the dogs, weren’t you, Eddie? Swear to me that you didn’t kill that man.’

‘I swear on our unborn baby’s life, I was out with the dogs,’ Eddie insisted.

He actually wasn’t lying. When he had murdered Terry Palmer, Buster and Bruno were in his motor outside Palmer’s flat. The dogs were his accomplices.

Jessica never mentioned the incident again and neither
did he. He had no worries about Paulie or Ronny saying anything to the filth. His brothers might be jealous wankers, but they were no snitches. Grasses didn’t exist in the Mitchell empire; never had and never would.

Eddie had bided his time, watching Joey closely. He had never mentioned his son’s sexuality to Jessica, Raymond or anyone since that day. Jessica must have thought he had forgotten all about it, especially since Joey had brought the pretend girlfriend home, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The thought of his son being a raving iron was eating away at Eddie’s insides and he needed to know if it was true. After a lot of thought, he had scoured through the Yellow Pages and hired a private detective. He had been careful. He picked one miles away, a woman called Gina, and provided her with a false name. He called himself John Smith.

‘A mate of mine’s got this problem. His daughter’s dating some kid called Joey and he thinks the lad could be playing her about. My pal’s got a few bob and his daughter’s quite a plain girl. He reckons this Joey’s only with her because she’s worth money. He’s even heard a rumour that this Joey lad’s gay.’

Gina had guessed that Eddie’s pal was actually himself. She often had clients come to her with cock and bull stories. At the end of the day it was none of her business. Her only concern was doing her job properly and getting paid. Gina had had more John Smiths on her books than she could remember. It was a very common name that people chose to use. She had never had a John Smith like this one, though. This one was mind-blowingly handsome, with sexuality oozing from every pore.

As Gina answered the phone, Eddie spoke quietly but clearly. ‘Me pal’s just rung me. Joey’s blown his daughter
out tonight, so can you follow him? If you see him looking intimate with another geezer, he wants you to follow them wherever they go. He needs you to get Joey’s mate’s full name and address.’

Gina smiled at the gruff, sexy voice. ‘OK, Mr Smith. Does your friend want me to follow Joey from his house in Rainham?’

‘Yeah, he does,’ Eddie replied. He had already given Gina £500 quid upfront to gain her confidence. He had promised her another £1,500 once she came up with the information he wanted. ‘If me mate owes you any more dough, let me know and I’ll run it down to your office.’

‘No, it’s fine at the moment. Tell your friend that he’s still in credit, Mr Smith.’

Eddie arranged to call her the following day and went to get another pint. So far Gina had followed Joey three times, but had come up with nothing. It was only a matter of time, Ed thought, as he sat back down. He would eventually find out the truth and when he did, there would be murders – literally!

Frankie was having a fantastic time in the Berwick Manor. She and Jed had swallowed ecstasy tablets earlier and, after feeling sick, she had just come up on it.

As Inner City’s ‘Good Life’ came pumping out of the speakers, she dragged Jed onto the dancefloor.

Seeing Dominic talking to his school friends, Joey quickly dragged him away. ‘Are you OK?’ Dominic asked, concerned.

‘Not really. I’m paranoid in here. It’s too close to home for my liking.’

Dominic smiled. ‘I’ve stacked our room up with alcohol. I’ve got some puff as well. Shall we take a rain check?’

Desperate to kiss Dom more than anything else in the world, Joey managed to stop himself. ‘I’ll just go and find Frankie, tell her we’re leaving,’ he said excitedly.

Joey found his sister on the dancefloor. Whispering his plans in her ear, he returned to Dominic and ushered him out of the packed, smoky club. Outside was desolate and Joey had the devil inside as he dragged Dom around the side of the building. It had been over two weeks since he had touched or even kissed him.

Both boys were totally unaware of the dark-haired woman sitting in the black Nissan Micra. Seeing the boys get into a minicab, Gina put her camera on the passenger seat. Mr Smith would be thrilled with the photographs she had just taken. All she had to do now was find out Joey’s friend’s full name and address, and her work would be complete.

Jed O’Hara had his own trailer on his father’s land. He had often asked Frankie to stay there in the past, but she had always refused. Tonight, however, with the ecstasy tablet clouding her judgement, Frankie was up for an adventure.

As Jed parked his Shogun on his father’s drive, he took Frankie by the hand.

‘Oh, my God! What the fuck is that?’ Frankie said, as she spotted an animal with horns walking towards her.

Jed giggled. The Es they had taken were fucking strong. ‘It’s a ram, you dinlo. What the fuck did you think it was? An elephant?’

Frankie was laughing hysterically as they traipsed across the field. Jed opened the door of his trailer and they fell into one another’s arms. The sex on an E was sensational, and they were at it hammer and tongs for hours.

Finally, Frankie gently pushed Jed away. She was sore down below and needed a break. ‘Can I have a look around?’ she asked him. So far, all she had seen of the trailer was the bedroom.

Jed poured them both a pint of water and smiled as she took in the surroundings. Frankie had no knowledge of travellers before she had met Jed and the way they lived intrigued her. ‘Why have you got so much china?’ she asked him.

Jed laughed. ‘’Cause me mother decorated it for me. She collects china and because she’s run out of room indoors, she now stores it in mine.’

Frankie stared intently at the plates decorating the wall. They were beautiful and had horses pulling pretty little gypsy carts.

‘You ever been on a horse and cart?’ Jed asked her.

Frankie smiled. ‘No. Why? Have you?’

Jed chuckled. ‘Course I have, you dinlo. I used to race the bloody things. I tell you what, daylight’s breaking now. Shall I harness one up and take you out for a ride?’

Frankie burst out laughing. ‘Go on, then, let’s do it.’

At 5.30 a.m., Jed and Frankie trotted off down the road. ‘Hey up,’ Jed shouted as he whipped the filly on the arse.

‘I love where you live. Your life’s so exciting, Jed. My house is so boring – it’s nothing like yours.’

Jed held both reins in his right hand. He put his left arm around Frankie. ‘Move in with me?’

‘I can’t. My dad will kill me,’ Frankie replied immediately.

‘Tell him about us. I ain’t frightened of your father and neither should you be. He’s gonna find out we’re together one day, ain’t he?’

Frankie sighed. ‘Yeah, I know, but not yet. You don’t know my dad – he’ll go mental, I know he will.’

Approaching a bend, Jed held the reins back in both hands. ‘Trot on,’ he said, making a funny clicking noise with his mouth.

Thinking of her dad gave Frankie the heebie-jeebies. Say he drove along and saw her? Feeling worried all of a sudden, she laid her head on Jed’s shoulder. ‘I’m cold. Can we go back now? I haven’t got to be home yet. We can go back to bed if you like.’

Jed turned his head and kissed her gently on the lips. ‘I bet you marry me within a year. I’ll bet you anything you like.’

Frankie burst out laughing. Jed oozed so much confidence. He had such a glow, you could almost warm your hands on him. Poking her tongue out, Frankie snatched the reins out of Jed’s hands.

‘Trot on,’ she yelled. ‘Trot on!’

Jimmy O’Hara had never been a man to lie in bed of a morning. His Alice was the same and they had their own little routines. Alice would get up like a good wife should and clean the house till it sparkled. Jimmy would feed the animals and do the dirty jobs, which men were supposed to do.

As he saw the horse and cart pull onto the drive, Jimmy’s eyes widened. He had been aware of a horse trotting about earlier, but thought he had dreamed it. Seeing Jed jump off the cart, he threw down the bucket he was holding and moved nearer to see who the pretty little filly was. He had seen the girl before, she definitely looked familiar, but she didn’t look like a travelling girl. His Jed was a dark horse. Jimmy had guessed by Jed’s recent behaviour that he had met a bird he liked, but Jed had said very little about her.

Jimmy sneaked around the back of his house so he
could get a closer peek. Seeing Frankie not twenty yards from him, realisation crept in and Jimmy smiled with such gusto, it nearly pushed his teeth out. ‘It’s fucking Eddie Mitchell’s girl,’ Jimmy whispered as he ducked down, desperate not to be seen.

As Jed shut the door of his trailer, Jimmy stood up. Unable to stop himself, he laughed out loud. Eddie Mitchell was one flash bastard, and wiping the smile off his smarmy face would make Jimmy the happiest man in the universe.

Eddie was in a foul mood the following day. ‘Where’s the twins?’ he asked Jess.

Jessica shrugged. ‘They’re not back yet. I think they stayed round their friend’s house.’

Ed glared at her. ‘Whaddya mean, you think? It’s your duty to know where they are. I’ve told you time and time again to keep tabs on ’em. You’re far too fucking lenient, Jess.’

‘I do keep tabs on them, but just lately they’ve been a bit secretive. I’ve a feeling our Frankie’s got a boyfriend and Joey’s covering up for her,’ Jessica said honestly.

‘Your parenting skills leave a lot to be desired. Best you find out what Frankie’s up to, ’cause if she comes home pregnant, I’ll crucify her and fucking blame you,’ Ed shouted as he slammed the kitchen door.

The twins finally arrived home at Saturday teatime. Desperate to know the truth about Joey, Eddie tried to call Gina, but her mobile was switched off. ‘Bollocks,’ Ed shouted, chucking his phone against the wall. The not knowing was torture. At least once he had some proof, he could do something about it.

On the Sunday morning, Jessica had a list of jobs for Ed to do and it wasn’t until lunchtime, when her parents arrived, that Eddie had a chance to escape. ‘Right, I’ve vacced your car and tidied up the garden. You’re OK with your parents for a bit, ain’t ya? I’m gonna take the dogs out for a run.’

Jessica gave him a dubious look. He never usually took Buster and Bruno for a run. The last time he had, there had been a murder and the police had come knocking on the door. ‘You’re not going far, are you? How long will you be?’ Jessica asked him suspiciously.

‘I dunno. For fuck’s sake, Jess, I’ve worked me bollocks off all morning. Give us a break, will ya?’

Jessica felt uneasy as he left the house. She could always tell when Eddie had something on his mind and she was sure he was up to no good. He’d been in a funny mood for days now and certainly wasn’t his chirpy self.

Bored with sitting with Stanley, Joyce walked into the kitchen. ‘Let me help you, dear. Shall I peel some potatoes or veg for you?’

‘You go and sit in the lounge with Dad. Everything’s under control, Mum.’

‘I can’t sit in there with your father. Been doing my head in all weekend, he has. Just got himself a new cock, ain’t he? It’s all he talks about. Called it Willie, he has, as a tribute to Willie Carson. I mean, how can you call a cock Willie? Ain’t normal, is it, Jess?’

Jessica burst out laughing. Her mother was hilarious and she didn’t even realise it.

‘There you are! Is Joey still in bed?’ Jessica asked, as Frankie suddenly appeared.

Kissing her nan, Frankie flopped onto a chair. She
didn’t want to be stuck in all day – she wanted to be out with Jed, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. ‘Joey’s getting up now, Mum. I know we’re having dinner and all that, but do you mind if I go out afterwards?’

Jessica felt her hackles rise. Frankie was always out lately and Jessica barely saw her. Sometimes she stayed out all night and Jessica had a feeling that she had met a boy and was up to Christ knows what. ‘Will it hurt you to stay in for one day? Gary and Ricky are coming over, so are Raymond and Polly. This is meant to be a celebration for you and Joey leaving school.’