What About Us | John Shelby

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Small Heath, 1919

Days later

The sound of whistling being blown, people screaming and groaning could be heard in the early hours of the morning. Tessa jumped up in her sleep to the sound, running over to the window and peeking out through the netted curtain.

There were coppers and people all over Watery Lane. The coppers were beating up men mostly that were living on this street. Pulling them out of their own homes. Children running around the place screaming, with mothers and wives shouting at the coppers. The place was a mess.

Tessa threw on her nightgown around her body, making her way downstairs to see the kids in the living room playing with some wooden toys, not bothered at all with all the noise coming from the street. They were truly used to all the shenanigans going on around them, they really were living that Shelby life now.

The front door of the house was being knocked on "Fuck" Tessa whispered, to see from the window Inspector Campbell at the door, looking down at his watch. Tessa pulled out her gun from her undergarments, closing the living room door behind her.

She pulled the gun up straight pointing out ready to be shot if needed. Opening the door there he stood with a smirk holding on his face as if he owned this town.

Campbell held his hands out above his head "I know your a Shelby, if I killed you there wouldn't be a point, now would there"

Tessa looked out over his shoulder to still see the coppers beating people up and recking there homes "Ye dare come here, when you know the boys are away at the fair"

Campbell looked around her home from outside on the porch "You mean your husband and brother in laws. With there guns and their razors"

"Is it something you're looking for?" She asked sarcastically, still holding the gun up at his face.

"As a matter of fact there is something I am looking for. Something precious. Something stolen" He looked at her.

Tessa cocked her head to the side "Now why would you think there would be something precious and stolen in here. A place where young children live and play around in, hmm"

"I have found myself talking to the wrong man this whole time, Arthur Shelby. Next time I want to talk to the boss ... and by boss I mean Thomas, not your husband either" Tessa watched him walk away from her door, and over to his horse riding off down the street out of sight.

"Polly, what the fuck is going on out there?" Tessa made her way into the kitchen with the kids by her side. Polly stood clearing the kitchen table of the mess.

Polly sighed out of frustration "I know ... let's just wait till the boys get back from the fair"

"Go into the shop ... go on" Tessa pushed her kids away into the betting shop, to be away from the conversations that were to happen when the boys came back.

"Did he visit you as well?" Tessa questioned Polly "Yes, at the church"

Tessa groaned "Bloody hell"

The boys had finally come back from the fair, they all gathered in the kitchen to go over what had happened in the streets of homes of people.