East End Jubilee (45 page)

‘Your children are missing you, Mrs Weaver,’ he had taunted her after striding over to the lorry like some sort of official. She had wound down the window and as soon as she heard
his voice, recognized him. Although she’d been blindfolded the last time they met she’d know that voice anywhere.

‘Wh . . . what have you done to my children?’ she stammered helplessly.

‘As yet, nothing. Leave now and you’ll find them safe and sound.’ Payne had smiled obsequiously. ‘We’ll give your husband a lift home.’

‘Stay there and don’t move,’ Benny had yelled at her as he jumped out of the lorry. But as he lunged at Payne, the backup intervened. They’d dragged Benny behind the
lorry and she’d sat there, not knowing what to do, wondering what would happen to Em and the children if they didn’t get home in time.

When Benny climbed back in the cab, he’d aged ten years. There was a nasty graze across his cheek and his eyes were frightened. ‘Oh, Benny, what did they do to you?’

He started the engine. ‘It don’t matter about me. It’s the kids I’m worried about. We’re going home and fast,’ he muttered. ‘We’ve no
choice.’

‘But what about Eddie?’

Benny stared at her, his expression resigned. ‘There’s nothing we can do. Payne told me if we’re not back inside a couple of hours, we’ll find the house empty.’

Rose had nearly fainted on the spot. She looked out of the window as Benny drove past the three men. Payne had a smirk on his lips, the other two were adjusting their coats. Benny had driven
like a lunatic through the narrow lanes and cursed the traffic. But they arrived back in less than two hours; unfortunately, but predictably, to an empty house.

Payne’s men had arrived within minutes. If Rose didn’t cooperate, she would never see her family again. Now, as she sat beside Benny in the desolate building, she knew she was in the
same place as before. She would never forget the musty, old brick and plaster smell that pervaded the air. Now she could see what her imagination had been forced to provide. Above, half the roof
was missing, the blue sky visible through the rafters. A broken staircase hung precariously from one wall. Battered old filing cabinets lay on their sides and half a dozen old wooden office chairs
held up the peeling walls. There was even an old typewriter upside down on a pile of bricks. The man with the bull neck was standing in front of a door. Were the children and Em through there?

‘We shouldn’t have believed him,’ Rose said miserably. She was freezing cold and her teeth were chattering. They’d removed her coat and shoes. Her thin white blouse and
skirt were no protection from the cold.

‘We didn’t have no choice.’ Benny moved beside her. He was trying to wriggle his wrists from the ropes. Rose knew it was useless. The burns would only worsen. He still had his
jacket and trousers on, but they’d taken his shoes and socks. ‘He’s scum of the earth,’ Benny whispered hoarsely.

‘Where are the kids and Em? Where can they be?’

‘I dunno, love.’

‘I can’t bear to think—’

‘Then don’t. Just try to keep calm. None of us will do much good if we’re out of our heads with worry.’

Rose knew he was right. But the fear and foreboding were welling up inside her. She remembered all too well what had happened here last time. She’d only been saved by those
children’s voices. That wasn’t about to happen again.

‘Just my bloody luck Anita’s working late,’ Benny grumbled. ‘She was gonna buy some booze on the way home. Said we’d all need a drink tonight. Blimey, she was right
there, an’ all.’

‘Oh, Benny, I’m sorry I got you into trouble.’

‘You didn’t. Bastards like Payne should be put down at birth.’

Footsteps echoed in the passage. Norman Payne and his two minders walked in. They dragged Eddie between them. His head hung down as they pushed him on to one of the wooden chairs.

Payne patted his shoulder. ‘He’s been having a bit of a kip in the car. Likes a little nod every now and then, don’t you, my boy?’

Rose saw Eddie slump forward. One of the men thrust him back viciously. His head rolled back and Rose and Benny gasped. His face was so swollen she couldn’t see his left eye. It was lost
under a pouch of bluish purple skin. A trickle of blood ran down his neck from the corner of his mouth and stained the open collar of his shirt. His torn and filthy shirt hung over his
trousers.

‘Oh God, Benny, what have they done to him?’

‘Oh, he’ll be right as rain,’ Payne assured her as he walked behind her chair. ‘Your old man gave me a bit of verbal I could well do without on a day like today. After
all, we should be celebrating the start of his lucrative new career under my generous auspices.’

‘No,’ Rose said defiantly. ‘He’ll never work for you.’

Payne laughed softly. ‘Oh, never is a long time, especially when you’ve got mouths to feed. Now, where’s Syd?’ he demanded suddenly, and the man at the door jumped
forward.

‘Out the back with the others, Mr Payne. Them kids keep hollering. And the silly cow took a swipe at him.’

‘I don’t pay him to nursemaid,’ Payne growled. ‘I want this bugger woken up.’

Benny threw Rose a curious glance. His face was impassive but she knew he was thinking the same. Was Payne referring to Syd – the man who had sold Eddie the stolen television? And was it
Em and the kids who were out the back?

Payne laid his hands on Rose’s shoulders and lifted them into her hair. ‘Lovely hair, you have, dear. Pity I had to cut it all off last time. It’s grown again now, hasn’t
it?’ He bent over her. She closed her eyes.

‘Be a good girl now. If you want to see your nearest and dearest all safe and sound, you’ll change your tune.’

Rose kept her eyes firmly closed as his clammy fingers trickled over the nape of her neck. His touch was repulsive, but she forced herself not to scream, instead she prayed that Eddie
wouldn’t wake up just yet.

‘I think we should make you a little more comfortable, Mrs W. I’m sure your husband won’t want to see you all tied up like this.’ Slowly the pressure on her wrists was
released and the rope fell away. Payne grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet.

‘You bastard, let her go,’ Benny yelled out, shaking the chair he was on so that it almost toppled over. Payne swivelled round and hit him across the face with the back of his hand.
Benny’s head bounced backwards.

Rose screamed. ‘Don’t! Don’t hurt him, please!’

Payne pulled her against him, a satisfied smile on his face as his fingers squeezed her arms painfully. His breath smelt of cigarettes and a sour sweetness that made Rose want to vomit.
‘And I haven’t even started yet, my dear.’

Rose turned her head away. She didn’t want him to see the fear in her eyes.

‘You cut a nice little figure, love. Very nice indeed. My boys will enjoy your company – that is, if we can’t sort out our spot of business.’

‘What do you want, boss?’ a voice asked from the door. Payne released his hold and looked up.

‘What do you think, you imbecile, get some water and wake him up!’

Rose turned her head slowly. Was this the man she had cycled all over the East End to find? Her heart pounded as she recalled Eddie’s description. Syd would be in his forties, about
Eddie’s height, wearing a long camel overcoat and lots of jewellery. Rose stared at the man. He wasn’t wearing an overcoat, but a dark, rather flash suit that had seen better days. The
brown trilby, though, was in place. He was middle-aged, just tending to spread, and he looked terrified of Payne. He left the room and was soon back again carrying a bucket.

Cheap rings covered his stubby fingers and a vulgar watch gleamed on his wrist. Rose knew it was Syd.

The water hit Eddie hard in the face. Syd stepped back like a frightened rabbit.

‘Well, what are you waiting for, Christmas?’ Payne demanded. ‘Bring in the little darlings.’ Payne dragged Rose into the middle of the floor. ‘Wake up, Eddie, look
who’s here. We don’t want you nodding off again.’

Rose watched helplessly as Eddie slowly lifted his head. A patch of bright red spread over his skull and dripped down his jaw.

Payne held Rose’s arms tightly. He forced her to stand before her husband as he gained consciousness.

‘Ah, back to the land of the living, are we?’ Payne nodded in satisfaction. ‘Now then, let’s start from the beginning again shall we? Only this time, let’s get it
right.’ Payne took hold of the top of Rose’s blouse and ripped it from her body.

Everything happened at once.

Rose watched in horror as Eddie staggered upwards and leapt on Payne. She hardly recognized her placid, phlegmatic husband whom she had rarely seen lose his temper in all the years of their
marriage. His face, already disfigured, was a mask of hatred, his mouth twisted at an unnatural angle and the cry that came from his bloody lips sounded more like a wounded animal than a human
being.

Rose realized that Payne must have been surprised, too, at Eddie’s sudden recovery. Payne was taller than Eddie and well built under his camel coat, but he went down like a skittle as
Eddie threw himself on to the man who had just terrified and humiliated his wife.

At the same time, the guard on the door sprang forward and the three bodies merged into one on the filthy floor. Eddie’s fists flew in every direction but mostly into Payne’s shocked
face. Rose saw blood spurt from Payne’s mouth and what looked like a tooth. He wriggled to be free as his minder pulled Eddie’s head back and twisted a muscled arm around his neck.
Eddie was choking to death. His face flushed from red to purple, but he refused to let go of Payne who was squirming on the floor.

Rose flung herself on Eddie’s attacker. She pounded her fists on any available inch of space, but with one blow of his huge hand she went reeling. Her head met the floor with a crack.

‘Untie me, Rose, untie me!’ Benny was wobbling his chair from side to side. ‘Quickly, gel, quickly!’

Rose tried to crawl across the floor. Little black spots appeared in front of her eyes, then bursts of light. She was shaking so much she hardly noticed the sharp little splinters from the
floorboards digging into her skin. She pulled herself up on Benny’s chair.

‘Me wrists first, love, and I’ll do me feet.’

The rope was too tight. Her fingers trembled as Benny let out a groan of frustration. The last knot untangled and Benny burst out of his bonds. Rose saw that Payne had broken free of Eddie whose
neck was bent at an unnatural angle by the man on top of him. But he seemed to gain strength, rearing up from the stranglehold.

Benny kicked away the ropes round his ankles. He rushed to Eddie’s aid. But two of Payne’s minders ran into the room. The thud of the wooden clubs they were holding was the last
thing Rose heard as she began to pass out.

‘Mummy! Mummy! Wake up!’

Rose opened her eyes. They felt as if they had heavy lead weights attached to them. Her thick black lashes fluttered as she heard Donnie’s voice.

‘I thought you were dead, Mum.’

Rose touched her daughter’s cheek. The dark brown plaits that she had woven so carefully this morning before leaving for Hewis were undone. Donnie’s hair stuck out in tufts, one
white ribbon trailed over her school mac. There was dust and dirt over the navy blue lapels. Rose hugged Donnie to her.

‘No, pet, I just got a bump on the head.’

‘Them men have got Auntie Em and Marlene and the boys too.’

Rose gazed across the room. Em came into focus. She was holding Matthew in her arms and Marlene and Will cowered beside her. They all had looks of terror on their faces.

Eddie lay on the floor. Benny was beside him. They’d both taken a beating and her heart went out to them.

Payne dusted himself down and smoothed back his silver hair. With vicious intent, he booted Eddie in his ribs.

Rose screamed and Donnie whimpered.

‘You haven’t seen anything yet.’ Payne lifted the club. ‘I’ve wasted a lot of time on you, Eddie old son. You and your fucking family. Now you either cough up what
you owe me, or you’re officially on the payroll.’

‘You know we don’t have any money,’ Rose cried as Donnie clung to her, pressing her head into Rose’s white silk slip. The remains of her blouse lay on the floor, embedded
in the dirt.

‘’Course I know that. But that’s not my problem, is it?’

‘We’ll pay back every penny,’ Rose pleaded. ‘Just give us time.’

‘I’m a businessman, Mrs Weaver, not the Sally Army. You’re up to your armpits in debt and if I can’t have what’s owed, I’ll take the man himself, his family,
the clothes you stand up in and the air you breathe.’

He walked over and grabbed her hair. ‘So, what’s it to be?’ he demanded of Eddie. ‘Yes or no?’

‘You win.’ Eddie nodded. ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’

Payne smiled, a mean little smile that barely showed his teeth. ‘Let’s have it a little louder, shall we, so we can all hear the good news?’

‘I’ll do whatever you want, just let them go.’

Rose closed her eyes. Payne had finally won.

‘Oh no, Eddie, no!’

‘Take your hands off her, you bastard,’ Eddie screamed. ‘You’ve got what you wanted. Now leave her alone.’

Payne laughed as he looked down at Donnie. ‘Lovely girl you got here.’ He stuck the end of the club under Donnie’s chin. Rose knew now that Payne was mad. She held Donnie
tightly against her.

‘Stop frightening her. She’s just a kid.’

‘But not for long. Pretty little girls grow up fast. Your family is going to develop talents you never knew they had, Eddie old son. They’ll be raking it in as they grow older and
Norman Payne’ll be there, the best bloody guardian angel they could ever have.’

‘I’ve told you I’ll do what you want,’ Eddie yelled again, trying to move before he got a boot in his stomach.

Rose closed her eyes. When she opened them, Payne was standing over him with the club raised. He brought it down on Eddie’s left knee. He writhed in agony. Payne raised the club once
more.

‘Only a coward or a fool would hit a man when he’s down,’ a voice suddenly said.

Everyone looked into the shadows behind her, including Rose. ‘Who the hell are you?’ Payne demanded in total shock.