Alfie Solomons, the crime boss of Camden Town and King of the Jews: estranged from his wife, his empire crumbling and ravaged by war, he makes a deal with the devil, and nothing is the same again.
Covering his years of involvement with the Birmingha...
Malka stoked the flames, adding another log to the fire.
"I see the Cadillac got you here," she said, settling back into her armchair and fished a cigarette from its pack on the end table. "How was Ollie?"
"Good. Ollie seems quite sure my car will be safe in the warehouse," Tommy replied, comfortable on the chaise longue, legs crossed, with a cigarette in hand.
Since Tommy's failed assassination attempt on Oswald Mosley, Malka often insinuated he was under the thumb of the IRA. Tommy, however, saw things differently. He liked to frame it as being 'in business with' them and hadn't rectified the situation because it allowed him to remain close to his enemy.
According to Tommy's sources, Laura McKee, an IRA Battalion Commander who claimed responsibility for Polly's death, was aligned with the fascists. Her connections in Dublin were fervently pushing for a fascist-led Ireland, and she played a pivotal role in funding their cause by seizing control of Shelby Company Ltd. For four long years, Tommy's opium shipments, sourced from the Chang family in Shanghai, landed in Belfast. The IRA claimed the bulk of it, funding their operations, including the procurement of weapons and ammunition from Germany.
"With prohibition ending on Tuesday," said Tommy, "I've scheduled the meeting with Nelson's crew at Hotel Robert. How are our informants in Boston?"
"Firmly in place and well entrenched in both the west and south."
"Are the Irish and Italians still allied?"
Malka nodded. "Indeed. Their alliance remains strong. It is a beneficial arrangement for both."
Tommy took a moment to flick his cigarette into the ashtray on Alfie's end table and hesitated before speaking. "Thank you. I appreciate what you uncovered about Nelson's history."
"Jack Nelson was Charles Solomons' childhood bully. He knew him well before, during, and after his rise to... popularity," she said. "Charles kept records of everything. While clearing out his office, we stumbled upon it all. What I cannot tell is if Charles was a hoarder like Alfie or had impeccable foresight."
"I've been meaning to ask; how was the funeral?"
Malka raised an eyebrow in reflection. "Unexpected. The streets overflowed with mourners. Charles Solomons was very well loved, much more than I had realised. There must have been thousands in attendance."
She reached over the armrest of her chair, selecting a newspaper clipping from a tall stack of documents on the floor.
"I saved this," she said, passing the clipping about Charles Solomons' funeral to Tommy.
The article featured a photograph of crowds lining the streets, which took Tommy aback. He was quite sure that if he were killed tomorrow in a dingy toilet somewhere, his funeral wouldn't garner such a turnout.
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