TRAPPED (36 page)

‘Turn it off, you can’t give it him, turn it off. Stop! You’ll kill him.’

Frankie stood up and blocked Gypsy’s way. ‘What the hell is wrong with you woman?’

‘Get out of me way, Frankie. Stop it. You’ve got to stop it going in. The blood. Stop it, it’ll kill him, it’s the wrong blood.’

Frankie shook Gypsy, horrified at the hysteria.

‘For God’s sake, pull yourself together; it’s fine. They said it’s alright because I’m his father.’

It took only a blink of a moment for Gypsy to screech her confession.

‘But that’s the thing, Frankie; you’re not. You’re not his father.’

Frankie dropped hold of her arms, frozen to the spot.

Gypsy pushed around him to where one nurse was racing to shut off the roller clamp, with the other one ripping the drip out of Johnny’s hand before any of the blood entered his veins to poison him.

‘Will he be alright? Will he be alright?’

The nurses ignored Gypsy as they continued to work and Lorna shouted above the chaos at the nurses.

‘It’s fine. It’s fine.’

Gypsy turned, her eyes blazing. ‘Have you lost your flipping mind? It ain’t bleeding fine and you know it ain’t. You saw the letter, didn’t you just? You relished knowing the fact that Frankie ain’t his dad. Are you happy now, Lorn? Feel good does it?’

‘You don’t understand.’

‘I understand. I understand so well it’s engraved on me head. I left because of it, because you told me to, so I understand all too well.’

‘But you don’t see. You don’t.’

With tears in her eyes Gypsy screamed at Lorna. ‘Enough. Enough already. You’ve done what you came here for. I get it.’

‘You don’t … you don’t, because I lied. I lied, Gyps. Frankie
is
Johnny’s father. I tampered with the letter, I changed the results.’

It took a few seconds for Gypsy to comprehend the enormity of Lorna’s confession. And as it sank in, her face darkened and she lowered her voice. ‘You did what?’

‘I … I … I lied.’

Lorna flew backwards as Gypsy’s fist came into contact with her face. She lay sprawled on the ground as Gypsy stood over her; anger, tears and pain etched into her face and in her voice.

‘You evil bitch. What did you get out of it, eh? All this time I was out my mind, sick with it, and all this time it was a lie. For what, Lorn? An extra designer bag? Well you could’ve had it. You could’ve had it all. I wanted to be your mate all those years ago, I wanted you to like me, be the sister I never had, but all you did was make life difficult for me. But that wasn’t enough was it? This time you came across with the sole intention of destroying me and Frankie. Well congratulations darling because you managed it. You know the last time I saw Johnny I was screaming at him. He told me about Harley. He came to look for my support and all I did was scream at him because I thought he’d been shagging his own sister, because I thought Max was Johnny’s father. And that’s what he thinks. He left me at the hotel believing that and if he dies … if he dies …’

‘I’m sorry … I know, I know what happened, I heard you talking to Tommy. I … Gypsy … I’m …’

Maggie looked dumbstruck. She glanced up at Frankie who was by the ICU unit doors waiting to be let out. She didn’t know how much he’d heard but from the look on his face he was a man in turmoil. Maggie spoke to Gypsy.

‘Gypsy, about me dad, what did you mean he …’

Gypsy snapped at Maggie as she ran after Frankie.

‘Not now, Maggie. I’m sorry.’

The doors opened and Gypsy ran to follow Frankie as he walked out. Her voice was full of pain.

‘I’m sorry, Frankie. I never wanted you to …’

‘Find out? I bet you didn’t. Max Donaldson, of all people. It makes sense now. I can see what a mug you were making of me. I bet you were laughing behind my back; you and him. Pretending you hated each other, making me have my own war with him when really you were like rabbits behind me back.’

‘It wasn’t like that, Frank.’

‘Save it, Gypsy, save the fucking tears.’

‘You have to listen to me.’

‘No I don’t darling, no I don’t.’

‘Frankie …’

He grabbed hold of Gypsy tightly, squeezing her arms hard. His distress ignited his words.

‘Any other man would blow your fucking head off for what you’ve done but I ain’t doing that, Gyps, I ain’t going to go down to that level. I loved you babe, I know I never said it much, but I loved you.’

‘I loved you too – I ain’t stopped.’

Frankie raised his voice up another level. ‘Don’t insult me; don’t talk about loving me with the same mouth you’ve kissed him with.’

The image of Gypsy with Max flashed through Frankie. He smashed his hand on the wall, drawing pain, blood and relief all at the same time.

‘Why won’t you listen to me, Frankie?’

‘’Cos you’ve got nothing to say worth hearing. Now piss off out of my way, otherwise I won’t be responsible for me actions.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘Where do you think? I’m going to do what I should’ve done a long time ago. I’m going to kill Max.’

Lorna leaned her weight against the white door of Frankie’s Range Rover as he tried to push her away.

‘You
will
listen to me, Frankie Taylor – whether you want to or not – and once you have, you don’t have to see me again, if you don’t want to.’

‘Are you having a laugh darlin’? Which part of,
get the fuck out of my life
don’t you understand?’

‘Whatever you think of me Frank, that’s okay. I reckon I deserve it.’

‘You reckon?’

‘Alright, I do. I deserve it for trying to make out Gypsy was the one who done me in.’

‘You blackmailed her Lorn; my own sister blackmailing my wife. I just want to know why, Lorna? Why did you do it? You’ve left a hurricane of disaster behind you, so at least tell me why.’

Lorna hung her head but still kept her body firmly against the door. ‘I know Frank, it’s a bloody mess. I just wanted what you had.’

‘Don’t give me that, Lorn. I fed you the money
every
month. Everytime you called me up for something, I sorted it. I paid your rent while the muppet of a boyfriend you had did fuck all. I looked after you girl, so don’t tell me otherwise and don’t you dare try to tell me you wanted what I had. You got it.’

Lorna’s eyes filled with tears but she controlled them and continued to look down at the gravelled car park floor.

‘What you had Frankie, no money could buy. You had a family. A family who adored you and who you adored. I
never had that, Frank. I ain’t ever known what it was like
for someone to look me in the eye the way Gypsy looks at you.’

‘You’ve had boyfriends.’

‘Yes, but they never gave me a look which said anything more than sex, anger, disgust or
what’s for tea?
None of it said love. I want to have someone look at me like that, I want to know I’m worth enough for someone to love me.’

Frankie kicked the gravel hard, trying not to be moved by his sister’s tears.

‘So you thought, because you don’t have it, you’re going to mess it up for everyone else?’

‘That’s about the size of it … I’m sorry.’

Frankie looked at his sister and as much as he was angry at himself for doing it, his voice softened slightly. ‘You say you’ve never had a family who loved you, but when you were a kid we had Mum.’

‘Mum? Do me one Frank, she never loved us. Christ, she never loved herself. She lived unhappily and she died with the same sour expression on her face.’

Frankie bristled, not wanting to hear anything negative about his beloved mother. ‘How many more people do you want to trash, Lorn? Why stop there? Why not trash Johnny as well while you’re at it?’

‘You know what I’m saying is true, Frank. Take those rose-tinted bifocals off and see our childhood for what it was.’

‘The only thing I see is what you did, Lorn. But then again, who am I kidding? If Gypsy wasn’t giving off behind me back, you couldn’t have spread your poison like flipping manure.’

‘She wasn’t though, it wasn’t like that. Gypsy didn’t cheat or have an affair.’

‘No? Tune me in. Let me guess, Lorn, it was a mistake and it happens.’

‘Yeah it does, but it shouldn’t – rape should never happen.’

Max Donaldson knew when it was time to lay low. And now was one of those times. Frankie was already on his tail no doubt and he wasn’t going to wait around for it to be chopped off.

He started to throw some stuff into his bag; trousers, shirts, a few pairs of shoes. He wasn’t too worried. He had enough money to last him a long time and once he got out of London, he’d head up to Manchester and call the big boys in to get rid of Frankie Taylor once and for all. He hoped it’d all be sorted within a couple of weeks; the last thing he wanted to do was to have to spend his time in some God-forsaken green field.

He stopped packing, sensing someone behind him. It was Sheila.

‘Going somewhere?’

‘What the hell has it got to do with you woman?’

Sheila didn’t say anything; just walked into the room and opened the drawer of the white dresser, pulling out socks and underwear and putting them in Max’s bag without fuss.

‘I need you to drive me up to the place in Epping Forest Sheila, and then drop me off.’

‘Won’t you want the car?’

‘If I wanted the fucking car, I’d take it wouldn’t I? Jaysus woman, if you don’t want a slap, stop asking me fecking questions.’

Shelia nodded and Max was pleased that after all these years she still remained subservient. But as she walked away, he failed to see the change in her eyes.

‘I don’t know where they’re gone.’

Saucers stood in the front room of the Donaldsons’ house whilst on the phone to Maggie. ‘The place doesn’t look like it’s been cleared out. There’s still dishes in the sink, washing on the table; the usual domestic bliss. It looks more like they’ve gone to the shops.’

On the other end of the phone Maggie chewed on her lip. She was worried about her mother, but she needed to catch up with her father. The one thing no one could afford was for Max to go underground. He’d be more dangerous than he was now and there was no telling what he’d do once he was under pressure.

She didn’t want to leave the hospital. It seemed her whole family was in there. Nicky, Johnny, Harley; all hurt by Max, but if she wanted to stop it happening again, then she’d no choice. ‘Listen, Saucers, I’ll meet you in an hour. I think I know someone who’ll know where he’s gone.’

Maggie walked into Lola’s Cafe on Bateman Street.

‘Alright darlings, what do I owe this honour of having more than one Donaldson in me cafe? Tommy’s been sitting over there waiting for you; says he’s arranged to meet you, but I reckon word’s got out that I’m doing my coronation chicken today.’

Maggie smiled as Lola cackled.

‘Listen, Maggie, joking aside. I heard a bit of what happened. Nicky, Johnny and a young lady going by the name of Harley; you kept that part quiet.’

‘I know; I’m sorry.’

‘Hey, don’t apologise, keep what you like to yourself, but always know I’m here if you need to chew off an ear to chat about something.’

‘Thank you.’

Maggie kissed Lola on the cheek, who blushed as she continued to talk. ‘God forgive me but I can’t say I’m sorry to hear about Gina Daniels. Nasty piece of work. But I bet we haven’t got away that lightly – miserable cow will no doubt come back and haunt us all. We’ll see her ghost on the corner of Berwick Street still touting for business if I know her.’

Lola chuckled, then pottered off to serve a customer who’d just walked in, leaving Maggie to go and speak to Tommy.

Her older brother greeted her with a nod. It was the first time they’d sat down together properly for a long time, and Maggie couldn’t remember having a conversation with him since they’d been small.

‘Thanks for meeting me, Tommy.’

It was a greeting which didn’t require an answer and Maggie got straight to the point. ‘I need you to help me find Dad. He can’t get away with what he’s done, not to any of us. He’ll probably be more dangerous if he goes underground.’

Tommy said nothing and just stared at Maggie with his piercing blue eyes, not unkindly, but with a look she didn’t really understand. Maggie called it his ‘somewhere stare’, and not for the first time she wished he’d let her in.

‘And there’s one other thing Tommy, I don’t know where Mum is. She’s not answering her phone.’

Tommy, already sitting up straight in his chair, seemed to sit up even higher. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s probably nothing but it’s unlike her not to be contactable. The washing’s still on the table and dishes in the sink and you know as well as I do, there’s no way on earth she’d go out without doing them because of what Dad would do if she did. So my bet is she’s probably with him, and the idea of that worries me.’

‘Who’ve you spoken to?’

‘I’ve had a word with the Winterson brothers, Tony Cragwell and the guys from south-east, as well as the Albanians who were more than willing to help me if they could; they’ve got their own beef with Dad. But no one’s seen him, Tommy. Delanco and the men are still doing Dad’s bag money rounds, but of course I can’t speak to them. That leaves you; you did a lot of his rounds with him.’

Tommy bristled and sounded defensive. ‘That ain’t my fault, Maggie; I never asked to do those things with him.’

Maggie put her hand on Tommy’s. ‘I know Tommy; I’m not saying that. I just hoped you might be able to think of somewhere apart from the usual turf that he might be.’

‘If he’s really gone to ground and he’s not in London, I know exactly where he’ll be.’

It was only the second time Sheila Donaldson had been in the tiny property, but her shiver of disgust was no different from the first time she’d been taken there all those years ago, on what was supposed to be her honeymoon.

Max had driven her along the long deserted roads, and even though she’d already met with his fists before and even on their wedding day, foolishly there was a part of her which had hoped he was going to surprise her with something worthy of a new bride.