Run Johnboy Run: The Glasgow Chronicles 2 (21 page)

  “Aye, bit wid that no gie them the excuse tae blame us if we get caught, setting fire tae their boxes though?” Johnboy asked.

  “Hmm, maybe.  We never thought ae that,” Paul mused, looking across at Tony.

  “Aye, bit that disnae mean we cannae
still hiv a go at the basturts every chance we get.  We’ll jist avoid using matches when we’re hitting them, that’s aw,” Tony said and everywan nodded.

  “So, hiv ye been hame yet, Johnboy?” Tony asked him, staunin back tae admire his haundiwork.

  “Naw, Ah came looking fur youse first, so Ah did.  Ah’ll go hame later.”

  “Right, ur ye wanting tae see oor wee palace then?” Paul asked Johnboy, staunin up.

  “Aye.”

  “Well, let’s go then.”

Chapter Thirty

  Helen wis still in a state ae shock.
Hauf an hour hid passed since she’d been led back alang tae the cells and she wis gieing hersel a hard time, wondering if she should’ve goat they shyster lawyers, Howdy and Barker, tae represent her.  She closed her eyes and shook her heid tae see if she could waken up fae her nightmare.  When she opened them, she wis still sitting wae her back against the cauld tiled wall, listening tae the hum fae the pipes.  She wondered whit Jimmy wis daeing.  He wis probably at work or he wid’ve been in the court insteid ae Isabelle.

  “Christ, whit am Ah gonnae dae noo?” she said oot loud, fighting tae haud back her tears.

  How could that parasite ae a man, JP Donnelly, sit up oan that bench and believe the shite he wis being telt in court by the biggest lying basturts this side ae the Clyde?  Surely even a thicko like him, a so-called man ae the common people, widnae hiv been taken in by the lies that hid been puked oot in that courtroom?  Surely tae God there wis such a thing as justice in this stinking rotten city?  Why her?  Whit hid she done that wis so wrang?  Helen could feel the tears drip aff the end ae her nose as she sat there brooding.  Ah’m a big-moothed blethering idiot, that’s why, she admitted tae hersel.  Why could she no hiv jist done whit Jimmy kept telling her and leave people tae themsels?  She hated tae admit it, bit Betty and the lassies hid been right.  Whose battles wur they fighting?  Who’d asked Helen tae get involved?  Who wis she tae interfere?  And whit wis it JP hid said?  Seven days oan remand in Gateside wummin’s prison in Greenock tae gie her time tae call her witnesses and if she needed mair time, she should get back tae him.  How the hell wis she supposed tae dae that fae a jail cell, oot in Greenock?  She knew she wis goosed...and fur the first time in a long time…frightened.  She looked up and quickly dried her eyes wae the sleeve ae her cardigan as she heard footsteps coming alang the corridor and stoapping ootside her cell door.  Wae the sound ae keys rattling, the door swung open.

  “Ye’ve goat five minutes, hen,” the creepy-looking turnkey said tae Isabelle, staunin aside tae let her pass.

  “Ma, Ma, ur ye okay?” Isabelle wailed, dashing past the turnkey and bursting oot greeting oan route.

  “Fur Christ’s sake, Isabelle, don’t show these people that they’re getting tae us,” Helen croaked stiffly before bursting oot greeting hersel, as she hugged her eldest daughter.

  “Oh Ma, whit ur we gonnae dae?” Isabelle sobbed.

  “It’s only fur a week.  Ah’ll be back hame next Friday.  Don’t worry, hen.”

  “Where’s Greenock?  Will we be able tae come and visit ye?”

  “Aye, Ah’m sure ye will.”

  “In case Ah furget, ma da asked me tae try and get these tae ye before ye went up this morning.  Ah tried tae get them haunded in tae ye earlier, bit they widnae take them aff ae me,” Isabelle said, taking a packet ae twenty Embassy Reds and a box ae Swan Vestas oot ae her pocket.

  “Aw, that wis nice ae him.  How is he?”

  “He wisnae happy when he found oot that you and hauf the wummin in the Toonheid hid been arrested.  It wis efter ten o’clock when he arrived hame fae his work.  He turned aboot and trooped aw the way doon here, only tae be telt he couldnae get in tae see ye.  It wis efter midnight before he arrived back hame.”

  “Did he get something tae eat?”

  “Aye, Ah made him some toast and cheese and Anne made up his work piece fur him tae take wae him this morning.  Although he wis angry wae ye, he wis terribly upset,” Isabelle replied, then started tae weep again.

  “Hush, Isabelle…it’ll be awright, hen,” Helen soothed, wiping the tears fae Isabelle’s cheeks.

  “He telt Norma and Anne that he never slept a wink last night, worrying aboot how you and the other wummin wur coping.  Norma said his eyes wur aw puffy this morning as if he’d been greeting aw night.”

  “Ach, well, Ah’m sure he’ll cope,” Helen murmured, gripping her eldest daughter tightly wae baith erms.

  “He wis in a helluva state when he left fur his work this morning, so he wis.”

  “Aye, well, Ah get the message, Isabelle,” Helen said drily, loosening her grip and feeling shit fur aw the trouble she’d caused everywan.

  “Oh, in case Ah furget, a wee sleekit man came up tae me and telt me tae tell ye that he wis gonnae try and wangle a way in tae see ye.  He said his name wis Sammy Elliot and that ye’d know who he wis.”

  “Him!” Helen spat, feeling anger welling up inside her.  “Oh, aye, Ah know who he is awright.”

  “So, who is he?  He looked pretty creepy tae me.”

  “They call him The Rat, because he’s always ferreting aboot aw o’er the place.  If he comes tae the door tae talk tae any ae youse or yer da, tell him tae fuck aff.  Hiv ye goat that?”

  “Aye, bit who is he?  He looks scary.”

  “Never mind that, hen…you jist dae as Ah’ve telt ye.  He’s the wan that’s probably behind us getting set-up by that big Liam Thompson.  So, whit else his been happening then?” Helen asked, lighting up the first fag she’d hid since being lifted.

  “Youse hiv been in aw the papers.  We’ve goat them at hame.  We’ve kept ye copies ae The Evening Times, The Evening Citizen and The Glesga Echo.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Aye, it’s amazing how different the evening papers ur compared tae The Echo though.”

  “Why?  Whit’s the difference?”

  “The Evening Times and The Evening Citizen show photos ae youse being huckled and say youse started a riot and assaulted the polis, though they didnae say why.  They jist said that when the polis arrived tae stoap the disturbance, they wur attacked by a gang ae mad wummin who set upon them wae big sticks.”

  “So, whit did The Echo say?”

  “The Echo said youse wur demonstrating against warrant sales and that this wis a long-standing campaign by a bunch ae local wummin.  It said ye wur the speaker oan behauf ae the group and ye wur quoted as saying how scandalous it wis that The Corporation and cooncillors wur allowing this tae happen tae a poor auld age pensioner, whose two sons died in the war fur the country.”

  “Really?  It said that?” Helen asked, in surprise, fae within a blue smoke cloud.

  “Aye, and noo that ye’ve mentioned it, Ah think that wee sleekit man, who’s trying tae talk tae ye, his goat something tae dae wae The Echo.  Ah’m sure it wis his name in the paper.”

  “Aye, it wid’ve been him.”

  “So, why hiv we no tae talk tae him then?”

  “Because Ah said so, that’s why!” Helen scolded.  “Don’t talk tae him unless Ah say so, Isabelle.  He’s a right wee fly man and he’s no tae be trusted.”

  “Is there anything else, Ma?” Isabelle asked, turning roond tae look at the cell door as the key grated in the lock.

  “Tell Betty Ah’ll need her and aw the lassies tae turn up in court next Friday as witnesses.  Tell her tae make sure aw the lassies who couldnae hing back fur ma court appearance earlier know whit went oan and whit wis said by they lying jackals the day, will ye?”

  “Aye, nae bother, Ma.  Betty and Sharon Campbell said they’d hing oan fur me and get me up the road efter visiting ye.”

  “At least Madge didnae get aw her furniture flogged fae under her.”

  “Whit, hiv ye no heard?”

  “Heard whit?”

  “It also said in The Echo that Madge’s furniture goat sold yesterday efternoon and showed a picture ae her staunin in the middle ae her empty living room.”

  “Bit Ah thought her arrears goat paid aff by wan ae the Martin boys before ten o’clock in the morning?”

  “Well, that’s whit the paper said.”

  “Ur ye sure, hen?”

  “Aye, Ah think so, bit noo that ye’re asking me, Ah could be wrang,” Isabelle sniffed, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

  Isabelle hugged her ma, jist as the creepy turnkey’s heid appeared through the door tae tell her it wis time fur her tae leave.

Chapter Thirty One

They jimmied up intae the loft and placed the wooden hatch back across the hole in the stairwell so nowan wid know anywan hid been up there.  Paul went across and lifted a board up fae between the rafters and a beam ae light shot up.  Silent drapped doon first and Paul last, pulling the board o’er the gap.  Apart fae a wee pile ae soot and plaster fae the ceiling sitting in the middle ae the lobby, the place looked great.

  “C’mone and see oor fancy bed, Johnboy,” Paul said, as they aw trooped efter him through tae whit hid been the living room at the front ae the tenement.  “Whit dae ye think?”

  “Did ye say yer bed?”

  “Aye.”

  “Okay, Ah gie in.  Where the fuck’s the bed then?”

  “Ye’re looking at it.”

  “Whit Ah’m looking at is a big broon wardrobe wae a mirror oan it, lying oan it’s back in the middle ae a room.”

  “Exactly.  So, whit dae ye think?”

  “Ah telt ye…Ah think Ah see a wardrobe, bit nae a bed…that’s whit Ah think.”

  “Show him, Silent,” Paul said, smiling.

  Silent went across and lifted up the door wae the big mirror oan it.  Johnboy looked inside and saw a couple ae blankets spread oot and a couple ae cushions at the tap.

  “And ye call this a bed?” Johnboy asked, stepping in, still no impressed.

  “Aye.  Lie doon and check it oot,” Paul said, stepping in and lying doon. “C’mone, lie doon, Johnboy.”

  When Johnboy lay doon beside Paul, Silent shut o’er the door.

  “Whit dae ye think?” a voice asked him in the dark.

  “Whit, ye sleep wae the door pulled o’er?”

  “Aye.”

  “Bloody pure dead brilliant, so it is,” Johnboy said, impressed.

  “The only thing is, ye cannae dae a fart in it,” Tony warned, pulling Johnboy up efter lifting up the door lid.

  “Aye, the first night, Silent let oot a wee sly pimp and it sounded like a fucking siren gaun aff.  Ah thought Ah wis gonnae pass oot wae the smell,” Paul said, as Silent gied a wee embarrassed smile.

  “Fuck that, Ah’m gonnae move in as well.  Will three ae us fit in there?” Johnboy asked, shutting o’er the mirrored door.

  “Ye’d get the Sally Army band in there as long as ye didnae let that fat tart, Sally Sally try and muscle her way in.”

  “So, whit aboot the ootside door?”

  “We nailed it fae the inside and Joe blagged a name plate aff some other door tae put oan the ootside ae it.”

  “So whit ur we called?” Johnboy asked, inspecting the nailed door that led tae the ootside landing.

  “Sing.”

  “Sing?  Sing whit?”

  “A song ae sixpence,” Tony said.

  “And a pocket full ae rye,” Joe sang.

  “Four and twenty blackbirds,” Paul followed oan, followed by the rest ae them joining in, “Baked in a pie. And when the pie wis opened...”

  “Seriously, is that oor name?” Johnboy asked.

  “Aye, the name plate says ‘Abdul Sing.’”

  “Brilliant.  The polis won’t think tae chap oan a door wae a name like that, eh?  So, whit else is there?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Whit?  Nae chairs tae plonk oor arses oan?”

  “Johnboy, whit the fuck wid ye want wae chairs?”

  “Er, let me think.  Aye, Ah know…how aboot, tae bloody sit oan, or is that jist me being stupid again?”

  “That’s a good idea.  We hivnae bothered wae chairs.  We’ve jist came in and went tae sleep in the wardrobe, bit noo that ye mention it...”

  “Jist as well Ah goat oot the day, eh?  Ye widnae know whit tae dae if Ah wisnae here.”

  “Here, look at this,” Tony shouted, looking oot the windae.

  The others came across tae join him.  Oan the other side ae the street, Mick and Danny Murphy wur lifting boxes oot ae a wee red van.  Watching them reminded Johnboy ae the film that wis shown in The Grove, ‘Anatomy ae a Psycho’, where the wee brother, Chet, avenges his big brother, Luke, by killing and chibbing everywan in sight, efter Luke gets put in the gas chamber at midnight.  Luke and Chet wur amateur basturts in nastiness compared tae the Murphy twins.  Mick and Danny, alang wae their big brother, Shaun, who sported a big ‘mars bar’ oan the side ae his face, left by a wee wummin who’d stuck a pint glass in it, wid kill fuck oot ae ye before, during and efter their breakfast and then come back at tea time tae kill ye again, jist tae make sure ye wur deid. Tony hid also telt them
that the Murphys hid been dishing oot some amount ae hidings tae aw the doo men across the city o’er the past wee while, trying tae find oot who wis involved wae the bizzies in tanning their loft.  Johnboy wisnae sure whit tae believe.  He knew Paul and Joe wurnae convinced that the pair ae psychos they wur looking doon oan hidnae been involved in burning doon the cabin, while Tony seemed totally convinced that it hid been the polis.  Johnboy wisnae too sure either way.  He thought back tae whit Freckles hid said in The Grove.  Freckles didnae believe that it hid been the polis either.  The big question none ae them hid been able tae answer wis, why wid The Big Man burn doon their cabin dookit wae Skull in it, if he didnae believe it wis The Mankys that hid tanned the loft and stolen his good Horseman Thief Pouter doos?  It jist didnae make sense tae Johnboy.  He gazed doon at the ugly twins, watching whit they wur up tae.  He’d never met any murderers before, at least none that he knew ae.  He found it hard tae watch the brothers withoot wanting tae pish himsel wae fear.  Hid they been involved?  He looked at Tony and Joe and wondered whit wis gaun through their heids.  Wur they thinking the same as he wis?  That first night in The Grove, he’d goat Paul oan his ain and telt him whit Tony and Joe
hid said at the front ae the closemooth beside Sherbet’s oan the day they’d come back fae the toon centre efter finding oot aboot Skull.

  “Don’t ye worry aboot that, Johnboy.  You mark ma words…some day we’ll burn the basturts…whoever they wur…that done-in Skull. This won’t be furgotten aboot, no matter how long it takes.”

  Wance each ae the brothers lifted a box oot ae the van, Danny slammed the back door shut wae his fit and followed Mick intae their closemooth.  Efter a couple ae minutes, they reappeared tae get mair boxes.  It wis difficult no tae think aboot poor Skull, seeing as they wur aw staunin looking oot the tap flair windae, directly opposite the roof that they’d used tae get access tae the loft tae steal The Big Man’s good doos oan the last weekend ae the school holidays.  Poor Skull, Johnboy thought tae himsel, trying hard no tae let the other wans catch him wae his eyes filling wae tears.  Wan day Skull hid been there wae them and then the next, he wisnae any mair.  Johnboy hid been dying tae pour everything oot tae his ma, bit Tony’s voice hid kept shouting in his heid that nowan wis tae speak aboot whit wis gonnae happen someday…and anyway, whit could she hiv done aboot it?  Although The Mankys spoke aboot Skull every noo and again, they never mentioned whit hid actually happened tae him and Elvis in the fire.  Despite whit Tony hid said tae them up at the air raid shelter ootside Skull’s kitchen windae aboot the bizzies setting the cabin alight, Johnboy jist found it hard tae believe that the two uglies they wur spying oan doon oan Ronald Street hidnae been involved in there somewhere, despite The Big Man putting it aboot that the bizzies hid done the damage.  Johnboy sensed Paul stiffen beside him.  The Murphys wur back.  Jist before they opened the van door again, the two brothers looked aboot quickly tae check nowan wis watching them and then took another box each fae the back ae it and disappeared.

  “That’s definitely swag, so it is,” Paul murmured.

  “Right, let’s go.  Silent, ye’re gonnae hiv tae dae the damage.”

  “Me?”

  “Ah’ll tell ye oan the way doon,” Tony said, as he quickly disappeared oot ae sight up through the ceiling in the lobby, like a monkey, followed by the rest ae them.

  They stood back, oot ae sight, watching Tony peek oot ae the closemooth in the next close doon fae their new hoose.

  “Right, listen up.  As soon as they come oot and disappear back up the stairs wae two mair boxes, nip across there and start bringing across the boxes, Silent.”

  “Whitever ye dae, don’t let the basturts catch ye.  They’ll kill ye stone deid,” Johnboy said helpfully.

  “If they clock ye, run like fuck up the hill towards Parson Street and then double back doon through the backs.  Whitever ye dae, don’t come anywhere near where we ur.  Hiv ye goat that?” Joe said tae Silent.

  Silent jist gulped, looking like he’d jist seen a ghost…scared shitless.

  “Silent, the reason it his tae be you is because they big fuck-wits know us.  Ye’ll be awright though.  Ah reckon we’ve goat aboot four or five minutes before they come back each time,” Tony soothed and the rest ae them aw nodded in agreement.

  “Whit if the van door’s locked?” Silent finally spoke, in that wee trembling voice ae his.

  “It won’t be.  They know there’s nae eejit stupid enough aboot here tae blag anything oot ae their van.”

  “Dis that mean we’re fucking eejits then?” asked Paul grinning, as Silent, still gulping, stood there looking terrified oot ae his wits.

  “Of course we’re fucking eejits.  Why dae ye think we let Johnboy run aboot wae us?” Joe quipped.

  “Right, listen up.  When Silent comes across wae the first box, wan ae youse nip up tae Abdul Sing’s landing wae it.  Go through this back close and up the next.  Whoever takes the first box his tae nip up intae the loft and the second wan will haun the boxes up when he arrives.  Hiv youse aw goat that?” Tony asked, taking another wee peek oot ae the closemooth.

  “Aye.”

  They heard the Murphys before they saw them.  Tony shooed them back further fae the entrance ae the closemooth. They stood facing each other…Joe, Paul and Silent oan wan wall, and Tony and Johnboy oan the other.  Nowan spoke.  They couldnae make oot everything the brothers wur rabbiting oan aboot, bit it wis clear that they wur whining aboot something.  Johnboy gied Silent a wee encouraging smile.  He remembered the first time he’d been involved wae the other three oan his first shoap-tanning expedition oan the wee tobacconists doon oan St James Road.  Joe and Paul hid goat nabbed by the bizzies behind the McAslin Bar, The Big Man’s pub, while Tony and Johnboy hid managed tae escape.  Joe hid goat twenty eight days in The Grove and Paul hid been sentenced tae an approved school.  Johnboy hidnae met Skull then.  He felt a wee bit sorry for Silent.  Silent’s right leg wis shaking like a mangy auld dug full ae fleas.  If Silent wis tae become part ae The Mankys, he’d hiv tae dae whit wis being asked ae him.  If he didnae, he’d be back tae his lonesome self, at the mercy ae arse-bandits like Tartan Tie in The Grove.  This wis his first real test.  They heard the van door slam shut and Silent jist aboot jumped oot ae his skin.  The Murphys’ echoing voices disappeared up the closemooth oan the other side ae the street.

  “Right, oan ye go, Silent,” Tony said, practically lifting Silent up and throwing him oot ae the closemooth.

  Johnboy wis relieved tae see that Silent took aff like a whippet.  Johnboy, Paul and Joe hidnae moved and wur still staunin wae their backs against the wall, looking intae each other’s eyes.  Tony wis peeking oot, gieing a running commentary oan whit wis happening.  Within hauf a minute, Silent wis back in the close.

“It’s bottles ae stuff,” he panted, haunin o’er a cardboard box before disappearing again.

  “Right, Paul, oan ye go.”

  “Whit’s in the boxes?”

  “Whisky,” Joe whooped, laughing.

  Another box arrived and Joe disappeared.  Twenty seconds later, it wis Johnboy’s turn tae be aff and running.

  “How many mair boxes, Silent?” Johnboy heard Tony asking him.

  “Two,” came back the reply.

  Johnboy met Joe oan the stairs, coming doon as Johnboy wis gaun up.

  “How many mair?”

  “Two, Ah think.”

  “Right, well, you jist go straight up intae the loft then.  Ah’ll be wae ye in a minute.”

  “Aye, okay.”

  Johnboy haunded up his box tae Paul and then clambered up.  Paul nipped doon intae the lobby and Johnboy started tae haun the boxes doon tae him.  A few minutes later, Silent appeared in the loft and took the last two boxes aff ae Tony and Joe fae below oan the stairheid landing.

  “Well done, Silent,” Johnboy said tae him, getting a big smile back, before he disappeared doon intae the hoose.

  Joe joined them at the windae in their bedroom-come-living-room, jist as Mutt and Jeff appeared oot ae their close across the street.

  “God, Ah wish Ah wis staunin beside they pair ae pricks when they open that fucking van door,” Paul said, as everywan laughed, watching the two brothers.

  Danny wis obviously still moaning like fuck aboot something, as they could see him waving his hauns aboot while he wis talking.  Mick wis daeing his best tae ignore Danny and wis looking up and doon the street before he opened wan ae the van doors.

  “Christ, ye couldnae hiv planned this better if ye’d tried,” Paul said tae mair cackling, as four sets ae eyes focused oan the show doon oan the street. 

They aw aboot pished themsels when Mick opened the back door and the brothers froze oan the spot.  The pair ae them jist stood like statues, facing the open door, then baith ae their heids disappeared inside the back ae the van.  Everywan at the windae automatically took a step back as they continued tae pish themsels silly.  Silent wis the first wan back, peering o’er the sill.  Johnboy wis beside Tony oan wan side ae the windae frame and Paul and Joe wur peeking oot oan the other side.  Danny wis staunin like a confused scarecrow, scratching that ugly heid ae his.  The brothers wur furiously looking up and doon the street, looking sick as fuck, in a total state ae disbelief.  Mick tried slamming the door shut, bit it bounced back open and skelped him oan the kisser as the windae-watchers aw clamped their hauns across their mooths in laughter.  Danny took a run and kicked a big dent in the side ae the van wae the sole ae his right boot.  Although they wur three flights up and three closes further up the street, Tony hid tae warn them tae quieten doon, in case the brothers heard them.  The two daft twats started arguing wae each other, waving their hauns in the air before disappearing back up intae their closemooth.