Dumfries (6 page)

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

  Figures released today by Assistant Chief Constable Jack Tipple highlight a significant drop in armed robberies of general post offices in the north of the city over the past three months.  Mr Tipple has put this down to a well-known group of young thugs being imprisoned recently on other non-related charges…

  It’s been nearly a year now since devoted father of ten, thirty-seven-year-old, Derek McGuiness, disappeared whilst out shopping in Glasgow city centre.  In an emotional press conference, Mr McGuiness’s wife urged members of the public with any information as to the whereabouts of her husband to contact the police.  Mrs McGuiness hit out at those she claimed were ‘mischief-makers’ after it was suggested that Mr McGuiness was an underworld enforcer…

  Glasgow’s small Cambodian community has been celebrating after the US Senate ordered the bombing of Cambodia to stop.  Mr Rith Touch, a Cambodian exile, living with his family in the west of the city, said that he was delighted with the decision.  Mr Touch said that all those Cambodians living in the city had lost family members as a result of the extensive and unprovoked bombing by the US military…

  Four women, all persistent repeat offenders, were arrested in Springburn this morning and charged with breach of the peace after violently clashing with Sheriff Officers at a warrant sale in Elmvale Street. In an unusual twist of events, Procurator Fiscal Glenda Metcalf, charged with prosecuting the offenders, failed to convince Sheriff Clifford Burns not to place the prisoners on petition, but instead, allow the case to be tried in the lesser Marine District Court in Partick…

  Passers-by had to flee for their lives after a runaway unmanned bus mounted a pavement on Hollow Glen Road in Springboig this afternoon.  A Police spokesman said that the bus, with eighteen passengers on board, was left stationary after the driver decided to drop off a parcel to a relative, whilst on his route.  The bus driver was suspended from duty whilst an investigation is being carried out…

  A housewife informed police that she hoped she had killed her husband after being arrested for stabbing him seven times, having suffered domestic violence at his hands since the nineteen fifties.  Despite her husband telling Lord Brady that he deserved it and had since sought help about curtailing his temper when he was drunk, the High Court judge sentenced Martha Jennings to four years in prison.  Mr Jennings said after the sentence that he didn’t know how he was going to cope at home without his wife…

A total of seventeen women, aged between seventeen and eighty-three years of age, were admitted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary’s casualty department last Friday and Saturday night after being assaulted, either by their husbands or boyfriends, surgeon Ian Mackay told a visiting group of MPs earlier today…”

Chapter Seven

  Johnboy cursed under his breath fur the umpteenth time.  Who the hell wis he?  He’d been wracking that brain ae his fur a place and time, bit hid come up wae nothing bit a blank page.  This meant he’d need tae be alert and oan his guard as soon as he wis let oot ae the cell intae the wee corridor.  He wis convinced that he knew the face, bit jist couldnae place it.  That wisnae that unusual in a place like Longriggend, seeing as maist people hid that wanted poster look aboot them, bit the face he’d clocked in the cell jist alang fae him, when baith ae their doors hid been opened up, hidnae come across as being too friendly.  Johnboy wid’ve sworn oan the bible that whoever his neighbour wis, hid been scowling across at him, while he wis being served up his dollop ae lumpy porridge that morning.  At first he’d been annoyed at himsel fur no challenging The Scowler straight away and demanding tae know who the fuck he wis looking at when he’d hid the chance.  Noo that he’d hid the time tae ponder oan the situation, he’d relaxed a bit.  He noo hid the chance tae take control and deal wae the situation up close, oan his terms.  Johnboy didnae think the scowling YO realised that he’d cottoned oan tae him.  He knew fine well that this wis bound tae happen, bit he’d hoped he’d escape the attention ae angry people looking fur revenge, at least until him and Silent goat doon tae Dumfries tae be wae the rest ae The Mankys.  The biggest fly in the ointment ae being involved wae a bunch ae scallywags like The Mankys, which he’d always bloody detested as far back as he could remember, wis their constant need fur inflicting violence oan people.  Fur years, Johnboy hid always tried tae steer him and Silent towards money-making schemes that didnae involve inflicting physical pain and bloodshed or getting themsels intae situations where they themsels wid be confronted by mad basturts wanting tae kill them. Fur somewan Johnboy and Silent’s age, in a place like Glesga, that wis easier said than done.  The city wis teeming wae gangs, full ae wee tickets, aw wanting tae stab fuck oot ae anywan that hidnae been brought up wherever their gang hailed fae.  Every teenage boy between the ages ae thirteen and twenty wan in Glesga hid tae deal wae that daily hazard.  Fur Johnboy, the fact that aw his best pals, who he ran aboot wae oan an almost daily basis, used violence as a tool tae get the job done as casually as a painter and decorator used an emulsion brush, meant the chances ae being stabbed, garrotted or shot wur far higher than maist ae yer normal run-ae-the-mill teenagers oot and aboot, chasing lassies oan a Friday and Saturday night.  Efter The Mankys hid helped oot Pat Molloy, The Big Man, tae get shot ae a big time gangster and been duly rewarded by him fur their efforts, Johnboy hid thought that the continuing threat ae violence towards him and Silent wid ease aff a wee bit.  Christ, how bloody wrang he’d been wae that wan. There wur three main threats tae his and Silent’s survival, fur making it tae adulthood, as far as Johnboy could make oot.  The first wis the gangs running aboot in every part ae the toon, wanting tae kill innocent people who hidnae done anything tae upset anywan.  The second wis the reaction fae people who thought and acted like The Mankys, who wur also beavering away, trying their best tae move up the greasy pole, towards the big time league. The fact that they couldnae fathom oot exactly whit The Mankys hid, that they didnae, made life a real pain in the arse.  As far as The Mankys wur concerned, and they wur determined tae keep it that way, nowan wis aware ae their involvement in the demise ae Tam Simpson.  Whit people hid picked up oan, and then gone oan tae make up their ain stories aboot, wis that Pat Molloy, The Big Man, through Wan-bob Broon, his right haun man in the toon, wis endorsing Tony Gucci and the manky-arsed crew behind him.  Wance that fact hid become known in certain circles, it hid been like something oot ae the auld Wild West.  Fur some strange reason, known only tae themsels, it hid been like a young gunslinger wanting tae lay waste tae the auld haun, tae make their mark, be noticed and hopefully be accepted.  Fur others, it wis mair psychological…like, ‘Who the fuck dae they think they ur?  We better show them that, jist because they’re in wae Wan-bob Broon disnae mean they kin stroll aboot the place as if they own it.’  And the third, and maist dangerous part ae the whole rigmarole that Johnboy and Silent hid tae steer they arses ae theirs through wis The Mankys themsels.  The selfish basturts bloody well basked in the notoriety ae hivving a reputation ae being sick fuckers who widnae back doon fae anywan, no matter who or where they came fae.  It wis a right pain in the arse, so it wis.  Anywan, irrespective ae who they wur, wanting tae hiv a go, wis mair than welcomed wae open erms.  Tony’s warped logic wis that the quicker people realised and accepted that they wur noo established, embedded in the street fabric up in Springburn, the better.  He believed that it wis better tae get things o’er and done wae sooner rather than later. Efter The Simpsons wur wiped oot, Tony mustered everywan intae action tae take whit he believed wis rightfully theirs before anywan else goat in there or Wan-bob Broon changed his mind aboot them being an asset in the north ae the city.  This action included taken the fight tae everywan and operating wherever the fuck they wanted.  Any dissention, real or imagined, fae anywan, resulted in the opposition, irrespective ae who they wur or how big they believed their reputation wis, being stabbed, shot or their business or hooses being firebombed.  Aw The Mankys, wae the exception ae Johnboy, hid been in their element.  An example ae whit they’d been getting away wae, wis the run-in that Snappy Johnston and Ben McCallum hid hid wae Jumping Jack Jacobs, wan ae Blaster Mackay’s right-haun men and main enforcer, up in the Balmore Industrial Estate.  Blaster Mackay, the heid Gorilla up in Milton and Balmore, hid disappeared oan the same day that his ally, Tam Simpson, goat his brains blown oot and that psycho brother ae his, Toby, alang wae Bootsy Bell, another right nasty shite-hoose, hid permanently disappeared intae history.  The first tell-tale signs that Blaster’s health hid been affected, hid been when the bizzies came across wan ae his lorries abandoned, oot oan Great Western Road in Anniesland.  The wagon hid been full ae chickens that hid been deliberately let loose tae wander across the busy road during the morning rush hour.  Although there hid been a lot ae speculation in the papers at the time aboot whit hid happened tae Blaster, The Mankys and anywan else wae any sense, knew fine well that it hid been a show ae strength, and a very public warning, tae the so-called underworld in Glesga ae whit wid happen tae them, if they crossed The Big Man.  How Jumping Jack Jacobs and they sons ae his hid survived the first sweep ae The Big Man’s retribution towards anywan associated wae The Simpsons, hid been partially explained by Wee Eck Thomas wan night tae Snappy, efter he’d been discharged fae hospital.  Johnboy wisnae sure how Snappy knew Wee Eck, bit it hid been Snappy who’d supplied Wee Eck wae a load ae Rob Roy frozen chickens that him and Ben hid nabbed efter hijacking wan ae The Big Man’s vans up in Colston a week or so before The Simpsons hid goat wiped oot oan Hogmanay back in nineteen seventy wan.  He knew he shouldnae, bit Johnboy couldnae help smiling tae himsel, while he twisted his body roond so that he wis lying oan his back, facing the brick wall that ran the length ae his bed, wae the heels ae his bare feet, resting oan the painted bricks above him. Tony hid always speculated as tae whether Wee Eck selling The Big Man’s good frozen chickens roond aboot Milton, Blaster’s territory, hid
been the catalyst fur Blaster and his crowd being wiped oot.  Anyhow, according tae that Wee Eck wan, as payment fur being left alive and his family intact, Jumping Jack hid agreed tae haun o’er wan ae his main business interests tae Wan-bob. The business in question, which Snappy and Ben noo owned, hid been a pallet repair and supply shed oan the Balmore Industrial Estate.  Whitever the original arrangements and agreements hid been at the time, there seemed tae be a wee hiccup wae the actual hand o’er and it wis taking ages fur the legal transfer tae take place.  Wan-bob hid goat Donna The Prima Donna, The Big Man’s bookkeeper, tae go o’er Jumping Jack’s books.  She’d been convinced that Jumping Jack wis operating three sets ae books insteid ae the usual two, those being the phony ‘legitimate’ wans fur the tax people and another wan that Jumping Jack claimed wis his ain wans.  Donna wis convinced that this second set, wur jist put up tae fool a creeping predator like Wan-bob.  There wis nae doubt aboot it.  He wis a clever basturt wis Jumping Jack Jacob. The only problem fur Wan-bob wis that Donna The Prima Donna couldnae prove there wis a third set ae books, despite her considerable reputation fur being able tae sniff oot a farthing fae the bottom ae a bucket ae shite. The problem, fae whit Snappy hid telt Tony and Johnboy wan night in Jonah’s, wis that Wan-bob didnae want tae be lumbered wae a business that wisnae grossing much dosh.  The only reason gangsters goat involved in legitimate businesses wis so that the business could act as a smother fur the real money that wis covering the lifestyle costs elsewhere.  As it currently stood, according tae Jumping Jack Jacob’s business books, the profits wur low and there wis jist too much work involved tae justify running wae it.  Meanwhile, while this wee stand-off wis being played oot, wan ae Jumping Jack’s stupid sons, Ruddy Robert, so-called because ae that ruddy red face ae his, who didnae get oan wae his da, hid taken umbrage at Snappy and Ben hijacking wagons fae some ae the industrial depots up in Lambhill.  There hid awready been a few wee skirmishes between them before The Simpsons’ and Blaster MacKay’s demise, though nothing too serious, bit wance the problems between The Big Man and they Simpsons hid been resolved, Snappy and Ben, egged oan by Tony, hid taken the opportunity tae take advantage ae the situation by kicking in Ruddy Robert’s front door and stabbing him seven times aboot the heid and body.  When wan ae Ruddy’s younger brothers hid come looking tae redress the insult tae the family name, Ben hid taken a baseball bat tae that thick skull ae his.  Efter months ae farting aboot wae Wan-bob, Jumping Jack, even though he’d never goat oan wae his sons, hid signed o’er the pallet business promptly.  Charlie Hastie, Wan-bob’s right-haun man in the toon, hid telt Tony that Jumping Jack believed that the attack oan his family wis instigated by Wan-bob, tae encourage him tae get his finger oot ae that tight-fisted arse ae his.  In the meantime, Snappy and Ben hid gone aboot their business ae pillaging aw the transport and haulage businesses up in Lambhill and Balmore, free fae worrying aboot any comeback fae Jumping Jack Jacob or any ae they sons ae his. It wis amazing when ye thought aboot it.  Three months earlier, Ben and Snappy, and probably the rest ae The Mankys wid’ve been kidnapped, tortured and shot in the back ae the heid, before ending up in a shallow grave oot in the Ochil Hills somewhere fur even sneezing in Jumping Jack Jacobs direction.  Despite plenty ae digging in tae the business, Donna The Prima Donna jist couldnae discover where the real money wis coming in, so hid reluctantly admitted defeat.  In the end, Charlie Hastie hid met up wae Snappy and Ben and explained the situation tae them.  He’d telt them aboot Wan-bob and Donna The Prima Donna’s suspicions and hid then gone oan tae offer them the pallet business fur seven hunner and fifty quid.  It wis a bit ae a gamble, bit Snappy and Ben hid jumped at it.  They’d approached Johnboy and Silent aboot investing and becoming partners, bit Johnboy’d hid enough ae pallets, efter working in a pallet shoap in borstal back in 1971, where Silent hid nearly been killed when he’d been stabbed in the lung by Toffee Arse Simpson, the youngest ae The Simpsons, who wis noo in hiding.  No long efter acquiring the business, wan ae the big whisky distillers that Snappy hid been robbing and hijacking fur years, hid goat in contact wae the business, demanding tae know when they wur getting their next batch ae pallets. A week efter that, three mair distillers, plus two breweries hid been oan the blower, demanding their pallets.  Soon, the phone hid started ringing aff the wall.  Guys who Jumping Jack hid laid aff a few weeks earlier, withoot warning, jist as Wan-bob’s firestorm erupted, started tae turn up and enquire whether there wis any chance ae them getting their auld jobs back.  When Wan-bob hid heard aboot their wee financial windfall, he’d gone aff his heid, bit Jumping Jack Jacob and they thick sons ae his hid awready left toon by that time. 

  Johnboy turned and looked across tae the wee gap at the bottom ae the cell door. He’d detected movement and the quiet sound ae footsteps ootside in the corridor, bringing him back tae the problem in haun.  He held his breath and listened, wondering if it wis wan ae the screws sneaking aboot.  He breathed easy. It turned oot tae be wan ae the pass-men cleaners, brushing the corridor.  He swung his legs and body roond the bed so he wis facing the door as he put his socks and shoes oan. Johnboy wisnae too sure whit cell the screws hid slung Silent’s arse intae.  He hoped he wis close tae haun.  The Scowler looked tae be aboot six feet odd, wae a wrestler’s build tae match.  Johnboy wid need tae ensure he either stood behind the basturt or made sure there wis other YOs in between them when they goat marched through tae the church.  Call it intuition, bit he knew fine well that The Scowler wisnae a Catholic.  He jist didnae come across as wan, somehow.  Johnboy hid tried tae clock the name card oan the cell door, efter the screws pulled it shut during the porridge run, bit it wis too far away fur him tae see.  The doon side wis that the cards oan the doors didnae highlight anywan’s length ae sentence, so he wisnae too sure whit his neighbour wis in fur. He felt himsel tense and the adrenalin start up, as he heard the footsteps and the jangling ae keys in the corridor as cell doors wur opened and loudly banged shut a second or so later efter the YO inside decided whether he wis gaun tae the service or no.

  “Church?”

  “Aye.”

  “Right, staun in the corridor and keep yer trap shut,” the screw wid say as he banged the door shut loudly before moving oan tae the next wan.

  He wis relieved tae hear the cell door diagonally across fae him open before his.