“Relax,” he said, softly, as he opened the door. “If she wanted you done over, I’d already be looking for your replacement.” He gestured, and Ro stepped past him.
The office was old fashioned. A desk, filing cabinets, a desktop computer. There were pictures on the walls, some black and white, all taken throughout the warehouse’s history. The light flickered overhead as Billy shut the door behind them.
Mary Kelley sat on the edge of the desk, waiting for them. She was an older woman, dressed stylishly in red and black, with short iron grey hair and a sour look on her face. Ro had only ever heard about her second-hand, but she had no trouble identifying the leader of Clan Kelley and the undisputed queen of the East End.
Mary Kelley had earned her crown the hard way. She’d outlived, outfought and out schemed everyone who could have been considered a rival, including members of her own family. She’d brought the firm back from the edge of irrelevance one bloody inch at a time, until they were the preeminent criminal fraternity in London. After the pound had tanked and most of the UK had switched over to cryptocurrencies, Mary had overseen the gang’s switch to dark web transactions.
“Do I look upset?” Mary asked by way of greeting, as Ro came to a stop before her.
Ro hesitated. “What?”
“A simple question, sweetheart. Do I look upset to you?”
“Y-yes?” Ro replied, uneasily.
“Too bloody right I’m upset. And do you know why, girl?”
“No. No, Mrs Kelley.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed. “Could you take a fucking guess?”
Ro swallowed. “I– I don’t…”
Mary’s gaze flickered to Billy. “Billy. Help her out.”
“I can only guess, mum, that your current mood is the result of several intersecting factors, so to speak.”
“Don’t be clever, Billy, it don’t suit you,” Mary said, but she smiled. The smile faded as she turned her attentions back to Ro. “Billy tells me that you and Colin were mates, yes?”
“We knew each other,” Ro said.
“So you knew he was double-dipping, then,” Mary said, almost gently. “No shame, luv, just tell me up front. Before we go any further.”
“No, I didn’t know anything…”
Mary picked up a knife off the desk. She touched the tip with a finger. “I have always prided myself on being able to spot a liar.” She pointed the knife at Ro. “Would you like to try again?”
Ro glanced at Billy, but there was no help there. The world narrowed to Mary Kelley and the tip of her knife. There were stories about that knife – about what Mary had done with it. It was said that she liked to keep her hand in, when it came to the messy end of things. Ro swallowed and said, “I figured it out. But only, like, ten minutes before he got topped.”
Billy grunted.
Ro didn’t look at him. “I was going to tell Billy, but–”
“But what?” Mary asked, rising to her feet. “Why the hesitation?”
“I wanted to be sure.”
“That’s not your job, luv.” Mary leaned close and pressed the tip of her blade lightly to Ro’s cheek. “That’s Billy’s job, and he’s very good at it, so he is. Your job is to hit who we tell you to hit, and break what we tell you to break.”
“I– I know. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Mary glanced at Billy. “Was she sweet on this Colin, then?”
“Don’t think so, mum. She’s just a soft-hearted girl, our Rosemary.”
Mary smiled. “People once said that about me.” Her smile faded. “They were wrong, of course. My heart is like the proverbial stone of judgement, pressing down on those brought before me. Is your heart soft, Rosemary? Is it light, like a feather? Or is it weighed down by your sins?” She tapped Ro’s cheek with the knife. “Don’t answer, sweetheart. I can read it in your eyes. Is that why you and him went outside then?”
“He wanted to talk,” Rosemary said.
“He wanted to confess all, is that it?” Mary circled her slowly, tapping her shoulders with the flat of the knife. “And what did he say?”
“He – Colin – he was doing some extra runs on the side.”
“For whom?”
“He didn’t say.” Ro paused. “He didn’t have a chance.”
Mary sat back down on the desk. “So what happened then?”
“Someone shot him.”
“Who?”
“I didn’t see them.”
“How could you not see them?”
“I– I wasn’t looking. I mean, I was looking right at him. When he…” She shook her head. “When he got hit. I was looking at him when he died.”
“What were you two talking about out there?”
“I’d figured out Colin was the one what Billy was after. Or, I thought he might be the one. So I was trying to find out. For Billy.”
Mary’s eyes flicked to Billy. “Hark at her now.”
“Rosemary is a good girl, mum. Sensible. If she says she was, she was.”
“Hear that? Billy is on your side. That means you must be on my side.” Mary leaned forward, still playing with the knife. “You are on my side aren’t you, luv?”
Ro nodded, watching the knife. Mary sat back. “Good. That makes things easier. Not for you, of course. For me.” She pointed the knife at Ro. “I want you to find out what that little gobshite Colin was up to, eh? And then I want you to find out who did for him, and pay them back in kind.”
Ro blinked. “What?”
“Are you deaf all of a sudden now? I want you to do what you do, only more so. And if you don’t do it, and quickly, I will lose my patience and I will give you what was coming to Colin. Only worse. Now, did you get all that?”
Ro nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”
Mary smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. Now toddle off and
