The Windmill Girls by Kay Brellend

Author:Kay Brellend [Kay Brellend]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Midge had been trying to waylay Rufus for a few days with no success. He had a feeling that his brother-in-law was avoiding him and Midge reckoned he knew why: Popeye’s gang was now out of bounds to a deserter with a gammy hand.

A few minutes ago Midge had seen Gertie going into their house with a pram and two of the kids dragging either side of her. He’d been on the point of breaking cover to find out where Rufus was but had decided against it. Midge knew he looked and smelled like a pile of shit. His sister wouldn’t mince her words in telling him so – before ordering him away from her and her kids, never to return.

Midge was desperate for some money so needed some work in the gang because he knew Gertie wouldn’t come across with another penny. And getting anything out of Rufus – apart from a bit of snout – had always been a lost cause. Midge knew he wasn’t up to going robbing on his own since he’d been maimed. He’d been deliberately hanging around in the haunts Rufus and Lenny knew about so they could contact him. But nothing doing; they were all trying to deal him out because he’d become an embarrassment and a liability.

An air-raid warning sounded but Midge barely stirred. He wasn’t bothered about diving undercover; he’d stay where he was and gladly have a bomb put an end to his miserable life. Sometimes he had a chuckle at himself: he’d jumped ship to stay alive; now the idea of being blown to bits seemed quite appealing.

His morbid thoughts were interrupted as the Grimes’s front door opened and Rufus came out with Joey. Gertie and the other kids followed. Rufus turned in one direction and his missus hurried in the other, no doubt towards the underground shelter.

For some reason Midge didn’t whistle to draw Rufus’s attention. He drew back into the shadows and then, at a distance, decided to follow. It was early May and the dusk was not fully descended but Midge had a feeling that Rufus was off on a job, and the brat was getting to go too.

When Lenny emerged from a side road pushing a cart and joined father and son Midge knew he’d hit the nail on the head. The bastards were off looting without him and Joey had been roped in to fill his role. Because of his size and agility Midge had always been the one squeezing through small spaces and darting to and fro. The other two were too clumsy and slow on their feet for a quick getaway. Now Midge knew he was being kicked into touch as though he was useless. Not only that, Popeye, Rufus and Lenny would share the slice of the profit that should rightfully be his. Joey wouldn’t be getting a cut. He’d be lucky to get a bag of sweets for his night’s work. A huge explosion curtailed Midge’s brooding, instinctively making him crouch down.

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