The Family

She shook her head. 'No, thank God, they don't want this out there any more than we do. But I was so ashamed, Phil. I mean, where's he getting it from? You'll have to find that out because he won't tell me. If people hear about this he's finished for any other school…'

'What about Timmy, is he involved?'

'No, that's one thing we can be pleased about. He's not involved at all.'

Phillip finally sat down and, grabbing his wife's hands, said confidently, 'We'll nip this in the bud, Chris, I'll sort the school out, get him back there, and I'll make sure he never does anything like this again. So stop worrying, all right? We can sort this.'

He got up and walked out into the entrance hall, bellowing loudly up the newly carved, curved staircase that was his pride and joy, 'Get your fucking arse down here now, boy!'

For the first time ever, Christine hoped that her husband's phenomenal temper would be used to make her son realise the seriousness of what he had done. She knew he needed a short, sharp shock, and Phil was just the man to deliver it. If it made sure Philly never sold another drug in his life, she was willing to see him hospitalised if necessary. Because this was not a boyish prank, this was dangerous, adult behaviour that could one day see him put in prison. For once she was relying on her husband's volatile nature to do some kind of good, because if the boys went to the bad, she would be finished.

Chapter Sixty-Five

'He offered you what?'

Ricky Thomas was still reeling from the morning's events. 'He ain't offered it, Dee, that's what we've been given. The bastard certainly got his pound of flesh, and I have to swallow me knob and wipe me mouth. Nothing else I can do, darling.'

Deandra wasn't a businesswoman, but even she knew this was a paltry sum of money, and she was upset about it; after all, this was their earn they were talking about. 'The rotten cunt, he wants to see us crawl, that's what this is all about.'

'Breda explained that the less we took, the more Phillip was liable to forget the insult. As she pointed out, he is known for holding a grudge longer than a Freemason. She also pointed out that he has businesses in Spain and Portugal, where he could make it very difficult for us to settle there on a permanent basis. Look, it ain't all bad news. Once we sell up here we'll still have a good wedge, and we can start again with that.'

She nodded slowly, still taking in the fact that their life, their lovely life as they had always known it, was well and truly over. 'You had to fucking get drunk, didn't you? Now look what we're left with. No money and our lives in ruins.'

She burst into tears, and Ricky went to her; he had never felt so bad in his life before. At least he had escaped with a life of some sort, but this wasn't the time to mention that. Instead he held her as she cried and wished, like Cher, that he could turn back fucking time.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Father Theobald was not used to being interrupted by irate fathers and, as he looked at Phillip Murphy, he realised that this was not a man who could be fobbed off without what the Americans liked to call a full and frank discussion. Sighing in resignation, he offered the man a seat and then, sitting opposite him at his large antique desk, he waited for him to say his piece.

Phillip sat down heavily. Lighting a cigarette, he slowly and deliberately blew the smoke at the old priest before saying, 'When I have said my piece I am leaving here and going straight to the police. I am telling them that my boy was offered drugs to sell by the Right Honourable Ian Halpern's son who, at sixteen, is three years older than my boy. It seems he gets the drugs from his older brother, who grows the grass himself in the grounds of Yardley Hall. I can only wonder where they get the Es from. I am also going to see my legal people about suing you, Halpern and everyone else I can think of, including the fucking Pope, because my boy is being used as the scapegoat here. I wouldn't mind, but that cunt Halpern ain't even a fucking Catholic! You must think I am a right fucking pushover, Father, if you believed I was going to swallow this lot without a fight. Well, you picked on the wrong boy here, mate. My son was forced to sell that stuff. He's thirteen years old. Thirteen! When this hits the fucking papers, I am going to tell everyone how shocked, how disgusted, and how distraught I am at this school's lack of security, lack of moral fibre, and I will explain how my boy was fitted up because we're just Irish nothings to you people. You protect the rich and the well known at the expense of the children they are exploiting. And, furthermore, you had no right to terrorise my wife - you know how fragile she is. I'll give you fucking expulsion without further ado. I'm going to take your words and shove them right back up your jacksie. I can buy and sell Halpern, the man relies on me for his daily bread. Bet you didn't know that, did you? I bailed him out two years ago, and I own the Hall – they rent it from me now. But not for long now that I know they are growing drugs on my premises. So you backed the wrong horse today, didn't you, Theobald me old china plate. You treacherous bastard, you. Now what you got to say about that, eh?'

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Christine was stoned out of her head after drinking three glasses of Chardonnay and taking two more of her pills. As Phillip walked back into the house, she was waiting expectantly in the hallway for him, her hand to her throat in a gesture of naked fear. Philly was hanging back behind her.

Phillip smiled at her widely. 'Sorted.' He pushed his son towards the stairs. 'You get yourself up there and I'll deal with you in a minute.'

Christine saw the boy run up the stairs as if he had the hounds of hell on his heels.

'He's back to school tomorrow, Chris. I gave the priest a few home truths, and we came to an understanding of sorts.'

Christine followed him into the kitchen, her face registering her shock at his words. 'What kind of home truths? You didn't threaten the priest, Phil!'

Phillip laughed at her incredulity. 'I simply pointed out the downside of all this becoming public knowledge. Do you know what, Christine? All the money we've weighed out to that old cunt, and he looks down at us like we crawled from under a stone. Well, he had a fucking shock today. Philly's back at school tomorrow, and Halpern's boy's out and, incidentally, I have good reason to evict the slippery fucker from the Hall now. Turns out it was his boy doing the dealing – our little fella just got caught up in the crossfire. So, all in all, it was quite a productive day. Oh, there's one last thing. I'm going to be cancelling the direct debit for the school fees, because they are both going there for nix from now on.'

Christine couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had really thought her son would be expelled and ostracised; that Phil had sorted it like this made her want to kiss him. He had saved her boy from having to change schools, make new friends, and she was so grateful to her husband at this moment, she almost loved him again.

'Oh, Phillip, I was so worried, something like this follows a kid all their lives!'

He grinned at her and held out his arms, and she ran into them happily, without the usual hesitation, and he kissed the top of her head. 'I said I'd sort it, Chris, and I have. Now get your glad rags on. I still have to talk to that little fucker, and remind him of the error of his ways before we go out.'

'We'll celebrate, eh?'

He nodded, smiling, and went upstairs to talk to his son.