Chapter 42

Small Heath - Birmingham - England

Monday March 15, 1920

Mid-morning - Black Star Day

Tommy POV

The day had finally come, the Lee's were in place and ready. Polly, Arthur, John, Esme and the boys were gathered in the den. They were ready. Taking a quick deep breath he projected his voice so everyone could hear.

"Right. I brought you all here today, cause this is the day we replace Billy Kimber. This is the day we become respectable. The day we join the official National Association of Racecourse Bookmakers. But first we do the dirty work. Now you've all known this days been comin' , I just haven't told anyone the date. We're goin' to the Worcester Races. Track opens at one we get there at two. Kimber thinks we're goin' there to help him fight the Lee brothers. But thanks to the efforts of our John and his lovely new wife Esme the Lee's are now our kin. So it'll be us and the Lee's against Kimber's boys. We take them out then leave the bookies. I expect a swift victory which will send a signal all the way to London that we believe in letting legitimate businesses run peacefully."

Looking around everyone seemed to be ready to do what needed to be done. John's voice spoke low but firm.

"And uh, what about Kimber himself?"

Tommy looked at his brother and nodded before answering, "I'll deal with Kimber. Any other questions?"

The room remained silent, so he nodded his head to everyone.

"Do what you need to ta prepare. Then meet at the trucks."

**********0**********

Things had been goin' swimmingly until that fucker Kimber put a bullet in his shoulder. He'd had a moment after it'd happened. He hadn't been able to believe it until he'd reached up and gingerly touched the wound, his fingers coming away with his own blood on them. It had been chaos after that shot. Yelling, gunfire, the sounds of bones breaking and blood spattering. For some reason Kimber had thought he had better aim than he actually did. While he'd been busy congratulating himself for shooting Thomas Shelby, Tommy'd lifted his own gun and put a bullet between the fuckers eyes.

Most of Kimber's men seemed to deflate after his death. Some surrendered, some ran, didn't really matter. Shelby Company Limited was now in possession of one of the biggest legal race track syndicates in the country. The first half of his plan was complete. The only problem was now he had a hole in his shoulder, a peice of lead lodged deep within and his own warm blood soaking through his shirts and coating his torso. He still needed to make sure the second part of his plan was in place. Arthur and John came over and grabbed his arms as the blood loss gave him a dizzy spell. Arthur was yelling for Jeremiah as he was led over to one of their trucks.

He could feel the weakness comin' on but he wasn't done yet.

"John..."

"Yeah, Tommy."

"John, I need ya ta go and finish things up at Kimber's residence. Take a handful of the boys with ya, when ya get there, take the back road to the carriage house. You'll find the gadze there. Give him the papers, he'll take care of the rest. Make sure you remind him whom he works for now just in case he's thinkin' bout not comin' through for us. And don't let anyone other than him see you comin and goin'."

"Alright Tommy, I'll take care of it and I'll see you back at the pub."

He watched John nod to him before Jeremiah pressed a balled up piece of cloth to his wound to try and stifle the blood flow.

"Get it done John...all of this will have been for nothin' if we don't get it done."

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as he heard banging on the vehicle and the crank of the engine before the rolling movement of wheels on pavement vibrated up through the floor to him.

Adelisa Aiglentine

Mid - Afternoon

Carrick POV

The description for what he was feeling came to him as he sat at his desk and stared at the blue sky outside his window. Numb. He felt numb. A part of him still could not grasp the concept that they hadn't been able to find Aoife. She had never resurfaced after going under the water. They had all been frantic and had caught a small piece of hope when they'd spotted Cho flailing to stay above the water below them. Yet Aoife and his other two men hadn't been found.

A part of him was begging him to believe that it was fate. How else could one possibly accept that the squall had dissipated as quickly as it had appeared shortly after claiming his men, his... baby sister.

No one aside from those aboard the Adelisa knew anything about what had transpired that day two and a half weeks ago. The squall had been large and traversed a gigantic span, wrecking three of the relay boosters along their route. They'd had no communication since Fiji. They should have it back today... he couldn't bear to think about the call he was going to have to make in just a short while. He had to inform his parents... they would inform their grandparents and the news would travel quickly from there. Aine would tell Alfie, lord knows she needed his comfort right now such that he could give her. Ada was going to tell her brother.

One second. One second made up of an accumulated set of perfect circumstances and life would never be the same for any of them. He slammed his eyelids closed as he felt moisture start to build and took deep shuddering breaths to try and calm the emotional storm that was continually trying to break him down. With his eyes closed he could swear that he could hear Aoife chuckling at him. Her voice thick with mirth.

"Stop fighting it so hard, let them fall, no one can see you and even if they did I somehow think they'd understand. Besides once you let them fall, they're gone. Plus you've still got a ship to sail and crew to care for. Let it out and be done with it!"

"If I let them fall then I'll have to accept the truth."

"Ahh, big brother... you have to accept it either way. You all need to deal and get back to normal. Do you honestly think that I enjoy watching the lot of you being all weepy and maudlin. I mean I get it, it's sad and your hurting but seeing my siblings happy is what makes me happy... So are the lot of you trying to make me miserable?"

"I'm sorry Aoife, I'm so sorry."

"Why the bloody hell are you sorry?"

"I should have done something, I should have..."

"Last time I checked mother nature was still more powerful than the entirety of our family put together. There's nothing to be sorry for, and nothing to feel guilty over...So you listen to me big brother and you listen good! You live your life, and you be happy! I lived, I loved, and I have far fewer regrets than most can attest to. No one lives forever. Always remember it's not the beginning or the ending that truly matter it's what we do with the time in between the two that makes the difference.

I'm not ready to let you go, we're not ready to lose you.

"... None of you will ever lose me, I'll always be just right there... nestled safely in your hearts. Take care big brother, one day we will meet again. Until then... make me proud!"

Reilly POV

The door to the Captain's cabin was slightly ajar and he went to enter before stopping midway through the entrance. He silently took his brother in, hunched over on himself, hands covering his face as his shoulders shuddered in what he could only describe as agony. He felt it too, they all did. He'd never seen Carrick cry, not once, not ever. It was all unreal.

He kept expecting to hear Aoife's voice teasing him or ordering him about. Every time he was down in the hold to spar he always expected to see her in there knocking the crap out of one of the men. Or in more recent months training Ada. Running the deck, bantering with the men, laughing with Aine. It wasn't fair.

He quietly backed out of the threshold and closed the door to give his brother privacy for his grief.

Eirnin POV

He sat at coms, waiting to pick up a signal that would tell them that coms were working again. One of the others could have done it but he had them stationed at the nav controls. All he could seem to do was stare into space. They'd soldiered on, they'd transferred the Shelby's cargo to the correct people, they'd done their duties, fulfilled the jobs that were expected of them. But they were still moving around in a haze and he wondered when it would clear. Wondered when it did if the pain would be less or worse. All he knew was that it would never be gone.

Ada POV

It was a nightmare. One that everyone seemed to be waiting to wake from. She hadn't been able to believe it when they'd told them. She had been there... then she was just gone... Finn wasn't taking it well, he'd been holed up in his cabin just as Aine had been. Only coming out for food, rarely going on deck. When she'd tried to comfort him he'd said it wasn't right, that it couldn't be true because she still had four lives left. The comment had reminded her of the stories of all her close calls they'd heard months ago back home.

She missed her friend, felt the aching pain in her heart at her absence and she knew that Aoife's siblings were in an even deeper agony. She'd been closer to Aoife than Aine but she tried to be there for Aine as much as she could, as much as the other woman would let her. She believed that there had been a couple of occasions where she'd managed to help Aine through the day.

Today she'd found herself looking into the Coms room and watching Eirnin stare listlessly at the screen. Waiting for the little notification that would tell them they could finally send out a call. A call none of them wanted to send. She didn't know how she was going to tell Tommy about Aoife. She wanted to tell him in person, this was the type of news you told someone in person. Not over a com line thousands of kilometers away. How could she tell her brother that the reason for his recent laughter, warmth, happiness was, was... gone. That he'd never see the woman she knew he'd fallen in love with ever again. So much had been taken from him already, it wasn't fair that Aoife had been taken too.

She entered the room and walked over to Eirnin. His eyes that had once held merriment and so much light were void of any emotion. She understood the gravity of their loss and while he may not accept her comfort she was still going to offer it. Gently she placed her hand on his hunched shoulder, the muscles beneath her fingers tightened. She waited a moment giving him the opportunity to either accept or deny her offer. She was both surprised and relieved when he relaxed beneath her hold. His opposite arm rising across his chest to gently entwine their fingers, giving a slight squeeze to acknowledge and thank her.

Small Heath - Birmingham

#6 Watery Lane

Polly POV

She watched Esme flit about the sitting room. Picking things that were out of place up and putting them away properly. On and on and on, she just couldn't seem to sit still... nerves, probably. Thinking on it, this was the first time she'd been around when the boys were out taking care of this sort of business. Esme was used to the work in the den and even the protection racket that at times called on John to go out and take care of things.

"Esme... pour yourself a couple fingers and sit down. You're driving me batty with all your fidgeting about."

She watched the girl take deep breath and incline her head.

"Sorry Aunt Pol."

"Hm. I understand, just sit down and try to calm yourself."

She thought about saying something encouraging to help alleviate the girls anxiety but was interrupted in her musings by the phone line ringing. It was too early to be hearing anything from the boys. Getting up she walked to the hall and picked up the line.

"Hello."

"Aunt Pol."

"Ada, we weren't expecting to hear from you till later this evening. Everyone else is out."

"..."

"Ada?"

"I'm here. That might be for the best. I need to talk to you Aunt Pol."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"...Aoife's gone Aunt Pol."

"What?... Gone?... What do you mean gone, Ada?"

"...Gone, Aunt Pol...Just gone."

Esme POV

Esme watched curiously as Polly spoke to Ada. The one sided conversation was strange, she couldn't quite figure the meaning. However when Polly's hand flew up to cover her mouth, almost as if to stifle a denial and she slowly sank back against the wall for support she knew that whatever Ada was telling her wasn't good. She immediately thought of Johns little ones. Had something happened to one them, or perhaps to his little brother Finn? She figured if it had been something to do with Polly's son Michael she would have been more distraught than she seemed.

Quickly standing she went to Polly as she watched her slowly hang up the line.

"That was Ada. Did something happen? Is everyone alright Aunt Polly?"

"Our family is fine."

"..."

"But when I tell Thomas... he won't be."

Esme helped Polly back into the arm chair she'd been sitting in and grabbed a glass of rum for her to sip.

"What happened Aunt Pol?"

"Tommy's lost Aoife... She was lost at sea."

"She went overboard? Surely they're still searching and will find her. Airmen are trained for that situation aren't they?"

"It was at night in the middle of a horrible storm... almost three weeks ago now... she's gone."

Camden Town - London - England

Solomons Bakery

Evening

Alfie POV

A few of his boys were working on a new distillery and it seemed to be a promising way to increase their productivity. They were busy showing him how it would when Ollie came trotting into the back room.

"Adelisa on the line sir."

"Mm. Right. Carry on boys and bring me a sample of the product it produces when it's done."

Rising from his perch against a worktable he made his way toward his office, making sure to close the door behind him. It'd been a while since the last check in. He'd been worried and had a contact look into the issue. Thankfully it had just been a series of downed relays that kept communications from going through.

Settling down into his chair he picked up the line.

"Aine?"

"Uh..no it's Eirnin. I just wanted to get you on line before sending for her."

Based on the tone and the fact that it wasn't one of the girls talking to him now, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that something wasn't right.

"Aine's alright?"

"...Yes, she's physically fine Alfie, morning sickness seems to have passed."

"Mm. Right...What aren't ya tellin' me, eh?"

"... It's... it's Aoife, Alfie... She... She's... we lost her."

"...How the bloody fuck do ya lose someone, mm? Tell me!"

"The sea took her from us, during a night squall."

"Mm night squall, well you're still looking for her eh, she's got ta be somewhere. Ya just need ta keep lookin'!"

"She's been gone for almost three weeks Alfie. We lost her at night, during a squall, with rain and lightning and thirty foot waves in the shark infested waters of the Indian Ocean...she went in and never came back up. We're almost to England now. Should be docking in London in about five, six days... She's gone Alfie."

"Fuck."

"Talk to Aine, Alfie. The only time she comes out of her cabin is to eat."

"Mm. Yeah, right."

Ollie POV

Today should be a good day. The boss was always in a better mood after a check in with the Adelisa. He'd been in an especially good mindset when he'd come back from wherever he'd disappeared to a few weeks ago. Plus they should be back in England by the end of the month which would brighten the bosses mood too. He knew that Alfie had been worried because they hadn't checked in, in a while. This should ease all that tension he'd seen building up in him.

They'd been busy but everything was running smoothly, he watched as a couple of the boys who were workin' on the new equipment were making their way to the office. Looks like they were carrying the sample the boss had wanted. He was about to ask them how it had turned out, when the sound of shattering glass came from inside the bosses office. It was followed quickly by another loud crash and what sounded like a heavy piece of furniture splintering against a hard surface.

Something had set the boss off... bad. He looked back at the boys and motioned for them to hand him the sample before shooing them back to the workshop. When the corridor was clear he listened and waited patiently to ensure that no more sounds of destruction were coming from inside the office.

He slowly approached the door and tapped softly against the glass. When no response came he steeled himself and carefully opened the door to peer inside. The boss was standing behind his upended desk, his hands fisted by his sides, breathing heavy and erratic. He could tell immediately that the boss needed to hit something... repeatedly. He hoped to God that Aine hadn't left him.

"Boss?"

"..."

Alfie raised his head and looked at him, a burning fire in his eyes the likes of which he couldn't remember ever seeing before.

"Right, mm... Lock up tonight Ollie, eh."

"...Of course Boss..."

He watched as his boss trudged past him and started to head in the direction of the loading bay. He stopped and turned back slightly, not quite enough to be able to read his face that well. His voice was so low that he barely managed to catch what was said.

"Aoife's dead."

There was nothing he could say to that, they hadn't been together but they'd been close... they'd been family. The boss didn't have much family... this hurt.

Small Heath - Birmingham - England

Garrison Pub

Evening

Tommy POV

They'd made it back to the pub, where he'd been sat in a chair on the bar room floor surrounded by Blinders. Arthur was making him slug back whiskey from the bottle. While Jeremiah busied himself with some battlefield surgery. Digging out the bullet that was lodged inside his shoulder. After much grunting and cursing the bullet was pulled out and dropped into a glass on the table. Arthur made him swallow more.

"Just one last thing Tommy!"

Arthur quickly grabbed the back of his neck tilting him backwards and shoved the lip of the bottle into his wound, pouring the alcohol in to disinfect it. He knew he'd let out a shout but then it was over and Jeremiah got to stitching him up before wrapping it.

Shortly thereafter a bang came from the front door and John came inside followed by the boys who'd gone with him to meet the gadze. John quickly came over and nodded to him.

"It's done Tommy."

"Get me a pen and paper."

He quickly wrote the note he needed to send to Taylor to get him in motion.

"Get me a runner, this needs to be delivered tonight."

Tommy passed off the note to John, knowing he'd get it sent out. Once Taylor retrieved the shipment all of this should be over. Then the only thing he'd need to worry about were the blokes that would eventually show up looking for Grace. Bastien had informed him that her ex-father in law had indeed hired a few men to track her down and take her back to New York. Though he'd also said that there had been no word on the men leaving the colonies as of yet. His connections were keeping a watch on air and sea travel so that Tommy would know roughly when to expect them.

Inspector Taylor POV

He'd been sitting in his office going over the reports about the recent activity at the Worcester Races. It wasn't within his jurisdiction but he knew the Peaky Blinders had been involved in the violence that had erupted there earlier in the day. He had reports that said Thomas Shelby had been shot, though no one knew how badly he was injured, just that he hadn't been dead when he'd left the place.

He was debating his next move with the man when a knock came at his door.

"Enter."

A young constable that usually worked behind the front desk rushed inside.

"Sir, this letter was just dropped off for you, the runner said it was urgent."

He took the letter from the young man and waved him out. Opening the letter he recognized Shelby's handwriting, though there was no signature or sign off at the bottom of this one.

I believe you'll find information on your missing shipment at the location listed below. Unfortunately due to unexpected events the culprit behind it's theft has already been fitted for a pine box. I thought it prudent to get this information to you as I am unaware if there are other players involved and do not know how long the shipment will be available for recovery. I have done my part, the rest is up to you.

He swiftly went over the rest of the note and called his men into his office. They'd be moving out within the next ten minutes. He had a shipment of military arms to recover.

**********0**********

The address had been that of Billy Kimber, who was indeed no longer among the living. They'd searched the property thoroughly and found the hidden cache of money, account books and various other documentation. Among which was the invoice for a large, heavy shipment that left Birmingham the day after the arms went missing. Contents listed as motor vehicle engine parts... Now why would Billy Kimber have an invoice for a shipment of engine parts and why were they insured for an astronomical amount.

After interviewing several of the man's employees it was no surprise to learn that Kimber and Shelby didn't get along even though it would seem Shelby was working for Kimber. Based on eyewitness testimony Kimber had been quite vocal in his disdain and hatred for Shelby. The man had quite a few colorful names and phrases for the man and the Peaky Blinders. I quote a 'Diddicoy razor gang, fucking Gypsy scum, along with calling Shelby himself a Pikey', just to name a few. Obviously no love lost and a healthy dose of animosity.

It was plausible that Kimber did set Shelby up. The paperwork said the shipment was in holding. Which suggested a man waiting for Shelby to go down for the theft. If Shelby went down for it with the information that was known he could then find a buyer for the shipment, but he was keeping it set aside in case he needed it to implicate Shelby further. The question was, was this Kimber smart enough to concoct such a plan or not? Unfortunately the man was now dead and could no longer answer any questions.

He'd decide on what course of action to take with Shelby once he had the shipment in hand and not before.