Maura's Game (42 page)

“Come on, I’ll make a cup of tea even though we’re floating in the stuff Maura followed her mother meekly and their newly rediscovered closeness was sealed once and for all. As they sat in the kitchen together Sarah was surprised to find that she didn’t care whether she went home again or not. Her daughter needed her and she would be there for her as long as Maura wanted her. She had enjoyed herself the last few days, had felt needed and wanted again. Had felt the love her daughter bore her surrounding her like a cloak, and all Sarah Ryan had ever wanted was to feel loved and wanted by her children.

Carla lay in bed in Sarah’s Hotting Hill house and thought about her life. Since the to-do with Maura over Tommy she had felt as if she had come out of some kind of trance. How she could have done what she had she couldn’t say though if she was honest she knew she’d been so desperate for a man she was willing to take someone else’s. In fact, she had enjoyed it all the more because he was Maura’s. She pushed that thought from her mind. Like her aunt she had a selective memory at times. And like her aunt it had served her in good stead.

But all her life she had lived in Maura’s shadow and no one had ever thought that she might want to be her own person. She knew she should have worked, should have taken control of her own life in some way. But it was so seductive being looked after, having unearned money and prestige. Knowing that once people knew who your family were they would treat you like a queen. In a way she understood why Benny was like he was. He was so desperate to be like Michael, to be like ‘the boys’, his uncles, he overcompensated with his violence. He wanted to be known as madder than Michael, as even more frightening. And he was not all the ticket to start with so that made for a dangerous mix.

But it didn’t matter how she justified it to herself, what she had done was wrong, so very, very wrong. She had resented Maura for years, ever since she had hit thirty. Maura had got her a new car and Carla could still remember her father’s expression as she had proudly showed it off to him. It had suddenly occurred to her then that he, like her mother, thought she was a ponce. Janine had looked at the car and then said grudgingly that she thought it looked very expensive. Her father, though, had said nothing, just walked away, and it had hurt Carla, hurt and annoyed her. Benny, however, who had still been a boy, had loved the car and wanted her to take him out in it to show off to his mates. If she was honest, she had enjoyed showing it off.

But she had finally sussed out then that people actually thought she was a leech, and the worst of it all was she knew on some deep level that they were right. Maura had made it so easy for her. She had given Carla whatever she desired, and had given it with a smile and a good heart. She, for her part, had taken it, had taken all Maura had to give while secretly hating the woman giving it to her.

Now, though, she would do anything to be in her aunt’s favour once more. She would love to be able to jump in her car and go over to Maura’s house and know that she would get a warm welcome and be treated with kindness and respect. It had finally occurred to Carla that her aunt had always accepted her for what she was. She was only sorry she had not been able to accept it herself. She had blamed Maura for her own feelings of inadequacy, had seen her aunt’s success as a yardstick to measure herself against when it had not been necessary. She had made it like that for herself; it had never been a competition, and if it had been, her aunt would have won it hands down.

Maura’s personality was such that she would help anyone, try and make other people happy, if it was in her power. Whereas Carla knew her own personality was such that unless she had done something first then she would always denigrate it, put it down.

In fact, at heart she knew that without her family she was basically nothing, a complete nobody. And she was a bully of sorts, making light of other people’s problems, especially if they affected her in any way. Even her father’s breakdown had got on her nerves in the end,

though she had hidden that fact very well. She had done what was expected of her and no one had been any the wiser about how she really felt inside.

She wanted her son to be perfect, and he wasn’t. Now, when she needed him more than ever, Joey, being his mother’s son, had blanked her as she had grown too needy. He was one selfish little fucker. He was still getting his allowance from Maura but hadn’t offered her any of it. She was always overdrawn it was how she lived, was what she was used to. Maura had taken care of it as she took care of everything. Now Carla was boracic fucking lint and no one seemed to give a toss.

She felt the sting of tears once more. Benny had no time for her, and nor did any of the others. She had friends, but they weren’t real friends. They ran each other down and laughed at each other’s misfortunes while pretending they were so close they were like family. The big joke had always been how no one wanted to be the first to leave any gathering because they knew they would be in for a hammering as soon as their back was turned. These were the people she had spent a major part of her life with and she knew that she was wasting her time with them. If they heard what had happened with Maura they would drop her like a hot brick. After all, Maura Ryan was what had made them her friends in the first place. They loved hearing all about her and now, when she thought of some of the things she had said about her aunt to her so-called friends, Carla felt hot with shame.

She had been bitchy and nasty and Maura really didn’t deserve that; she had done more for Carla than any of her friends would have. In fact, their mindset being what it was they would enjoy hearing about Carla’s fall from grace even while they outwardly sympathised with her.

She needed to get back into the fold and not just because of her finances. She also needed a friendly shoulder to cry on and all through her life Maura had been the only person freely to offer her that. Opening the door she was surprised to see her brother standing there. Her face lit up with surprise and then she remembered what he had done.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Benny pushed through the door past her, knocking her flying as he went.

“Nice greeting, Sis. Remind me to use it next time I see you, eh?”

He was in the kitchen now and she followed him through it to the garden.

“Make me a cup pa there’s a good girl.”

He shut the shed door in her face and she knew better than to go in there if she wasn’t welcome. She went back inside and made him some tea. Two minutes later he was storming back into the kitchen.

“Who’s been in the shed?”

Carla shrugged.

“The place was cleared before you was busted. I mean, use your loaf, Benny, they came here and tore the place apart.”

He nodded then as if it had just occurred to him what had happened. He forgot important things sometimes. He was staring into space and Carla watched him uneasily.

“Who was that in the car?” she asked, remembering the slumped figure in an unfamiliar BMW outside.

“Looked like Dezzy to me.” Her words penetrated the fog in his brain and he walked from the house without another word. She chased him out to the car.

“Have you got any money, Ben?”

He put a hand into his back pocket and took out a wad of notes he’d picked up at Abul’s, throwing them at her as he got in the car. By the time she had picked them up he was long gone. Carla strolled back into the house lighter of heart. At least she had a few quid now anyway.

Joey waltzed down the stairs in her dressing gown and said gaily, “Oooh, money. How much did he give you?”

She saw him then as her grandmother did, and saw herself as everyone else did: a covetous, greedy and un likeable ponce. It was a startling moment.

“Fuck off, Joey.”

He grinned.

“Get out the wrong side of your bed this morning? Sorry, I forgot, you don’t have a bed of your own, do you?”

He smiled at the hurt expression on her face. He wasn’t smiling, however, when her fist connected with his cheekbone.

He stamped up the stairs crying and she shouted after him, “And get my bleeding dressing gown off and all!”

Somehow, clumping him had made her feel much better. She went into the kitchen and counted the money Benny had given her. Only then did it occur to her that maybe she should let someone know her brother was on the rampage.

Jack was a bloody mess on the floor. The Dooleys were seriously impressed. He had been burned and tortured over and over again. Now he was delirious with pain and he still wouldn’t tell them a thing.

Tony lit himself yet another Benson & Hedges. He phoned Maura on her mobile and explained the situation. She listened grimly to his description of Jack’s condition. Feeling sick at the thought of what he had gone through, she asked, “What are you going to do now?”

Tony smiled.

“Keep at it, Maws. I have an injection of adrenaline and I’m going to administer it in a minute. Hopefully that should keep him alive for a while longer, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think he’ll crack. I never thought I’d say this but he is one strong old fucker, Maws.”

“So it would seem. Keep me informed.”

“What’s happening with Benny?”

She laughed but there was no humour in it.

“You tell me, Tone. We can’t seem to locate him.”

“You need this, girl, eh?”

“Like a hole in the fucking head. Keep me posted, OK.”

“Will do. But he won’t go long.”

Tony turned the phone off and listened with half an ear to Shaggy singing “Oh, Carolina’, tapping his foot to the beat. Jack really looked a mess. His face was nearly gone and most of his bones were broken. He was awake again and mumbling, but incoherently. Tony watched his sons as they drank their McDonald’s coffees and smoked a joint. He was so proud of them. They were good boys. Decent and hardworking, they made sure their women and kids wanted for nothing. They were a family to be looked up to as far as he was concerned. He wondered what would happen with Benny Ryan and voiced his thoughts to his sons.

They discussed the legal ramifications as they finished the coffees and the joint. By then Jack was all but dead. They hosed him down again and administered the injection to his heart.

Jack was awake but he was barely lucid. His eyes were burned clean out of his head. Tony poured petrol all over him and the fumes seemed to penetrate the man’s senses. He was making a terrible noise and even Tony’s sons looked askance at one another.

“If you can understand me, Jack, you’d better tell me what I want to hear and I’ll see you go quick, man. I promise.”

Tony was shouting in Jack’s ear now or what was left of it.

“He’s talking… shut the fuck up! He’s trying to talk to me.”

Tony leant forward and listened intently. He heard Jack say clearly, “Fuck you!”

Tony jumped up. Flipping open his silver Zippo, a present from his dead son, he dropped it on to the wreck of a man at his feet. Jack went up like a bonfire and Tony and his sons watched him writhe about the floor in agony.

“What a fucking waste of time, Dad.”

Tony shrugged and watched the burning body.

“Not entirely. We’ve paid him out for Tony and that’s the important thing, but he was strong and he was determined and as much as I hated him I have to give him respect for that. Not many men could have taken what we gave him and not cracked.”

They all nodded at the wisdom of their father’s words.

Tony yawned.

“Dump him on the rubbish tip, but bag him up first. I’m going home to get some kip.”

With that he left the lock-up and went home to his grieving wife. He phoned Maura on the way and told her the score. He had not enjoyed that one bit. He was getting too old for all this gangsta rubbish. Time was he would have enjoyed meating out punishment, but those days had passed and it was definitely time to hand over the reins to his boys. Today had proved that to him.

He threw up twice before he reached his house and had to stop the car in a lay-by to empty his guts, but he knew the smell of burning flesh would haunt him for days to come.

Kenny and Vic were drinking coffee in Jack’s state-of-the-art kitchen.

“Wonder who’ll get this little lot, eh?”

Vic snorted another line as soon as he had spoken.

“You know something, Vic, you want to lay off that gear. It’s doing your head in, and mine come to that,” Kenny told him.

Vic laughed.

“I bet you’re into Maura Ryan’s drawers by now, Kenny me old son. Any good, is she?”

He laughed at Kenny’s glowering countenance.

“Only a joke, but you used to have the hots for her years ago. I just wondered if now that golden boy has queered his pitch you might be limbering up to take his place, so to speak?”

He pulled a lewd face as he spoke and despite everything Kenny wanted to laugh. Vic was just being Vic.

“How did all this happen? My Sandra, your little Lana. What cunt caused so much mayhem, eh?”

Kenny didn’t answer.

“Shall I tell you what it was all about, Ken? So you can run back and tell the Ryans and get me the coke back, not to mention my brother?”

Kenny nodded, hardly daring to breathe.

Vic grinned, his nasty grin, the one that frightened everyone, even his old mum.

“As if! You tell your Maura that I will deal with her and her alone, right?”

Kenny shook his head.

“The Ryans won’t swallow that…”

Vic interrupted him.

“Fuck off, Kenny! And fuck them all, for that matter. If they want to know then that’s what they have to do. I’ll give them the time and place at some point in the next twenty-four hours, OK.”

There was not a lot more to say after that. Vic was already snorting another line and Kenny knew he would not listen to a word that was said to him while he was busy with that.

“They took me brother … I can swallow me knob over that one, it’s business. But you’d better warn them all that if they harm one hair on his ugly bastard head then I will really be out for revenge. But you tell them it’s the coke I’m after now, or more to the point Jack’s coke. Me and him was in partnership and it’s a mean few quid there.”