…’
‘Aw yeah, and what’ll you do then?’ he asked cockily.
‘I’ll be grassing you up to your sergeant. Telling him how you take money off Limpy Mick and turn a blind eye to the betting on his terrier fights.’
‘Will you now?’ he asked, his confidence draining.
‘So fast, you won’t know your big fat arse from your old woman’s skinny, bony, rotten elbow.’
He lifted his hand. ‘You little whore.’
Instead of backing away, Tibs stood her ground. She folded her arms across her chest and stuck her chin in the air. ‘Go on,’ she taunted him, ‘hit me. My feller’s Albert Symes – a spiteful bastard he is, but then you probably know him. And he’d just love that, me having a nice black eye for work.’
‘I’ve a good mind …’
‘You, a good mind? Do us a favour.
He took out his whistle. ‘I’m; warning you.’
‘Go on, blow it. And you’ll have every lad for miles around coming looking for a bundle. You wouldn’t dare.’
He glared at her, his jaw set in impotent rage. He wanted to smack her pretty little face so badly it almost hurt. But he knew she was right. He shouldn’t be patrolling these streets at night, when the likes of Albert Symes might be around. Especially not alone and definitely not at his age, and with the rheumatism in his knees playing him up again. He should be back at the station with his feet up and a cup of hot, sweet tea in his hand.
‘Cat got your tongue?’ asked Tibs, pushing her luck. ‘Tell you what, why don’t you go down Chinatown and sort out all that white slavery lark? Or that too scary for you and all, is it?’
The policeman’s chin trembled. ‘I’ve got me eye on you, young woman.’ With that he walked off into the rain with as much bounce as if he’d just won a great victory.
Tibs snorted contemptuously and flipped a two-fingered salute at his retreating figure.
Acknowledging the looks of grateful admiration from her temporary neighbours, she slid back down the wall and settled herself next to Kitty. ‘That showed him, eh, Kit?’
Kitty’s only reply was a self-pitying sniffle.
‘Don’t cry, darling. It’ll be getting light before you know it. Then the sun’ll be up and everything’ll look just sweet and dandy.’
‘I feel that scared. And I’m so cold.’
‘I’ll see if I can find a bit more wood to get the firegoing again. How’d that be, eh?’ Tibs put her arm round Kitty’s shoulders. ‘I’ll have a lovely blaze going before you know it, then I’ll entertain you with the story of how I come to be living in the smoke.’
She stood up and grinned. ‘I’ve been up and down more times tonight than a bride’s nightie.’
Kitty managed a thin smile.
‘Look, I know you’re tired, love, but don’t nod off till I get back, will you?’ Tibs bent forward, glanced to either side of her and whispered, ‘And keep your voice down when you talk to me. We don’t want them all knowing you ain’t a local.’
‘It makes me sick, Bug, d’you know that? Don’t show no gratitude, some people. None at all.’
Buggy shoved a tankard into Teezer’s hand and settled back into his seat. ‘Who d’you mean then, Teeze? Who don’t show no …’
‘Who d’you think? That lanky mare I pulled out of the sodding river, that’s who.’
‘You ain’t still going on about her, are you?’
‘Can you blame me? She was gonna be the start of my business empire, she was. I’ve made me mind up, I’m gonna find her. That’s what I’m gonna do.’
‘You don’t need her to start a business empire, Teeze. See, what you wanna do is …’
Before Buggy could get into his stride, Teezer raised his hand to silence him. ‘Just shut up, eh? Look, the talking dog’s coming on again.’ He swallowed a long pull of dark stout, wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and muttered dourly, ‘And I’ll bet it’ll speak a sight more bloody sense than you ever do.’
Tibs stamped on the big wooden crate with surprising
‘Aw yeah, and what’ll you do then?’ he asked cockily.
‘I’ll be grassing you up to your sergeant. Telling him how you take money off Limpy Mick and turn a blind eye to the betting on his terrier fights.’
‘Will you now?’ he asked, his confidence draining.
‘So fast, you won’t know your big fat arse from your old woman’s skinny, bony, rotten elbow.’
He lifted his hand. ‘You little whore.’
Instead of backing away, Tibs stood her ground. She folded her arms across her chest and stuck her chin in the air. ‘Go on,’ she taunted him, ‘hit me. My feller’s Albert Symes – a spiteful bastard he is, but then you probably know him. And he’d just love that, me having a nice black eye for work.’
‘I’ve a good mind …’
‘You, a good mind? Do us a favour.
He took out his whistle. ‘I’m; warning you.’
‘Go on, blow it. And you’ll have every lad for miles around coming looking for a bundle. You wouldn’t dare.’
He glared at her, his jaw set in impotent rage. He wanted to smack her pretty little face so badly it almost hurt. But he knew she was right. He shouldn’t be patrolling these streets at night, when the likes of Albert Symes might be around. Especially not alone and definitely not at his age, and with the rheumatism in his knees playing him up again. He should be back at the station with his feet up and a cup of hot, sweet tea in his hand.
‘Cat got your tongue?’ asked Tibs, pushing her luck. ‘Tell you what, why don’t you go down Chinatown and sort out all that white slavery lark? Or that too scary for you and all, is it?’
The policeman’s chin trembled. ‘I’ve got me eye on you, young woman.’ With that he walked off into the rain with as much bounce as if he’d just won a great victory.
Tibs snorted contemptuously and flipped a two-fingered salute at his retreating figure.
Acknowledging the looks of grateful admiration from her temporary neighbours, she slid back down the wall and settled herself next to Kitty. ‘That showed him, eh, Kit?’
Kitty’s only reply was a self-pitying sniffle.
‘Don’t cry, darling. It’ll be getting light before you know it. Then the sun’ll be up and everything’ll look just sweet and dandy.’
‘I feel that scared. And I’m so cold.’
‘I’ll see if I can find a bit more wood to get the firegoing again. How’d that be, eh?’ Tibs put her arm round Kitty’s shoulders. ‘I’ll have a lovely blaze going before you know it, then I’ll entertain you with the story of how I come to be living in the smoke.’
She stood up and grinned. ‘I’ve been up and down more times tonight than a bride’s nightie.’
Kitty managed a thin smile.
‘Look, I know you’re tired, love, but don’t nod off till I get back, will you?’ Tibs bent forward, glanced to either side of her and whispered, ‘And keep your voice down when you talk to me. We don’t want them all knowing you ain’t a local.’
‘It makes me sick, Bug, d’you know that? Don’t show no gratitude, some people. None at all.’
Buggy shoved a tankard into Teezer’s hand and settled back into his seat. ‘Who d’you mean then, Teeze? Who don’t show no …’
‘Who d’you think? That lanky mare I pulled out of the sodding river, that’s who.’
‘You ain’t still going on about her, are you?’
‘Can you blame me? She was gonna be the start of my business empire, she was. I’ve made me mind up, I’m gonna find her. That’s what I’m gonna do.’
‘You don’t need her to start a business empire, Teeze. See, what you wanna do is …’
Before Buggy could get into his stride, Teezer raised his hand to silence him. ‘Just shut up, eh? Look, the talking dog’s coming on again.’ He swallowed a long pull of dark stout, wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and muttered dourly, ‘And I’ll bet it’ll speak a sight more bloody sense than you ever do.’
Tibs stamped on the big wooden crate with surprising
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