Behind a Closed Door (The Estate, Book 2) (8 page)

Gina glared at her. ‘I can’t see why not. I always guess who it is by the complaint. Anyway, what are they supposed to have done this time?’

‘They’ve been causing a nuisance up at the shops. They’ve –’

‘Doing what?’

‘Hanging around the outside, swearing at customers, begging for cigarettes, following people around in a threatening manner. On one occasion, a purse has gone missing.’

‘I hope you’re not saying that one of my girls nicked it.’ Gina looked outraged.

‘No, I don’t have any proof but –’

‘Then I’d shut your mouth if I were you or I’ll have you for slander.’

Josie swallowed. Things were going no better than she’d envisioned, but she tried to stay calm.

 ‘They’ve also been seen throwing eggs at Mrs Robson’s bungalow,’ she added.

Gina nodded and took another drag. ‘So she’s complained has she, the moaning old bag? I’ll –’

‘It wasn’t her,’ Josie told her truthfully. ‘You know she keeps herself to herself.’

‘She’s a nutter.’

Josie ignored her, not wanting to be drawn into discussing anyone else. Just then, she heard the front door open and slam shut. She held her breath for a second, unsure what to expect, which member of this nasty family she would encounter next.

‘What the fuck is she doing here?’

‘Hello,’ Josie greeted the scowling girl. She was followed by her identical twin sister, who ignored Josie and went into the kitchen.

‘She’s come about you two.’ Gina stubbed out the remains of her cigarette and lit another one straight after. ‘Do either of you know anything about a purse being nicked at Shop&Save. Clare?’

‘No, we bloody don’t.’ Clare folded her arms across a blossoming chest. ‘So don’t start blaming me and Rach for it. We were home all night, weren’t we, Mum?’

Gina snorted. ‘That’s right, love, you were.’

Josie sighed and stood up. It was like talking to a brick wall.

‘I don’t have any proof this time, Gina,’ she said, ‘but you can’t keep on letting your girls rule the roost. Sooner or later, they’re going to go too far.’

Gina pushed the pile of plates to one side and put up her feet. ‘They’re kids,’ she yawned, stretching her arms above her head. ‘They’ll grow out of it.’

‘Danny didn’t.’

‘Keep Danny out of this!’

‘I was just saying.’

‘Well, don’t,’ Gina warned. Her top lip curled up scathingly. ‘If you’ve said what you’ve come to say, then sling your hook. Danny’s still in bed, and if I start raising my voice, he’ll wake up – and you don’t want that, do you?’

Josie certainly didn’t. Danny Bradley scared her more than Gina. An evil specimen of a young man, it gave her the creeps even looking at him.

 ‘Yeah,’ said Rachel. She sat down next to her mother. ‘Fuck off out of our house with your airs and graces.’

Josie stood her ground. ‘Think about what I said, Gina. This can’t keep happening.’

Gina did nothing but stare at her.

Feeling dismissed, Josie couldn’t leave the house quick enough. Getting into her car, she drove to the next street, parked up again and took a breather. She held on to the steering wheel to stop her hands from shaking.

That bloody family. Who the hell did they think they were? She felt frustration rip through her. She was no match for them. They knew every benefit scam, every way to beat the system. Their father was no better; Pete Bradley was a complete layabout. Josie wondered if he’d ever done a day’s legal work in his life.

The worst thing was, that was just the one house. Gina’s mum and dad lived two doors further down. Three doors after that was Leah Simpson, Gina’s younger sister. Stanley Avenue was overrun with that family because no one else wanted to live near any of the Bradleys.

 Josie’s nerves began to settle again. Although there were lots of decent people on the Mitchell Estate, there were plenty of badly behaved families, too – yet none of them got under her skin as much as the Bradley’s. The lot of them thought they were above the law. But one day, one month, one year, one of them would do something, and she’d have the power to get them out. Until then, Josie would have to build up the evidence against them and bide her time.

The two-hour car journey to visit Scott had been a nightmare due to heavy rain and an overturned lorry on the motorway. Then there had been the humiliation of the search procedure and the intimidating atmosphere of the prison environment. But just seeing his face break out into a smile when he spotted her walking towards him in the visitors room made it all worthwhile for Kelly.

For a minute or two, anyway.

‘It’s good to see you, babe,’ Scott whispered, as he hugged her.

Kelly glanced over his shoulder cautiously, not daring to meet anyone’s eye, fearing she wasn’t allowed to touch him. But it seemed okay – lots of men were doing the same before they sat down.

There were approximately twenty tables arranged in rows up and down the room. All the prisoners had red bands around their torsos. The woman on the next table had two young children with her as she chatted excitedly to the man she’d come to visit. Luckily for Kelly, the ‘working away’ lie seemed to be doing its job. There was no need to confuse Emily.

People were talking, laughing, moaning, smiling – but Kelly couldn’t find anything to smile about. Somehow a prison visiting room hadn’t featured in her life plan.

Scott motioned to a chair. ‘How’s Em doing?’ he asked.

‘She’s okay, I suppose,’ Kelly replied. ‘One minute she’s fine about you not being there. Other times, she’s upset. But I’m glad I’ve got her – I hate being on my own.’

‘Is Jay keeping an eye on you?’

‘Yeah, he brought me here today.’

‘Good. I told him to look after the pair of you.’

‘He shouldn’t have to look out for us! That’s supposed to be your job.’

Scott groaned. ‘Don’t let’s go there, Kel. It’s not like I can do anything about it now. Think of me, stuck in here, it’s enough to drive any bloke loopy.’

Kelly ignored his self-pity and went straight to the main point. ‘Did you get the letter from the housing association?’

Scott’s top lip curled derisively. ‘Yeah, but I’m not worried about it. You shouldn’t be either.’

‘But you’ll have a bill for about two grand!’

‘Which I can pay off at a couple of quid a week because I’m on the dole.’

Kelly frowned. ‘You’re not grasping the seriousness of the situation!’

‘Rules are made to be broken.’

She folded her arms. ‘But I don’t want to live like that anymore. Besides, the house is still your responsibility while you’re in here. Josie says empty properties are like a magnet on the estate. You’ll have to pay for any damage.’

 ‘Who the fuck is Josie?’ Scott questioned. ‘Not that interfering bitch from Mitchell Housing? And what do you mean by empty property? Don’t tell me you’ve moved out!’

Kelly seemed surprised he hadn’t realised sooner. ‘Yeah, of course I have,’ she said. ‘I had to go and see Josie. She told me what would happen if I stayed at Patrick Street – they would have evicted us!’

Scott shook his head to protest. ‘No, they wouldn’t. She’s trying to scare you. They can’t evict me. They have to take me to court and I would’ve been out of here before that happened.’

‘Maybe, but –’

‘You should’ve stayed where you were. Now the house is empty, they’ve got more of a case – I could lose my tenancy rights! You’ve ruined everything, you silly cow.’

The icy look Scott threw Kelly chilled her bones. ‘And how exactly have
I
done that?’ she snapped. ‘You being in here means that I
can’t
stay at Patrick Street. They turfed me and Em out and it’s
your
fault. How could you do that?’

Scott looked around the room as a couple of heads turned in their direction. One of the wardens started to walk towards them.

‘Keep your voice down, Kel.’ Scott cocked his head a little. ‘Let me get this clear. The letter wasn’t an empty threat?’

Kelly shook her head.

‘They can’t fucking do that! That’s my home.’

‘
Our
home,’ corrected Kelly. ‘At least it
was
our home until you got sent down. They’ve moved us to a flat – on Clarence Avenue.’

Scott’s eyes bulged. ‘Fucking hell, this is getting worse! If you’re on Clarence Avenue, where am I supposed to go when I get out of here?’

‘You haven’t even asked how I am!’

Scott sniggered. ‘I know you’ll be coping. That’s what keeps me going in here, knowing that you’ll have everything under control. Well, it was until you told me about Patrick Street. Why didn’t you stand your ground? They wouldn’t have evicted you if you’d refused to go.’

‘They would because I’m not mentioned on the tenancy agreement. My name isn’t on any of the utility bills either. I’m registered for benefits from Christopher Avenue, my mum’s address. Why did you do that?’

The warden had stopped a few feet away from them, content to linger for now. Scott settled back in his chair again.

‘I didn’t do it on purpose, if that’s what you’re thinking. I knew we could claim more money that way but I didn’t know this would happen.’

Kelly huffed. ‘
You
said you’d never get caught.
You
said you’d never get sent down.’

‘I say a lot of things. It doesn’t mean everything always goes to plan.’

Kelly pushed her chair back with her feet but it didn’t create enough space. Right now, she didn’t want to be near him. All he seemed to be concerned about was his own welfare.

‘What about me?’ she asked him. ‘And Emily – what about your daughter?’

Suddenly Scott’s tone changed. ‘Come on, Kel, this was never going to be easy, you coming to see me in here. I’m sorry, but when you’re locked up, you do nothing but think of yourself.’ He looked straight into her eyes, throwing her heart into turmoil. ‘It’s the thought of getting out and being with you that gets me through each day. Don’t give up on me.’

‘Then give up Patrick Street,’ said Kelly. ‘The longer you have it, the more rent you’ll owe when you do get out. And you’ll be moving back with me, anyway, won’t you?’

‘Yeah, course. Listen, I need you to do something – I need you to go and see Philip Matson, over in Bernard Place. He has some of my gear and I want you to get it back. I’ve been thinking and I don’t trust him with it until I get out.’

Kelly narrowed her eyes. ‘What kind of gear?’

‘A bit of insurance.’ Scott raised his hands in the air. ‘Nothing to do with drugs, you know me.’

‘Yes, I do know you. What have you been up to?’

‘Something and nothing, babe. Nowt you need to worry about anyway, but I need you to keep it for me at Patrick – Clarence Avenue.’

‘No way!’ Kelly shook her head furtively. ‘I am not doing your dirty work for you. What do you think I am, your lackey lad? Get Jay to do it.’

‘I don’t want anyone to know about it. It’s a job I did on my own, so I don’t want Stevie and Michael finding out. They’ll only want a cut. And, I told you, it’s not safe in Matson’s hands.’

‘A cut of what?’ Kelly questioned further.

‘Never you mind.’

‘No, I won’t fetch it unless you tell me what –’

‘Just do it, Kel.’ Scott’s tone held a hint of menace. ‘I don’t –’

Kelly stood up. ‘That’s why you wanted me to come and see you,’ she hissed. ‘You’re not bothered about me or Em.’

Scott stood up too. ‘’Course I am, babe. This money’s for all of us, when I get out.’

‘Money?’

‘Yeah, I –’

‘How come I didn’t know about it?’

‘I’m telling you now!’

The warden was on his way over again. Kelly turned to walk away. Scott reached up and lightly touched her arm.

‘Please, Kel, do this one thing. Remember the good times … didn’t I always look out for you … and Em?’

CHAPTER EIGHT

Jay was waiting for Kelly in the prison car park. He noted her red eyes as soon as she opened the door.

‘I take it the visit didn’t go to plan?’ he remarked.

Kelly buckled up her seatbelt and shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it – least of all to a Kirkwell. Thankfully, Jay started the car and moved away from the building.

How had she let this happen? She asked herself the same thing over and over as Jay drove back onto the motorway. Her partner – the man she loved – had shown his true colours today. He didn’t care about her. All he was bothered about was himself.

She turned to Jay at last. ‘God, what a pushover I’ve been. Good old Kelly. Never one to make a fuss, always keeping the bloody peace. Fat lot of good that did me.’

‘This isn’t your fault,’ Jay replied.

‘Yeah, right. I should have been stronger, told him not to do that last job. I should have been more forceful, demand that he keep away from you and your bloody brothers. I should have told him –’