The Fight for Lizzie Flowers (23 page)

‘But what will Lil think when she finds us gone?’

Danny shrugged. ‘Bert can tell her we’ve gone to get Ethel.’

‘Won’t that sound suspicious?’

Danny just raised his eyebrows. ‘Lil will be suspicious anyway.’

Lizzie knew something was wrong the minute Danny drove up to the shop. The blinds were all down. She’d left them up, with the notice on the door clearly stating they were
closed for the Saturday. She’d given Ethel the key to get in, which she must have used, as the blinds were down. But why were they?

‘Danny, something’s wrong.’

Danny brought the car to a halt. ‘Why’s that?’

‘I was in a rush this morning and left the blinds up.’

‘Ethel must have pulled them.’

‘Yes, but why?’ They sat in silence as Danny switched off the engine. He’d put the hood over them as the evening was closing in. The wedding car smelled of polish and oil. Some
of the confetti had stuck to the dashboard. Lizzie looked at the shop again. At this time on a Saturday she and Bert would be just beginning to bring in the boxes from outside.

‘Well, we can’t sit here all night.’ Danny pushed open his door.

Lizzie did the same. As she stood on the pavement, there were a few people around, a cyclist or two and some noisy kids screaming along the street. The afternoon din had subsided. The sound of
the river tugs’ hooters drifted over the roofs of the houses.

Lizzie followed Danny up to the shop door. He tried the handle. ‘It’s locked.’

‘Ethel must have done that in case any customers tried to get in. Here, I’ve got a spare key in my bag.’

Danny tried again. ‘No joy.’

‘Perhaps Ethel’s left the key in the lock.’

‘Or the bolt has been pulled.’ Danny banged on the door. ‘Ethel, Cal, are you there?’

There was no response and Lizzie’s stomach churned over.

This time Danny used his fists. Lizzie looked round to see if anyone had heard the racket. But the street was now deserted.

Just as Danny was about to bang the door again, the blind moved. Lizzie saw Cal’s dark face and heard the bolt slide back.

‘What’s up?’ Danny asked as they stepped in and Cal closed the door quickly.

The shop was in semi-darkness.

‘We’ve got trouble. Big trouble.’

‘Where’s Ethel?’ Lizzie’s eyes fell on the glass cabinet. Or what remained of it. ‘Oh no!’ She put her hand to her mouth as she saw the glass, cakes, toffee
apples and vegetables littering the floor. It reminded of her of that fateful day the year before when the bomb had gone off.

‘Sorry about the mess, Lizzie,’ Cal said gruffly.

‘Cal, what’s wrong with your arm?’ Danny said in a startled voice, pointing to the rag. A red stain was showing through.

‘I was lucky. It’s just a scratch.’

‘Did Frank do it?’ Danny demanded.

‘No, mate, no. Look, we can’t talk here. Ethel’s waiting upstairs. She’s been hoping you’d come over.’

Lizzie didn’t ask any more questions. She wanted to see Ethel. They all hurried upstairs, past Frank’s room where the door was shut.

‘Ethel? Oh Gawd, are you all right?’ Lizzie stopped when she saw Ethel sitting bolt upright on the couch, visibly shaking. Her face was white as a sheet. Her make-up had vanished and
her hair had fallen messily around her shoulders.

Ethel burst into tears. ‘Oh Lizzie!’

Lizzie hurried to sit beside her. She took Ethel’s cold hands and rubbed them. ‘I . . . I’m so glad you’re here,’ Ethel spluttered.

‘Here, use my hanky.’

‘Thanks.’

‘I said to Cal you’d look for me when I didn’t get back. I was just worried Mum would want to come with you.’

‘No, she’s busy with the food. We slipped out on the quiet.’

‘Thank God you did,’ Ethel sobbed, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. She pushed her hair from her wet face. ‘It was awful. I can’t believe what happened.’

‘What
did
happen?’ Danny turned to Cal.

‘Let’s all sit down,’ Cal said, touching Ethel’s shoulder gently. ‘Take it easy, Ethel. Everything’s gonna be all right now.’

She nodded, looking up at him. Lizzie had never seen her friend so upset before.

‘This’ll take a bit of explaining,’ Cal said as he and Danny sat on the wooden dining chairs.

‘Take your time,’ Danny said as he looked in concern at his friend. ‘But first, should I get you a doctor?’

‘No, as I said it’s just a surface wound.’ Cal frowned at Lizzie. ‘Someone came in the shop. Me and Ethel – well, we were in the storeroom. We heard this noise and
I went to see what it was. I saw this big sod pinching from the till.’

‘Stealing from
my
till?’ Lizzie repeated on a gasp.

‘They had a fight,’ Ethel interrupted breathlessly. ‘And that’s when your cabinet got broken.’

‘Don’t worry about that.’

‘Then suddenly he was pointing a gun.’

‘What!’ Lizzie exclaimed. ‘A gun? Was it the same man as before?’

‘Could be. But as I wasn’t here that day, I ain’t sure.

‘Lizzie, I never understood how it really felt when you told me about those men,’ Ethel continued, ‘the ones who came in your shop to threaten you. Not until today. I thought
we was going to die.’ A tear rolled down her cheek. ‘But Cal pulled me behind him and I heard the gun go off. I’m ashamed to say I passed out.’

‘The bullet only grazed the skin of my arm,’ Cal said, glancing at Ethel. ‘But when I heard the next shot, I thought, I won’t be so lucky this time. Then, to my surprise
I realized I wasn’t looking down the barrel of the gun. Instead I was still in one piece and our visitor was stretched out on the floor.’

Ethel nodded, sniffing away her tears. ‘When I came round there was the man on the floor just a few feet away. His eyes were wide open. He was dead. There was blood all over the boards and
bits of – she put her hands up to her face – ‘his chest.’

‘He was dead?’ Lizzie asked and Cal nodded.

‘As a doornail.’

‘But who shot him?’ Danny asked.

There was silence then Ethel and Cal said together, ‘Frank.’

‘Frank?’ Lizzie repeated. ‘But how could he?’

‘Somehow he got himself down the stairs,’ Cal explained. ‘When I turned to look where the noise was coming from, there was Frank, holding a shooter as old as the
hills.’

‘My brother had a gun?’ Danny asked in a shocked whisper.

Cal nodded uneasily. ‘It was your dad’s old service revolver.’

‘How did he get hold of that?’

‘He said Bill gave it to him. Just in case he met with any trouble.’

‘I can’t believe Dad would do such a daft thing.’ Danny shook his head in disbelief.

‘Frank heard me scream and managed to drag himself along the landing and down the stairs. He saved us,’ Ethel declared. ‘He really did.’

‘So where did Frank keep this gun?’ Lizzie demanded as her relief that Ethel and Cal had not been injured soon turned to anger. ‘He knows I wouldn’t entertain the idea of
having one here.’

‘Dunno. But he didn’t even know it worked,’ Ethel replied. ‘He said he was just going to scare them off.’

‘Instead he killed someone,’ Danny said in a bitter voice.

‘Like Ethel said, it was him or us,’ Cal said with a shrug.

‘So where is he, the dead man?’ Lizzie asked.

‘In the storeroom. I hid him and his gun under the crates and cleared up the mess in the shop.’

At this Ethel gave another choked sob. ‘I – I left Cal to do it all. I – I couldn’t bring meself to help.’

Cal lifted his shoulders again. ‘I had to get him out of the way, before someone saw. I lowered the blinds after.’

‘I’ve never seen a dead person before,’ Ethel whispered, staring into space. ‘I feel ashamed of meself for being so weak. But he . . . the dead man . . . all that
blood—’

‘Then we got Frank back upstairs,’ Cal interrupted, glancing anxiously at Ethel. ‘He was in a bit of a state. So we gave him one of his knock-out pills.’

‘And you’ve never seen this bloke before?’ Danny stood up and began to pace the room.

‘Well, yes, I have mate.’

Danny frowned. ‘But you said —’

‘It didn’t dawn on me who he was, until I got him in the storeroom,’ Cal explained. ‘He was one of the heavies Savage brought with him to the workshop. But he was wearing
a hat then.’

Danny rubbed his chin. ‘So the chances are Savage sent him to the shop, knowing Lizzie was closed for the day.’

‘How would he know that?’ Lizzie asked doubtfully.

‘You’ve had a notice on the door saying you were closed on July the 1st.’

‘Savage is moving in on us again,’ Cal said darkly.

‘He finds out the shop will be closed,’ Danny suggested, ‘sees his opportunity and sends his man to do damage. Break the place up. Just as a reminder to Lizzie that he’s
in the picture. He knows word will get back to me and so he kills two birds with one stone.’

‘What do we do now?’ Cal said in a tight voice.

‘Get rid of the evidence,’ Danny said without hesitation.

‘What, get rid of a dead body?’ Ethel gasped. ‘But shouldn’t we tell the police or something?’

They all stared back at her. Lizzie took her hand again. ‘We can’t do that, Ethel.’

‘Why not?’

‘The law won’t believe your story.’

‘Why wouldn’t they?’ There was panic in Ethel’s voice. ‘It’s the truth.’

‘It might be,’ Danny said quietly. ‘But you have to ask yourself one question. What’s in it for Lily Law? Now, I’ve no time for me brother, but the coppers will fit
him up – and perhaps you and Cal – for whatever is best for them.’

‘But Frank was only defending us.’

‘Or, their argument might be, Savage’s man was shot deliberately in cold blood.’

‘But it wasn’t like that.’

‘I know,’ Lizzie agreed patiently. ‘But an investigation is the last thing any of us want. How are you going to explain being here with Cal? Think of the consequences. Do you
want an investigation into your private affairs? Richard and your mum will have to know. And the kids.’

Ethel looked desperately at Cal. ‘I don’t want that.’

‘Neither do any of us,’ Danny said heavily.

Ethel stared around at her friends. ‘But how do we . . . do we . . . get rid of a dead body?’

‘You don’t need to know, Ethel,’ Danny replied. ‘All you have to do is go back to your mum’s and say nothing about coming here today.’

Ethel put her hands to her cheeks. ‘But I can’t face Mum like this.’

‘You’ll have to. It’s the only way.’

‘But what will I tell her?’

‘Think up a story. Like you was out walking and you didn’t feel too good. So you sat down somewhere, until me and Lizzie found you on the park bench.’

‘I did have a headache.’

Lizzie squeezed her friend’s hand. ‘She’ll believe me if I tell her that you was in a right state over your row with Richard.’

Danny nodded. ‘Take the car and drive Ethel back. I’ll show you the gears.’

‘But Flo and Syd will be expecting you to drive them up West.’

‘Tell them I’ve gone to get something at the garage first. That will give me time to clean up here. Send Bert back here with the van. I’ll need it tonight.’

‘What for?’ Lizzie asked, feeling her stomach drop.

‘It’s best that you and the kids stay at Lil’s for the night.’

Ethel stood up. ‘I only hope I can keep me nerve.’

‘You will.’ Danny smiled. ‘Let Lizzie do the talking.’

Ethel nodded. But Lizzie knew it wouldn’t be easy looking Lil in the eye and telling her a concocted story. She always seemed to get the truth out of Ethel. But this time, Ethel was going
to have to act convincingly.

‘Gawd, girl, where have you been all day?’ Lil demanded as Lizzie and Ethel walked in the back door. The kitchen was smothered in dirty crocks. ‘I’m up
to me armpits in washing-up.’

‘Sorry, Mum.’

‘I should think so. I was relying on you to help me. Them Millers have eaten more grub than a plague of locusts.’

‘Lil, we’ll help you now.’ Lizzie took off her jacket. ‘Better late than never.’

‘And to make matters worse,’ Lil persisted, glaring at Ethel, ‘some tone-deaf ape’s been hammering the life out of the piano. Sounds as if he used his feet, not his
fingers. If only you’d been here, you could have played us a decent tune. After all, what was the point of me and your dad forking out on all them expensive piano lessons if you never make
use of them?’

Ethel gave a smothered groan. ‘I said I was sorry, Mum.’

‘It wasn’t Ethel’s fault. She didn’t feel well, Lil,’ Lizzie broke in, repeating the story that Danny had suggested. But as she was talking Ethel reached out to
hold on to a chair, her face draining of colour.

‘Christ, you do look rough, my girl,’ Lil said, her tone changing as she dropped the mop and hurried to her daughter’s side.

Ethel took one look at her mother and burst into tears.

‘What’s the matter, love? What is it?’

‘I don’t know,’ Ethel said through her sobs.

‘Do you feel sick?’

‘A bit.’

‘You have been a moody cow lately.’

Ethel put her hands over her face.

‘You ain’t pregnant, are you?’

‘I think she could do with a rest,’ Lizzie said before Ethel could answer. ‘Can she go up to the boys’ room?’

‘Course. Here, love, lean on me. We’ll have to push our way through the mob. They’re as drunk as lords, most of ’em.’

Lizzie took one of Ethel’s arms and Lil the other. Lizzie felt Ethel’s weight growing heavier. What if she was to faint again? Or ramble on about what happened at the shop?

But somehow they managed to steer her through the party-goers, who, as Lil remarked, had sunk enough booze to sink a battleship. Upstairs, Lil opened the door to Ethel’s old room. Lizzie
saw the big double bed that had been Ethel’s for donkey’s years.

‘You poor cow,’ Lil said as she helped Ethel undress down to her slip.

‘I just need forty winks. Me headache might go then.’

‘Do you want an aspirin?’

‘I’ll see what I feel like later.’

‘Your dad’s over at Flo’s, clearing up the fish-and-chips papers,’ Lil told Ethel as she drew the curtains. ‘He’ll pop his head round the door later and bring
you a cuppa.’