Payback

by Kimberley Chambers

  Burak roared with laughter. ‘You know it, cousin, you know it!’

  Queenie Butler listened carefully while her son explained that he and Jo were to record a TV appeal which would be shown on the news that evening. ‘I dunno how I’m going to get through this, Mum, but I have to do it for Molly’s sake. The Old Bill reckon it’s the best way of getting people to come forward with information. They’ve got hold of a replica of Molly’s doll and that will be shown during the press conference as well.’

  ‘So, have they got any leads? With her curly blonde hair and big green eyes, Molly’s the sort of kid who gets noticed. Some bastard must have seen her. I mean, who wouldn’t take a second glance at a pretty little three-year-old toddling down the road without no adult present?’

  ‘That DI said they’re following up a couple of leads, but he wouldn’t tell me any more than that. They keep their cards so close to their chest these days, the secretive bastards. I rang George Geary earlier, but he wasn’t at home. I left a message with his old woman to ring me back. If anyone can find out any inside info, then he can. Especially if I promise him a big wad of cash. The DI seems to think Molly has been snatched by someone out to get revenge on me. I was asked loads of questions and had to admit I’d had a few run-ins with people down at Kings. I told them about the affray charge, but I can’t see Brenda’s ex geezer, that bouncer, or them young lads from South London snatching Molly, can you?’

  ‘No, I can’t. What about your Turkish friend though? You suppose he might be involved? If anybody has an axe to grind with you, it’s him.’

  Vinny shook his head. ‘Ahmed’s been brilliant since Molly went missing. He would never harm her – he’s a dad himself. What type of company do you think I keep?’

  ‘Dodgy, that’s what! Vin, open your eyes, boy. You left that man for dead and then let him take the rap for a crime he didn’t commit. Wouldn’t you hold a grudge if the boot was on the other foot? I have never trusted that bloke from day one. He’s a slimy bastard, and there’s something about them cold dark eyes of his that gives me the creeps. I don’t think you should rule him out. If you ask me, he forgave you far too easily for what you did. Viv’s not going to be quite so forgiving, let me tell ya.’

  Not needing or wanting to get involved in another conversation about Lenny, Vinny was relieved when his brother interrupted. ‘Little Vinny is sat outside the club crying his eyes out, bruv. He’s frightened to come in. Says Jo chucked him out the house and he thinks everybody hates him.’

  ‘And so he should,’ Queenie spat. Little Vinny might be her first-born grandchild, but she could honestly say he was her least favourite right now. He had been nothing but trouble for years, and Queenie reckoned it was all down to him being too spoilt as a child. He looked awful with that skinhead haircut, and even if, please God, Molly came home safe, she didn’t think she would ever forgive him for falling asleep while he was supposed to be looking after his little sister.

  Vinny walked outside the club and immediately spotted his son slumped with his head in his hands in the doorway opposite. It was the same doorway where Christopher Walker had been standing when he’d witnessed the murder of Dave Phillips.

  ‘No point feeling sorry for yourself, boy. I left you in charge of your little sister and you fucked up. So, what did Jo say to you?’

  ‘She chased me out the house and told me not to come back. Dad, I am so sorry. I love Molly and I feel so guilty. I couldn’t sleep ’cos of that slag Shazza, which is why I was so tired at work. Please forgive me. I feel so alone. I wish my mum was still alive. She would understand.’

  Alerted by the fact that Little Vinny had not mentioned Karen in years, Vinny crouched down and tilted his son’s chin towards him. ‘You been puffing or something? Your eyes look glassy.’

  ‘No, I swear I haven’t touched any puff,’ Little Vinny replied honestly. He had however sniffed some glue and downed a bottle of Woodpecker. Realizing he’d have to cop to something, he owned up to the cider.

  Vinny shook his head. Perhaps this was all his fault. Would Little Vinny have turned out more of a credit to him had he not had his mother bumped off? ‘The state of you, boy. You look and smell like shit, and your clothes are filthy. In fact, lookin’ at you, Oliver fucking Twist springs to mind.’

  ‘I had to sleep rough last night. I had nowhere else to go. I was so scared, Dad. It was horrible, and I couldn’t stop thinking of Molly.’

  Grabbing his son by the arm, Vinny marched him towards the entrance of the club. It chilled him to think of his son out on the streets when someone seemed to be out to get him. ‘Right, your nan is inside, so I want you to go straight upstairs, have a bath and get some kip. You do not come down those stairs until I tell you to, else you’ll be out on your earhole. Now, do we understand one another?’

  ‘Yes, Dad.’

  Christopher Walker was wrestling with a torrent of emotions as he drove to meet Ahmed. Molly Butler’s disappearance was the talk of the station and Chris knew it was his duty as a policeman to tell his boss that he had a good idea who was responsible for her abduction. But how could he? He was in far too deep and would most certainly lose his job if he owned up.

  When the Radio One DJ played Kelly Marie’s ‘Feels Like I’m in Love’ Christopher turned the radio off. That was Olivia’s current favourite song and a reminder that, not only was he in danger of losing his career, he would most certainly lose her too if the shit hit the fan.

  Feeling sick as a dog, he cursed his naivety. With hindsight, it was obvious that he should have told his boss the truth about his past the moment Ahmed made contact. Surely his superiors would have understood that he’d had no option but to lie at Vinny’s identification parade? He’d only been a nipper at the time and Vinny had threatened to harm his family.

  Punching the steering wheel in pure frustration, Christopher silently blamed his sister for the predicament he found himself in. If it weren’t for Nancy being married to Michael Butler, he would have found it much easier to come clean to his boss when Ahmed had first got in touch. How could he though, when he was classed as a relation to that scumbag family?

  As he spotted Ahmed’s car, Christopher took a series of deep breaths and pulled up alongside. He was as anxious as hell, but no way was he going to show it. Calling his tormentor’s bluff was the only way he could play this now. It truly was shit or bust.

  Mr Arthur, the old war veteran, was enjoying a mug of tea, a digestive biscuit and the latest episode of The Sullivans when one of the policemen who had been assigned to do house-to-house enquiries knocked on his door. ‘How can I help you, officer?’

  When the policeman showed him a photograph of Molly and explained where she had gone missing from and roughly what time, Mr Arthur felt a chill run down his spine. ‘I saw a teenager acting oddly and it would have been about the time that poor child went missing. He was sat staring at the club, drinking cider, and he started muttering abuse at me when I looked at him. I knew he was trouble the moment I set eyes on him.’

  ‘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.’