Wanting to take her mind off other things, Queenie told Freddie she wasn’t busy.

‘Brilliant. How about I pick you up and we go for a nice lunch somewhere? Just as friends, I promise,’ Freddie grinned. ‘There’s a new lady in my life now, one whom I’m very fond of, which is why I need your advice.’

‘Lunch sounds fine, but don’t pick me up from home, Freddie, and we’ll have to drive away from the area somewhere. You know how people talk round ’ere. I’ll jump on the tube and you can pick me up outside Bow Road station at twelve. That all right?’

The real reason Queenie wanted to keep their lunch undercover was because she knew Vinny would kick off if she was spotted out with Freddie. Vinny didn’t like her being friendly with him, had ordered her to knock that particular friendship on the head because it didn’t look good, his mother associating with the filth.

It had actually occurred to Queenie to tell Vinny that Freddie had once saved her from a long prison stretch, but she’d kept her gob shut. Betraying Freddie’s trust would be unforgivable and knowing how her eldest’s brain ticked, she wouldn’t put it past Vinny to use any knowledge he had about Freddie to his own advantage.

‘Hello, Jack. How you holding up, mate?’ said Vinny, greeting the father of the boy he’d murdered.

Jack’s eyes welled up. ‘Not good, lad, if I’m honest. The wife’s in bits, spends all day looking out the window expecting Peter to walk in. She’s adamant he’s still alive, but I’m not. I can’t help but fear the worst. Peter would never worry us like this. It’d be totally out of character for him to have run away.’

‘Well, let’s hope we get some answers on today’s search. Sorry Roy and I couldn’t make the last two. We’ve just bought the local snooker club and we’re trying to knock that into shape so we can open it.’

‘I understand. It’s good of you to be here today, lads.’

‘I wouldn’t be thanking them,’ piped up Freda Smart. She pointed at Vinny. ‘Wouldn’t surprise me if he had something to do with Peter’s disappearance.’

‘Oh, ’ere she goes, spouting shit as per usual. We hardly knew the lad, ya nutter,’ said Vinny.

Having been unable to look Peter’s father in the eye, Roy decided he’d better say something too. ‘We only knew Peter from the cafe. Vinny and me are here ’cause we wanna help find the lad.’

Freda pointed at Vinny again. ‘You don’t fool me. I know you better than you think, Sonny Jim.’

Vinny glared at the woman. ‘You don’t know me at all, darlin’. Show some respect for Peter’s friends and family who are worried sick about him. Your conspiracy theories are a figment of that notright imagination of yours.’

‘Yeah, shut it, Freda. Vinny and Roy are busy lads. It’s good of ’em to help us,’ shouted Ronny Tobyn, a drinking buddy of Albie’s.