The Piggy Farmer (The Barrington Patch Book 3), Emmy Ellis [electric book reader txt] 📗

get rid of Sharon as well now? Will she expect me to help her like she did with Vance? Will Sharon end up in Marlene?

“I’ve decided not to do owt about you, Sharon,” Cassie said, “so don’t go shitting yourself all over Brenda’s nice chair. I’m well aware you weren’t prepared to go against me or Mam.”

“How?” Sharon blinked, her eyelashes clogged with tears.

“Never you mind. So long as you keep this shit to yourself, you’re golden. If you need to chat about it, do it with me, Mam, or Brenda here. No one else. Do I make myself clear?”

Sharon nodded. “I won’t breathe a word.”

“I can see you won’t, considering you didn’t warn me about what Karen was up to. A sneaky secret-keeper, that’s what you are—so make sure you remain that way with everyone else. Although, if you hear of someone wanting to take over the patch, or owt whatsoever to do with me or Mam, or even Brenda, you’d better tell me.”

Even me? Brenda was well chuffed to be included, to be that important to Cassie.

The patch leader slapped the table. “This is your first and only warning, got it?”

Sharon whined, covered her eyes, and sobbed.

Cassie glanced at Brenda and rolled her eyes. Brenda gave her a smile and stubbed her ciggie out, immediately lighting a second. She blew smoke away from her guests (she wasn’t that much of a heathen), and took another draw of her drink, willing the caffeine and nicotine to keep her on an even keel.

First and only warning. Sharon had better behave, or she’d find herself in the same situation as Karen.

Sharon lifted her head and dragged her hands down her face, resting them either side of her untouched coffee. Drips were already drying on the outside of the mug where she’d spilt it, and there’d be a ring stain on the table, which irritated Brenda. She whipped a tea towel off the side and cleaned up the mess.

“What…what happened?” Sharon asked.

You were clumsy, that’s what happened. I swear, if this stain doesn’t come off…

Cassie focused on Sharon instead of Brenda’s frantic wiping. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Fair enough. I wrecked her face with my weapon—Karen was unrecognisable by the time I’d finished with her. Lots of blood. My associate slashed her cheeks with a knife. We’d planned to impale her on The Beast’s tail, like Karen had in store for me—fitting to turn her idea back round onto her, I reckon—but in the end, she had her throat slit, her stomach stabbed, and Marlene dealt with her after that.”

Sharon let out a weird noise, half screech, half groan. “My God…”

“She shouldn’t have overstepped the mark. Let it be a lesson to you.” Cassie drank her coffee as though she hadn’t just described something hideous.

Brenda shivered and sucked on her fag. Fucking hell, it sounded like they’d gone to town on Karen, overboard even. Who was the associate? Francis? Jason? Was Cassie saving his comeuppance for when she had solid proof of what he had in mind?

“Go home, Sharon,” Cassie said. “And from now on, you’ll be dealing with Doreen Prince when it comes to The Life. She’s taken over writing it. I don’t need your input, as in, you won’t be meeting up with her to discuss the articles. Just edit them when she emails them to you.”

Sharon’s mouth sagged. “What?”

“You heard me.” Cassie scowled. “If you’re worried about your five hundred a week, it’s safe.” A pause. “For now. You’ll continue to be my ears—and you’d better get listening, else I’ll start suspecting you’re not on the level an’ all.” She waved at the door absently. “Say nowt about Karen. You’ll understand what you can say once you’ve received the next instalment of The Life. Go on, piss off, I need a private chat with Brenda.”

That had the coffee in Brenda’s stomach all but curdling. A private chat?

Sharon rose and stumbled out, a muffled “Oh!” escaping from behind the hand over her mouth. The shock of everything had properly set in, and she undoubtedly wondered how she was going to convince people she didn’t know owt about Karen ‘moving away’, because Brenda knew that was code in The Life for ‘dead’.

The front door snicked shut.

Cassie sighed. “What a stupid fucking cow.”

Brenda couldn’t argue with that. “She sounded genuine when she told me she didn’t want owt to do with it, though.”

“I agree—someone else told me the same thing. Sharon’s on her last legs with me. One more misdemeanour, no matter how small, and I’ll have her. I can’t be doing with baggy lips—unless they’re giving me information. Now then…” Cassie twisted to face Brenda. “I’ll be adding another five hundred to your weekly wage. I want you to keep an eye on Sharon. Get friendlier with her—that’ll be easy because she’ll need someone to fill the void Karen’s murder has created, plus she’ll be at a loose end, what with not having any meetings about The Life. I want you to monitor what she’s up to in case she decides to do a Karen on me.”

“Fine by me. She said she’s giving up the supermarket, so she’ll be even more lost. I’ll make a habit of nipping over there each day before I go and see Sid. Act like I’m concerned about her.”

“Good. The private thing I need to discuss… You won’t be seeing Jason around anymore.”

Oh shit. She’s gone and done it already. Is that why she’s got bags under her eyes? Was she up all night killing him and Karen? “Has he disappeared?”

“Not yet, I’ve got him somewhere, but put it this way, he won’t be leaving that place alive.”

“He’s a bampot.” It was what Cassie would expect her to say.

“That he is. I need to you pay as much attention as you