They rode around in the car most of the night and the next day parked by the river and sprawled in the long grass. The girl and her baby were tired and the baby kept crying. The girl's husband told her to quieten it and when she argued he slapped her face. After that she sat in the car for the rest of the day.
Towards late afternoon they pooled their money and bought three sandwiches, a bottle of milk for the baby, and some petrol. Then they started driving, going nowhere in particular. Joe, the girl's husband, wanted Terry to drive them to Southport. He said he knew someone there and they could get some money. When Terry asked how Joe laughed and the girl began to cry. Joe swore at her and giggled and said he knew why Terry was angry with him when he made his wife cry.
They arrived in Southport just before midnight and made their way to the street where Joe's contact lived. The girl had fallen asleep during the journey but when the car stopped she opened her eyes and said, "Oh no." Joe sniggered and asked if she wanted to come in with them. She shook her head. "You were keen enough last time," he said, and she looked at the floor. Terry told him to shut his mouth.
Joe and Terry walked up to the front door and a middle-aged man opened it and smiled when he saw Joe. He invited them in and asked Joe to introduce his friend and wanted to know why his wife wasn't coming in to join them. Joe laughed and said she wasn't in the mood for it. The man gave them drinks and they all sat in the living-room, talking, and Joe and the man went upstairs. The man had wanted Terry to go with them if Joe's wife wasn't going to be there but Terry shook his head.
When they came down the man made another drink and Joe asked him for some money. "I'm a bit short just now," the man said, "but I'll see you right next time." Joe pushed him and he staggered and fell over a chair. He scrambled to his feet and ran upstairs but they caught him and dragged him into the bathroom. His nose was bleeding and his pyjama-pants had fallen around his ankles. Joe kicked him in the groin and the man started to cry and said "Please don't," but Joe bent down and punched him in the face. The heavy ring he wore made deep cuts each time he hit the man.
Terry grabbed Joe's arm and said, "Hey, stop it, you crazy fucker." The man lay still and Joe kicked his head.
They ransacked the house and took a portable radio and the money they found. When they got back to the car the girl saw the blood on Joe's clothes and hands and she said, "Oh, Christ, what have you done now?" He told her to stop whining and Terry said, "Come on, come on. There's a light on in the house next door."
The police picked them up three days later near Manchester. They weren't hard to find because they'd parked under a street light near the man's house and the people next door gave a good description of the car. Joe's jacket hadn't been cleaned properly and the radio was on the back seat. When Terry asked what they would be charged with one of the policeman said, "You bastards. That poor bloke choked to death on his own puke after you'd finished with him."
At the police-station the girl asked if someone could get her a bottle of milk for the baby. They'd spent all the money that Joe and Terry had stolen and had been wondering what they could do to get some more.
© Copyright Jim Burns 2001