The Traitor

‘Don’t worry. Ray’ll be fine with you, mate, I just know he will.’

It had been just over two weeks since Eddie had attacked Big Bald Baz and got away with it. Five days after that, young Stuart Howells had become his new cellmate. Ed hadn’t particularly wanted to share with anybody, but he’d somehow taken to Stuart immediately.

At twenty-two years old, Stuart was only a nipper compared to Eddie. He was from Hackney and was awaiting trial for stabbing a black lad who had later died.

Within days of Stuart’s arrival, both cellmates had opened up to one another.

‘The police tried to make out it was racial, but I ain’t like that, Ed. Jonesy had it coming to him and there was no way I was letting him get away with it. I had him as soon as the police released him on bail,’ Stuart admitted.

Eddie admired the kid’s morals, attitude and bravery. Stuart had been with his girlfriend, Carly, for two years when she had been dragged into a block of flats on the way home from a night out and brutally raped.

It had taken the police six months to find the culprit. They finally arrested and charged a local lad called Michael Jones, whom they later released on bail.

Stuart’s girlfriend, Carly, had been petrified when she found out that her attacker was back on the streets. She was afraid to go out of the door, and she couldn’t bear Stuart coming anywhere near her. Sex was a definite no-go. The rape had been so violent it had left Carly with severe internal injuries.

With their relationship inevitably breaking down, Stuart decided to get his own back for his girlfriend. It had taken him two weeks to find out exactly who Michael Jones was and where he hung out of a night.

Armed with a six-inch blade, Stuart headed to the bar on a Friday night with his pal, Dan. The bar was small inside, played reggae music, was full of black guys, and Stuart didn’t have a clue if he’d be able to spot his girlfriend’s attacker amongst the crowd.

As luck would have it, he recognised him within minutes. Michael Jones was standing with another black guy talking to two white girls on the edge of a very small dancefloor.

Telling his mate Dan to stay at the bar, Stuart approached Jones from behind. Overcome by the need for revenge, Stu pulled the knife out of the inside of his jacket and repeatedly stabbed the bastard in the back.

‘That’s for my Carly, you cunt,’ he screamed, as her rapist fell to the floor in a pool of blood.

Stuart had tried to run away from the bar, but was held on to by a crowd of black geezers until the police arrived. They kicked and punched him and called him every white motherfucker under the sun. He was badly beaten by the time he was arrested, and if the police had arrived any later, he’d have probably been killed himself. Dan had tried to help him, but Stuart had told him to leg it. He didn’t want his pal getting banged up as well. This was his problem and he wanted to sort it alone.

Michael Jones had clung to life for almost a week. He had many internal injuries and was rushed straight into intensive care. Stu was informed eight days later by a police officer that he had died. He felt no remorse whatsoever.

After Stuart had opened up about his arrest, Eddie told him his own story. He explained in detail about that fateful night in Tilbury, leaving no stone unturned.

The two cellmates had somehow formed a bond for life. Ed adored Stu – he was like another son to him – and Stuart adored Eddie. Stuart had never had the pleasure of having a father figure around, his own dad had fucked off when he was a toddler and he’d never seen him since.

As soon as the screw unlocked the cell door, both Eddie and Stuart stood up. Stu’s mate, Dan, was coming to visit him and he hoped that Ed would be sitting nearby so he could introduce them.

Stuart slapped Eddie on the back. ‘Good luck, mate,’ he whispered.

Over in Rainham, Frankie had just heard a car pull up. Full of excitement, she flung open the trailer door and ran outside to greet her brother and Dominic. She couldn’t wait to show Joey how happy she and Jed were. She’d got all the baby stuff out to show him and Jed had promised that he would take them for a ride on the horse and cart later.

It had been Jed’s idea that they visit her at home. ‘You want your brother to see where you’re living, Frankie. He needs to know that I’m looking after you properly. Let him come here, then later on we’ll all go out for a nice slap-up meal. My treat, of course.’

Joey hugged his twin sister tightly. He’d missed her immensely and it was great to see her again.

‘Look at you! The baby’s really showing now,’ he said, patting her tummy.

Frankie giggled. She was now almost five months gone and had put on tons of weight since she’d last seen Joey. While Frankie turned her attention to Dominic, Jed stepped outside the trailer. He held his right hand out to Joey.

‘Good to see you again. It’s cold out ’ere – come inside and we’ll have a beer,’ he said awkwardly as they shook hands.

Glancing around the land surrounding the mobile home, Joey clocked a goat staring at him and heard some dogs barking. ‘Look at all these animals. It won’t be safe to bring a kid up here, will it?’ he whispered to Dom.

Dominic shrugged. His boyfriend’s father had once attacked him and nearly cut off his manhood, and since that had happened he tried to keep his nose out of any business that involved Joey’s family.

When Joey sat down he was surprised but pleased by how clean the trailer was inside. ‘Do you do all the housework yourself, Frankie?’ he asked, impressed.

Jed answered the question for her. ‘Don’t be silly – me muvver does it,’ he said laughing.

Frankie squeezed her brother’s hand. Joey looked so well, he was almost glowing. ‘So how are things going? What’s it like living together? Do you two ever argue?’

Dominic put an arm around Joey’s shoulder. ‘No, not at all. We get on really well, don’t we?’ he said lovingly.

Jed smirked as he took in the scene in front of him. He considered himself to be a red-blooded male and he found the whole situation highly amusing.

While Frankie chatted to Joey about his new job, Jed looked at his watch. He’d ordered Sammy to ring him at two on the dot and he hoped his cousin hadn’t forgotten. Jed wasn’t silly, of course. He had already got himself spruced up earlier.

‘You look lovely. Why have you put your good clothes on in the daytime?’ Frankie asked suspiciously.

Telling her how much he loved her, Jed had taken her into his arms. ‘I did it for you, babe. This is the first time your brother has come to our home. I know how important it is to you, so I wanted to make an effort.’

Frankie clung to him like a leech. ‘I really do love you, Jed O’Hara,’ she whispered.

Willing his phone to ring, Jed was relieved when it finally did. He spoke loudly so everyone could hear him. ‘Whaddya mean he’s had a bad accident? Is he OK? What happened?’

On the other end of the phone, Sammy was pissing himself laughing.

‘OK, Sammy, give me half-hour,’ Jed said, pretending to be upset.

‘Was that Sammy? What’s up?’ Frankie asked as Jed snatched his truck keys off the table.

‘Me little cousin Billy, Sammy’s brother, has been involved in a bad car accident. It’s touch and go, apparently. I’m gonna have to go and see him, Frankie.’

Frankie’s eyes welled up. ‘Oh, Jed, that’s awful. Shall I come with you?’

Jed shook his head. ‘You stay ’ere with your brother and Dominic. I don’t want you getting upset, not in your condition. I also don’t want to spoil your day.’

‘Take your phone, Jed, so you can let me know how he is,’ Frankie urged.

Jed picked up his mobile. ‘If Billy’s really bad, I might have to stay with Sammy tonight. I’ll call you and let you know the score. Bye Joey, Dominic. Sorry about all this.’

‘It’s not your fault, babe,’ Frankie shouted, as he bolted out of the trailer.

Jed started up his truck and drove away at top speed. Smiling, he then punched in Sammy’s number.

‘Well, did she fall for it?’ his cousin asked.

Jed burst out laughing. ‘Of course she fucking did.’

Eddie was a bundle of nerves as he sat down opposite Raymond.

Raymond guessed how he must be feeling, so quickly tried to thaw the situation. ‘Good to see you, mate. You’re looking well. Gary and Ricky said you’d lost a load of weight the last time they saw you, but I can’t notice it.’

Ed took a deep breath. Seeing Raymond brought everything back to him and he could feel his heart pounding through his chest. ‘I did lose a lot of weight at first, but I’ve put some back on now. I’ve been going to the gym, I was losing all me muscle and, well, there’s fuck all else to do in here but read or get fit.’

Raymond didn’t know how he felt, looking at Eddie. The crime Eddie had committed was, in most people’s eyes, despicable, but even though he was Jessica’s brother, Ray couldn’t hate Ed. They’d been through too much together.

Unbeknown to Ed, Raymond had also been nervous about the visit. He had no idea how he would react to seeing Eddie again, but however bad he might have felt, he knew he had to take the chance and come. ‘Shall I get us a drink?’ Ray asked.

Ed smiled. ‘Get us a coffee and a Mars bar as well.’

Watching Raymond walk away, Eddie relaxed a bit. Because he was on remand, he was allowed more visits than a convicted inmate. It was the old cliché of being innocent until proved guilty.

Raymond sat back down and handed Eddie his coffee. ‘So, what’s going on with Gary and Ricky? They’re really upset, Ed, ’cause you won’t let ’em visit you at the moment.’

Eddie shrugged. ‘They never told me about the O’Haras turning up at Jessica’s funeral. I’m fuming with ’em, Raymondo. What do they think I am? Some mug? I’d rather have heard it from their mouths than in a letter from cunting Paulie.’

Knowing how much the boys thought of Eddie, Raymond stuck up for Gary and Ricky. ‘They thought you was in a bad way, Ed. Them boys both worship the ground you walk on and they thought by not telling you, they were doing the right thing at the time. You’ve gotta send ’em a VO. They’re devastated, mate.’

Eddie rubbed his hands over his short hair. For some reason, Raymond always had the ability to make him see sense. What a tragedy he hadn’t listened to him on the night that Jessica had died.

‘OK, I’ll write to ’em tomorrow and send ’em a VO,’ he mumbled.

Ray nodded. ‘Have you heard my news?’

Ed laughed. ‘Yeah, someone told me you’re now a jeweller.’

Raymond felt embarrassed. He hated his new job with a passion. ‘I hate it, Ed. I did it for Polly. Her dad offered me the job, but it ain’t me, mate. It’s so fucking boring and I’m surrounded by pricks all day long. Whaddya think I should do?’

Feeling sorry for his pal, Eddie spoke seriously. ‘I know you wanna go straight, Ray, and I don’t blame you for that, but you’ve gotta find something that suits ya. You’ve got dough: why don’t you set up a business and let some mug run it for you?’

Raymond shrugged. ‘Like what? Apart from being a butcher when I was a kid and working in your salvage yard, I’ve never had a normal job.’

Eddie had no idea what to suggest. Pub protection and loan-sharking was all he really knew and that was all he’d taught Raymond. ‘Look, Ray, I know what happened that night was all my fault, but it was nothing to do with our work, was it? It was family stuff that went wrong. I know the old sharking can get a bit violent at times, but why don’t you go back to work with Gary and Ricky? Let them do the dirty work, you can take a step back.’

Raymond shook his head. ‘I’ve proposed to Polly. We’re getting married. I can’t go back to that life, not if we’re gonna have a family.’

‘Congratulations,’ Eddie said, his eyes welling up. He could remember the day he’d proposed to Jessica in his gold Merc, as if it was only five minutes ago.

‘You must have some idea of something I can get into, Ed?’ Ray asked, obviously worried.

Eddie shook his head. ‘I really don’t know, mate. The trouble with men like me and you is we ain’t led a normal life. From working with me to selling fucking jewellery is nigh on impossible. I don’t know what to advise you to do, Ray. The only thing I can say is that Polly must have known what sort of bloke you were when you met her and if she loves you, she’ll stand by you whatever career path you take.’

Raymond nodded. Eddie was right, as per usual.

‘What you should do is go home and have a long, hard think about things. I can have a word with Gary and Ricky. If you go back to the firm, I’ll guarantee you, you won’t have to get your hands dirty no more.’

Raymond said nothing. He’d loved his old job, but needed to speak to Polly before he could even think of going back to it.

Eddie pointed out his new pal, Stuart, and spoke highly about what he’d done to get revenge for his girlfriend. With neither man wanting to be reminded of that awful night in Tilbury, they stuck to general chitchat for the rest of the visit. As the bell rang, Ed leaned forward. ‘There’s something I need to ask you, something important. My dad’s old brief, Larry, has taken over my case. He reckons he can get my murder charge dropped to manslaughter. I won’t let him do it unless you agree, Ray. I loved Jess, you know I did and I’m willing to do life for what I did, if that’s what you and your family want.’

‘Come on, Mitchell, move,’ shouted a prison guard.

Raymond didn’t particularly understand the situation. Eddie hadn’t meant to kill Jessica, but had owned up to it, so how could he not be convicted of murder?

Aware that a screw was approaching, Ray stared at Eddie. What had happened was a case of mistaken identity, so why should his pal do life if he didn’t have to? ‘Go for it, Ed. Tell your brief to go for it. I’ll speak to Mum and Dad,’ he said.

Over in Tilbury, Jed O’Hara and his cousin Sammy were having the time of their lives. They were in the salvage yard where Jessica had been murdered, doing a bit of entertaining in the new trailer Jimmy O’Hara had recently bought.

‘Does that feel good? You like it rough, don’t ya?’ Jed asked, as he thrust his cock forcefully into Sally’s arse.

‘Oh yeah, I love it, Jed. When you gonna leave Frankie?’ Sally replied, groaning.

Jed winced, then smiled as he shot his load up her harris. Sally was a good fuck, a dirty little whore, but he had no intention of leaving Frankie for her.

As he pulled his manhood out of her anus, Sally turned over and repeated her question. ‘Are you gonna leave her, Jed?’

Taking a plastic bag out of his pocket, Jed opened it and handed Sally another ecstasy pill. ‘Get that down your neck. I’ll leave her soon, I promise,’ he lied.

Jed stood up, zipped up his trousers and went in search of his cousin. ‘Oi, oi, saveloy,’ he shouted, as he saw Sammy’s bare arse bouncing up and down on Sally’s best friend, Julie.

Sammy laughed as Jed walked over and handed them both an E. Jed took a swig of water and swallowed another himself. He’d had two earlier, so already felt out of his nut.

When his phone burst into life once again, Jed suddenly thought it would be funny to answer the bloody thing. Frankie had been ringing for the past couple of hours and he, Sammy, Julie and Sally had had a right old laugh over the story he’d told his girlfriend earlier.

‘Sssh, shut up a sec,’ he said, as he put the phone to his ear.

‘Jed, is everything OK? I’ve been so worried. How’s your cousin?’ Frankie asked in a panicky voice.

Drugged up to the eyeballs, Jed wanted to laugh, but somehow managed to stop himself. Turning away from the others, who were all giggling, he spoke seriously. ‘Billy ain’t too good, Frankie. He’s in intensive care now. The doctors reckon they might have to take his leg off.’

With her hormones all over the place, Frankie burst into tears. ‘Oh Jed, that’s terrible. Whereabouts are you? Joey and Dominic are still here and they said they’ll bring me up in a cab if you need me there.’

‘No, Frankie. You stay there with your brother and his boyfriend. I’m fine, honest, all my family are here. I might not get home tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow, babe.’

Usually Jed would make a reference to the baby, but on this occasion he couldn’t, as he hadn’t told Sally that Frankie was pregnant.

‘Take care, Jed. I love you,’ Frankie said solemnly.

‘I can’t hear you. The battery’s going now,’ Jed said, switching the phone off.

Turning back to the others, Jed burst out laughing. He picked up his mobile, opened the door and threw the phone outside.

‘Come on then, let’s party,’ he screamed.

CHAPTER TEN

Eddie sat down opposite Larry Peters, his brief. Larry had represented Ed’s father many times over the years and was an expert at swinging a jury.

‘So, have you thought about what I said?’ Larry asked.

Ed nodded. ‘I had a chat with Raymondo. I needed his approval, Lal. Jess was his sister, after all. Anyway, he told me to go for it.’

Larry smiled. He had been great friends with Eddie’s dad, Harry, and had been devastated when poor old H had been murdered. The police had never found the bastards who’d killed him and Larry was forever trying to uncover new information on the case. The Old Bill might have put Harry’s death on the back burner by now, but he most certainly hadn’t.

Larry leaned forward and lowered his tone. ‘I went over all the paperwork again yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, Ed, this isn’t going to be easy, but I know that with the right judge and jury you can get acquitted of murder and instead be charged with manslaughter.’

‘What about my original statement, though? I admitted what I’d done when I woke up in hospital. I told the filth that I’d gone there to shoot Jed and I admitted I’d shot Jess by mistake.’

Larry waved his hands in the air. He had a habit of doing this when he got overexcited about something. ‘Forget about that original statement. You were ill, in shock, drugged up on medication. You didn’t know what you were saying, that will be my argument. The positive thing, Ed, is that apart from that one admission, in every other interview you said, “No comment.” Now, we can’t get out of the fact that you went to Tilbury with a gun. But what we can say is that all you wanted to do was put the frighteners on Jed. You said in your statement that you didn’t know Jessica was there. My argument will be that Jed did a runner as soon as you got there. You wanted to scare the lad, so you sprayed bullets round the trailer. You had no idea that your wife was there, which is true, and you were heartbroken when Raymond turned up and you found out what you’d done, which is also true.’

Even though none of it was funny, Ed gave a slight chuckle. ‘It sounds a bit far-fetched, Lal. I wouldn’t believe that bollocks if I was on the jury. Would you?’

Larry waved his hands in the air once more. ‘Look, there isn’t going to be many people as cute as you and me on that jury. At least fifty per cent of the general public are a sixpence short of a shilling. What you need is a few middle-aged women that take a shine to you. Give them the eye and that killer smile of yours. Once they hear what a good husband and father you were, you’ll have them eating out the palm of your hand. We need to pray that we get some blokes on the jury who have daughters themselves. Many a man has gone apeshit because some awful chap has knocked up his teenage daughter and that would earn you the valuable sympathy vote.’

Larry’s enthusiasm was contagious and Eddie found himself believing, for the first time, that he could get away with murder. ‘If I only get a guilty for manslaughter, how long do you think I’ll get?’

Larry shrugged. ‘Six, eight, ten. It all depends on the judge. You’re bound to cop a separate lump for being in possession of a firearm. I’m no mind-reader, Ed, but at a guess, I reckon put the two charges together and you’re looking at a twelve to fourteen stretch. You’ll then do two thirds of that, providing you behave yourself, of course, and your time spent on remand will also be taken off.’

Ed worked the figures out. ‘So, if I’m lucky, I could be looking at as little as a seven?’

‘If you’re lucky,’ Larry said bluntly.

It was two o’clock the following afternoon when Jed finally arrived back home. He’d had a great night over in Tilbury. Sex, drugs and acid house – what more could a man want?

Sammy, Julie, Sally and himself had been up all night shagging and dancing, but he’d managed to get his nut down for a couple of hours this morning.

‘All right, Jed? How’s your cousin?’ Frankie asked, rushing out of the trailer towards him.

‘Not too bad. He’s better than he was. They managed to save his leg,’ Jed lied, remembering his fable.

Noticing how tired and deathly white her boyfriend looked, Frankie decided he needed some pampering. ‘Why don’t you jump in the shower and freshen up? I went to Tesco with your mum and dad earlier and I bought sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and a crusty loaf. I’ll cook you a nice breakfast, if you like.’

Jed grabbed her arse and pulled her towards him. ‘Don’t burn it like the last one you cooked, will ya?’ he said, laughing.

As Frankie hugged him, she could smell perfume on his shirt. She said nothing. It would be awful to make a scene when his cousin was so ill.

Jed stripped off, left his clothes in a heap on the bedroom floor, then jumped into the shower.

Frankie waited until she heard the water running, then crept into the bedroom. His shirt was staring her in the face. Unable to stop herself, she picked it up to inspect it. She held it to her nose and breathed in deeply. It was definitely a feminine scent and not aftershave. Jed only ever wore Kouros and it certainly wasn’t that. As Frankie looked closely, she could see signs of lipstick and possible foundation. Her heart turned over. Surely Jed wouldn’t be unfaithful to her. How could he have been up to no good when he’d been stuck at the hospital all night?

Realising the water had stopped running, Frankie threw the shirt back onto the floor and dashed into the kitchen area to make a start on the breakfast.

‘You ain’t ate much. What’s a matter?’ Jed asked, as he finished his last mouthful. Frankie knew she had to say something. She wasn’t the type to stay schtum and brush things under the carpet. She needed peace of mind.

‘I need to ask you something, Jed, and please don’t lie to me.’

‘What?’ Jed asked, as he leaned across her and nicked the sausage off her plate.

‘I know you were at the hospital last night, but did you go out afterwards?’

‘Whaddya mean? I had a beer back at Sammy’s with my family. Spit it out, what’s the problem, Frankie?’ Jed said, acting annoyed.

Frankie began to cry. ‘I was going to put your clothes in the washing machine, when I noticed your shirt smelt of women’s perfume. It’s covered in lipstick and make-up as well.’

As bright as a spark, Jed had an answer within seconds. ‘You silly cow. I told you all my family were at the hospital last night, didn’t I? There was loads of me aunts and girl cousins there that I ain’t seen for years. Because Billy was in such a bad way, everybody was hugging one another and crying. The lipstick and whatever else you thought you saw or smelt obviously belongs to either an aunt, a cousin or both.’

Frankie felt incredibly stupid as Jed took her into his arms. He’d been sitting at his sick cousin’s bedside all night and she felt awful for doubting him. ‘I’m sorry, Jed. I think because I feel so fat and ugly at the moment, I’m worried you’ll go off with someone else.’

Jed smiled. The baby weight didn’t suit Frankie, but even though she looked far less attractive than when they’d first met, he still fancied her.

Feeling himself harden, he unzipped his jeans and unleashed his penis. He put Frankie’s hand on it and spoke gently to her. ‘I love you Frankie, but you can’t go around accusing me of stuff I ain’t done. My cousin nearly died last night. Watching Billy suffer like that was awful, really awful.’