‘Can you remember what this lad looked like? And what he was wearing?’
‘Of course, officer. Had evil eyes, he did, I’ll tell you that much. Made my blood run cold, and I fought in and survived two wars. Got a memory like an elephant, I have. My dear Maggie used to say that, God rest her soul. Now, why don’t you come in? I’ll put the kettle on and tell you every single detail I remember about that lout over a cuppa.’
Mary Walker glanced at the clock. She knew Donald would be in one of his strops when she arrived home, as she’d promised she would only be a couple of hours. ‘I’d better be making a move soon. I need to pop to yours, Nance, to pick some more clothes up for the boys before I collect them from school.’
‘Thanks, Mum. I’m going to go to the press conference with Jo to give her some moral support, and then I’ll stay here again tonight. Are you OK to keep the boys with you?’
‘Of course, darling. I haven’t told them that Molly is missing yet, but I’m sure Daniel and Lee can sense something is wrong. Adam’s fine, bless him Met a girlfriend at school and talks about her constantly.’
Nancy forced a smile. ‘Perhaps you and Dad should sit down tonight and explain in a kind way what has happened, Mum? If the appeal is going on the local news, I would rather the boys hear it from you than one of their schoolfriends. They’re all very fond of Molly.’
Mary nodded. ‘OK, love. I’ll speak to them. Your father can be a bit cack-handed with delicate situations, and I don’t want him upsetting them.’
Deborah saw Mary out, then went upstairs to see how her daughter was. ‘You need to ring your dad, Jo. I rang him earlier and he is so desperate to speak to you, I am afraid that he might come here if you don’t call him. You don’t want his parole being revoked, do you?’
Joanna shook her head, and picked up the phone next to her bed. Her hands trembled as she dialled the number. ‘Dad, it’s me. I love you and wish you could be here.’
‘And I love you and wish I could be there too, angel. Any news?’
‘No, but the police will be here soon to pick me up for the press conference. They seem hopeful that, once the appeal is shown, witnesses will come forward.’
Johnny Preston did his best to control the emotion in his voice. The thought of one day meeting his granddaughter had been one of the things that had got him through the last few years in prison. He’d had photos of Joanna and Molly on the wall next to his bed and he used to talk to them whenever he was in his cell alone. He would always look at them last thing at night before he went to sleep, and had many a dream of a happy family reunion. ‘Keep your chin up, babe. And can you promise me one thing …?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Even if Molly is found safe, and I pray she will be, I want you to consider coming to live in Tiptree with me and your mum. Before I got out of prison, I wanted to move back to London, but I don’t now. We can get you your own place down this way, Jo, via the council, so you won’t have to suffer us for long. It’s a much safer area for Molly to be brought up in, and it has far better schools. Vinny is a dangerous man, love. I know I’ve done some stupid, bad things in my time, but he’s in a whole different league to me. Molly and you won’t ever be safe while you’re living with him. Vinny has far too many enemies.’
‘Dad, I can’t think about this right now. All I want is my baby back. I love and miss her so much.’
When his daughter burst into tears, Johnny did the same. He had never met his beautiful granddaughter, and the way things were going, he was afraid he never would.
Micky Dunn had had many a job. He’d gone from bank robber to bookie’s runner to builder to postman to baker – to name just a handful – and his wife often joked that if Eamonn Andrews ever got his big red book out and invited him onto This Is Your Life the whole show would be taken up just reading out the list of Micky’s jobs.
Micky’s latest career move had been to take a job as a milkman. The hours suited him, because he knocked off early and was free to spend his afternoons in the boozer.
Today, however, Micky wished he had gone straight home instead of dropping by the Blind Beggar. The second he set foot in the door, he was approached by two plainclothes CID officers.
‘Micky, we’d like a word with you regarding the disappearance of Molly Butler. Car’s waiting outside – you’re coming back to the station with us.’
Micky was horrified. ‘You’re not arresting me, are you?’
‘No. We just need to ask you some questions.’
‘And say I refuse?’
The taller CID officer grinned. ‘Then we shall have to arrest you.’
Bobby Jackson was sitting in the interview room, protesting his innocence. He had been nicked enough times in the past to know it was wise to give a ‘no comment’ reply until his brief arrived, but today he felt compelled to say his piece.
‘I was pissed and just talking bollocks, OK? Don’t get me wrong – I hate Vinny Butler with a passion. Yous mob know as well as I do that he murdered my father and hid his body somewhere, and yes, I am glad he is now getting a taste of the sort of anguish me and my mum have been through. However, I am a father myself and would never lay a finger on an innocent child. I was just spouting my mouth off in honour of my old man, that’s all.’
‘You were seen covered in mud on the day of Molly’s disappearance, Bobby. We’ve checked with your employer, and you didn’t show up at work. So how did your clothes get so dirty, eh?’
Suddenly realizing he was in serious trouble, Bobby clammed up. He was far more scared of Vinny Butler than he was the Old Bill, and had already said too much without his brief being present.
‘Well, can you explain?’ the CID officer asked.
Bobby stared at the cocky-looking officer. ‘No comment,’ he hissed.
Whitechapel was absolutely buzzing with the news of Molly’s disappearance, and the boy was earwigging people’s conversations, loving all the speculation about what had happened to Molly. He had come to the conclusion that people secretly loved a drama of this kind. It gave them something to talk about and probably brightened up their mundane lives.
He watched as two old dears stopped in front of a poster featuring Molly’s pretty face, tut-tutting as they bemoaned the decline of the area and agreed this would never have happened in their day. As soon as they moved on, he glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, then ripped the poster off the lamppost and threw it into the gutter – same as he had with all the other missing posters he’d seen that day.
The boy smirked as he walked away. Life really was all about karma.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Kelly brothers were from Stepney and had been big names in the East End when Vinny was a lad. But a shooting in the Two Puddings pub in Stratford had seen both Billy and Johnny charged with murder in 1963, and when they were eventually released from prison in 1978, they’d moved to Kent to start a new life.
‘Christ! This is a surprise. How are you both?’ Vinny asked, warmly greeting both men with a handshake and a slap on the back.
‘We’re good thanks, Vinny. We’ve got some business up town today, so thought we would pop by and see how you were. We heard about Molly last night. My heart goes out to you, it really does. Is there any more news?’ Johnny asked.
‘No. But I’m doing a press conference this afternoon that will be shown on the news in hope of jogging people’s memories. Hopefully, once that’s aired we’ll have some witnesses come forward. It’s the worst feeling in the world, not knowing where your kid is.’
‘You’re better off avoiding the press conference, son. Get the female family members to do it instead. You can guarantee that whoever has snatched your daughter will get off on seeing you on TV. That’s what happened to Scouse Ray, weren’t it, Bill?’
Billy nodded. ‘Obviously, you need the filth to search for Molly, but you should make your own enquiries as well, Vin. People in our world don’t like kids being brought into any disagreements we might
have. Ring around all your contacts. You know enough faces, lad.’
‘What happened with this Scouse Ray then? Did his kid get snatched?’
‘His grandchild was abducted. Ray had got into a feud with some Irish travellers and he shot and killed one of them. The bastard’s brothers took the kid as payback. Ray did a TV appeal, and shortly after it was aired, he got two of the kid’s fingers sent through the post.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake. That is proper sick. I will kill anybody who harms my Molly. I will cut their fucking heart out of their chest and stuff it down the back of their throat.’
‘Do you want us to make some phone calls for you, Vinny? Someone must know where your Molly is,’ Johnny said.
‘Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you could do that. I’ll have a ring round too, see if I can unearth any info. Can I get yous both a drink?’ Vinny asked.
‘No thanks. We gotta be somewhere soon, but stay in touch, eh? Johnny, write our number down for Vinny,’ Billy ordered his brother.
Vinny swapped numbers, then shook hands with the Kelly brothers again.
‘Remember us to your mum and aunt, and if there’s anything we can do, anything at all, just ask,’ Billy said.
‘And we do hope that all ends well with your daughter,’ Johnny added.
‘Cheers. Thanks for popping in. It means a lot.’
Billy Kelly gave Vinny a manly hug. ‘Really proud of you, Johnny and I are, with what you’ve achieved. We very nearly offered you a job with our firm once, but we were worried you were too young at the time.’
‘Really?’ Vinny replied.
‘Yes, I can vouch for that. We always knew you had great potential, Vinny. Good job you never linked up with us though – we weren’t as clever as you and got ourselves nicked! Anyway, keep in touch, son, it’s been good to see you again. Only wish the circumstances was different,’ Johnny said.
‘Likewise, lads. And thanks again.’
Burak Zane had been on tenterhooks all day. He knew how hot-headed his cousin could be and was worried that if Christopher so much as hinted Ahmed was mixed up in Molly’s disappearance, then he would lose it big time and get them both into trouble.
When the door finally opened and Ahmed appeared, Burak dragged him into the office. ‘Well? What did he say?’
‘He tried to give it the big man and I allowed him to get away with it. He told me that there was no way he was going ahead with the drug bust unless he informed his superiors.’
‘What did he say about Molly? Do you think he suspects us?’
‘Nope. I gushed about what a beautiful child she is and swore that I would never stoop so low as to involve a child in my personal vendetta. I told him about my own children and said even though I hated Vinny, I was sorry for the anguish he was suffering.’
‘Do you think he believed you?’
Ahmed chuckled. ‘Perhaps. But even if he didn’t, I guarantee that he won’t say anything. He’s just relieved to have been let off the hook – for now, at least. Young Christopher is very afraid of me, you know. I can see it in his eyes.’
The press conference was to take place at three p.m. in a room at Arbour Square police station. As soon as Michael arrived with Vinny, the first person he laid eyes on was Nancy.
When the police led Vinny away to brief him, Michael walked over to his wife. ‘Is Jo not here yet?’
‘Yes. She’s speaking to the police. Her mum’s with her.’
‘You OK? How are the boys?’
‘What do you care how me or the boys are, Michael? You haven’t even bothered ringing.’
‘Of course I care. I was just pissed off with you for lying to me, Nance. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why Jo lied to Vinny, but I thought me and you were better than that. I would have kept my gob shut had you trusted me with the truth. It just makes me wonder what else you’ve lied about in the past.’
‘It’s all about you, isn’t it, Michael? Seeing as you are now so concerned, the boys are staying with my mum and dad. As for me lying to you in the past, I never have. The only reason I went to Jo’s parents’ wedding was to give her an alibi. And I would have told you about it, had you not been so up Vinny’s arse again, not one week after he tried to smash seven bells out of you for telling the family what he’d done. You knew all along that Vinny had killed Champ, yet you never told me, did you? So don’t be giving me a lecture on lying. All I did was go to a wedding, while you covered up your own cousin’s death. If anybody deserves an award for lying, it’s you not me.’
Michael suddenly felt guilty to his bones. Nancy’s words had reminded him of other lies he’d told her, other things he’d kept quiet about – not least his affair with Bella. ‘I’m sorry. I know I should have come clean with you about Champ, but I could never have put that burden on your shoulders, Nance. I owed it to Vinny to keep schtum, which is why I suppose you did the same for Jo. Look, I know how close yous two are, so please let’s not argue. Molly is missing, and that’s all we should be concerned about right now.’
At the mention of her niece, Nancy softened. ‘Oh, Michael. What do you think has happened to her? Do you think somebody could be holding her hostage to get back at Vinny? In a way, I hope it is that, because any other scenario would be just too awful to even think about.’
Seeing the tears in his wife’s eyes, Michael held her in his arms. ‘I have no idea what has happened to Molly, babe, and I know that Vinny hasn’t either. He rang around all his contacts earlier, offering a fifty-grand reward for information. I just thank God it isn’t one of our kids. Dealing with this is hard enough, but there is no way I could have coped with it being one of ours.’
Nancy clung to her husband. ‘Neither could I, Michael. Neither could I.’
Bobby Jackson could tell by the look on his brief’s face that he was in big trouble.
‘Hugh, I swear on my Jake’s life, I had sod all to do with Molly Butler’s disappearance.’
‘You’re going to have to do a bit better than that, Bobby. The police have a witness who heard you confess to throttling, then burying Molly. And on the same day another witness saw your clothes covered in mud. It isn’t looking good, so you had better start talking.’
‘I was pissed, Hugh, I’ve already explained that to the police. Do you honestly think, if I’d done a thing like that, I’d be stupid enough to stand at the bar in the Blind Beggar bragging about it? Micky Dunn asked me whether I’d taken the kid, so I cracked a joke, that’s all. Me and Micky were both bladdered.’
‘Hardly a joking matter though, is it, Bobby?’
‘No. I suppose not. But then again, it wasn’t your father who Vinny Butler kidnapped, tortured, then made disappear off the face of the earth, was it, eh? I’m telling you, Hugh, it was a drunken joke that backfired. Nothing more and nothing less. I was hardly going to be sympathetic towards Vinny, was I? I have him to thank for this scar on my face. What goes around comes around, I’m afraid.’
‘So, where were you on the day Molly disappeared? You’re going to need an alibi to get out of this one, Bobby. You also need to explain why a witness saw you in muddy clothes.’
‘I did a job for a pal of mine. I was in Dagenham around the time that Molly disappeared.’
‘And can your friend vouch for this?’
‘I can’t bring him into it, Hugh. He’s a bit of a villain and he paid me to hide something for him, which is why I was covered in mud.’
‘Well, if you want to get out of here you’re going to have to give me the name of your friend. Provided he will give you an alibi, we won’t need to tell the police what you were up to in Dagenham.’
‘I can’t do that. My pal is on the run.’
Exasperated, Hugh let out a long sigh. He had represented Bobby Jackson for years and his father before him. Bobby might not be the brightest spark, but he was usually honest. ‘Look, let me put this bluntly. You need an alibi more than you ever have before. I know how the police work and chances are, if that child is not fo
und, they will save face by charging you with the murder, then you will go to trial. How did you travel to Dagenham? Did you speak to anybody while you were there? Think hard now, Bobby. We’ve both been round long enough to know a lot of what you say in here will get straight back to Vinny one way or another.’
‘I travelled to Dagenham in my van, but I did see someone I knew. Alison is an old friend of mine, we go way back. I hadn’t seen her for years, but I stopped to get some beers and bumped into her outside the offie.’
‘And what time would that have been?’
‘I’m not sure, I didn’t have me watch on. I got home about three though, so I’m guessing it was about two-ish.’
‘Do you know Alison’s surname? Have you an address for her?’
‘I can’t remember her surname, but she’s in her thirties, has long dark hair and a massive pair of knockers. She used to live in a block of flats called Cadiz Court. Not sure what number, but I think she was on the seventh floor. She has two sons, Kevin and Richard.’
‘OK. I’ll have another word with the police. In the meantime, see if there’s anything else you can remember.’
When Hugh left the cell, Bobby felt sick with anxiety. Vinny Butler would kill him, unless Alison backed him up. He had once broken her heart, but surely he could rely on her to confirm his story – couldn’t he?
Vinny Butler felt physically sick when he saw how many reporters were inside the room. He enjoyed being known and feared as a notorious villain, but hated any other kind of limelight. ‘I don’t think I want to do this. I think it’s better if Jo does it with Nancy,’ Vinny whispered to DI Smithers.
‘It will be fine. You and Joanna will sit at the centre of the table with myself and DS Townsend either side of you. I can answer a lot of the questions on your behalf, but you and Joanna will need to do the actual TV appeal and answer any questions I am unable to. Obviously, anything you are uncomfortable with, you don’t have to answer. Here’s Joanna now. Would you two like a few minutes alone before we begin?’
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