The Feud (36 page)

Feeling a bit melancholy, Larry quickly changed the subject. He had liked Harry Mitchell very much. He was
one of life’s characters. His death was an awful shock and Larry hated talking or thinking about it.

Eddie studied the menu.

‘The lobster’s good in here,’ Larry told him.

Eddie ordered them both lobster and sipped his champagne. His father had always told him that he hadn’t bothered making a will. ‘What’s the point? I’ve got three sons and it will all be split equally. I know you’ll look after Reg and Joanie for me and I want the grandkids to be seen all right,’ Harry had instructed Eddie.

Bored with listening about Larry’s holiday, Eddie spoke bluntly. ‘So, have you found out what the old man’s estate was worth?’

‘I sure have. All in all, including the house your dad was living in, it’s worth around the three-million-pound mark.’

Eddie didn’t bat an eyelid. The old man had always had an eye for a pound note and three mill didn’t shock him at all. In fact, knowing his dad, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was more. When he was a kid, he had once caught his dad digging a hole and putting big silver tins in it. ‘What’s that, Dad?’ he’d asked innocently.

‘Money, son. Never let the authorities know what you’ve got. Always bury the bastard. You might not understand now, Eddie, but you will one day, when you’re older,’ was his dad’s reply.

‘You don’t seem very shocked, Eddie. I mean, considering the size of the house your dad lived in, it’s a rather large amount, don’t you think?’

‘The old man could have bought a big fuck-off mansion years ago, Lal. If I had a pound for every time I tried to persuade him to move, I’d be the richest man in England. He would never leave that house in Canning Town because
me mother had lived there with him. Said it made him feel close to her, he did. When he got murdered that night, do you know what the bastards did? Dad kept the house as a shrine to Mum. Whoever done him in smashed every photo he had of her, and Paulie reckons they even took a couple as souvenirs. That’s what makes me think it wasn’t kids. I’ll catch whoever it was one day, Lal, and I swear on my parents’ grave, I will fucking kill ’em with me bare hands.’

Over in Rainham, Joey felt uncomfortable as his sister and Jed behaved like the lovesick teenagers they were. He had never really seen his sister kiss a boy before, and watching Jed stick his tongue down her throat was making him shudder. ‘Are we ready to order?’ he asked, agitated.

Jed laughed. ‘You’re not jealous, are ya? Don’t wanna kiss me yourself, do ya?’

Joey looked at Frankie in horror. Surely she hadn’t told him.

Jed stood up. ‘I’ll go and get another round of drinks and order some food,’ he said.

‘You ain’t fucking told him, have you?’ Joey spat at Frankie.

‘Of course not, you idiot. He asked if you and Dominic were at it the other night and I denied it. I told him you’ve had loads of girlfriends. He’s just mucking about with you, ’cause you shared the room with Dom.’

‘If you ever tell him, I will never speak to you again,’ Joey hissed.

Jed swaggered back to the table. ‘I ordered about ten different dishes. You can just take your pick,’ he said, laughing.

Frankie thought Jed was joking until the barmaid kept
coming up with plates of food. ‘Why did you buy all this? It’s such a waste of money,’ she told Jed.

Jed put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a penetrating stare. ‘You didn’t know what you wanted, so I bought you the lot. Anyway, I’ve got loads of wonga. Next weekend, I’ll take you shopping and buy you some gold. Whaddya want? Earrings? Bracelet? A chain? I’ll even buy you a diamond if you want one.’

About to eat a chip, Joey clocked his sister’s gooey expression. She was putting him off his lunch. In fact, he felt physically sick. As the happy couple locked tongues once more, he voiced his opinion. ‘You’re so embarrassing – the whole pub is looking at us. Instead of mauling one another in public, go and get a fucking room.’

Back in Wanstead, Larry savoured the last mouthful of lobster and wiped his mouth with a serviette. He waited for Eddie to finish his meal, then cleared his throat. ‘The reason I asked you to meet me here today is because I have something to tell you, Eddie.’

Delving into the inside pocket of his jacket, Larry handed him a letter. ‘Your dad gave me strict instructions that you were to read this. He told me to leave it a certain length of time before I gave it to you. I need to pop outside to make a few phone calls, so I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes.’

Eddie tore the letter open. His dad’s handwriting had never been the best and he hoped he could understand the bastard thing. As luck would have it, it was typed.

Dear Eddie,

Obviously, if you’re reading this, it means I’ve popped me clogs. Sorry if this letter feels like
I’ve come back to haunt you, but there are a few things I need to tell you, son.

Firstly, I want to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you. Paulie and Ronny never quite made the grade and, even from an early age, I knew you were gonna be the star of the show. You didn’t let me down. Everything I had worked so hard for, you improved on, and that pleased me more than you’ll ever know. You may wonder why I’m telling you this, now I’m brown bread, but I couldn’t say it while I was alive. I was never very good with words and, apart from when I was with your mother, I’ve never been able to show my feelings.

Aware of getting emotional, Eddie paused and took a sip of his drink. He took a deep breath, then continued to read.

The second thing I want to say to you son, is don’t end up alone. You and Jessica are the equivalent of me and your mum. Look after her, boy, and don’t ever let her down.

Thirdly, I have some instructions for you. Dig about six-foot deep under the apple tree at the bottom of my garden and you’ll find plenty of hidden treasure. I want you to keep this to yourself. Don’t tell your brothers or anyone, as it’s all meant for you.

Last, but not least, I made a will in 1987. I’ve left a substantial amount for Paulie, Ronny, Gary and Ricky, but the bulk I’ve left to you. You’re the only one I can trust to do the right thing with it, Eddie, and I want you to look after the following people for me:

Reg

Auntie Joan
Auntie Vi
Sylvie (she was a good friend to me)
all the grandchildren
Uncle Albert
Raymondo
and John (from the Flag)

Make sure all me old neighbours are OK, Ed. Especially old Iris next door and Cyril Miller over the road. (Them two ain’t got a pot to piss in, bless ’em.)

Well, that’s about it, son. You look after yourself now and make sure you look after that wonderful family of yours.

Love always, Dad

P.S. Hopefully, Ed, my death was a quick heart attack in the Flag or I croaked it in my sleep. If by any chance it wasn’t natural and some bastard took me out, I put my trust in you to get revenge for me.

With tears streaming down his face, Eddie kissed the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. ‘I will, Dad, I promise,’ he whispered.

Eddie instructed Larry to inform his brothers of his father’s wishes. He then sat back and waited for the inevitable fall out.

It was Ronny who rang first. ‘A hundred fucking grand! That’s all me and Paulie have been left. It ain’t fair, Ed, we know he’s fucking left it all to you. You’re some snake in the grass, you are, ain’t ya?’

Eddie did his best to calm his brother down. ‘Look, none of this is my fault, Ronny. I didn’t even know Dad had made a will.’

Ronny was spitting feathers. ‘Didn’t know! Don’t lie to me, you cunt. I bet the two of yous cooked it up between you. What about his house? He left you that and all, has he? There’s me ended up in a fucking wheelchair because of him and you’re the one reaping the rewards.’

Not wanting to have this conversation over the phone, Eddie told Ronny that he would meet him and Paulie later that evening in the Flag.

‘Cunt!’ Ronny screamed as he slammed the phone down.

Guessing what the phone conversation was all about, Jessica wrapped her arms around her husband’s toned waist. Harry’s wealth and generosity had been a shock to
her, but she was thrilled for Eddie and the children’s sake. ‘You won’t have to work so much now. Why don’t you stop doing what you’re doing, Ed? I’m always afraid that one day you might not come home again. With all that money, you can set up a legitimate business. If you get someone else to run it for you, you can spend more time with me and the kids,’ she told him.

Eddie waved away her fears. ‘No one’s gonna hurt me, Jess. Anyway, I like what I do and I’m not a man who can sit on his arse all day. The kids are all grown up now and me and you spend every weekend together as it is.’

Kissing his wife on the forehead, Eddie gently released her arms from around his waist. ‘I’ll probably be home late tonight, babe. I’ve got some business to attend to with Raymond and I’ve gotta face the wrath of Pinky and Perky down at the Flag.’

Eddie’s humour never failed to make Jessica smile. ‘Love you,’ she shouted, as he closed the front door.

Hearing their father’s car pull off the drive, Joey and Frankie came downstairs. Their exams had now started and, as neither of them were taking very many, they only had to attend school on certain days.

‘Yous two are all glammed up. Where you off to today?’ Jessica asked them.

‘Southend,’ the twins replied in unison.

Jessica smiled. She loved the hustle and bustle of Southend on a sunny day. When she was young, her mum and dad used to take her and Raymond there for a day trip. ‘Now be careful. Are you going with all your friends? How are you getting there?’

‘There’s a big crowd of us going, Mum. We’re all travelling together by train, so we’ll be fine. I’ll look after Frankie,’ Joey said reassuringly.

Jessica smiled. Joey was such a sensible boy. She had
now got over the initial shock of his little secret, and loved him more than ever. A beautiful person inside, he was just different, that was all.

‘Do you need any money?’ Jessica asked. She had forbidden Eddie to tell the twins about his windfall. They were leaving school soon and she wanted them to get a job and make their own way in life.

‘We don’t need no money, Mum. We’ve got a load left from our birthday,’ Frankie replied honestly.

As the cab tooted outside, Jessica gave them both a kiss. ‘Don’t forget to bring me back a stick of rock,’ she shouted as she waved them off.

Shutting the front door, Jessica sighed. She had been desperate for some time alone all morning. Riffling through her handbag, she found the pregnancy test. Three mornings in a row she had been as sick as a dog. At first, she had thought it was the shock of finding out about Joey, but now she wasn’t so sure. Jessica took the white stick out of the box and studied the instructions. When she was pregnant with the twins, this type of technology probably hadn’t even existed.

Realising that the test only took five minutes, Jessica smiled. The quicker she got the answer she wanted so badly wanted, the better.

‘Oi, oi!’ Jed shouted, as he picked up Frankie in the layby near his house.

Frankie smiled as she got in his red pick-up truck. ‘Where’s your Shogun?’ she asked him.

‘Me dad’s got to drive up north. His motor’s been playing up, so he borrowed mine.’

Cupping Frankie’s face with his hands, Jed gently kissed her. ‘Whaddya wanna do today then?’

Lying to her mum had given Frankie ideas. ‘Can we
go to Southend? I haven’t been there for ages and it’s a lovely day for the seaside.’

Jed laughed at her way with words. ‘I’d take you to the moon and back if you asked me to, Frankie.’

With the help of Raymond and a JCB, Eddie set to work at digging up his dad’s garden. Apart from Jessica and her brother, Eddie hadn’t told a soul about his dad’s letter and its contents.

‘You all right, boys? I’ve got some cold Guinness in the fridge if you want one,’ shouted Iris from next door.

Sweating his cobbs off, Eddie gratefully accepted her offer.

‘Your turn, Raymond, I’m fucked,’ he said.

Eddie had thought it would only take a couple of hours to find what he was looking for. He had been wrong. The ground was rock hard and the digger he had borrowed was pony.

‘Thanks, Iris,’ Eddie said, as he grabbed the two cold cans.

‘Why you digging up the apple tree?’ Iris asked nosily.

‘Me dad planted it for me mum when she was alive. He always said to me, “When I die, son, I want you to dig up the tree and replant it in your own garden,”’ Eddie lied.

He had concocted the story earlier. ‘If any of the neighbours ask, we’re digging up the tree and replanting it at mine. After we’ve found what we’re looking for, I’ll ring up Davey Brown, get him to pick it up and dump it somewhere for us,’ Eddie told Raymond.

‘It will die if you dig up its roots. It won’t grow properly again,’ Iris said suspiciously.

Eddie smiled. ‘It was me dad’s final wish, so I’ll do me best to save it,’ he assured her.

* * *

In the trendy Liverpool Street wine bar, Joey smiled as Dominic excused himself to make an important phone call. Joey had come up to meet him for lunch and his boyfriend was taking the rest of the afternoon off so they could spend some time together.

As Dominic returned to the table, he tenderly rubbed Joey’s leg. ‘I’ve just booked us a posh hotel for the afternoon,’ he said, as he brushed his hand teasingly over Joey’s thigh.

Thrilled that he was in an area where nobody knew him and he could be himself, Joey squeezed Dominic’s hand. ‘Let’s finish our drinks and go there now,’ he said excitedly.

Standing not twenty feet away was an extremely interested spectator. Darren Palmer was the son of one of Ronny Mitchell’s friends. He recognised Joey, knew exactly who he was – they had been at junior school together. He also knew who Dominic was, as his mate worked with him in the City and referred to him as the bum boy. Watching the two queers walk out of the pub, Darren almost flew to the phone box.

‘’Ere, Dad, you’ll never guess who I’ve just seen. Eddie Mitchell’s son, Joey, was all over some bender called Dominic. They were virtually at it in the pub – they were fondling and all sorts.’