nodded.
“Ambitious little bastard he was,” Joss said.
“Born in him, I suppose.”
“Who’s that, Joss? Tommy B?”
He nodded.
“A word to the wise, Miss Ryan. Before you finish off Joliff, find out who else was in with him. He wouldn’t have done anything this big on his own. He’s a heavy, not a mastermind.”
“Thanks, Joss, but I already sussed that out for myself. Vic Joliff’s safely in prison hospital at the moment with a slit throat. He’s going nowhere till we get to him.”
Tommy B was crying, sobbing in fact, deep racking sobs that shook his whole body.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake I’ll ask you again, shall I? Who else is in this? You know a lot of my family’s business how? Want something to prick your memory, do you?”
Garry’s voice bounced off the walls of the Portakabin in Tommy Rifkind’s breaker’s yard. Almost casually he passed an electric saw over the man’s trussed legs.
At first Tommy B couldn’t speak; his eyes were glazed with shock. Garry kicked him then and his mouth strained in a silent scream.
“I - I told you all I know,” he moaned.
“It was Joliff who gave me my orders. It had to be him running things. Now, please finish it!”
His bloodshot eyes met Lee’s imploringly. Behind Garry’s back he nodded then stepped around his brother holding a heavy torch. He swung back his arm and crashed it into the side of Tommy B’s skull. The tortured man slipped thankfully into unconsciousness.
Garry was narked.
“Hold up, Lee. Keep your hair on. You shouldn’t have jumped the gun.”
Lee turned on his brother.
“That’s fucking rich, that is, coming from the biggest nutter this side of the Atlantic. What’s the matter? Want me to keep him awake while you cut off his arms and legs? He’s told us all he knows. He said it was him who done Sandra Joliff too, though fuck knows why. No one takes that much punishment when they can buy themselves out of it.”
Garry was offended and it showed.
“Telling me my business, are ya? Do you want a smack in the mouth or what? You’ve had the right hump since we left London. All the way up the M1 it was like sitting with a big kid.” He started doing a childish voice. “How long till we get there?” I nearly started singing “Ten Green fucking Bottles” to keep you amused!”
Lee laughed despite himself.
“Piss off “Come on, what’s wrong?”
“Sheila left me.”
Garry shrugged.
“Well, you can’t blame her. All this must have given her one up. I know it did me. Imagine how she must be feeling, especially in the club and all.
“Course she would be worried. She’ll be back by the end of the week.”
Garry saw the hope on his brother’s face and hugged him.
“Relax, Lee, everything is going to be OK. You and her are like the fucking Brady Bunch. Now help me get him on the table so we can do what we said and go home.”
“Do we have to cut his arms and legs off?”
Garry looked at Lee as if he was mad.
“Of course not, but it will give people something to talk about, won’t it? And let’s face it, everyone will know it was me and you who done it so we enhance our lunatic rating and stop any more fucking part-timers trying to take over our patch. Good business practice.”
Lee grinned, happier now that Garry had put his mind at rest about Sheila.
“Well, if you put it like that!”
“See, Bruv, you know it makes sense. Now pass me that electric saw.”
Maura and Joss had to wait half an hour before Tommy Rifkind came back into the room. It was obvious he was still devastated but he had regained his equilibrium. Maura slowly filled him in on what had happened.
She started with the deaths of Lana Smith and Sandra Joliff, watching the changing expressions on his face as he realised just what his son had been party to.
“Joliff was attacked in Belmarsh, not an easy feat in itself and we still don’t know who was behind that, but we are assuming he stepped on a few other toes in the course of
“Ambitious little bastard he was,” Joss said.
“Born in him, I suppose.”
“Who’s that, Joss? Tommy B?”
He nodded.
“A word to the wise, Miss Ryan. Before you finish off Joliff, find out who else was in with him. He wouldn’t have done anything this big on his own. He’s a heavy, not a mastermind.”
“Thanks, Joss, but I already sussed that out for myself. Vic Joliff’s safely in prison hospital at the moment with a slit throat. He’s going nowhere till we get to him.”
Tommy B was crying, sobbing in fact, deep racking sobs that shook his whole body.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake I’ll ask you again, shall I? Who else is in this? You know a lot of my family’s business how? Want something to prick your memory, do you?”
Garry’s voice bounced off the walls of the Portakabin in Tommy Rifkind’s breaker’s yard. Almost casually he passed an electric saw over the man’s trussed legs.
At first Tommy B couldn’t speak; his eyes were glazed with shock. Garry kicked him then and his mouth strained in a silent scream.
“I - I told you all I know,” he moaned.
“It was Joliff who gave me my orders. It had to be him running things. Now, please finish it!”
His bloodshot eyes met Lee’s imploringly. Behind Garry’s back he nodded then stepped around his brother holding a heavy torch. He swung back his arm and crashed it into the side of Tommy B’s skull. The tortured man slipped thankfully into unconsciousness.
Garry was narked.
“Hold up, Lee. Keep your hair on. You shouldn’t have jumped the gun.”
Lee turned on his brother.
“That’s fucking rich, that is, coming from the biggest nutter this side of the Atlantic. What’s the matter? Want me to keep him awake while you cut off his arms and legs? He’s told us all he knows. He said it was him who done Sandra Joliff too, though fuck knows why. No one takes that much punishment when they can buy themselves out of it.”
Garry was offended and it showed.
“Telling me my business, are ya? Do you want a smack in the mouth or what? You’ve had the right hump since we left London. All the way up the M1 it was like sitting with a big kid.” He started doing a childish voice. “How long till we get there?” I nearly started singing “Ten Green fucking Bottles” to keep you amused!”
Lee laughed despite himself.
“Piss off “Come on, what’s wrong?”
“Sheila left me.”
Garry shrugged.
“Well, you can’t blame her. All this must have given her one up. I know it did me. Imagine how she must be feeling, especially in the club and all.
“Course she would be worried. She’ll be back by the end of the week.”
Garry saw the hope on his brother’s face and hugged him.
“Relax, Lee, everything is going to be OK. You and her are like the fucking Brady Bunch. Now help me get him on the table so we can do what we said and go home.”
“Do we have to cut his arms and legs off?”
Garry looked at Lee as if he was mad.
“Of course not, but it will give people something to talk about, won’t it? And let’s face it, everyone will know it was me and you who done it so we enhance our lunatic rating and stop any more fucking part-timers trying to take over our patch. Good business practice.”
Lee grinned, happier now that Garry had put his mind at rest about Sheila.
“Well, if you put it like that!”
“See, Bruv, you know it makes sense. Now pass me that electric saw.”
Maura and Joss had to wait half an hour before Tommy Rifkind came back into the room. It was obvious he was still devastated but he had regained his equilibrium. Maura slowly filled him in on what had happened.
She started with the deaths of Lana Smith and Sandra Joliff, watching the changing expressions on his face as he realised just what his son had been party to.
“Joliff was attacked in Belmarsh, not an easy feat in itself and we still don’t know who was behind that, but we are assuming he stepped on a few other toes in the course of
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