Jack heard his granddaughter ranting and raving about her mother, his daughter, and he felt a terrible urge to join in with her. But he didn’t. How they had come to this state of affairs he didn’t know, all he knew was it was Cynthia’s fault. Everything she touched she destroyed. Her own children included.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Derek Greene was a happy man. He had had the go ahead from Jonny P, and he knew his future was secure. He also knew that, if he played his cards right, his father’s future would be secure too. He loved a bit of skulduggery, thrived on it in fact. ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ by The Bangles came on Melody FM and he turned it up; he liked the beat of the record.

In the back of his car he had a small armoury, and he was delivering it to a friend in need. He was, therefore, driving within the speed limit, with his seatbelt on, and his face a mask of pure innocence. It annoyed him when people got a tug for a stupid traffic violation while endeavouring to carry out their illegal business. It was a pointless nicking and it led to far too much trouble. While he was pursuing his nefarious businesses, he acted, drove and lived by the letter of the law. Why attract unwanted attention to yourself?

Pulling up at the scrapyard in Bow, he got out of the car and stretched for a few seconds. The Bangles had been replaced by David Bowie singing ‘Ashes To Ashes’ and he hummed along for a few seconds before walking nonchalantly to the Portakabins that served as offices.

He liked the yard. It was a place he had played in as a kid, and it was owned by his dad’s old mate Phillip Gardener, a prince among men. He had come to Derek’s rescue after his father’s untimely nicking, having heard about their financial position, and he had stepped in to help them out. Derek had a feeling Phillip would have liked to help his mother out in a more personal fashion and she had knocked him back. He didn’t blame the man for trying, and he respected his mother for her refusal; she was a decent old bird when all was said and done. His father had better remember that when he finally got out. Derek remembered his father had liked a bit of extra-marital interest, and that would not be tolerated this time round – his mother should be treated better than that. He would see she got the respect she deserved.