Free The Ladykiller by Martina Cole Page A

room.
    ‘Oh my God!’ She ran down the stairs and pushed Bert roughly away. Her mother was lying sprawled on the stairs, her head bleeding profusely from the temple.
    ‘I never meant it, she fell and hit her head.’
    Edith ignored the man and examined her mother. It was a flesh wound. As she peered at it, Nancy’s eyes opened and she pushed the girl away from her.
    ‘Get away out of it, you.’ Joseph and George stood at the top of the stairs dumbstruck.
    Nancy put her hand to her head and brought the fingers away blood-stained.
    ‘You bastard! I’m bleeding.’
    ‘Look, Nancy, I’m sorry. Honestly, darlin’, I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, you know that. I could cut me hands off.’
    Edith walked slowly up the stairs. She knew she wasn’t needed any more. It was the same thing over and over again. No worries about Georgie who would be bruised for a week or ten days, and who would get another hiding between times. No concern for Joseph who was getting iller and iller with his nerves each week. Not a thought for Edith who had to keep everyone together. Let’s just worry about Mummy and her bloody head. A bloody head she asked for, to all intents and purposes.
    ‘Come on, you two.’ She pushed the two boys into the bedroom and closed the door.
    A while later the three heard Bert and their mother enter their own bedroom and the squeaking of the bed springs and loud groans that heralded their making up.

Chapter Five

23 December 1989
    Mandy Kelly pulled her coat tighter across her breasts. It was freezing. Her toes in her flat-heeled boots had already gone numb. She would murder Kevin when he finally arrived. She looked at her watch again. It was eight fifteen, he was a quarter of an hour late. She stood by the light of the phone box and stamped her feet. She wouldn’t mind but he had her car, and if she got a taxi her father would guess immediately what had happened and then all hell would break loose. Plus it was Saturday night and they were supposed to be going out to eat with her father and his new girlfriend. Well, she had to be honest, she wasn’t worried about missing that so much, but her father would be upset. Sod Kevin! He always did this to her.
    She pushed her hands deeper into the pockets of her sheepskin. The cold night air was burning her lungs with every breath she took. The street was deserted except for the occasional car. Everyone was either putting the finishing touches to their trees after a hectic day’s shopping, or ensconced somewhere warm with a drink or a meal. The world was at the quiet empty stage that seemed to suspend the laws of time until Christmas Day came. She pulled her long blond hair from inside the collar of her sheepskin. The air was damp and her hair was lank around her face.
    Oh God, it was so cold.
    She watched a dark blue Orion drive past her slowly and stared after it uneasily. She was sure that it had driven past once before. She shrugged. No need to worry, Kevin would be here soon. She smiled to herself. Her orange lipstick was smudged where she kept rubbing her lips together. Her father would be waiting for them, they were supposed to leave at nine. If Kevin didn’t hurry up she wouldn’t even have time to change.
    She carried on watching the road, hoping against hope that Kevin would drive along in her white Mercedes sports and take her home.
    Sometimes she wondered what exactly it was Kevin liked about her. Whether it was the fact that her father was Patrick Kelly, or whether it was her car, or whether it was in fact her he liked. She tried not to dwell on thoughts like these as they upset her. Like her father’s girlfriends who were getting younger and younger by the month. She looked at her watch again. Eight twenty-five. Oh, sod Kevin! She wasn’t going to stand here all night.
    She went into the phone box and picked up the phone. It was dead.
    That was all she needed. Pulling her coat tighter around her she began to walk down the road, still keeping