Vinnie was laying on the podium without his feet.

His feet were on the fourteenth.

'Vinnie my son,' I goes, 'you come off second best mate, you never ought to gone up there you fucker. Jesus Vinnie.'

He was dead. So would you be you fell off the fourteenth and no feet.

He was like a burst tomato.

Then I puked up all over him didn't help matters. 'Sorry geezer,' I muttered, 'sorry Vinnie mate only I aren't used to clocking geezers with no feet.' Then I had to kneel down I shook so much. He was my mate Vinnie.

Belled 999 on the mobile. Operator came on asking what service. 'Old Bill,' I goes. 'Quick.' Old Bill comes on. 'Been a murder,' I goes. 'Chingford Hall, St Francis, round the podium. Vinnie O'Rourke. Ain't got no feet on him they been sawed off. Jesus.'

Then I fucked off. No point sitting around waiting on Old Bill. Be round mine soon enough. They knew Vinnie was my mate.

Vinnie was nineteen didn't know shit.

Vinnie and me were mates since the time we found his stepdad shagging my mum. Brought us together like. There we were, let off school early some power failure, teacher brought us home. Vinnie said no one was in round his that time so teacher brought us both round mine, next block on Priory Court. I had a key let us in and there they were, on the carpet.

In front of teacher too.

'What you doin' 'ere Nicky?' goes my mum.

'What you doin' 'ere Vinnie?' his stepdad goes.

'What you doing on the floor Mum?' I goes, six years old, thought the floor was for wrestling.

'What you doin' shagging Nicky's mum?' five-year-old Vinnie goes, did know about some things.

'Excuse me Mrs Burkett,' teacher turns round and says, 'I brought Nicky home because there was a power failure. I didn't realise you were busy ... measuring up for a new carpet.'

'Power failure!' screamed my mum. 'Bleeding power failure! And I'm not Mrs Burkett!' On account of she got married later on after having me and Sharon.

Vinnie and me we were always mates after that. Had something in common. Ask me I reckon teacher thought it was a laugh too.

Vinnie was dead.

No way he went there alone, heavy duty like that.

Or else he never reckoned. Went there do a small deal maybe handful of spliffs. Only he was out of his league, and me too.

I went off the estate puked up again. Then I went home for some grub.

Over the footbridge on the North Circular, cross over Billet Road and down the Court. Mum was there and Shithead. Sharon was there with her kid.

'Well look who's here.'

'Where you been Nicky? Last three days your mum's been worried sick about you.'

''Ello Nicky,' Sharon goes.

Sat down and had a cup of tea.

'Vinnie was round for you,' Mum turns round and says.

Oh shit. I looked at the TV.

'What's up Nicky?' Sharon goes.

'Nothing.'

'Yeah, come round dinnertime said he wanted a hand. Maybe some sort of motor I dunno.'

'Anyone with him?'

'Black lad. Lives up Blackhorse somewhere.'

'Sherry?'

'That's him,' Sharon goes. Sherry was a mate of her Kevin, baby-father.

'They say anything? Where they were going?'

'No. Said to say they were here.'

I picked up the phone and belled Roy The Mouth was always my brief on the big stories. Nicked a pushbike you never belled Roy he couldn't be arsed, but you get in heavy bother Roy's your man, bit of wedge in it and he's there. Rang him at home.

'Sorry Roy mate,' I goes. 'Need your help mate.'

'All right Nicky,' he turns round and says. 'Got to be serious ringing me here, bit of time in it is there?'

'Could be big notes Roy.'

'Give it to me my son.'

'You reckon my mate Vinnie?'

'Vinnie O'Rourke, yes. Acted for him on a couple of burglaries, nondomestic.'

'He got blown away.'

'He never! Not Vinnie ... Oh my Gawd.' Roy saw loads of future legal aid going up the canal.

'I found him. Called Old Bill. I better make a statement, need you there.'

'Sure Nicky, sure. We'll go up Chingford now. I'll meet you outside in half an hour, all right?'

But there was more and he knew it. So far there was no folding stuff but he could smell it out somewhere. 'What's the story Nicky?' he goes.

'Might be my brief on a capital,' I says.

'Ah. Now don't do anything foolish Nicky, you stay right there ... but if you do anything foolish you know you can count on me of course.'

'See you Roy.'

Meanwhile Mum and Shithead and Sharon were gawking.

'Oh my God Nicky,' Mum says. 'Not Vinnie, little Vinnie.'

'Yeah.'

'Oh my God Nicky, now don't you get involved now.'

Rang a minicab take me Chingford nick. Then rang George, my warrant officer. Got him at home.

'George,' I goes polite like, 'can you do me a favour? It's Nicky Burkett.'

'Jesus Nicky, how'd you get my home number you little bastard?' Then George remembers he's in front of his wife and kids. 'Nicky what the hell's up with you? You ain't got no fines the moment, you're all paid up. What the hell you ringing me here for?'

'George I need a favour. You being my warrant officer and all.' George summoned you to court you didn't pay your dues, fines and that. They made the good pigs warrant officers on account of it being a shitty job and how they weren't polite they might get sliced up. George had our patch, came on his pushbike about seven in the morning, had a cup of tea, sometimes stayed for a bit of breakfast then served the summons on you, court next week you didn't pay up.

'Nicky I ain't your warrant officer except it sometimes feels like it. I happen to be the officer covering your patch for my sins.'

'George I'm in a big one here.'

'Go on Nicky.'

'You know my mate Vinnie, lives Block F.'

'Vinnie O'Rourke.'

'He's been blown away on the estate. Thrown off the top. They sawed his plates off first.'

'Jesus.'

'I found him on the podium. Just going up Chingford make a statement. Can I like have you there as witness?'

'Witness to what? You need a lawyer Nicky.'

'I got a lawyer George. Roy Flowerdew.'

'No comment.'

'Want someone extra up Chingford.'

'What about your mum?'

'Leave it out George.'

'What about all them mates of yours Nicky?'

'They're all criminals. I got to have someone like straight, tell me where to go what happens next. This is big mischief George.'

'It's most irregular Nicky. I'm a police officer, I can't be your lawyer and I'm not the interviewing officer. What you want me to be?'

'You know them up Chingford George. Mess you around.' Couldn't like just say they straightened your teeth in the cells, he might not like it. 'And I ain't done nothing and I don't want no Chingford Filth saying I did.'

'Oi that's enough of that. All right Nicky, I dare say I'll wander down, say I know you both and might get information out of you, wipe your bum that sort of thing. See you there in fifteen minutes.'

'Appreciate it George. Do the same for you one day.'

'No you bleedin' won't.'

'Promise I'll pay all my fines straight up next time.'

'You could save us all a lot of trouble and not make it a next time. No chance of that though I suppose.'

Minicab was outside and I went up the nick. Insides shaking like, rattling. Sharon said she'd come, she was a good'un Sharon, but I said no like. Best get it sorted.

* * *

In the minicab it was on the news so the copshop...