Crime Lord

Crime Lord

The glare from the midday sun bouncing of a window stopped me mid shot.  Miss Prody’s fluff ball of a cat leapt from the sill onto the rockery below.  I ducked and waited until I was sure the window was closed, then splat, splat the water balloons made contact.  I stifled a giggle as Witchy Prody flung open the door, one good eye scanning the grassland behind her house.

Then, just as she was about to go in I strolled alongside the gable end.  “Hello Miss Prody.”
The old woman’s head snapped round and her green eye blinked a couple of times, before she said suspiciously, “Oh it’s you.  Have you seen anyone lurking?”
“No, Miss Prody, but I’ve only just arrived,” I said, “What’s happened?”
“I’ll tell you what’s happened,” she fumed, her already pinched lips pulling tighter as she spoke, “Some brat has soaked my nearly-dry bed linen, that’s what.”
“If you want, I could keep an eye out for you,” I said trying desperately to keep a straight face.  She looked at me doubtfully before thrusting a pound coin into my clammy hand  “I want names and addresses,” and with that she stomped into her gloomy passageway and slammed the door shut.

Ten minutes and a walk through the estate I was standing outside of Mr Hadaway’s paper shop.  “You know what to nick?  Don’t let me down.” I said to my mate’s brother.  I feel sorry for Snatch I thought as I kicked a ball casually against a brick wall on the opposite side of the road.  He gets a lot of teasing because of his stutter.  At least he’s only eight, so if he’s caught stealing from grumpy Hadaway, he’ll just get a warning. 

It wasn’t long before Snatch left the shop.  Discreetly flicking his eyes my way, he nodded his dark head.  Grinning, I dived down the alley and headed to the back yard of the baker’s, our arranged meeting place.

Snatch emptied his pockets.  “That’s all of it.  Can I go now ‘cos me mam’ll kill me if I’m late.”
“Okay, see you later,” I glanced at my football watch.  Nearly one, I sprinted back up the estate to my Grandma’s council bungalow, where I was staying while my mam was in hospital.

While stuffing a whole fish finger into my mouth, I listened at the kitchen window as nosy Mrs White talked to my Grandma, “It’s a shame for the lad, his mam fighting cancer.  They’ve only got each other.  How old was he when his dad ran off?”
Grandma Graham replied with a stern voice, “It’s been ten years, he was two,” It usually made people back off when she spoke like that, especially when she folded her arms as well, but I didn’t hang around to hear the rest.  Slipping out the back door I rubbed angrily at my eyes.  No time for that, I had to meet Daz.


“Twenty five pence a bar, you said they would be fifteen.” Daz whined, as I held out the tempting chocolate.
“Go on then twenty each,” He reluctantly placed the pound coin onto my outstretched hand and grabbed the goodies.  It wasn’t as if he was greedy, not for sweets anyway. Daz bought them cheap so he could sell them at school and still undercut the shops.  Plenty kids stole for him because it got them money for tabs.

As I reached the end of Daz’s street I turned left and cut through the park. The big houses stood looking out over the lake, where that girl from my year drowned last summer.  Laura was her name.  My mam took me to buy flowers and we placed them beside a teddy bear that had a message on it saying, love from class six.  My mam’s nice like that and she loves flowers.

Old Barney was laying in his usual spot at the open back door, a panting black lump.  I silently swung open the garden gate and held out a cold fish finger.  The Labrador padded down the overgrown path.  While he was slobbering over the last crumb I grabbed his collar and shouted, “Hoy, Mrs Crenshaw your dog’s out again.”  Mrs Crenshaw is the meanest woman in town since her husband ran off with their next-door neighbour.  I’ve always though that her and Mr Hadaway would make a nice couple.  He’s never got a good word for anyone and neither has she, but she loves Old Barney.

“Where did you find him?” she said glaring at me as she took hold of the dog’s collar.
“At the lake’s edge,” that did the trick I thought as a look of horror came over her face. 
She looked down at her only friend, “I don’t know how he does it, but I can’t bring myself to tie him up,” Putting her hand into her trouser pocket she brought out a five pound note.  “Here you deserve this.  If it weren’t for you my Barney might have drowned.” She snapped.
“I can’t take that much,” I said feeling a little guilty.
“Nonsense,” and with that she pushed it into my hand and turned away.

At the hospital that afternoon I stood outside the ward, while my grandma spent some time with her only daughter.  It had just been this one time I told myself, it’s back to skateboarding and karate lessons for me. I felt guilty for conning those people even if they are mean. But when my grandma told me it was my turn to visit and I watched as a beautiful smile spread across my Mam’s pale face.  I knew then that it had been worth it.  My Mam loves flowers.