The Jump (38 page)

The Coyne family lived behind the walls of a large house in Cheshire, in the upmarket hinterland of Liverpool, and the neighbours, who included a top female TV star and three producers, were always polite to the Coynes even though their overtures of friendship were never reciprocated. The Coynes never accepted invitations to dine or attend parties. They were an anomaly, and eventually the neighbours left them in their large property and just waved now and again if they saw them on the drive. Bethany’s mother visited on a daily basis and Bethany needed no one else. Just Jack, her mother Violet, and her children, four sons and two daughters.

The house had twenty rooms, an outdoor heated pool and a large thirty-by-thirty-foot pond in which Jack kept his Koi carp. The grounds, which sprawled for nearly an acre, held numerous animals belonging to the children, including a pot-bellied pig and three Shetland ponies.

Bethany cooked and cleaned the house by herself, grew her own herbs outside the back door, and had never learnt to drive or use a video. She dressed well, kept herself neat, and never wore makeup. Jack looked on her as his dark Madonna. Now she was pregnant once more and enjoying the condition as always.

It was to this strange household that Alan and Donna came on the Sunday afternoon, on their way back to London from Glasgow. The atmosphere in the car was uncomfortable.

After Donna had apologised, they had left the Amber House Restaurant without ordering; Alan had driven them straight back to their hotel, leaving her at her door. Donna had gone into her room, and cracking open a bottle of Jameson’s, had sat on her bed and thought long and hard about the events of the last few days. It was a different woman who came down to breakfast the next day, and they both knew that.

Alan pressed the intercom on the wall by the double gates. As they opened electronically, Donna drew in a deep breath on seeing the house that was hidden behind them gradually revealed. It was a long,

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low Scandinavian-style building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and flat roofs. It seemed out of place in Liverpool, and in the weak sunshine looked as though it should have been covered in snow on some mountainside in Europe.

‘What a house!’

Alan gave a weak smile at the awe in his passenger’s voice. In the South of England, the house and its grounds would easily have been worth in excess of two million. It was one of the most beautiful properties he himself had ever seen. Its windows gleamed like diamonds in the sunshine and the house looked as if it was actually watching you. It was constructed on three levels, but from the front looked as if it was a bungalow type. It wasn’t until you went inside that you realised it had been literally built into the ground. The entrance hall was on the top floor, and the rest of the considerable area in the lower levels. Donna was enchanted as Alan had known she would be. They were once more greeted by dogs, but this time by two mongrels with shaggy black hair and friendly yaps. Alan got out of the car on the circular driveway and scratched both animals behind the ears.

‘Hello, old boys. Donna, meet Happy and Grumpy. They’re Jack’s kids’ dogs. Friendly pair of buggers they are and all. He saw someone throw a sack into the Docks and jumped in when he realised it was moving. These were the culprits.’

Donna knelt down.and allowed the dogs to nuzzle her face, letting them lick her neck, enjoying the sensation. Then, laughing, she turned to look at Alan and froze. In the doorway of the house stood possibly the biggest man she had ever encountered in her life. He made Geoff Capes look like Finn McCool’s little baby. Behind him was a small, painfully thin black woman.

The big man lumbered down to greet them, his face twisted into a smile. Donna saw the oriental look about him and found herself holding a hand so big it could easily have swallowed her arm to the elbow. He was surprisingly gentle.

‘Howxlo you do? You must be Georgio’s wife.’

He inclined his head as he spoke, as if she was a queen or at least a princess, and Donna knew instinctively that this was a man who liked and respected women.

This is Jack Coyne, Donna, and his wife Bethany.’

Bethany had held back. Now she was properly introduced she came forward timidly and shook Donna’s hand also. Her grip was firm, her skin cool. Donna said a shy hello and the two women were about to talk more when all hell broke loose. Six children of different shades and appearance broke out of the house, shouting and laughing at the tops of their voices.

Jack waved a Hand at them and they all stood silent as they were introduced to Donna with proper ceremony.

Jack smiled at the children and said with pride, ‘My daughters Jade and Ruby.’ Two tall girls with budding breasts and long legs smiled a hello. Both had inherited the slanted eyes of their grandmother except theirs were a startling shade of blue.

‘My sons, Jack Junior, Petey, Davie, and the youngest, Harold.’

Jack Junior, Petey and Davie were coffee-coloured, handsome boys with thick lustrous hair like their father’s. The youngest boy, Harold, had the tight curls and deep black skin of an African. He also had blue eyes like his brothers and sisters. Each child was exotic and stunningly beautiful, taking Donna’s breath away with their sheer perfection.

‘They are very beautiful children, Mr Coyne. You must be very proud.’ She smiled at him as she spoke and watched his chest swell with pride. Donna was secretly pleased that these children would have the buffer of money, knowing immediately the trouble their appearance would have caused them in a less privileged environment or even a middle-class area. With money their appearance was another asset, to set them apart and these children would always be set apart from everyone else. They were a tangled mixture of colours and cultures and they looked happy and healthy.

Inside the house, Donna’s eyes were drawn to many lovely different features as they made their way down to the bottom floor and the living rooms. Everywhere was light, space and glass. The house was absolutely individual. -

Inside the forty by twenty foot lounge Donna was seated on a white leather sofa and given coffee. The outer wall consisted of glass doors overlooking the landscaped grounds. It was a house made especially for these strange people.

‘I designed the house myself,’ Bethany said, almost reading Donna’s mind, her thick Liverpool twang at odds with her frail appearance.

Donna took a deep breath. ‘It’s fantastic. Are you an architect?’

Bethany laughed, a breathy sound reminiscent of fluttering wings.

‘I can’t barely write my name, Mrs Brunos. I drew a picture and the man worked out the plans for me. We were very satisfied with it. Jack had it built to please me.’

He nodded and Bethany stood up.

‘If you don’t mind, I have to get the children ready. The girls have got dancing tonight and the boys go to karate. I won’t be long.’

Such normal behaviour and homely talk seemed out of place with the mission that was on their minds. Donna looked at Alan and knew he was experiencing the same feeling.

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‘So, Alan, what can I do for you? Jojo won’t be here for a while yet, so drink your coffee and relax. I know you’ve had a long journey. Bethany’s made up a couple of rooms in case we run late and you want to stay the night. Before I forget, what’s the scam with Dirty Freddie? I heard he was out of the game now?’

Alan relaxed back in his chair and began to talk about a violent London pimp. Donna knew then that the first magic of the house and its occupants would never come back to her again. Sighing she sipped her coffee, staring out over the beautiful grounds.

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them Chapter Twenty-Seven

Timmy was lying on his bunk, hi,s fat moon face sad. Georgio could practically smell the fear emanating from him.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to come down to the rec room, Tim? Have a game of cards or something?’

Timmy shook his head. ‘Nah. You go, Georgio. I’ll be all right. I just want to lay down and think.’

Georgio left the cell and the foetid pong of Timmy’s feet. He passed the kitchen just as Sadie walked out of it.

‘I put the pie in,’ she said fussing. Timmy loves a rhubarb pie. Where you off to?’

Georgio pointed down the corridor. ‘Where do you think? The rec room. I can’t sit in that cell any more. Why don’t you come down for a while? The film should be starting in a minute on Channel Four. It’s The Winslow Boy. You need a break and all, Sadie.’

She looked towards Timmy’s cell for a second then followed Georgio down to the recreation-room. Old black and white movies were her favourites.

Inside, the noise was deafening. Chopper and Ricky were playing the game, the game being fronting each other up. All the other cons watched them surreptitiously while playing pool, cards, or Scrabble. Benjamin Dawes was regaling everyone with jokes as usual. Georgio sat down at an empty table and began to watch Leroy, Ricky’s number two, cutting out pictures of naked women from a copy of Parade.

‘I never noticed before how many women in magazines are blonde. Strange that, ain’t it?’ Leroy’s voice was amazed. ‘I never had much need for this type of thing on the outside, always had a bird in tow. Now I get me jollies by looking at pictures. Fucking pathetic really, ain’t it?’ He threw the magazines on to the table and sighed. ‘Want a game of chess, Georgio?’

Georgio was surprised. ‘Do you play?’

Leroy laughed out loud. ‘Do I play? You’re looking at the Hollandsy Bay Borstal chess champion, mate. Mind you, it was easy

because most of them played it like drafts! I’ll get the board.’

Benjamin’s voice sang out loud. ‘That pie smells the dog’s bollocks, Sadie. Can I have a lump when it’s cooked?’

She grinned girlishly. ‘You’re such a bleeding greedy guts, how did your mother stand it?’

Benjamin sucked his teeth. ‘My mother never cooked, Sade. All she ever did was go out with blokes. Said cooking was for mugs, which didn’t do a lot for me, I can tell you. I spent the first five years of my life living on tinned stews. Hate the fucking things now, I do. Go on, Sade let me have a lump. I like your cooking.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, all right then. I wish that Harrison hadn’t broken the video. I’d like to have taped this film.’

The Winslow Boy had come on and Sadie was sitting with about six other men looking up at the TV, which was ten feet up the wall on a small shelf.

Benjamin called out to Georgio: ‘Did you hear the one about the little boy who went into school and said, “Sorry I’m late, Miss, me dad got burned this morning.” And the teacher said, “How terrible, was he burned bad?” And the kid said, “They don’t fuck about down the Crematorium, Miss”.’

The whole place erupted into laughter again.

‘You’re mad, Dawes.’ Ricky’s voice was full of mirth.

Benjamin shrugged, grinning childishly. ‘If you didn’t laugh you’d go mad, wouldn’t you? How about this one then …’ And he launched into another joke and once more everyone was laughing.

Sadie’s voice was loud and bossy at the end of it.

‘If you don’t stop that noise, Benjamin Dawes, you won’t get no pie. I want to watch this film!’

He hunched his shoulders and rolled his eyes, in a mock fearful expression. Everyone chuckled again.

‘I mean it, Dawes.’

The smell of the baking pie was now very sweet in the rec room and Sadie wws aware that before the pie was cooked she would be offered cigarettes, tea and coffee by men hoping for a slice. ‘ Chopper and Ricky still eyeballed one another, and the men still observed them. The conversation died down to a muted hum, and Georgio began his game of chess with Leroy.

‘There’s going to be trouble between them two and Lewis is not going to like it.’ Georgio’s voice was low.

Leroy shrugged and took Georgio’s black pawn.

‘Let ‘em get on with it. If Ricky needs an hand I’m here, like all the black contingent. Don’t lose any sleep over it, Georgio. Lewis may not come back. We don’t know what’s going on yet.’

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them Georgio fretted. ‘And what if he does come back?’ ‘Then we play it by ear. Now, will you concentrate on the game, please? I take my chess seriously. And don’t leave your queen wide open like you did when you was playing Lewis. I don’t mind losing.’ Georgio gritted his teeth at the inference and made his move. Suddenly the air was split by the sound of a fire alarm going off. Looking up, Georgio smelt a faint whiff of burning. Sadie jumped from her seat.

‘Oh fuck it, me pie’s on its way out!’

She rushed from the room, and everyone settled down once more as the noise of the alarm clanged through the Wing.

‘Turn that fucking thing off, we’re trying to concentrate!’

Leroy bellowed, his voice loud and harsh, but the alarm bell kept ringing. Then a denser smell permeated the room just as Sadie started screaming. Everyone was catapulted from their chairs in record time and the corridor was suddenly filled witlwnen.

Georgio realised for the first time that no screws were to be seen anywhere. Black billowing smoke was coming from the cell block. Before they got down there all the men knew what had happened.

Timmy was burning like a Guy Fawkes dummy, lying on his bunk, not a movement from him. The stench of rubber was strong and another smell was evident. Georgio’s nose twitched as he tried to remember where he had smelt it before. Then his mind was taken over by what was on Timmy’s face. Someone had shoved a rubber mask over it, and the rubber was burning into the skin. Sadie was still screaming, out of control; Ricky slapped her face sharply to stop the noise.

The corridor was quiet now, apart from the crackling sounds from Timmy’s body as it was engulfed in flames. Even the fire bell had stopped. His hands were on fire and twitching. Georgio realised that he was still alive but paralysed somehow.

Running to the doors, he banged on them hard, shouting: ‘Get in here and bring the fucking fire extinguishers! He’s still alive! He’s still alive!’

After what seemed an age, four screws came through the doors in riot gear, looking weirdly out of place. All the men stared at them in wonderment. They were armed.

‘Move back to your cells now! Come on, we don’t want no trouble from you.’