Payback

by Kimberley Chambers

  When Ahmed chopped the lump of white up with a credit card, Vinny could smell its strong fumes and was immediately tempted. He then watched Ahmed snort two large lines. When his pal handed him the rolled-up twenty-pound note, Vinny snatched it out of his hands.

  Ahmed smirked as he watched Vinny greedily tucking into the cocaine. Finally the so-called friend who had left him for dead was back in his clutches. Payback was such a wonderful feeling, it really was.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  The following morning, DS Smithers wasted no time in questioning Jamie Preston again. He knew Preston was as guilty as sin; now all he needed was to get the little shit to admit the truth. That was never going to be easy when a brief and social worker were present, especially since both seemed intent on sticking their oar in far too much for Smithers’ liking.

  ‘If you had nothing to do with Molly’s disappearance, Jamie, why did you go to the barber’s and have your hair cut into a different style the day after your photofit appeared on the regional news?’

  ‘Because I knew people would have seen me outside the club. I was there for over an hour, and I guessed when I saw the photofit that it was meant to be me. I’m only a kid and I just panicked.’

  ‘Don’t give me all that “kid” bollocks, Jamie. You spent a couple of years banged up for stabbing another boy, so playing the innocent child isn’t going to work.’

  ‘Jamie is still a minor,’ the social worker reminded Smithers.

  Smithers glared at the rather obese do-gooder. ‘Yes, I am aware of that, thank you. But let us not forget that a three-year-old child has just been murdered and it is my job to find out who ended that child’s life and why.’

  With the social worker now put firmly in her place, Smithers turned back to Jamie. ‘What did you do with the pushchair, Jamie?’

  ‘What pushchair? I dunno what you’re on about.’

  ‘The pushchair you put Molly in to take her through Victoria Park. Did you dump it in the River Lea? My officers are searching the area as we speak – we will find it, you know.’

  ‘I never touched Molly, and I don’t know nothing about any pushchair,’ Jamie yelled.

  ‘Oh, I think you do, Jamie. We found the woolly hat that you used to disguise yourself in your bedroom, by the way.’

  ‘What woolly hat? I told you, I never fucking touched Molly, you thick cunt!’

  Realizing his client was now both upset and tearful, Jamie’s solicitor butted in. ‘Jamie needs a rest and a glass of water,’ he ordered.

  When Smithers stormed out of the interview room, he bumped straight into Townsend. ‘I was just coming to speak to you, boss. The team have found what they believe to be the remains of a burnt-out pushchair and clothes less than a mile from where Molly was found.’

  ‘Get forensics to check it out immediately.’

  ‘I already have, boss. Have you played Jamie the tape yet?’

  Smithers sneered. ‘No. The lying little shit is still pleading his innocence. I’m going to play it to him in a minute. Let’s see how Jamie fucking Preston is going to wheedle his way out of that one!’

  Albie Butler felt awkward as he sat down at the kitchen table opposite his grandson. Little Vinny had despised him even as a five-year-old, and their relationship hadn’t improved since.

  Nevertheless, when Michael had turned up in the early hours of the morning with the lad in tow, informing him of Molly’s death and Vinny beating his own son up, Albie had felt sorry for the child. He knew only too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of violence from Vinny. For all his faults as a father, he had never laid one hand on his children. It was Queenie who used to wallop them when they were naughty as kids, not him.

  ‘Look, boy, I know you’ve never been very fond of me. But seeing as we are now sharing a house together for the foreseeable future, I feel we should try to get to know one another a little bit better. I am so sorry for the loss of your sister, but I don’t blame you. You’re only a nipper yourself. Now, be warned, I am not the best cook in the world, but would you like me to rustle you up some breakfast?’

  Needing a friend more than ever right now, Little Vinny smiled. ‘Yes please, Granddad.’

  Having slept at his own house for a few hours after taking Little Vinny back there, Michael was horrified on his return to the club to find that his brother and Ahmed were still drinking and had also been on the gear.

  He stared in disgust at the cocaine on the table and the three empty bottles of Scotch. Even though he had been down that road himself and could fully understand why his brother had succumbed to temptation, the last thing he needed was having to contend with Vinny in his current state. It was bad enough trying to comfort his own wife and kids, his mum, aunt, Little Vinny and his dad, without his brother going on a bender.

  ‘Ahmed, I need to speak to my brother alone.’

  Vinny chuckled. ‘You ain’t about to go all Saint Michael on me, bruv, are you?’

  Ahmed’s relationship with Michael had always been rather strained, and this was the perfect excuse for him to leave the club and phone his cousin to update him on the news. ‘Of course, Michael. I think Vinny needs to eat now and so do I. I will pop to the café and bring us back some food.’

  Michael waited until the Turk had gone before sitting down opposite his brother. He had never trusted Ahmed, and the way he’d enticed his brother back on to the gear in the hours since he had left the club only strengthened his dislike.

  ‘Look in the mirror, Vin, and have a butcher’s at the state of yourself. The Old Bill will be back here soon. They need you to identify Molly’s body. You have got to hold it together. The whole family is devastated and I cannot do this on my own.’

  Vinny’s lip curled into a snarl. ‘No way do I want to see my daughter after some cunt has sapped the life out of her. I would rather remember Molly the way she was.’

  ‘Vin, you can’t leave it to Jo to identify the body. It’s a man’s job. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘I ain’t doing it, Michael. Simple as. Like I said, I would rather remember my little princess the way she was, than see her lying on some fucking slab.’

  ‘But what about, Mum, Auntie Viv, Little Vinny, Jo, Nancy, my boys? You think you can just sit here, getting pissed and snorting gear, and leave me to deal with everything? That Ahmed is a wrong ’un, Vin, I’ve always said so. I leave you alone with him for a couple of hours and he’s got you back on drugs. You ain’t no mug, bruv. You are the Vinny Butler, so wake up and smell the coffee.’

  ‘Don’t talk to me like a fucking child, Michael. I am a grown man who makes my own decisions,’ Vinny slurred.

  ‘Well, shame you don’t start acting like one then. You can’t even talk properly, you’re that out of your nut.’

  Vinny laughed sarcastically. ‘Hark who’s talking. The man who went on a cocaine rampage because his fling with some dopey tart didn’t work out. You’re a fine one to talk, you are. As Mum always says, “People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.”’

  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 y
ou 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.