‘Negotiate.’ Reilly patted Hathaway’s arm. ‘Get back to your friends now.’
When Hathaway went back over to Dan and the others, he looked across at the five Teds-turned-rockers. They were in a huddle, laughing. He wondered what they had thought when they saw the group up on stage before Eddy came on.
Eddy’s twanging guitar was going over big. Charlie was in raptures. Hathaway leaned over to Dan.
‘Those Teds are here. The ones that did us over.’
Dan spotted them immediately.
‘Bloody hell. Small town – should’ve thought.’ He looked back at Hathaway. ‘Do you think we should do something?’
‘Not here – we’d get mobbed. Maybe after.’
Dan looked uneasy.
‘They gave us a good hiding last time. What makes you think this time is going to be any different?’
Hathaway glanced down the bar at Reilly. He noticed that three or four of his men had disappeared.
‘We need to hold on anyway. My dad’s bloke down the other end of the bar has something in mind.’
Dan looked down the bar.
‘That hard-looking bloke and his oppos?’
Hathaway nodded.
Eddy finished the instrumental and Charlie temporarily reconnected with the rest of the world. He looked across at Dan and Hathaway.
‘A god walks the streets of Brighton,’ he yelled.
‘He came by minicab, I think,’ Dan said, laughing.
Charlie glanced around the room. He looked straight at the Teds and his eyes widened.
He stepped closer to the others, his hand rummaging in the pocket where he kept the bike chain.
‘Have you seen who’s over there?’
‘We have,’ Hathaway said.
‘Well?’
‘Well, nothing. There’s nothing to be done at the moment.’
‘Bugger that,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ll have that big bastard.’
Hathaway still had his own rage at the one who had intended to piss on him. He was imagining broken bones. Even so. He reached up and ruffled Charlie’s hair.
Charlie jerked back and patted his mop-top, into place.
‘Even though you’re masquerading as a mop-top we know you’re really a Teddy boy through and through. I’m not sure if Teds have etiquette, but I’m sure it’s not on for one Ted to attack another in the middle of a conflict with a bunch of mods.’
Charlie was staring so hard at the group of Teds that Hathaway was sure they’d sense it and look over.
‘After, then,’ Charlie said.
‘Johnny’s dad’s friend said to hang on.’
‘Johnny’s dad’s friend?’ Charlie said disdainfully. ‘Is your dad going to walk us home after school too?’
‘It’s not like that,’ Hathaway said.
‘I fight my own battles,’ Charlie said. ‘Time you did too.’
‘What’s your problem with my dad?’ Hathaway said, squaring up to Charlie. ‘I notice you didn’t turn down this gig he got us.’
Charlie looked at Hathaway but ignored the question.
‘I say we ambush them afterwards. The element of surprise will work in our favour. What do you say, Dan?’
Dan and Billy both looked from Hathaway to Charlie. Dan shrugged.
‘You going to fight your own battles?’ Charlie said to Hathaway.
Hathaway was stoked up.
‘OK. Just let me tell my dad’s bloke.’ He looked down the bar but Reilly and his friends had gone.
The Avalons were backstage by the time Eddy finished his encores. He came off in a rush, gave them all a wave and a ‘Thanks, guys’ and went back out to sign photographs and autographs for the long queue already in place.
‘Let’s go,’ Charlie said.
‘What about our gear?’ Dan said. ‘We’ve only just got it – don’t want to lose this lot too.’
‘It’ll be safe enough. Come on.’
This from Charlie, who’d freaked out when the original gear had been wrecked.
Dan picked up a beer bottle, and Billy found a block of wood and he hefted it in his hand. Billy looked queasy. He looked down at his elastic-sided Chelsea boots.
‘Wish I was wearing winkle-pickers.’
Hathaway looked at a long pole with a hook on the end. He’d switched to aikido and had been doing kendo. He only knew a four-strike sequence so far – two defensive, two offensive – but reckoned that would be all he needed. He dismissed the idea, though, worried that if the police got involved, he would be treatedmore harshly for using what was obviously an offensive weapon.
He was concerned about Reilly and his instructions, but he had been provoked by Charlie’s comments.
It was drizzling when they stepped out into the alley at the back of the dance hall.
Hathaway looked to see if the Teds might be among the autograph hunters, waiting to jump them.
A thin stream of people went past the end of the alley. Charlie led the way down. He kept his right hand in his jacket pocket.
Most of the audience was only now starting to spill out into the street in front of the dance hall. There were two exits and the police, who were out in force, were ensuring mods went out of one and rockers out of the other.
There was a lot of shouting between the two tribes but the police were in a solid wedge between them. There were half a dozen police vans parked on the pavement on the other side of the street. Hathaway saw Reilly and some of his friends standing beside the uniformed police. They were all watching the audience emerge and Reilly was talking quietly to a red-faced sergeant who was nodding. It was Sergeant Finch, the one who’d asked to be remembered to Hathaway senior earlier in the week.
Hathaway saw Reilly gesture to the sergeant as the Teds emerged. The next moment, the Teds were surrounded by around a dozen police. There was a moment’s discussion then they were led off and put in the back of one of the vans. Hathaway and the others looked at each other.
‘Well, that’s that,’ Billy said, looking relieved. He took the lump of wood out from inside his jacket pocket and laid it against a wall. Dan put his bottle down beside it. Hathaway looked back over to the sergeant. The sergeant nodded at him. Reilly had gone.
Hathaway’s father was in the sitting room when he came downstairs the next morning.
‘Come in here a minute, will you, son?’
‘What’s going on, Dad?’
‘That’s a big question, Johnny.’
‘Mr Reilly was at the Duane Eddy gig.’
‘Glad to hear it. He needs to get out more.’
‘Some Teddy boys were there and at the end the police took them away.’
‘That’s a result for law and order, then.’
‘Mr Reilly seemed quite pally with a sergeant.’
His father clasped his hands behind his head.
‘Pays to keep in with the boys in blue, especially in our business. What is it you’re asking me, son?’
‘What business are you in, Dad?’
‘I’ve got a lot of businesses, John. My fingers in a lot of pies.’
‘Are they all above board?’
His father sucked his teeth.
‘There are grey areas. But if I tell you I have reached an accommodation with the police, will that put your mind at rest?’
