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Authors: James Benmore
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gang before and if he could guess at the identity of the jockey-sized leader calling himself Dick.
‘If I hear of anyone sporting a smashed mouth what he didn’t have yesterday,’ Barney offered, ‘I’ll be sure to tell you. But no, nothing tinkles.’
‘London is full of Irishmen,’ Tom observed as she drew on her pipe and cast an eye over the comely girl what had entered into the chorus of ‘Making Love in The Derry Air’. ‘It’s needles and haystacks.’ Her voice lowered then, readying itself for the dark alleys our conversation was to go down next. ‘More to the purpose,’ she said after taking another drag on her pipe, ‘is how they knew we was coming? And that Dodger had a priceless necklace on him?’
This was indeed the most urgent question of all. As far as I was aware the only people what I had told about the business beforehand was those what would have gained more from a successful delivery than from being in league with the Turpins. Tom, Georgie and Scratcher would receive less money if they had to split its value between five others and Mouse had taken a savage beating. Georgie had been shot in the leg but who knew what sort of deal any one ofthem could have struck with the rival gang. I viewed them all now with suspicion and – in my foul humour – was happy to let them know it.
‘We’ve lost a small fortune this afternoon, boys,’ I said, ‘and I mean to get it back. So if either of you two have something to tell me then now is the time. It’ll be too late tomorrow.’ Mouse looked at me in surprise.
‘Are you asking us if we’re unsafe, Dodge?’ he checked. Tom stared at me as smoke puffed out of her nostrils and I returned her fierce look in answer.
‘I suppose I am, Mouse, yeah,’ I replied while still eyeing Tom. ‘Because it’s clear that somebody in our company is not.’
Tom scowled as she pushed back her stool. ‘You need correcting for saying that to me,’ she pointed as she stood up. ‘I don’t care if you are top sawyer, you don’t call me a splitter and not answer for it. I’m the straightest crook you know!’
‘I want answers, Tom,’ I told her. ‘So sit yourself back down. I’m going to be asking the same questions of Georgie and Scratcher in time but right now I’m asking you. Who did you tell about our meeting with Percival?’
‘Not a soul,’ she shot back. ‘And I should knock you down for even asking.’
‘What about your Janet?’
‘I never talk to women about work, Jack,’ she said as if the question itself was mad. ‘We all know they can’t be trusted. And besides,’ she put some bite into these next words, ‘I ain’t the one living with a Slade girl, am I?’ Mouse and Barney looked at each other in discomfort as I asked her what that was supposed to mean.
‘It means,’ she continued staring at me as she sat down again, ‘that if there is any member of this gang with a fancy woman of dubious virtue then it’s our great leader. My Janet knows nothingabout how I make my earnings, she just takes money from me and buys herself nice things. Ebony Bet, Georgie’s girl, can be trusted not to talk to anyone on the grounds that she don’t speak no English anyway. And – Mouse – I don’t doubt that your dead Agnes is the very model of discretion. Lily Lennox, however …’ she snuffed out her tobacco and tapped it into a tin spittoon, ‘there’s a chit with a history on her. If I was you I’d start asking your questions at home before you cast aspersions over your own gang.’
‘You know something, Skinner,’ I leaned in closer and hissed at the side of her face what was not purple from the fight, ‘if you was a real man you’d have a matching bruise on your other cheek by now.’ She cocked her head, daring me to do my worst but I preferred to keep hitting her with words. ‘You wouldn’t even be in this crew if it weren’t for me, you impertinent mare. No other London gang would touch you, so remember who
‘If I hear of anyone sporting a smashed mouth what he didn’t have yesterday,’ Barney offered, ‘I’ll be sure to tell you. But no, nothing tinkles.’
‘London is full of Irishmen,’ Tom observed as she drew on her pipe and cast an eye over the comely girl what had entered into the chorus of ‘Making Love in The Derry Air’. ‘It’s needles and haystacks.’ Her voice lowered then, readying itself for the dark alleys our conversation was to go down next. ‘More to the purpose,’ she said after taking another drag on her pipe, ‘is how they knew we was coming? And that Dodger had a priceless necklace on him?’
This was indeed the most urgent question of all. As far as I was aware the only people what I had told about the business beforehand was those what would have gained more from a successful delivery than from being in league with the Turpins. Tom, Georgie and Scratcher would receive less money if they had to split its value between five others and Mouse had taken a savage beating. Georgie had been shot in the leg but who knew what sort of deal any one ofthem could have struck with the rival gang. I viewed them all now with suspicion and – in my foul humour – was happy to let them know it.
‘We’ve lost a small fortune this afternoon, boys,’ I said, ‘and I mean to get it back. So if either of you two have something to tell me then now is the time. It’ll be too late tomorrow.’ Mouse looked at me in surprise.
‘Are you asking us if we’re unsafe, Dodge?’ he checked. Tom stared at me as smoke puffed out of her nostrils and I returned her fierce look in answer.
‘I suppose I am, Mouse, yeah,’ I replied while still eyeing Tom. ‘Because it’s clear that somebody in our company is not.’
Tom scowled as she pushed back her stool. ‘You need correcting for saying that to me,’ she pointed as she stood up. ‘I don’t care if you are top sawyer, you don’t call me a splitter and not answer for it. I’m the straightest crook you know!’
‘I want answers, Tom,’ I told her. ‘So sit yourself back down. I’m going to be asking the same questions of Georgie and Scratcher in time but right now I’m asking you. Who did you tell about our meeting with Percival?’
‘Not a soul,’ she shot back. ‘And I should knock you down for even asking.’
‘What about your Janet?’
‘I never talk to women about work, Jack,’ she said as if the question itself was mad. ‘We all know they can’t be trusted. And besides,’ she put some bite into these next words, ‘I ain’t the one living with a Slade girl, am I?’ Mouse and Barney looked at each other in discomfort as I asked her what that was supposed to mean.
‘It means,’ she continued staring at me as she sat down again, ‘that if there is any member of this gang with a fancy woman of dubious virtue then it’s our great leader. My Janet knows nothingabout how I make my earnings, she just takes money from me and buys herself nice things. Ebony Bet, Georgie’s girl, can be trusted not to talk to anyone on the grounds that she don’t speak no English anyway. And – Mouse – I don’t doubt that your dead Agnes is the very model of discretion. Lily Lennox, however …’ she snuffed out her tobacco and tapped it into a tin spittoon, ‘there’s a chit with a history on her. If I was you I’d start asking your questions at home before you cast aspersions over your own gang.’
‘You know something, Skinner,’ I leaned in closer and hissed at the side of her face what was not purple from the fight, ‘if you was a real man you’d have a matching bruise on your other cheek by now.’ She cocked her head, daring me to do my worst but I preferred to keep hitting her with words. ‘You wouldn’t even be in this crew if it weren’t for me, you impertinent mare. No other London gang would touch you, so remember who
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