Beneath an Irish Sky (Choc Lit) (16 page)

Despite his anger, Jack allowed himself a satisfied smile at the sight of Richard trying to salvage something from the soggy paperwork. His smile faded when he remembered the water-jug incident back in Dublin. Did Luke hate him as much as Jack hated Richard? It was a sobering thought.

‘This reminds me of home,’ Luke said, as he and Kate drove through the Cheshire countryside. ‘Funny to think I could have grown up here.’

‘Do you miss it? Travelling?’

‘In a way. But some things I don’t miss.’

‘Such as?’

Luke hesitated. Telling a virtual stranger about the humiliations of your life wasn’t easy, especially if it was a girl you really liked, but he’d been raised to be truthful. Annie had always told him to never tell a lie and never fear the truth. ‘Sometimes you’re not welcome in places because you’re a Traveller – pubs, shops and the like,’ Luke told Kate. ‘People throw rubbish at you when you’re parked at the side of the road. You get hassle from the Guards who always assume you’re a thief. The Council are forever tryin’ to move you on. The settled kids in schools call you names like “dirty knacker” …’ Luke glanced down at his hands, which had clenched into fists. ‘Once, a few Traveller women, includin’ my mam, tried to take us kids to see the Santa in a department store in Cork. The security guards ran us out. They didn’t trust us to be in their store. Season of goodwill, except for Travellers.’

‘That’s terrible!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘How can people behave like that?’

‘Because Travellers are considered a problem,’ Luke told her. ‘Sure, there are those who deserve the reputation we have, but a lot don’t. There’s good and bad, same as there is everywhere. The authorities want to stop us livin’ the way we’ve always lived so they make it hard for us to travel round. They won’t provide facilities, and eventually it wears you down. So you give in, and accept a place in a settled housing scheme. We did that when my grand-da got sick, but it was somethin’ we’d have felt pushed into eventually.’

‘God, I’m so sorry, Luke,’ said Kate. ‘I had no idea. That’s blown my stupid romantic notions right out of the window, hasn’t it? I pictured campfires and lots of singing and pretty painted caravans.’

He smiled. She was probably thinking of Romanies, but her honesty was refreshing. ‘There can be all that too, though caravans aren’t pretty these days – just your regular sort. I didn’t tell you all that to make you feel sorry for me, Kate. I’m proud of who I am.’

‘Still, I’m glad you’re away from all that hassle now,’ she said.

‘Am I?’ Luke thought about his grandparents. ‘Somehow I think it’s the same everywhere.’

‘Not if I have anything to do with it,’ said Kate. Her tone told him she meant it, but she was connected to the people who had turned a cold shoulder on his mother. Faced with their disapproval, Kate might not be strong enough to stand up to them.

‘Let’s have some music,’ she suggested, switching on the CD player. ‘I bought this today – specially for you.’ The strains of ‘The Fields of Athenry’
filled the car and it touched Luke that Kate had gone to such trouble to make him feel at home. He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Almost without being aware, he started to sing softly. After a few bars, his voice tailed off.

‘What’s wrong?’ Kate asked.

‘My mother was buried yesterday – and I’m singin’.’

‘Luke, give yourself a break,’ she said, and squeezed his hand.

‘That was one of Mam’s favourites. I guess she’d not mind me singin’ it … or enjoyin’ myself a bit.’

‘I’m sure she wouldn’t,’ Kate agreed. ‘And I don’t think she’d want you to feel guilty for having a good day.’

Luke leaned his head back against the rest. ‘It’s not bein’ happy that bothers me. It’s that she’ll never
see
me happy.’

Kate slowed down behind a tractor, and looked at him. ‘Are you okay?’

He nodded. And really he should be. He was in a Peugeot convertible, being driven through a posh area of Cheshire by the girl of his dreams. He’d spent so much of his life being treated like an undesirable, it was hard to take in.

‘You look really pale,’ she told him. ‘Good job we’re nearly there.’

Luke actually didn’t feel so well, but he had something very important to do later. Matt would be working, and Jack was going to some charity dinner. Hopefully, they’d stick to their plans and leave the coast clear.

Luke poked at the firepit in the garden and sparks and flames flew out, bringing with them a strong smell of paraffin that made his eyes water. Hampered by his crutches, it had taken him half an hour to get everything set up. Maybe he’d overdone the fuel. Setting that nearby shed alight would go down really well. Jack would think he’d done it deliberately, for sure.

Jessie had told Luke about seeing her dead grandmother’s wagon set on fire, with all the old woman’s possessions still inside. That way nothing tied her to this world. Luke wanted to help free his mother’s spirit in the same way. It was hard, doing this alone. Back in Ireland, there’d have been other Travellers there to help him.

Annie’s battered old suitcase was light enough for Luke to lift into the pit, although the movement made it feel like his ribs were being busted all over again. The case was half in, half out of the fire, though. He leaned against the edge of the pit wall, reaching out his hand to try and push it further into the blaze …

‘Jesus!’ Matt suddenly appeared from nowhere, scaring the life out of Luke. ‘Move back, you idiot – I’ll get it!’

He started pulling at the case with a garden spade to bring it out of the flames. Matt had got it all wrong. Thought it had fallen in by accident. He was spoiling everything.

‘Leave it, Matt!’ shouted Luke, trying to pull his brother away, but Matt shouldered him and he fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Moments later, the burning suitcase was on the ground and Matt was stamping down the flames with his heavy boots. Luke watched, trying to catch his breath as his brother flipped the case over.

‘What the …?’ Matt had seen the bank notes stuffed into the lining. Now there’d be all kinds of explaining to do, but he had to get the case back in the fire first …

Desperate, Luke kicked out at Matt’s ankle. Caught off balance, his brother went down but was back up on his feet before Luke could get the case. He gave up and flopped back on the ground. He was in too much pain to do any more. At least he’d tried.

Matt towered over him, his eyes flashing with anger. ‘Did you start this deliberately – using paraffin? You idiot! With this wind, you could have set light to the shed or the trees – or yourself!’

‘I was burnin’ Mam’s things,’ Luke told him. ‘Old Traveller ritual.’

‘Oh.’ Matt looked surprised. And a bit guilty.

‘Get me up, will you,’ asked Luke. ‘My ribs are killin’ me.’ Perhaps he could play on Matt’s guilt and steer him away from the subject of what was in the case.

No chance. Once Matt had helped Luke away from the firepit and seated him against the nearest tree, he sat down close by and asked about the money. Whose it was. Where Luke had got it.

‘We had some saved,’ said Luke, as casually as he could.

‘Don’t piss about!’ snapped Matt. ‘In church, you talked about how you never had any money, yet now you’ve got a suitcase full of it. How much is there anyway?’

‘About thirty thousand euro.’ And it had brought Annie and him nothing but bad luck. He’d have been glad to see it all go up in flames.

‘Fuck! What did you do – rob a bank?’

‘No, I didn’t! Why is it everyone thinks a Traveller with money must have stolen it? You’re as bad as your fuckin’ grandparents. I’m goin’ in …’ Luke scrabbled for his crutches. He’d not be able to get up on his own, though. It was terrible to feel so helpless.

‘Hey – I was only kidding,’ said Matt. ‘Christ! Stay where you are. If you do more damage to yourself, I’ll have Maggie to answer to.’

Luke leaned back against the tree trunk. He was done in. ‘I hope she doesn’t come out and find us here. She said she had a headache and was goin’ to bed early. Not before she made me dinner, though.’ He chuckled softly. ‘Nothin’ will stop her from tryin’ to feed me up.’

Matt grinned. ‘The house was all quiet when I came in. I didn’t see Maggie.’

‘You were supposed to be at work, Matt.’

‘Told Sarah I wasn’t feeling well. Wanted to get back here and see how you were.’

Was that true? Matt
had
come out searching for Luke. He seemed to care. It would be good to have someone watching out for him. His brother was an outsider, though. Luke didn’t even trust people he’d known for years. Hard to change the habits of a lifetime.

‘I can put the case back on the fire, Luke, and leave you alone for a bit so you can finish what you started. But could we keep the money aside? I can put it in the safe in my room for now. I’ll give you the combination – you can take it any time you want. But if you don’t want it, think about giving it to some charity.’

Luke nodded. Matt wasn’t going to force him to explain about the money. And he understood the burning ritual was important. That counted for a lot.

His brother got a bin bag from the shed and used gloves to handle the smouldering suitcase. Only a few of the bank notes were ruined.

‘Right,’ said Matt. ‘I’ll take this dosh inside. You do what you have to do. I’ll bring some coffee. It’s getting cold out here.’

He picked up the suitcase and threw it back on the fire. He was about to leave when Luke said, ‘Matt … stay with me. She was your mam, too.’

Matt nodded, looking pleased. They could stand together and remember Annie. Maybe Luke really had found a brother.

It was getting dark. The fire had roared its way through the cheap suitcase, spitting out angry sparks. Now it was down to a warm glow, making Luke think of campfires and his days on the road.

Matt had just come back from putting the money in his safe. He’d brought out two patio chairs and a thermos of coffee as well.

‘Do you think her spirit is free now, Luke?’ asked Matt. He’d said a few kind words about Annie during the ritual and Luke had been grateful.

‘Hope so. Unless keepin’ that money was a mistake. She might be worryin’ still about it.’

‘Did you find the money?’ asked Matt. ‘Or win the lottery?’

Luke was silent. Stared at the flames. It was so hard to bring himself to trust anyone.

Matt spoke again. ‘Luke, I’ve always wanted a brother and now I’ve got one. Even if you’re a git at times and look like a chimney sweep right now—’

Luke choked down a laugh and showed Matt the finger.

‘—I need to know you’re okay. If something bothers you, it bothers me. I can keep a secret, I promise, and I’ll help you any way I can. Course if you don’t tell me where that money came from, then it’ll have to be torture. I’ll do things with that garden spade that’ll make your eyes water.’

Luke grinned and sipped his coffee. Matt had been more than decent up to now. And it would be good to talk about the money, lift the burden of it all from his shoulders a bit. He’d take the risk and tell Matt everything.

‘Back in Ireland, we lived with my uncles, Joe and Liam. My Uncle Joe had the money. Stashed in a holdall in a wardrobe, buried under towels and stuff.’

‘Hiding it? Why?’

‘To keep it to himself, I suppose.’ Joe’s face flashed up in Luke’s mind and his free hand clenched into a fist. ‘He’s a right bastard. Never gave a fuck about anyone but himself. Treated Mam like an unpaid servant and I was just an inconvenient expense. He and Liam had regular work, but there never seemed to be enough money for Mam and me. We always had to scrape by while they went out drinkin’. They bought a new caravan, one of those motorised ones, and a car, but Mam had to drive round in the old one that she could never afford to get fixed up. The one she died in.’

That night on the rainy road and the blaring truck horn filled his mind, but thankfully Matt’s next question helped him push it aside.

‘Did you ever ask them how they had the money for all that?’

‘I asked them once,’ Luke told him. ‘After Joe beat the shit out of me, he said Liam was winnin’ bare-knuckle contests and if I ever mentioned it again, he’d rip my head off. I preferred the idea of livin’ a bit longer, so I never asked again.’

‘Fuck!’

Matt sounded really shocked. Jack had probably never laid a finger on him. Matt had always been sheltered, protected. Violence would be just some sad thing that happened to other people.

‘Joe and Liam had gone off somewhere in their motor-caravan. They were always comin’ and goin’ on jobs – we never knew when to expect them back. Mam lost her purse and we needed some cash so I looked in Joe’s room. Thought I might find a few euro. When I opened that holdall … well, it was a real shock. I showed Mam, and she was so scared. Thought we were goin’ to get raided or somethin’. I got to thinkin’ that this would be our chance to leave. I persuaded Mam we should go to Wales for a fresh start. We’d talked about doin’ that for ages but could never afford it. I told her we should take Joe’s stash. She didn’t want to, but I said I wasn’t hangin’ round to get another beatin’ and I’d take it and go by myself. I wouldn’t have, but she couldn’t be sure of that, so she hid the money by stitchin’ it into the linin’ of the case, protected by cardboard. We left all our stuff behind so’s whenever they came back they wouldn’t realise straight away we’d gone.’

Matt pulled a hip flask from his jacket pocket and drank straight from it. He offered it to Luke, who shook his head although he was tempted. Best not go down that road, turning to alcohol to solve his problems. Matt sighed. ‘Why did you do that, Luke? Take the money? We’re not talking small change here. Your uncles’ll want that money back. They could go to the police.’

Luke shook his head. ‘Travellers don’t go to the police. We sort things out ourselves. I learned that the hard way, a long time ago.’

‘So we wait for Joe and Liam to come knocking, is that it?’ Matt sounded angry.

‘They won’t come knockin’. They’ll never think to look for me here. They know I hate Jack. I’ve been raised to hate him.’ Luke said the bitter words with more confidence than he felt.

Matt got up to check the fire. It gave his face a weird orange glow. He turned and stared at Luke, his expression full of worry. ‘And if the money
doesn’t
belong to your uncles, what then?’