career at the end of it; she’d be a teacher or a nurse, something respectable, anyway.
‘Where will you take her?’ Sally asked.
‘Oh, parks, libraries, Crosby beach, maybe Formby.’
‘Anywhere and everywhere free,’ Angela sneered. ‘You won’t even find the bus fare to go home more often.’
Babs was a bit fed up with Angela Whiplash Dyson. ‘Oh, shut your mouth, or wear one of your gags. Belle’s saving for little Lisa. And she’s travelling free today, too, because
Eve will drop her off before we go to Southport. So try and make something out of that, you bad-minded bitch. Look in a mirror at your mean mouth, Ange. You might have good bones, but you’ve
the gob of a bloody snake, thin and nasty.’
Three women leapt from chairs. Kate jumped up and pressed the panic button, which would sound in Eve’s office, while Babs and Angela indulged in hair-pulling, scratching, biting and
kicking. Angela was the taller of the two, but Babs was the product of meaner streets, and she knew a few tricks when it came to caring for herself. She threw Angela at a wall and followed through
by seizing the woman by the throat. ‘You are an evil tart. I hope one day a client will lose it with you and break your effing neck. Get your hands out of my hair, bitch. And Belle would make
a dozen of you, you useless article.’
Belle dragged Babs away. ‘She’s not worth it, babe. Let her take it out on her victims tonight.’
Angela strode purposefully towards Babs. ‘I’ll kill you next time,’ she promised.
‘You and whose army, Whiplash? Do you know where I come from?’
‘From a bad egg,’ was Angela’s swift reply.
‘From Scotty Road, actually. I don’t need whips or canes or handcuffs, because I’m street-smart, see? When you shuffle off the face of the earth, it will look like an accident.
I have friends in low places.’
Eve, responding to the panic buzzer, entered the room. ‘Babs?’
Everyone froze.
‘That fourth attic is sound-proofed now and full of rubbish. Would you like to spend a few hours calming down among boxes of crap? Angela, behave yourself, or you’ll go up with her,
and you can ruin each other’s looks for life. Get out of here, the lot of you. Belle, I’ll drop you at home. Babs, you start negotiations with Don Crawford this afternoon. I’ll do
a bit of shopping on Lord Street.’
Babs stood her ground. ‘I want to take Sally with me, give her a few hours off in a place where her stepfather can’t find her. She never goes to Liverpool, because she might bump
into him, but Southport’s safe, so I’m taking her.’
‘No,’ Eve snapped.
‘Then I’m going nowhere.’ Babs sat down and wrapped her arms round her upper body.
The others left, though Sally lingered where she was.
‘OK.’ Eve’s face wore an angry expression. ‘But you’ll have to be back in time for work, both of you, so I’ll pick you up at about five.’ Was she losing
her grip? Babs had bested her on at least two occasions lately. ‘Go and get ready. We’re leaving in ten minutes.’ Eve turned and plodded down the corridor. ‘Up to your
rooms, now,’ the two remaining in the kitchen heard. It was clear that the rest had been listening on the stairs.
Sally grabbed Babs’s face and deposited a sloppy kiss on her forehead. ‘Are you up to something?’ she whispered.
‘Oh yes. And you’ll soon see what, Baby Sal.’
The younger girl swallowed audibly. ‘Why are you helping me?’
Babs shrugged. ‘You remind me of somebody.’
‘Oh? Who?’
‘Me. You remind me of me, Sally. I still remember being young and frightened, you see. We might have a couple of wrinkles, but we don’t lose our memories at thirty.’
‘Are you working on a plan?’ Sally asked.
Babs nodded. ‘I want you out of here. Say nothing. Just get dressed in something girlish and come with me to Southport. I’ve no idea what his place is like, but it’s in grounds
and there’s a cottage. Sometimes
‘Where will you take her?’ Sally asked.
‘Oh, parks, libraries, Crosby beach, maybe Formby.’
‘Anywhere and everywhere free,’ Angela sneered. ‘You won’t even find the bus fare to go home more often.’
Babs was a bit fed up with Angela Whiplash Dyson. ‘Oh, shut your mouth, or wear one of your gags. Belle’s saving for little Lisa. And she’s travelling free today, too, because
Eve will drop her off before we go to Southport. So try and make something out of that, you bad-minded bitch. Look in a mirror at your mean mouth, Ange. You might have good bones, but you’ve
the gob of a bloody snake, thin and nasty.’
Three women leapt from chairs. Kate jumped up and pressed the panic button, which would sound in Eve’s office, while Babs and Angela indulged in hair-pulling, scratching, biting and
kicking. Angela was the taller of the two, but Babs was the product of meaner streets, and she knew a few tricks when it came to caring for herself. She threw Angela at a wall and followed through
by seizing the woman by the throat. ‘You are an evil tart. I hope one day a client will lose it with you and break your effing neck. Get your hands out of my hair, bitch. And Belle would make
a dozen of you, you useless article.’
Belle dragged Babs away. ‘She’s not worth it, babe. Let her take it out on her victims tonight.’
Angela strode purposefully towards Babs. ‘I’ll kill you next time,’ she promised.
‘You and whose army, Whiplash? Do you know where I come from?’
‘From a bad egg,’ was Angela’s swift reply.
‘From Scotty Road, actually. I don’t need whips or canes or handcuffs, because I’m street-smart, see? When you shuffle off the face of the earth, it will look like an accident.
I have friends in low places.’
Eve, responding to the panic buzzer, entered the room. ‘Babs?’
Everyone froze.
‘That fourth attic is sound-proofed now and full of rubbish. Would you like to spend a few hours calming down among boxes of crap? Angela, behave yourself, or you’ll go up with her,
and you can ruin each other’s looks for life. Get out of here, the lot of you. Belle, I’ll drop you at home. Babs, you start negotiations with Don Crawford this afternoon. I’ll do
a bit of shopping on Lord Street.’
Babs stood her ground. ‘I want to take Sally with me, give her a few hours off in a place where her stepfather can’t find her. She never goes to Liverpool, because she might bump
into him, but Southport’s safe, so I’m taking her.’
‘No,’ Eve snapped.
‘Then I’m going nowhere.’ Babs sat down and wrapped her arms round her upper body.
The others left, though Sally lingered where she was.
‘OK.’ Eve’s face wore an angry expression. ‘But you’ll have to be back in time for work, both of you, so I’ll pick you up at about five.’ Was she losing
her grip? Babs had bested her on at least two occasions lately. ‘Go and get ready. We’re leaving in ten minutes.’ Eve turned and plodded down the corridor. ‘Up to your
rooms, now,’ the two remaining in the kitchen heard. It was clear that the rest had been listening on the stairs.
Sally grabbed Babs’s face and deposited a sloppy kiss on her forehead. ‘Are you up to something?’ she whispered.
‘Oh yes. And you’ll soon see what, Baby Sal.’
The younger girl swallowed audibly. ‘Why are you helping me?’
Babs shrugged. ‘You remind me of somebody.’
‘Oh? Who?’
‘Me. You remind me of me, Sally. I still remember being young and frightened, you see. We might have a couple of wrinkles, but we don’t lose our memories at thirty.’
‘Are you working on a plan?’ Sally asked.
Babs nodded. ‘I want you out of here. Say nothing. Just get dressed in something girlish and come with me to Southport. I’ve no idea what his place is like, but it’s in grounds
and there’s a cottage. Sometimes
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