With her mind all over the place, Frankie checked the time, then glanced at herself in the mirror. She"d literally caked her face in make-up, but even though the lump on her forehead had gone down, no amount of slap would cover her bruises.
At ten to nine, Frankie heard a car pull up outside. Realising it was DI Blyth, she took a deep breath and picked up her handbag. It was time to face the music.
Eddie Mitch.e.l.l was sitting on a bench in a cell below the court. He"d insisted on wearing a black suit and tie every single day of his trial. It was in memory of his Jessica, of course.
Nervously twiddling his thumbs, Ed thought of the conversation he"d had on the phone yesterday evening with Gary and Ricky. It was a weird chat, spoken in code, but Eddie had understood the end result.
Neither Gary nor Ricky had had many dealings with Frankie or Joey since Jessica"s funeral. In their eyes the twins were equally to blame for the tragedy that had occurred, and also their father"s downfall. Joey turning out to be gay had been a knife in their dad"s guts; then Frankie, the stupid little cow, had twisted the f.u.c.king thing until it would twist no more.
As his solicitor entered the cell, Ed gave a half-smile. His stomach was churning at the thought of facing Frankie, but if Gary and Ricky could get to her first, as they"d promised, maybe things wouldn"t be so bad after all.
DI Blyth drove towards central London, glanced at Frankie and smiled. The girl was obviously a bundle of nerves, which was one of the reasons she had insisted on picking her up. Frankie was a key witness and the last thing Blyth wanted was the girl not turning up.
So, where"s that beautiful baby of yours today?" Blyth asked. She needed to keep things as jovial as possible.
My nan and grandad are looking after her," Frankie replied, staring out of the window.
Frankie had opted for Joyce to look after Georgie because she had barely spoken to Alice since their argument at the weekend. Jed had told his mum to give him and Frankie some s.p.a.ce, and for once the awful woman hadn"t been barging in and out of their trailer.
Whatever you do, don"t let me mum know that we"re planning on moving yet. She"ll have a fit and I can"t stand the hysterics, so we won"t tell her till the day before we leave," Jed warned Frankie.
Daydreaming, Frankie barely heard DI Blyth"s next question. Sorry. I was miles away, what did you say?"
I said is your brother meeting us at the Old Bailey?"
Frankie nodded. Joey lives in Islington, so it"s not that far from him. He offered to come to Rainham, but I told him there was no point."
Blyth felt desperately sorry for Frankie. It was unusual for her to get too personally involved with witnesses, but due to the unusual circ.u.mstances of this particular case, Blyth couldn"t help herself.
What happened to your face, Frankie? You don"t have to tell me if you don"t want to."
Frankie gave a false laugh. I got drunk the other night and stacked it. What am I like, eh? Jed reckons I"m the clumsiest person he"s ever met."
DI Blyth gave Frankie a sad smile. She"d made a good career catching out liars and she could spot a bad one a mile off.
We"re nearly there now. The traffic was much better than I antic.i.p.ated," the DI said brightly.
Frankie shuddered at the words nearly there". DI Blyth had already run through the set-up and briefed her on the journey as to what she was likely to be asked in court.
Blyth pulled into a car park and turned the engine off. She squeezed Frankie"s hand. Now, you know what you have to say, don"t you? All you need to do is tell the truth."
Frankie nodded. I have to tell the judge and the jury that my dad hated Jed and his family and that he was really angry when he found out about our relationship and my pregnancy."
Jimmy O"Hara sat opposite Jed in a pub outside Southall horse market. Today had been a very good day. They had got a fair price for the lame mare and its foal and had then purchased a striking sixteen-hand bay trotting mare.
Jed took a sip from his bottle of lager. He had just tried to ring Frankie again, but her phone was still switched off. He smirked and nudged his dad"s arm. I wonder if she"s told the court what a s.h.i.tc.u.n.t her old man is yet?"
Jimmy O"Hara laughed. The thought of Frankie possibly being the one to stick the final nail in her own father"s coffin tickled him immensely. I still can"t believe Mitch.e.l.l was that much of a dinlo to shoot his own wife. He always thought he was such a big-shot. His old man, Harry, was the same, always punched above his weight. He came a cropper as well, murdered in his own bed. This is what I always try to tell you, Jed: what goes around comes around, son."
Jed nodded in agreement. His dad had no idea whatsoever that it was he who was responsible for Harry Mitch.e.l.l"s death. Jed"s heart wanted to tell his old man the truth, but his head told him not to.
Whatcha thinking about?" Jimmy said, clicking his fingers.
Jed grinned. Eddie "I"m going down for life" Mitch.e.l.l."
Appreciating his son"s humour, Jimmy burst out laughing.
Frankie wasn"t due to give evidence until after lunch. Bored with sitting in the witness-protection room with people she didn"t know, she grabbed Joey"s arm.
Where are you going?" DI Blyth asked suspiciously.
We"re going to get a sandwich and a coffee," Frankie replied.
Blyth immediately stood up. OK, I"ll come with you."
Frankie shook her head. I need to speak to my brother alone. I won"t be long; I promise I"ll be back in half an hour."
DI Blyth wasn"t happy. She hadn"t planned to let Frankie out of sight for a minute. About to argue her point, she stopped in her tracks. Frankie was clearly agitated and time alone with her brother might help her nerves somewhat. Perhaps she even wanted to talk to him about her facial injuries, tell him what had really happened.
Blyth sat back down on her chair. I"ll wait here and don"t be long, in case they call your name."
Gary and Ricky Mitch.e.l.l had been waiting for an opportunity to speak to their sister all morning. They"d toyed with the idea of sending their dad"s brief into the witness room to tell Frankie they had an urgent message for her. After much deliberation, they"d decided against it, as if their story wasn"t believed, they"d have no chance whatsoever of getting to her.
Gary looked at his watch. I think we"ve had it now. She"s due in soon. What are we gonna tell Dad?"
Ricky shrugged. He adored his father, but he and Gary had done their best to help him. It ain"t our fault, Gal. I mean we"ve been "ere since first thing this morning. That pig ain"t left Frankie"s side, she"s been stuck to her like glue. The only hope we had is if she went for a f.a.g or wandered to the canteen with Joey, and she ain"t, has she?"
Gary was devastated. Their dad had been relying on him and Ricky to somehow get to Frankie, and they"d let him down. Let"s give it another half-hour or something. You never know, she might still pop out for a smoke."
The lads had been taking it in turns to peep around the wall and keep watch.
I"m just gonna go for a p.i.s.s," Ricky told his brother.
As Ricky disappeared into the nearby toilets, Gary peeped around the wall again. His heart immediately started to pound in his chest. Frankie and Joey, minus the cop, were walking his way. Cursing his brother for going to the toilet at just the wrong moment, Gary made a snap decision.
There were too many people milling about for him to drag both Joey and Frankie outside on his own, so the only option he had was to bundle them into the toilet as well.
Gary hid the other side of the wall and took a deep breath.
What are you doing?" Joey yelled, as Gary put an arm around both him and Frankie.
Seeing a grey-haired woman staring suspiciously their way, Gary smiled at her. Smile nicely and do as I say. Scream or shout and I"ll f.u.c.king kill the pair of ya," Gary said under his breath as he led the troublesome twins along the corridor.
As Ricky reappeared, Gary nodded to the toilet. Is anyone in there?"
Ricky shook his head.
It"s the men"s. I ain"t going in there," Frankie said adamantly.
Ignoring her, Gary ordered Ricky to keep watch outside and pushed both twins into a cubicle.
Forever the drama queen, Joey began to cry. Let us go or I"ll scream," he said, as Gary squeezed himself in and locked the door.
Shut up, you f.a.g. It"s Frankie I want to talk to, not you."
Frankie was much calmer than Joey. She guessed that this ambush was something to do with the evidence she was due to give and she certainly wasn"t afraid of Gary or b.l.o.o.d.y Ricky.
You go outside and stand with Ricky," she urged Joey.
I"m not leaving you alone with . . ."
Gary stopped Joey mid-sentence by opening the cubicle and pushing him out. Do as your sister says," he ordered.
As Joey slunk outside, Gary turned to Frankie. Sorry, I didn"t mean to frighten you, but I had to speak to you."
I take it this is about Dad?"
Gary nodded. When you stand in the dock you mustn"t say anything about Dad hating Jed or any of the O"Haras. I know what Dad did was wrong, Frankie, but me and you both know that it was an accident. He"s our flesh and blood and you can"t put him away, girl."
Frankie stared at Gary. I"ve gotta tell the truth. DI Blyth will go mad if I don"t."
Gary moved closer to his sister. You can"t tell the truth. Dad"s statement says that he went to Tilbury just to frighten Jed and I need you to say the same thing. You can say that he was upset because you were pregnant, but you can"t say nothing else about Dad hating the O"Haras. If the jury think that Dad meant to kill Jed, then he"ll get life. If there"s doubt, he might only get manslaughter."
Frankie ran her hands through her hair. I don"t think I can do it, Gary."
Furious, Gary grabbed his half-sister by the shoulders and shook her. You"re the only one that can help Dad now, Frankie, and seeing as this whole mess is all your fault, it"s the least you can b.l.o.o.d.y well do. What happened to your face? Lover boy been knocking you about already, has he?"
Unable to hold her brother"s gaze, Frankie looked at the toilet seat. I got drunk on Sat.u.r.day and fell over."
Gary made a sarcastic grunt and shook his head. You are one silly naive little girl, Frankie, and you need to listen to some home truths. Everyone"s lives are f.u.c.ked up because of you. You killed your mum, no one else. If you hadn"t fraternised with the enemy, your poor mum would still be here to tell the tale. And, as for Dad, he was devastated to learn that Joey was queer, then you had to go one further. Well, let me tell you something. I"ve spoken to Dad and I know for a fact that if he gets life, he"s gonna hang himself."
Frankie looked at Gary in horror. No, he won"t, will he?"
Knowing his lie had had the effect he had hoped for, Gary elaborated. He"s even planned how he"s gonna do it, Frankie. He said if he gets life, he"s gonna kill himself on your mum"s birthday with a belt."
As Frankie began to cry, Gary gave her an awkward hug. Look, the ball"s in your court. Say the right thing and there"s a good chance Dad will get a shorter sentence. Obviously, what you choose to do is up to you, but if you can live with both your parents" deaths on your conscience, you"re a better person than I am. I wouldn"t be able to sleep at night if I had that much blood on my hands."
Ricky"s voice stopped the conversation from continuing. Gal, that pig"s looking for Frankie. Joey told her that she"s outside having a f.a.g, so you"d better send her out before she comes back again."
Gary unlocked the cubicle. Go on, you"d better go."
Traumatised, Frankie grabbed his arm. Dad won"t hang himself if he only gets done for manslaughter, will he?"
Gary shook his head. Nah, he can handle a short stretch. He said he"d only end his life if he"s looking at life."
Seeing his sister walk towards him, Joey grabbed her arm. Quick, DI Blyth is looking everywhere for you. Let"s get back to the witness room before she sees us."
Joey and Frankie ran along the corridor. I can"t believe Gary called me a f.a.g," Joey said.
He said much worse to me. If Dad gets life, he"s gonna kill himself, he reckons, and he said it"s all my fault."
Reaching the witness room, the twins stopped outside. Why don"t you tell DI Blyth about Gary? She saw Ricky standing there, but she didn"t know that I knew him."
Frankie shook her head. No, we mustn"t say a word, Joey, not to anyone."
There you are! Where have you been, I"ve been looking everywhere for you," Blyth said running towards them.
Frankie put on a false smile. Sorry, I was dying for a f.a.g, then I had the runs. I think it"s nerves."
Blyth nodded understandingly. Quick, follow me. They"ve just called your name out, and don"t forget to address the men in the legal teams as "Sir", and the judge as "your Honour"."
CHAPTER TWENTY.
Frankie took her hand off the Bible and then nervously glanced at the gallery.
Joey was now sitting there, along with many other familiar faces. Her uncles, Paulie and Ronny, stared at her and she quickly averted her eyes. Glancing back, she caught the eye of her dad"s auntie, Joan. Seeing Gary glaring at her, she quickly looked away again.
As the prosecution began to cross-examine her, Frankie could barely comprehend the questions. She had just seen her dad and was struggling to breathe properly.
Could you answer the question please, Miss Mitch.e.l.l," the judge said softly.
I"m sorry, your honour. I didn"t hear it properly," Frankie replied in almost a whisper.
On the twenty-eighth of August 1988, is it true that you and your uncle, Raymond Smith, drove to Tilbury in search of your mother, Miss Mitch.e.l.l?"
Frankie glanced at her father again. He looked a bit older than she remembered. He also looked tired and had lost some weight. Tearing her eyes away from him, Frankie cleared her throat. She had never felt so nervous in her life.
Yes, that"s true," she mumbled.
Could you please speak up, Miss Mitch.e.l.l? The jury can"t hear you properly," the judge said, in a much sterner tone than the one he had previously used.
I said yes, that"s true, your Honour," Frankie repeated, remembering DI Blyth"s words about the way she had to address people.
Aware of DI Blyth staring at her, Frankie looked at her feet.
The prosecution addressed her once more. Miss Mitch.e.l.l, how would you describe your father"s relationship with your boyfriend, Jed O"Hara?"
My dad never really met Jed, sir," Frankie replied honestly.
So why hadn"t you introduced your boyfriend to your father, Miss Mitch.e.l.l? You were pregnant and planning to marry Mr O"Hara, were you not?"
Because we hadn"t been together for long, sir. I sort of accidently got pregnant and then Jed proposed. It all happened very quickly."