Bonded by Blood: Murder and Intrigue in the Essex Ganglands by Bernard O'Mahoney

Author:Bernard O'Mahoney [O'Mahoney, Bernard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Criminology, True Crime, Organized Crime
ISBN: 9781780570716
Google: qKCjGZqHcqIC
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2011-04-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Whatever happened regarding the Leah Betts inquiry, common sense told me that the management at Raquels would want to show that there had been changes, i.e. changes in security. Matters were coming to a head. There was the death of Leah Betts, the dud cannabis saga and Tucker and Tate’s plan to commit a robbery with the machine gun. Without telling me, Tucker had already consulted a solicitor about the Betts case, despite the fact he hadn’t been questioned. Murray had disappeared off the face of the earth. It was plain to see it was now every man for himself. The Essex Boys’ empire was crashing down around us.

It was very quiet the next time I went into work, as I recall it. I just sat at the bar and had a drink. The more I thought about the life I had immersed myself in, the more I realised just how stupid I had been. Sure, I had enjoyed some of it, but, in the main, life in the firm was violent and depressing. You never knew if you were going to be the next person to fall out of favour and end up dead or in hiding. I had to face facts. I’d had enough. I hated it, loathed it. My plans to leave and make a fresh start would have to be brought forward – with immediate effect. About eleven o’clock, I thought, ‘Fuck this, I’m going.’ I went to Maurice, a doorman from Bristol, and said, ‘I want you to be head doorman. I’m going.’ He looked rather puzzled but thanked me. We shook hands and I went up to the office. ‘I’m leaving,’ I told the manager.

‘What’s the problem?’ he asked.

‘There ain’t no problem. I’m leaving. See you later,’ I said and walked out.

I had no idea how I was going to support my wife and children from there on in, but I didn’t care. My leaving had to be a total departure. No occasional acquaintances from memory lane. The firm, the violence, the police, the grief – I wanted it to mean nothing now. It had to become a thing of the past.

The night I walked out on Raquels and the firm, I decided I would go out and celebrate, so I drove over to a club in Southend named Ad-Lib. I walked in the door and down a flight of three or four steps. To my dismay, I saw Tucker and Tate standing at the bar with two girls. Tate smiled and put his arms around me. ‘It’s great to see you, Bernie, how are you?’ he said, patting my back. Tucker grunted something. He looked as if he had the hump.

‘What’s the matter?’ I asked him.

He shook hands with me and said, ‘Nothing.’ Then he added, ‘Can I have a word?’

We went out of earshot of the others and he repeated the story about one of the doormen grassing up Donna Garwood. Donna was constantly causing problems. In Raquels, she would come

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