Tiger Bay Blues by Catrin Collier Read Free Book Online

seemed to be locked. She turned the doorknob but someone was holding it fast on the other side. ‘Open the door.’
    ‘Go away.’
    She put her shoulder to the door and pushed. A bloodcurdling scream echoed from inside, ending abruptly in another dull thud.
    ‘What the hell was that?’ Toby stood on the landing in his shirtsleeves, his braces hanging down over the trousers of his morning suit, his flies open.
    ‘Someone’s in the cloakroom, I thought it might be one of the twins or Eddie  … ’
    ‘That was a woman.’
    ‘I heard a scream.’ Harry ran in, with Ruth now asleep on his shoulder. He saw Toby and shouted, ‘You’re not on honeymoon yet. Button up.’
    ‘Sorry, Edyth.’ Red-faced, Toby turned his back to her.
    ‘Someone’s in the cloakroom.’ Edyth tried the doorknob again but it wouldn’t budge.
    ‘They obviously don’t want to be disturbed,’ Harry commented.
    ‘That’s where the scream came from.’ She knocked the door again and there was a hollow bang as if something had hit the porcelain sink.
    ‘Here, take Ruth, Edyth.’ Harry handed her his daughter and banged on the door with his fist. ‘Whoever’s inside, open up.’
    ‘What’s going on?’ Mari walked down the passageway from the kitchen, an apron tied over her finery.
    ‘Someone’s in the cloakroom; we’re afraid they might be ill,’ Edyth explained.
    ‘If they are, it’s a sight we don’t want to risk this little moppet waking and seeing.’ Mari lifted Ruth from Edyth’s arms and carried her off as another drunken mumble, came from behind the closed door.
    Toby ran down the stairs at the same time as the twins and Eddie entered the porch with a crowd of young boys. ‘We heard banging and screaming. Is something going on?’ Eddie’s eyes shone with excitement – and alcohol.
    ‘That’s what we’re trying to find out,’ Harry answered.
    Jed King pushed his way through the mass of boys. ‘Has anyone seen Judy? She came in for a glass of water half an hour ago. People are getting fed up with instrumental music  … ’
    A second muffled scream echoed from behind the door. Harry didn’t wait to hear any more. He ran at the cloakroom door. It shuddered when his shoulder connected with it. He stepped back and hurtled towards it a second time. The lock gave way at his third attempt and splintered open, but the door only moved an inch.
    ‘Here, let me,’ Toby slid his foot into the crack.
    ‘After three, push forward with all your strength,’ Harry ordered. Jed joined them and they used their combined weight to force it open, although they only managed to move it a couple of inches. But through the gap they could see Judy Hamilton crouched beneath the sink. Tears were running down her face and there were angry red finger-marks on her neck.
    ‘What the hell … Judy  …’ Jed, who was behind Harry and Toby, darted forward.
    Judy looked up at Jed, Harry and Toby but she didn’t move. Her arms were wrapped around her chest, but they could see that the bodice of her frock had been torn to the waist.
    ‘Heave on my count,’ Harry commanded. ‘One … two … three …’ The three men managed to open the door wide enough for Harry to stick his head through the gap. He looked down on Charlie Moore, who was lying slumped on the floor and jamming the door. He stank of whisky and sweat, his face flushed and scarred by livid scratches on his cheeks and chin.
    Harry shouted to the twins, ‘Get everyone out of here, close the front door behind you and fetch my mother and father.’ He didn’t wait to see them run off. Shrugging off his jacket, he said, ‘Move, Charlie.’
    ‘I can’t,’ Charlie mumbled.
    ‘You want me to kick the door down on top of you? Because if that’s the only way I can get you to move, I will do it,’ Harry threatened.
    Charlie slithered into the corner beside the toilet pan. Harry stepped inside and handed his jacket to Judy.
    Shaking with rage, Jed followed Harry and