CRUEL SECRETS Page 13

  Jayne felt sorry for the girl because she knew that’s exactly where Kelly would be going when she was put on remand. No doubt, there would be bars up at the window and the comforts a bare minimum.

  The next morning, she was taken to the magistrates to be held in custody until her court date arrived. The judge was efficient and it was over in ten minutes. Kelly just went with the flow; there was no point in trying to fathom out the procedure. She was taken by a custody van, in a sweatbox as they called it, to Downview Prison in Surrey. The journey was rough because she barely had room to move, but that was it, she was in the system. No one would know though and that is how she wanted it. But she thought about her aunt Betty. She hadn’t seen her for over two years now although at least her aunt knew she was okay. A few weeks after she went on the run, she returned and hand-delivered a letter explaining everything, in the hope that Betty would understand.

  As soon as the van arrived inside the gates, she was escorted off in handcuffs and taken to the reception area. With no one else in the van, other than two escorting officers, it felt like the first day at senior school. Yet here, she was accompanied everywhere. The officers were hard and cold. They shoved her in the back to move her forward and manhandled her when she tripped. The reception area was small and the atmosphere distinctly sterile. Officers were there to prepare Kelly for her stay. They took the files, her belongings, and read off a series of rules. However, the information was too much to absorb at once.

  Eventually, she was led into a doctors’ office with two men in white coats. She soon realised that one was a psychiatrist. He was an odd-looking character himself with a misshaped head and perfect white teeth. He put her in mind of Uncle Fester from the Addams family. The other doctor looked pretty normal and started by taking Kelly’s blood pressure and then her temperature. He asked the usual medical questions. “Are you allergic to anything, any major head injuries in the past, any previous history of serious conditions?” He went on and on.

  Then the shrink took over. “So, Kelly, are you sexually active?”

  Kelly frowned. “Piss off, I’m nearly eighteen years old, not twenty-six.”

  The psychiatrist twitched. This wasn’t normal. He scribbled some notes and looked at her reaction to the next question. “Are you heterosexual, bisexual, or gay?”

  Furious with these demeaning questions, she snapped, “I ain’t any sexual weirdo.”

  “Do you like men or women?” he asked, totally unperturbed.

  Kelly flared her nostrils. “What sodding difference does it make?”

  “Do you find men or women attractive?”

  Kelly thought about the question. She had never really fantasised about either. Her mother had removed any such thoughts so far from her mind that she had never actually broached the idea. She could tell if a man or woman was attractive, but as for a relationship, it wasn’t something she gave any thought to. She was too busy living, after being so devoid of any kind of life under her mother’s roof.

  “Look, doctor, I guess you are trying to get inside my head, but let me save you a shed loada trouble. I ain’t suicidal, I ain’t a nutter, I ain’t a lesbian, and I ain’t crazy like a shit-house rat.”

  The psychiatrist nodded and scribbled more notes.

  “Kelly, how do you feel about your mother’s death?” He didn’t look up; instead, he remained with his pen poised.

  Leaning back on her chair, Kelly stared at the odd shape of his shiny bald head. At this point, she was wondering if he was either dropped at birth or squashed coming out of his mother’s fanny.

  “Kelly, I will ask you again. How do you feel about your mother’s death?”

  She visualised her mother lying there in a pool of blood, but all that popped into her head was her spiteful face and those evil-looking eyes.

  “I don’t think about it!” she raised her voice. He was irritating her, with his monotonic style of speaking and his silly questions.

  “Are you angry right now, Kelly?”

  She sighed. “No, I ain’t angry. I am just tired and bored with you going on.”

  As he stood up, she noticed his misshapen back and that one of his legs was shorter than the other and instantly felt sorry for him.

  One of the officers was called to take her away. Before she was escorted into another section, Kelly could smell the Dettol. The room had a clinical yet cold, distinct smell and one she didn’t like; it was too close for comfort and a stark reminder to her of her mother. When she was asked to strip and stand in the shower, Kelly felt uncomfortable and humiliated. Then it hit her; she had no privacy and was cattle-herded like a lamb to the slaughter.

  “Hurry up, Raven, we haven’t got all day!” shouted the fat screw. She later knew her as Charlie.

  As she peeled off her jeans, removed her shirt, and took off her underwear, she turned to step into the shower. Charlie was used to women and girls of all shapes, sizes, tattoos, and birthmarks. Yet what she saw shocked her to the core. She had never seen a girl with so many cruel scars on her back. She winced, as she stared at the many grooves that marked her otherwise perfectly toned skin. Charlie had been informed of the charges; she now began to wonder if this young woman had killed her own mother because she had whipped her. There lay that doubting question mark, and what about the man she was supposed to have murdered? Either way, the kid had suffered at someone’s hands. Who else would have caused those hideous marks?

  As Kelly stepped out of the shower, Charlie handed her a towel and turned away, leaving her with some dignity. “Raven, your prison issues are on the bench. Get dressed, and follow me.”

  Kelly quickly dried herself and lifted the sweatshirt; it was a bit big but it was comfortable. She then held up the sweat pants, which were also too big, but hey ho, she was hardly out to impress anyone. So, these were the prison issues. Not so bad. Charlie had a reputation in the prison as the hard-ass screw. The inmates hated her. She walked Kelly over to the block, still smarting from the girl’s scarring. The corridor was long and daunting with doors evenly spread on either side. The cells were the same: there was just a bed, a bookshelf, a toilet, and bars. It wasn’t as grubby as she had expected: she had envisaged early Victorian, with water running down the walls and infested with rats. In fact, the room was small, clean, and warm and so unlike that awful shed at home. While she sat on the bed, Charlie read her the rules: these included the times to get up, go to exercise, have meals, and final recreation before lock-up. Kelly nodded and smiled. As Charlie went to lock the door, Kelly said, “Thanks, Officer Bryant.”

  Charlie, to her surprise, realised the girl was genuine: there was no hint of sarcasm. She nodded and smiled back. It felt very strange, her smiling to an inmate.

  *

  Three days had passed and Rudy had the boys out looking for Kelly. Lippy was sick with worry, and they had then begun to assume the worst – that the police had, in fact, nicked her. What they found odd were the deep scratch marks on the front and back door. Legend was stressed when Rudy had arrived home; he was in attack mode, panting heavily and walking in circles. As soon as Ditto had come back with no answers, Rudy made the decision to knock on Keffa’s door. Either she was there, or he would know how to find out if she had been nicked.

  Krystal had seen the other side of Rudy and realised that calling the police was a huge mistake. She had underestimated the impact it would have when Rudy paced the floor and made all kinds of threats. “If I find who grassed her up, if she was grassed, I am gonna rip them apart, limb by limb, with me fucking teeth.” He turned and glared at Krystal as if she had an inkling. She tried to take his mind off it. “Rudy, baby, you don’t need to threaten me. She is just another needy, passing through. She’s woman enough to make up her own mind. Maybe she’s gone and got herself a nice man!”

  Rudy grabbed her throat and squeezed. “You, Krystal, are just a needy, passing through, not her. She is me family!” His eyes buried themselves so deep into Krystal’s, she realised she had fucked-u
p, big style.

  Hacked off, he left Krystal, who was still gawping in the lounge, and then he snatched his keys and was gone. As he tore away, she felt pushed out and insignificant. Now she hated Kelly with a passion. That will teach her to muscle her way into what was supposed to be her family. Lippy stood in the doorway. She had seen Rudy attack Krystal; although she hated violence, she was satisfied because Krystal deserved it.

  “What are you staring at?”

  Lippy smiled. “Krystal, you have a lot to learn about life.”

  With a face like a smacked arse, she looked Lippy over and scowled. “Well, I don’t want any tips from an old brass like you!” she countered.

  A sarcastic grin swept across Lippy’s face, and she nodded, indicating she was summing up Krystal. Then her words cut through Krystal like a knife. “I may be old, I may sell meself for cash, but I can hold me head up high, see. But you, Krystal, can’t. You have no compassion or pride in ya soul. You use people and abuse them. I know your kind, and when I tell you one day you will wake up and feel shame like you ’ave never felt before, then that’s God’s way of punishing you. Shame and guilt are hard feelings to bear.”

  “Aw, really, Tulip? You know nothing about me. You have no idea who I am!” she screamed back in anger, still feeling the frustration and humiliation from Rudy’s dismissive display.

  Lippy was calm. “No, I don’t know who you are, but I do know what you are. Rudy will see through you very soon, if he hasn’t already.” With that, she turned to leave.

  “You watch. When my Rudy hears what you have just said, he will turf you out on ya fucking ear or rip you a new arsehole.”

  Fuming, Lippy whirled around. “If you stay here, Rudy won’t have to turf me out, I’ll ’ave gone, and while we are on the subject of telling Rudy, I think he has already worked out that you are the grass among us. So, think on, Krystal, because you will be the one with the new arsehole.”

  No more was said: Krystal collected her overnight belongings and left.

  *

  With his mind all over the place, and fraught with worry, Rudy banged hard on Keffa’s door.

  It didn’t take long. A moment later, Keffa wrenched it open, sensing there was something wrong. He had seen Rudy pull up in his new car and park it haphazardly in the car park.

  “All right, Rude, what’s up?”

  Rudy scanned the hallway and walked into the lounge. “Is Bluey here?”

  Keffa narrowed his eyes. “Nah, mate, the last time I saw her was Monday night. I dropped her home after a quick coffee in the high street. Why, what’s going on?”

  Rudy was fidgeting from one foot to the other. “She’s gone, Keffa, disappeared. She didn’t even take her jacket. Three days now. I thought she might be here. I thought maybe you two ...” his words trailed off.

  Keffa’s mind went into a spin; he felt his mouth dry up and thoughts of her with another man, or, even worse, nicked, shrouded his mind. Rudy instantly saw the sadness creep over Keffa’s face.

  “She ain’t ’ere, is she?”

  Without hesitation, Keffa shook his head in despair. “I wish, Rudy, she was. Is she seeing anyone, I mean like any geezers?”

  “No, Keffa, and she ain’t like that, she’s just a kid.”

  Keffa turned his head away in shame.

  “Oh my God, you like her, don’t ya?”

  Keffa couldn’t deny it. Who was he kidding? “Rude, I know she’s only, what, almost eighteen, but I can’t help it.” He paused and looked at the inquisitive expression on Rudy’s face. “I swear I have never touched her, though.”

  At that point, the dynamics changed. Keffa, the hard man feared by everyone, was now looking at Rudy like he called the shots – as if he was Kelly’s father. Perhaps that was how he was viewed now and with that title came respect.

  “Have you upset her and that’s why she’s fucked off?” demanded Rudy. Despite having just raised his voice, his anxiety was far greater than his fear of Keffa’s wrath.

  “No! Jeez, I would never hurt her, ever! I love … I mean, I care about her too much.”

  Rudy saw the anguish on Keffa’s face and knew then that the guy had deep feelings for Kelly. He sighed heavily. “I’ve got a gut instinct she has been nicked. She will be in a state, Keffa. I mean, underneath her bravado is just a frightened child, really. It’s odd, ’cos I don’t know why, but I love the kid. She is like a daughter to me. We all love her. There is something special about her. I dunno, she seems to light up the room …” He broke off as he felt the tears and blinked them back before Keffa saw him getting emotional, and yet Keffa felt exactly the same. He then realised he’d said too much and Keffa would question why Kelly would have been nicked.

  Keffa stepped back and offered Rudy a seat. “Listen to me, Rudy. I know who she is.”

  Rudy’s eyes were like saucers. “What d’ya mean?”

  “I ain’t stupid. I recognised her on the crime programme. She was on the news for a week. That little innocent face stuck in my head. Jeez, I knew who Patrick Mahoney was, and then there she was, standing in me lounge, bold as brass, trying to protect you.” With a half-smile, he looked at Rudy’s anxious expression. “That’s why I always try to look out for her. That kid has more than a few bricks on her shoulders.”

  Rudy looked at the floor. “Oh, so ya know, if she’s been nicked, what it’s for, then?”

  Keffa sat opposite him. “There’s more, Rudy.” His voice was even more serious now.

  Rudy looked up and tilted his head. “What?”

  “She is Eddie Raven’s daughter.”

  Fraught, Rudy turned ashen. “What, as in Eddie Cako?”

  Keffa nodded.

  “But Bluey never said. I heard he’s outta prison now. D’ya think she’s gone to see him?”

  Keffa shook his head. “She might not even know that Eddie is her father. He was banged up for twelve years. She must have been three or four at the time. Let me tell ya something. Years ago, I had a bit of business with Eddie, nothing big, just a firearms deal. He’s a fucking dangerous man. He keeps his little firm tight, I mean fucking tight. Anyway, he trusted me, and one night, he came over to me pad in North London. We shared a few drinks, and he had a few lines of Charlie. Then he got talking. See, I’m not much of a chatterbox, but on cocaine, he is. That’s why he sticks to his own firm, never mixes with anyone other than those he can trust, get what I mean?”

  Rudy nodded. “Yeah, go on, mate.”

  “I’m telling you, Rudy, but it’s from me own mouth so ...”

  “I’m good for keeping schtum,” replied Rudy, eager to hear the story.

  Keffa nodded. “Eddie has this thing. He believes what’s his is his, no fucking messing. He killed his two sidekicks, Jack McFarlane and Mickey O’Toole over a few diamonds. I mean, the man is minted. He killed them and took out their fucking eyes. He told me he did it. Jeez, Eddie is a sick muvver fucker. But that’s not all! He told me that his missus was once a right stunner, loved a bit of sex, and kept him sweet in the bedroom, ’cos Eddie is a sex addict, ya know. He fucking admitted it to me. I swear the man don’t give a shit. But, one woman wasn’t enough, so he was shagging his way through half of fucking London, even Naomi, Jack McFarlane’s nineteen-year-old daughter. When Maureen, his missus, found out, she went all weird on him and turned to God or something. He said to me back then that once he had his villa in Spain renovated, he was doing the off with his daughter, Kelly. She was his and he was taking what belonged to him, whether Maureen liked it or not. But he didn’t get far ’cos his missus grassed him up, by all accounts.”

  Rudy was taking it all in. “D’ya think Eddie killed the muvver?”

  Keffa slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, I do, and incidentally, that Patrick, who Kelly is supposed to have killed, was a no-good wanker anyway.”

  Rudy frowned. “Who was he?”

  “Patrick was Eddie’s brother-in-law. Married to Toni, Eddie’s little sister. So, as you can see, mate, it’s all
fucking messy. Why d’ya think I have a soft spot for the kid? Poor thing has been dealt a raw hand in life. They are all a bunch of nutters, and she don’t even know what she was born in to. To top it all, she is probably going to take the rap for her own father’s wrongdoing. ’Cos, it’s my guess, he did kill that Maureen.”

  Rudy looked distraught with the news. It was a lot to take in but still they had no clue if Kelly was inside or had just done a runner.

  “I can ask me mate down the Yard. He will know. I am surprised it ain’t on the news. Unless, of course, the Old Bill have something up their sleeve.”

  Keffa clenched his phone and scrolled down to the number logged under ‘Pig’. “Mate, did your lot arrest Kelly Raven?” He was short and sweet. The officer on the other end swallowed hard; he was told her arrest was not to be made public, but it was Keffa on the phone. He couldn’t fuck with him because he was his cocaine supplier.

  “Yeah, she didn’t want to make a call or have a brief. She’s been taken to Downview on a double murder charge. You didn’t hear it from me.”

  As he slid the phone back inside his pocket, he nodded. “She’s in Downview on remand. A double murder. Strange they are keeping it a secret. Fucking filth are more dodgy than any villain I know.”

  Rudy put his face in his hands in disbelief. “Why didn’t she call? I would have been there for her.”

  Keffa sat beside him, placing an arm around his shoulder. “’Cos, mate, she is a free spirit. She wouldn’t want to bring any trouble to your door. Ya know, the day she confronted me about that cunting cock-up, I could have fed her to me men, but there was something kinda real about her. She put herself up for a good kicking for you.”

  Rudy looked up, as if he’d just had his heart torn apart. “Yeah, I have to admit, I do love the kid. She is real. Ain’t many like her about, is there?”

  Keffa agreed and then he came back to reality. “Ya know, Eddie will be on her case. If we are seen to get involved, then he may come after us. The man has no sense of reason.”

  “So, what do we do?”