Roper had felt he was high and dry this time. Even when a couple of red herrings, Stanislav and Ubley, were thrown into the investigation, he didn't allow himself to become downhearted. Fortunately there was no real evidence against them, and even the Muckles' brief wasn't too optimistic he could get them off. Bolton's body being found, then the abduction of the two women, muddied the waters somewhat. Clearly there was some other issue at 11 Dale Street that he hadn't picked up on. Yet through it all Roper hadn't allowed himself to be sidetracked from the real issue, that a small child had been raped and killed. Alfie, and hopefully his slagbag of a wife, would hang for it, that much he was sure of.

Then when he heard Jack Trueman was involved too, he felt as high as a kite. For almost as long as the Muckles had been plaguing him, Jack Trueman had been the man every senior officer in London wanted a chance to nick. They suspected he was involved in some way with half the serious crime in central London, but he was a clever b.a.s.t.a.r.d, always one jump ahead, covering his tracks carefully while flaunting his seedy but legal businesses. If Roper could nail him it would mean promotion and cause for celebration for all his men.

Then young Fifi spoke up about Yvette and said that it was Trueman who raped Angela, and all his hopes of putting Alfie and Molly away for good were blown sky-high.

The previous night he'd been in despair because he knew that as things stood he had nothing substantial against them. They were likely to get something for neglecting and failing to protect their children, but he doubted that would amount to much more than a year or so in prison.

As for Trueman, he'd undoubtedly wriggle out of responsibility for Bolton's death, and without an eyewitness, it would be well nigh impossible to prove he raped Angela either. Yvette had killed herself and that left only abduction charges to pin on the man; not much when Roper had hoped for so much more.

Fifi had said Yvette claimed there were other young people who were s.e.xually abused at number 11, but that was just hearsay. And they still hadn't discovered the ident.i.ty of the other men who were there that night.

Last night he'd decided he was going to leave the force and move to another city. There was no way he could bear to watch Alfie and Molly set free to laugh up their sleeves at him and continue spoiling people's lives.

But this morning he got up and found the sun was shining again. It was even announced on the radio that an Indian summer had begun. That did seem like a good omen. Then he got the call that a man called Martin Broughton, who was one of Trueman's lackeys, had presented himself at Bow Street last night prepared to spill the beans.

Now Bow Street had a whole dossier on Trueman, details about his grubby empire that in the ordinary way they'd never get. And Roper had learned who had been informing here.

He'd never liked Inspector William Hall. Ex-public school bully and too flashy by half no wonder he could afford to live in Barnes and drive a Zephyr 6. To think they'd all believed it was inherited wealth!

But he'd be pulled today too and suspended pending an investigation. But now it was off to Brixton. He'd even got some inspiration about how to trap Alfie.

'Walk into a door, did you?' Roper said sarcastically when Alfie was brought into the interview room by a prison officer. The man had two black eyes and he was limping badly. In the grey prison uniform he appeared small and insignificant and he had lost weight since he was arrested.

'Fight on the wing,' Alfie said with a feeble attempt at bravado. 'I tried to break it up and this is what I got.'

'No friends in here then?' Roper asked once Alfie was seated opposite him and Wallis at the table. 'You ain't gotta lot anywhere else either. Your old woman keeps slagging you off, and so does Jack Trueman.'

At the mention of Trueman's name Alfie looked startled.

'Yup, we've got him,' Roper said gleefully. 'He's been singing like a canary too. Sez you sold Angela for two ton at the card party, and Molly reckons she pleaded with you to stop.'

Wallis glanced at Roper, almost certainly rather startled by such an outrageous lie. Trueman hadn't said one word as yet.

'That's a f.u.c.kin' lie,' Alfie roared out.

'What's a lie? That he wasn't there, or about Molly?'

'He were there all right,' Alfie growled. 'But it were Molly that sold Angie, I was too p.i.s.sed to do anything.'

Alfie stiffened as he suddenly realized what he'd admitted, a hunted look coming into his eyes.

Roper was pleased to see Wallis sitting up straight now, a faint smirk on his lips.

'You don't have anything to fear from Trueman now,' Roper said soothingly. 'He's in hospital after a good kicking, handcuffed to the bed with an officer on the door. Soon as he's well enough to move he'll be inside. We won't bring him here of course, not if you give us a hand sorting out the last loose ends.'

Roper paused just long enough for that to sink in, then carried on. 'We've known for some time he was at your house that night. Molly told us she was having it off with him.'

'She told you that?' Alfie said incredulously. ''E wouldn't touch'er with someone else's!'

'Come on, Alfie,' Roper wheedled. 'Molly's an attractive woman, you can't blame her for being tempted to go off and live with him, and he could give her a much better life than you could.'

Wallis blew his nose noisily, probably to cover up a sn.i.g.g.e.r, and Alfie rose from his chair, clearly rattled. 'She's lying through her teeth,' he burst out. 'Jack Trueman likes 'em young, boys or girls.'E wouldn't even look at an old boiler like'er.'

'That's not what he told me.' Roper shook his head. 'He said when you were upstairs with Angela, he was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g Molly in the front room.'

''E's f.u.c.king lyin'. I never went upstairs with Angela. It was 'im!' He bought her for two hundred nicker and s.h.a.gged'er.'

Much as Roper wanted the truth out of Alfie, it made his stomach churn to hear the man speak so flippantly of his daughter's rape. But he had to fight down his disgust and carry on. 'Come on, Alfie!' he exclaimed. 'You expect me to believe that? I've talked to you dozens of times and you've told me all sorts, but never that before. Are you just mad because he was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g Molly behind your back?'

''E could screw Molly in front of me and I wouldn't care,' Alfie raged, white foam gathering on his lips. 'But I ain't gonna'ave it said I touched our Angela, cos I didn't. I was so p.i.s.sed that night I couldn't have got it up if Jayne Mansfield came in and begged me.'

Roper half smiled. Alfie had consistently denied raping Angela, the only part of his version of the events of that evening that was consistent. Yet even after learning the truth about who raped and who killed her, Roper had no intention of letting the louse off the hook. He wanted to get him so angry that he'd reveal more of his foul secrets.

'Trueman reckons you were frightened of Molly leaving you because she's the one that got you young birds.'

'She f.u.c.kin' got 'im them, fer money,' Alfie exploded, banging on the table. 'And boys too. I likes real women, not some skinny little piece.' them, fer money,' Alfie exploded, banging on the table. 'And boys too. I likes real women, not some skinny little piece.'

Roper kept this up for some time, with each question bringing up some insulting and totally untrue statement that Trueman or Molly was supposed to have made. Alfie got angrier and angrier until he was close to bursting, then suddenly it all spilled out.

'I'll tell you how it really f.u.c.kin' was. I've been'aving card parties on Fridays fer years, famous for it I was cos the stakes was always high and there was usually a few birds an' all. Then about a year ago Jack Trueman comes along and cos'e's got those clubs an' all up West, Molly thinks he's the dog's b.o.l.l.o.c.ks. It don't take'er long to work out what'e likes, and that'e'll pay well fer it. I told'er the first time she brought a young bird back, barely fifteen she were, that this was big trouble, and soon'e'd be wanting'em younger still. But she wouldn't b.l.o.o.d.y well listen. Between the two of'em, they'd got me by the short and curlies.'

Alfie ranted on for some ten minutes about how he tried to get the card parties back to how they used to be, but Trueman had only to wave a handful of notes at Molly and she'd jump to get whatever he wanted.

Roper felt this was probably true, but guessed Alfie had almost certainly done some criminal work for Trueman too, which made it impossible for him to complain or back off when Trueman began bringing other men with the same tastes with him for these evenings.

Alfie explained in his uniquely crude manner that Trueman and his mates liked one kid to share between them, because the watching was as stimulating to them as the actual s.e.x. They didn't care whether it was boys or girls, as long as they were young. Molly provided them.

The youngsters, according to Alfie, were often runaways, attracted to London's bright lights. Molly found them roaming around Soho and befriended them, offering them a bath, a meal and a bed for the night.

Roper could well imagine what a plausible mother figure Molly could be when she put her mind to it. In the past she'd almost convinced him that she was a kindly, rather naive woman. Mike, Alfie's nephew, had also said he thought she was 'right nice' when he first went to live there.

Alfie said how she usually found a kid on a Thursday, made a fuss of him or her, even gave them new clothes, and then when Friday came she told them there would be a party that night. Before anyone arrived she'd give them a few drinks to relax them, and more often than not the kids thought the first overtures from one of the guests, someone taking them on their knee or giving them a cuddle, was just affection. At that point Molly would give them a drink laced with a few drops of sedative. Alfie claimed he had no idea what this was, all he knew was that she got the stuff from someone up in Soho.

'There was a lad one night, they b.u.g.g.e.red him one after the other till'e was bleedin',' Alfie said indignantly. 'I couldn't stand it and I sez that's the end. But Trueman,'e picked up a knife and said he'd cut off me c.o.c.k and stick it in me mouth if I caused him any trouble. 'E meant it an' all. I got to'ear that anyone who crossed'im ended up disappearing.'

'You mean like John Bolton ended up in the river?' Wallis asked.

''E what?' Alfie exclaimed.

'You didn't know?' Roper said, well aware that Alfie was kept in isolation for most of the time for his own safety, therefore unlikely to hear any gossip or news. 'Well, I suppose you wouldn't hear in here. Sunday week it happened. They say he was about to gra.s.s up Trueman.'

To Roper's surprise Alfie looked genuinely upset. 'John were a good bloke, known'im all me life,' he said, his lip quivering. ''E told me I were gettin' in over me'ead with Trueman. Too right I was, look where I am now!'

'But he introduced Trueman to you, didn't he?' Roper asked.

'Naw, whoever told you that? It were some bloke Molly knew what brought Trueman round.'

'But Bolton was seen going into your house with Trueman.'

'Once'e did, John'ad done some job fer Trueman and John dropped'im off at mine. I asked John to come in fer a drink fer old times' sake.'E didn't stay long though.'

Roper felt this was true because John Bolton had said something similar when he was pulled in for routine questioning after Angela's death. He explained that he had hung around with Alfie as a kid and had freely admitted going to one card game back in June because of their past connection. He said he never repeated it though because he didn't like the way Alfie lived or what he had become. But he said he found it hard to blank the man entirely because his childhood pal had never stood a chance because of his family background.

'What d'you reckon Bolton was going to gra.s.s Trueman up about?' Roper asked.

''Spect'e guessed what was going on.' Alfie had the grace to look a little sheepish. 'John didn't like stuff like that. Always were a bit of a gent, even when we was kids. There weren't no love lost between'im and Trueman anyways. I'eard Trueman sacked'im from'is club cos John wouldn't kowtow to'im. See, John weren't n.o.body's man, know what I mean?'

That was exactly what Roper had always felt about John Bolton too. A rogue, but one with pride and a kind of honour.

Alfie went on to complain that meeting Trueman had ruined his life. He said his old mates stopped coming to the card parties, and Molly became greedier and greedier.

'She always' ad'er eye on the main chance, but once 'e came along she were impossible. Trueman knew 'ow to play 'er,'e'd tell her she was beautiful and that, but it were only so she'd get'im what'e wanted.'

Roper found Alfie making himself out to be a victim a bit tedious; he preferred it when the man swaggered and boasted. But he sensed Alfie was getting things off his chest because he felt safe now Trueman was locked up and couldn't come after him. If Roper pushed him a bit harder, he might reveal even more.

'Molly said you b.u.g.g.e.red that young lad too,' Roper lied, almost believing it himself because he managed to say it so calmly. 'She said you couldn't even wait your turn.'

'She f.u.c.kin' what?' Alfie turned purple, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. 'I ain't a poofter. I only goes fer women. It made me sick just to 'ear 'em at it, b.l.o.o.d.y perverts. Then they expected me to stow it away fer 'em.'

Roper felt a p.r.i.c.kling down his spine. Alfie wasn't the most articulate of men, and that last statement could have meant anything from comforting the abused lad to cleaning the floor. But Roper had a feeling it meant a great deal more than that. He glanced sideways at Wallis and saw he had reacted to it too. He was rigid, leaning forward on to the table, his eyes glued to Alfie.

'Molly told us the lad died,' Roper bluffed. 'She didn't tell us that you had to get rid of the body though. Where did you take it?'

For the first time since his arrest Alfie looked stricken with fear and an animal smell wafted from him. His mouth opened and shut again. Clearly he realized he'd dropped himself right in it.

'It's okay, Alfie,' Wallis said calmly. 'Molly told us about this ages ago. We haven't questioned you about it before because we were waiting to get Trueman in custody. Molly said it was you who killed him, but we don't believe that. It was Trueman, wasn't it? It's safe to tell us, he can't get at you now.'

Alfie was gulping so hard his Adam's apple looked likely to burst out of his throat. ''E never meant to kill'im,' he blurted out. 'One of the blokes said they thought'e just accidentally broke the kid's neck while'e was'olding him.' Alfie stood up, miming bending forward over someone and holding on to their neck. The mime made Roper cringe because it was clear Alfie had been an avid observer at this gang bang.

'One minute the lad were crying, the next he went all limp. He were dead.'

Roper felt sick, and even without looking at Wallis he knew he was in the same state. But they had to continue what they'd started now. A body along with a statement would keep Alfie and Molly in prison and hopefully Trueman would hang.

'And you were made to get rid of the body? Where did you take it?'

'I dunno exactly, it were dark and I don't know me way that far out in the sticks. It were way beyond Lewisham, I know that much. Trueman told Chas to drive us.'E knew the way.'

Roper closed his eyes for a second. He felt he ought to be elated, for everything was falling into place. He was certain the place Alfie was referring to was the same place the two women were taken to. He also felt absolutely certain it would transpire that Trueman or one of his a.s.sociates had bought that land when the farmer died.

Harry Brown had put forward the suggestion that one of the men at the building site where Dan Reynolds worked might have something to do with Fifi's abduction, and Roper had checked some of the men out. Charles Bovey, better known as Chas, didn't have a criminal record, but he was a well-known thug. And there were two complaints on record that he had s.e.xually a.s.saulted young girls, but in both cases the complaint had been withdrawn. Roper hadn't felt able to pull him in for questioning because there had been nothing concrete to tie him into Fifi's disappearance.

'Does Chas Bovey drive a black Daimler?' he asked almost in a conversational manner. He knew perfectly well that Chas had a green Consul, but two separate people had claimed to have seen a black Daimler in the street on a couple of Friday nights and he hoped to get the name of the owner.

Alfie shook his head. 'No, he's got a Consul.'

Roper feigned surprise. 'Molly said it was a Daimler!'

'She wouldn't know a Morris Minor from an'ea.r.s.e,' Alfie said with a wolfish grin. He didn't even seem to be aware that he'd admitted being part of crimes that were beyond the pale. 'Maybe she's got mixed up with Trueman's mate, Tony Lubrano,'e's got a Daimler, she were always asking'im to take'er up West in it.'

Both police officers p.r.i.c.ked up their ears at the name Tony Lubrano. Like Trueman, he ran several shady businesses in Soho and was another man they'd been taking a keen interest in for several years.

'You could be right there, Alfie,' Wallis chimed in, lying with as much flair as Roper. 'Molly was talking about Tony being there that night, and we thought she said you went off in his car.'

'Yeah,'e was there all right, but not'is car. We went in the Consul.'

'When did this happen, Alfie?' Roper said.

Alfie looked at him suspiciously. 'Didn't Molly tell you that an' all?'

Roper gulped. He had started to think Alfie was a complete fool, and that was a mistake, for what he lacked in real brains, he made up for in low cunning. He had to keep the man sweet for a little longer, until he'd signed a statement.

'She did, but as she's lied about mostly everything, I just wanted you to confirm it,' Roper said in honeyed tones. 'My G.o.d, Alfie, I feel for you, she's trying to lay all this on to you. What on earth did you do to her to make her turn against you? I always thought you were rock solid.'

'I dunno.' Alfie shook his head sadly. 'But I ain't gonna let'er blame me for all this. The gloves are off now. I ain't even begun to tell you yet what she can be like.'

Roper felt that he'd had more than enough for one day. He was sickened in a way he'd never been in his whole career as a policeman. The lad who died in such a brutal and horrific manner would probably turn out to be some young kid turned loose from a care home without any supervision. Unloved from birth, and with no one to mourn him now he was gone. And those other youngsters, what had happened to them after their ordeal? He could bet it had marked them for life.

But Roper couldn't stop now. They still needed the finer details, names and dates, to ensure Trueman, Alfie and Molly would never walk free, and the other men involved could be brought in and charged. He just hoped he could get through it without throwing up.

Two hours later, once outside the prison gates, the two policemen lit up cigarettes and stood silently for a moment gathering themselves.

They felt they had the truth at last, and a statement to go with it, but what they'd heard had disturbed and revolted them so badly they could barely look at each other. Wallis had said as they came away from Alfie that he doubted he'd ever be able to walk down Dale Street again without seeing the hideous images of what went on in number 11.

'I think it's time for me to retire,' Roper sighed. 'It just gets worse all the time. When I joined the force we nicked men that were just thieves. You could understand why because they were born into nothing, jobs were hard to come by and they had families to feed. But now you get stuff like this!'

'Did you see his face when he said they buried the body just before Christmas?' Wallis asked incredulously. 'He was so b.l.o.o.d.y gleeful that it snowed at New Year and it stayed around for weeks. He thought he was talking to men that had the same sick mentality as him!'

Roper shuddered. He felt he needed a bath in disinfectant to make sure none of Alfie's sickness had transferred to him. 'I'm not so sure I can feel proud of myself,' he admitted. 'I only got all that filth by lying to him. Now we've got to do the same to Molly. But I don't suppose she'll be such a pushover.'

'Were they both as evil as that when they met, or did they make each other that way?' Wallis mused aloud as they walked to the car.

'I don't even want to think about that one.' Roper half smiled. 'If I did I might feel tempted to collect up all their children and grandchildren and kill them off to make sure the Muckle genes don't spread any further.'

Chapter twenty-one.

'Your mum's watching us from the kitchen window,' Dan warned Fifi as she turned in her seat to kiss him.

It was a Sunday afternoon in mid-November and they were down the garden sitting by the summer house in a patch of sunshine. It had been raining incessantly for the last two weeks, but as today was dry and sunny, after lunch Fifi and Dan had volunteered to rake up the fallen leaves that lay like a thick orange and yellow carpet on the lawn. But halfway through the job they'd got bored and sat down for a rest.

'Let her watch,' Fifi murmured. 'I don't care.'

Dan returned the kiss, wishing he could whisk her indoors and go to bed for the rest of the afternoon. But he knew Clara would see that as a step too far.