Josephine Cox 3-Book Collection 2: The Loner, Born Bad, Three Letters

Suddenly, he covered his face with his arms and began to sob.

‘My mam died,’ he kept saying. ‘She left me – and there was nothing I could do … nothing.’

Wisely, Eli made no move. Instead, he let Davie cry it all out. He watched and waited, and his old heart wept alongside the boy.

After a while, Davie wiped his face and gave a long, shuddering sigh. ‘I’m sorry, Eli. I’ve always been able to keep it inside before.’

Eli brushed aside his apology. ‘Then it’s time you let it all out,’ he said gently. ‘No man can bear such grief on his own, let alone a young ’un like you.’

Feeling as though he had shed a great weight from his shoulders, Davie went on, ‘For almost two years I went from place to place – looking for my dad, I think. I never settled anywhere, was always on the run, not knowing where I was going, or even who I was any more.’

‘And did you find your father?’

Davie shook his head. ‘No. I even went to Ireland, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.’ He recalled the long, weary days when he trudged the streets asking questions and getting no answers. ‘It’s as though he disappeared from the face of the earth.’

‘And then you found your way here.’ Eli felt privileged that Davie was confiding in him.

Davie nodded. ‘I couldn’t stay with any job for more than two minutes,’ he confessed. ‘I just kept moving. Sometimes I didn’t even know where I was.’ He took a moment to relive those awful times. ‘I became a thief, Eli,’ he said shamefully. ‘I stole food and clothes, and once I nearly got caught by the police. Then I got in with a bad lot. One night they promised me a lot of money to go with them and help break into this big house … The owner was away, they said … A pig of a man, they reckoned. They claimed that one of them had been beaten black and blue by him – put into hospital for weeks, they said.’

‘I see.’ Eli recognised how they were probably just using Davie – taking advantage of his situation. ‘Older than you, were they?’

Davie nodded. ‘By a good many years, I should say.’ But he wasn’t excusing his own part in what happened. ‘I knew they were up to no good,’ he assured Eli. ‘But it didn’t seem to matter at the time.’

‘So you went with them, did you?’ he asked. ‘You broke into this man’s house while he was away?’

Davie sighed. ‘It all went horribly wrong. Mr Graham hadn’t gone away at all; nor, as it turned out, was he an ogre. I found out later that he’d chased one of them off when he caught them hanging about the back of the house. So they had decided to teach him a lesson. They knew he’d be there, all right.’

‘What happened?’

‘They dragged him out of bed and beat him terribly, and when I tried to stop them, they set about me. Some time later, when I came round, the old man was lying on the floor … scarcely breathing.’ Davie had a lump in his throat, recalling the panic he had felt at the sight of the old man sprawled beside him. ‘There was blood everywhere.’

‘So, what did you do?’

‘I tried to help him, but he was so still, and he was cold. I put a blanket round him, but I didn’t really know what I was doing. They’d kicked me in the head and I couldn’t see out of one eye. I kept vomiting, too. Eli, I just lost my wits. I was terrified! I ran … I just ran through the house, and as I shot out of the door, the police were everywhere.’

At first he couldn’t understand why they were there. ‘I thought a neighbour must have called them, then I wondered if the others had shopped me. I tried to get away, but they caught me. I told them what had happened, but they said I’d have plenty of time to explain myself in court. They took my name and then they threw me into the car and drove me to the police station.’

‘And when you went to court, they believed you, is that it?’

Davie shook his head, wincing. ‘I never went to court. I jumped out of the car when we got to the police station. I could hear them shouting for me to stop, but I kept going … I just ran and ran, until I couldn’t hear them any more.’

Eli was shocked that Davie could have gone along with those thugs, and even more saddened by the fact that a man had probably died. ‘Dear God, Davie, what were you thinking of? You should never have run away. The best thing would have been for you to tell the court exactly what you’ve just told me … and then take your punishment.’

‘I know that now. I was scared they wouldn’t listen. Scared they’d hang me for murder.’ He shuddered.

‘So, where did you go?’

Pacing the floor as he talked, Davie went on, ‘I travelled day and night, always looking over my shoulder. They knew my name … they knew what I looked like. I was afraid they’d find me. But then, when a year had gone by, I felt safe. I decided to get a proper job and that’s how I came to be here.’

Putting two and two together, Eli asked, ‘Does Brian Moult know all this? Is that part of the reason why he thinks he has a hold over you?’

Davie told him exactly what had happened, the day he arrived in Blackpool. ‘I took a coach here, thinking that Blackpool was an ideal place to hide, full of holidaymakers and casual work. I was walking along the seafront, saw Billy Joe’s and ducked in here to enquire about a job. Then, just as I was coming through the gates, I saw a police car pull up. Two officers went into the office and I saw them through the window, talking to Mr Moult. Then they came out and I waited for a while. I wasn’t sure what to do. What if the police had somehow followed me here?’

‘Hardly likely,’ Eli said. ‘Unless you told somebody where you were headed. Did you?’

Davie cast his mind back. ‘I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. Y’see, there was a farm some way back … I worked on the land for a time. The family there fed me and let me stay in the barn. I don’t remember saying anything about my plans. I always keep myself to myself.’

Eli had noticed that, and he had been curious as to why a personable young fellow like Davie would want to keep a distance between himself and those around him; even though he shared a caravan, he was always out first and in last. ‘You’re a loner, son,’ he said kindly. ‘I sensed that from the start.’

Davie admitted, ‘I’ve been on my own for too long, and sometimes I find it hard to talk with people.’ Since that awful night at Derwent Street, followed by the death of his mother, he had been unable to communicate much with anyone. What was the point? They would leave him, wouldn’t they? Sooner or later, everyone would leave. Best to keep yourself to yourself: expect nothing and depend solely on your own resources. If he didn’t stick to that, he’d have spent every waking moment looking over his shoulder, waiting for the next big hurt to come along.

‘So, even though you were worried the police might be on your trail, you still came into the office and asked for work?’

‘I had no choice, and anyway, I made myself believe the police were here on some other errand.’

Eli had been thinking the very same. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if Moult hadn’t used the police against the boy for some devious reason of his own. And with Davie’s next words, his suspicions were strengthened.

‘I was starving hungry, and it was so bitter cold, I couldn’t face the idea of sleeping outside again, and like I said, I couldn’t recall telling anyone where I was headed. I didn’t even know myself, where I might end up. So I took a chance and went after the work.’

He finished, ‘I waited for ages, and when I thought it was safe, I went up the steps to the office, and as I made to knock on the door, I overheard a conversation between Mr Moult and another man. They were talking about some money they’d got stashed away. From what I could gather, they made it by cheating the owner of Billy Joe’s … something about buying cheaper parts and such, and billing the company for twice the amount. They were saying that if they kept on the way they were and nobody any the wiser, they’d be able to “wrap it all up, and live a life of luxury”.’

With a triumphant cry, Eli thumped the air. ‘I knew it!’ His suspicions were borne out. ‘I had a feeling he was up to summat, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then today, I bluffed him into believing that I knew exactly what he was up to. I was just stabbing in the dark. I didn’t know anything, not really. Oh, but I do now!’

‘Eli!’ Davie was aware of the bitterness between the two men. ‘You promised not to say anything to him.’

‘And I won’t,’ Eli assured him with a mischievous grin. ‘But like the man said, “there are more ways than one to be rid of vermin”.’

‘I don’t want him riled,’ Davie added. ‘If he thought I was making trouble for him, he’d have me put away and no mistake.’

‘So, go on then,’ Eli urged. ‘What happened, exactly?’

‘Well, I heard them plotting and planning, and I had half a mind to sneak away and look elsewhere for work. Then the door was suddenly flung open and Brian had me by the collar. He dragged me inside and asked me what I’d heard. I told him I hadn’t heard anything, and that I just wanted work. But he knew I’d heard it all. I think he could tell I was on the run, from the way I looked. He told me the police had just been there, and that they were looking for me. They were turning the country upside down, and all he had to do was pick up the phone and they’d be straight back to take me away. I just panicked – didn’t try to find out if it was true.’

‘Bastard!’ Eli was determined to teach the foreman and his partner-in-crime a lesson. ‘So, he’s been blackmailing you ever since, is that it? Making you do twice the hours and more than your fair share of work?’

Davie nodded. ‘He said he’d keep quiet about me, if I kept quiet about what I’d overheard. But he wanted me here, where he could keep an eye on me. If I ever said a word to anyone, or tried to make a run for it, he swore that he’d track me down … said there’d be no escape. That he’d find me and keep me, until the police came and took me away.’

Eli was beside himself. ‘Well, he won’t get away with it, don’t you worry. I’ll see to that!’

‘No, Eli!’ Davie turned on him. ‘Let it be. I don’t mind the work, not really. Besides, you gave your word not to say anything.’

Eli assured him, ‘Your secret is safe with me, although I’m convinced that at some stage you ought to turn yourself in and tell the police about that night. You can’t live on the run for the rest of your life.’

‘I will.’ Davie had been giving it some thought, too. ‘But not yet. I’m biding my time until I can go in search of the other two. I need them to come with me and tell the truth of what happened.’

The old man gave a wry little laugh. ‘Sorry, son, but from what you’ve told me about that pair, they’re not about to turn themselves in. If that man died, they could be hanged for it.’

Davie turned deathly pale. ‘So, what can I do?’ He was frantic. ‘I’m trapped, but I can’t stay here like this for ever.’