A Kind of Hush (11 page)

'Kill him,' said Wivva, raising his hammer. 'Smash his fucking head in.'

'No hurt him, really hurt him,' said Tony.

'Easy lads,' said Chris. 'We've got to get from him what we want first. We don't want to fuck this up.'

'No Chris,' I said. 'What you want.'

'Come on, Stu,' said Chris. 'I want this guy to go away as much as any of you, but we've got to do it properly. After what he's done to Si, and what we've seen in this stinking house, we can't afford to fuck it up.'

'Bollocks to all that. Kill him,' Wivva slurred. 'He killed Alan.'

'That was nothing to do with me,' Gus wailed. 'It was that stupid bastard in the corner.' Wivva turned and walked towards the guy wrapped in the carpet, his hammer at the ready. Chris jumped over and grabbed his wrist. 'Hang on Wivva,' he said. 'You don't need that. Look at him.' We all looked at the guy. His head had fallen back, his eyes were wide open and rolled up, his mouth gaped, a bubbly foam running from the corner.

'He's gone,' said Chris. 'His heart's given out.'

'Lucky bastard,' said Wivva and he turned back to Gus. Gus shat himself.

'Keep him off me! Keep him off me!' he screamed. He then jumped from the bed shrugging Tony aside as he made a bolt for the door. Wivva threw the hammer at his head, he ducked and the hammer thudded into the wall lodging there. We all stood rooted to the spot and watched as Gus lost his footing and rolled out of the door, smashed through the banister rail and fell screaming down the stairwell. Three floors he fell, head first on to quarry tiles. We rushed down to check him, it wasn't a pretty sight. Still I guess it solved our problem.

We had to leave, but this time we weren't laughing. This time we were all deadly serious. This time we had gone much too far. No one spoke, we just cleaned ourselves up, wiped everything that we had touched and left, taking care not to let the copper up the road see us.

Mick took Gus's pen and the Sierra. I've not touched a joint or had a snort since. Those fucking drugs robbed us of the chance of seeing that shit go down for a very long time, and possibly the chance of taking all of his perverted friends with him.

For two days we sat at Mick's, barely saying a word to each other. Chris said that he would hang on for a couple of days before he gave all the information to his brief, so we were waiting to see what would happen.

I went to Greenford, but couldn't stay long, I wasn't very good company. Beryl sussed that something very serious was wrong with me, but didn't push it. I needed time on my own, time to think, time to take in what I had done. I told Mick.

Thank fuck for that,' he said. 'I thought I was the only one.' We all decided to split up for a few days.

Just before my mum left, she took Jen, Ali and me to Jaywick for a week on holiday. We stayed in a chalet by the seafront. I remembered coming out of the chalet very early every morning and going straight on to the beach. I loved it, especially when the sea was a bit rough. The spray used to fly through the air as the waves hit the breakers, its smell and feel seemed like magic to me. When I said this to Mick he said, 'No problem. There's a motor downstairs, why not use it.'

The drive was much quicker than I had remembered. I 
seemed to be there in no time. I drove straight to the seafront.

It wasn't how I remembered it, but then nothing really is.

I parked up the Sierra and walked along the front. It was getting dark.

On my right were the chalets, all lit up. Rows and rows of them.

I found the one that I thought I had stayed in all those years ago. I was sure it was, though it was now a different colour. This one was a kind of yellow and red and ours had been blue, but I was sure that this was it. There was a way of checking, I remembered. When I was a kid, I was always getting a clout around the head for fucking around with my penknife. I used to carve my name into everything. Mum kicked my arse for doing it at the chalet. Right on top of the handrail on the balcony at the front it was.

I crossed over the road and climbed the few steps up on to the front of the chalet and began to check the handrail. There it was. It was covered with God knows how many layers of paint, but there it was - 'S S 19 . . .'. I was going to carve 1978 but Mum caught me before I could finish it.

The door swung open and an old dear stood there.

"Ere, what's your game,' she said.

'Sorry, love,' I said. 'Wrong place, wrong time.' I walked down the steps and away. I heard her call to her old man, 'Louieee! You make sure that you lock up properly tonight, there's some funny people about.'

I got back to the car and sat there for a while. No, it wasn't really the same at all.

I drove up through Clacton and on to Walton. I found a quiet place that overlooked the sea, parked up and sat staring out at it. I fell asleep.

When I awoke, it was early morning. I looked at my watch, it was almost five. I got out of the car, stretched and decided to walk to the beach. There were two joggers running over the sands, so I sat down to watch them.

They had obviously been running for some time because their tracksuits were drenched with sweat. The girl turned and ran towards the water, the bloke chased her. They fell over each other into the sea, the girl was squealing and laughing with delight. I felt dead jealous, my eyes began to sting.

Fucking sea air,' I said to myself as I took out a hanky and blew my nose. It didn't work. I sat there and cried like a baby. Best cry I've ever had that was.

I was starving, so I got up and walked towards the shops on the front. I found the public lavatories, went in and swilled my face. I felt a lot better. I then had a giant breakfast in a transport cafe just off the front, walked back to the car and drove back to London.

I woke Mick up with a big mug of tea.

'Can't stay away eh?' he said bleary-eyed as I went back to the kitchen. I came back with a tray on which was a full English breakfast.

Fucking hell,' he said. 'Breakfast in bed too. What have I done to deserve all this?'

Now Mick is one of those blokes who can't face anything in the morning until he's had at least three cups of tea and three smokes, his stomach just won't take it. But he sat there and ate everything that I had prepared for 
him, and what's more, he even said that it was great. I really appreciated him for that.

We decided to start sorting out everything that day, while we had the time to ourselves. Si was with his uncle Chris, Pete, Den and Wivva had gone home for a while and Tony had gone to stay with his nan for a few days.

We visited Ali first, taking her a massive bowl of fruit and some flowers.

'Oh, Stu,' she said. 'Where have you been, we've all been so worried?'

'Sorry, toots,' I said. 'I had some things to do.'

'Like what?' she asked.

'None of your business,' I replied. 'Let's just say that you don't ever have to worry again about the old man or Gus and his goons.'

'Why? What have you done?' she asked.

'Nothing, honest. They just went a bit overboard.' Mick coughed and looked at the ceiling.

'And as a result,' I continued. 'They've gone away for ever.'

'Police?' she asked.

'Something like that,' I said.

'Are you sure about this Stu?' She looked very serious.

'Would I lie?' I said, palms upwards and shrugging my shoulders.

'Guess what, Stu? I can leave tomorrow,' she said.

'Brilliant!' I yelled. 'I'll zoom over to Beryl's now and make all the arrangements.'

'What about the house?' she asked.

'Let the council have it back,' I said. 'Too many bad memories.'

'It's not the council's any more,' she said. 'He bought it 
from them, cash. Two years ago.'

'Even better,' I said. Then we can flog it and get something else. Look, don't worry about it now, let me get over to Beryl's and make the arrangements to get you out of here first.'

'Okay, love,' she said.

'First thing tomorrow,' I said. 'We'll be back first thing tomorrow.' We said goodbye and left.

I phoned Beryl, gave her the good news about Ali and said that I would pop over later to see them. She told me to bring Mick with me for dinner. We then drove down to see Chris.

'The Bill have raided the house and cleaned it out,' he said. 'My brief assures me that they are looking for nobody in connection with any deaths and that I pass on the grateful thanks of his friend for a job well done. The bloke in the freezer was picked up and is singing like a bird. It seems that he was very near to freezing to death. Thankfully the unit was on at a low setting. Anyway, he's been arrested in connection with allegations of sexual abuse of children, and more arrests are expected. The copper dealing with it will be on the news tonight.

'My brief suggested that I send copies of the diary and address book to a bloke on one of the papers that has been exposing this sort of thing. I took them to him today, he even bought Si and me lunch. He said that it was the best evidence that he had ever seen to prove that some very influential people are running or are involved in the sexual abuse of children. He will be working closely with my brief to watch and make sure that all that needs to be said publicly, will be, and then he will expose the whole bloody lot in his newspaper. He also said that he would 
like at some time to talk to all of you. I told him that I would ask, but that he wasn't to hold out any hopes.

It's over, Stu, Mick. You can get on with your lives again. You can relax now. By the way,' he said finally, 'the social services say that I can keep Si. My brief arranged it through a friend of his.'

That's brilliant,'I said.

'Magic,' Mick said.

'Where is he then?' I asked.

'Who?' said Chris.

'Si, you berk,' I said.

'Ah, well I thought you would ask that,' he said. 'I'm afraid that we've got some problems with Si at the moment. I didn't want to tell you, as, well, quite frankly, you've got more than enough problems of your own to worry about at the moment.'

'What's wrong, Chris?' I asked.

'To tell you the truth, I think he's shit scared,' said Chris. 'After the Gus thing, he couldn't sleep, he'd just lay there in a cold sweat. We got very worried. I couldn't call in the doctor in case Si said something that he shouldn't. He shouldn't have been at that house you know. He shouldn't have seen all that shit. It's affected him quite badly. I blame myself, I should have known better.'

'No, it's my fault,' I said. 'I knew he was just a kid.'

'What a load of bollocks,' said Mick. 'You both know damn well that neither of you could have stopped him, and sitting here talking about who's to blame ain't gonna help the poor fucker either. Where is he, Chris?'

'In the back,' he said. Chris took us through to the back room.

Si was sitting cross-legged in a big fluffy armchair by 
the french windows, a steaming mug of tea in his hands. He was staring through the window and off up into space. He seemed miles away.

He couldn't have heard us come in because when Mick said, 'Hello, mate' and touched his shoulder, he jumped, spilling some of his tea on to his legs.

Fucking Jesus!' he yelped as he dropped his mug on the floor and jumped to his feet, pulling the fabric of his tracksuit bottoms away from the skin of his legs. 'Ow! Ow! Shit! That hurts. What the fucking hell you doing creeping up on someone like that?'

Me and Mick were laughing as Si hopped first on one leg then the other, and pulling the legs of his tracksuit up to check his shins.

'Oi! That's a new bloody carpet,' yelled Chris as he rushed over. He pushed Si aside and threw down a newspaper to soak up the spilled tea. The wife'll kill me,' he said as he stamped on the paper. Si landed back in his chair with his legs kicking the air. He looked really daft. That set me and Mick off into hysterics even more.

'It ain't funny,' Si yelled at us, trying hard not to laugh, but he couldn't do it. His face cracked and he doubled up.

Chris looked at him, shook his head and said, 'And here's me thinking you were depressed.'

That only set us off again, even Chris joined in. It was funny, but I was more pleased that Si looked his old self again.

'Police raided a house in Highbury in the early hours of this morning, after a tip off,' said the guy on the news, 'and discovered the bodies of two men. It is thought that there is some connection between this and the deaths of three men in an incident in the street earlier this week. We pass you now to our reporter on the scene.'

The picture changed to a man standing by a pair of garage doors.

The house is still a hive of activity,' he said. 'Police have removed at least two vanloads of material indicating that the owner of this house was involved in paedophilia and the selling of child pornography. I have beside me the senior officer in charge of this investigation.' He moved over and shoved his microphone in the face of a guy standing by the front steps. 'Can you tell me, Superintendent,' he said, 'just what it is that you've found here today?'

'We've discovered at this house what could be some of the most significant information that we have ever had, concerning organised child sexual abuse in this country,' said the copper. 'There are books full of names and addresses of people who could be involved, plus a mass 
of information about the various rings and cells that seem to exist in London and the Home Counties. We are very, very excited with this find, although of course sad that our worst fears are being realised.'

'Is it true then,' said the reporter, 'that the names of some very well-known people have been found on those lists?'

'I cannot comment on that at this time,' said the policeman, 'but I do promise that if any of the names listed are proved to be involved in any way, then whoever they are, they shall feel the full weight of the law.'

'And the deaths?' said the reporter. 'Five men died here this week. Are they all connected with this matter?'

'Yes, indeed. I fully believe that there was some sort of internal struggle within this particular gang, and that developed into open warfare.'

'At least while they are killing each other off, they are saving you the trouble of catching them,' said the reporter.

'Precisely,' said the superintendent with a grin.

'Thank you,' said the reporter, 'and now back to the studio.'

Jen and Beryl turned to look at Mick and me. Jen's face was an absolute picture.

'That was Gus's house,' she said, her eyes wide.

'Hmm, hmm,' I mumbled, looking at Mick and smiling.

'Was he one of those . . .?'

'Hmm, hmm,' Mick mumbled, smiling back.

'Serves him right,' she said. I knew they'd kill each other one day.'

'Hmm, hmm,' mumbled Mick and me together now grinning.

Bless her, I thought. Oh to be so innocent.

Beryl said nothing.

We made a lot of arrangements that night, Beryl making one that blew us apart and also solved most of our problems.

With the sale of the house at Crouch End and the sale of her bungalow, she suggested that we buy a large place, big enough for Ali, Jen, Cheri, me and her to live together as a family.

'As you know,' she said, 'Chef and me were never blessed with children and it's something that I've always regretted. I'd like to do this, if only for the girls.'

'Please say yes,' said Jen. 'Please.'

'Sounds good to me,' I said and Jen rushed over and threw her arms around my neck. Mick and me then helped get the front room ready for the arrival of the invalid.

Mick came with me to collect Ali. When we got there she was ready and waiting for us. Both of her arms were still in plaster casts and were held close to her chest in slings. The drips and tubes had all been removed and she was complaining that for the first time since she had come into hospital, she was bursting for a pee. The nurse took her to the toilet while the ward sister gave us all the medication she needed and the written instructions for her care at home. She also gave us a letter for her doctor.

The nurse brought Ali back to say goodbye to the other patients and the ward sister, then we went down to the car. Me pushing the wheelchair and Mick and the nurse carrying her stuff.

The drive to Greenford wasn't without incident. We had to stop at least five times to let her relax herself. 
Every time that we went over a bump it hurt her and she tensed up. She became so tense that she started to get cramps, so we had to stop and let her stretch every so often. She also decided that she fancied an ice-cream, then she wanted a chocolate bar, then a Coke. In fact, we were bloody glad when we arrived at Beryl's.

Jenny and Beryl were clucking around her like old mother hens. Cheri went absolutely crackers when she saw her mum. Everyone was crying again.