The flowers had sod all to do with Ahmed, which meant somebody other than himself obviously had it in for Vinny. His car had recently been vandalized too, and the front of his club daubed with threatening and obscene graffiti. ‘I think it is time to put our real plan into action. As soon as the baby is born, I will make a fuss of the child. Then, we will start stitching its cunt of a father up good and proper. Those who sin must pay for their wrongdoings, Burak.’
‘Get away from us. Go on, go away,’ Vivian ordered. Mad Malcolm had a habit of staring at her and Queenie while trying to listen in on their conversations.
‘Gives me the fucking willies, he does,’ Queenie said when Malcolm slunk away like a scolded puppy.
Vivian laughed. She still missed her Lenny like mad, always would, but it was so nice to be able to smile and feel normal again. Some parts of the past seven months were a complete blank to Viv, especially around the time she tried to kill herself and first arrived at Goodmayes. There was no point crying over spilt milk, but Viv could never forgive herself for certain things. How could she have put Queenie through her attempted suicide and chucked all Lenny’s things away? She must have been really ill to do either.
‘I’ve been thinking, Queen. Can we go down to Kings on the first weekend I’m out? I would love a game of bingo and an hour or two in the amusements. I wonder if that handsome Mike is still running the arcade?’
Queenie squeezed her sister’s hands. Vinny had been trying to entice her down to Eastbourne ever since the holiday park reopened in April, but Queenie hadn’t been able to face it. She and Vivvy had loved that place and, without her sister by her side, it just didn’t feel right. ‘Oh, Viv, of course we can. I am so glad to have you back. My life was empty when you were ill.’
Vivian’s eyes filled up with tears. ‘And I’m sorry for what I put you through. I love you, Queen, and once I get out of this funny farm I intend to live the rest of my life to the full. I know we’ve both lost sons, but your Roy and my Lenny wouldn’t want us moping around.’
Queenie smiled. ‘You bet they wouldn’t.’
Michael Butler picked up the newspaper and immediately threw it back on the kitchen top. ‘BURNED ALIVE’ was the front-page headline and Michael could not stomach such stories any more.
Trevor Thomas’s death still played on Michael’s mind. Three days after his remains were found, the police had turned up at the club asking questions. Trevor had been identified by breaks he’d suffered in his collarbone and left leg in the past. He’d also had a plate and screws put in his knee, which made him even more identifiable.
Vinny had been as cool as a cucumber when the Old Bill showed up, insisting that he had not seen Trevor since he ran off with Yvonne. ‘No disrespect, officer, but I was no more than a child when Trevor ran off with my bird. I am now a man in a stable relationship with my second kid on the way. Do you honestly think I would still be bothered about some teenage love affair that happened all those years ago?’
Michael had been anything but cool, but had backed up the alibi that he and Vinny had concocted. Forensics had managed to narrow down the day the fire had been started on, and the guvnor of the Blind Beggar had verified that Vinny and Michael had been in the pub that particular evening.
Thankfully, the police hadn’t returned. Michael had asked Vinny not to talk about Trevor’s death any more. He did not admit to his brother that he kept having reoccurring nightmares about it. What would be the point? Vinny would only have taken the piss out of him.
Daniel and Adam running into the kitchen snapped Michael out of his daydream. ‘We’re going now, Dad,’ Daniel said, hugging his father’s leg.
Michael Butler ruffled his sons’ hair and kissed his wife goodbye. Nancy was spending the night at her parents’ house with Daniel and Adam, which she now did a couple of times a month. Michael was quite happy with the set-up, as it gave him and Nancy a break from one another.
Life had been OK since Nancy came back home, but it hadn’t exactly been a bed of roses. His wife was very needy and it grated on Michael that when he wasn’t around to give her a helping hand she struggled with the basics of motherhood. She also treated Lee differently to her own sons, and that pissed Michael off immensely. In his eyes, if Nancy was a decent human being she would include Lee in the trips to her parents and the days out they had. She knew Lee had no grandparents on his mother’s side.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing the dog, Dad, but I am gonna miss my brothers,’ Lee told his father on the journey to his aunt’s house.
‘I know you will, boy.’ Lee had an aunt in Bow whom he stayed with whenever Daniel and Adam went to their grandparents, and he adored her old bull terrier, Spike.
After Michael had dropped Lee off, he got back in the car and grinned. His best pal Kevin was usually under the thumb but his wife was away visiting relatives, so today he and Kev were going out on a good old-fashioned pub crawl. Letting his hair down was just what Michael needed.
Vinny Butler was feeling anxious. He had never found out who had sent those flowers, and knowing somebody had it in for you, but not knowing who that person was, was driving him insane. He had always been paranoid when it came to his safety and that of his family, and now he felt as though he was constantly looking over his shoulder. He had even purchased two guns recently. One was hidden at the club and the other at home, just to be on the safe side.
Vinny had completely ruled Ahmed out of his list of suspects now. Things had been a bit stilted between the two of them for a month or so after the accident, but they had since got their friendship back on track. The drug business was becoming more and more profitable by the day, and Vinny knew Ahmed well enough to know vandalizing cars and daubing graffiti was not his pal’s style. Like himself, Ahmed had class, and would never resort to something so petty.
Vinny stared at the photo of himself, Roy and Michael that sat proudly on his office wall. It had been taken years ago, long before Roy’s accident. ‘If I were a betting man, Roy, my money would be on either Bobby Jackson or Johnny Preston pulling these stunts. What do you reckon, eh, bruv?’
Averting his focus from his unknown stalker, Vinny thought about Joanna. He had only got her up the spout to piss her father off and pay him back for shooting Roy, yet he was now really looking forward to the birth of his second child. He had dreaded the birth of Little Vinny when Karen was pregnant, but he loved being a dad and was hoping for a daughter this time around. Girls were more of a worry, but far less trouble than boys, he imagined.
Michael Butler was having a whale of a time. He was in the Carpenter’s Arms, and it had been a long time since he had really let his hair down.
‘Slow down a bit, mate. You’re drinking for England,’ Kevin said.
‘You’ve been sinking ’em like there’s no tomorrow as well. Talk about pot calling kettle,’ Michael retorted.
‘Are you insinuating I is black?’ Kevin joked.
Michael burst out laughing. Kev was mixed race and they went back years. When they were in their early teens there had been far fewer black faces in the East End, and whenever the pair of them came across some bigot, Kev would always lay on a thick Jamaican accent just for fun. His mum’s family were white and he barely knew his father, so Michael could never work out how he managed to do the accent so well.
‘What’s up? Who you looking at?’ Kevin asked.
Unable to tear his eyes away from the girl, Michael continued to stare at her. She was tall, dark-skinned, with long glossy hair and the sexiest body that Michael had ever seen. She was wearing high-heeled boots, a black leather jacket that had tassels swinging from the sleeves, and faded jeans.
Kevin changed seats and chuckled. ‘Put your tongue away, mate, you’re a married man now, remember?’
With his handsome face, cheeky grin and legendary chat-up lines, Michael had been a real player in his heyday. He had slept with so many girls his mum and aunt nicknamed him Alfie after the womanizing rogue played by Michael Caine in the
film. Meeting Nancy had changed all that, but when the girl locked eyes with him, Michael could only think of one thing.
Fucking her senseless.
Vinny Butler was dumbfounded as he listened to what Paul had to say. ‘You sure it was her?’
When the doorman said he was positive, Vinny thanked him for the information, replaced the receiver, then grabbed his car keys. Seeing was believing and he needed to see the slag with his own eyes.
Joanna Preston clutched hold of the sink for support as the searing pain shot through her body again. Where was Vinny? He should have been home ages ago.
Feeling a strange sensation, she started to panic. There was water gushing out of her and it had created a puddle by her feet. Overcome by another jolt of pain, Joanna sank to her knees. ‘Vinny, Vinny. I need you to ring the club, and find out where your dad is. I think the baby’s coming,’ she screamed out.
Little Vinny was sitting on his bed listening to this week’s chart countdown. Debating whether to respond to Joanna’s desperate cries for help, he quickly decided against it. Instead, he turned the volume up on his radio and sang along with Joe Tex. ‘Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)’ was such a catchy tune.
Vinny Butler’s heart was beating like a drum when he pulled up outside the Three Travellers pub in Dagenham. He hated the bitch with a passion, but felt anxious and sick to the stomach at the thought of seeing her again.
With her lithe body, long flowing hair, infectious laugh and perfect white teeth, Vinny Butler had fallen in love with Yvonne Summers on sight as a lad. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, yet the slut had used him and then tortured his mind.
His mouth bone-dry, Vinny approached the pub window. He peered through and could barely believe his eyes. ‘No longer petite’ had been Paul’s assessment of her. Well, that was the understatement of the century. Yvonne Summers was that fat she resembled a whale that had been washed up on the beach.
In complete shock, Vinny stood rooted to the spot. He could not believe this was the same woman whose memory had taunted him for so long, but it was. The fat cow looked like she had fallen out the ugly tree and hit every fucking branch on the way down.
Hearing voices behind him, Vinny turned around. There were two teenage girls staring at him and giggling. ‘You looking for someone?’ one asked.
‘Yeah, my mate. I don’t think he is in there though,’ Vinny replied.
‘Well, we’ll keep you company, won’t we, Barb?’ the blonde one said, nudging her pal.
‘Not ’arf! We don’t often get talent like you in the Travellers, do we, Wendy?’ the ginger girl replied, smiling at Vinny.
Vinny grinned falsely, and handed the girls a tenner just to get rid of them. ‘Go in the pub and order yourselves a drink, ladies. Get me half of lager – any kind will do. I’ll be in in a couple of minutes.’
When the girls disappeared, Vinny looked through the window once again. Seeing Yvonne laughing and joking with a customer, Vinny felt the urge to stroll inside and wipe the smile off the whore’s face by smashing her big fat head against the bar, but he managed to resist. No way was that monster worth getting nicked over, not on your nelly.
CHAPTER SIX
Joanna Preston forgot all about the fright and pain she had endured when her baby was placed in her arms for the first time. ‘Hello, I’m your mummy,’ she said, crying tears of pure joy while grinning broadly.
Outside in the corridor, Vinny was experiencing a mixture of fury, guilt and panic. He was furious with Little Vinny for not keeping an eye on Joanna like he’d asked him to, and felt as guilty as hell because instead of heading straight home as promised he’d chosen to track down Yvonne Summers. And he was panicking because Joanna had been screaming blue murder and now it had all gone quiet. If something was wrong with his kid, he would never forgive himself, he knew that much.
When the door of the delivery room opened, he felt his heart race even more. ‘What’s going on? Everything’s OK, isn’t it?’
The old Jamaican midwife chuckled. ‘Listen for yourself. Got better lungs than me, that child. You can go in and say hello now.’
Vinny had never been a man to show much emotion but the moment he laid eyes on his daughter, the tears poured down his cheeks. With her mop of curly blonde hair, she looked nothing like him. And she wasn’t ugly, the way Little Vinny had been when he was born. She was absolutely perfect.
‘Do you want to hold her? She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?’ Joanna gushed. She had already forgiven Vinny for not being at home when she went into labour. At the time, she’d been petrified, but somehow she managed to crawl to the phone, ring the emergency services herself and open the front door for them. Vinny had arrived home amidst the mayhem, and she knew from his face he was genuinely sorry.
Vinny kissed Joanna on the forehead, then lifted the baby out of her arms and cradled her in his. ‘I am so sorry I wasn’t there when your mum needed me earlier, but I promise you this, baby girl, I will never let you down again, not ever.’
Queenie and Vivian had had a wonderful afternoon together. It had been just like old times. They had shed a few tears over their wonderful sons, but then they’d cried with laughter as they relived some of their antics.
‘Do you remember the time Lenny started undoing his trousers when he saw Mad Freda coming and she ran off screaming blue murder? She was threatening to tell the police he was a flasher, if I remember rightly.’
Queenie chuckled. ‘He was only a nipper at the time. I’m sure he only did it because he knew we couldn’t stand her. Proper little character that boy was.’
Seeing her sister close to tears again, Queenie hugged her. ‘Now let’s not get down in the dumps. We’ve had a great day and we’ve got the Jubilee to look forward to. We’ll show them neighbours of ours how to party, Viv. And don’t forget, this time next weekend we’ll be down at Kings. You don’t want to start getting upset now in case they keep you in this funny farm. Who will I play bingo with then, eh?’
‘I’m fine, Queen. I just have my moments and I dare say I always will.’
Pleased her sister was OK, Queenie glanced at her watch. ‘My Vinny was meant to pick me up over an hour ago. I hope everything’s all right. It’s not like him to be this late, Viv.’
‘Perhaps Jo’s gone into labour. Ring him at home, Queen.’
Before Queenie had a chance to move, a nurse approached her. ‘Your Vinny is on the phone, Queenie. He wants to speak to you.’
Queenie’s heart leapt in her chest as she followed the nurse. Since losing Roy and Lenny, she dreaded her own phone ringing in case it was more bad news, let alone being summoned to the one in Goodmayes Hospital. Breathlessly she took the receiver and asked, ‘What’s up, boy?’
When her son began to gabble excitedly about the baby and how beautiful she was, Queenie couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. After all the trauma and bad luck her family had suffered, life was looking decidedly rosy for them again.
Albie Butler rarely ventured out to restaurants. It seemed pointless, seeing as his Dorothy was such a good cook. But today he was sitting in a carvery in Ipswich town centre with Bert and Dorothy, celebrating Bert’s birthday.
‘Nice bit of lamb, eh, Dorothy? What’s the beef like?’ Bert asked his brother.
‘Very tender,’ Albie replied, before ramming another forkful in his mouth. A moment later he froze at the sound of a familiar voice coming from behind him, then spat his beef back onto his plate.
‘You OK? Did it go down the wrong hole?’ Bert asked, slapping Albie on the back to stop him from choking.
Trying desperately to stop his coughing fit as the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself, Albie hissed at Bert to leave him alone and act normal. Hearing her distinctive squeaky voice again, Albie sank his pint. The last time he had seen Judy Preston was in 1965 when she had turned up to visit him in hospital at the same time as Queenie. All hell had broken loose when Queenie had realized that Judy was his
pregnant bit on the side, and his indiscretion had ended his marriage and seen him kicked out of his own home.
Vinny and Roy had paid Judy a threatening visit and ordered her to abort his child, then shortly afterwards Judy had done a runner. Albie had been told by somebody a few years back that Judy now lived in Ipswich, but he hadn’t quite believed it until this moment.
‘What’s the matter, Albie? You look ever so pale,’ Dorothy remarked.
When he heard a child refer to Judy as Mum, Albie knew he had to get out of the restaurant. She might not recognize the back of him, but if she went to the toilet, she would be bound to spot him. The thought of coming face to face with her or a child he didn’t know had existed was making Albie feel nauseous. ‘I need some fresh air, Dorothy. Please don’t say my name out loud or make a scene as there is somebody on the table behind who I really don’t want to see. You and Bert finish your meals and I’ll wait for you in the car park.’
‘Whatever is the matter?’ Bert asked.
‘Shush,’ Albie hissed. He then darted out of the restaurant as fast as his trembling legs would carry him.
Michael and Kevin had planned to have a curry in Brick Lane after their drinking session, but those plans were scuppered when Michael returned from talking to the mystery dark-haired woman and informed Kev that he had invited her and her friend to join them.
Kevin was extremely happily married. His wife and son meant the world to him and no way was he sitting in some restaurant with two birds. ‘Sorry, mate, but you can count me out. My Jemima would chop my bollocks off if I was spotted somewhere with those two. I doubt your Nancy would be too happy either.’
‘Where’s the harm in going for a meal? And if someone clocks us, I’ll just say it’s two of the barmaids from the club, or an old family friend.’
Seeing Michael and the dark-haired girl share an intimate glance, Kevin gave his pal a talking to. ‘If you go for that meal with her, you’ll end up fucking her, mate – then how you gonna face Nancy in the cold light of day? Think of them sons of yours. Is it worth losing them because you fancy some fresh pussy?’
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