Painting The Races Red | Tommy Shelby

Chapter Six ✔️

C h a p t e r S i x
C o u n t r y B o y F r o m S h e f f i e l d

It wasn't a secret that Lynette had a tendency to talk to herself when she was stressed. She would swear like a sailor, but she blamed that on being Scottish and having grown up in Glasgow. She wasn't afraid to embrace what was common among her people, but she knew that many would disapprove of a 'lady' swearing so much. The few people on the cobbled street - mainly mothers who had children nearby - gave her disapproving looks as she continued to mutter. Her tone loud enough for them to hear the language that was escaping her lips as she marched towards the Shelby offices, two folders clenched tightly in her right hand.

"Holy shit. Fuck! Right, Lynn. Fucking sort yourself out," she continued to rant quietly as she pushed upon the doors.

She didn't hesitate to enter Tommy's office. Lizzie was already on her lunch break, which meant to her luck, there was no one there to question her strange behaviour. She was excited but also in disbelief, she needed to talk to someone or else she might explode.

It was exactly four days after Tommy and Lynette had told Polly that they were going to look for her children. They had gotten in contact with Moss, who gave them permission for someone to come in and look at the old reports they had. Tommy had sent Lynette to look though the files, and only half an hour later she found exactly what she was looking for. Though her discovery did not come with the celebratory success that she had hoped for.

Tommy looked up from his desk at the sound of the door being thrown open harshly, followed by the click of heels on the wooden flooring. He was surprised as Lynette basically barged into the office, he instantly noticed from her behaviour that something was off. He stood, putting down the pen and paperwork as she placed the two folders on top of everything else on his desk.

"You found them," he realised.

She did not respond, which prompted him to open the folders. He opened the black folder first. He was saddened to discover that his cousin was dead, his heart ached as he read about her countless attempts to come back home to her mother and his aunt. Once he was finished, he looked to his partner accompanied with a heavy sigh of disappointment.

"Polly was right," he stated pointlessly as he lowered himself back into his chair, his head tilted backwards as he took in the news.

Lynette shook her head slightly, gently pushing the other folder towards him. "You didn't read the other one."

Tommy started to light himself a cigarette. "What happened to Michael?" he decided to ask.

It was clear that Lynette had already read both folders, and he didn't think that he could chance reading that Michael was gone too. He knew that eventually he would have to break the news to Polly, but he could not imagine having to tell her that neither of her children would come back to her, especially when he had been the one to convince her to allow them to look. 

"He's alive, Tommy."

The cigarette dipped as his lips parted. Tommy quickly looked to the redhead before him as he took out the cigarette and dropped it into the ashtray. An excited smile was on her face as she nodded to confirm that what he heard was true.

"Michael's alive. He turns eighteen in two weeks, he goes by the name Henry now. He lives in Sheffield with his foster family, they're called the Johnsons. Tommy, it's less than a two hour drive, I already checked."

Tommy closed Anna's folder, standing to his feet as he put the item in his desk drawer. He started to put on his suit jacket as he turned to Lynette, handing her the remaining white folder.