'Ronnie hadn't long been home from Long Grove, a mental hospital in Surrey. That night, he was at his smartest. Suit, collar and shoes so shiny you could see your face in them. As Reggie wasn't aroud that evening it fell to Ronnie to be the genial host and he was scrupulous in doing so. He worked the whole room, picking out couples from the regular punters to thank them personally for coming along and adding, 'I hope you have a pleasant evening.' As if they didn't know, he told them that he ran the place with his brothers Reggie and Charlie and if there was anything they needed, anything at all, they should just let him know.
Completing a whole circuit of the club, Ronnie ended up back at the entrance. Tony Lucraft, a tough guy from Hoxton, was perched on a low leather sofa near the door.
'Hello, Tony, I didn't see you sitting there,' Ronnie said politely. He paused as if some explanation were needed for this lapse in greeting etiquette. Both twins were short-sighted. 'I've got bad eyes, you know,' he added.
'You must have fucking bad eyes, Ron,' said Tony. 'I've been sitting here for 20 minutes.'
You had to judge your moment with Ronnie. Tony might have thought that in the relaxed atmosphere he could get away with a smart comment. But without hesitation and in full view of the ordinary customers, Ronnie immediately smashed him in the face before kicking him off the sofa and attempting to stamp on him. The barman and the door staff, big men hired by the Krays to keep the place going, ran up but even with their combined muscle still Ronnie could only be pulled off his victim when they promised to throw him out. Cabaret concluded, Ronnie began another circuit of the bar, still panting and sweating from the brutal assault. He spoke to all the same couples as if the extreme violence had been no more of an inconvenience than running out of a draft beer at the bar.
'I'm terribly sorry about that,' he repeated to each guest, still slightly out of breath. 'It doesn't happen very often.'
- Krazy Days, Micky Fawcett
