The Trap

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Well, you’re safe now, sweetheart. I reckon you just fell asleep in that alley, you know. The police and doctor said there is no sign of any injuries other than the cuts on your feet. Nothing of a sexual nature either, thank God. Now, will you do me a big favour?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Eat a sandwich for me. You’ve lost so much weight over the past couple of weeks, Nancy, it’s worrying the life out of me.’

  Deciding to oblige to stop her mother from further worry, Nancy nodded her weary head.

  Vinny felt terrible when he ended the phonecall to his distraught mother. She hadn’t mentioned Lenny. She had just told him she needed him to get to the house immediately as something dreadful had happened. About to leave the club, Vinny heard the phone ring again and he answered it in case it was Michael. It wasn’t. It was Scottish Pat calling from the Scrubs. ‘What’s up?’ Vinny asked.

  ‘He ain’t dead. They saved him.’

  A chill ran down Vinny’s spine. He had only gone out on a wild one to celebrate Johnny Preston’s death. If he’d have known the cunt was still alive, then Lenny and Ahmed would have been too.

  Unaware of his younger cousin’s death, Roy Butler was in exceptionally good spirits. Vinny was due to visit him tomorrow and Roy was ready and waiting for him. Everything was now in place. The bullets were inside the gun, the phonecalls had all been made, and he had explained his need for revenge in separate letters to his family. His mother would be devastated by his actions, Roy knew that, but for once he had to put his own feelings first. Vinny deserved the little surprise that Roy had planned for him tomorrow. In fact, he more than fucking deserved it.

  When Vinny arrived at his mother’s house the rest of the family were already there. Brenda, his mum and aunt were all huddled together on the sofa crying their eyes out. Dean was on an armchair looking as awkward as ever, and Michael glared at him as soon as he entered the lounge. ‘Whatever’s wrong?’ Vinny asked.

  Little Vinny flung himself at his father and hugged him. ‘Champ’s dead, Dad.’

  Having no alternative but to put on the act of all acts, Vinny stood rooted to the spot with his mouth wide open. ‘Dead! ’Course he ain’t dead. Champ was working last night at the club with me.’

  Unable to stop herself, Queenie flew off the sofa and began pummelling her fists against her eldest son’s chest. ‘I told you that fucking Turk was a wrong ’un, didn’t I? How comes you let Lenny out with him on his own, eh? You were meant to be looking after him, you stupid bastard.’

  When Tara began screaming, Michael ordered Little Vinny to take her and his three sons out in the garden to play. ‘But I wanna stay here with me dad,’ Little Vinny whinged.

  ‘Do as your Uncle Michael says, boy,’ Vinny ordered. He was crying himself now. Tears of grief and guilt poured down his cheeks when he clocked his Auntie Viv rocking to and fro on the sofa, mumbling incoherently.

  ‘Answer my fucking question,’ Queenie yelled at Vinny.

  When Vinny came out with some cock-and-bull story about him having a terrible shock yesterday which is why he had allowed Lenny to go off with Ahmed to stay the night at his pad, Michael looked at his brother with hatred.

  ‘So, what was this terrible shock that was so bad you couldn’t look after your own cousin?’ Queenie asked.

  ‘Yeah, what was it?’ Brenda chipped in, hugging her distraught aunt at the same time.

  ‘I was at the club and received a phonecall from Joanna yesterday. Not only did she tell me she was pregnant, but I also found out that her father was none other than Johnny Preston. I wanted Champ to go home, but he loved Ahmed, and Ahmed loved him, so when Champ pleaded with me to stay at the club, I said only on the condition that when Ahmed went home, he took Champ with him. Ahmed wasn’t drunk when I left, honest he wasn’t. I needed to get my head straight and talk to someone about what I’d found out, so I drove straight to Michael’s gaff and we sat up all night talking, didn’t we, bruv?’ Vinny explained tearfully, while glancing at his brother with pleading eyes to back up his story.

  ‘Yeah, we did,’ Michael mumbled, staring at his feet and feeling physically sick. How he was ever going to look his mum and Auntie Viv straight in the eyes again he did not know.

  ‘It can’t be my baby. I know it can’t be him. There must be a mistake. I need to see him,’ Vivian suddenly shrieked.

  Queenie sat down, held her heartbroken sister in her arms, and glared at Vinny. ‘The police need somebody to identify the body. It’s best you do it.’

  ‘Noooo! I want to see my baby. I have to know it’s him,’ Vivian sobbed.

  ‘But the police said it’s better that one of the boys do it, Vivvy,’ Queenie reminded her sister.

  Vivian’s top lip suddenly curled into a snarl. ‘I don’t care what the cunting police said. Lenny is my baby and if I want to see him, then I will.’

  ‘I’ll go and identify the body,’ Vinny offered awkwardly. He was dreading seeing his beloved cousin in the morgue, but at least he could apologize once again and say a proper goodbye to him.

  ‘I want to see my son,’ Vivian screamed.

  ‘OK, darling. You and Vinny can go together,’ Queenie told her sister. She couldn’t face seeing Lenny herself. She had loved him too much to see him battered and lifeless.

  ‘Shall we go now?’ Vinny asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa so he could hug his mum.

  Queenie pushed Vinny away. ‘Let’s hope that cunt of a mate of yours dies as well, ’cause I’m telling you now if that Turkish piece of shit survives, I will kill him with my own bare hands.’

  ‘What? Is Ahmed not dead?’ Vinny blurted out, his voice filled with panic.

  ‘Critical, but not dead yet. He soon fucking will be though if I have my way,’ Queenie spat.

  Vinny felt his legs nearly buckle beneath him when he tried to stand up. What the fuck had he done? And if Ahmed survived what the hell would he think of him, or say to the police? Ahmed was no grass, Vinny knew that, but if he had bad head injuries, he could be capable of saying anything.

  As Michael stomped out of the room with a look of disgust, Vinny put his head in his hands. He hated wishing his pal dead, but what choice did he have? If Ahmed lived, there was a good chance he was up the creek without a fucking paddle, and Vinny had always been a man to put his own welfare and happiness before others’. Saving his own bacon was probably the only trait he had inherited from his father.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  ‘I need to see my boy. He can’t be dead,’ Vivian repeatedly mumbled, rocking to and fro once again like a madwoman.

  Unable to face going to the morgue after learning that Ahmed was still alive, Vinny turned to Michael. ‘Can you take Auntie Viv to see Champ? I’ll stay here and look after Mum.’

  Desperate to get out of the house and away from his deceitful brother, Michael readily agreed. He knew Vinny like the back of his hand and guessed his brother must have known that Joanna Preston was Johnny’s daughter before he had made a move on her. Vinny was a weirdo when it came to women. He only shagged whores, and apart from the teenage romance with Yvonne Summers, Michael had never known Vinny to properly date any other bird in his life. ‘Come on, Auntie Viv. Look after the boys for me when Dean brings them back,’ Michael ordered his sister. He wouldn’t trust Vinny looking after a dog at the moment, let alone his beloved sons, and his mother was certainly in no fit state to do so.

  After Michael and Vivian left the house, a bitter Queenie turned on Vinny. ‘I know you better than you think. You must have realized that young girl was Preston’s daughter, and I bet getting together with her was a revenge tactic.’

  ‘I swear I never knew, Mum. Do you honestly think I would ever have entertained Preston’s daughter after what happened to Roy? Give me some credit, please.’

  ‘So, what you gonna do about that baby? I don’t care if that girl is Adolf Hitler’s daughter, don’t you dare make her abort that child. Our family is dropping like flies as it is,’ Queenie stat
ed, as blunt as ever.

  ‘I won’t, Mum. In fact, I think I should still drive down to Eastbourne tomorrow to see Roy. He has to be told in person about Champ. Breaking the news to him over the phone just isn’t right. I need to speak to Joanna as well. I told her on the phone I didn’t want her or the baby after I found out who her father was. It was all such a shock.’

  ‘That child will be a Butler, not a Preston. Oh Vinny, what is happening to our wonderful family? What have we ever done to deserve all this heartbreak, eh? And as for Eastbourne, I would rather you drove down there now and told Roy. You know how he gets a cob on these days when he thinks we are keeping stuff from him? I’ll look after Vivvy and you look after Roy.’

  Vinny gave his mum a cuddle and was thrilled when for the first time that day, she hugged him back.

  ‘Sorry I was a long while. The kids were hungry and Little Vinny insisted I treated them all to a burger. I hope that’s OK? The front door was left open, so I shut it behind me,’ Dean said, as he walked into the lounge.

  Brenda smiled at her husband. ‘That’s fine, and Mum, while we’re on the subject of grandchildren, I’ve got some news too. I haven’t even told Dean yet, but my period is nearly a week late. I know with everything that’s happened, it’s probably not the perfect time to tell you, but you seem so pleased that Vinny is having another child, that I thought the news might cheer you up a bit.’

  Feeling as though he had just been told he had a terminal illness, Dean mumbled something about leaving his wallet in a shop, then bolted out of the front door as fast as he could.

  Deborah Preston had tears rolling down her cheeks as she put her arms around her ex-husband’s neck and held him close to her bosom. He had just asked her to marry him again.

  ‘Well?’ Johnny croaked, as he tried to sit up in his hospital bed.

  ‘Only if you promise me two things, Johnny. The first is you will never, ever touch drugs again and the second is you don’t go all-out for revenge against Vinny Butler. I’ve nearly lost you once and I’m not going to chance losing you again. Joanna has made her own bed, so it’s up to her to lie on it. Anyway, I doubt very much she and Butler will last that long. Once she gets over her silly schoolgirl crush, she’s bound to see Vinny for what he really is, which is why I don’t want you getting involved. If we remarry, I want us to have a quiet life when you’re released.’

  ‘Deb, I only took that heroin because I wanted to dull the pain of that bastard mauling our daughter. I ain’t no druggie, you know that and I swear to you, I will never touch another drug as long as I live,’ Johnny replied.

  ‘But, what about Vinny?’

  ‘Deb, I just want to finish my stretch and have a quiet life too. Like you said, Jo won’t last long with Vinny, she’s only a kid and she’ll see the light before too long.’

  ‘But, say Jo is still with him when you’re released? I need you to promise me, Johnny, that whether she is or isn’t, you will let sleeping dogs lie.’ When Deborah had first found out that Joanna was with Vinny, she had wanted Johnny to intervene, but him nearly dying had changed her views completely.

  In desperate need to have something to look forward to while he finished his time in prison, Johnny had no option other than to lie. If he told Deborah that he planned to kill Vinny Butler within a week of his release, whether he was still with their daughter or not, then she would never agree to marry him. ‘They’ll be no payback from me. I can promise you that, babe.’

  As luck would have it, there wasn’t much traffic on the roads and Vinny arrived at his brother’s care home only a couple of hours after leaving London.

  ‘Hi, I’m Roy Butler’s elder brother, Vinny. I wasn’t meant to be visiting him until tomorrow, but I wondered could I see him now? I have some rather important news,’ Vinny said to one of the carers.

  ‘Your brother is in his room and isn’t usually a fan of surprise visits. I will try to entice him out, but Roy can be an obstinate one at times.’

  ‘OK, but just tell him it’s very urgent, will you?’ Vinny replied, in a rather agitated tone. He was dreading telling Roy that Lenny was dead, but was hoping his brother would still go out for a beer with him so they could grieve together and toast their wonderful cousin’s memory.

  ‘Who is it?’ Roy asked, as he heard the knock on the door. He had spent the morning tidying his room, and knowing that tomorrow Vinny would finally receive the wake-up call he was long overdue, Roy was in an exceptionally good mood.

  ‘Your brother Vinny is here to see you, Roy. He says he’s a day early, but he insists you speak to him as he has some very urgent news for you.’

  Roy smirked. Ever since he could remember, it had been Vinny calling the shots, but not any more. ‘Tell Vinny I am sleeping now, but tell him to return at six o’clock this evening. I will be ready to see him then. Tell him to come straight to my room though, won’t you?’

  The carer sighed. Roy was by no means the most difficult patient she had ever looked after, but he certainly wasn’t the easiest either. ‘OK, I’ll tell him, but I have a feeling that your brother isn’t going to be too pleased.’

  ‘Well, that’s tough shit, I’m afraid,’ Roy replied. Hearing the carer’s footsteps walk away, he allowed himself a little chuckle.

  Dean Smart was perched on a barstool in the Grave Maurice. He liked this boozer. It reminded him of his dad.

  Ordering another pint and a chaser to go with it, Dean knocked back the spirit in one. Brenda’s possible pregnancy was an absolute nightmare, but he had other stuff on his mind too. Heavy shit which he just couldn’t stop thinking about.

  A few nights back, Dean had overheard things that perhaps he shouldn’t have. It had been the early hours of the morning, and he’d been about to knock on Vinny’s office door to ask something when he’d heard his father’s death being joked about. Vinny and Ahmed were both quite vocal when they were pissed and coked-up, and, intrigued to see if they mentioned his old man again, Dean had bravely stood outside ear-wigging. Karen’s death had been the next topic of conversation, then finally Dean had heard Vinny slagging off his new girlfriend, and saying he couldn’t wait to heap revenge on her father.

  Dean had no doubt as he crept away that not only had Vinny done away with Little Vinny’s mother, but he had also been the perpetrator behind his own dad’s disappearance. It was obvious to him now that his father had been murdered, and all Dean could currently think about was how badly had his old man sufferred?

  Getting involved with Brenda and her dysfunctional family was the biggest mistake of Dean’s life, and he knew he had to get away from them now. No longer could he work for a man that had murdered his dad, neither could he raise another child with his nightmare of a wife. Dean might have committed a couple of armed robberies back in his youth, but the Butlers were a different breed. The bastards were pure evil.

  Dean ordered another drink and gave his fucked-up life some serious thought. He loved his nan dearly, and Tara, but he knew he had to scarper. Tomorrow, he would get all his savings out of the bank, say a discreet goodbye to Tara, tell his nan why he had to leave, and hopefully be able to say goodbye to Nancy at the same time. Staying around Brenda and her repulsive family wasn’t an option any more.

  Having been rebuffed by Roy, Vinny drove straight to Kings Holiday Park. He had upset his wonderful mother too much recently and if she wanted another grandchild by him, then Vinny was keen to oblige. He didn’t love Joanna, but he didn’t hate her either, and he was determined to make his dear old mum happy once again.

  Parking near Joanna’s chalet, Vinny jogged across the grass and banged on the door.

  ‘What do you want? Jo doesn’t want to know you any more,’ Chloe spat viciously, when she opened the door.

  ‘Look, I made a mistake. I love Jo and I really need to see her,’ Vinny replied, in an extremely loud voice. He could tell by the way that Chloe was behaving that Joanna was inside.

  Having been mortified by Vinny’s rejection of their child
the previous day, Joanna crept out of her bedroom. She had heard Vinny say he loved her and deep in her soul, she had known what they’d shared between them was real. Apart from confiding in Chloe, she had told nobody else about what had happened. ‘It’s OK, Chloe. Vinny and I need to speak,’ she said, in almost a whisper.

  ‘Well, he’s not coming in here,’ Chloe replied bluntly.

  ‘Babe, let’s talk in my car. I’m so sorry,’ Vinny said. The tears in his eyes were real, although more to do with his cousin’s death, and the thought of Ahmed waking up.

  As they walked towards the car, Joanna allowed Vinny to hold her hand. ‘Have you changed your mind about the baby? I’m so sorry for what my dad did to your brother, but I need to know where I stand, Vinny.’

  Vinny gave Joanna his most intense stare. ‘I was a fool, babe, to say what I said. I want to be with you, and I want us to have this baby. Can you forgive me?’

  Holding Vinny tighter than she had ever held him before, Joanna smiled. ‘Of course I can forgive you.’

  Michael’s feet felt like lead bricks as he bravely held his Auntie Viv’s hand and escorted her into the morgue. They had already been warned that Lenny’s injuries were not a pretty sight, and Michael had begged his aunt to let him identify the body alone, but Vivian was having none of it. ‘I will never believe my wonderful boy is dead unless I see it with my own eyes,’ she had snapped.

  When the sheet was pulled back, Michael couldn’t help but retch, then turn away. Lenny’s head looked as if somebody had tried to saw it off and had then stopped halfway.

  ‘My baby! My beautiful baby boy,’ Vivian screamed. Seconds later, she threw herself on top of her son’s corpse, and began kissing him.

  ‘We have to go now, Auntie Viv. We know it’s definitely Champ,’ Michael said, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  ‘Noooo! I can’t leave him. I’m his mother. He’ll be lonely here all on his own. I’m taking him home with me,’ Vivian sobbed, as she tried to lift her lifeless son’s body.