shaken up herself. That was the first dingle-dangle she’d had waved at her in donkey’s years.
‘I can’t go home. My dad will kill me,’ the girl sobbed.
‘You’re Billy Higgins’s granddaughter, aren’t you, pet?’ Vivian asked. She’d once courted Billy in her younger years and had often kicked herself for ending the relationship. Billy was still handsome, with a full head of hair. He was also a very wealthy, well-respected villain. A far better man than the arsehole she’d ended up marrying.
‘Yes, I’m Janey. You can’t tell my granddad though.’
‘Why don’t you come home with me, Janey? I’ll make you a nice sweet cup of tea and we’ll call the police. This man needs to be caught.’
‘No! My parents will kill me. I lied to them, you see. I told them I was going out with a friend. My dad says I’m too young to have boyfriends.’
‘OK. No police. But please come home with me. You can tell me what happened there, then we’ll work out what to do next. You can’t stay here, lovey. I know your granddad very well. A lovely man. I’d never forgive myself if I left you here all alone.’
‘OK.’
Nosy Hilda could barely contain her excitement as she knocked at Queenie’s front door.
‘What the hell do you want this early in the morning? Oh, don’t tell me, I think I can guess. Has Lil died?’ Queenie asked in the most sarcastic tone she could muster.
‘No. I saw her niece as she was going to work and it looks like Lil might pull through,’ said Hilda, oblivious to the sarcasm. ‘I just wanted to say how sorry I was about your Vinny. Must have been a terrible shock for you that Bobby died. I mean, who’d have thought he’d croak it, after all this time.’
‘Vinny! Bobby! What do you mean?’ Queenie asked, the colour draining from her face as the realization started to kick in.
‘Bobby Jackson. He died yesterday. They arrested your Vinny for murder last night and carted him off in a police wagon. Didn’t you know?’
‘No, I bastard well didn’t,’ Queenie hissed, slamming the door in Hilda’s face.
It was in Hilda’s nature to have the last word. ‘Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,’ she trilled through the letterbox. ‘I’ll be off now then.’
As soon as Janey said her attacker’s name was Pat and described what had actually happened, Vivian knew who the culprit was. One Eyed Harry had told her only last week that he’d been released.
Tall, dark and handsome, Pat Campbell was the local sex-pest, playing on his looks to entice young girls to go out with him. He had a foul reputation for not taking no for an answer. He’d been getting away with it for years before one of his victims finally went to the police, and even then all he got was a slap on the wrist, a measly eighteen-month stretch.
‘Thank you so much for your kindness, Vivian. I don’t know what I’d have done otherwise. And thanks for allowing me to use your phone to ring my friend and my mum.’
Urging the seventeen-year-old to sit next to her on the sofa, Vivian squeezed Janey’s hands. The girl had been adamant about not involving the police, and Vivian had reluctantly gone along with it, not wanting to see the poor kid forced to relive the whole thing in court and probably end up being branded a slag for having gone out on a date with the bugger in the first place.
‘Are you sure that he never actually did you-know-what to you?’ asked Viv when she’d finished helping the girl clean herself up.
‘I’m positive,’ said Janey, pulling on the fresh pair of tights Viv had given her. ‘I’ve told you everything, honest. It was disgusting when he tried to put his thingy in my mouth. You won’t call the police after I leave, will you? I’m afraid they’ll say I led him on, that I’ve only myself to blame.’
‘I’ve given you my word, sweetheart. Old Bill are useless anyway. They should have banged him up for a lot longer than eighteen months, filthy bastard. They call him Pervy Pat round ’ere – one young lady he attacked said he got so excited his dingle-dangle felt like a gun rubbing against her.’ Seeing Janey shudder at the image, she quickly changed tack: ‘What goes around comes around, luv. I can assure you that you did sod-all wrong and that dirty bastard will get his comeuppance. I’ll make sure of it – that’s another promise.’
Ahmed Zane popped the cork and grinned like a Cheshire cat as he did so. He’d been totally gobsmacked when he had rung the club earlier and spoken to Michael. His initial shock had soon turned to elation though. This was karma at its very best.
‘Do not keep me in suspense any longer, Ahmed. Tell me, what has happened?’ Burak demanded.
Ahmed handed his cousin a glass of champagne and held his own aloft. ‘To Vinny Butler, who has now been arrested on a murder charge.’
‘What!’ Burak exclaimed.
Laughing like a hyena, Ahmed chinked glasses with his cousin. ‘Bobby Jackson died yesterday. It couldn’t have happened at a better time either, what with Carl on the loose, eh?’
Burak agreed. Carl Thompson had been the guy Ahmed had hired to help set Vinny up, but that plan had gone pear-shaped. Carl knew too much and needed to be found and silenced.
Ahmed topped up his and Burak’s drinks. ‘Can you imagine how difficult it will be for Vinny to cope in prison? I think he will go insane, especially so soon after Molly’s death. I must ask for a visiting order so I can experience his misery in the flesh.’
Burak smirked. ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if Butler ended up in Broadmoor?’
Ahmed laughed. ‘Now that would be hilarious.’
Mary Walker knew her daughter well enough to know she had something on her mind. ‘Why did you go back to Tiptree after Molly’s funeral? Not been rowing with Michael again, have you?’ Mary pried.
Nancy sighed. She had promised Joanna that she would not tell a soul about her pregnancy, but she was so worried about her friend, she had to tell somebody. ‘Boys, go and play in the garden for five minutes,’ Nancy ordered.
Adam and Lee immediately stood up, but Daniel didn’t. He stared at his mother and in an insolent tone said, ‘No. I’m watching Rainbow.’
‘I beg your pardon! Do as your mum says now,’ Mary insisted.
Daniel glared defiantly at this grandma. ‘No. It’s cold outside.’
Fuming at the way her eight-year-old son had been behaving of late, Nancy yanked him up by the arm and dragged him into the hallway. ‘Now put your coat on and get in that garden.’
Knowing when she spoke through gritted teeth his mother was at her angriest, Daniel grinned, ‘Make me.’
With his jet-black hair and bright green eyes, Daniel had certainly inherited his looks from his father’s side of the family. So had Adam. In fact only Lee looked anything like Nancy, yet he was Michael’s son from another relationship.
‘I am sick and tired of your cheekiness and I will not put up with it any more,’ Nancy said,
