part 3
Eddie closed the book but he left his finger in it to keep his place. "Just a couple a more pages..... Pleeease?"
"Nuthin' doin'." He crooked a finger in Eddie's direction and ordered him up out of his chair.
Sending a desperate little look around the room for a diversion, the boy's eyes landed on the deck of cards, still sitting on the side table near the book Actor had been reading. "How's about one a your card tricks?" He grabbed up the deck and offered it to the man standing over him. "I'd really like to learn one a them to show off to the blokes at school."
"Hey! I left those at Mrs. Reid's with that Emory fella. How'd you s'pose they ended up back here, then?"
Eddie looked up but he really couldn't meet Goniff's eyes. Not for very long anyway. "I wasn't really at the picture show like I said I was Goniff..."
"Really?" Well that had been better than even money hadn't it? The little cinema in the village was only open on Friday and Saturday nights. "Where was you then, all that time I was lookin' for ya?"
"I went over to Mrs. Reid's... To get the cards back... And I, ... uh.... Well, I sort a took this away from Emory." He squirmed around in the chair and dug down into his pocket and brought out a slightly battered tin soldier. "It's one of his favorites."
"What'd ya wanna do somethin' like that for, Eddie?"
It didn't take him any time to come up with his answer this time. He wasn't lying. "I wanted to teach him how it felt to have somebody take away somethin' a his,... like he done with your cards."
"But he don't know no better, does he?" Mrs. Reid had explained about Emory as she petted and soothed him through the meal they'd shared, and defended his actions after the fight the boys had on that memorable Sunday.
"Oh yes he does!" Eddie finally closed the book with a snap and sat it aside on the table. "I know he's not as smart as he's s'pose t' be, Goniff... but he's not as dumb as he lets on neither. He's got Mrs. Reid convinced though and a'cuz a that he gets away with all sort a stuff.... Besides, even a little five year old knows the difference between what's his and what's not. And no matter how dumb he acts, Emory is way brainier than a five year old!"
Goniff held the deck of cards in one hand and the tin soldier in the other. "Well, I guess you and me will just have to take a side trip over to Mrs. Reid's after school tomorrow sos you can give this back.... And I s'pect you ought a tell her what you just told me 'bout her little Emory."
Eddie'd made it up out of the chair by that time, but he slunk back a bit at the thought of that. "Oh no... I'm not doin' nothin' like that! He's one a her favorites!"
Goniff considered the boy standing in front of him. He'd snatched his book up again and held it tightly clasped to his chest like a little shield. "Just you think about it a minute.... You'r one a my favorites.... D'you think I'd like goin' round thinkin' you were a dummy when you weren't no such thing?.... Why if you were a dummy, if you couldn't think better than a fiver you wouldn't be readin' that book a yours, would you? And you'r havin' a pretty good time doin' that...." He pocketed the tin soldier and the cards and dropped into a crouch in front of the boy. "Look... I don't know why that little Emory fella's play actin' like you say he's doin'... but don't you think it'd be better if Mrs. Reid knew about it sos she could help him? So he could learn t' do all the stuff you can do?"
"Don't you get it, Goniff? If Emory turns normal... she'll just give 'im away... Just like she does all the regular kids." He shook his head at the stupidity of grownups. "He doesn't want that... He likes it there!"
That rocked him right back on his heels and he had to sit there rubbing at his forehead to worry out what to say next. "Well, I'll help you make all a that clear to her... and then we'll leave it up to her and Emory." He shoved up onto his feet and stuck a hand out for the boy. "Now come on, you. Off t' bed..... I'll teach you a couple of the tricks upstairs after you'r all cleaned up."
g
Actor wasn't active enough to tire himself out, and the ache in his leg, while improved enough that he didn't require medication for pain, still disturbed his sleep. When he made his way to the library he was surprised to find the light on, and Eddie standing on the step in front of the dictionary. "What are you doing down here?" He said quietly from the doorway. "It's after midnight!"
The child didn't even jump, he was already half asleep. "D'you s'pose anyone just reads this big one here?"
He ushered the boy down off the step. "I suppose they do...." Actor chuckled as he absently turned the dictionary's pages. "but it wouldn't have much of a plot." He closed the big book and lifted it off its stand, placing it on one of the higher shelves out of the boy's reach. "Come on, back to bed with you... The books will all be here when you get up in the morning. I promise."
g
"You look terrible Goniff! Go back to bed."
The Warden was always the first one up in the morning. By the time they rolled out of their blankets, he'd been out for his run, had his shower and worked through half a pot of coffee. Most of the time he was pressed and dressed and in his uniform already sitting at his desk. Goniff staggered in as he was lacing up his shoes to start off on his run. There was more than another hour to go before he even had to think of being up to get Eddie started on the ritual of getting ready for school.
"What's the matter, couldn't you sleep?"
"Sleep?!" He sloshed coffee in a mug and stumbled across the kitchen and slouched into one of the chairs. "D' you know what the little devil did? 'Ee stuffed that bloody book a his up 'is shirt and snuck it into 'is bed. Then every time I got to sleepin' good 'ee ups and flips on the light to 'ave 'imself a little read!" He rested his head in his hands and groaned. "I'm gonna kill Actor for gettin' 'im started."
Garrison couldn't stop himself from laughing, just a little. "Are you going to keep him home from school?"
"Oh no! If 'ee's gonna cat around all night like that 'ee's gonna pay the price for it! I'll teach the little guttersnipe." He slumped further down onto his elbows. "Let's just see if the little bookworm can stay up all night tonight!" And with that threat still echoing through the quiet kitchen Goniff's head dropped onto his arm and he went off to sleep.
Craig watched as the little Brit snuggled more comfortably onto his arms. Stepping back over to the table he lifted the coffee mug away from Goniff's elbow, then shrugged out of the light jacket he wore, settling it over the cockney's shoulders before he left through the kitchen door.
ggg
They were falling into a routine and Eddie seemed to be getting more comfortable around them. He was still a little jumpy when he found himself alone with anyone other than Goniff, a fact that came home to them when he bolted out of the library where he'd been happily reading when he looked up and found Chief standing almost close enough to reach out and touch. Garrison was just coming out of his office when the boy made a rush for the stairs, he stepped to the door to find out what might have been broken...
Chief shrugged to the Warden's questioning look. "I don't know... I just came in and he took off like a scared rabbit.. I guess I must a spooked him or somethin'."
"Well, .. Next time, Chief, let him know you're about to come in. Call to him from the door so he doesn't just turn around and find you standing there."
"Yeah." The young man stood silently studying the carpet at his feet. "He acts so, ... so normal most a the time. It's easy to forget... You know..."
"I know. But he hasn't forgotten."
And there were still those bullies to deal with. Goniff had offered to hang around out side the school yard when they came out for their breaks,,, an idea that was firmly rejected by Eddie. He told them he'd handle it himself, and then he did his best to keep out of the groups way. .... But it didn't last. Another call came and Goniff was dispatched down for a meeting with the head of the school.
g
"The master will send for you in due time." And with that an officious little secretary shooed Goniff into the small room and shut the door. He stood looking at the thing that had closed just inches from his nose for a few moments before a sniffle off to his right drew his attention.
Huddled in the corner on a bench sat one dust covered little boy. The collar of his shirt was torn, his knees and an elbow were bloodied and just starting to scab over. He brought his arm up and wiped a bloody nose on his sleeve but never managed to look up and meet the cat burglar's eyes.
"Aw Eddie" Goniff stepped across the room and surveyed the damage a moment to make sure it was minor before he slid down onto the bench next to the boy. " you ain't had a fight for more'n a couple a weeks now.... What happened?"
"Nuthin'"
"Uh...." Goniff reached out and caught the child's chin in his fingers and tugged on it to turn his face up to the light. "'Nuthin'' don't get ya brung in front a the master.... And it don't gen'lry cause shiners 'n bloody noses." He turned loose and was left staring at a mass of tangled hair as the head drop right back in place and the boy continued to stare down at his knees in silence. "Come on... give it up. I gotta come up with a plan to get 'cha outta this mess don't I and I ain't gonna be able t' do it if I don't have no facts to work with." He reached into his pocket and held the folded cloth out to the child.
Eddie took the offering and pressed it to his upper lip to stop the blood that was still slowly trickling down from his nose. He sat there and tried to come up with something to say ... "He called me a poof."
"What's that?" The handkerchief held over his mouth had muffled Eddie's words and Goniff wanted to be sure he'd heard right. He reached out and pulled on a corner of the fabric until the boy let it drop away from his face and finally looked up at him. "Who called you that?"
"Geoffrey. He called me a poof... an a... a Nancy boy." Once he got started the whole story spilled out, how the bigger boy had been taunting him for the last few days and how he'd gotten some of the others started at it too. How they'd tried to corner him off in some forgotten hallway or back around the backside of a building out in the yard. "He says I went with the vicar... and now I went with you and that's why I'm one. Am I one Goniff? Am I a.."
"No! You'r no such a thing."
Goniff stood and paced the room for a moment. He'd run from the place before he could hear such stuff from the kids at the vicar's school. But he'd heard those names, and more later, from his own father. When the old man would get in his cups he'd start in on how unfair it was for him, loosing one son and having a faggot for another. Never around where's anyone could hear, not even his Mum, but loud enough for Goniff when he'd catch sight of him. It got worse as he got older and stayed kind a puny instead a bulkin' up like the other fellas. The birds just didn't like that he wasn't a big burly sort. They'd be friends with him easy enough, they'd laugh at his jokes and his little card tricks, but they wouldn't want to go about with him... And even now sometimes, when a girl he fancied said no, he had a hard time convincing' hisself that wasn't on account of what the old man said when he came right out and told him one time that it was 'cause he was bent.... ...
He came to a halt in front of the boy and stuck his hand out for him, when he took it he pulled him off the bench and onto his feet. Goniff dropped into a crouch in front of the child and laid his hand lightly on his shoulder. "You ain't somethin' just 'cause some thick headed little nit throws the name at ya."
Eddie's face brightened a moment before his brows scrunched back down into a frown. "What is a Nancy boy, Goniff?"
If he'd had two free hands he would have dropped his face into them to hide from the question, but as it was Goniff tossed a look at the roof over his head and waited for inspiration. "It's a fella that don't like girls."
"Blimey! Well then..."
"Never you mind...." Goniff ruffled the boys hair as he got to his feet. "You'll be thinkin different 'bout that in a few years." And he smiled to himself as he watch the boy consider that awful possibility. "C'mon. You 'n me got an interview with the bloody master a this place." And with that he tugged the boy after him out the door and into the hall.
g
"Goniff I just got off the phone with the school..."
"I, uh, ... I, uh, .... need to talk to you a bit about that place Warden."
"I thought you might." Garrison had taken the call that sent the cockney cat burglar down to his conference at the school and he'd see the man drive back in and watched as he escorted their bloodstained little pugilist back inside. He'd just been marking time, waiting in his office for the discussion he knew was coming. He waited for his second story man to get settled on the chair across the desk from him and let him fidget there awhile. "I managed to talk him out of calling the constable, Goniff, but why in the hell did you..."
"Aw the bloody bugger deserved it!" Goniff leaned forward and did a fair impersonation of an irritated Casino as he jabbed the air between them with a stiffened finger. "You know what he's been letting happen down there at that school Warden? The other little blokes a been callin' Eddie names and he's known about it this whole time and not done a thing to stop it... In fact he's got his own daft ideas that just needed knockin out of his head for him.!"
Garrison rubbed at the spot between his eyebrows a moment. "But Goniff you can't just go punching a man on the nose... Especially in front of.."
"Come on! What'd you take me for? Eddie was sitting out in the hall outside the git's office. I wouldn't a done that in front of 'em... I wouldn't a wanted 'im to hear what we was talkin' 'bout. And I bloody hell wouldn't a wanted 'im t' learn none a the names I called the gormless nit!" The little Brit shot off his chair and started pacing around the room, after a turn or two he turned on his commander. "He wanted to throw Eddie out a that place... You know what I told him, Warden? I told him he shouldn't be allowed to have no decent boy in his bloody school if that's how he was gonna let him be treated and I grabbed up Eddie and took off from there before I could wring his scrawny neck for him! And then you know what I done? Me and Eddie, we took a little drive over to that Geoffrey's house and I had me a nice little chat with 'is old man." Goniff slumped into the chair again and stared defiantly across the desk. "So that phone a yours might just be ringin' again when that fella gets off 'is backsides." He scrubbed at his face for a moment before he looked up and continued. "And you know who little Geoffrey's got for 'is balmy old man, then? One a the magistrates that was sittin' in that hearin'. One a them's that's gonna decided if that bloody vicar gets what's comin to him or not!"
ggg
Actor made good on his original offer and started Eddie on instruction there at the estate. He made a trip down to the school, and after soothing the master's ruffled feathers, and a little discussion of what a barrister might have to say about Eddie's treatment by the children and the master's failure to do anything about it, found out where the children were in their studies. He found the master extremely helpful in arranging for the tests they were to have being sent out to the mansion so the boy could keep abreast of his fellow students. One of the teachers would come to administer the tests he said, to eliminate any possibility of cheating. And once Actor got the boy settled and engaged in his studies he verified his original opinion. Eddie had a quick mind and an eagerness to learn and as soon as the burden of constant teasing and the need to defend himself was lifted off his shoulders he happily settled into his lessons.
The manor had a vast library and the con man made good use of it, along with all of the other props the estate offered. He soon had his pupil acting out his lessons as he and his brother had done and he found willing confederates in the other cons. Even the Sergeant Major and some of the men of the guard detail were willing to get into the act. He claimed the boy had out paced his schoolmates within a few days as mathematics turned easily into trajectory at the firing range, or just how to counterbalance a load that was to be lifted over one of the barriers on the obstacle course. The house and grounds became the country itself as Eddie learned its history from the reference books and novels inside. And as he played at fighting the battles that brought the rulers to power, marshalling the troops he made of Goniff, Casino and Chief, he had no trouble imagining the armor they wore or the weapons they used as there were fine examples standing along the corridor and mounted on the walls in the main hall.
When the lesson turned to world geography he had personal experience to learn from. Actor and the Warden had traveled all over Europe, Rawlins had an intimate knowledge of the northern part of Africa and he could always turn to Casino and Chief for details on the east coast and western states of North American. As to reading and spelling Eddie proved himself an apt instructor as Goniff joined him in the library and fell easily into the roll of pupil as the boy instructed him on just how to accomplish the magic of navigating his way through the large dictionary to find the proper spelling and meaning of the words that were waiting there to be discovered. And it was more than one evening of the week that it was Goniff who was read to sleep upstairs in the dormitory the men shared, not Eddie.
When the teacher came out to give him the weekly test on all of his subjects there was no shortage of eager, nervous supporters waiting outside the library for results of the examination.
g
"How'd he do?" The muffled sound of cheering that made it's way through the door to his office left little doubt as to the results of the examination, but Garrison wanted to give Goniff the chance to brag on the boy.
"Ee's a real egghead, just like Actor said 'ee was! That teacher was gonna go off without markin' 'is tests but we convinced 'er." Goniff was puffed up with pride in the little bloke. "She says he'd a come top of the class if he'd been there with the rest a them." He settled into the chair and grinned happily across the desk at his commander. "Why 'ee could be anything 'ee wants t'be with brains like that... And doin' 'is laps and chasin' us around the obstacle course 'ee's even workin' up a little bit a brawn. She was amazed at the change in 'im." Goniff had worked hard on the boys manners for the upcoming test too, and he'd got the 'Yes, ma'am, No ma'am's' just right.
ggg
Eddie was picking through the few things Goniff had on the table that sat between his bed and the boy's cot. He didn't mean any harm, he just wanted to handle the stuff. When he heard a noise in the hallway it startled him and the little plate he had in his hand slipped from his fingers, landed right on it's edge on the rug and broke into a million pieces. Eddie dropped to his knees and quickly scooped up the evidence, earning himself a few slivers for his efforts. He took the larger pieces to the can in the corner of the large room and hid them away under the trash that was already there, then went back, after checking the hallway, and painstakingly pinched every bit of the shattered plate off the carpet. When he stood up to survey the scene of his crime there was still a bit of powdered plate visible on the rug... He rubbed that in with his shoe.
That evening when they went up to settle in Goniff absently lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag while Eddie fidgeted over getting ready for bed. The little pick pocket looked on as the boy shuffle footed over changing his clothes and finally settled onto his cot. He turned to knock the ash out into the painted ceramic dish he kept next to his bed and ended up with a palm full of the stuff when he realized at almost the last minute that the bloody thing was missing. Muttering to himself he stalked over to the other side of the big fire place and started nosing through Casino's things.. He'd be the most likely to make off with the item. When he didn't find it there he dumped his load of ash in the fireplace, brushed his hands together over the logs and went on a proper hunt through the large room the men shared as Eddie watched from the protection of his cot. The little dish wasn't anywhere to be found and by the time the others started wandering up to the room he was well and truly ticked off.
"Alright! Which one a you lousy crumbs nicked my little painted dish, then?" He accused, staring each of them up and down in turn.
Casino didn't even bother looking up. "What'r you flappin' your gums about now?"
'C'mon... you know. That plate I took from the..." he shot a look in Eddie's direction and saw that he wasn't asleep like he thought, just quietly watching the commotion from his cot. "uh, that little plate I, uh, ... had next to me bed for an ashtray."
"What do I want if for? I got my own." They all did, all of 'em that smoked anyway.... But that didn't mean they wouldn't occasionally remove something one a the other guys had just to be irritating.
Goniff turned expectantly towards Actor and watched as he folded the sweater he'd worn carefully away onto the shelves that stood in the corner near his cot. "You don't think that I would bother with that pitiful replica do you?" The idea didn't warrant the effort it took to deny it.
"Hey! That was genuine! I got it from...... The bloke I got it from told me so." Goniff was finding it increasingly difficult to interrogate his teammates while keeping certain facts about the object from reaching the curious little ears of a certain guest of his. He turned on Chief last. "OK Chiefy... Joke's up, mate. Give it over."
"It wasn't none a them, Goniff." Eddie pulled the blankets up tighter around his throat. "I, uh, ... I broke it."
Goniff turned and made his way back to the side of the boy's cot. "Well whyn't you say somethin' then?"
"I thought you'd be mad when you found out." he sniffed out. "I thought you wouldn't want me around if you knew I broke it."
"What? That old thing? That ain't worth nuthin' compared to you Eddie." Besides it was one of those little items he wasn't s'pose t' have about the place...at least according to the Warden anyway. He crouched down so he was face to face with the little bloke. "You don't have nothin' to be sorry of if it was an accident. You didn't break it on purpose did ya?"
Eddie wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and took a shuddering breath. "N-no. A 'course not!"
"Then you just relax and go on to sleep." He ruffled up the boys hair for him and grinned as the tension went out of the bony little shoulders. Pushing up to his feet he turned to start on his own preparations for bed.
"Great! Now that mystery's solved you think we can turn the lights out? That crazy little limey Sergeant's got it in for us tomorrow. He's threatenin' a morning on the obstacle course and an afternoon of hand to hand...." And he turned on Goniff. "Seems some stuff's gone missing out a his office and he's steamed up enough to take it out on all a us."
Goniff stiffened and stopped in mid button. He met Casino's irritated stare and held it a moment before licking suddenly dry lips. "I think I'll just go down an see what's on offer in the kitchen before I turn it." Re-buttoning his shirt he started for the door.
"You need any help." The group's explosive expert called out.
"NO! No. I can handle it.... I'll be back up in half a mo'."
g
Miss McKenzie had come to give Eddie his tests the next day and instead of coming out with him and giving them the scores so they could start their celebration like she usually did, she and the boy stayed in the library with their heads together over some special project. She even made a trip out the next morning and handed over a box, and even though he tried the little pick pocket couldn't worm just what it contained or what was going on out of the boy. For the remainder of the day rather than be underfoot asking questions like he usually did Eddie kept to himself.
He'd tried to leave the little bloke alone, it seemed that's what he wanted, but he'd got used to having someone under foot. Now it wasn't enough just to sit next to the fire smoking and taking his ease. Even playing cards with the others seemed a bit boring and he didn't like going off to the pub and leaving the kid behind so he found himself wandering back up to the room Eddie'd holed up in. Maybe they'd find a book they could read, or he'd show him another of his card tricks. Blimey, maybe they'd take a turn around the obstacle course, for some bizare reason he couldn't understand Eddie seemed to enjoy that...
Goniff could see Eddie from the hallway, the little boy had his back to him, sitting at the table as he worked. It was obvious from the set of his shoulders and the exasperated sighs that he was having some difficulty. So Goniff stepped inside to see what was up and see if he could help out a bit.
"What 'cha doin', Eddie?"
With one sweep of his arm the little boy cleared his project off the table into his lap and sat protectively hunched over it. "S' nuthin'."
Goniff stepped a little closer, peering over his shoulder. "Don't look like nuthin'."
"It's s'pose t'be a s'prise."
The pick pocket carefully reached out and picked up the tent of newsprint that covered Eddie's legs, sliding it back over the table to reveal the jumble in the boy's lap. "I am s'rprised." And wrapping delicate fingers around the object he sat it back on it's bed of paper, puzzling over it a moment. "What is it, then?"
Eddie glared at the thing on the table with disgust. "It's s'pose t'be an ashtray..."
"Oh. Well, uh,... Well,... It's a dandy."
"It's pathetic."
"No it's not... It's, ... it's..." Goniff wished he had command of all of the words Actor had stored in his head as he searched for some way to describe the formless lump of clay that sat before them on the table. "It's..."
"It's grotty!" A small fist landed on the object, smashing it down onto the paper. "All of 'em are... I can't do it! Miss McKenzie told me how, but...." and as the heat of anger bled away only despair was left. "I can't do anything."
"A'course you can!" Goniff moved around to the side of the table where he could see into the boys face and found it puffy and tear streaked, he'd obviously been struggling over this for some time. "You just need a bit more, uh,.... A bit more practice..."
Eddie didn't look up to meet the cat burglar's gaze, concentrating instead on scrapping at the drying clay that clung to his hands with his fingernails. "It's no use. I'll never get it." And he took a shuddering sniff. "I'm too thick t'get it."
"Don't you say no such a thing! Why you ain't thick at all. I figure you'r prob'ly 'bout the cleverest little bloke 'round here." Goniff dropped into a crouch next to the boy. "And that was one a the best ashtrays I ever seen... before you went and punched it like you done."
Eddie looked up, searching for the lie. "You mean it Goniff?"
"A'course I do." The little man's grin dimmed as a new flow of tears started. "What's wrong now?"
"I was makin' it for you." Eddie wiped his face on the crook of his arm. "And, ... and now I gone 'n ruined it!" he took another heaving sniff. "I can't do anything right."
Goniff tried to reach out and comfort the boy but was met by a stiffly turned shoulder so he switched his attention to the misshapen piece of clay. "Wait just a minute here." The second story man carefully peeled the object off its paper and held it up to the light, turning it this way and that as he studied it with a professional squint. "You know.. I think you might a just made it even better... I'm no expert, but I think what you got here's what they'd call 'modern art." And he caught Eddie take a peek out of the corner of his eye. "Sure!... See, this little scrunched up piece here is where the fag can sit and it'll be real easy t' clean 'cause you mushed the rim right down over here." He watched as the little boy sat up a little straighter in the chair. "I got me a real one of a kind here. I'll have t' find a secret spot for it 'cause the other fellas'll be wantin' it for their self's."
"You really like it?"
"Sure I do! It's an original Eddie, ain't it?" He placed the masterpiece gently back in front of the artist again. "But I want it signed and all."
"Okay... But I'm not done with it..." The boy reached out and pinched up a piece of clay. "I got a paint it and then it has t' sit in the sun in the window so it's all dried out and...." Eddie shot a tentative look at the cat burglar. "Say Goniff... do you really think the other blokes 'ud want one?"