The Godfathers of London

by M. C. Dutton

  Again, Jazz hoped he wasn’t kidding himself, but surely Ash being there wouldn’t have warranted a whack (murder) – more a good slap for disrespect. God, he hoped so. He was as near to tears as he could get. He should have watched Ash like a hawk. How had he gone from giving him no space or interesting jobs to letting him get on with it? Again, he wondered if he deserved to be a Detective Sergeant. Perhaps everyone was right. He was a fucking danger to all police officers.

  Tom was off to supervise his team. He was going to find all the haunts of various miscreants that worked closely with The Bird Man and lean on them a little to find out what they knew. At present no one had officially registered the disappearance of Ash and before that happened Jazz wanted to try and find him. If Freddie Link had him, he would have to ask The Bird Man what he could do. Nothing happened on The Bird Man’s turf without his permission.

  It was agreed that Jazz would drop Tom off at Ilford Police Station and he would collect his men and go and search the dark and dirty corners of the East End of London and route out whatever information they could. Jazz kept quiet, but he knew what he was going to do.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The rat pack

  Jazz arrived at Mad Pete’s flat with coffee and burgers in hand. He knew Mad Pete was chilling out; he could smell the spliff from the front door. He banged hard on the door and shouted to be let in. It took a few moments. Mad Pete was most probably away with the fairies but the shouting and banging brought him back to reality. It took him a few moments to realize it was DS Singh at his door. He got up unsteadily and, grumbling that he just wanted a bit of peace, slowly he unbolted his door.

  Jazz thrust the coffees and burgers at him as a peace offering and told him they were getting cold. He realized he wanted a favour from Mad Pete and he needed to calm him down a bit. He knew he wouldn’t want to do it but he needed his help.

  After they had finished the burgers and chips, they sat and drank the coffee, which was pretty lukewarm by now. Jazz told Mad Pete he had lost Ash. ‘That was pretty careless of you, Mr Singh,’ said Mad Pete, snorting with laughter.

  But Jazz wasn’t laughing. It sounded as if Freddie Link had something to do with Ash’s disappearance.

  ‘He ain’t a happy man if his recreation time is interfered with, Mr Singh,’ Mad Pete uttered sombrely.

  ‘So,’ prompted Jazz gently, ‘does it mean that if Freddie Link had anything to do with the disappearance of Ash, he’d have to ask The Bird Man for permission or something like that?’

  Mad Pete nodded. ‘The Bird Man has this area sewn up tighter than a duck’s arse and no one with any brains would mess with him.’

  Jazz was picking his words, trying to take the conversation in the direction he wanted. ‘I need to speak to The Bird Man again, Pete, and I don’t want anyone else to know I am speaking with him.’

  Mad Pete looked at him and knew what he wanted. ‘Oh no, Mr Singh. I can’t go near The Bird Man again, not for a long time.’

  Jazz tried to look innocent. ‘Why not? He doesn’t mind you, does he?’

  Mad Pete was getting agitated now. ‘I can’t go near him because I took that DVD and showed it to you. He’ll know it’s me, he knows everything. You’re going to get me killed, Mr Singh, and I don’t want to die yet.’

  Soothingly Jazz told Mad Pete that The Bird Man would never know Mad Pete had anything to do with the DVD. He added that Pete was very cunning and clever and only he knew that.

  By now Mad Pete was almost blushing and he thanked Jazz for saying such nice things. Now that he was more amenable, Jazz said, ‘I need you to set up an appointment for me with The Bird Man. I don’t trust anyone other than you to do this for me.’

  After all this soothing of his ego, Mad Pete agreed to contact The Bird Man on Jazz’s behalf. He promised to get on with it as soon as Jazz left. That was good enough for Jazz. In the meantime he had other fish to fry. If he was going to see The Bird Man he needed to be armed with as much information as possible.

  He phoned Tom to see where he had got to with his enquiries, only to be told that there was nothing to report and no one had seen Ash anywhere. It looked bad and Jazz was getting to feel quite desperate.

  Tom had heard from Eddie Willoughby, Essex Police Marine Unit. His men had moved the barge and were in the process of digging up the mud. They thought it might take some time because the barge had compressed the mud and anyone in there would be halfway to Australia by now. Tom asked him to keep going until they found a body.

  Jazz’s phone went just as he finished talking to Tom. It was DCI Radley. He wanted an immediate update on what the hell was going on. Jazz suddenly realized that he had gone off half-cocked and no one knew anything. It was good to keep stuff under his belt but this had got big and you didn’t piss off your boss to this extent. With the Essex Marine Police all around Paglesham digging in the mud questions were going to be asked. The press would be there and where the press was, so was DCI Radley.

  Jazz spent the next half hour updating the DCI on what had happened. He omitted the bit about The Bird Man, and he didn’t mention Ash at this stage, although he would soon if they didn’t find him. His finale, and his pièce de résistance, was the DVD. He made an excuse for not showing it to his DCI straight away but said if he cared to look in his desk drawer he would find a copy. He added that for the time being he was undercover and searching for clues. “How Sherlock Holmes did that sound like?“ He thought. DCI Radley said he wanted to see him in his office tomorrow at 1 p.m. sharp.

  With fingers crossed Jazz hoped he would have everything in place by then. If not, he would have to do a disappearing act. He needed to get on. He had to believe Ash was okay and he needed to find him.

  Peter, Tom’s detective, was still working on Jazz’s questions and said he would come back to him within a couple of hours. All was set in place and now he was off to sort out another part of the puzzle. He wasn’t looking forward to this part. James Kent was a sad soul and, Jazz thought, quite harmless. He didn’t want to have to grill the man but he had no choice.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Dicing with death

  Freddie Link was impatient but was keeping his cool. The Bird Man had told him to wait, and waited he had, but now he was getting jittery. He wanted it over and done with so he could get on. DC Kumar was a pain in the arse and he needed to be whacked and gone.

  The Bird Man called a meeting of Freddie and George in a house somewhere in Beckton. He wasn’t happy. In a quiet but murderous tone he told Freddie and George that they were idiots; what the fuck were they going to do with DC Kumar now they had him locked up in some house? Sure, he was an annoying pratt but that didn’t mean he could be killed or locked up. He reminded them that the police would be all over town like a rash unless DC Kumar turned up soon, and if he was released Freddie and George would be put away for a long time. He added that perhaps that was a bloody good thing because Barry Bentall wasn’t happy at having been brought into this.

  It was the golden rule that Bentall was never linked to anything that happened in his town. Of course he was instrumental in everything that happened and he always kept his finger on the pulse. Now this had happened. They knew better than to cause this bit of bother. He suggested that perhaps there could be more than one body to get rid off. They both knew what he was referring to and they gulped.

  He told them they hadn’t thought what they were doing and what the fucking hell gave Freddie the right to take Barry Bentall’s law into his own hands. Freddie paled as he watched The Bird Man work himself up into a rage that could have serious repercussions for him and George. George’s face had lost its usual friendly look. Freddie was pleading by now. ‘But Barry, I just thought he could be topped and disposed of in the usual way. It’s always worked before, hasn’t it?’

  Barry wasn’t impressed. ‘He didn’t need to be topped. He’s a stupid little fucker who knew nothing. Now he’s a huge impressive fucker who knows enough about you and George to
get you put away and by that token the filth would be on my back. You are the most fucking, idiotic and stupid bastard I’ve ever worked with.’ Getting very angry now, he asked Freddie, ‘Tell me what he knew, you clever dick. What exactly could he have known?’

  Freddie, his eyes darting everywhere, tried to put into words what he was worried about. He worked more on brawn than brains and he wasn’t comfortable being put in this position; he was scared. Freddie wasn’t often scared of anything or anyone.

  George could see that Freddie was no use and interrupted by saying that the DC knew about James Kent and Peter Daly being in The Pig and Poke. He had intimated that he knew why they were there. ‘We were worried about compromising your good self,’ George interjected.

  ‘So you thought you were my fucking Superman, did you?’ retorted an even angrier Barry Bentall. He was so pissed off with all of this. So much could be, might be, and no real facts. They should have just sent Kumar on his way. ‘What idiot panicked?’ The Bird Man asked.

  Both men denied they had panicked but Barry knew they both had. He could see the scenario. George locks Kumar in the storeroom and goes to find Freddie. Freddie is pissed that his evening is being interrupted and tells George to fucking leave Kumar there and that he deserved to be whacked for being a fucking nuisance. From there it just got worse. You can’t lock a Metropolitan Detective in a store cupboard and not expect repercussions. So they decided it was easier to top him. They had the means of getting rid of the body easily and it would never be found. Simple! But they had to ask Barry (The Bird Man) Bentall first for his permission.

  Barry wasn’t stupid. He knew the repercussions of killing a Met police detective would reverberate for years and his comfy little businesses would become decidedly uncomfortable. Freddie and George had become a big liability and they had to go.

  Now the decision was made Barry could become amenable and pleasant. He smiled at both Freddie and George. ‘Never mind. These things happen. We’ll get rid of DC Kumar when I say so. For now, let’s make the best of a bad job and cover our tracks. I don’t want to be associated with you both. I don’t want any trail coming in my direction. Where is DC Kumar for future reference? And I’ll sort out his future for you.’ Freddie was much appreciative of Barry’s understanding and told him that DC Kumar was in the storage unit over Bow way and was securely kept there in the room upstairs. Barry nodded and grimaced. ‘Not in that filthy bed up there? I meant to get it thrown out years ago.’ Freddie nodded and laughed. It was good to have the boss cracking jokes again.

  ‘As for you, George, said Barry, nodding in his direction, ‘you’d better get back to the pub before you’re missed. I can see you were put in a difficult position and lessons have to be learned.’

  George was relieved to leave and get outside. He thought he’d got off lightly and was glad of it.

  Freddie left, thanking The Bird Man for his help and saying he owed him one big time. Barry nodded. When Freddie had left, he got on the phone and just said ‘Freddie Link’. That was enough. Freddie was never seen again until he was found several months later facedown in a sewerage treatment plant in Becton. It was thought he had been there for months and had been secured by rope and bricks to the bottom of the main treatment pool. The ropes had been gnawed through by rats and Freddie floated to the top in all his putrefied glory.

  George never made it back to The Pig and Poke. The East End is full of CCTV cameras but on his way back a car skidded off the road and ran him down. He was all mashed up and identified only by his teeth. No one was ever charged with dangerous driving or his death. This left The Bird Man with one problem. What to do with DC Ashiv Kumar. He had a few options and he would think about it.

  In an indecent amount of time a relative of George appeared and claimed the pub, producing a will to confirm it. His name was Paddy O’Brian, and he was a long-lost relative from Ireland. He was to become a very good landlord and friends and colleagues of The Bird Man still frequented The Pig and Poke. They spoke highly of Paddy’s manners and his respect for The Bird Man.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  All is revealed

  Here he was again. Standing on the front step of Mr and Mrs Kent’s home. He rang the bell and after a few minutes Amanda appeared at the door. She looked terrible and almost mad. Her eyes were large and her body tense and strained. Why had he come to see them again? He was no good to them anymore. He couldn’t bring back Laura, could he? She was rambling again; he felt so sorry for her, and even sorrier for her family who had to live with her. He knew she was highly strung but now she was as taut as a violin string. One wrong move and he wasn’t sure what she would do. He tried the friendly way. ‘Hello, Amanda. I just need to have a brief word with James, if I may. I expect he’s in his shed?’

  She grunted at him. ‘He’s always in his shed.’

  Jazz smiled and eased his way past her, heading for the back door. He felt tensed up until he got into the garden. With a deep breath he made his way to the garden shed which was looking particularly smart with a new coat of paint.

  Knocking on the door, he called James’ name, to let him know it wasn’t Amanda. Jazz thought that if he was married to Amanda he would lock himself in the shed and stay there. James opened the door with a brief smile and invited Jazz in. The interior was as pristine as ever. James put the kettle on. ‘Every home comfort in here,’ thought Jazz.

  With a cup of tea in hand, Jazz started the conversation with some small talk. He asked what James was doing these days and James just shrugged: not much. Jazz looked at him as he leaned against the potting bench; he was half the man he used to be. He had developed a stoop, his hair was thinning and he had a permanent hangdog expression. Jazz felt sorry for him. He looked like a man who was finished forever.

  Jazz needed a lead. It was all assumption but you had to start somewhere. He didn’t want to aggravate James and goad him, but he needed to know what Ash had got out of the report. He’d thought about it long and hard, and this was the only thing that made sense.

  ‘Okay, James, how did you find The Bird Man and get the deed done?’

  James looked up startled, and then he slumped even further forward with his head almost on his stomach. Jazz knew he had hit the right note and was sorry to be asking these questions. He liked James and thought he deserved better. He wanted to help him along. ‘Just make a clean breast of it, you know it makes sense,’ he said almost kindly. There was a silence for quite some time and they both sipped their hot tea.

  In an almost dreamlike state James said that Laura was the finest thing that had ever happened in his life. He loved her like he never thought possible. He told Jazz about Amanda. He’d met her at work and avoided her most of the time. She’d been highly strung even then but she always made a beeline for him. He didn’t know what it was but one day when he was having a bad time at work, Amanda had tried to cheer him up.

  She offered to cook him a nice meal. He lived alone and just for once he fancied having someone making a fuss of him. It was nothing sexual, he said – he didn’t like her in that way – but he supposed he was a bit lonely at the time and she was very nice to him. They drank wine that evening and Amanda relaxed and he remembered they laughed a lot. It was a warm and friendly evening, and after the second bottle of wine they ended up sleeping together that night. A few months later Amanda told him she was pregnant. James looked at Jazz. ‘How bloody unlucky was that! Everyone sodding sleeps together these days but they don’t get pregnant on the first and only date, do they? He realized he was almost shouting and he apologized. Jazz told him not to worry, and said that if he’d slept with Amanda and she got pregnant he would have been seriously pissed off. Suddenly he realized what he’d said and immediately apologized for saying that, because James was married to Amanda.

  For the first time James laughed. He assured Jazz there was no need to apologise for saying the truth.

  James married Amanda because it was the correct thing to do. He looked at Jazz and sa
id, ‘Why do you think I have stayed with Amanda? I have never loved her and she is totally unlovable. She’s been highly strung for all her life and when she had Laura she got worse. I don’t know why that happened but it did.’

  He was close to tears. Jazz looked away, embarrassed for the man. James was silent for a moment whilst he controlled his feelings, and then he continued with his story. ‘When Laura was born I fell in love with her. She was the most beautiful of babies with a temperament that was angelic. I would sit and just look at her for hours. When she was asleep she would suck her bottom lip and it was the most beautiful thing to see.’ His face became wretched and he was silent again whilst he struggled with his emotions. Jazz watched and marvelled at his control.

  ‘When she grew up,’ James continued, ‘I watched her blossom. She developed her own mind and personality quite young and I laughed when she tried to tell me what to do. She tried to argue with her mother but that turned into a big fight. Laura would come and sit in here with me and we would laugh about everything.’ He looked at Jazz sadly. ‘You know, I’ve forgotten how to laugh. It seems such a waste of time these days.’

  Jazz nodded and kept silent as James continued. ‘You know I wanted the best for her. We talked a lot about her life and what she wanted to do. We did talk about John Carpenter and I knew eventually she would see him for what he was. Her stupid mother drove her into his arms even more with her hysterical rows about him. Laura needed to learn things her way and I knew as we discussed him she would see him for who he was, but it was too late. I have never forgiven myself. I should have done more.’ With this James burst into tears and turned away.