The Traitor (33 page)

If it wasn’t for Kerry’s advice, Frankie wasn’t sure if her and Jed’s relationship would have ever got back on track. Things had been so strained when they had first moved to Wickford that Frankie couldn’t bear Jed being anywhere near her. In the end, Kerry had given her a talking to.

‘If you don’t start having sex with Jed, he will end up going somewhere else for it, Frankie. I know it’s difficult, mate, but once you get back in the swing of it, you’ll be OK.’

‘But I can’t bear him touching me. Every time he tries to, I can picture him with that Sally girl.’

‘Just have a bottle of wine, shut your eyes and think of England. If you don’t, you’ll end up losing Jed in the end. He’s a good-looking bloke, he’s got money and someone will snap him up if you don’t start putting out, Frankie.’

Frankie had got paralytic the first time they’d had sex again, but after that, things had improved each time. Jed had been tender and loving towards her and Frankie had sort of responded in her own way. Occasionally, she would get a flash of him groping that Sally tart, but she would immediately try and banish the thought from her mind. She had to make herself forget; it was the only way to move on.

As her mobile rang, Frankie took the call outside. The kids were kicking up a din, and she couldn’t hear, let alone make herself be heard.

‘Frankie, it’s Nan. I’ve decided to do a surprise party for your grandad on Sunday for his birthday. He thinks I’m just having a few people over for a barbecue, but it’s really in his honour. I’ve told Jock on the quiet and he’s coming over early to take him to look at a pigeon, then he’ll take him up the pub. While your grandad’s out I can get everything organised.’

‘Can Jed come with me, Nan? Seeing as it’s a party,’ Frankie asked.

‘No, love. Raymond’ll be here and Joey and Dominic, so I’d rather you just came with the kids.’

‘OK, what time?’

‘Get here by two-ish.’

Frankie said goodbye and went back inside the trailer. It was such a shame that her family still refused to accept Jed. Apart from Joey, none of them knew that he had cheated on her that time, but even after all these years they still refused to allow him into their lives.

Pouring the kid’s sausages and beans onto two plastic plates, Frankie smiled as her boyfriend reappeared.

‘You all right, babe?’

‘Yeah, fine. I’ve gotta pop over to my nan’s on Sunday; it’s my grandad’s birthday. Have you gotta get off right now?’ Frankie asked.

Jed didn’t want to push his luck. ‘I’ll tell you what, why don’t me and Sammy have that takeaway with you and Kerry first and then we’ll get off? The only thing is, we’ve got two lorries to cut and shut, so we might not be back till tomorrow lunchtime.’

Frankie smiled as Jed pulled her towards him and started getting fruity. ‘Stop it, Kerry’ll be walking in in a minute,’ she said, as Jed shoved his hand inside her tracksuit bottoms. He ignored her and expertly inserted his finger inside her.

‘What you doing, Daddy?’ Georgie asked, bemused.

‘Just showing your mum how much I love her,’ Jed said laughing.

Frankie pushed him away. Good job the kids were too young to understand what Jed was really doing.

An hour and a half later, Jed and Sammy both kissed their girlfriends and children goodbye.

‘Yous two ain’t ate that much,’ Frankie said, as she let go of Jed and happily munched on another prawn ball.

‘We can’t work properly on a full stomach. We’ll get some beers on the way to ease the boredom,’ Jed explained.

‘What time did you say you’ll be back?’ Kerry asked Sammy.

‘Dunno, it’s hard to say. I reckon about eight or nine in the morning, but it could be later. What do you reckon, Jed?’

‘We’ll be back by twelve at the latest,’ Jed replied.

As soon as the trailer door slammed shut, Kerry topped up their wine glasses to the brim. She smiled at Frankie. ‘While the cats are away the girlies must play,’ she said, giggling.

Sammy and Jed laughed as they stopped the motor, changed out of their work clothes, put on their best togs, then headed off towards Rush Green. Leading a double life was hard work sometimes, but both lads thrived on the excitement and the lies.

‘Yous two ain’t ate that much,’ Sammy said, mimicking Frankie’s voice.

‘Little does she know I’ve got roast chicken with all the trimmings later. I know I compare ’em a lot, Sam, but Sally do knock spots off of Frankie in both the kitchen and the bedroom, you know.’

Sammy laughed. ‘Same ’ere, mate. That Julie sucks me cory like no girl’s ever sucked it before. And she cooks a mean chicken korma.’

Chuckling, Jed turned up the stereo. Sammy was a big fan of Billie Jo Spears and ‘Blanket on the Ground’ was his favourite song. As Sammy sang along with Billie Jo, Jed sat deep in thought. When Sally had turned up at his door all those years ago with Luke in her arms, he would have never envisaged himself falling for her and being so happy. He still fucked about with other birds, but nowhere near as much as he used to. Their romance had only started up again because of the maintenance payments. He didn’t want her brute of a father on his case, so he’d started being nice to her again.

They’d met up a few times, just so he could give her some wonga, but it was when she had got her council flat in Rush Green Gardens that he’d really begun to see her in a different light.

Luke had had a big part to play in their love affair. At first, Jed had flatly refused to see the boy, but once he’d agreed to, he’d adored him on sight. Dark, feisty and brazen, Luke was like his little double. He was three now, would soon be four, and even at that tender age, the little sod had the gift of the gab. Lukey boy was everything that Jed had ever wanted in a son. Alice and Jimmy loved him as well, and he often stayed over at their house. He loved the tractor, the horses and the dogs. The kid was an out-and-out travelling boy.

Harry, on the other hand was not. He was a timid child, in his own little world, and, as much as Jed tried, he couldn’t love him anywhere near as much as he had grown to love Lukey boy. He cared about Harry, obviously, but only because he was his son. It was Luke who tugged at his heartstrings and filled his stomach with pride. His parents felt the same way, especially his dad, who was totally besotted with Luke.

His mother was full of suspicion. She had never been Frankie’s biggest fan. ‘You sure Harry’s yours? Blond hair, blue eyes – he looks and acts sod all like any of us. I always said she was an old whore, that Frankie. I bet that kid belongs to some gorjer mush.’

Thinking of his number-one son again, Jed smiled. Lukey boy and Georgie were so alike, it was uncanny at times. They had never met, for obvious reasons. Jed would love to introduce them, but he couldn’t risk Georgie saying something to Frankie.

Jed’s affair with Sally had started again just over two years ago. He’d been popping round hers to see Luke and at the same time Sally had just kind of won him over. He could honestly say that he loved her now, probably more than he did Frankie, but leaving Frankie was never going to be an option, as he could never be parted from Georgie girl.

Sally was extremely tolerant. She understood his predicament and was more than happy to share him. The only thing he hadn’t told her was that Frankie was pregnant again. He had told Sally that he and Frankie no longer slept together, but other than that, he was reasonably honest about his life at home. Frankie, on the other hand, knew nothing of his involvement with Sally or Luke. He had never mentioned seeing the boy, paying maintenance or anything.

Not one to be outdone by his cousin’s romance, Sammy had rekindled his affair with Sally’s pal, Julie. She also had a flat on Rush Green Gardens and Julie and Sammy had recently had a son together called Tom.

‘You’re quiet. What’s up?’ Sammy said, turning the stereo down.

‘Just thinking about stuff.’

‘Like what?’ Sammy asked.

Jed smiled. ‘Can you imagine what the girls would do if they found out what me and you were really up to?’

‘Kerry would no doubt chop my bollocks off, and I reckon your Frankie would probably do the same to you,’ Sammy said, chuckling.

Jed playfully punched his cousin. ‘Moving the girls on that bit of land in Wickford was the best move we ever made. They’ll never find out about our other lives while they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, will they?’

Sammy shrugged. ‘I fucking hope not.’

Arriving at their destination, Jed laughed as he bumped the Shogun onto the kerb. ‘Just remember Harry Mitchell, Sammy boy. If me and you can get away with what we did to him, we can get away with anything, mush.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Eddie Mitchell grinned as he studied the photocopied details of the six properties. Two of them weren’t his cup of tea, three were possibilities, but it was the cottage in Rettendon that really caught his eye.

‘What do you think of this one?’ he asked Stuart.

Stuart stared at the piece of paper and nodded. ‘It looks nice, but where is Rettendon? I’ve never heard of it.’

Eddie laughed. Stuart was from Hackney and had rarely set foot outside London. In fact, Stu was the only person Ed knew, apart from his Auntie Joan, who spoke about Essex as though it was as remote as Timbuktu.

Itching for visiting time, Eddie decided to do some press-ups to take the edge off his impatience. At fifty press-ups, Eddie stopped for a breather. Four weeks, four measly weeks and he would be out of this shit-hole for good.

Thinking over his stretch, Eddie knew that the only thing he would miss about Wandsworth Prison was Stuart. Once Stu had been convicted, they’d both been moved off the remand wing, but thankfully, they’d still been allowed to share a cell. Ed had been offered the chance to spend his last six months at an open prison, but had opted not to, as he hadn’t wanted to be parted from his young cellmate. Usually, inmates wouldn’t have much say on the matter, but since a new guvnor had taken over and that evil screw, Carter, had left, Eddie had the whole of the prison system sussed.

Eddie felt desperately sorry for Stuart. Three weeks ago, his young pal had opened a letter that had broken his heart. His girlfriend, Carly, had met someone else and was pregnant by him. ‘I’ve done all this bird for her, thinking we had a future together and she don’t even want me, Ed. What am I gonna do with my life now? I can’t go back to Hackney ’cause of Jonesey’s mates. He was part of a gang and I’ll get lynched if I go back there.’

Stuart had become like a son to Eddie over the years. ‘Fuck Carly. She ain’t worth a toss, mate. If she can’t wait for ya after what you did for her, then she ain’t worth knowing. As for Hackney, fuck that shit-hole as well. I promise you, Stu, on the day you get released from here, I’ll be waiting outside them gates for ya, boy. You’ll have a flat, a job and a bird waiting, you got that?’

Stuart had cheered up over the past week or so. He was still bitter about Carly at times, but was now looking forward to his future. ‘You won’t regret helping me out and taking me on, Ed. I’ll be the best worker you ever had and I won’t let you down, I promise,’ he repeatedly told Eddie.

As Eddie finished his exercise routine, Stuart smiled. ‘I take it Gina’s coming to visit?’

Eddie nodded. Frankie, Gary, Ricky and Raymond visited him occasionally, but since his conviction he was no longer allowed three visits a week, so he saved most of his allowance for the woman who had stolen his heart. God only knows what spell Gina had cast on him, but she had something about her that sent tingles down his spine. She had awoken something inside him that he had only ever felt with Jessica in the past.

He wasn’t stupid. They’d never eaten together, slept together or even shopped together, so there was always a chance that he would come out of nick, move in with Gina, then things would go dreadfully wrong. He couldn’t see that happening, though. They clicked, were besotted with one another and, most importantly, they both wanted the same things out of life.

Eddie nodded politely at the guard as he unlocked the cell. Being in love was the best feeling in the world and, considering the circumstances, he felt blessed to have been given a second chance.

Bored with waiting for Jed to return home, Frankie got herself showered and dressed, then knocked at Kerry’s. ‘I’m gonna pop over to Lakeside and have a mooch round. You coming with me?’

Kerry shook her head. Sammy had promised to take her out for lunch and she was determined to get herself dolled up to look her best for him. ‘Sammy’ll be back soon and we’re going out later. What you going to Lakeside for? You gotta get anything special?’

‘My nan’s having a barbecue for my grandad’s birthday on Sunday, so I’ve gotta get my grandad a present. I might buy myself a new outfit as well. Why not, eh? Jed’s always telling me to treat myself out the money he gives me and I rarely do. I always spend it on the kids.’

Kerry smiled. ‘I’ll do a deal with ya. I’ll look after Georgie and Harry while you go to Lakeside, then when you get back, you look after my two while me and Sammy go out for a boozy late lunch.’

Frankie immediately agreed. It was hard work dragging Georgie and Harry around the shops and she could browse much better on her own. ‘I’ll get going now, then. When Jed gets home, tell him I’ll be back by two.’

Not knowing what on earth to buy for her grandad, Frankie’s first stop was Debenhams. She wanted to get him something practical, so after a lot of umming and aahing, she chose a waterproof jacket that he could wear while messing about with his pigeons.

While Frankie was standing in the queue waiting to pay, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was her old schoolfriend, Stacey.

‘Stacey! You look fantastic. It’s so lovely to see you,’ Frankie gushed.

Frankie had knocked about with Stacey for years, but they’d lost contact when she’d settled down with Jed.

As Stacey hugged her, Frankie felt ever so dowdy standing beside her old friend. Stacey was incredibly slim and much more attractive than Frankie remembered her being.