Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Butler Collection

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘Are you sure it was Daniel? … OK, I’ll come and collect him now.’

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Christopher asked his mother.

  ‘It’s Daniel. He’s had a fight at school and cut another little boy’s head open. He’s very distressed apparently, and the school wants me to bring him home.’

  Christopher tutted and shook his head in disgust. ‘Like father like son.’

  DI Smithers was flummoxed. Since the TV appeal, four witnesses had come forward to say they had seen the lad opposite the club around the time of Molly’s disappearance. Two other witnesses had reported seeing a lad in Victoria Park with a child in a pushchair who could have been Molly.

  DI Smithers scratched his head. Even though the lad outside Vinny’s club was sitting down, the four witnesses who had so far come forward all reckoned he was tall. One had even said he had long legs. Yet the lad who was seen with the pushchair in the park was described as being short and wearing a woolly hat. Both were described as wearing a navy tracksuit, so surely it had to be the same lad, didn’t it?

  ‘Boss, I’ve spoken to the dog section and they’re on their way to Victoria Park as we speak. Robbo and Pat have just headed over to Dagenham again to check out Jackson’s alibi. They know where the lady lives now, but she wasn’t in last night.’

  Smithers nodded at his colleague. His gut instinct told him that the quicker Victoria Park was searched, the better.

  Nancy immediately assumed the worst when she opened the front door and saw Michael standing there. ‘What is it? Has something happened?’

  ‘No, I just wanted to pop round to see how you and Jo are coping? Can I come in?’

  ‘Yes, of course. Jo isn’t here. Her mum has taken her to see her dad. Please don’t tell Vinny though. Jo is in a bad enough state as it is, without her getting any more grief from him.’

  ‘I won’t say a dickie, I promise. But thanks for telling me the truth. My mum has always said that a liar is worse than a thief and that was why I was so pissed off with you. You could have trusted me you know, about the wedding. I am your husband.’

  Unaware that Michael had been anything but honest with her in the past, Nancy put her arms around his neck. ‘I know that now, and I am really sorry.’

  Vinny Butler put the phone down and digested the news Geary had just given him. Micky Dunn had been released yesterday evening, but they still had Bobby Jackson in custody. Surely they must have some proof that the bastard had something to do with Molly’s disappearance? Else they would have let him go by now.

  ‘Ahmed, answer that. It’s probably Nick. He rang earlier to say he was popping by.’

  Feeling the stress more than ever, Vinny poured himself a Scotch. The longer the search went on for Molly, the more his heart ached and he feared the worst.

  ‘Eddie Mitchell is outside and wishes to speak to you. Do you want me to invite him in?’ Ahmed asked.

  Vinny was stunned. Since the Krays had been banged up, his family and the Mitchells had been the two main forces in the East End. However, apart from the odd hello and the Mitchells attending Roy and Lenny’s funeral, the two families had never really crossed one another’s paths. ‘Yes, invite him in.’

  Ahmed did so, but at the same time told Vinny he had to pop out for a bit. He had heard about the Mitchell brothers and their father and even though he was not scared of any bastard, he would rather steer clear of that family.

  ‘Can I get you a drink, Eddie?’ Vinny asked politely.

  ‘I’ll have a Scotch on the rocks, but only if you’re having one yourself.’

  Vinny strolled behind the bar. Did Eddie have some information about his daughter? If not, what was the purpose of his visit?

  Vinny put the drinks on the table, then sat down. ‘I take it you’ve heard about Molly?’

  ‘Yes. I have a daughter myself and I cannot begin to imagine what you must be going through. My Jessica saw the appeal on TV last night, so I thought I’d pop in and see if we can help in any way, just say the word.’

  ‘Cheers, Eddie. That’s decent of you, mate. It’s been fucking awful not knowing where Molly is … it’s the worst thing I have ever had to go through.’

  Eddie Mitchell took a sip of his drink. ‘I can well believe that. I would rip any bastard’s limbs off who ever touched my Frankie, that’s for sure. Do you have any idea who might have taken Molly?’

  ‘I have my suspicions, but no concrete proof yet. Whoever has taken her will wish they’d never been born by the time I finish with them, trust me on that one.’

  ‘Well, I’ll keep my ear to the ground and my father and brothers will do the same, Vinny. Most things are deemed as acceptable in our world, but not when it involves children. I’ll be in touch if I get wind of anything.’

  ‘Thanks, mate. Can I get you another drink?’

  ‘No, thanks. My brother Ronny is waiting outside in the car. We have to be somewhere soon. This is my number if you need anything,’ Eddie said, handing Vinny a card.

  ‘Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to pop in and see me, Eddie. It means a lot and I won’t forget it.’

  Eddie Mitchell held out his right hand. ‘It’s called mutual respect, Vinny, and I hope and pray that Molly is reunited with you soon. I really do.’

  DI Smithers was about to leave his office for the press briefing when a colleague came dashing his way. ‘We’ve just had another anonymous phonecall. Same lad as yesterday. He said Molly was being held in a block of flats, but wouldn’t say where. I tried to keep him talking. I asked after Molly’s welfare and urged him to call back to speak to a senior officer, but he just put the phone down on me.’

  ‘Did you pick up any background noises?’

  ‘Yes, I could hear traffic and I’m sure I heard a trader shout something out. Perhaps he’s calling from a phonebox in a market? It could even be Whitechapel.’

  ‘Get on to the TSU in case he calls back again. It could be some crank, but let’s not take any chances. We need to trace the next call.’

  Joanna Preston could not face going back to her parents’ house in Tiptree. For one thing, she wanted to stay near to home in case there was any news of Molly. And secondly, now that her daughter’s disappearance was common knowledge, she could not bear the thought of bumping into any of her former neighbours or her old pal Chloe.

  Discussing Molly’s plight with family was one thing, but she couldn’t handle strangers asking about her. That was why her dad had taken a train to Barking and they were currently sitting in the park together.

  After the awful rain over the past couple of days, the September weather was now warm and sunny again. Knowing that Johnny wanted to chat to Joanna alone, Deborah said she was off to get some refreshments.

  Johnny winked at his wife. ‘A nice cold can of beer or two would go down a treat, if you can find an offie, babe.’

  When Deborah walked away, Johnny put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders. She had looked so happy and vibrant at the wedding, but resembled a different person today. ‘The police will find Molly, sweetheart. They know what they’re doing.’

  ‘But will she be alive or dead, Dad?’ Joanna wept. It had been forty-eight hours now since her daughter had gone missing and Jo knew that the more time ticked on, the less chance there was of Molly being found alive.

  ‘All we can do is pray that Molly is safe, darling. Your mum told me what happened at the press conference yesterday. I would put money on it that Vinny couldn’t go through with it because he knows it was down to him that Molly got snatched. He’s a wrong ’un, love, and the quicker you realize that, the better.’

  Joanna squeezed her father’s hand. ‘I am starting to realize that, Dad, and I’ve already decided that if Molly does come home, we cannot live with Vinny any more. No way can I ever go through anything like this again, not ever.’

  When Micky Dunn opened his front door, his face fell the moment he saw Vinny Butler. ‘What do you want?’ he asked, unable to keep the quiver o
ut of his voice.

  ‘A little chat,’ Vinny spat.

  ‘My wife and kids are indoors, so we can’t chat here,’ Micky gabbled. He was petrified of Vinny. His reputation was bad enough, but he also had the most piercing evil green eyes that Micky had ever seen.

  Vinny grabbed Micky’s arm. ‘Best me and you go for a little drive then, eh?’

  ‘I can’t, Vinny. My wife has to go out in a minute and I have to take care of my kids.’

  Vinny Butler gave Micky Dunn a swift knee in the bollocks, then as the man crashed to his knees, Vinny smashed his head against the pavement. ‘If you don’t get in my car, I swear on my dear old mum’s life I will fucking kill you. And you know how much I love my dear old mum, don’t you?’

  Absolutely terrified, Micky nodded and got in the car.

  Donald Walker was utterly horrified on learning of his grandson’s violent behaviour and Mary was currently trying to calm the awkward situation down. ‘Go to your room, boys, while me and your granddad have a little chat,’ Mary ordered.

  ‘I am appalled, Mary. That child needs to be taken in hand. I told you I had noticed a change in him just recently, didn’t I?’

  Donald was a nightmare once he got a bee in his bonnet, so Mary had no alternative other than to stick up for her grandson. ‘You don’t even know the full story yet. Billy Jenkins was mocking Daniel over Molly’s disappearance, which is why Daniel flipped. He loves his cousin, Donald, and is very upset over what has happened.’

  ‘I don’t care how upset Daniel is. That does not excuse the fact he has repeatedly smashed a boy’s head against the school railings. As much as I love our grandsons, I have always been worried about how they will one day turn out. Once a Butler, always a bloody Butler, Mary.’

  Burak Zane poured himself and his cousin a drink. ‘So, how’s it going? And how is our dear friend coping with the loss of his daughter?’

  Ahmed grinned. ‘Not very well. I think he’s had some information off that retired crooked Chief Inspector he knows, but he wouldn’t say what.’

  Burak sighed. ‘That is worrying, Ahmed. Vinny used to confide in you with everything. Do you think he has any inkling we are no longer his friends?’

  ‘No. He said Geary had sworn him to secrecy. I presume the police have just tugged somebody in relation to Molly going missing. I will find out later, when Vinny gets pissed again tonight. I am sure he was on the verge of blabbing last night, but changed his mind at the very last moment. There is good news though: I have now bonded with his son. Little Vinny is my new best friend.’

  Burak chuckled. ‘So, what are we going to do about this drug set-up?’

  ‘Believe me, the last thing on Vinny’s mind at this moment is participating in any drug deal. But I think this can work in our favour. As soon as I find out who the Old Bill have in custody, I will encourage Vinny to kill them, or any of their associates. I will then make sure he gets done for murder. That will carry a much longer sentence than drugs and it will save us paying Carl Thompson. That cunt had the cheek to not only slam the phone down on me, but also throw my money back in my face. I am not happy about that, Burak. Not happy at all.’

  ‘As I said before, I think you should be wary about the Carl situation. We need to keep him sweet, for now at least.’

  Ahmed shook his head. ‘Carl has already had fifteen grand out of us, and I would rather dispose of him than pay him any more. Nobody disrespects me and gets away with it, Burak. Nobody!’

  After his nan headed off for her weekly bingo session the boy settled in front of the big TV in the lounge to watch the local news. The picture was so much clearer here than on the portable set in his bedroom.

  When his photofit popped up, the boy chuckled. Not only did it look very little like him, they had even got his age wrong. Between seventeen and twenty? The Old Bill were such mugs. He was only bloody fourteen.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  DI Smithers was not in the best of moods. Having involved the Technical Support Unit the previous day, he was very disappointed the mystery caller had not rung back.

  Bobby Jackson’s alibi had now been confirmed, and the dog section had found no trace of Molly in Victoria Park. There had been plenty more phone calls about possible sightings of Molly and a few suggested names for the boy in the photofit, but nothing worth getting excited about.

  Smithers scratched his head as he often did when his mind was working overtime. One phonecall or lead could be all it took to crack this case, and he just hoped today would be the day when that happened.

  The last person Donald Walker expected to see on his doorstep early on Sunday morning was Freda Smart. ‘Hello, Freda. Do come in. How are you?’

  ‘So, so. Got a message for your Nancy from my Dean. He’s desperate to speak to her. I also thought I’d better pop round and explain my interview. I purposely never mentioned Nancy or Michael as I would never drag your daughter or young grandchildren into it. I have too much respect for you, Nancy and Mary to do that. Is Mary in?’

  ‘She has just popped to the shop with the boys. What interview is this?’

  ‘The one in today’s paper. The rest of Whitechapel might be too frightened to speak out against Vinny Butler, but I bloody well ain’t. Don’t get me wrong, my heart goes out to that poor child of his, but what hope did she ever have with a father like him, eh? I’ll bet you all the tea in China that some rival of Vinny’s has snatched that dear little girl, and more than likely done away with her because of his past actions. He has always been fond of doing away with people himself, Donald, and in the end you reap what you sow in life.’

  Queenie Butler was a creature of habit and as far back as she could remember, even when times were hard, she’d always cooked some kind of fry-up on a Sunday morning.

  ‘Mmm, that smells nice, love,’ Albie politely remarked.

  Queenie flipped the eggs over. Albie had been reasonably well behaved since turning up on her doorstep, but the very sight of him and the sound of his voice grated terribly on her. She was also narked that he and Viv were suddenly chatting away like old pals. The two-faced pair of bastards had always despised one another, and she would soon put a stop to that little friendship.

  ‘’Ere you go, get that down your neck. Then once you’ve eaten it, I want you to take a little walk round to the club with your case. Plenty of room there for you to say with the boys.’

  ‘But I don’t want to stay where Vinny is, Queen. I would much rather stop here.’

  ‘Well, that won’t be possible I’m afraid. This family is already the talk of the neighbourhood, without people gossiping any more. That’s all I need, the neighbours thinking I’ve let you move back in after all your past shenanigans.’

  A crestfallen Albie took his breakfast into the lounge. He had thought he had built some bridges at long last, but it was now obvious Queenie still held a grudge against him and probably always would.

  ‘Queen, you ain’t gonna be happy,’ Vivian said, bursting through the front door waving a copy of the News of the World in the air.

  ‘Whatever’s the matter?’

  Vivian was out of breath from dashing back from the shop so quickly. ‘I bumped into Nosy Hilda round the corner. She’d already seen the article. That old cow Mad Freda has given an interview to a reporter. Slagged us all off, she has.’

  Queenie’s face drained of colour. ‘Give us that paper ’ere. She won’t get away with this. I’ll see to that.’

  Nancy Butler was appalled to learn that her son had smashed another boy’s head against the railings at school. ‘Why didn’t you tell me as soon as it happened, Mum?’

  ‘Because I didn’t want to worry you. You’ve got enough on your plate already. You said you’d be popping round to see the boys today, so I thought it would be kinder to tell you in person. Your father is not best pleased, as you can well imagine. Neither is Christopher.’

  ‘And neither am I, Mum. I’m bloody fuming. Is the other little boy OK? Are his parents or the schoo
l taking any action?’

  ‘Not as far as I know, although the school did ask me politely to keep Daniel at home next week. The other little boy had to be taken to hospital to be checked over and have stitches, apparently. It’s all a bit of a mess, isn’t it, love? In his defence, Daniel insists he only attacked the boy because he said something nasty about Molly.’

  ‘That’s no excuse, Mum. Whatever the boy said does not condone violence. I cannot tell you how disappointed in Daniel I am, and will give him what for when Dad brings him back from the park. I’ll have to drag Michael up the school with me tomorrow to apologize and sort this out.’

  ‘To be honest, love, it might be best if you take Daniel home or back to Jo’s house with you today. I can’t look after him all day every day next week. Your dad needs my help in the café.’

  Nancy nodded.

  ‘Freda Smart popped around earlier. She gave me a new phone number for Dean. He’s heard about Molly, and is desperate to speak with you. I said you would give him a call. I really don’t think Freda should have given that story to the newspaper though. As I said to your dad, she certainly knows how to stir up a hornets’ nest.’

  ‘What story?’

  ‘The one in today’s paper. See for yourself – I thought Michael would have already told you,’ Mary said, handing her daughter the News of the World.

  ‘I haven’t spoken to Michael today. Oh my God!’ Nancy exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth as she spotted the headline on page seven: MISSING GIRL’S FATHER IS NOTORIOUS GANGLAND FIGURE.

  Unaware that Nancy was currently reading Freda’s interview, Michael was sitting next to his brother doing the same. He was relieved that he, Nancy and the boys were not mentioned. If they had been, he knew his wife would have hit the roof.

  The bulk of the interview was Freda slagging off Vinny and insinuating Molly’s disappearance was payback for one of his past sins. She described Vinny as a menace and said that most of the locals were terrified of him. She also mentioned that Roy had been shot in a gangland hit, and there had been another fatal shooting at Vinny’s nightclub last year.