The Wronged

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘How did the boys take the news? Where are they now?’

  ‘Playing the machines down the bottom of the garden. I built ’em a cabin which they use as their games room. Daniel wants a pool table now. He didn’t so much as flinch at the news about Nancy, but Lee cried. You’d think it’d be the other way round, wouldn’t ya?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Daniel was more bothered about who Bella was than his own mother committing suicide. You’ve gotta admit, that’s very odd. Do you reckon I should take him to see a doctor or something?’

  ‘Don’t be daft! The quack’ll only send him to a shrink, and you don’t want one of them nosy bastards knowing all our family secrets. Dan’s bound to be a bit messed up. He’s just lost his brother, now his mum’s committed hurry-curry. He’ll be OK. He’s a tough cookie, like us.’

  Michael took a swig of Scotch. He only hoped his brother was right about Daniel. ‘So what happened with Ahmed then?’

  Vinny told him about the cousins’ visit to the club. ‘Those stupid Turkish cunts were well OTT because they were pissed and had been on the sniff. What mugs! I know that Carl’s telling the truth now. Can’t wait to meet him and get the full story. You should’ve seen Ahmed’s face when I told him I’d have to put the champagne deal on hold ’cos me and you were spending the weekend in Eastbourne searching for Nancy. Soon wiped the smile off his ugly clock, that did.’

  ‘How did he react?’

  Vinny smirked. ‘He panicked. That’s the gear, ain’t it? Got a bit paranoid, stroppy, then pretended to make a phone call to say it was OK to put it on hold for a week, tops. Stupid cunt must think I was born yesterday. I’m so glad me and you don’t snort that shit any more. People act like fucktards on it and you can’t think straight. I’m embarrassed I ever went through a stage of taking the crap.’

  ‘You and me both. I don’t think Bella would be too impressed if she found that out. Proper classy, she is.’

  ‘How’s it going with yous two?’

  ‘I spoke to her for an hour earlier. She’s blinding, Vin. So supportive. I love her to death. Doubt I’ll get much time to see her until after Adam’s funeral though. I really can’t leave the boys alone at the moment.’

  Apart from Jay Boy and Gnasher, Vinny had confided in no one about his plan to kill Joanna. He very much doubted Michael would understand, and Eddie Mitchell would most certainly wash his hands of him. Even his mother would be shocked, truth be known. ‘Why don’t you spend the day with Bella on Sunday? I’ll take the boys out for the day with me and Ava. We’ll go to Southend. It might be a bit squashed in the car, but I’ll take Mum an’ all. I doubt Auntie Viv’ll wanna come, she still fucking hates me. But the weather’s meant to be nice, and even if it pisses down I’m sure Dan and Lee’ll love the old amusement arcades. A bit of fresh air and change of scenery will do them both the world of good.’

  For the first time that day, Michael smiled. It had been a long time since he’d felt so close to Vinny. ‘Cheers, bruv. That would be blinding, and seeing Bella would proper help me get through the funeral on Monday.’

  Vinny grinned too. Not only was he doing Michael a favour, he now had the perfect alibi if all went to plan and Joanna met her maker on Sunday.

  Little Vinny had made it clear he didn’t want to tell him what was wrong, so Jay Boy ramped the volume up so that Paul Hardcastle’s ‘19’ blared out of the car stereo. ‘Weird old song this, eh, Vin? I think it’s meant to be about the war. I had a cousin killed in the Falklands you know,’ Jay Boy said.

  Head all over the place, Little Vinny didn’t answer. He was too busy going over and over his story to be arsed talking about music or the Falklands.

  ‘Right, here we are and your old man’s car’s here. I’ll come in and have a chat with Michael while you speak alone with your dad,’ Jay Boy said.

  It was Vinny who answered the door. ‘What’s up with him?’ he asked Jay Boy, as Little Vinny dashed past him and demanded that his father follow him upstairs.

  Jay Boy shrugged.

  Vinny Butler knew his son well enough to know something bad had happened. ‘Whatever’s wrong?’ he asked as he sat on Michael’s bed and put a comforting arm around his son’s shoulders.

  Little Vinny burst into tears. Guilt, fear, Molly, Sammi-Lou and Ollie flashed through his mind as he tried to form his words properly.

  ‘Is it Sammi-Lou? Has something happened to Ollie?’ Vinny prompted his son.

  ‘No. It’s Ahmed, Dad. He’s planning on killing you. Burak’s in on it too. I went to the bar today to pick up my keys and I overheard them talking. I think they’re gonna do it this weekend.’

  Vinny held his son close and stroked the back of his head as he once had when he was a child. ‘It’s OK, boy. I already knew. Don’t you be worrying. I’m far too clever for those Turkish cunts.’

  Little Vinny clung to his father. ‘But that ain’t all. When you was inside, Ahmed got me on the drink and gear. Then one night, he was proper out of his nut and he forced me to make some stupid confession about Molly’s death.’

  Vinny’s eyes lit up with anger. ‘He did fucking what!’

  ‘He was waving a gun about, Dad. We were both out of our nuts. He said he had this big secret about you and told me he couldn’t tell me unless I said I was responsible for Molly’s death. I swear on your life, he forced me to say it was me and Ben who’d killed her. He held the gun right to my temple. I was shit-scared and couldn’t understand why he’d make me act out such a scene. I thought it must be the drugs, but now I know. When I overheard Ahmed talking to Burak today he said he’d taped it and he wanted that to be your dying thought. Why d’ya think I was too afraid to come and work for you?’

  ‘And what was this big secret about me – did he ever tell you?

  ‘He said you’d murdered my mum. That you’d made it look like a heroin overdose.’

  Vinny leapt off the bed and smashed his fist against the door. ‘I’ll fucking rip his brain out of his head and his heart out of his chest with my bare cunting hands. You don’t believe I murdered your mum, do you, boy? I would never harm a woman, especially your mother,’ Vinny lied.

  ‘Course I don’t, Dad. It’s as ridiculous as you believing I was capable of killing Molly.’

  Vinny kicked the wardrobe. ‘I will torture that fucker. In fact, I’m gonna do it right now.’

  Hearing a commotion, Michael and Jay Boy ran up the stairs and somehow managed to restrain and talk sense into Vinny. Both were incensed by Little Vinny’s revelations, but urged Vinny to hold fire.

  ‘Bruv, we’ll sort this together, properly,’ Michael insisted.

  ‘I’ll be there too, Vin. I’ll help you rip both of them to pieces. You don’t wanna go back inside though, so just calm down,’ Jay Boy urged.

  ‘I wanna be there too, Dad. Now you know the truth, I can work for you. I’m not a boy any more, I’m a man and I can’t wait to see Ahmed get his comeuppance.’

  When his father ruffled his hair and told him he was proud of him, Little Vinny smiled. It was a massive weight off his shoulders that his story had been believed. He felt as though he’d managed to dig himself out of a bigger hole than the one Molly was buried in.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  At eleven-thirty a.m. on Friday morning, Carl Tanner pulled into the garage opposite The Bull pub. He had a hunch that Vinny might arrive early, especially if he wasn’t alone.

  The black Merc pulled into the car park approximately twenty minutes later. You didn’t see many cars of that quality in Dagenham, so Carl immediately knew it was Vinny. He took the binoculars out of his pocket and had a butcher’s. Vinny hadn’t changed much and he could see nobody else in the vehicle. There was always a possibility a passenger could be lying on the back seat, but that was a chance Carl was willing to take. He’d borrowed his brother’s Triumph TR7 in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

  Vinny did a double-take as the car pulled up beside his. He lowered the window. Carl�
�s hair had been much lighter when they’d met previously and the beard had thrown him. ‘Blimey, I’d never have recognized you.’

  ‘Case of having to disguise myself, Vinny. Your so-called friend wants me dead as well as you.’

  Vinny remained calm. ‘Shall we go inside the boozer?’

  Carl shook his head. For all he knew Vinny could have told somebody to meet him inside. ‘Follow me. There’s a pub not far from here where we’ll look much less conspicuous.’

  Ten minutes later, Vinny and Carl were sat opposite one another in the beer garden of the Farmhouse Tavern. ‘Fire away then, and start from the very beginning,’ Vinny ordered.

  Carl explained how his friend Tarkan Smith had introduced him to Ahmed. He also told Vinny how much Ahmed had hated him, and had devised a plan to get him caught with a boot full of cocaine.

  Desperately trying to keep calm, Vinny swallowed his double Scotch in one gulp. ‘Let’s get this straight. You’re telling me you weren’t even a dealer?’

  ‘No. Drugs isn’t my game. I was a gambler and con-man back then. Ahmed supplied me with the cocaine. He said he was still getting it off your old supplier.’

  ‘Who did the flat and yard belong to?’

  ‘Pals of Ahmed’s. He didn’t say who and I didn’t ask. The only thing he ever really talked to me about was how much he wanted to bring you down.’

  ‘How much did the cunt pay you?’

  ‘We agreed a deal for fifty K, but the shitbag ripped me off. He paid me fifteen up front, then refused to pay me the balance when your Molly went missing. I actually thought it was Ahmed who’d killed Molly. He often joked about her disappearance. Thought it was funny.’

  Slamming his fist against the table, Vinny’s eyes blazed with anger. ‘Why are you telling me all this now, Carl? Because if it’s money you’re after, you can go whistle for it.’

  ‘All I wanna do is set the record straight, Vinny. I’ve been hiding out in Spain, but my old man’s dying, which is why I’ve come back to England. Tarkan and Ahmed both ripped me off. They want me dead and I want to take them out before they do me in. I take it that’s what you want too? I’m happy to be used as bait to reel the fuckers in. If we work well together, perhaps you can give me a job at the end of it?’

  Vinny gritted his teeth, then chuckled. ‘I run a tight ship, Carl. Strangers and shysters need not apply. And what makes you think I would trust you anyway? You’ve already tried to con me once.’

  ‘Because we have friends in common. You don’t honestly think the Mitchells would have got involved if they thought I was a wrong ‘un, do you Vin? Yes, I’ve made mistakes and I’m the first to hold my hands up to that. Gambling was always my downfall. But I swear when Tarkan introduced me to Ahmed, I didn’t know it was you I’d be expected to set up. I haven’t got a death wish.’

  Impressed but not fooled by Carl’s little speech, Vinny asked, ‘How d’ya know the Mitchells?’

  Carl took a deep breath. This was his trump card. ‘Through my uncle. He and Harry Mitchell grew up together in Canning Town. Best pals, back in the day. Found out only recently that you’re a friend of my uncle too. Spoke very highly of you too.’

  Here we go, Vinny thought, yawning to show his lack of interest. ‘And your uncle’s name is?’

  ‘Frank. He’s the screw who helped you out in the Ville.’

  ‘What’s his surname then?’

  ‘Same as mine.’

  Furious that Carl thought he could con him twice, Vinny hissed, ‘Don’t mess with me ’cause you’re messing with the wrong fucking person. You told me in that letter that your name was Carl cunting Thompson. That ain’t Frank’s surname.’

  ‘It’s not mine either. Thompson is my alias. Tanner’s my real name, same as Frank. I’ll ring him up. Ask him if you don’t believe me.’

  Lee Butler stared at the photo. It had been taken at Kings and Adam was sitting on Nancy’s lap.

  ‘What you doing?’ Daniel asked.

  ‘Looking through some photos I found in the drawer. I can’t believe our mum drowned herself. I wonder if they’ve found her body yet. I’m really gonna miss her, you know.’

  ‘Why? She weren’t even your real mum. I certainly won’t miss her. We’ll have much more fun living with Dad,’ Daniel replied coldly.

  Usually ready to agree with anything Daniel said, for once Lee took a stand. ‘You shouldn’t say bad things about your mum, Dan. She must have been proper sad to drown herself. I wonder if she did it so Adam wouldn’t be in heaven on his own?’

  ‘Don’t talk bollocks! Mum won’t even be in heaven. She’ll have been eaten by the sharks.’

  Little Vinny swung his pride and joy in the air. Oliver was such a happy baby, always smiling.

  ‘Vin, please tell me what happened yesterday? You promised me, no more secrets. I know it’s something bad.’

  Vinny sighed and handed his fiancée their son. This must be the tenth time Sammi-Lou had asked him the same question. ‘It’s just man shit, babe. I swear to you, if it was anything to do with me, I’d tell you. But it’s my dad’s business, not mine.’

  ‘It must be important to you too, else why would you have been looking like you’d seen a ghost when we walked out that bar? I thought you were going to collapse at one point. I’m not stupid, you know. It’s obvious you went to get your keys and overheard something you shouldn’t have.’

  Not wanting to upset the apple-cart when he and Sammi had been getting on so well, Little Vinny decided to lie. No way could he tell Sammi-Lou the truth and it was obvious she had the bit between her teeth and wasn’t about to let it go. ‘OK. But you have to swear to me you’ll never breathe a word to anybody. This is just between us.’

  ‘You know you can trust me, Vinny.’

  ‘When I went to get my jacket and keys, I overheard Ahmed and his cousin talking about my dad. They said he killed my mum, but I asked my dad and he said they’re liars.’

  ‘That’s awful, Vin. Why would they say a thing like that?’

  Little Vinny shrugged. ‘I think Ahmed is a bit jealous of my dad. Don’t worry about it. It’s all sorted now.’

  Adam’s untimely death had prompted Michael to purchase a mobile phone. He’d made sure Lee and Daniel both had the number imprinted in their brains, and it was a comfort to know they could contact him wherever he might be.

  ‘Talk outside, boy. You don’t want strangers to overhear your conversation,’ Albie urged. He and Michael were in the Thatched House pub, and all the customers had looked around when Michael’s phone rang. Albie hated unwanted attention and found his son’s latest gadget an embarrassment.

  Michael returned to the table in less than a minute. ‘That was Vinny. He’s on his way ’ere. Needs to have a chat with me about something.’

  ‘In that case I’m gonna pop home and have a tidy-up. I told you Bert’s coming down for the funeral and staying with me for a week, didn’t I?’ Bert was Albie’s brother who lived in Ipswich.

  ‘You ain’t got to go ’cause Vinny’s on his way, Dad. His bark’s worse than his bite, you know that as well as I do. Have one more drink at least, eh?’

  Never one to turn down a freebie, Albie mumbled, ‘Just a large brandy then. I don’t want another pint.’

  Vinny walked in just as Michael returned from the bar. ‘Jesus, that was quick. Where was you when we spoke? The graveyard?’ Michael joked.

  Albie shuddered. Vinny was dressed all in black with dark sunglasses to match, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if he had been at the graveyard, gloating over his latest victim. The Grim Reaper had nothing on Vinny. ‘I’ll leave yous two to it then. Thanks for the drinks, Michael. See you on Monday, Vinny.’

  Turning around to make sure nobody was in earshot, Vinny repeated everything that Carl had told him.

  ‘What a complete and utter shitcunt Ahmed is. I don’t wanna say I told you so, but I always knew he wasn’t to be trusted. Mum never liked him either. As for Carl, he knows too much by the sounds o
f it. What you gonna do about him?’

  ‘That’s a good question. If he weren’t Frank’s nephew and Frank wasn’t Harry Mitchell’s mate, I’d put a bullet straight through Carl’s skull. Got me hands tied though. I might have to give him a job of some kind so I can keep my eye on him. He can always have a little accident in the future if need be.’

  ‘The Mitchells ain’t stupid, Vin. They won’t fall for that one. You sure Carl’s Frank’s nephew? He’s already pulled the wool over your eyes in the past. I wouldn’t have him working for me. Once a con man always a fucking con man.’

  ‘I ain’t stupid, Michael. I thought exactly the same as you which is why I made him ring Frank and put me on the phone to him. Carl’s deffo his nephew and Frank also let slip that it was Harry Mitchell who’d told him to befriend me in the Ville. Harry and Frank are Canning Town old school. Harry described me as “one of his own”.’

  ‘In that case, best you give Carl a job, sunshine. If you pull a fast one we’re gonna be at war with the Mitchells, and that’s one war I can seriously do without right now. I don’t think I could deal with any more funerals in the family. I still can’t believe Adam’s gone, Vin. And now Nancy. My luck is well and truly poxed.’

  Mary Walker opened the school exercise book and was surprised to see it was actually a personal diary dating back to 1971. Her daughter had left school by then and was working in Woolworths. Mary knew it was wrong to read something so personal, but her need to feel close to her daughter outweighed the guilt.

  Nancy had written randomly rather than daily.

  March 5th – Went Ilford Palais with Rhonda. Had such a laugh. Snogged two boys from Dagenham. Mine was called Danny and he asked for my phone number. He isn’t as gorgeous as my Marc ♥ but I hope he rings. He was a good kisser.

  March 11th – Danny still hasn’t rung me (bastard). Never mind. Plenty more fish in the sea, including Marc Bolan ♥♥