The Lost Boy and The Gardener's Daughter (51 page)

  As Paul hid flicked through the paper, he’d come across a tiny article oan page thirty seven, beside the green fingers section.  The wee heidline hid read ‘Fire At Boat Builders’ and the article hid gone oan tae say that a mystery fire hid completely burned a boat builders yard in Inveraray, Argyle-shire, tae the ground, wae everything in it.  It hid quoted a distraught Master Boat Builder, Mr Robert Campbell, as saying that the family business he’d inherited fae his father only two years before wisnae insured.  He wis facing financial ruin and wid hiv tae pay substantial sums tae creditors and those who hid paid deposits oan boats which hid been nearing completion.  Argyle-shire police wur appealing fur information oan the whereabouts ae a white Ford Cortina saloon car that hid been seen in the area at the time.

Chapter Eighty One

  “Paul, Paul, quick, they’re here again,” Whitey called up the stairs.

  Paul jumped oot ae bed, dragged oan his troosers and tripped o’er Wan-eye, who wis lying stretched oot across the doorway ae his bedroom.  By the time he goat doon the stairs and oot ae the croft hoose, the car wis gone.  The only sound he heard wis the car engine disappearing in the distance.

  “Ur ye sure it wis them, Whitey?”

  “Oh aye, laddie.  A fancy blue car with three young laddies in it.  Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be back in about an hour, if yesterday is anything to go by,” she replied.

  Paul sat ootside wae Whitey and Innes, who wur sitting basking in the sunshine, wae Innes taking his weight oan tae the cheek that wisnae full ae buckshot holes.  He sat lopsidedly and wis gieing oot a wee wince every noo and again if he furgoat aboot they wounds ae his and leaned back tae let oot a chuckle aboot something being said.  Tim and Wan-eye lay at their feet.  Innes wis still harping oan aboot whit a gentleman Robert Campbell, The Master Boat Builder wis and kept oan asking Paul tae recoont how delighted he wis when Paul turned up wae The Dignity.  Paul sat looking at the pair ae them, wae the dugs at their feet, and smiled.  He’d arrived back at the croft the efternoon before and haunded o’er the five hunner quid tae Innes. Whitey and Innes hid sat and stared at the bundle ae notes fur ages, no saying a word…clearly scared tae touch it in case it bit them.  Before he’d entered the croft hoose, he’d noticed that Innes hid painted numbers oan tae the blank space oan that auld Landy ae his where Paul hid removed the number plates aff ae it.  Innes hid been fair chuffed when Paul haunded o’er the auld wans he’d taken when he’d left.  He also noticed that the wheels wur back oan it and it wis parked across at the barn.  Innes explained that he’d goat Packer up tae put oan the wheels while he’d installed the rotor erm.  Packer hid taken Innes and Whitey oot oan a wee drive the day before.  They’d gone up tae Croick Church. 

    Paul looked across at Tim and Wan-eye.  The pup’s eye infection wis totally healed.  Paul wondered if Wan-eye realised jist how close he’d come tae being put doon.  Probably no, he thought tae himsel, looking across at Tim wae his shortened tail and battle-scarred face.  When Paul hid been lying in his kip the night before, he’d been awakened by the sound ae a car engine.  He’d been too knackered tae get up and see who it wis and hid started tae drift aff tae sleep again, when he wis suddenly wakened by Innes and Whitey’s loud and excited voices.  Twenty seconds later, he’d heard pounding feet bounding up the stairs and Wan-eye hid covered the flair space between the door and Paul’s bed wae wan big leap, straight oan tae him as he wis attempting tae get up tae see whit aw the commotion wis aboot.  He’d felt a wee bit embarrassed at hivving burst intae tears when he’d telt Innes and Whitey that Wan-eye hid been put doon fur biting The Stalker.  The three ae them hid sat weeping, apologising tae each other, as they sat roond the table. Wance Wan-eye hid settled doon, Paul hid goat up and gone doonstairs tae find oot whit the score wis.  Swein McTavish hid jist drapped Wan-eye aff.  He’d explained that, although he’d wanted tae get back up the north, he’d hung aboot the polis station in Glesga, being ignored by everywan, tae speak tae the vet when he came tae deal wae the dug.  The vet hid telt him that he hated putting doon a perfectly healthy animal and hid been persuaded tae let McTavish take Wan-eye back up tae the Highlands, efter he’d explained the circumstances in which the dug, through nae fault ae its ain, hid come tae be in a pen in Central.  McTavish hid sworn that the dug wid never be back in Glesga again.  Between the two ae them, they’d managed tae sneak Wan-eye intae the back ae McTavish’s Landy fur the long journey back up north.

   Paul wis jist aboot tae tell Innes again, fur the umpteenth time, aboot how delighted the Master Boat Builder hid been tae cough up five hunner smackers fur the boat, when Wan-eye and Tim’s heids suddenly shot up aff the ground.  A light blue Series Wan Ford Escort came speeding alang the road and skidded tae a stoap at the tap ae the wee curved drive in a cloud ae dust.  Paul stood up.  The driver, Joe McManus, opened his door and stepped oot.  Tony Gucci walked roond fae the passenger side and joined Joe.  The baith ae them stood wae their erms folded across their chests, wae big cheesy grins oan their coupons, leaning back against the wing ae the car.  He could see why Innes and Whitey said they looked strange. The baith ae them wur skinheids noo and they stood there, wearing braces and wae whit people wur calling bovver boots back in Glesga, oan they feet ae theirs.  When Paul hid been back in the toon, he’d noticed a few guys running aboot dressed jist like them, although this pair wurnae wearing black Crombie coats wae red silk hankies sticking oot ae the tap ae the chest pockets, like the wans he’d clocked.  Johnboy Taylor slithered oot ae the passenger seat oan the opposite side ae the car and used the open windae sill as a seat.  Johnboy gied him a two fingered wave.

  “Did I not say they were pretty strange looking laddies?” Innes muttered. 

  “Ah’ll be back shortly,” Paul telt them, heiding up tae the car.

   Innes, Whitey, and the two dugs jist sat motionless, watching Paul make his way towards them.  When he reached them, they saw the boys crowd roond him, slapping him oan the back and laughing.  He goat intae the back seat and efter daeing a three-point turn, the car sped aff in the direction ae Rosehall.

“Where the hell hiv ye been?  We’ve been hinging aboot here since yesterday,” Tony Gucci said fae the front seat.

  “Ah’ve been doon the road fur a few days.  How the hell did ye find me?”

  “Sarah May Todd telt us where ye wur hiding.  She said she spoke tae ye when that band ae hers played up here a while ago at some dance,” Joe piped up.

  “Oh, right.  Aye, that wis last month, so it wis.  So, whit aboot yersels then?  Ur youse aw free or whit?”

  “They ur, bit Ah’m still in Oakbank, or Ah wis, until they tadgers picked me up yesterday morning,” Johnboy replied, wae a cheeky grin.

  “Whit, they sprung ye oot?” Paul laughed, looking at him.

  “Aye, that’s me fucked noo.  Ah’ve been warned that if Ah step oot ae line wan mair time, they’re gonnae ship me aff tae the closed block.  So much fur yer best pals looking efter ye, eh?”

  “So, whit aboot Silent then?  Where’s he?”

  “We think he’s still in Thistle Park.  We’re gonnae see if we kin get word tae him, wance we’re back in the toon, tae see if he wants us tae come and get him,” Joe answered, taking a bend too fast.

  “Of course he wants us tae go and get him.  Look at Johnboy.  He’s delighted, so he is,” Tony said, as they aw cackled.

  “Right, where tae noo, Paul?  Ah’ve no goat a bloody clue where Ah’m gaun oan these wee shitey roads,” Joe said, jist missing the arse ae a sheep that managed tae get oot ae his way.

  “Right, ye’ll come tae a wee river soon.  The road goes aw the way through it and so should you.  When ye get tae the junction, turn right.  Look fur a sign that says Shin Falls.  Turn up there and we kin hiv a blether.”

  Paul wis chuffed tae see them.  It hid been months since he’d last been in their company. When they reached the falls, they piled oot ae the car and went across and sat oan a big boulder, overlooking the rushing water.  Efter aboot two minutes, Joe and Johnboy started a competition oan who could hit a leaping salmon wae a stane.

  “Fuck’s sake, did ye see that wan?” Johnboy shouted, as a thirty pounder disappeared in amongst the white froth.

  Tony and Paul sat watching the pair ae them, withoot much being said.

  “So, whit’s been happening then, Paul?” Tony eventually asked, jist as the other two came across and sat doon, watching Paul wae interest.

  Paul spoke fur aboot an hour, explaining whit hid happened, occasionally being interrupted by the three ae them asking who done whit and where.  They laughed at some ae his story and wanted tae know why the fuck he hidnae robbed Mr Whippy when he’d the chance, efter he’d come across him up a mountain, in the middle ae naewhere.  They aw scowled at the mention ae The Stalker and Joe went intae a mega rant aboot him.  They didnae seem too interested in The Gardener’s Daughter, other than tae ask the obvious question.

  “Did ye shag her?” asked Johnboy.

  “Naw, bit Ah kipped in the same bed as her.”

  “And ye never goat yer Nat King Cole?  Fuck, ye’ve been locked up fur too long, Paul,” Joe chimed.

  “Ah goat masel a girlfriend while Ah’ve been crashing up here, though.”

  “Did ye shag that wan then?” Johnboy asked.

  “Naw, bit Ah wis winching her fur a while,” Paul replied, thinking aboot Morven fur the first time since he’d goat back.

  “Ye’re no exactly in the same league as that dirty lucky foreign basturt…whit’s his name, Tony?”

  “Casanova?”

  “Aye, Casanova,” Joe repeated.

  “It could be worse, Ah’m still a fucking virgin,” Mr Honest Johnboy mused oot loud.

  “That’s no whit Ah heard, bum-boy,” Joe said.

  “Anyway, whit dae ye think the score is wae The Big Man noo, Tony?  He obviously thinks youse wur behind him no getting his paws oan The Duke’s daughter.  He’s no gonnae be happy when he finds oot that she’s back tae her maw and da and he’s missed a buck or two.”

  “Fuck him.  We’ll cross that bridge when we get tae it,” Tony scoffed dismissively, staring at the thundering water running doon the Shin.

  “Why dae ye no jist tell him she escaped and The Duke and the polis are keeping it quiet as they don’t want tae admit we shafted the pricks,” Johnboy suggested, lying sprawled across the boulder oan his back, looking up at the sky and chewing oan a bit ae grass.

  Paul, Tony and Joe jist looked at him and burst oot laughing.

  “See?  Where there’s a will, there’s a way, as ma auld granny often used tae say,” Tony said, satisfied that the problem hid been solved.

  “Er, ur ye really sure aboot that wan, Tony?” Joe asked doubtfully.

  “Whit?” Tony asked him, as Johnboy sat up and looked across at Joe.

  “That auld granny ae yours, the wan wae the wee tufty beard who smelled ae cat’s pish?  Ah seem tae remember that she always said ‘Where there’s a free gill, ye’ll always find ma erm attached tae it.’  At least, that’s ma memory, as she felt ma arse every time Ah walked past her, the saucy auld mare that she wis,” Joe recalled tae fits ae laughter.

  “Naw, she only used that wan oan special occasions like weddings, christenings and funerals,” Tony slung in.

  They sat watching Joe creep up oan a bee that hid landed oan a flower.

  “Goat ye, ya basturt, ye!” Joe shouted gleefully, as the branch he hid in his haun obliterated the bee and the flower it wis suckling oot ae.

  “Whit the fuck did ye dae that fur, Joe, ya prick, ye?” Paul demanded.

  “Whit?  It wis a fucking wasp.  They basturts sting ye, so they dae.”

  “Yer arse wis a wasp…that wis a bee, so it wis,” Paul shouted back.

  “So?”

  “So, they help plants and flowers tae grow, ya eejit, ye.  Withoot them, ye widnae hiv any honey, ya tottie, ye.”

  “Listen, Dr Doolittle, Ah don’t gie two tits whether they’re bees, wasps or bloody elephants.  If they come near me, they’re gonnae cop it, good and proper.”

  “Hoi, Joe, don’t try and justify yersel, ya fucking murdering basturt,” Johnboy shot at him.

  “That’s a long way tae go tae get here, via Aberdeen, Tony.  So, whit’s yer thinking aboot when ye go back doon the road then?” Paul asked, as Johnboy and Joe arsed aboot across at the falls.

  “Provi Cheque Men,” Tony replied, eyes lighting up like torches.

  “Aye, and?”

  “We need tae bring everywan thegither.”

  “Silent?”

  “Him tae.”

  “When Ah wis back doon the road, Ah wis surprised tae see aw the spare ground
where tenements used tae be in the Toonheid.  Even though we’ve only been away fur a few months, the place his started tae hiv a ghost-toon look aboot it.  There wis nothing bit big bonfires sitting in the middle ae where the buildings hid been.  The demolishers wur burning anything that could burn.”

  “Furget the Toonheid, Paul.  The Toonheid is gone…it’s finished.  It’s no there noo…at least no oor Toonheid.  We hiv tae accept it and move oan tae pastures new.  Ah cannae wait tae get back and get tore in.”

  “Tae who?”

   “Remember that skinny twat, Skinny Malinky, the Provi cheque man?”

  “Whit aboot him?”

  “Masel and Joe robbed him recently up in Petershill Road in Springburn.  He pished his troosers when Joe goat a grip ae him.  He pleaded wae us no tae hurt him, in exchange fur a wee bit ae priceless information.”

  “Oh?”

  “Ye’re gonnae love this wan, so ye ur.  We’ve goat aw the info oan aw the Provi cheque men that operated in the Toonheid fae when we grew up, including where they’re working noo.”

  “Ye’re kidding me.”

  “He gied us their car makes, numbers and aw their routes.  We hid tae wait a few days fur the list, bit he came up wae the goods.  We’ve struck the mother lode, Paul.  We’re gonnae be rolling in it and we need yersel and Silent there wae us.  God, if only Skull wis still here, he wid’ve pished himsel at the prospect, eh?”