his big shaven head so she couldn’t see his face past the livid white scar that neatly bisected one of his eyebrows.
“She was all right, my Lana, whatever people thought. She was a good kid.”
Maura could hear the grief in his voice.
“Now the fucking baby…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Maura grasped his hand and squeezed it.
“I know what you are going through, Kenny, but you must believe we had nothing to do with it. Or with Joiiff’s old woman either. There is skulduggery afoot, mate, and me and mine are in the firing line. I have to sort this out and I have to sort it out fast. You understand that, don’t you? I need your help, Kenny, more than ever before.”
He nodded.
“I believe you, Maura, you was always straight with me.”
And he did. Something told him to trust her and he had always trusted his instincts. It was why he was still alive after all these years on the front line.
Maura topped up his glass.
“So, Kenny. Who gave you the information?”
“Rebekka Kowolski you’d know her by her maiden name. Goldbaum.”
The name made Maura feel dizzy and sick. Took her back to a time in her life she would rather forget even as it haunted her dreams.
“How would she know that?”
“Her old man, of course. He’s a minor cog in a big wheel. Works for Joe the Jew, in a firm that runs out of Silvertown.”
“I know Joe well. Why would he be involved with something like this? It’s too heavy for him, he would never take me on.”
Kenny shrugged once more.
“What am I, the fucking Oracle? Joe runs with the pack now. He has dealings with most of the crews around about. He can locate any kind of licence, from pubs to boxing matches. Done well for himself actually.”
“How does Rebekka come into it?”
He finished his drink and held out the glass for more before saying, “She’s the brains of the outfit from what I can gather, and she loves drugs selling them anyway. She is astute, Maura, I know that much. Has a good business brain. Her husband is a fucking Muppet. She’ll hold a grudge against you and all, won’t she? If memory serves me correctly, you and Michael wasted her old man.”
Maura refilled the glasses, her mind whirling. Once more she was back in the past, and not in any part of it she wanted to revisit.
The door burst open and Garry walked in, his face red with temper.
“Someone has clumped Mother.”
Both Maura and Kenny stared at him in shock.
“What?”
Maura could not believe what she was hearing.
“She’s in hospital, I just had a call from a filth on me mobile. She actually gave him my number, can you believe that!”
“Fuck the mobile, Garry, is she OK?”
He nodded.
“More shaken than anything. I’ll get Roy to go and see her. Lee’s had a phone call from an old-timer thought it was worth a punt so he’s gone for a meet. Now are we out tonight or what?”
Maura nodded.
“Wait till you find out where we’re going, Garry. Talk about a blast from the past.”
Kenny watched them warily. As far as he was concerned whoever had decided to take them on must be mad. And if it wasn’t the Ryans, then who was behind the death of his wife? That was what he wanted to know more than anything. When he found that out, the Ryans wouldn’t be in it.
“I’ll come with you,” he offered.
Maura glanced at him and said casually, “You were coming anyway, Kenny, but thanks for the offer. Until we’re sure you have told us the truth we’ll stick to you like shit to a blanket.”
It was no more than he’d expected.
Chapter Four
Roy watched as his mother was bandaged up. She had a black eye and a sprained wrist. To see her sitting on a hospital bed in that state made him feel as if he was about to explode with rage. When she looked vulnerable, as she did now, he remembered all sorts of things from his childhood. How she’d fed them and clothed them with hardly any help from their father, a man who’d wanted his drink and his gamble far more
“She was all right, my Lana, whatever people thought. She was a good kid.”
Maura could hear the grief in his voice.
“Now the fucking baby…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Maura grasped his hand and squeezed it.
“I know what you are going through, Kenny, but you must believe we had nothing to do with it. Or with Joiiff’s old woman either. There is skulduggery afoot, mate, and me and mine are in the firing line. I have to sort this out and I have to sort it out fast. You understand that, don’t you? I need your help, Kenny, more than ever before.”
He nodded.
“I believe you, Maura, you was always straight with me.”
And he did. Something told him to trust her and he had always trusted his instincts. It was why he was still alive after all these years on the front line.
Maura topped up his glass.
“So, Kenny. Who gave you the information?”
“Rebekka Kowolski you’d know her by her maiden name. Goldbaum.”
The name made Maura feel dizzy and sick. Took her back to a time in her life she would rather forget even as it haunted her dreams.
“How would she know that?”
“Her old man, of course. He’s a minor cog in a big wheel. Works for Joe the Jew, in a firm that runs out of Silvertown.”
“I know Joe well. Why would he be involved with something like this? It’s too heavy for him, he would never take me on.”
Kenny shrugged once more.
“What am I, the fucking Oracle? Joe runs with the pack now. He has dealings with most of the crews around about. He can locate any kind of licence, from pubs to boxing matches. Done well for himself actually.”
“How does Rebekka come into it?”
He finished his drink and held out the glass for more before saying, “She’s the brains of the outfit from what I can gather, and she loves drugs selling them anyway. She is astute, Maura, I know that much. Has a good business brain. Her husband is a fucking Muppet. She’ll hold a grudge against you and all, won’t she? If memory serves me correctly, you and Michael wasted her old man.”
Maura refilled the glasses, her mind whirling. Once more she was back in the past, and not in any part of it she wanted to revisit.
The door burst open and Garry walked in, his face red with temper.
“Someone has clumped Mother.”
Both Maura and Kenny stared at him in shock.
“What?”
Maura could not believe what she was hearing.
“She’s in hospital, I just had a call from a filth on me mobile. She actually gave him my number, can you believe that!”
“Fuck the mobile, Garry, is she OK?”
He nodded.
“More shaken than anything. I’ll get Roy to go and see her. Lee’s had a phone call from an old-timer thought it was worth a punt so he’s gone for a meet. Now are we out tonight or what?”
Maura nodded.
“Wait till you find out where we’re going, Garry. Talk about a blast from the past.”
Kenny watched them warily. As far as he was concerned whoever had decided to take them on must be mad. And if it wasn’t the Ryans, then who was behind the death of his wife? That was what he wanted to know more than anything. When he found that out, the Ryans wouldn’t be in it.
“I’ll come with you,” he offered.
Maura glanced at him and said casually, “You were coming anyway, Kenny, but thanks for the offer. Until we’re sure you have told us the truth we’ll stick to you like shit to a blanket.”
It was no more than he’d expected.
Chapter Four
Roy watched as his mother was bandaged up. She had a black eye and a sprained wrist. To see her sitting on a hospital bed in that state made him feel as if he was about to explode with rage. When she looked vulnerable, as she did now, he remembered all sorts of things from his childhood. How she’d fed them and clothed them with hardly any help from their father, a man who’d wanted his drink and his gamble far more
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