Blood Ties, page 7
Chapter 12
Anna had been trying to avoid Shazza or, at the very least, make sure she was with Adele and Caroline when Shazza was around. Maybe Shazza wouldn’t try it on when they were there. But it wasn’t always possible to have them with her as she didn’t work in the kitchens with them.
She was on her way to her cleaning work with Cheryl, the new girl, when she caught sight of Shazza walking towards them along the corridor. Anna could feel a tremor in her stomach as she took in Shazza’s harsh features and tall, broad frame. And, even worse, Shazza had Denise and Louise with her. Anna decided to play nice and hope Shazza would be OK with her.
‘Alright?’ she greeted when Shazza was within hearing distance. She smiled at Shazza, Denise and Louise in turn.
The other women returned her smile but Shazza just nodded. ‘What have you got for me?’ she asked.
‘Nothing,’ said Anna.
Shazza took a swift look around, checking for guards, then stepped up to Anna. Denise and Louise closed in to shield them from view.
‘I said what have you got for me?’ Shazza repeated, glaring at Anna and prodding her with her forefinger.
‘Nowt, honest,’ said Anna.
Although Anna had decided that she wouldn’t give in to Shazza again, she could feel the fear coursing through her veins as Shazza’s vivid turquoise eyes bored into her. Meanwhile, Denise and Louise were also staring menacingly, and Cheryl’s pretty face wore a panicked expression. She had turned pale and her pupils were dilated.
Within no time, Shazza was behind Anna, and had her arm up her back. Denise stepped behind Shazza so she wouldn’t be seen if any prison officers happened to pass by.
‘I fuckin’ know you got some stuff this morning, you fat cunt! So you’d better hand it over.’
Anna thought about resisting but Shazza winched her arm up her back until a sharp pain shot through her.
‘Well?’ demanded Shazza.
When Anna didn’t answer straight away she pulled her arm even tighter. Anna could feel the sting of tears in her eyes as her shoulder screamed out in agony. She was frightened it might become dislocated if Shazza pulled any tighter.
‘OK,’ she said, and relief flooded through her as Shazza released her grip on her arm. ‘Come to my cell later and I’ll give you some.’
‘That’s better,’ said Shazza, stepping back in front of her as a guard appeared. ‘See you later,’ she sang merrily for the guard’s benefit.
When Shazza walked away Cheryl looked at her and asked, ‘You alright?’
Anna shrugged but her blood was pumping ferociously. ‘Some fuckin’ use you were,’ she said, trying to mask her humiliation.
‘I’m new,’ said Cheryl. ‘I didn’t know what to do. Sorry, but I don’t wanna get on the wrong side of her.’
Anna shrugged again. She felt a stab of guilt. It was wrong to take it out on Cheryl. She couldn’t blame her for being frightened of Shazza; the woman was terrifying!
‘What did she want, anyway?’ asked Cheryl.
‘Shush, don’t let the screws hear you.’ Then she whispered, ‘Weed.’
When Cheryl didn’t reply Anna sighed and said, ‘Come on, let’s get going.’
Shazza’s vicious treatment had shaken Anna. But she was frustrated too, knowing that there was no point trying to stand up to Shazza. It would only make matters worse. It was common knowledge how ruthless Shazza could be, and Anna was convinced that if she hadn’t agreed to Shazza’s wishes she would have dislocated her shoulder and got Denise and Louise to say it was an accident. She shuddered at the thought.
While Shazza had Denise and Louise on side, Anna knew that she couldn’t win. No, the best thing she could do would be to accede to Shazza’s wishes and treat her as nicely as possible.
*
Adele was reading a book in the cell that she shared with Anna but it was difficult to concentrate. The prison was noisy but, apart from that, something about Anna just wasn’t right today. Ever since she had returned from her work she had been on edge. It was impossible to read while Anna kept disturbing her with trivialities. When she wasn’t fiddling about with her things on the top of the cupboard, she was asking stupid questions.
‘This is nice, isn’t it? Where did you get it?’ Anna asked, lifting one of Adele’s sweaters out of the cupboard.
‘For God’s sake, Anna!’ said Adele. ‘Will you leave things alone and stop fidgeting?’
Anna stuck out her bottom lip before replying. ‘Alright, be like that. I was only making conversation.’
Adele felt a twinge of guilt for snapping. Anna might have been a nuisance but a part of Adele felt sorry for her, especially when she had seen how Shazza treated her. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘But I’m trying to read and this book’s really good. Can’t you find something to do?’
‘Suppose,’ Anna shrugged before grabbing a magazine and throwing herself onto the bottom bunk.
Adele felt the bunks shake and cursed under her breath, but thankfully Anna then left her alone. She was just beginning to enjoy her book when Shazza arrived with Denise and Louise in tow. Anna shot out of her bunk and stood to the side while the other three women walked into the cell. Adele felt a shudder of fear.
Without any preamble, Shazza walked up to Anna and said, ‘I’ve come to collect that stuff.’
Adele put her book to one side while she anxiously watched the scene from the top bunk where she lay. She saw Anna turn towards the cupboard, then rummage about in a drawer before pulling something out and handing it to Shazza without speaking.
‘Is that all?’ asked Shazza, staring scornfully at the small packet in her hand.
Anna looked back at her with fear in her eyes, then shrugged.
‘I know you’ve got more so hand it out,’ demanded Shazza, moving menacingly towards Anna.
As Anna turned back towards the cupboard, Adele asked, ‘What’s going on?’ Why are you giving things away, Anna? And what is it?’ She had a feeling she knew what was in the packet but she wasn’t sure.
‘She fuckin’ owes me!’ snarled Shazza before Anna had chance to reply.
‘Is that right, Anna?’ Adele asked.
‘What fuckin’ business is it of yours anyway?’ asked Shazza.
‘It’s OK,’ Anna quickly interrupted. ‘Shazza’s right. I owe her.’
She then handed another packet to Shazza, but Adele could tell by the look of disappointment on Anna’s face that she was doing so unwillingly.
‘Are you OK with this, Anna?’ Adele asked again.
Anna looked up at her. ‘Yeah, course I am,’ she said, but her eyes told a different story as did the imperceptible shake of her head. She was pleading with Adele to drop the subject.
‘So there you go,’ said Shazza, looking up at Adele, who was trying to avoid the frightening glare of Shazza’s evil eyes. ‘Aren’t you Peter Robinson’s sister?’ she asked, now giving Adele her full attention.
‘That’s right,’ Adele replied.
‘I believe he thinks he’s a bit of a hot shot but from what I’ve been told he ain’t all that.’
‘I wouldn’t know,’ said Adele, trying to hide her fear.
‘Seems like you might take after each other, seeing as how you seem to fancy your chances as well,’ Shazza continued.
‘No, I don’t,’ said Adele. She sat up in the bed. ‘Look, I just want to serve my time in peace. I’m not here to cause trouble.’
‘That right? Only, from what I’ve been told, you’ve already stirred things up a bit.’
Denise nodded. ‘Yeah, fucking bitch!’ she cursed.
Shazza didn’t speak for several seconds but she carried on staring at Adele, her eyes piercing through her once more. This time Adele didn’t look away. Instead she bravely held Shazza’s gaze.
Then Shazza spoke again. ‘My ex knows your brother,’ she said. ‘In fact, there’s a rumour that he’s working with him now.’
‘Who’s your ex?’ Adele asked automatically although she didn’t know many of the people Peter associated with nowadays.
‘Mike Shaftesbury,’ said Shazza.
‘No, I don’t know him.’
‘It’s no biggie, anyway. He’s a tosser and he always was a poor fuckin’ judge of character as well.’
‘Apparently so,’ said Adele, but Shazza didn’t pick up on the irony of her words.
Instead Shazza mimicked her childishly. Then she turned on her heel and left the cell with Denise and Louise following behind. Denise flashed Adele a look of contempt before she went. Adele was relieved to see them go.
‘Are you OK, Anna?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, course I am. Why shouldn’t I be?’
‘I just don’t understand why you’re giving your stuff away to Shazza, that’s all.’
‘You heard what she said,’ said Anna defensively. ‘I owe her. We’re mates. We do each other favours.’
‘Funny, but she didn’t look too matey to me,’ said Adele.
‘Course she is.’
‘So why did you owe her the stuff?’ Adele asked. ‘And what is it, anyway? Is it drugs?’
‘She gave me a cig the other day,’ said Anna, ignoring Adele’s last question.
‘Two packets for one cigarette? That’s a bit expensive, isn’t it?’
‘It’s obvious you don’t fuckin’ smoke,’ said Anna whose voice had now adopted a defensive tone. ‘Otherwise you’d know how fuckin’ dear cigs are.’
‘OK,’ said Adele. ‘But I hope you haven’t got any more drugs in the cell. I don’t want to get in trouble if the guards do a search.’
‘I haven’t,’ snapped Anna. ‘It’s all fuckin’ gone now, isn’t it?’
Adele remained silent. The incident had troubled her, not only because Anna was doing drugs but also because she was so petrified of Shazza. It said a lot about the sort of person Shazza was. And now it seemed that Shazza had taken against her, too.
The few words that Denise had spoken had also made it obvious that her previous fight with Adele was not forgotten. There were bound to be repercussions and as Adele lay struggling to sleep that night she became seriously worried about what those might be.
Chapter 13
Peter and three members of his gang were sitting inside a souped-up Ford Escort, a few metres away from Smart and Sons, and tucked behind a Volvo. Sam was in the driving seat, with Peter in the front passenger seat and Glynn and Mike sitting in the back.
‘Right, according to Mickey they should be coming out any minute now so keep your eyes peeled,’ Peter said.
They all looked across the road at the doorway of Smart and Sons cash and carry where a stream of people was beginning to emerge.
‘OK, here they are,’ said Peter, watching most of the people cross the road and file into the Commercial pub. ‘Regular as fuckin’ clockwork, just like Mickey said.’ They continued to watch the procession of staff go into the Commercial.
‘Those two look promising,’ said Glynn, with a smile painted on his handsome face as he eyed two attractive young women.
‘Yeah, I’ve already spotted them,’ said Peter.
‘Mike, I think you should stick to the old crones,’ said Glynn. ‘Sorry, mate, but I don’t fancy your chances with those birds.’
‘Thanks a fuckin’ million,’ said Mike. ‘You saying I’m an ugly bastard or summat?’
The other men in the car laughed. It was commonly accepted amongst them that Mike wasn’t the best looking; Peter and Glynn were the ones with the looks. As an elderly worker walked into the pub, Glynn said, ‘There y’are, mate. You never know. Your luck might be in.’
When their laughter had subsided, Peter glanced at Glynn and Mike in the back seat and asked, ‘Right, lads, are we ready?’
They nodded in response and Peter eased open the car door and bid a quiet farewell to Sam. Glynn and Mike joined Peter on the pavement and the car sped off down the road.
‘Right,’ said Peter, as they walked towards the pub. ‘Remember what I said. Don’t be too fuckin’ obvious. We don’t want to give the game away.’
By the time they were inside the Commercial, the place was heaving, mostly with the staff from Smart and Sons. There was an obvious camaraderie amongst them as they stood in groups around the bar area, chatting and sharing banter.
Peter and his accomplices approached the bar, bought their drinks and took them to a table that commanded a good view of the bar.
‘OK,’ whispered Peter. ‘Let’s just watch for now before we make a move. And steady with the fuckin’ drink. We wanna keep our wits about us. They’re the ones that need to get pissed, not us.’
For over an hour Peter and his cohorts sat drinking slowly while they watched what was going on around them. They noticed that as time went on some of the older staff began to leave the pub. Most of them were middle-aged and Peter guessed that they were probably family men and women stopping for a drink or two before going home to the spouse and kids. Of the remaining staff he surmised that most of them were those with no ties, who could stay out as long as they wanted without going home to grief.
As the space around the bar opened up, Peter spotted the two girls they had seen entering the pub earlier. They were now standing on their own, gazing around the pub’s interior. He nodded at Glynn, who had already noticed them. There was also a group of older women, sitting a few tables away, who he had seen leaving Smart and Sons.
‘Right, here’s the plan, Peter whispered. ‘Mike, you go and chat to that lot.’
‘Cheers,’ said Mike, sarcastically. ‘What am I supposed to say? Do you come here often? What’s the nightlife like?’
‘I dunno, you’ll think of something,’ said Peter, grinning. ‘Ask them about the area or summat. Say you’re new around here.’
Mike stood up then picked up his pint with a frown on his face and ambled across the room.
Peter looked at Glynn. ‘Right, those two it is, then,’ he said.
They walked across to the two girls they had seen earlier and Glynn opened up the conversation. ‘Hello, ladies,’ he greeted. ‘How are you? I’m Glynn and this is Pete.’
The two girls smiled back, flattered to be receiving attention from two smartly dressed, good-looking guys.
Peter found out that the two girls were called Kath and Janice. After they had spent a few minutes talking to both girls, it seemed obvious to Peter that Kath had her eye on Glynn so he concentrated on Janice.
‘Can I buy you a drink?’ he asked. When she nodded, Peter quickly made his way to the bar and came back with a double, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
‘So, what do you do for a living?’ asked Janice.
Bloody hell, thought Peter. This one doesn’t waste any time.
He knew the type. It wouldn’t be long before she asked him what kind of car he drove and whether he owned his own home.
‘I work for a security firm,’ he said.
‘Ooh, are you one of those guys in uniforms?’ asked Janice, flirtatiously.
‘No,’ grinned Peter. ‘I work in the offices. Why, what do you do?’ he asked, although he already knew where she worked.
‘I work over the road,’ she said.
‘Where’s that then?’ asked Peter, keeping up the pretence.
‘Smart and Sons. It’s that cash and carry opposite.’
‘Didn’t notice it. The name rings a bell, though. I think we might collect the cash from them.’
‘Why, what’s the name of your firm?’ she asked.
‘Translucre Security,’ said Peter.
‘No, we don’t use them,’ said Janice. ‘We use another one.’
Janice didn’t divulge the name of the firm and Peter guessed that she wasn’t yet drunk enough to give too much away. Hopefully that would change once he had bought a few more drinks.
‘Yeah, it’s always best to have a firm collecting the cash these days. It’s too risky otherwise,’ said Peter.
Janice shrugged and Peter knew the onus was on him to keep the conversation going. ‘What do you do at Smart and Sons then?’ he asked.
‘I work in the cash office,’ said Janice. ‘That’s how I know that Translucre aren’t our security firm.’
Bingo, thought Peter, but he hid his delight. ‘Ah, right,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe it’s another firm with a similar name. Anyway, no worries. Can I get you another drink?’ he asked.
Janice eagerly held out her empty glass and Peter went to the bar, suppressing a smirk. He couldn’t believe his luck! Now all he had to do was ply Janice with a few more doubles before getting her to tell him all about her very interesting job in the cash office of Smart and Sons cash and carry.
*
‘Do you wanna cuppa?’ asked Anna, who had been restless for the last fifteen minutes, fiddling with things and jumping from one thing to another as though there was something on her mind.
‘No, thanks,’ said Adele.
‘You sure?’ Anna asked.
‘Yes,’ said Adele, trying to stifle her irritation with Anna. It seemed that every time she got a chance to read a book, Anna started making a nuisance of herself.
‘I’ve got some nice biscuits we can have with it,’ said Anna, lowering her voice. ‘Only, it’s probably best not to tell anyone else.’
‘Go on then,’ smiled Adele.
When Anna had got the drinks ready, Adele jumped down from her bunk and joined Anna, who was sitting on the edge of her bed sipping at her cup of tea. Adele was careful not to get too close, though. They may have made up but Adele still didn’t want to encourage any amorous advances.
‘Nice, these biscuits, aren’t they?’ asked Anna. ‘Don’t let anyone see them, though,’ she added cradling hers in her hand so it wouldn’t be visible to anyone entering their cell.
‘What is it, Anna?’ Adele asked.
‘What d’you mean?’ Anna responded, defensively.
