Queens of Crime: 3-Book Thriller Collection. Kimberley Chambers

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СКАЧАТЬ Gone was the thick mop of dark hair and the twinkle in his eye. His barnet had thinned and was now swept over his head to hide any bald patches. As for his eyes, they had completely lost their sparkle.

      Roy sat opposite his father. The last time he had seen his dad had been about six years ago, and him turning up out the blue was a shock to say the least.

      ‘Nice club, boy. Much bigger than the last one, ain’t it? Where are your brothers?’ Albie asked.

      ‘Out. Look, Dad, what do you want? Vinny has only gone for lunch and he could be back any time. He ain’t gonna be too happy to find you sitting here, is he?’

      ‘How’s your mum? Still a handful?’ Albie chuckled, avoiding answering Roy’s question.

      ‘Mum’s fine. We’re all fine. Just cut the crap and tell me why you’re here, will you? Do you need money? Is that it?’

      Knocking his brandy back, Albie shook his head sadly. ‘I’ve got the cancer, boy. I’m a very ill man.’

      Michael grinned as he unpacked the picnic. He had asked his mum to do him proud and she hadn’t let him down. A whole roast chicken, pork pies, a knuckle of ham, tomatoes, six crusty buttered rolls, a big lump of cheese. She had even packed hard-boiled eggs, brown pickle, and a jar of her home-made pickled onions. Michael laid all the food out, then popped open a bottle of champagne.

      Nancy propped herself up on her elbow. Michael had laid a big blanket on the grass and had brought a portable radio with him as well. It was very romantic.

      Michael handed Nancy a glass of champagne and grinned. He had finished with Denise the previous day. It hadn’t been easy. At first she had burst into tears and begged him not to leave her. Then, five minutes later, she had flown at him and called him every name under the sun. Still, it was all over now, and he was free to do what he wanted. ‘Haven’t you ever been to Hainault before?’ he asked Nancy.

      ‘No. I didn’t even know there was a forest here. It is incredibly pretty.’

      ‘And so are you,’ Michael said, gazing intently into Nancy’s eyes.

      Nancy looked away. Her feelings for Michael frightened her a bit.

      ‘Well, eat something then. There’s a paper plate there. I told my mum I had met a special young lady and she helped me with the picnic,’ Michael said, winking at Nancy.

      ‘How is your mum? I remember her and your aunt coming into my parents’ café. And I remember your little nephew who loved our jukebox.’

      Michael chuckled. ‘My little nephew ain’t so little now. Lenny’s fifteen and is nearly as tall as me. My mum’s a diamond, Nance, so is my Auntie Viv. So are my brothers deep down. They’ve got their faults, but who hasn’t?’

      ‘Oh, my family have lots of faults. Especially my dad who still treats me as though I’m about ten. My brother drives me mad sometimes as well. He is turning more into my dad as every day passes. I do still love ’em though.’

      ‘Of course you do. Your family is your family, babe, and you only inherit one.’

      ‘So, what is Brenda like now, Michael? I can’t really remember what she looked like, but I do remember really liking her. Has she got a job and a boyfriend?’ Nancy enquired.

      ‘Bren’s a good girl, but she’s a bit headstrong. She doesn’t like work very much either. She’s had three different jobs since leaving school and didn’t last at any of them for more than a week. To my knowledge, she hasn’t got a boyfriend at the moment. I suppose, being the only girl, me and my brothers are a bit strict with her, so she probably wouldn’t tell us if she was courting. In fact, she was over the fair last Saturday, the day we met there. So was Vinny. He spotted Brenda arsing about with some lads and they had a bit of a fall-out.’

      The mention of Vinny brought Nancy back to reality. It was his fault that her family had fled Whitechapel in the middle of the night, so how were her parents ever going to accept her dating Vinny’s brother? As much as she liked Michael, Nancy momentarily wondered if she should back out of the relationship before she got in too deep.

      Noticing the vacant expression on Nancy’s face, Michael decided he had to broach the subject that they had both so far avoided. ‘Look, Nance, I know what happened was heavy duty, but Vinny has mellowed now. He was young then, we all were, and shit happens, don’t it? I like you so much, I really, really do, so please don’t let the past spoil whatever future we might have. I know if we carry on seeing one another, one day our families will have to find out, but let’s worry about that at the time, eh? Always remember, I ain’t Vinny, I’m Michael Butler.’

      Nancy edged towards Michael and laid her head against his chest. He was right. Nothing that had happened was their fault, so why should they stop seeing one another?

      When Nanny Maureen excused herself to go to the toilet, Vinny leant across the table and gave Karen’s hand a friendly squeeze. ‘Didn’t it go well? Little ’un really enjoyed himself,’ he said, gesturing towards their son who had over-eaten and was now fast asleep on the chair.

      Karen smiled. Vinny had been the perfect gentleman today, and the restaurant he had brought them to was top-class. ‘It’s been wonderful, Vinny, it really has. I can’t tell you how many nights I have laid awake imaging what our son was like, and to now finally be part of his life truly means the world to me.’

      ‘You know what, I was thinking earlier. Seeing as you are a barmaid now, why don’t you come and work at the club for me? You could see so much more of Little Vinny then, couldn’t you?’

      ‘Oh, I don’t know. I do days in the pub where I work now. If I come and work for you, it’s nights, isn’t it? It will cost me a fortune to get home to Dagenham in a cab as well.’

      Vinny raised his eyebrows and chuckled. ‘’Course it won’t. That’s one of the benefits of being my child’s mother. I’ll pay all your fares and I’ll double whatever wages you are currently being paid. To be honest, I’m on the look-out for a manageress, so if things work out and you fit the bill, then I don’t see why the job can’t be yours.’

      ‘Manageress! Oh my God! What type of club do you have now? It’s not all seedy old men and strippers, is it?’

      ‘No, of course not. We don’t have strippers at all now. It’s proper classy. We have jazz nights and lots of live music. It’s members only, and although they are allowed to sign guests in for a fee, there is no riff-raff. You will love it, Karen, trust me. Far better for you than working in some shitty boozer in Dagenham.’

      ‘But, I won’t get to see much more of Little Vinny, will I? Surely you don’t have him at the club of a night?’

      Vinny chuckled. ‘Yeah, he pulls pints. No, what I was thinking was, say you start work at seven, well you can come up this way earlier and spend a couple of hours with Little Vinny before you begin. You’d get to see him most days then, wouldn’t you? Now he has met you, he is going to need to see you regularly.’

      Karen couldn’t believe how much Vinny had changed over the years. He used to be a nasty bastard once upon a time, with a vile temper, and even though he had been horrible to her when she had turned up at his mum’s house, Karen now guessed that his behaviour that day was down to shock. At twenty-six, Vinny had matured into a real man, and being a dad had obviously brought out the best in him, Karen thought.

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