Shelby Madness

Chapter 29,'It's like she's the only girl in the world,'

7th November 1919, Small Heath, Birmingham.

The damage was bad, the betting den had been destroyed and Scudboat had been assaulted.

Arthur and John sat him on a chair while Libby got whiskey and a cloth to clean his gash on his forehead.

"Jesus christ," John swore as he saw the state of his office. He kicked a broken chair and walked back out onto the main floor.

"What the bloody hell happened here," Arthur asked, cleaning the blood off Scudboat's face.

"The Lee's, all of them. Cousins, nephews and even their bastards." He answered not knowing where to look, scared the Shelby's were going to blame him.

Libby sighed looking at the mess, this was the last thing they needed.

"For fucksake," James shouted, tripping over another broken chair.

"They have taken whatever they can lay their hands on," Polly said, opening the now cracked safe while Tommy picked up some old wire cutters. "Four cash boxes."

Holding up the wire cutters to get everybody's attention Tommy spoke, "They left these."

The colour draining from John and Arthurs face was enough for Libby to know whatever the wire cutters ment it was bad although she was just as confused as Polly.

"Wire cutters?" Polly asked.

"Nobody move," Arthur warned and Libby listened, not moving a single muscle.

"I think our friends are playing the game." Tommy said.

"This is not a game, if it's what i think it is we could die and i quite like living, surprisingly but apparently you lot don't." James barked out, causing Libby to be even more confused.

"What game?" Polly asked, ignoring James, walking to the other side of the table.

"Aunt Pol, don't touch anything," John warns in complete fear. 

"Esurmus Lee was in France," Tommy revealed, still as cool as a cucumber.

"Shit," Scudboat said standing to help look for a trip wire.

"When we were France, when we gave up ground to the Germans we would leave yarn boobie traps set up with wires and as part of the joke we would leave wire cutters behind.

"Somewhere in here is a hand grenade attached to a wire," John confirmed.

"Holy Jesus." Polly was terrified she didn't want to be blown up.

Libby's head was spinning and something wasn't right.

"Don't move any chairs or open any doors,' Arthur commanded, "go easy, John-boy."

"No," Tommy said, he and Libby were clearly thinking the same thing.

"We would have set it off by now if it were here. You lot came in like bulls in a china shop, John was kicking chairs, James fell over one and Polly was slamming the doors," Libby voiced what she was thinking.

"She's right it's not here, it would have blown. It was my name on the bullet that Esurmus sent, he sent up a trap alright, he set it up just for me,"

It was the famous lightbulb moment where the final piece of the puzzle fell into place and the truth was horrifying, "Car, Finn." Was all Libby muttering with wide eyes before running out of the betting shop.

Tommy followed her to the garages and just as Libby had feared young, innocent Finn was sitting in the driver's seat, Playing a game, smiling. He was happy but unknown to him that if he opened the door he could not only end his life but his brothers and his nieces as well.