‘She’ll be fine. It’ll be good for Juliet to see her mammy one last time,’ Molly said to Davey.

‘And what about Jeff?’ Grace asked.

‘Grace, Jeff isn’t scared of Rabbit, he just likes giant marshmallows.’

‘Don’t make me kill you, old woman,’ Grace said, in a tone that suggested she meant it.

‘Now, Grace, don’t threaten your mammy,’ Jack said.

Vincent decided it was time to shift gears. ‘Would you like to see Rabbit?’ he asked.

‘Oh yes,’ Molly said, but the rest of the Hayes clan remained silent. He brought them to a side room and closed the door. In the centre lay Rabbit in a temporary coffin. He and Silent Ed moved in unison and lifted the lid slowly and carefully, revealing Rabbit’s face poking through a blue satin sheet.

‘Bloody hell,’ Grace almost screamed, ‘she looks like the Virgin Mary!’

‘We’re just waiting on her clothes,’ Vincent said apologetically.

‘If the Virgin Mary was a tart.’ Molly turned to Vincent. ‘Jaysus, Vincent, go a little lighter on the make-up, will you, love?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Besides the heavy make-up, she’s lovely, isn’t she, Grace? Isn’t she lovely?’

Grace grimaced. She wasn’t lovely. She was a Virgin Mary geisha.

‘She didn’t really wear make-up, Ma,’ Grace said.

‘Well, that’s because she had flawless skin and perfect cheekbones,’ said Molly. ‘Now her skin is buggered and her bones are a distant memory so she’ll need some make-up, just not the full Alice Cooper.’

Vincent nodded. ‘Of course, good note.’

Silent Ed stifled something approaching a giggle. Vincent gave him a filthy look. Vincent sought clarification on their coffin choice but Molly was exhausted, Jack was tearful and Grace and Davey were sullen. It wasn’t a good time to make any more decisions.

‘We’ll get back to you on that in the morning, Vincent,’ Molly said.

‘Of course, it’s been a long day. The wake is being scheduled for tomorrow evening?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Would you like me to engage a priest or do you have someone local?’

‘We do – Father Frank,’ Molly said.

‘It’s not a religious service, Ma,’ Grace said through gritted teeth.

‘Didn’t say it was, Grace. I just said we had someone local.’

‘No religion, Ma,’ Davey warned. Rabbit had been an atheist since she was a child despite her mother’s many attempts to bring her into the Church. ‘Sorry, Ma, it’s bollocks, but if you’re into it, good for you,’ she said more times than Molly could count, but Molly had the last word now.

‘Fuck off, kids,’ Molly said, before turning to Vincent and Silent Ed. ‘That’s that, then, we’ll see you tomorrow.’