‘Can we open our presents now? Please?’ Oliver pleaded.
Little Vinny and Sammi-Lou exchanged smiles. Christmas was always a special time in their home and they loved nothing more than experiencing their sons’ excitement. Last year Regan had been too young to understand the festive activities, bless him.
‘You can open half your presents now and the rest when Nan and Granddad arrive. OK?’ Little Vinny replied. Sammi-Lou’s parents and sister loved watching the boys eagerly opening their gifts too.
‘Mummy’s going to brush her teeth. No touching any presents until me and your dad come downstairs,’ Sammi-Lou shouted after her sons.
Little Vinny chuckled and gave his wife a hug. ‘Let the madness commence.’
‘I must have the most ungrateful grandchildren ever. Tara and Tommy both asked for money, but when they asked to come over for Christmas I made a real effort to find ’em nice presents they’d like instead. Seemed unthoughtful to give ’em cash and they had sod-all to unwrap. Anybody would’ve thought I wrapped up Fred’s shit by the look on their faces earlier,’ Queenie complained.
Vinny shrugged. ‘You know what teenagers are like. Tara said yesterday she was saving up to go abroad with her friends next year, and Tommy wanted to treat himself to one of them Nintendo Game Boys. You should’ve just given ’em dosh.’
‘Some Christmas this is gonna be. Ava and Destiny are the only ones without faces like smacked arses. I know it’s never gonna be the same without our Molly, Vin, but we must make an effort. Put on a brave face, so to speak.’
‘I miss Molly more than words can say, but it ain’t only that. I thought Little Vinny would’ve called me this morning and put the boys on the phone like he usually does. Apart from you, Jay Boy and Carl, no bastard visited me in hospital either. Pete and Paul didn’t even bother, although they both belled me this morning, which is more than can be said for any of the family.’
‘Daniel and Lee were always going to take their father’s side, boy. As for Little Vinny, why don’t you ring him?’
‘Nah. He knew I was poorly and couldn’t be arsed. You can put money on it he’s visited that old bastard though. The way people are acting towards me, you’d think I’d been knocking Bella off behind Michael’s back for years. I didn’t know who she was when we had a fling, did I? And she weren’t even with Michael then.’
Queenie sat on the bed and squeezed her son’s hands. ‘You’re not to blame for any of this. It’s all Bella’s fault. She led you on, got herself pregnant, then denied you your son for years. You keep your chin up. Antonio’s gonna need a happy dad, not a sad one.’
Gary and Meg Allen watched their grandsons opening the gifts they’d bought them.
‘Look, Dad. Mum, look at this! It’s James Bond,’ Oliver grinned, waving the toy in the air.
‘A racing car! Does it go fast, Granddad?’ Calum asked gleefully.
‘Yeah. But we need to put some batteries in it first. Give us it here,’ Gary replied.
‘I want that,’ Regan grumbled, snatching at the toy.
Calum held on to the car for dear life. ‘No. It’s mine.’
When Regan punched his brother, Little Vinny lifted the child up by his arm and slapped him firmly on his backside.
Gary glanced at his wife. He’d been insistent for the past six months or so that both Calum and Regan had some kind of behavioural problems, but Meg wouldn’t hear of it. Boys were naturally more boisterous than girls, she insisted.
‘Stop that now or you’ll go to your bedroom and the rest of your presents will go to the poor children in the orphanage,’ Sammi-Lou threatened. Regan was now having one of his infamous tantrums.
Fourteen-year-old Millie kneeled on the floor and handed her nephew the toy she’d bought him. ‘Don’t cry, Regan. Open this one,’ she urged.
‘Don’t wannit,’ Regan screamed, throwing the gift at Millie’s head.
‘That’s it, Sam. Get him out my sight before I do him some permanent damage. He can come out of his room when he’s calmed down and is ready to apologize to everyone,’ Little Vinny bellowed.
‘He’ll be fine in a minute. They get over-excited at Christmas, kids, don’t they?’ Meg said awkwardly. She knew exactly what her husband was thinking, and as much as she hated to admit it, was beginning to think he might be right.
Giovanni D’Angelo liked to catch his prey unaware. When Vinny had called him yesterday, Giovanni had told him he’d be in touch very soon. And it had been an easy task to find out Katy’s address, once he knew her phone number.
Plans to stay with their daughter scuppered, the D’Angelos were now staying with Italian friends in West London. ‘Where are you going?’ Mrs D’Angelo asked her husband, surprised that he had his coat on.
‘I am taking Antonio and Camila to visit their fathers. I will be back before dinner is served.’
‘Does Bella know?’
‘I haven’t asked our daughter’s permission, if that is what you mean. The world doesn’t revolve around Bella and it was her choice to spend Christmas alone, wallowing in self-pity, rather than with us and her children. Antonio and Camila are extremely unhappy and I intend to put a smile back on their faces.’
‘Bella will be furious with you.’
‘Our daughter made her own bed, now she must learn to lie in it, my dear. End of subject.’
‘How’s business?’ Gary Allen asked his son-in-law. Regan had now calmed down and been forced to apologize for his behaviour, and all three boys were finally playing nicely with their presents.
‘Not bad. Finn’s coming round later. We cancelled that big outdoor New Year’s Eve gig and are now holding a smaller one in a warehouse. Gonna hold the original one when it warms up a bit. Was a silly idea to try to hold it this time of year anyway, to be honest, but God loves a trier,’ Little Vinny chuckled.
‘Vin, can you start laying the table? The turkey’s nearly cooked,’ Sammi-Lou shouted out.
‘Can I have some dark meat please, Dad?’ Oliver asked.
‘I don’t want no turkey. I’m a vegetarian now,’ Millie proudly announced.
‘She watched a programme on TV showing animals being slaughtered. Refused to eat meat or poultry since,’ Gary explained, following his son-in-law into the dining room.
Little Vinny raised his eyebrows. ‘Kids, eh? Sammi keeps on about wanting a daughter, but I’ve told her we’ve got enough on our plate with the boys for now. The thing is, we can’t even guarantee a girl, can we? As much as I love the little ’uns, they’re hard work. I think being close together in age they wind one another up. I certainly couldn’t handle another boy, and I know Sammi would be gutted if it weren’t a girl. Ollie’s no trouble, mind, never has been. The perfect son, him.’
‘He sure is, and I think you’re right to bide your time. If you want to try for a girl you’d be wise to wait until the boys at least start school. You’re only young. Got many happy years ahead of you,’ Gary advised.
‘We’re not expecting anyone, are we?’ Sammi-Lou yelled when the doorbell rang.
‘It might be Finn. Perhaps his ex didn’t want him to stay for dinner after all?’ Little Vinny replied.
‘I’ll answer it,’ Oliver said. ‘Dad, it’s some policemen here to see you,’ he shouted, seconds later.
Little Vinny dashed into the hallway, closely followed by his wife and in-laws. Apart from the illegal raves, which certainly didn’t warrant the Old Bill knocking on his door on Christmas Day, he’d done sod-all else wrong. Surely another member of his family hadn’t suddenly died an awful death? ‘What’s occurring?’ he asked.
DS Terry stared the cocksure young man in the eyes. ‘Vinny Butler, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Molly Butler. You are not obliged to say anything, but what you do say will be written down and may be given in evidence. Understand that, do ya?’
‘Is this some kind of joke? Molly was his sister and you already have the boy that killed her locked up,’ Sammi-Lou stammered, grab
bing her father’s arm for support.
‘New evidence has come to light and we now have every reason to believe that it was actually your old man who throttled his sister,’ Terry replied bluntly.
His face a greyish colour, Little Vinny tried desperately to stop his hands from shaking. ‘It’s a mistake. Don’t worry. I’ll go to the station, answer their questions and be home before you know it. Ring my dad, Sam. Tell him what’s happened and to get me a brief.’
As the love of her life was led handcuffed down the driveway in full view of her children and the neighbours, Sammi-Lou burst into uncontrollable tears.
Knowing he would be the talk of the town, Vinny Butler was determined to revisit the pub he’d been beaten up in sooner rather than later. He’d learned over the years it was better to act blasé over such a scene than shy away from it.
The electric atmosphere fell silent as Vinny sauntered into the Blind Beggar. Expecting the nudges and whispers, Vinny strolled up to the bar as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Tara and Tommy had been bored at his mother’s so he’d brought them with him as a bit of moral support.
‘You OK, Vin? We’ve all been worried about you. You didn’t look too healthy when they carted you out of here,’ Big Stan said.
‘It’ll take more than Michael waving a cricket bat to finish me off,’ Vinny joked. ‘Merry Christmas, everybody. This round’s on me.’
Relieved that Vinny was in a jovial mood, the bubbly festive spirit returned to the pub in seconds. Handshakes, well-wishes and pats on the back soon followed. Vinny Butler was far better to have as a friend than an enemy.
‘Get that ratpig and its disgusting toy away from me, Ava. I mean it. Otherwise I will dropkick both,’ Vivian ordered.
‘Don’t be so nasty. Fred’s only playing with Teddy and he’s not harming you. Tell her, Nan,’ Ava grumbled.
‘Her! I think you mean Auntie Viv, don’t you? Why don’t you and Destiny take Fred over Mrs Agg’s so he can spend some time with Mabel, Ava? Then you can try out those roller skates Dad bought ya both. Don’t go far and I’ll give you a shout when dinner’s nearly ready,’ Queenie said.
‘Can I put my new denim outfit on?’
‘No. Mrs Agg’s house is none too wholesome, you know that. Wear your dungarees when you go somewhere special.’
‘But I don’t go anywhere special,’ Ava argued.
‘If they play that Johnny Cash record once more, I’ll give ’em ring of fucking fire. I’ll knock next door and set light to the bastard record in front of the pair of notrights,’ Vivian complained, referring to Roger and his mother Doll who lived in the house that separated hers and Queenie’s.
‘God, everybody is so miserable today. Come on, Fred, we’re going out,’ Ava announced, grabbing the dog’s lead.
When the front door slammed, Queenie sat opposite her sister. ‘She does have a point. What’s the matter, Viv?’
‘Missing my Lenny. Plus I’ve got one of me bad headaches. Mixed me drinks yesterday, didn’t I? I reckon them two blokes bought us trebles, I dunno about doubles,’ Vivian lied. There was sod-all wrong with her head, but she was determined to escape after dinner and visit Albie as she’d promised Michael. She was actually looking forward to it. Anything was better than spending the day with the man who’d killed her son. Albie had a good sense of humour and she’d missed their friendship, truth be known. He was the only one who truly understood how she felt about Vinny.
‘Answer that, Viv. Vinny’s left his phone ’ere so unless it’s Michael, tell ’em I’m busy cooking. I’m in no mood for silly talk today.’
Vivian’s blood ran cold as she listened to what the caller had to say. ‘Try and calm down, love. There must be some mistake. Vinny’s only popped down to the local. I’ll get a message to him immediately, OK?’
‘Whatever’s wrong? You look as white as a ghost. And who wants to tell Vinny what?’ Queenie demanded. If it was Daniel kicking off again, there would be hell to pay after the way he’d spoken to her yesterday. That boy had no respect whatsoever.
Tears in her eyes as it brought back memories of the actual event, Vivian squeezed her sister’s hands. ‘The police turned up at Little Vinny’s. They’ve arrested him on suspicion of murdering Molly. My blood’s gone cold, Queen.’
Queenie snatched her hands away. ‘Don’t talk so fucking daft. Jamie Preston’s been locked up for years. Who was it on the phone?’
‘Sammi-Lou. Beside herself, she was. You stop ’ere, pour yourself a brandy. I’ll shoot round the Beggar and find Vinny, tell him what’s happened.’
Queenie put her hand over her mouth and shook her head repeatedly. She was gobsmacked, literally.
‘How long until we get to Nanny Queenie, Granddad?’ Camila asked innocently. She was extremely confused by everything that had happened recently, but was happy that she was going to visit her nan, then her father today. Her mum was very sad, kept crying all the time and even though this was the first Christmas Day Camila had spent away from her mother, she wasn’t that bothered. Her mum worked lots of hours anyway and she was more used to Juanita’s company. Cami missed Juanita and couldn’t wait until she got back from holiday. They played lots of games together and had fun days out. Whereas her mum usually took her to restaurants, which Camila found tedious.
‘We’ll be there soon. The traffic has been far worse than I anticipated. Are you looking forward to calling Queenie “Nan” for the first time, Antonio? Don’t call her Nonna, for goodness’ sake, she won’t understand that,’ Giovanni joked. Antonio had been very quiet on the journey, which was understandable. He was bound to be nervous at meeting his real father for the first time. What child wouldn’t be?
Giovanni’s own father had abandoned him before he was even born, disappearing into thin air the day after his mother had disclosed she was pregnant. Giovanni had tracked him down many years later, only to be shunned for a second time. By that time his father had another family and had not wanted the past dredged up.
The experience had left a bitter taste in Giovanni’s mouth. That was why he was so determined his grandchildren would both have a steady relationship with their fathers. Vinny Butler might not be perfect, but he’d done well in life and had seemed keen to build a father-and-son bond with Antonio when they’d spoken on the phone. As for Michael, he adored the ground Camila walked on and would surely be devastated if he didn’t see the child regularly.
‘Do you think my dad will be pleased to see me even though we haven’t told him we’re coming?’ Antonio asked his grandfather.
‘Of course he will. I’m sure everybody will give you a huge welcome. Family is extremely important. Never forget that, Antonio.’
Vinny Butler looked at his aunt as though she were stark raving mad. As stunned as he was, he still had the foresight to lead her outside the pub away from prying eyes. ‘They’ve actually arrested him? You positive? When? Where is he?’
‘I don’t bloody know, do I? Sammi-Lou could barely string two words together she was so upset. Today, I should imagine, else the girl would’ve rung earlier. All she said was the police had arrested Little Vinny for murdering Molly and he needed a brief. Your mother’s in shock, as you can well imagine. What the hell is going on, eh?’
‘The tape,’ Vinny mumbled, as initial shock wore off and the penny dropped. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll sort it.’
‘Tape! What tape?’
Instead of replying, Vinny left his aunt standing in the Whitechapel Road and sprinted towards his mother’s house.
Queenie Butler felt as sick as a dog. Not knowing what else to do, she’d rung Sammi-Lou back. Gary Allen had answered and said the police reckoned they’d unearthed some new evidence.
Molly’s murder had without a doubt been the most upsetting experience of Queenie’s life. Losing Roy, Lenny, Adam, Brenda and her beloved mother came close, but Molly being taken the way she had topped the lot. At first they’d thought she’d been abducted and it had broken Queenie’s heart whe
n her body was finally found. Molly had been all on her own in a shallow grave for days, the poor little mite. She’d even been lying there dead while they filmed a TV appeal for her safe return.
‘Vinny! You heard the news? It can’t be true. Look at what a good dad he is to his own kids. No way would he be capable of killing Molly. Never in a million years,’ Queenie cried.
Vinny held his distraught mother in his arms. ‘It’s gonna be OK. I know what this new evidence is. Little Vinny told me about it ages ago. That bastard Ahmed tried to set him up. I’m gonna sort a brief now. Colin’s on a cruise, but his sidekick’ll get Little Vin out the nick. Jamie Preston killed Molly. A jury found him guilty. The Old Bill ain’t got a leg to stand on.’
Vivian arrived back at Queenie’s at the same time as Giovanni pulled up. ‘Give your aunt a kiss and wish her Happy Christmas,’ Giovanni ordered Antonio and Camila.
‘Does Queenie know you’re visiting?’ Vivian asked, ignoring both children.
‘No. Antonio wanted to surprise his father,’ Giovanni said, following Vivian inside the house. He locked eyes with Vinny. The resemblance between father and son was clear to see. ‘Say hello to your dad,’ he urged his grandson.
When Antonio walked towards him with his hand outstretched, Vinny knew he had to get out the house. He’d had enough surprises for one day. ‘Look, I’m sorry, but now isn’t a good time. I’ve got to go out, but I’ll be in touch soon,’ he mumbled.
Giovanni could’ve cried for his grandson as Vinny grabbed his mobile phone and dashed from the house without as much as a backward glance. He knew exactly how Antonio must be feeling: abandoned.
DS Terry pushed the piece of paper towards Little Vinny. ‘We know you killed your sister, so you might as well sign the confession now. A judge will be more lenient on you if you’ve cooperated with us, and he or she will take into account your age at the time. Go on, sign it. It’ll wipe a few years off your sentence,’ DS Terry urged.
Tainted Love: The gritty new thriller from the #1 bestseller Page 29