The Blood War, Peaky Blinders

𝟎𝟏𝟖 love is in the air

The The Blood War
Chapter eighteen, Love is in the air
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-1921
Birmingham, England

Polly comes back to the Shelby house the next morning to see a young boy outside it. "Excuse me?" He asked, "I'm looking for someone called Elizabeth Gray. I was told she lived here, number seventeen." He takes off the tan, peaked cap he was wearing. "I came last night but no one was home, so I waited" "What do you want with Elizabeth Gray?" Polly asked. "I think she might be my mother" The boy said, it was Michael. Polly dropped the keys she was holding onto the footpath. Michael bent forward and picked up the keys to unlock the door. Polly watched in amazement.

"Polly welcome home..." Khloe said, coming to the door and seeing Michael. "You" She said with a sigh. "Yeah me" Michael said. Khloe looks beyond Michael and sees Polly. "She doesn't know does she?" Khloe whispered. "I'd like to think not" Michael said. "Let's keep it that way for a while, shall we?" Khloe asked. "We shall" Michael said. "So, are you two coming in? I have the kettle boiling" Khloe said, changing her tone into a more welcoming one.

Campbell was at his office with Sergeant Moss. "He was murdered this morning in a street show in the patch" Moss said with Campbell looking in the file. "He was Irish" Moss continued, "Is he a person of interest to your department, sir?" "Do you read he papers Moss?" Campbell asked. "Birmingham papers" Moss said. "I recommend the Daily Mail. It'll broaden your mind" Campbell said. "... Now, if you read the national press, you would know that the king has offered the rebel Irish a treaty. Some of the Fenians want to accept it, The IRA do not. The IRA have a long and glorious relationship with the garrotte" Campbell flipped the photo he was looking at so it was facing Moss. "Oh dear" Moss said, leaning forward.

"Are they fighting against themselves, are they sir?" Campbell get up off his chair. "That'll be all" Campbell said. "Right Sir" Moss said. "I'm going to be up and down from London quite a bit. I'm going to need some lodgings, can you help me with that?" Campbell asked. "Well you wouldn't want to stay at the lodgings you had last time though, eh?" Moss asked, "Too many bad memories I suppose." "You should understand, Moss. I have no regrets about my previous mission in this city" Campbell said. "No sir?" Moss asked. "I imagine you boys have quite a laugh at my expense" Campbell said. "A laugh sir?" Moss asked.

"You think it's funny that I developed feelings" Campbell said. "No idea what you're talking about sir" Moss said. "I have no regrets about what happened with Mrs Burgess, the both of them" Campbell said, his voice raised. "No bad memories" "Right Sir" Moss said, heading for the door.

There were meetings being held in the Garrison, "Next!" Finn shouts. A young boy walks in the room, an innocent looking boy. "Alright then, name?" Arthur asked. "The Digbeth kid" He said. "The Dig... what are you? A boxer?" Arthur joked. "Digbeth kid, like Billy the kid" He said. Arthur looks back down at his newspaper. "You spend a lot of time at the pictures eh?" Tommy asked, "Cowboy pictures? Tom Mix?" He nods. "Yeah?" Tommy asked. He pulls back his blazer and goes to pull out a gun. "What are you..." John shouts as him and Arthur pulls out there guns. "Take a fucking chill pill" Khloe said. "It's not a real gun" The boy reassures them.

"Let's have a look then eh?" Tommy asked. "It's made of wood" the boy said. Tommy holds the gun and chuckles. He holds the gun at Arthur, "Bang, bang" Tommy jokes as Arthur drops the paper and plays dead. He holds the gun at John and he does the same, blowing smoke from his cigarette. "Very nice, where'd you get the gun belt?" Tommy asked. "My sister made it out of an old blacksmith apron. My mum did most of the stitching, she's not my real mum but..." the boy said. "She does what mother's do" Khloe finishes his sentence, "So she made you a gun belt."