‘What’s wrong, darling? Are the boys OK? I know you always wait for me to ring you unless it’s urgent,’ Mary said, when her daughter answered the front door.
‘Oh, it’s everything, Mum. Daniel and Adam both have stomach bugs. Michael has to be at the club all this weekend because Vinny has bought some bloody place on a holiday camp in Eastbourne and is taking most of the family there, and I just can’t get over what Dad and Christopher did to me. How could they be so heartless?’ Nancy sobbed.
Mary looked at her daughter in astonishment. ‘What’re you on about? Where did you see your dad and Christopher?’
‘When I was walking to the park with Rhonda yesterday. I had the boys with me, and as soon as Dad and Christopher spotted us, they crossed the road. I don’t care about them wanting nothing to do with me, but how could they ignore Daniel and Adam like that? I’d already told Daniel that his granddad and uncle were walking towards us and he burst into tears when they avoided him.’
Mary was absolutely furious. She had thought Donald and Christopher seemed a bit sheepish when they’d returned from the pub the previous day and now she knew why. ‘Are you sure they saw you, love?’
‘Of course I’m sure. Christopher even looked at me from the other side of the road, until Dad probably told him to stop. Really spoilt my day it did, and now I feel depressed again. Rhonda was appalled by what happened. She said any granddad who crossed the road to avoid his own grandsons needed stringing up.’
‘Oh, you wait until I get home. I’ll string him up all right. In fact, if Michael is working all weekend, shall I pack a little case and come and stay with you? That will teach the pair of heartless bastards a lesson, won’t it?’
‘That would be great, Mum. The boys will love it.’
‘Bleedin’ hell, Nance. A police car has just pulled up outside. They’re looking at your house, love. Where’s Michael?’ Mary asked.
‘Taken the boys to the doctor’s. Oh my God! Please don’t let nothing terrible have happened to them,’ Nancy said, running to open the front door.
Mary’s heart was beating like a drum as she followed Nancy into the hallway.
‘Nothing has happened to my husband and sons, has it? They only went to the doctor’s. It’s just around the corner,’ Nancy gabbled, her voice full of panic. She could tell by the serious looks on the two officers’ faces that it was bad news.
‘It’s actually Michael Butler we’ve come to see. Are you his wife?’ the male officer asked.
Nancy felt relief seep through her veins. If they were looking for Michael then he and the boys were obviously OK. ‘What do you want to see Michael for? Has he done something wrong?’
‘No, he hasn’t,’ the female officer replied.
‘Here’s Michael now, love,’ Mary informed her daughter, pointing towards her son-in-law crossing the road.
With Adam in his arms, and Daniel by his side, Michael’s face whitened as he saw the two coppers standing at his front door. ‘What’s up?’ he asked.
‘I’m afraid we have some bad news for you, Mr Butler. Shall we speak inside?’ the male officer suggested.
‘Babe, go in the front room with your mum and the kids while I speak to the officers in the kitchen,’ Michael ordered his wife. He waited until the lounge door was shut. ‘Hit me with it then.’
‘I’m afraid your son Lee was involved in a car accident in the early hours of this morning.’
Michael felt the colour drain out of his face. ‘Oh Jesus! Please tell me he’s OK?’
‘Apart from slight concussion and a few cuts and bruises, Lee is fine. But, I’m afraid his mother, gran, and the driver of the car were not so lucky. There were also two fatalities in the car they collided with,’ the female officer told Michael.
‘What do you mean exactly? Are Denise and her mum both dead then?’ Michael asked, dumbly. His brain and body were numb with the shock of it all.
‘I’m afraid so, Mr Butler. Your son was incredibly lucky to survive according to the firemen who cut him free from the wreckage.’
‘So, where is Lee now?’
‘He is in Oldchurch Hospital in Romford. I spoke to the doctor there earlier and he said Lee should be well enough to be discharged in a couple of days. He hasn’t been informed that his mother or gran are dead yet though. We thought that might be kinder coming from you rather than us. Children usually adapt to news of that kind far better if it comes from a relative.’
‘I’ll go straight to the hospital after you leave. Where is he going to live though?’ Michael asked, worriedly.
‘With you surely, Sir? You are his father after all,’ the female officer said.
Michael felt embarrassed. ‘Yes, of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just not thinking straight what with the shock of it all.’
The male officer handed Michael a piece of paper. ‘We understand, Sir. This is the ward Lee is on and that is the name of the doctor we spoke to earlier.’
Too astounded by the bombshell that had been dropped on him to even ask where the accident had happened or who was driving the car, Michael thanked the police officers for their time, and showed them out.
Nancy and Mary appeared in the hallway as soon as they heard the front door slam. ‘Whatever is it, Michael?’ Nancy asked. Her husband looked like he had seen a ghost.
‘It’s Lee. He was involved in a bad car accident last night. He’s OK, but Denise is dead and so is her mum. I’ve got to go to the hospital and break the news to the poor little sod. How do you tell a four-year-old kid that his family have all been snuffed out, eh?’ Michael asked, rather hoping that Nancy would offer to accompany him.
Nancy didn’t. Instead she said, ‘Oh my God! This is so awful. Who is Lee going to live with?’
‘Us, Nancy. He doesn’t have anyone else now, does he?’
Nancy shook her head vehemently. ‘He can’t live here. No way! I have enough on my plate with Daniel and Adam, Michael. Lee must have other relatives. He will have to live with those.’
Michael had always loved his wife dearly, but for once he looked at her with hatred. How could Nancy be so bloody selfish? ‘Well, like it or lump it, that boy is coming to live here, Nance. No flesh and blood of mine is going to be brought up by some stranger or in care when he has me as a father. Can you imagine the light people would see me in when they find out my son has just had his family wiped out, and I dumped him like a bag of old rubbish too? No way, darling.’
‘I couldn’t give a shit what people say or think, Michael. I am telling you now, I cannot cope with the two I already have, so no way I am taking on another one. Lee will have to live elsewhere,’ Nancy screamed.
‘I want Lee to live here, Daddy,’ Daniel said, excitedly tugging his father’s arm.
‘Well, Nance, the choice is yours. If you don’t want to help look after my son best you pack your bags and leave, love,’ Michael spat. He then picked up his car keys, stormed out the front door, and slammed it so hard it nearly flew off its hinges.
Vinny Butler was not in the best of moods. Even though he had given his son the telling-off of his life, sent two blokes around this morning to mend his mother’s conservatory roof, and replaced her furniture and plants that had been crushed, his mum was still refusing to allow his son to live with her any more.
‘Vinny, when will you take me to see Layla again?
‘Champ, you’ve asked me that same question at least ten times already today and you’re beginning to do my nut in. I promise I will take you to see Layla again soon, OK? Now just leave the subject alone. I’ve got enough on me plate with your Auntie Queenie refusing to let Little Vinny live with her any more. Your sex life is the least of my fucking problems at the moment.’
‘Hey, big boss man. You don’t look happy. What is the matter?’ Ahmed enquired, sauntering into Vinny’s office.
When Lenny sheepishly left the office, Vinny kicked the door shut, took a bottle of Scotch out of his private drinks cabinet and poured
a large quantity into two glasses. ‘You got any gear on you?’ he asked Ahmed.
‘I always carry a supply, but it’s a bit early, my friend.’
‘I don’t give a toss how early it is. I’m stressed, so just give it ’ere, mate,’ Vinny demanded.
Two fat lines and three large Scotches later, Vinny felt able to deal with life once more. Ahmed was a good listener, and sometimes saw things far more clearly than he did. ‘Your mum’s hardly going to throw her grandson out on the street. What you need to do is what I did. Find a good woman. It’s their job to look after kids. You want one that asks no questions and lets you get on with your life like my Anna. Karen was a very good mum. I told you at the time you should have kept her on the firm,’ Ahmed reminded his pal. After his initial wedding to an older woman, Ahmed had then married a younger model with whom he had another two children.
Vinny’s sense of humour always escalated after a couple of lines of cocaine and he couldn’t help himself. ‘So, what do you suggest I do? Dig Karen up and try and resuscitate her?’
Ahmed chuckled. ‘You should move Joanna Preston in with you. She can be Vinny’s new mum. Did I ever tell you I actually dug a corpse up once and hid it? A man owed me money and I said he could have his father back when I got my dosh. He paid me the next day.’
Laughing, Vinny poured another Scotch, put his hands on top of his head, and rocked to and fro in his chair. If Joanna Preston had been some fat ugly bitch he would have probably just had her murdered and been done with it. However, once he had seen her photograph, and met her in person, he had decided to gain revenge in a different manner. Vinny had links to Wormwood Scrubs. An old friend of his, Scottish Pat, was on the same wing as Johnny Preston. Scottish Pat said Preston was always banging on about his beautiful daughter to the other lads, but rarely spoke about his son. Pat described the boy as a weirdo, which is why Vinny had decided to target the daughter in the first place.
Ahmed indulged in a line of cocaine himself, then grinned. ‘Well? You’re not saying much.’
Vinny was still mulling over things. Surely being stuck in a cell twenty-plus hours a day knowing that your daughter was being shagged senseless by your very worst enemy was enough to make Preston lose the plot completely? ‘I dunno, mate. I’m sure I can get Joanna into the sack, but that don’t mean I want her to move in with me and bring up my kid, does it? I barely know the fucking bird, and I can’t stand tarts around me at the best of times.’
‘But, there is no need for her to be around you much. Set her up in a flat or house. She can look after Little Vinny while you work and party. You need to knock her up. That way, she is trapped and has no choice but to do as you say. Be nice for you to have one more child, and imagine how upset her cunt of a father will be? That is what you call the ultimate payback, my friend.’
Vinny sipped his drink and contemplated Ahmed’s idea in silence. It seemed madness even to consider trying to impregnate, then move in with, a bird he had only met once, but Vinny had always had an insane, impulsive nature, and the fact that the girl was Johnny Preston’s pride and joy was what made the set-up seem so attractive. That would be the perfect revenge for ruining Roy’s life. ‘Do you know what, I quite like your suggestion now. When do you reckon holiday parks shut down for winter? Gotta be end of September, beginning of October, surely? That gives me at least eight weeks to charm the tits off Preston’s daughter. Then, if all goes to plan, instead of moving back to Tiptree, she can move to London. I might even offer her a job at the club. That should help her make her mind up. She ain’t got no job in Tiptree to go back to, has she?’
‘Her friend will probably want a job too,’ Ahmed stated.
‘Well, if that’s what it takes to get Joanna properly into my clutches, then a job her mate shall have. I can’t just dump Little Vinny on her from day one anyway. The core of a perfect plan is always patience.’
Ahmed laughed. Vinny was the only person he had ever met whose mind was on exactly the same intelligent, evil wavelength as his own.
Under strict instructions from his father to be on his best behaviour, Little Vinny had spent the past few hours tidying up his nan’s back garden. The sun was at a blistering heat, the lawnmower heavy, and by the time he had finished cutting the grass, Little Vinny felt thoroughly exhausted. Trying to mow the lawn with two arms was hard enough, and using just one had really taken its toll on him.
Queenie sat in her conservatory and eyed her grandson suspiciously as he flopped onto the grass. The roof was now mended, and she actually preferred the slightly different design of the new sofa Vinny had bought her. It stood out more than the old one. ‘What’s the matter with you? You’re meant to be cutting it, not sunbathing on it,’ Queenie shouted, in a brutal tone.
‘I’ve finished it, Nan. I don’t feel well now. I’m hot, thirsty, and hungry.’
‘You haven’t got a headache, have ya?’
Knowing his nan was obviously worried that he might have concussion from his fall, Little Vinny decided to tell a small white lie. ‘Yeah, a bit, but I think it’s just because I’m really hungry.’
Queenie pursed her lips. ‘Get your arse in here and I’ll do you some lunch then. Do you want one roll or two? I’ve got boiled bacon, luncheon sausage, or cheese.’
‘I’ll have two boiled bacon rolls, a bag of salt and vinegar crisps, and a can of Coke please,’ Little Vinny said, as he darted past his nan and flopped on the sofa in the lounge.
Queenie’s lip curled into a snarl. Her lounge had recently been redecorated, and she was now the proud owner of a posh brown leather three-piece suite and an expensive Persian rug. Both items were a gift from Vinny and there was no way Queenie was allowing her ragamuffin of a grandson to tarnish the new look.
‘You’ll get upstairs, have a wash, and change out of them dirty clothes before you get any lunch,’ Queenie barked.
‘OK, Nan,’ Little Vinny said, dashing up the stairs.
Queenie was buttering the rolls when she heard the front door open. ‘Want a boiled bacon roll, Viv?’ she shouted.
‘No! Get me a brandy, Queen, quick. I’ve just had the most terrible shock.’
‘Whatever’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ Queenie remarked, as she hurried to pour her sister a drink.
Vivian snatched the brandy out of her sister’s hand and knocked it back in one. ‘Oh dear Jesus, it was worse than a ghost what I’ve just seen, Queen. I didn’t know my Lenny had come home from work early. He must have got in when I popped around the corner shop. Anyway, I’ve opened his bedroom door because I thought I heard a funny noise, and there he was, standing opposite the mirror, stark bollock naked with his dingle-dangle in his hand. He had his eyes shut and was rambling on about some girl called Lola or Layla.’
‘Oh dear,’ Queenie said, pouring herself a brandy and giving her sister a top-up. ‘What did he say when he saw you standing there?’
‘Well, he opened his eyes, screamed, then started shouting at me to get out of his room. And, he had a great big, you know. No mother should have to see that. It was disgusting.’
‘Erection?’ Queenie enquired.
‘Yes, one of those. Dirty little bastard! Pervert, just like his father was. How am I ever meant to look at him in the same way, eh? And whose bloody Lola or Layla? I don’t think it’s good for him working at that club, you know. Too many women showing their flesh in there. It’s giving him unhealthy ideas.’
‘I shouldn’t think it’s got anything to do with him working at the club, Viv. I mean, he is twenty now, he’s bound to get urges. My Michael used to when he was younger. I remember seeing terrible stuff on his sheets. Your Lenny is bound to feel far more embarrassed than you do. Why don’t you pop back to yours, act like nothing’s happened, and tell him to come in here for a boiled bacon roll?’
‘No way is that filthy little sod coming in here to eat. I bet he ain’t even washed his hands. Made me feel so ill it has, Queen. Wouldn’t pour me another brandy, would ya?�
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Queenie nodded. Usually, she knew the best words to appease her sister, but Vivian catching Lenny masturbating was a difficult one, and for once Queenie was slightly lost for words herself.
Back in Barking, Mary was desperate to clear her head and had decided to walk home from Nancy’s house rather than jump on a bus like she usually did. It was only four stops anyway, and she wasn’t ready to face Donald just yet. She wanted to work out exactly what she was going to say to him first.
Nancy had been in a terrible state all day, and Mary was dreadfully worried about her. Mary hadn’t started her own family until she was twenty-two. Her daughter wasn’t even twenty-one yet, and how she was going to cope with three little boys all under the age of five, Mary did not know. Nancy wasn’t a bad mum by any means, but she hadn’t exactly taken to motherhood. She seemed to handle the boys all right when Mary or Michael were there to give her a hand, but when Nancy was home alone, she seemed to get extremely stressed. Daniel and Adam then ran rings around her and, being so young herself still, Nancy allowed the boys to do so, then got depressed about it.
Thinking back to their earlier conversation, Mary sighed anxiously. She had managed to persuade her daughter not to leave Michael, but she wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing. It was one of those six of one, half a dozen of the other situations. Nancy would not be able to cope with Lee and that was a fact.
‘Hi, Mary. You OK?’
Mary had been so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed Dederick and his two brothers crossing over the road.
‘I’m fine, thank you, boys. How are you today?’
‘Yeah, we cool. Going over the park to meet our friends. You gonna to be in that café tomorrow? Food never as good when you not there,’ Dederick said, treating Mary to a cheeky wink.
Mary smiled as the three brothers walked away. They were all wearing tight-fitting white t-shirts and flared faded jeans, and with their identical Afro hair, they reminded Mary of members of the pop group the Jackson Five. Dederick and his brothers were lovely people, so was their mother Joyce, but a lot of regulars in the café didn’t see them that way. England had become far more multi-cultural over recent years, and many local people couldn’t get their heads around it. Both Mary and Donald believed there was good and bad in every race, but many English people didn’t share their liberal views. The majority opinion of the natives of Barking was that England should stop immigration immediately, otherwise their beloved country would be one day taken over, and white people would become the minority. Donald referred to these people as small-minded bigots, and Mary couldn’t agree more.
The Trap Page 37