‘What Nanny say, Mummy?’ Molly asked innocently, holding her chubby arms out for a cuddle. Raised voices had given the child an inkling that all was not well.
‘Nothing important, darling. Why don’t you pop upstairs and get your new dolly. I’m sure Nanny would love to meet Molly Dolly.’
Giggling because she knew the doll had been named after her by her daddy, Molly toddled happily up the stairs.
Joanna moved over to the sofa and gave her mum a hug. ‘I’m sorry for bringing up Dad’s affair, and I promise I will try to talk to Vinny. But I doubt he will ever allow Dad to be part of Molly’s life, Mum. It’s not just the fire. You have to remember, Dad shot his brother Roy.’
Deborah held Joanna to her chest as she had done when she was a child. ‘Don’t get upset, angel. Everything will work out in the end, I just know it will.’
About to tell her mother that there was more chance of hell freezing over than things working out, Molly’s re-appearance made Joanna reconsider. Her mum was only trying to be positive, so what was the point of ruining her visit?
When Vinny Butler walked into The Bull in Hornchurch, Splodgenessabounds’ ‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please’ was playing on the jukebox and the pub was full of bikers.
‘Well, this wasn’t a very good choice. How we meant to have a business meeting in here? I can’t even hear myself fucking think.’
Ignoring his protests, Ahmed led his business partner over to a dark-haired bloke who was stood at the bar. He was wearing light trousers, a brown short-sleeved Gabicci shirt, and looked about thirty.
‘Richie, this is Vinny. Vinny this is Richie.’
Vinny shook hands and was about to speak when AC/DC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ started blasting out of the jukebox. ‘I ain’t staying in this dive. I cannot abide bikers or their shit taste in music,’ Vinny yelled in Ahmed’s ear.
Richie knocked back the short he was drinking and gestured for Ahmed and Vinny to follow him. Once outside the pub, he grinned. ‘I only live down the road. I don’t usually invite strangers back to my gaff, but I’ve heard lots of good things about you via Ahmed, so I trust you are sound,’ Richie said, directing the comment at Vinny.
Richie’s gaff was a two-bedroomed flat in Emerson Park. Vinny immediately clocked that Richie had class. The flat was immaculate. It had a smart oxblood-coloured Chesterfield sofa, a stunning triangular-shaped glass table that sat in the centre of the lounge, and even though Vinny knew little about art, he could tell that the big painting on the wall was an expensive one. ‘That your kids?’ Vinny asked, pointing at a photo of Richie with two babies on his lap.
‘Yeah. Twin boys. Six now, they are. I miss seeing them wake up every morning since I split up with their mum, but I get to see them every weekend. They only live in Barking, which is where I come from.’
‘Sorry to hear that, pal. Must be tough for you. I’ve got a boy and a girl myself and I would hate to live apart from them,’ Vinny replied. He had warmed to Richie already.
Richie poured out three large brandies and handed a tumbler each to Ahmed and Vinny. ‘Taste that. Thirty years old that is.’
‘Beautiful, Richie. Now, let’s talk business, shall we?’ Ahmed suggested.
Richie walked over to his bookcase, pulled out an autobiography, opened the cover, and threw two see-through bags towards Ahmed and Vinny. One contained white powder, the other brown.
Vinny opened one bag. The cocaine was rock hard and looked completely uncut. ‘You got something I can bash this up with?’
As soon as Vinny snorted a small line, he turned to Ahmed and grinned. ‘Jesus! That’s knocked my block off. Try it. It’s proper.’
Ahmed did as Vinny asked, then smirked at Richie. ‘How much of this can you get your hands on?’
‘I’ve got ten kilo around me at the moment, and can get more in a fortnight. It’s not cheap though. I don’t know what you were paying your previous supplier, but this stuff is forty grand per kilo. With its purity, as you well know, you can turn it into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Charlie is becoming more popular by the day. A pal of mine has been selling tons of it at eighty quid per gram.’
‘Do you mind if me and Ahmed have a moment alone to chat, Richie?’ Vinny asked.
‘No, not at all. I’ll leave you to it.’
When Richie left the room, Vinny turned to Ahmed. ‘That’s fucking well steep, mate. We have to try and knock him down on the price a bit. Don’t get me wrong, the gear is top drawer, but it’s a hell of a lot more than we’ve been paying.’
‘In this world you get what you pay for, Vinny. I know it’s expensive, but such is the purity we can turn that ten kilo into twenty before we sell it on. I feel completely out my nut on that small line. It’s like the old stuff we used to get from Emre and I don’t want to mess this deal up by bartering. The heroin is even dearer, I think. I’m sure he told me that was fifty grand per kilo, but that’s meant to be top-drawer stuff too. Obviously, we will need to get a guinea pig to test that for us, but you can just see and smell the quality of it,’ Ahmed said, handing the bag to Vinny.
‘I don’t care what quality it is. Fifty grand a kilo is daylight robbery. That’s virtually double what Hakan was charging us for the brown. Why don’t we forget about the heroin and just concentrate on the coke, eh? That’s where the big profit for the future lies.’
‘I think you are right. The demand for cocaine is getting bigger by the day.’
‘Let’s tell Richie our decision then.’
When Richie re-entered the room, he listened to what Ahmed had to say, then nodded. ‘Before we shake on this, I need to stipulate my rules. Obviously, you’re to tell nobody that you are dealing with me. The deals will take place at this flat and only one of you comes to collect and exchange money. I’ll be honest – and I don’t mean any disrespect to you, Ahmed – but I would rather Vinny be the one who comes here. With you being Turkish, he looks far less conspicuous if he bumps into any of my neighbours.’
Vinny held his hands up, palms facing outwards. ‘I won’t be picking it up. Ahmed sorts out that side of our business. That’s the deal we have.’
‘Yes, but this is different, Vinny. We are not picking up from a remote airfield any more. We are coming to Hornchurch, to Richie’s flat,’ Ahmed stated.
‘I’m sorry, Ahmed, but the agreement we had when I first came into this business with you was that I am the silent partner. No way am I driving about with ten kilo in my car.’
‘Well, I don’t exactly want to drive about with ten kilo in my car either, Vinny, but some mug has to do it.’
‘Look, lads, I’m not being funny, but this is something you need to thrash out in private. If you don’t want to go ahead with the deal, there’ll be no hard feelings. I’ve got to pop out in a bit, so get back to me in a day or two, once you’ve had a chance to discuss things your end. I’m sure between the three of us we can still come to some arrangement.’
Ahmed winked as he and Richie shook hands. Carl Thompson had more than earned the first instalment of wedge that was heading his way. The geezer had played a blinder.
Donald and Mary Walker were in exceedingly good spirits. They had spent a lovely day with their grandsons, and this evening they would be meeting their son Christopher’s girlfriend for the very first time.
‘Auntie Mary, can we play in the swimming pool again, please?’ Young Lee asked politely.
At first Donald had been totally opposed to the idea of Lee visiting them with Daniel and Adam. He had said Lee was Michael’s flesh and blood, and not their responsibility. However, when Nancy had begged her father to reconsider, saying the situation was causing problems in her marriage and Michael had insisted that, if Lee wasn’t included, then Daniel and Adam would not be allowed to visit as often, Donald had reluctantly agreed.
Lee was a lovely, polite little boy. He called Donald and Mary Uncle and Auntie and both of them had become very fond of him. Mary hugged the child. ‘No more swi
mming pool today, darling. Nancy is picking you up soon and she will be annoyed if you get in her car all wet, won’t she?’
Donald chuckled. The children had just broken up from school for the six-week summer holidays and it had been his idea to purchase a large-sized paddling pool to keep them entertained. Today was the first time the boys had seen the pool and his gift had been a great success. ‘Are you looking forward to your holiday at Kings, Lee?’
‘Yeah, but Daddy never comes to Kings with us any more and we miss him, don’t we, Daniel?’
‘And Daddy doesn’t come home at night,’ Adam blurted out.
Mary and Donald shared a worried glance. ‘What do you mean, Daddy doesn’t come home at night? He’s there when you wake up in the morning, isn’t he?’ Mary asked.
‘Only sometimes. Nan, are you and Granddad coming to stay with us at Kings? Mum said you might,’ Daniel asked.
‘I’m not sure yet, love,’ Mary replied. Nancy had invited her and Donald to spend some time at Kings with her and the boys during the school holiday. Nancy had promised Michael wouldn’t be there, but Donald was still set against the idea as he knew Vinny owned the bungalow opposite. ‘The thought of bumping into those two old witches Queenie and Vivian or that monster Vinny makes my skin crawl, Mary,’ were her husband’s exact words.
Mary had suggested that they book their own bungalow or chalet so they would not have to bump into their in-laws, but even though Donald had thawed slightly, he had yet to agree.
When Adam climbed onto his grandfather’s lap and begged him to come to Kings, Donald sighed, then winked at Mary. ‘I suppose me and your nan are long overdue a holiday, so perhaps we will come to Kings after all.’
Back in Ipswich, Albie Butler was necking the brandy like water. His heart was broken and unrepairable. ‘Thank you for coming to see me, boy. I loved my Dorothy so much. What am I going to do without her? It’s so cruel that she died today of all days. I will never have the chance to tell her how much she meant to me and ask her to be my wife now, will I?’
When his dad staggered towards him, then fell into his arms, Michael held him tightly. ‘I drove here as fast as I could, Dad. I am so sorry for your loss. Dorothy was a lovely lady.’
‘I’m going to pop out for a walk. I need to clear my head. Will yous two be OK for a bit?’ Bert asked.
Michael nodded, then led his dad over to the sofa. ‘What happened, Dad?’
Albie tearfully explained how he had made Dorothy breakfast, then realized she was dead. ‘It was awful, Michael. The doctor came, then the police turned up, and then the undertakers took her body away. I can’t believe I’m never going to see her again. It’s like a bad dream. I don’t think I want to live without her. I want to die as well.’
‘Don’t talk like that, Dad. You taught me how to be strong, and Dorothy would want you to be strong too. Me and Bert will help you through this, and Daniel, Lee and Adam love you dearly. What will they do without their favourite granddad, eh?’ After years of the boys calling Albie ‘uncle’, Michael had recently come clean and told them that Albie was their grandfather.
‘Good job your mother, aunt and Vinny didn’t know about my Dorothy. Be laughing their socks off, wouldn’t they?’
Michael said nothing. Unbeknown to his father, the family did know about Dorothy. He hadn’t said anything, but the boys had spoken fondly of her, and his mum and aunt had put two and two together.
‘Pass me that bottle of brandy, Dad. I’m staying here tonight, so I might as well get pissed with you.’
Taking a breather from his own grief, Albie studied his son. Not only had Michael lost weight over the past year or so, a father’s intuition told Albie that he wasn’t happy. ‘What’s wrong, boy?’
‘What you on about?’
‘Michael, I know you better than you think, and I can tell something is wrong.’
‘Now isn’t the time or place, Dad. Have you thought about Dorothy’s funeral yet? I’ll pay for a decent send-off for her.’
‘Thank you. You have always been a wonderful son to me. The best a dad could wish for, but can we talk about the funeral tomorrow? I really can’t handle it tonight. Everything’s too raw,’ Albie said, bursting into tears.
Michael hated to see his father so upset, so decided to change the subject. ‘I met a woman, Dad, a few years back now. She could have been to me what Dorothy was to you. I only knew her for a short while, but I loved her in a way I have never loved any woman before. Her name was Bella and I just can’t get over her. I try not to think about her, but when I close my eyes I can still see her face.’
Albie took a slurp of brandy. His Michael had always had an eye for a bit of skirt, just like he had. ‘Does Nancy know about the affair?’
‘No. I ended it with Bella for the sake of my marriage.’
‘Well, you did the honourable thing, son.’
‘But why doesn’t it seem like that? I don’t love Nancy any more, Dad. I respect her because she is the mother of my boys, but I still yearn for Bella. A couple of months after I ended it, I realized I’d made a big mistake and tried to find her, but it was too late. She had moved to New York. Anyway, I’m now shagging one of the strippers at the club and drinking too much,’ Michael admitted. There was no way he was going to burden his father with the knowledge that he liked to indulge in a gram of cocaine after work. His old man would be so disappointed in him, and he had enough on his plate as it was.
Albie sighed. ‘What am I gonna do with you, eh? You are so much like me, Michael, and I have always known that. Your brothers and sister always took after your mother’s side of the family, but not you, thankfully. I remember you first getting pissed. You were only about eleven and I managed to sneak you indoors and put you to bed without your mother ever knowing.’
Michael forced a smile. ‘I remember that, Dad. I was sick in the night and you told Mum that I had a bout of gastroenteritis.’
‘And do you remember when your mother caught you having a fumble with that blonde girl that used to live opposite us? I can’t remember her name, but she was a good few years older than you,’ Albie reminded his son.
Michael chuckled. ‘Lucy Parker that was, I had my first-ever French kiss with her and I remember showing her my willy.’
Albie put a supportive arm around his son’s shoulders. ‘Listen, Michael, I’m bound to hit the booze again now my beloved Dorothy has left me. But before I die, I need to see you settled and happy. I only ever got bladdered and had affairs because I was so unhappy with your mum. I know you love her, but you remember how nasty she was to me over the years. Nancy isn’t like her, boy. That girl has a good heart and she loves you very much. Forget about Bella, she’s history and might be married to some Yank by now for all you know. Try to get your marriage back on track, and lay off that bloody booze, else you’ll end up looking like me by the time you’re forty, and you don’t want that, do you?’
With tears streaming down his face, Michael hugged the most unselfish man he had ever known. Even in his own hour of need, his dad was more concerned about him. That’s what being a father was all about. ‘I love you, Dad.’
Albie kissed Michael on the forehead. ‘And I love you too, son.’
Unaware that their daughter’s future was currently being discussed, Mary and Donald were standing by the window in eager anticipation. Christopher had never had a girlfriend in the past, and even though he had only met Olivia just over a month ago, both Mary and Donald could sense that the relationship was already very serious.
‘I feel ever so nervous, Donald, don’t you? I do hope we like Olivia and she likes us. I never thought we would see the day when our Christopher found love.’
‘Whyever not?’ Donald exclaimed.
‘Because he’s twenty-three and has never had a girlfriend before.’
‘And good for him, biding his time! Unlike our daughter, Christopher has his head screwed on, my dear. He was never going to search for his wife-to-be until he had gained promot
ion first. How wonderful that Olivia’s father is a detective inspector. I cannot wait to welcome her into our family.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Donald, please don’t refer to the poor girl as his wife-to-be this evening. You’ll have her running a mile!’
‘Don’t be daft, Mary. Now our son is a detective sergeant, he shall be able to marry any young lady he chooses.’
Vinny Butler was at the club and his mood was not good. In an effort to win some custom back from Denny McCann, he had organized a comedy night.
Billy Smith was a funny geezer, in the same mould as Jimmy Jones. Trouble was, the club was only a quarter full and to say Vinny was disappointed with the poor turnout was an understatement. No matter what he tried to do to boost business lately, apart from the strippers, nothing seemed to work.
Vinny stared at his décor. He had the best leather sofas, multi-coloured stage lighting and big silver disco balls that hung over the dancefloor. He only ever sold quality spirits these days, yet still that bastard McCann was pulling in the custom. Denny’s club was a shithole in comparison, with its shabby furniture and watered-down booze, so Vinny could only put his lack of punters down to last year’s unfortunate shooting. A lot of people had got caught in the crossfire that night, and if that tosser Mitchell Moran hadn’t died, Vinny would have finished the bastard off himself for the damage he’d done to the club.
‘You OK, pal? I couldn’t leave things as we left them earlier.’ Vinny was shocked to see Ahmed. They’d had strong words on the journey home from Richie’s flat, which had resulted in Ahmed reminding Vinny that he had taken the rap for Lenny’s death to save him from the shame.
Gesturing to Ahmed to follow him into the office, Vinny poured them both a good measure of Scotch.
Ahmed threw the bag of cocaine onto Vinny’s desk. It was the sample from earlier. ‘Be a shame to waste this, eh?’
Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Butler Collection Page 62