Free Goodnight Lady by Martina Cole

sodding Christ! What happened here?’
    Eileen began to shake. It started in her hands and travelled through her cold body until even her teeth were chattering. Abel dragged Paddy over on to his back. The unbuttoned trousers told him the whole story.
    ‘Was he at the girl? Was he at Eileen?’
    He assumed that Molly had taken the iron to him. She shook her head, and as he heard Eileen moan, Abel saw the iron still in her hand.
    ‘He was at you, Moll?’
    She nodded. Her blonde hair was in disarray and her clothes were ripped. A strand of saliva was hanging from her top lip as she tried to speak.
    Abel took the iron from Eileen and put it into the sink. Then he went outside to the pump and filled a bucket with icy water. He washed the iron clean of blood, talking over his shoulder as he did so.
    ‘First I want you to get some sheets to wrap him in. Come on, you two!’ His voice was urgent. ‘We have to get rid of him, girls, or else one or the other of you will be before the beak in the morning.’
    Molly felt his words penetrate her brain and forced herself into action. Going up the stairs, she pulled the sheets from her bed and brought them back down to the kitchen.
    Abel had put Eileen in the easy chair and was pouring out a cup of hot sweet tea for her.
    ‘We’ll wrap him up tight and I’ll dump him somewhere. We’ll think of a story later, let’s just get rid of the ... of Paddy’s ... of his body.’ There, it was said.
    ‘Oh, Abel, what are we going to do?’ Molly’s voice had risen now as the shock wore off and he went to her and put his arms around her.
    ‘Listen to me, Molly. We must get rid of him now, before anyone finds out what’s happened. I’ll take him down to the docks, dump him in the water. Plenty of people turn up there dead. You report him missing tomorrow and the police will assume he was set upon for his wages.’
    The words were tumbling out of him. One thing was sure, he had to help Molly. Since she had moved in next-door he had grown to care for her deeply. Many was the night he’d heard Paddy going for her and had wanted to do exactly what the girl had just done. As far as he was concerned, his main priority now was to get rid of Paddy’s body and keep the girls safe.
    He began to wrap Paddy in the sheets, covering the broken head as best he could.
    ‘What about Midnight Mass? Kerry’s to sing there tonight!’
    ‘The Mass has started, Moll. We’ll say you was waiting for Paddy to come home. Yes, that’s what we’ll say. Now help me to wrap him tight, and then I’ll put him on the cart and you and Eileen can get this floor scrubbed clean of blood. Come on now, Moll, or we’ll all be done for.’
    Eileen watched as Abel and her mother wrapped up her father’s body. She felt nothing as she saw Abel put the blood-stained bundle over his shoulder and take him out to the cart.
    Molly put the kettle on for more hot water and drank her tea standing up by the fire, waiting for the kettle to boil. She was suspended between two feelings. One of shock at what had happened, and the other a drive for self-preservation. The world now consisted of herself, Eileen and Abel Jones. Because Abel had involved himself for her, and she knew why. Though Paddy’s passing was shocking, it was also a passport to a better life for her and this thought kept her going through the gruelling night ahead.
    Abel went in to his mother before he took Paddy’s body off in the cart. She had put the children to bed in her own room and he explained what had taken place to her in hushed tones. Being a sensible woman she didn’t moan or wail, but nodded at her big handsome son and then began to talk.
    ‘Take him to Dagenham Docks, son, but don’t put him in the water wrapped in the sheets. Bring them back and I’ll burn them. Empty his pockets. Street thieves take everything, even a good coat, remember that. If his boots are in good nick, take them off and we’ll get rid of them too.’ She racked her