Chapters (48)
- Cover
- THEFEUD
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
With Eddie’s unexpected absence, the mood at the dinner table became sombre. ‘Do you want some more meat or potatoes, Dad?’Jessica asked, trying to keep things normal.
‘No thanks, love,’ Stanley replied.
‘I’ll have some,’ Frankie said.
‘Have you got any more sausages in the kitchen, Mum?’ Joey asked.
With only Frankie and Joey still eating, Jessica began to clear the plates away. ‘Who wants Christmas pudding and who wants banoffee pie?’ she asked brightly.
‘Why don’t we wait till Eddie gets back, dear?’ her mother said soothingly.
Joey and Frankie nudged one another. ‘I’m bored. Shall we get pissed?’ Frankie whispered.
Joey replied with a wink.
Paulie was already waiting outside his dad’s house when Eddie pulled up. ‘I’ve knocked again and rung the bell,’ he told Eddie.
With a heart that felt like lead, Eddie fumbled for the key in his pocket.
‘Dad! Dad!’ he shouted, as he opened the front door. His legs were like jelly.
‘Fuck! No!’ Paulie whispered as they walked into the lounge. The place had been ransacked.
There was no sign of their father, so Eddie ran up the stairs. ‘Dad!’ he screamed. ‘Dad!’
Walking into his father’s bedroom, the first thing Eddie saw was splattered blood. ‘No, fucking God, no!’ he screamed, as he cradled his battered father.
Hearing his brother’s screams, Paulie galloped up the stairs. ‘Oh no! Tell me he’s alive, Eddie. Please tell me he’s still alive.’
Tears running down his face, Eddie could barely bring himself to speak. ‘Who’s done this to you, Dad? Who’s done this?’ he cried.
Taking a closer look, Paulie saw that his father’s head was pummelled to a pulp. ‘I’ll call the police, I’ll ring an ambulance,’ he shouted.
Kneeling in his father’s blood, Eddie cradled his father’s face in his hands and sobbed. ‘It’s too late. We’re too fucking late. He’s dead, Paulie, Dad’s dead!’
TWENTY-TWO
Paulie made the 999 call. Within seconds of the Old Bill arriving, Eddie washed his father’s blood off his hands and his shock turned to fury. He couldn’t show himself up in front of these mugs – it wasn’t an option. ‘When I find out who’s responsible for this, I’ll torture the cunt for so long, he’ll wish he’d never been born,’ he said to his brother.
Approached by a DS, Eddie distractedly shook his hand.
‘I know this has been an awful shock for you, but are you able to answer a few questions for us, Mr Mitchell?’ asked the copper.
Still in a trance, Paulie poured two large brandies, handed one to Eddie and urged him to do all the talking. Eddie explained exactly what had happened. ‘So when me dad never turned up for dinner, me and Paulie came round to check on him, and that’s how we found him.’