CRUEL SECRETS Read online

  The judge passed sentence – three years in prison for the manslaughter of Patrick Mahoney.

  She was swiftly taken away.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After the court case, she was of age to go back to C wing, but instead she went to a cell at the end of the landing, away from Toni on B wing. It didn’t stop Toni from pestering her though, trying to get her onside. Kelly had, in no uncertain terms, told her to fuck off and leave her alone.

  She kept herself to herself but the one person she had time for was Ruth. One afternoon, while she was in the gym, there was a commotion back on the wing. One of the quieter inmates, an older woman by the name of Sylvia, a motherly sort, ran into the gym. She was discomposed and out of breath.

  “Kelly, love, young Ruth is up there with Toni. They have shut her inside the cell. I think they are gonna hurt her!”

  Kelly jumped off the treadmill and sprinted from the gym and up the metal staircase. A few inmates were wandering around, not making a scene. The officers were nowhere in sight. Typical, she thought. Kelly pushed past Treacle, who was obviously keeping watch, leaning against the wall, puffing on a roll-up. Kelly tried to open the cell door, but Toni had it wedged with the folded rubber. “Open up, Toni!” Treacle grabbed Kelly’s arm. “Do one, Kelly. This ain’t your business. Ruth’s taken a liberty.”

  As Kelly heard the muffled screams coming from inside the cell, her heart pounded with anger, and her temper got the better of her. She grabbed Treacle by the throat and squeezed. “Get away from me, you scrawny cunt!” she yelled. Treacle dropped her roll-up and backed off.

  “Open up, Toni, or I’ll fucking smash your head in, I fucking mean it!” screamed Kelly, through the gap in the cell. Immediately, the door opened and there stood Hattie, taking up the doorway. She moved sideways and Kelly could see Toni standing there, out of breath, with poor Ruth still curled in a ball. Kelly pushed Hattie so hard, she lost her balance and fell into the locker. Kneeling beside Ruth, Kelly carefully lifted her face to find the bloodied nose and bruises across her cheeks. Kelly hated Toni at that moment for the job she had done on her friend. Her aunt knew her actions had gone too far this time. There would be ructions and Toni felt afraid.

  Ruth murmured and tried to sit up, but the pain in her ribs made her wince. Kelly lifted Ruth’s top to see the marks along the bony ribs. She helped Ruth to her feet and put her shoulder under her arm. “Come on, mate, let’s get you down to sick bay.”

  Toni grabbed Kelly’s arm. “Kel, she stole from me. Ya gonna grass?”

  Kelly ignored her and carried on. As she helped the battered Ruth along the landing, one of the officers came running towards them. Placing her arm under Ruth’s waist, she pressed the alarm.

  “Leave her to me, Raven. Get back to your wing. Who did this, Ruth?” She glared at Kelly.

  “I fell down the stairs,” whispered Ruth.

  The officer raised her eyebrow at Kelly. “Well?”

  Kelly shook her head. “It’s her call, Gov.”

  “All right, Raven, go back to your cell.”

  Two other officers arrived in seconds to help Ruth to the hospital wing. One of them peered over her shoulder and watched Kelly shoot into Toni’s cell but decided to do nothing about it.

  Hattie stood in the way to try to stop Kelly. It was a pointless act. With one swift movement, she hit Hattie’s collarbone, knocking her to the floor. “Don’t fuck with me, ya fat cunt! Now get out of here. I have business with me so-called aunt. Family business!”

  Hattie struggled to her feet and without looking at Toni she left. Kelly was now face-to-face with Toni. The dynamics were all very different now with the young kid on the block taking on the adult – the top bitch on B wing – who looked fearsome and had a reputation herself to maintain. This didn’t perturb Kelly though.

  “Kelly, ya outta line. That piece of shit nicked off me. I ain’t ’aving it!”

  “Nicked off ya, yeah, what, baccy was it, puff was it, your stash of smack was it?” She was inching forward.

  Toni was nodding. “Yeah, she nicked me baccy.”

  Like a weird demon, Kelly laughed. “S’pose ya found the pouch in her cell, half-gone, and let me guess, Hattie sussed it, yeah?”

  Toni stopped nodding and inclined her head. “How did you know? Was you in on it?”

  “Cor, Tone, I thought you had more brains than that. Ya fucking stupid tramp. Hattie used that poor cow as a scapegoat. Ruth don’t even smoke. Hattie chored ya fucking tobacco. You are nothing but a fucking bully, an ’orrible excuse for a woman!” screamed Kelly.

  Toni was angry. A small crowd was gathering outside and her reputation was slipping from under her. “Shut your mouth, bitch. Family or not, I’m gonna mop the fucking floor with ya.” Launching herself at Kelly, she grabbed her hair and punched her in the face. The blow stung but it was the pain Kelly needed to fight back. The karate self-defence and composed blows went out of the window. Like an animal, she grabbed Toni’s hair and pulled her face down towards her knee and smashed her nose. The shock caused Toni to let go of her grip, allowing Kelly, who was still holding her aunt’s hair, to run her face this time into the corner of the metal bed. Toni was poleaxed; she fell to the floor, clutching her nose, which by now was bleeding profusely. But this didn’t stop her niece. Kelly kept up the momentum. She kicked and kicked until Hattie and Treacle came in. Kelly then turned and launched at Hattie, headbutting her in the face. Treacle jumped on Kelly’s back but with no effect. Kelly simply reached over her shoulder, clawing at Treacle’s face until she caught her hair, and then she pulled her over her shoulder, like a gorilla, and threw her at Hattie. Angrily, Kelly pushed past them both and headed for the door, but before she walked away, she turned to the three of them; they were in a bad state, nursing their wounds.

  “Pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll not stop next time!” she hissed.

  It wasn’t long after when the whole dynamics changed. Toni wasn’t running the prison anymore and all she had wrapped around her were a few pathetic scag heads. Kelly had seen the devastation Toni had caused, ruling through fear and coercion.

  After Ruth was out of the hospital, she began to act strangely. It was a Sunday, and she was handing out her belongings and saying goodbye to a few of the inmates.

  Sylvia passed Kelly on the landing. “Kel, love, Ruth’s going home today. Good news, eh?”

  “What d’ya mean, Sylv?”

  Sylvia held up a book. “Yep, she gave me this, and she handed her shoes to Tilly and her cup and saucer to Karen, bless her heart.”

  “Nah, Sylv, she ain’t going home, it’s Sunday. No one goes home on a Sunday and she ain’t due out yet.” With that, she ran off towards Ruth’s cell, leaving Sylvia bewildered.

  Ruth was neatly packing her transit boxes stored under her bed.

  “Hello, Kel, look, you can have this.” She held up a pretty landscape drawing. “I drew it for you. I’m going home today!”

  Kelly felt the heart-wrenching pain and the lump in her throat. She sat on Ruth’s bed. “Come and sit with me, Ruth.”

  Ruth had a huge smile on her face as she sat with her friend. “Are you going to miss me, Kelly? I can come and visit.”

  She grabbed Ruth’s hand. “Listen to me, Ruth, you ain’t going home today. It’s Sunday. No one leaves on a Sunday.”

  “Yeah, I am. I’m going home. I can’t wait to see me babies. They are all waiting for me. S’pect they are gonna have a party. A homecoming one. My Connor will keep it a surprise. He’s like that, but I gotta hurry, ’cos he is outside, waiting for me.”

  Kelly felt a sudden anguish; her best friend had totally lost the plot.

  “I’m just going to see the PO, Ruth. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Kelly stepped outside the cell to find Sylvia and a couple of others waiting. “What’s going on, Kel? She is going home today, ain’t she? Only, the poor cow’s given all her stuff away.”

  With a sad shake of her head, Kelly repli
ed, “No, she ain’t, but, Sylv, do us a favour, get all her gear back. Ruth ain’t going anywhere. She has longer to serve than I do. I’m gonna get the number one governor. Ruth ain’t well.”

  Sylvia went off to collect the items that Ruth had given away, now understanding the situation. Everything was handed back without a fuss, and some had given her their own special gifts: a few books, magazines, and even chocolates treats.

  The PO, Charlie, frowned when Kelly told her. “Ah, no, we get this, Kelly. I’ve seen it before. Never mind, I’ll see she’s all right. We’ll get her over to the hospital wing. I tell ya, that beating she got. I know who did it, and she has a lot to answer for. The poor cow has been handed a raw deal. Her ol’ man let her take the rap for the drugs they found on him, so that’s why she was given such a long sentence.”

  Kelly nodded. “Can I come over and visit Ruth? She’s me mate.”

  Charlie hesitated but then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see to it. You’ve been a good friend. Leave it to me.”

  Ruth remained on the hospital wing for weeks, and it was then that Kelly saw the consequences of bullying. Although the attack on her friend saddened her, she herself gained inner strength from this experience, and, furthermore, she knew she was perfectly capable of exacting retribution when necessary. Indeed, she would continue to hold true to her core values – loyalty to friends and ‘family’. When she left this shithole, she would tackle life not only with renewed vigour but also with a strong sense of purpose.

  She couldn’t wait.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Three years later

  The gates were opened and Kelly stepped outside to feel the fresh air on her face. The sun was out and the view was new. She had told no one of her release date. She was a free woman to go and do as she pleased. Half of her belongings she left to Ruth; the rest she packed in a holdall, sufficient for her present needs. Dressed in a pair of dark tight jeans and a loose T-shirt, she waited for the taxi. She could have asked any one of them to pick her up – Rudy, Keffa, her aunt – but she wanted to travel alone. It wasn’t to get her thoughts together – she’d had three years for that – it was to feel independent, with no one telling her what to do and where to go. At twenty-one, she was more woman than most at her age. Her figure had changed too, with well-developed hips and bust but in good proportion. Her hair had grown down to her waist now and her cheekbones were more defined. Her job inside had been gym orderly; this afforded the opportunity to work out every day as well as to teach Ruth martial arts and watch her become strong in mind and body.

  The taxi pulled up and she hopped in the back. She saw the driver’s sneaky look at her and rolled her eyes in amusement. “Nearest pub is it, love?” he laughed.

  She sighed. “I don’t drink. Peckham, please.”

  Gazing out of the window, she watched as the countryside became a village and the village became a town until eventually there she was on the busy streets of outer London. Nothing had changed much: the pub next to King’s College Hospital still had the same winos outside with their cans of Tennent’s Super, the traffic congestion was as bad as ever, and the smell from the fried chicken shops still pervaded the main road.

  “’Ere, mate, just here will do,” she told him.

  She handed the driver a fifty and walked away. He watched as she approached the run-down Victorian house, ogling her neat arse and the way her hair bounced off her back. The sound of a horn from behind made the driver snap out of his gaze and drive on. Standing at the bottom of the steps, she took a deep breath: my new life begins, she thought. With the exception of Lippy and Betty, it had been three years since she’d seen anyone from the outside. She’d made the decision not to have their lives disrupted; this was her doing and her price to pay, not theirs.

  Inside the house, Lippy was mopping the floor, and Rudy was in discussions with Keffa about their new venture, when Legend leapt from the sofa like a puppy and began howling and scratching at the door. Lippy dropped the mop and both Rudy and Keffa ran to the door.

  “It must be her!” squealed Lippy.

  Before Kelly had a chance to knock on the door, Lippy had it open and almost pounced on her. “Oh, my goodness, come here, give me a hug. Oh, look at you! Oh, Rudy, look at her, all grown-up.” She hugged Kelly, almost crushing her. Kelly wasn’t used to affection, not in the last three years anyway, but in an instant, she was a child again, as the gentle hint of Chloé Fleur de Parfum, overpowered by the smell of curry, made her feel at home.

  Rudy wasn’t shy either, grabbing Kelly and swinging her around. She was heavy to lift now. Keffa watched from the doorway, with a full ear-to-ear smile on his face. “Ya grown up all right, Bluey.”

  Then Legend howled; he had waited patiently for the others to get out of the way before he could make a fuss. Kelly dropped to her knees and rolled around the floor, with him jumping all over her, licking her face and yelping. “Aw, Legend, I thought you would hate me for leaving you.”

  “Come in, Bluey, ya room’s just as ya left it. Lippy’s seen to it. It’s clean and fresh …” He stopped. “You are moving back in, ain’t ya, Blue?” asked Rudy.

  She smiled. “It’s me home, ain’t it?”

  “Yeah, ’course it is.” He looked at her face and felt embarrassed: she wasn’t a kid anymore, she was a woman and a very good-looking one. She had sex appeal and self-confidence, a very attractive combination. Keffa sensed it too and was hard-pressed to find anything to say. How would it be now? he wondered.

  Lippy didn’t care. She was off, ready to make a meal fit for a queen. “I’ll make tea and then we can celebrate. Rudy, call the boys.”

  Kelly took a seat in the lounge. She noticed how tired the place actually was but it was home and she felt safe. There was an awkward silence, as both men stared at her.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m still me under these tits,” she giggled.

  Rudy nearly fell off the chair; he was still so animated when he laughed. Keffa slapped his own knee and joined in.

  The laughter died down and Rudy took on a serious tone. “What d’ya wanna do now, Blue?”

  She sat back on the sofa, gave a cheeky smile, and tapped the side of her nose. “When I’ve got the plan sorted, I’ll let ya know.”

  With a different expression on his face, Keffa changed the subject. “Have you seen Eddie?”

  Kelly grimaced. “He has tried to contact me, sending me letters, asking me to send out a VO. I ignored him. He ain’t my family—”

  “Be careful, Bluey, he’s …”

  With a hard glare, she nodded. “Yeah, a psychopath, so everyone keeps telling me. Well, just so ya know, he don’t bother me.” She paused and stared into space. “In fact, if he shows his face around here, I will kill him.”

  Shocked by her harsh words, Keffa raised his eyebrow. “Why d’ya hate him so much, Blue? I mean, I know about the abuse, what ya said in court, but is there another reason?”

  “He never abused me. I said that so it didn’t look like I had a motive to kill my mother, that’s all. I hate thugs and that man is the epitome of one. Anyway, let’s not talk about him. How’s Ditto, Reggie, Phoenix and Solly?” But she changed the subject too quickly and Keffa sensed there was more to this Eddie story. Still, he was pleased to see Kelly home, although he felt a little awkward. It was hard not to feel attracted to her, with her womanly appearance.

  It wasn’t long before the boys arrived. They hadn’t changed at all; they were still fun-loving and full of banter. It was an evening to enjoy and remember and everyone toasted Kelly’s return to the fold.

  As the darkness fell, Kelly felt the need to be alone. She excused herself and headed to the quiet of her own room. Lippy had kept it fresh and clean and had even added new items, with a fancy dreamcatcher above her bed and a photo she’d had blown up of Kelly with Legend. Kelly stood staring at the photo – at herself, three years ago. So much had changed: her appearance, her thoughts, and her views. But this was her haven – where she fel
t at home – here in this scruffy and neglected Victorian house, with the madness of people coming and going, the endless cooking, and soft drums from the reggae music. It would take a while to truly fit back in. She was so used to the four blank walls of her cell, the quiet as the lights went out, and the long solitude of hours for thinking. As she lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling, with the familiar cracks and the peeling paint, and with Legend beside her, resting his head on her chest, it felt just like old times. There was nothing she would miss about prison, with the exception of her friend Ruth. Hopefully, she would be okay alone there, now that Toni had been released.

  Legend nestled his head under her chin and Kelly listened to him purring like a kitten. She drifted off to the best night’s sleep she’d had in over three years.

  As the morning arrived, Kelly was rudely awoken by Lippy, clanging the pots and pans; for a second, those familiar-sounding noises made Kelly think she was back in her cell. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stretched as the sun beamed in through the new curtains and lit up the soft pink-painted walls. The smell was homely at last and egg and bacon wafted into her room. She popped her feet into her red slippers and wrapped herself in the new satin red dressing gown, both gifts from Lippy. Kelly chuckled. Legend, now very much awake and at last glued to her side, followed her happily down the hallway into the kitchen.

  “Good morning, me lickle beauty!” beamed Lippy.

  As she watched Lippy with the frying pan in one hand, tilted to show her offerings, and the egg slice in the other, Kelly felt years younger. It was just how it used to be, with Lippy still in her skin-tight T-shirts, frying up goodies for anyone who cared to eat.

  “Mmm, looks good. I missed your cooking, Lippy.”

  “Aw, me chil’, was the food that bad?”

  Kelly laughed. “Like eating me old school pumps!”

  “’Ere, you eat that and I will make us a nice cuppa tea.”

  Kelly was soaking up the fuss from her friend with both really enjoying this first precious moment together, after such a long time apart.