The Traitor (26 page)

‘Objection, your Honour,’ the defence QC shouted.

‘Objection overruled,’ the judge replied.

Gina answered the question professionally and confidently. ‘I would never take on any case that I didn’t feel totally comfortable with, sir. Mr Mitchell was an absolute gentleman. He adored his wife, his children, and his only worry was his daughter, who had got herself pregnant at such a young age. I do not condone violence of any kind and would never involve myself with a client who was planning on taking the law into their own hands.’

‘But Mr Mitchell took the law into his own hands, didn’t he? He made you follow Jed O’Hara to find out where he was and he then planned to shoot him. Unfortunately for the defendant, the case of mistaken identity resulted in him shooting his own wife, didn’t it, Miss Mulcahy?’

‘No, that is untrue, sir.’

Eddie stared at his feet. He could deal with the whole court-case scenario until Jessica’s name was mentioned in the same sentence as her murder.

The prosecution carried on. ‘Were you aware, Miss Mulcahy, that you were being paid as an accessory to a planned, calculated murder?’

‘Mr Mitchell never planned to harm anyone. He was going to Tilbury to frighten Jed and perhaps buy him off, nothing else, sir,’ Gina replied calmly.

The prosecution QC did not like Gina one little bit. ‘And you’re sure of that, are you, Miss Mulcahy?’ he asked sarcastically.

‘One hundred per cent, sir. Mr Mitchell asked me to wait outside the salvage yard so he could settle my bill. I had another appointment to attend, so I couldn’t, but you don’t think Mr Mitchell would have wanted my presence if he was planning on murdering someone, do you? Please remember, I barely knew the man.’

‘That isn’t the case now though, is it, Miss Mulcahy?’

‘Objection, your Honour.’

The judge nodded at the defence QC. ‘Objection sustained.’

Turning to the prosecution team, the judge spoke to them abruptly. ‘Could we stick with asking questions please, instead of insinuating things that might influence the jury?’

‘I’m sorry, your Honour. No more questions,’ the prosecution QC said, as he flopped back down in his chair.

Back in Rainham, Jed had just harnessed up his new horse and was about to test it out on the road. Seeing his girlfriend standing at the trailer door with the baby in her arms, Jed waved.

‘Put some warm clothes on the baby and you can both come with me, babe,’ he shouted.

Frankie shook her head. Georgie was far too young to be taken out on a horse and cart. Say it bolted or something?

Jed trotted the horse towards her. ‘Let Mum look after Georgie for a bit and you come with me, then. Go on, be a devil. We can stop at a pub and have a few drinks and some lunch.’

Frankie hesitated. She and Jed rarely had any time alone any more and if there was little chance of getting a place on a site just yet, it was best she built some bridges with Alice. ‘Wait for me. I’ll be five minutes,’ she told Jed.

Alice was mopping the kitchen floor when Frankie knocked. ‘Who is it?’ she shouted.

‘It’s me, Frankie. I was wondering if you could look after Georgie while me and Jed pop out for a bit.’

Alice was overjoyed. She had missed spending time with her granddaughter and it had broken her heart the other day when Frankie had allowed Georgie to spend the day with her own grandparents, rather than with Alice and Jimmy. Determined to get back in Frankie’s good books, Alice plastered a smile on her face and opened the kitchen door.

‘I’d love to have her. Be careful if you’re coming in ’cause the floor’s all wet.’

Frankie handed her the carrycot and her baby bag. ‘Everything’s in there, I think, but we’ll leave the trailer unlocked just in case you need anything else.’

Jimmy had had a good talk to Alice the previous day. ‘Frankie’s that chavvie’s mother. If you can’t be nice to her and get on, they’ll end up moving away, Alice. You’ll lose Jed and the baby then,’ he warned her.

Alice hadn’t slept. She had lain awake all night thinking about her husband’s wise words. She didn’t like Frankie – never had, never would – but she was determined to make an effort just so she could be close to Georgie.

‘Where are you off to? Anywhere nice?’ she asked chirpily.

‘We’re going out on the horse and cart. Jed wants to take me for lunch and a few drinks.’

As Frankie went to leave, Alice grabbed her arm. ‘Can we forget about the argument and be friends again, Frankie? I know me and you clash a bit, but we have to try and get on for Jed and Georgie’s sake.’

Frankie smiled. ‘I’d like that.’

The second the door was shut, Alice took the child out of the cot and stared at Frankie out of the window. She lifted Georgie’s arm up and made her wave.

‘Bye, bye Mummy, you old shitcunt,’ she cackled.

Terry Baldwin was not a happy man. He had been released from prison in January after serving three years for ABH and now his only daughter, Sally, had just informed him that she was pregnant.

If Sally were in a stable relationship, Terry would have been OK about this, but seeing as the girl was single and moping about indoors, Terry was anything but. Yesterday, he had finally got the truth of the story.

‘I love him, Dad. I told him I was pregnant, but he didn’t want to know. He promised me he was gonna leave his girlfriend, but I’ve found out since, she’s had his baby as well.’

Terry comforted his beautiful daughter. ‘What’s his name, love?’

Sally refused to tell him at first, but after a bit of gentle persuasion, she relented. ‘His name is Jed, Daddy. Jed O’Hara.’

Terry had heard of the O’Haras and, being in the know, it hadn’t taken him long to get an address for Jed.

Finishing his can of lager, Terry picked up his cosh and his car keys. It was time to pay the boy with the wandering cock a visit.

Eddie Mitchell showed little emotion as the judge began summing up his case. He had just tried to give his own evidence, but had failed because his QC had ordered him to do so.

‘Show some emotion, these juries love all that. Sob your bloody heart out if you can,’ were Fitzgerald Smythe’s words of wisdom.

‘I loved my wife more than life itself. I went to Tilbury to offer Jed O’Hara money to leave my daughter alone. When he wasn’t there, I decided to frighten him by spraying some bullets. I would never intentionally hurt anyone,’ Eddie said, before breaking down. He only had to think of what had happened to Jessica to cry real tears.

‘From the evidence we have heard throughout this trial, there is little doubt that Mr Mitchell truly loved his wife, Jessica. What you, the jury, have to decide is whether Mr Mitchell intended to kill Jed O’Hara on the evening in question. Do you believe that he arrived in Tilbury with a machine gun just to frighten Mr O’Hara? Or was it a case of mistaken identity?’ the judge intoned.

Eddie bowed his head. The jury had felt saddened by his emotional breakdown. He’d glanced at them and seen it written on their faces.

The judge finished his speech, the jury filed out and Eddie was led back to the cells. This was it, it was now a waiting game, and for once his future wasn’t in his own hands.

Unlike her poor father, Frankie had had a brilliant day. She and Jed had had a scream in the pub and it had reminded Frankie of when they’d first got together.

Jed helped her back onto the cart and Frankie giggled as he pinched her bum. ‘Let’s leave the baby in me mum’s. I wanna give you a right good seeing-to when I get you home.’

Frankie blushed. Even though they had a daughter together, Jed still had the ability to make her go all coy.

Jed jumped on the cart and urged Frankie to sit in front of him and take over the reins. ‘I can’t drive it, I’m drunk,’ she protested.

Jed laughed. ‘You’ll be fine. Trot on,’ he yelled, slapping the filly’s arse with the reins.

Terry Baldwin sat in the lay-by near Jed’s house. He had a clear view of the drive and was waiting for the little bastard who had knocked his daughter up to arrive home. He’d spoken to Alice earlier.

‘What do you want? Who you looking for? This is private property, you know,’ she shouted, as he pulled up on the drive.

Terry turned on the charm. ‘Is Jed about? I’ve got a couple of horses I wanna sell him.’

Alice softened slightly. ‘He’s out with his girlfriend at the moment. They won’t be long, they’re on the horse and cart. Do you know my Jimmy?’

Terry nodded. ‘Is he about?’

‘He’s out with his brothers. One of ’em had a bit of aggro. He won’t be back till late tonight.’

Terry smiled. ‘Thanks, darling, I’ll pop back later.’

He was now waiting in the lay-by outside and he would wait here however long he had to. Resting his bonce on the headrest, Terry sat bolt upright as he heard the clip-clop of horse’s hooves. He had no idea what Jed actually looked like, but when the horse and cart came into sight, he knew immediately that the lad on the cart was the culprit.

As Jed and Frankie trotted towards the house, Alice ran out to greet them.

‘Georgie’s asleep. I’ve just fed her. Did you have a nice time?’ she asked.

Jed laughed. ‘Yeah, blinding. Me and Frankie fancy a bit of time alone, so you all right to carry on babysitting, Mum?’

‘Yous two enjoy yourselves. Don’t you worry about Georgie, she loves being with her Nanna Alice.’

‘Go and get undressed, I’ll be ten minutes,’ Jed whispered seductively to Frankie.

Alice nudged Jed. ‘A mush came here looking for you earlier, said he had some grys to sell ya.’

Jed was instantly suspicious. He waited until Frankie was safely inside the trailer, then he turned to face his mother. ‘What mush?’

Hearing the conversation, Terry Baldwin leaped out from behind a tree. ‘This mush, you dirty little bastard.’

Jed was taken completely by surprise as the thick-set man lunged at him with a cosh.

Alice screamed at the top of her voice as he repeatedly whacked it around her son’s head. ‘Get off him, leave him alone,’ she shouted, as she ran towards the man and jumped on his back.

Hearing a commotion outside, Frankie threw her jeans and T-shirt back on. She opened the trailer door and screamed as she saw a big man hitting her boyfriend with some kind of object.

Patience had never been one of Eddie Mitchell’s virtues and today was no different. Waiting for anything did his head in, and here he was sitting alone in a cell waiting to see if twelve complete strangers were about to dish him out a life sentence. Hearing footsteps, Ed looked up. It was his lawyer, Larry.

‘What’s up?’ he asked worriedly.

‘The jury haven’t been able to make a decision, Ed. The judge has adjourned until Monday.’

Eddie put his head in his hands. The thought of spending the weekend in prison while still awaiting his fate didn’t appeal one iota. Thoroughly pissed off, Ed grabbed the cell bars and banged his head against them.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ he shouted.

Eddie wasn’t the only person shouting; back in Rainham, his daughter was absolutely hysterical.

‘Leave him alone. He’s my boyfriend,’ she screamed, as Jed lay on the floor and curled himself up in a protective ball.

‘I’ll kill you, you shitcunt,’ Alice yelled, as she picked up a broom and clumped Terry Baldwin repeatedly with it.

Jed’s face was battered. It was covered in blood, and pain shot through his right leg where he had fallen awkwardly.

Aiming one more kick at Jed, Terry grabbed the broom from Alice and tossed it away.

‘You fucking arsehole, my Jimmy’ll have you for this. He’s only a young mush, look what you’ve done to him.’

Terry turned to Frankie. He was well aware that she was Eddie Mitchell’s daughter. ‘I’m sorry you had to see that, love, but you wanna leave that piece of shit while you still can.’

Frankie crouched down and held Jed’s battered face in her hands. She turned to Terry. ‘You animal. What’s he meant to have done to you?’

Terry felt sorry for the innocent-looking young girl, but he had to be brutal, she needed to know the truth. ‘My daughter is carrying your scumbag of a boyfriend’s child. Told him she was pregnant, my Sally did, and that little shit told her to get rid of it. No one takes the piss out of my little girl, I won’t fucking stand for it.’

Seeing Jed looking at him, Terry couldn’t resist giving him a sly kick in the bollocks. ‘You ain’t seen the last of me. You’ll be paying maintenance once that baby’s born, I’ll make damn sure of it.’

As Terry walked away, Frankie stared at his back with her mouth open. It couldn’t be true, surely not?

‘I ain’t done nothing wrong, Frankie. I swear on our baby’s life, I ain’t cheated on ya,’ Jed cried.

Guessing that there was a good chance that the accusation was true, Alice decided to intervene. If Frankie left Jed, then Alice wouldn’t see baby Georgie at all and she couldn’t risk that happening.

As Frankie went to storm off, Alice grabbed her by the arm. ‘Don’t believe that nutter, Frankie. I know my own son and I know that he loves you more than he’s ever loved anyone. Why would he want a beef burger when he’s got fillet steak indoors, eh love?’

Frankie didn’t know whether she was coming or going. Little things flashed through her mind. She thought of all the nights Jed had stayed out, the make-up and lipstick she’d seen on his clothes, the distinct smell of women’s perfume on that new shirt she’d bought him for his birthday. She’d confronted him at the time, but he had sworn blind that the evidence had been his aunts and cousins making a fuss of him.

Frankie glared at her boyfriend. If he had cheated on her, she would leave him tomorrow, but only if she was one hundred per cent certain. Say she left him, but Jed was telling the truth? If that happened, she would never forgive herself.

As Jed struggled to stand up, Frankie watched him.

‘My head hurts,’ he whined.