‘Where’s the string?’ Queenie asked.

Vinny stared at his feet. ‘In Auntie Kay’s privets.’ Auntie Kay wasn’t the boy’s real aunt, but they always referred to her as such out of respect. She was forever giving them sherbet lemons and humbugs, and the odd penny or two.

‘Best you go and get the evidence then and make sure nobody bloody well sees you. Take your cricket ball with you and pretend you’ve lost it in the privets. Bring the string back ’ere and I’ll get rid of it for you. But only on one condition.’

Roy’s eyes bulged with fear. ‘What?’ He couldn’t believe he was a murderer. It was a hard thing to take in.

‘That you never bloody tie string outside anyone’s door or lie to me again. You did the right thing lying to PC Angel, but you never lie to your mother. You wouldn’t even be on this earth if it wasn’t for me.’

‘Sorry, Mum,’ Vinny said.

‘Me too, Mum,’ sighed Roy.

‘Sorry too,’ Michael added.

‘Go on. Off you trot – and don’t get bleedin’ caught.’

‘Oi! What you little bleeders up to now?’ bellowed Loudmouth Lena.

Having already found the string and shoved it inside his underpants, Vinny waved the cricket ball in the air. ‘Just getting this back.’

‘Go play down your own flipping end. We don’t want the likes of you up our end of the street. Not after what happened to Mrs Beard. You’re nothing but trouble.’

‘You got the penknife?’ Roy enquired.

‘Yeah. Come on. Let’s go.’

Not many of the neighbours owned a motor car, so when a green one the boys had never seen before passed them at a slow pace, all three stared inside.

‘Nah,’ Roy mumbled. ‘It can’t be.’

‘Gawd stone the crows!’ Vinny had heard about ghosts, but had never seen a real one before.

When the car stopped and Mrs Beard stepped out of it, Michael literally shit his pants. ‘I scared, Vinny. What’s happening?’

‘She’s come back to haunt us, that’s what,’ Vinny shivered. ‘Run. As fast as you fucking can.’

Queenie was in the middle of stirring the mixture for her bread pudding when the boys burst in the door as white as chalk.

‘Mrs Beard, Mum. We just see her ghost in a green car,’ Vinny explained.

‘Oh well. Perhaps she’s come back to haunt ya. Only got yourselves to blame, haven’t you?’ Seeing their horrified expressions, she gave them a wicked grin. ‘Or perhaps I lied to you like you lied to me and Mrs Beard is actually still alive?’

Vinny shook his head in disbelief and relief. ‘Thank gawd for that.’

‘You’re naughty, Mum,’ Roy added.

‘Not as naughty as youse. Now give me the evidence.’

Vinny took the string out of his pocket and handed it to his mother.

Queenie held the string over the kitchen sink. ‘You say nothing to your father or anybody else. This is our little secret. I’m not even telling Auntie Viv.’