Chapter Fifty-Three
Veronica's long-time neighbour and friend Jeannie Brown was admiring the newly decorated house, and her praise was loud and sincere. Jeannie benefited from her friend's good fortune in that she always inherited her old furniture and fittings, and Phillip would send the decorators in to her to give her place a quick lick of paint as well. Like many people, that made her a fan of his for life. She counted herself very lucky to be in with the Murphys, and she never tired of telling anyone and everyone what good people they were. That she had hidden guns and money for them over the years she kept very much to herself. In fact, she was honoured to help them out; after all, they had repaid her a hundredfold.
'You're glowing, Veronica, positively glowing!'
As she spoke Breda came in the back door with Porrick. 'Can I leave him here for a few hours, Mum? I have to meet someone.'
' 'Course you can. He'll have Philly and Timmy for company too. God, Breda, you look lovely.'
Breda grinned. She did look wonderful, and she knew it. 'Well, don't sound so shocked about it. And don't let my Porrick have anything rich, he's been sick as a dog today.'
Her teenage son was white-faced, and his eyes looked sunken in his head. Veronica was immediately concerned. 'Come away in, Porrick love, I'll make you a nice boiled egg, shall I?'
Philly and Timmy laughed. 'Don't forget the soldiers, Nan, he loves his little soldiers.'
Veronica's world was complete. She had her grandsons and her family around her, she had the neighbours all agape at the wonderful home she had been provided with, and her husband had not even gone to the pub. All in all, life was really good.
As she saw Breda out to her car she said happily, 'How's Jamsie doing?'
Breda shrugged. 'All right. Phillip still won't acknowledge his existence, Mum, but it's a start, I suppose.'
Veronica grabbed on to that and held it to her like a charm. 'Well, you know Phillip, he does everything in his own time.'
'Listen, Mum, don't get your hopes up. Jamsie done a fucking terrible thing, and our Phillip's memory is long, and his anger never burns out. So just wait and see what happens, OK? Don't push the issue.'
Veronica nodded sagely, she knew the girl was talking the truth. But her daughter's words saddened her all the same. She hated seeing poor Jamsie so destroyed and, after all, blood was thicker than water. But she would keep her own counsel for a while; as Breda said, Phillip didn't forget easily.
She wandered back into the house but the shine had gone off the night for her.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Ricky was annoyed. He had drunk too much, and a warning voice was telling him that he should leave it. But he couldn't back down in front of Deandra, she was his wife, he couldn't act like a frightened schoolboy, and he didn't want to anyway. Why the fuck should he? There was no law that said he had to sell to Phillip Murphy; that was his choice, and he chose not to. What the fuck was the big deal? He had a lot of mates, Faces, who would stand behind him on this. Word on the street was a lot of people were fed up with Phillip Murphy anyway. He had trampled on a lot of people, and made a ton of fucking enemies over the last few years.
'You've disappointed me, Ricky. I assumed this was going to be a very convivial arrangement because me and you both know that it's the right thing to do. I was even going to offer you a percentage for ten years to sweeten the pot.' Phillip was shaking his head now, as if he was the victim of the most outrageous skulduggery imaginable and he did not look happy about it.
Ricky noticed that Declan was avoiding eye contact with him, Deandra and Christine were both mortified, and somehow Ricky felt it was all his fault. This just incensed him even more; he felt like he was the bad bastard now and all he was doing was trying to protect his earn, that was hardly a fucking crime. He was looking out for his own, it was a natural reaction.
'I'm sorry you feel that way, Phillip, and I'm sorry it's come to this, but I own the arcades and I don't want to sell them. End of. You've got more than enough to keep you occupied. You've walked away with most of the fucking front as it is.' He started to poke his finger towards Phillip now, all common sense gone. 'And let me tell you, there's a few people who think you've already got too much.'
Declan got up suddenly and the scraping noise as he pushed back his chair was loud and threatening in the room. 'That's enough, Ricky, shut the fuck up before you go too far. Why are you making this so personal, eh? What have we ever done to you for you to treat us like this?' He was pointing his finger right into the man's face and it was evident to everyone that he was barely holding his temper together. What he was really doing though was taking the onus off Phillip, because Phillip could quite easily get out of his own chair, pick up the boning knife, and gut Ricky like a fish over what he had just said.
Ricky sat back in amazement. All caution gone now as the anger enveloped him. 'Oh, so we've got muppet number two now, have we? You fucking listen to me, the pair of you. I own the fucking arcades,
Declan was watching Phillip closely now; he hoped he would keep it together, for all their sakes. Phillip was a wild card at the best of times, and it wasn't sensible to front him up like that. Ricky should know better. Declan was aware that it was only Christine's presence that was stopping Phillip from killing this mad cunt like a rabid dog.
Phillip wiped a hand across his face; he looked hurt, devastated and like a puppy who had been kicked by a gang of glue-sniffing skinheads.
'I am amazed at you attacking me like this, Rick, and please, who are the people who think I've got enough? Who the fuck are they to tell me what I can and can't own, eh? You know where to come when you get strong- armed. Phillip Murphy will sort it out. 'Oh, Phil, someone's threatening me, or they're selling drugs on my premises.' I'm all right then though, ain't I? When I am doing you all fucking favours. I am trying to build myself an enterprise, I never made a fucking secret of it. That front has never been run better – there's less violence, less fucking scamming, the punters feel safer and return with their families again and again. How you can accuse me of pushing in, I don't know, I have done every cunt there a favour in some way or another.
Christine was still staring at the tablecloth, her heart hammering in her ears, fear spiralling up inside her. She knew Phillip was using all his considerable willpower not to physically attack Ricky in front of her.
Deandra was in outright shock, she couldn't believe what she had witnessed. Getting up unsteadily, she picked up her handbag and left the kitchen as quickly as possible, squeezing Christine's shoulder gently as she passed her.
Declan gestured for Ricky to go.
Ricky was like a man in a trance; he knew he had caused something bad, and he knew it was something that could never be resolved. Not now. He had, in effect, fucked himself from here to Barnsley, and the more that thought broke into his drink-filled mind the more the fear consumed him. He couldn't understand how this had happened. All right, Phillip had helped him out before and he had been grateful. But now he felt he was the one in
