Bella D’Angelo smiled. She had every faith in Madam Lydia, and for the first time in months knew exactly what to do. She would confront Vinny Butler, and call his bluff.
Over in Barking, Daniel Butler had the devil in him. ‘Hurry up, you tortoise.’
‘Where we going?’ Lee asked, confused. They’d been in the middle of a game of pool when his brother had dragged him out of the cabin at the end of their garden.
‘I thought we’d have a laugh. I heard Dad talking on the phone earlier. Apparently, he bumped into dear Granddad Donald yesterday and the old git didn’t even ask how we were. He crossed over the road and blanked Dad.’
‘So what you gonna do?’
‘We are gonna go in the café and wind the old bastard up. I fucking hate him now.’
‘But Mary will probably be there, Dan, and she was always nice to us. Let’s not start no agg. Dad might ground us if we do.’
Daniel grinned. ‘Don’t matter, does it? We spend all our spare time playing on the machines and pool table anyway. And if Dad grounds us, it means Katy Big Tits will visit more to keep an eye on us.’
Laughing, Lee playfully punched his brother on the arm. ‘Katy Big Tits! That’s well funny.’
‘And so will winding up Donald be. Come on, let’s run.’
Queenie Butler was well and truly on her soapbox.In Queenie’s eyes, grasses were the epitome of all that was wrong with the world today. Absolute scum, and to say she was disgusted she’d given birth to one was an understatement.
‘Calm down, for Christ’s sake, Mum. You’ll give yourself a bleedin’ heart attack if you carry on like this. Don’t get me wrong, Bren was bang out of order, but you know what she’s like. All mouth and no action. She only said what she did to stop me giving Dave a good hiding. No way would she ever go to the Old Bill. She’s trying to blackmail me, that’s all.’
‘Blackmail! I’ll give her fucking blackmail if she ever darkens my doorstep again. Repulsed with her beyond words, I am.’
‘What’s up?’ Little Vinny asked.
Ignoring his son, Vinny followed his mother into the kitchen. ‘Give Auntie Viv a knock. You need her and she needs you. Life’s too short to fall out over silly arguments.’
‘Nope. Don’t want no more to do with her neither. And it wasn’t a silly argument. Totally out of order, Viv was. Unless she apologizes and truly means it, that’s us finished.’
Vinny led his son into the front room. ‘I want you to sneak out and knock at Auntie Viv’s. Tell her Brenda’s been beaten up and your nan’s in a right old state,’ he whispered.
Little Vinny did as he was told and was back within a minute.
‘Well?’
Little Vinny shook his head.
‘What did she say?’
‘Nan’s problems have sod-all to do with her any more.’
‘Didn’t she even ask about Bren?’
‘No. She only said what I told you, then slammed the door in my face.’
Donald Walker’s face paled when he saw his unruly grandson walk in. He’d completely washed his hands of Daniel since the fiasco he’d caused at the service in honour of Nancy. ‘Hold the fort a minute, Tina. I need to speak to Mary.’
Mary Walker was in the kitchen, flipping eggs. ‘I know that look, Donald. What have you done wrong?’
‘Daniel’s just walked in with Lee. I have nothing to say to either of them. You go out front, love, and I’ll take over the cooking.’
Mary sighed. She’d also washed her hands of Daniel after learning the truth surrounding Adam’s death. It was Daniel who’d been taunting the ticket inspector and it had been his idea to run across those bloody rail tracks. An innocent, lovely boy Adam had been and had he not been so easily led by his older brother, he’d still be alive now.
‘Go on then,’ Donald urged.
Treating her husband to a withering look, Mary marched behind the counter.
‘Hello, Nanny. How’s you and that wonderful granddaddy of mine?’ Daniel sarcastically asked.
Determined not to rise to the bait, Mary smiled. ‘We’re fine, thank you. Now what can I get you?’
‘Can I have a cheeseburger and chips please?’ Lee asked politely. Mary and Donald weren’t his real grandparents as he’d had a different mum to Daniel and Adam. His own mum had been killed in a car crash when he was young, and he’d lived with his dad ever since.
Annoyed by his brother’s genuine politeness, Daniel gave Lee’s ankle a sharp kick, then slouched across the counter, placing his chin on his hands. ‘I’ll have the same as Lee. I take it this is on the house, seeing as we’re family?’
‘Of course. Take a seat and I’ll bring your food over,’ Mary replied.
‘Nah. We’ll wait ’ere, eh, Lee? We wanna say hello to our beloved granddad, don’t we?’
‘Your granddad’s out the back, cooking. Now move, Daniel, as I’ve got other customers to serve,’ Mary ordered.
‘Nah. I would rather chat to you. Any news on Mum’s body? I thought the Old Bill might’ve found bits of her washed up on the beach by now,’ Daniel said, nudging Lee with his right knee.
Mary looked at her smirking first-born grandchild in horror. Nancy’s car had been found by the coastguard at the top of Beachy Head. She’d left suicide notes for them all, shortly after Adam had died. ‘Get out and don’t you ever come back. Go on! I never want to see you again,’ Mary screamed.
Donald ran out from the kitchen. ‘Do as your nan says – scarper,’ he yelled.
Unable to stop herself, Mary burst into tears. As much as she disliked the way Daniel had turned out, part of her would always love him. How could she not when Nancy had given birth to him?
‘Make me leave, you silly old cunt,’ Daniel goaded, staring his grandfather in the eyes.
Lee didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t overly keen on Donald, but he’d always been fond of Mary. She was a very kind lady.
Aware of the dozen or so customers looking at him, a thoroughly embarrassed Donald lifted the hatch and grabbed hold of Daniel. ‘Out now!’ he yelled, dragging the lad along by his left elbow.
‘Come on, Lee. Time to go. We only asked about me muvver and it’s obvious the sharks ate her. Either that or she run off and she’s still alive,’ Daniel joked.
Hand over mouth, Mary Walker stood frozen to the spot.
Apologizing to his customers for the fracas, Donald led his wife into the kitchen. ‘That boy is pure evil. Any reservations we had about our Christopher helping Nancy should be well and truly forgotten now.’
Mary nodded in agreement. ‘Nancy did the right thing. That boy has a screw loose, and Michael would’ve driven her insane. She’s better off without them.’
About to reply, Donald heard a shattering of glass and a loud scream. He immediately guessed the cause. A brick had been thrown through the window.
It was late afternoon by the time Vinny Butler finally made it to his club, having had a lousy morning. The gaff he owned was referred to as a ‘Private Member’s Gentleman’s Club’. It was anything but. The premises were classy all right, but it was basically a lap-dancing joint with bunny girls as waitresses that catered for a clientele made up of just about every pervert who’d ever entered the legal profession. Judges, lawyers, magistrates and even the Old Bill visited the club regularly, along with a few politicians and yuppies. Thanks to