The sound of the buzzer stopped a full-scale argument ensuing. ‘Best you disappear upstairs in case it’s the Old Bill. And get that crap off the table. I’ll identify your daughter’s body for you, and take care of our family, you useless piece of shit.’
Back at the police station, Smithers was ready to play his trump card. ‘Would you like to tell me about the phonecalls you made to this police station, Jamie?’
‘What phonecalls? I dunno what you’re talking about.’
‘Oh, I think you do. You rang us on more than one occasion. You even told us you had Molly, and that she was well, but was missing her parents.’
Jamie turned to his solicitor. ‘He’s lying. I never made no phonecalls.’
Smithers smirked as he pressed play on the tape recorder. The expression on Jamie’s face well and truly lived up to his expectations.
When Brenda burst into tears yet again, hugging her children to her chest and telling them how much she loved them, Queenie stomped out of the lounge and into the kitchen.
Mother of the year Brenda most certainly was not. Even though her daughter seemed genuinely distraught about Molly, Queenie was in no mood to watch her doting mother act. The girl should have been a bloody actress.
The police had released Brenda without charge. Freda Smart had insisted that she did not want to pursue the matter, but Queenie was not fooled by Freda’s ‘kindness’. She had guessed the old bat had decided against pressing charges for fear the social workers would step in and force her useless tosser of a grandson to step up to the mark as a father. The last thing Freda would want was that little shit being forced out of his hiding place.
‘You OK, Queen? I was thinking, we should pop round and see Jo. The poor girl must be absolutely devastated,’ Vivian suggested.
‘Well, think again. If it wasn’t for that lying little mare putting her arsehole of a father’s wedding before the welfare of her daughter, Molly would still be alive.’
Vinny woke to the sound of the buzzer. After Michael had ordered him to go upstairs earlier saying he was in no fit state to face the Old Bill, Vinny had rung Geary, then crashed out.
With his mouth as dry as sandpaper and his expensive suit creased, Vinny stumbled down the stairs. ‘Oh, it’s you, Ahmed. How long have I been asleep for?’
Ahmed ignored his pal’s question. ‘You will never guess who I have just seen? Bobby Jackson! He laughed in my face and asked how Molly was. Told me to give you his regards. That man needs to be dealt with good and proper, mate.’
‘Where is he? I’ll kill him,’ Vinny yelled, running out into the street like a mad man.
Ahmed grabbed his pal by the arm. ‘He got into a van with another bloke. I chased after him, but he drove off like a maniac. It’s definitely him who took Molly, I could see it in his gloating eyes.’
‘Jackson’s a dead man once I get my hands on him. If he’s still on the manor and giving it Billy Big Balls, he ain’t gonna be too hard to find. Knowing what a cowardly piece of shit he is, I honestly thought he would be long gone by now. Big mistake on his part to stick around. I’m gonna get showered, liven myself up a bit, then we’ll go and find him. The cunt needs shutting up once and for all.’
Ahmed smirked as Vinny bolted up the stairs. He had indeed bumped into Bobby Jackson. The man had looked petrified, near to tears in fact. He had told Ahmed to tell Vinny how sorry he was, and that he had only said what he had because he was drunk. He also said that he hoped Molly was found alive soon.
Ahmed helped himself to a drink. The plan to get his treacherous ‘friend’ banged up for drugs might have backfired, but to get him sent down for murder would leave an even sweeter taste in his mouth. It still grated on Ahmed every single day what Vinny had done to him. He even had nightmares about it. The geezer was an absolute wrong ’un.
Michael could sense Nancy’s coldness toward him the moment she opened the front door. ‘The news is just awful, isn’t it, babe? How you bearing up? Where’s Jo?’
‘She’s in bits. She refuses to believe Molly is dead, thinks the police have got it all wrong. Her mum has taken her to be with her dad. We couldn’t calm her down here. She screamed and cried all night. As for that brother of yours, I cannot believe he hasn’t even contacted her. What a wanker! Talk about showing his true colours.’
‘I know. Vinny’s in a proper bad way himself, but he still should have got in touch with Jo. The Old Bill came to the club again earlier. They want to do the post-mortem before we identify Molly. They said it has to be that way for evidence purposes, else the body might get contaminated. Anyway, Vinny’s in no fit state to do it, and I would hate Joanna to go through such a terrible ordeal, so I said I’d do it.’
‘Well, you’d better check with Jo before you make decisions like that. It’s her daughter, not yours. And speaking of your children, Daniel took the news of Molly’s death extremely badly – so much so, I had to take him back to my mum and dad’s house in the early hours of this morning. After what happened at the school, I’ve decided it’s best we all stay with my parents for a while.’
Michael was crestfallen. He tried to hug Nancy, but she pushed him away. ‘Look, babe, I’m sorry I’ve neglected you and the boys since Molly went missing, but please don’t move in with your parents. I love you and our sons, and together we can get through this.’
‘You certainly have a funny way of showing it. Seems to me that Vinny and your side of the family always get put before me and the boys, Michael. Do you have any idea how tough it’s been for me, trying to console Jo? I could have done with you being a bit more supportive. I loved Molly like she was one of my own. That beautiful child was probably the nearest I will ever come to having a daughter, and now she’s gone. Breaks my heart to think how scared she must have been and what she went through.’
When his wife began to cry, Michael took her in his arms. This time Nancy did not push him away.
‘I know, love. It’s awful. I loved Molly too. She was one in a million. I’m so sorry that I haven’t been here for you, but you know how dysfunctional my family are. Vinny’s blamed Little Vinny and beaten him up, Brenda got nicked for clumping Freda Smart, my mum’s acting proper weird … Oh, and Vinny is back on the gear, thanks to that bastard Ahmed. To be honest, I’ve had a gutful of it, Nance. I’ve done all I can to help them, but all I want now is to concentrate on you and the boys. I know it’s going to be difficult after losing Molly, but we need to get back to normal for the sake of our sons.’
‘Have you checked on the house? I haven’t been back there for days.’
‘Yeah. My dad couldn’t bear to be around Vinny of an evening after my mum kicked him out of hers, so I thought it made sense for him to stay at ours and keep an eye on the gaff. I had to take Little Vinny back there last night an’ all. I couldn’t leave him at the club after Vinny had laid into him, and my mum flatly refused to let him stay at hers.’
Nancy pulled away from her husband’s grasp. ‘Well, you might have asked me! I’m not happy about that, Michael. Your dad being at ours is fine, but I’ve never been a fan of Little Vinny, as you well know. Have you forgotten that it was him who was meant to be looking after Molly when she went missing?’
‘No, of course I haven’t forgotten. But the kid’s fourteen, Nance. I could hardly let him sleep on the streets, could I? How would you feel if that was one of our boys?’
‘Well, hopefully our sons will never turn out to be anything like Little Vinny. But the way Daniel is behaving at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me one iota if they do.’
‘Don’t talk about our sons like that, Nance. They’re good kids. Daniel’s had one tiff at school because he was upset over his cousin. Big bloody deal.’
‘Our son smashing another boy’s head open might not be a big deal to you, Michael, but it is to me. And that’s why me and the boys will be staying with my mum and dad for the foreseeable future.’
After enduring the week from hell, Michael finally lost his temper. ‘What
is it with you, eh? Whenever I try to be reasonable all you ever do is throw it back in my face. Well, let me tell you something, those boys are as much mine as they are yours, and I will never allow you to take them away from me. Not on your fucking nelly, sweetheart.’
If ever there was a client Roger Francis would have preferred not to represent, it was Jamie Preston. At first Roger had been inclined to believe that the boy was innocent, but the moment he heard Preston’s voice on the tape-recorded phonecall, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.
‘I swear on my nan’s life that I never took or killed Molly. She’s my Uncle Johnny’s grandchild and I love Uncle Johnny.’
Alone with the boy, Roger decided to give him the best advice that he could: ‘Jamie, you denied making any phonecalls. Seeing as the police have a tape with your voice on it, clearly saying that you were the one who took Molly, I think you should just tell me what really happened. The police have you bang to rights and I cannot help you unless you start helping yourself by telling the truth.’
Needing to release some pent-up frustration, Jamie leapt up and repeatedly punched the wall. ‘I have never even met Molly. I didn’t fucking do it!’
Back in Barking, some male bonding was under way. ‘Take that, Granddad, and go and have a few pints somewhere. I’m gonna pop back to Whitechapel to see my mate and let him know I’m stopping here. His mum don’t have a phone. It got cut off,’ Little Vinny explained.
Albie stared at the ten-pound note. He was a bit skint at the moment. ‘I feel bad taking money off you, boy. You go and spend it with your pal.’
‘No, it’s OK. Uncle Michael gave me some money and I still have some my dad gave me. It will do you good to go out for a drink. I’ll try not to be back too late.’
‘Well, only if you are sure …’
‘I am, Granddad. I’ll see you later.’
When Little Vinny left the house, Albie fingered the stubble on his chin. He had always been positive that the boy was a replica of his arsehole of a father, but perhaps he’d been wrong.
After two fruitless hours of searching for Bobby Jackson, Vinny was now back at the club. ‘Let’s have a livener, eh?’ Ahmed suggested.
Vinny nodded. He’d had little sleep since Molly had first gone missing and needed to keep himself alert. He still couldn’t believe he would never see his little princess again. It was the most horrendous feeling he had ever experienced, like a dagger being poked constantly through his heart, and drink and drugs were the only way to lessen that pain. The only other thing that was keeping him sane was the thought of revenge, and he was determined to get his. As Molly’s father, that was the least he could do for her. However painfully his daughter had died, he would make sure the bastard who’d murdered her would suffer a hundred times worse. As for Bobby Jackson, even if it turned out that he hadn’t killed Molly, Vinny was going to burn him alive. ‘Bury treasure and burn rubbish’ had been one of his dear old nan’s favourite sayings.
‘I’ll get that. Hide the gear. It’s probably the Old Bill,’ Vinny told Ahmed.
When Vinny opened the door and laid eyes on his mum, his lip wobbled as it had done when he was a small child.
‘I’ve been so worried about you, boy. I came here early this morning and Michael said you had popped out. Twice, I’ve been back since and I’ve rung the club three times. Why haven’t you got back to me?’
‘Because even though you popped round the other day, things haven’t been the same between us since you found out about the Lenny business. You said you wanted no more to do with me, Mum, and I was so hurt over that. Thanks for coming to see me today though. It means a lot. I loved Molly so much, she was so special to me.’
Queenie held her strapping handsome son in her arms. ‘Molly was very special to me too – and so are you, boy. What I said was in the heat of the moment, Vinny. I was just sticking up for your Auntie Viv. Us Butlers are made of strong stuff, and together we will get through this. You were my first-born, and whatever you do, I could never disown you, never.’
Ahmed Zane was standing in a phone box in Whitechapel market. He had excused himself as soon as that old witch Queenie turned up and was updating his cousin on the latest. ‘How should we play this, Burak? Now that I’ve told Vinny what Bobby Jackson supposedly said, I can guarantee he won’t rest until he’s killed the guy. But he expects me to help hunt him down, and obviously I cannot afford to take the risk of being implicated.’
‘Why don’t you suggest using my friends? He’s trusted them with similar matters in the past, so it shouldn’t be too hard to persuade him. Only this time they will leave Jackson’s body where it can be found, along with all the evidence to tie it to Vinny.’
‘And then I will see to it that Christopher will be the one to find the body. He can be relied upon to keep me out of it.’
‘I agree. You don’t want any suspicion pointed your way. Have you spoken to Tarkan lately? We still need to find Carl.’
‘No. I rang Tarkan earlier, but couldn’t get hold of him. It’s of no importance though. Once Vinny’s banged up, our worries are over, Burak. Carl Thompson won’t be able to inform him of our deceit once he’s in prison. He’s hardly going to write Vinny a letter, is he?’
‘No. The quicker we get Vinny banged up the better. I have a bad feeling about Carl Thompson and will rest easier when this is dealt with. I will phone my friends immediately. Just stall Vinny for the time being.’
Smithers put the phone down and turned to Townsend. ‘Strangulation. No sign of any other physical injuries, apart from some bruising to the wrists and arms, and no sign of any sexual interference.’
‘Well, that’s some consolation for the family, I suppose. At least the poor child didn’t suffer the sort of agony some of these poor little mites get put through before we find their bodies.’
‘Joanna and her parents want to identify the remains, so I think it’s best you accompany them. I’m going to have one last crack at getting a confession out of Jamie Preston. And if that lying little toerag carries on protesting his innocence, I’ll charge him regardless. We have more than enough evidence for this to stand up in court.’
Alison Bloggs was thankful when she opened the front door and laid eyes on Little Vinny. ‘Yous two fallen out or something?’
‘No, course not. Me and Ben are best pals.’
‘Well, he’s been a miserable little bastard lately. Not even been helping me properly with the kids. Why ain’t you been round here as much? You’re the only friend he has.’
Little Vinny looked at the toothless smackhead in disgust. He might not have known his mum for long, but from what he remembered, she was kind, very beautiful and treated him well. ‘I haven’t bloody been round here because my little sister is missing. Have you not seen the news?’
‘Oh, I’m sorry, Vin. I’m a bit out of it today and forgot about that. I hope your little sister is found alive. You’re a handsome young man and if you ever want a bit of comfort, you know where I am.’
Remembering how Alison Bloggs had tried to molest him not so long ago, Little Vinny darted past her and ran up the stairs. No wonder poor Ben was unhappy. So would he be, living with a mother like that.
Ben Bloggs was sitting forlornly on his bed when Vinny burst into the room. ‘Come on, pal. I’ve got plenty of dosh, so let’s go out and get smashed.’
‘I really don’t feel like going out, Vin.’
Little Vinny sat down on his pal’s stinking bed, and put an arm around Ben’s shoulders. From the moment they had met, these two lonely souls from very different backgrounds had clicked. ‘Look, mate, I know how hard it must be for you living here, and I’m sorry I ain’t been round much. But my dad beat me up – look at my face, if you don’t believe. So I’m staying at Michael’s house in Barking.’
‘Has Molly been found yet? Is there any more news?’
Being the kind and considerate person that he could be at times, Little Vinny shook his head. His pal seemed depressed enou
gh without him making it worse by informing him that the police had found his sister’s body. ‘Please let’s go out, Ben? Getting pissed and forgetting our troubles will do us both the world of good. I’ve already bought some puff and glue and I can easily afford a few bottles of cider. Let’s ride up and down on the District Line, eh?’
Ben Bloggs forced a smile. ‘OK, why not?’
The moment the Prestons followed DS Townsend into Poplar Mortuary, both wanted to vomit. It had the most horrendous stench. It stank of what they could only imagine was the smell of death. ‘Just wait here while I check the body is ready for viewing. I’ll be as quick as I can,’ Townsend told the family.
Seemingly oblivious to the awful smell, Joanna turned to her parents. ‘It’s not Molly, I just know it isn’t. I know this is not a nice thing to say, but I will be so glad when I look at the body and see it’s somebody else’s child and not mine.’
Johnny cast a worried glance at Deborah. Ever since Deborah had brought her home in the early hours of the morning, Joanna had been adamant that the police had made a mistake. ‘Jo, why don’t you let me identify the body? It’s no job for a female. You stay out here with your mum.’
‘No. You’ve only seen photographs of Molly, Dad, and you might get it wrong,’ Joanna replied indignantly.
‘Well, let me do it then, Jo. You can wait out here with your dad,’ Deborah bravely offered.
‘Mum, Molly is my daughter and I will never believe she has left me until I see it with my own eyes. I keep telling you: the police have got it wrong, I just know they have. It isn’t my Molly.’
DS Townsend looked extremely solemn when he re appeared. Molly had had what the police referred to as a special post-mortem. That involved skin being peeled off the face, the organs weighed, and other procedures necessary to establish the cause of death beyond a doubt. Even though she was currently lying wrapped in a shroud with only her head visible, it was not a pretty sight. ‘I really do feel that somebody other than Joanna should identify the body.’
‘Noooo! You only said you believed it was Molly – I know it is not her,’ Joanna yelled.
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