Dumfries (4 page)

“Good evening.  My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight. 

Great Britain and Iceland accused each other of aggression in angry letters exchanged at the United Nations in New York, as the Prime Minister, Edward Heath, warned in the commons that Britain would not stand by and allow Iceland to continue with it’s aggressive tactics in the cod war that is beginning to spiral out of control…

  A youth has been sentenced to fourteen years detention in a young offender’s institution by Lord Campbell of Claremyle, at the High Court in Glasgow today for bank robbery and attempting to murder two police officers whilst on duty on the 9
th
of November last year.  The sentence, handed out to eighteen-year-old John Taylor, is the longest ever imposed on a teenager in Scotland.  Taylor’s co-accused, eighteen-year-old Samuel Smith, was given a five-year sentence.  The bank robbery, which took place in The Clydeside Bank on Maryhill Road, instigated one of the biggest criminal investigations ever carried out in Scotland.  It was during the robbery, that a serving police sergeant and a police constable were both shot.  Both officers survived the vicious attack after it was found that the discharge from the shotgun used in the robbery contained rice.  Although it is known that there were four robbers in the bank plus a getaway driver outside, only Taylor, Smith and eighteen-year-old James Baxter, previously sentenced to nine years for his part in the robbery in January of this year, have ever been charged. Taylor and Smith remained impassive during Lord Campbell’s withering summing-up and refused to comment before being sentenced.  There will be more on this and the background to the story later in the programme…

  The funeral of a shooting victim took place at The Linn Crematorium today.  Thirty-six-year-old Francis McKinnon died instantly as he left The Three Rings public bar on Paisley Road West last Monday night.  It’s believed that Mr McKinnon was a well-known Glasgow underworld gangster and was a member of the so-called McGregor Clan.  So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident…

  A delighted pensioner has won a refurbished, top of the range, washing machine in Honest John McCaffrey’s Kitchen Essentials monthly grand draw.  Seventy-three-year-old Gladys McCabe said that although she is a regular visitor to Honest John’s Kitchen Essentials in Dumbarton Road, Partick, she has never been in a position to afford a washing machine of her own…

  The unannounced 24-hour rail strike that took place yesterday, causing nationwide disruption, has been blamed squarely on management after a previously agreed pay increase was delayed.  Union officials have warned management not to try the patience of its members and make the same mistake again, as train drivers representatives met in Glasgow this afternoon to…

  Britain’s hospitals, already suffering from the strike of ancillary workers now face a massive pay claim from 140,000 nurses.  NUPE said today that a meeting earlier this week failed to agree on a claim that would give nursing staff an average 40% wage increase. Under the claim, backed by twelve unions, a ward sister would get an increase of £10.80 on her current basic salary of £27 per week and a staff nurse would receive £7.20 on her £20.90 per week.  A spokesman for the government …

  The body of a prostitute was found strangled in a midden in Carlton early this morning.  The victim, who hasn’t been named by police as yet, is believed to be that of a thirty-three-year-old local woman who hasn’t been seen since leaving her three young children with a neighbour at 5.30pm on Tuesday evening. Police are asking for witnesses with any informa…”

Chapter Five

  Senga glanced at the face ae the clock oan her bedside table.  She swithered as tae whether she’d left it too late tae write the letter or no.  It wis twenty tae eleven and the bottle ae Blue Nun that her and Lizzie hid demolished earlier hid awready kicked in.  She’d tae be oot ae the door by quarter past six in the morning tae make it up tae The Royal oan time tae start her twelve hour shift at seven.  That meant her alarm wid go aff at five tae gie her time tae quickly jump in the bath before Lizzie stirred.  She hesitated, contemplating…staring at the writing paper and pen…sitting there, tormenting her, before leaning o’er and lifting her tights aff ae the electric radiator.  She put her haun intae wan ae the legs and splayed her fingers as she held them up in front ae the bedside lamp.  Despite hivving used a matchstick dipped in her nail varnish tae seal each end ae the ladder that morning, the rungs at the tap ae it hid extended another six inches.  That hid been the second pair that week, despite trimming they toenails ae hers.

  “Lizzie?”

  Silence.

  “Lizzie!”

  “W…whit?”

  “Ur ye still awake?”

  “Ah wisnae, bit Ah am noo,” Lizzie murmured fae the other side ae the wall.

  “Ah’ll need tae borrow a pair ae yer tights…clean wans…fur the morning,” Senga said, looking at the wall.

  Silence.

  “Lizzie?”

  “Whit?”

  “Did ye hear me?”

  “Whit?”

  “Ah said Ah’ll…”

  “Ah heard ye, Ah heard ye.  Take a pair oot ae ma basket in the kitchen,” Lizzie groaned sleepily.

  Senga smiled.  Lizzie Mathieson and Senga hid gone through their nursing training thegither.  When Senga hid first met her, Lizzie hid come across as being as docile as a church moose, until a group ae the nursing students hid heided oot in tae the toon oan a hen night.  An hour efter arriving, despite repeated warnings fae the bouncers, Lizzie hid been up oan stage wae the club dancers gieing it big licks, flashing her bum and boobs aw o’er the place.  Five minutes later, they’d aw been asked tae leave the club and if they wur ever tae return, they wur advised tae leave their nutter ae a pal at hame.  That hid been jist o’er two years ago.  Six days efter graduating as fully-fledged staff nurses, the baith ae them hid ended up working thegither in the madhoose that wis the casualty department up at The Royal Infirmary, until Lizzie wis transferred up tae wan ae the emergency wards at Stobhill General Hospital three months earlier.  Since becoming qualified, Senga hid been squirreling away a wee bit ae money oot ae her twenty-odd quid a week pay, towards a deposit oan a flat.  She’d been shocked tae find oot how much the rent wis gonnae cost her fur a wan-bedroomed flat oan her ain.  It hid jist seemed the obvious thing, at the time, fur her and Lizzie tae move in thegither efter Lizzie found oot that she wis getting shifted.

  “Even though we’ll say we’ll keep in touch, wance we’re separated, that’ll be that,” Lizzie hid informed her in the canteen efter being telt by Jill Shand, the casualty ward sister that she wis needed elsewhere.

  A few weeks efter that, they’d decided tae accept a wan-bedroomed flat, even though it wid mean wan ae them hivving tae sleep oan the couch and only getting the bed when the other wan wis oan the nightshift.  They’d come back fae viewing a nice flat across in Montague Crescent, jist aff ae Great Western Road and tae say they’d been disappointed by the size ae the living room and bedroom wid’ve been the understatement ae the year.  The pressure tae find somewhere quickly hid intensified when Lizzie turned up at Senga’s ma’s hoose oan Keppochhill Road in Springburn wae her bags.  Lizzie hid hid enough ae her situation at hame and the rent in Montague Crescent wis jist aboot affordable withoot them hivving tae live like hermits.  Lizzie hid wanted tae move in five minutes efter viewing the flat.  Lizzie and that da ae hers hid been hivving run-ins aboot her comings and gauns at aw hours ae the day and night.  Oan the day in question, Senga and Lizzie hid been hinging aboot in front ae wan ae the two lions ae the Cenotaph in George Square, waiting tae meet up wae Senga’s ma.  Lizzie hid flipped a ten pence coin up in the air.

  “Tails!” Senga hid shouted oot, only tae be disappointed, as a big grin appeared oan Lizzie’s face when the heid ae the queen smirked up at her fae Lizzie’s open palm.

  “Story ae ma life,” Senga hid sighed, looking aboot tae see if her ma wis anywhere tae be seen.

  “There ye go,” Lizzie hid said, pointing.

  “Where?”

  “Across there, in front ae Rabbie Burns.  She’s talking tae some auld guy in a suit.”

  “Right, let’s go.”

  Senga hidnae been too sure who the smartly dressed man wis that her ma hid been staunin talking tae at first.  While he sported a club tie, he didnae look like a plain-clothes detective or an insurance salesman.  She hidnae been aware that her ma knew anywan that wore a smart, expensive suit and tie during the day.  He looked tae be in his early fifties and Senga could tell, even though her and Lizzie wur still a good distance away fae him, that there wis jist something aboot him that wis different fae the other smartly dressed Corporation officials and businessmen crisscrossing George Square.  His stance, while talking tae her ma, oozed a confidence that wis clearly visible fae a distance, and wis similar tae the way the surgeons up at The Royal came across in their daily dealings wae minions like her and Lizzie.

  “Oh, there ye ur, Senga.  Say hello tae Wan-bob.  Wan-bob, Ah don’t know if ye’ll remember, bit this is Senga, ma youngest, and her pal, Lizzie,” her ma hid beamed.

  “Ah, you must be the nurse, eh?  Yer ma wis jist telling me how proud her and yer da ur ae yer achievements, hen,” Mr Broon hid said, smiling.

  As soon as her ma hid said the name, and she’d clocked the two equally well-dressed, well-built bears, that Senga hidnae noticed up until then, casually loitering nearby, the penny hid drapped.

  “Er, hello, Mr Broon.”

  “Hellorerr, girls, pleased tae meet youse.  So, whit hiv youse been up tae the day, eh? Oot spending aw that hard-earned dosh, nae doubt,” he’d said wae a friendly chuckle.

  “We’ve jist been oot and aboot looking fur oor first flat thegither efter graduating,” Lizzie, no known fur her shyness, hid responded pleasantly.

  “Oh, ye hiv, hiv ye?  And how hiv youse goat oan then?” he’d asked.

  “We’ve been searching fur a few weeks noo and we think we’ve found wan we like across in Montague Crescent, jist aff Great Western Road, that we kin jist afford.  It’s wee, bit it’ll dae fur the time being, at least,” Senga hid replied.

  “Aye, we’ve jist tossed a coin tae see who’s getting the couch,” Lizzie hid added.

  “So, ye lost the toss, Senga?” Wan-bob hid asked, smiling.

  “Ah’m afraid so.”

  “So, why ur ye no gaun fur a two bedroom flat then?”

  “We cannae afford it.”

  “So, efter lying oan a couch aw night, ye’ll be expected tae put in a full shift the next day in the casualty department as well?” Wan-bob hid asked, wan eyebrow raised. “Aye, yer ma telt me where in The Royal ye work.”

  “Oh, it’s no as bad as it sounds, Mr Broon.  Ah’ll get the bed during the day when Ah’m oan the nightshift,” Senga hid replied, attempting tae lessen the impact ae their situation.

  “Twelve hour shifts, Wan-bob.  Ah’ve telt Senga that she disnae need tae leave hame, bit she won’t listen, so she wullnae,” her ma hid chipped in.

  “Hiv ye signed the lease or put doon a deposit yet?” Wan-bob hid asked them.

  “No yet.  We wur meeting up fur a bite tae eat wae Ma and then me and Lizzie ur heiding up tae the factor’s office wae two months deposit and tae collect oor rent book.”

  “Aye, well, jist haud yer horses a wee bit, girls.  Who’s the factor?”

  “A Mr Montieth fae Woodside Accommodation,” Lizzie hid replied.

  “Bob Montieth?  Ach, Ah know Bob…he’s a business partner ae mine.  Look, girls, hing back fur a day or two and Ah’ll see whit Ah kin dae, eh?” Wan-bob hid volunteered.

  “Oh, er, look, we don’t want tae put ye tae any trouble, Mr Broon,” Senga hid stammered, embarrassed.

  “Ach, not at all, girls, not at all, don’t ye worry aboot a thing.  Ah’m jist glad Ah kin be ae help tae an auld and dear friend’s daughter.  Look, Ah’ll need tae shoot-the-craw.  Ah’ve goat a wee bit ae business tae attend tae.  Ah’ll send wan ae ma boys up tae yer ma’s o’er the next few days tae let ye know how Ah’ve goat oan, okay?”

  And wae that, wan ae the biggest gangsters in Glesga hid disappeared in the direction ae The Queen’s Bar oan North Fredrick Street, efter gieing her ma a wee peck oan the cheek.

  “Well, wis that no a piece ae good luck then, eh?” her ma hid exclaimed, her eyes shining and a big smile oan her face.

  Two days later, Senga and Lizzie hid picked up the keys tae a spacious, two-bedroomed flat in tree-lined Barrington Drive, which wis ten quid a month cheaper than the wee, wan-bedroomed wan, that they’d been gonnae sign a lease oan originally.  They also didnae hiv tae put doon a deposit either.  At first, Lizzie hid accepted their good luck withoot question, then no long efter they’d moved in, she’d started tae pester Senga aboot the well-dressed businessman who’d goat them a flat wae cheap rent and nae deposit.

  “Look, the guy’s a gangster.  In fact, he’s probably the biggest gangster in Glesga, so he is,” she’d said tae Lizzie wan night when they wur hauf-pissed.

  “A gangster?  Ye mean tae tell me yer ma hings aboot wae gangsters?” Lizzie hid scoffed in disbelief.

  “Of course she disnae, ya idiot, ye.”

  “So, whit’s the connection then?”

  “She knew him at school.  They wur brought up thegither in the Toonheid when they wur wee weans.  Ah didnae know she knew him.  It wis only efter we went hame that day efter he said he’d help us, that Ma telt me how she knew him.”

  “Aye, bit did she tell ye he wis a gangster…a real gangster?” Lizzie hid persisted.

  “Naw, bit Ah realised that Ah’d seen him before.  He’s been in the lounge in Jonah’s up in Springburn that me and ma pals drank in a few times.”

  “And?”

  “And, well, nothing.”

  “So, how dae ye know he’s a big-time gangster then?”

  “That…that friend ae mine…Johnboy, knows him quite well and his name’s come up in company in the past.”

  “Johnboy?  Whit, no Johnboy The Basturt, famous fur dangling ye aboot oan the end ae a string since ye wur a wean…that Johnboy?”

  “Lizzie, shut yer geggy, and pour the wine,” Senga remembered retorting, while lifting up her empty glass and waving it across at her.

  Whit Senga hidnae telt Lizzie that night wis that Johnboy hid asked her oot fur a date, the day before he’d been arrested.  And it wisnae jist fur a drink doon at Jonah’s wae the rest ae the crowd either, bit fur something tae eat before heiding oan tae the pictures in the toon centre.  She’d known Johnboy Taylor since they’d sat thegither in class at St David’s Primary school.  Oan her tenth birthday, he’d bravely turned up in class wae a box ae Maltesers and a birthday card.  The teacher, Olive Oyl, hid made such a fuss aboot it, that Johnboy hid crawled back intae his shell efter Senga hid refused tae accept them, and although friendly and wan ae her pals, he’d avoided any closer contact wae her ever since. There hid been a few times o’er the years when it looked like something might happen between them, bit her best pal, Pearl Campbell, hid been in love wae him even mair than whit Senga hid been, so any opportunity fur gaun oot winching, hid evaporated in a pipe dream.  No long efter Pearl finally realised that Johnboy wisnae interested in her as a girlfriend, she moved away up north as a junior reporter or whitever it wis they called apprentice reporters these days, tae work oan a newspaper called The Northern Scot in a place called Elgin.  This, efter aw they years, hid left the field open fur Senga at long last.  No only that, bit Pearl hid written tae her saying that she wis gaun oot wae some farmer boy.  The day before their first official date, Johnboy and another pal ae Senga’s, Silent Smith, hid goat arrested fur robbing a bank up in Maryhill the previous November in which two polismen hid been shot.  As if that hidnae been bad enough, he’d been found in bed wae Michelle Hope, whose da wis wan ae the local Springburn polis and wan ae the polis team who’d kicked doon Johnboy and Silent’s front door in the early hours ae the morning roond in Heim Street.  It hid also been aroond aboot that time that Senga hid heard that Johnboy hid been seeing Michelle aff and oan fur a while.  When she’d asked him if he wis still seeing her, efter he’d asked her oot, he’d telt her he wisnae.  Efter getting o’er the initial shock, it hid taken Senga a good few months no tae feel hurt and let doon by Johnboy’s lie.  Like a typical mug, she’d still gone up and visited him, while he wis oan remand, up in Barlinnie.  He’d no only denied being Michelle Hope’s steady boyfriend, bit hid sworn oan his ma’s grave that he hidnae hid any involvement in the bank robbery.  Senga knew he wisnae an angel, and despite aw his faults, she’d been convinced that he wisnae the type ae person that wid shoot somewan, polis or no…ae that she’d been certain.  Getting caught in bed the night before they wur supposed tae be gaun oot oan their first official date hid been a different matter aw thegither.  It hid been like somewan sticking a knife through her heart.  Lizzie hid been right when she pointed oot that her and Johnboy wurnae actually gaun oot thegither at the time, so why wid he no be like any other guy, and get it while he could?