‘Renee lovey, are you in? RENEE?’ Nancy Phillips shouted.
Recognizing Nancy’s voice Renee felt slightly less anxious, but she was still breathing heavily. She opened the door.
‘Hello, love, sorry to knock so late but I’m burying my grandson tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow? But it’s Sunday, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, but the coroner released Eddie’s body yesterday and then it’s a bank holiday on Monday and I was worried about keeping his body in the lounge for viewing for nearly five days, you know, what with the smell. Anyway the vicar’s been very kind and said he’d hold the funeral service on Sunday for me. I’m havin’ a few drinks after. I’m askin’ all the people I know from off the estate, cos poor Eddie didn’t know nobody but junkies and no-good louts. Everyone’s chippin’ in and I thought you might like to, what with havin’ two boys yourself.’
‘Just gimme a minute, Nancy,’ she panted, and eased the door half shut. Opening the paper bag she took out a £5 note, drew a few deep breaths to keep steady and opened the door again.
‘Here you are, luv. I’ll be there to pay my respects.’
‘That’s ever so generous of you, Renee – everyone’s been so kind.’
She shut the door as David appeared in the hall. He looked worried.
She glared at him. ‘You look like you’re about to wet yourself, David. You still sayin’ you’re up to nothing? Poor Nancy’s burying her grandson. He was just nineteen years old and there’s lots more poor kids like him on this estate. I should have given her this money, at least she’d make good use of it.’
She gasped for breath, held up the bag and waved it at David who was holding onto the doorframe to stand upright.
‘You need to lie down, Ma.’
‘Makes two of us.’
She shoved the paper bag into his chest. ‘You take this, go to Florida, get away before it’s too late and the coppers come knockin’ for real.’
He opened the bag and looked inside, then stared at his mother as she gasped and heaved for breath.
‘Jesus Christ, Ma, where did you get all this cash from?’
‘Cleaning fuckin’ offices, washing down floors, taking in ironing and saving from my pension, take it, take it all, David.’
She went to lie down on her bed and began to cry.
He came into the room using his stick, and seeing her weeping made him feel close to tears.
‘Florida’s just a dream, Mum. I didn’t really mean it.’
She plucked a tissue out of the box on her bedside table and blew her nose.
‘Yes you did, son. I could tell by yer voice when you told me that’s where you wanted to go… there’s enough there for more than a plane ticket.’ She never mentioned what she had found under his mattress and that she knew he had a passport.
He slowly edged to her bedside and sat beside her. He gently stroked her lined pale face and then bent to kiss her soft worn cheek. She gave him a warm smile, followed by a lovely girlish cheeky grin, and leaned closer.
‘There was some cash your dad hid in the airing cupboard behind the boiler. I told him the cops took it when they came to arrest him the last time, so he thinks they nicked it and shared it amongst themselves. But I’ve been hiding it in me hat box for all the years he was banged up.’
She asked David to get her hat, which was lying on the floor. She sat up and he gently put it on her head and adjusted it. He stood back and smiled, as the wide brim and the flower in the headband made her look ridiculous.
‘I’ll wear this for the funeral tomorrow,’ she said, finally smiling back.
‘I love you, Ma, love you with all my broken heart.’
Beneath the café Danny, John and Silas were taking it in turns to use the Kango model G electric hammer drill to dig through the thick clay soil. They were now under the vault and starting work on the concrete base. It was hard, and progress had been slow, as only one person at a time could use a shovel in the claustrophobic tunnel. They were all exhausted and covered in dirt and dust. Although they had tied handkerchiefs over their mouths and noses, the dust from the concrete still got through and made them cough and sneeze. By now they had made a wider, deeper space under the vault and could just about kneel down, or lie on their backs, to drill the concrete and cut the embedded wire mesh with a bolt cutter. Although the Kango only weighed fourteen pounds the awkward angles they were forced to hold it at made it feel much heavier. After filling a rubble bag with concrete they had no choice but to wriggle backwards, dragging the heavy bag as they went. The oxyacetylene torch would have cut through the mesh quickly, but it was awkward to pull through the tunnel and the heat from the flames would make it feel like a sauna.
